Chapter 57
Kisha and Misha
In the black and white photograph, there were two men. More specifically, a young man and a boy. One of them was a boy with dark hair and wide, round eyes.
‘There’s no way a scrappy-looking kid like that is the winner.’
Daphne pursed her lips a little.
“Is the winner this one?”
Daphne pointed to one side with her index finger. man beneath her fingerprint was holding out his large palm to the camera as if he didn’t want to be photographed.
Thanks to this, his face couldn’t be seen, but he had a tall and broad frame, with bright hair. His white shirt was rolled up past his elbows, and his pants didn’t look particularly suited for movement.
“He’s actually the runner-up who forfeited. The winner is the boy!” Narid explained casually.
“Why would he forfeit? Did he think he’d lose?”
“Maybe he just wanted second place,”
Narid replied lightly. Daphne frowned unconsciously.
“Why would you want second place?”
“Well, perhaps the prize for second place was better… Just like how you aimed for third place at the academic competition to win the shoe workshop voucher.”
Daphne quickly agreed.
“Then how this kid is good enough to wield a sword like that?”
Daphne looked at the boy again. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed at least a year or two younger than her. He wore a floral crown, carried a sword case that was almost half his size, and had a somewhat blank expression.
“All right, let’s do a background check on him.” she declared.
“What? Uh, I thought you were going to suggest we find the gentleman on the left.” Narid said with mild surprise.
“I prefer someone who is manageable, like a child. If he’s an orphan, he’ll definitely need someone to rely on.”
“That’s a very misleading thing to say, coming from someone like you.”
Narid slapped her affectionately, lightly. Daphne pouted her lips.
Her godfather had often told her not to treat people like commodities, but Daphne hadn’t quite grown out of the habit. After all, do you know where people’s trust comes from? Do you know what people rely on the most?
“But what can I do? I need someone to protect me, and this baby needs someone to rely on.”
It was money.
* * *
“Go away.”
“… What?”
Daphne froze, her hand still adjusting the brim of her wide hat. When she looked down, she saw a pretty child with silver hair—a rare sight in Secradion—glaring up at her with a scowl.
“Are you… a girl?” she asked.
“I’m a boy,” he replied curtly.
“Oh my, pardon me for the mistake…”
“If you know, go away. Get in that fancy beetle that runs without a horse.”
He lifted a finger and pointed to the yellow pod Daphne had gotten into, his finger poking out from under oversized sleeves smudged with dirt.
‘Ah.’
It wasn’t just dirt. Daphne frowned. The boy must have sensed her gaze, because he quickly lowered his arms and glared at Daphne again.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked.
“No.”
Tenzen was hotter and more humid than the capital of Secradion. Daphne, who always kept herself cool, felt sweat rising and became irritable. But she quickly calmed down.
It was because the boy had gray eyes just like her godfather.
“No, I didn’t come to see you in the first place, the dark-haired one.”
“Who says I don’t know? My brother didn’t enter that competition to sell himself to idiots.”
This was the third time Daphne had been patient with him, and she didn’t deserve this.
She placed a hand over her chest and tried to speak sincerely.
“I’m not a trafficker. I’m here to ask your brother—or whoever he is—to be my bodyguard. I heard he won the competition.”
But Daphne persevered one more time, as her godfather had taught her. Upon closer inspection, she could see yellow marks on his face, as if a blood clot was forming and draining.
“… Do you think there were only one or two rich people like you? Get lost, and you’re not in a position to ask for favors.”
“I’m what?”
“The posture of someone who’s about to buy a piglet from the slaughterhouse, and you need to learn some of those ‘manners’ you’re so eager to teach.”
The boy jerked his chin toward where Daphne was standing. It was a poor gesture, and as she listened to his words, she could hear the inconsistency in his accent.
‘So much for being under someone’s protection,’ Daphne thought bitterly.
She recalled the orphanage director, who had boasted about “caring” for two unusual children.
— I’ve rescued these imperial slaves, you see, they’re very healthy and lovable.
Daphne clicked her tongue as she folded her arms. “Healthy and lovable,” indeed—after clearly beating the kids.
“Is your brother one of those piglet in a slaughterhouse? Don’t worry. I don’t eat meat.”
Even as she muttered that, Daphne looked at the stone steps she was standing on, and then down again. Sure enough, the boy was about five steps below her.
“You’re the one who stayed down there to talk to me. Why are you doing this to me? Come up and talk to me.”
At Daphne’s words, the boy’s face grew troubled.
The sun, which had been hidden by the clouds, was shining brightly. The sun peeked out from the clouds, shining directly overhead. Daphne fanned herself lightly and descended the stairs one by one. Up close, she realized he might actually be taller than her by half a head.
Daphne tried to stand on the steps, but stopped and sighed softly.
“My friend from the Empire, does your director often break promises? How long will you make me, a valuable person, wait in this shabby place?”
“…….”
The boy’s face reddened with frustration, but he didn’t retort. He seemed uneasy, as though the mention of the Empire had exposed him.
The Empire still practiced slavery, and the slaves of the slavemasters often escaped to Secradion when they were in the neighborhood. The Empire has its own arrangement with the Secradion, which is why we have a special program called…
‘We get reports at irregular intervals, and we pay very generous bounties.’
It was clear that the director was pretending to protect these kids while only waiting for that day. Daphne clicked her tongue.
“Listen. I don’t know what kind of idiots you’ve dealt with, but I genuinely need a bodyguard. Someone to protect me and stand by my side.”
“My brother…”
“What’s the name?”
Daphne didn’t like long-winded speeches. Then again, it was hot. The boy with the truncated speech raised his eyes.
“Why do you want to do?”
“I’m talking about you. Are you and your brother are family? Why don’t you come along, too?”
“Ki…sha… the name…you mean me?”
Daphne nodded. The silver-haired boy pursed his lips, then shut them again.
‘So the swordsman’s name is Kisha? Sounds like a girl’s name… but it’s pretty.’
I consciously spun my thought circuits. Whether it was her birth, her upbringing, or her own struggles, Daphne was often a bit shallow in her speech and thoughts.
‘Ever since my godfather told me to think before I speak, I’ve tried to be careful…’
Anyway, Daphne liked the boy who answered her without blinking an eye.
‘If he’s from the Empire, he must speak the language fluently. He could be useful.’
The boy who answered back like a machine gun was also spoke Secradion. He needs to practice his pronunciation a little more, though.
‘He said he likes to learn, so I’m sure he’ll follow along if you offer to teach him.’
Daphne thought about what she could do for the silver-haired boy standing in front of her.
“Why should I tell you? I won’t tell you.”
“What are you doing, you crazy, oh, my God!”
Before Daphne could even stretch out her arm to grab him, the boy, whose ears were red, ran away with a quick gesture.
She narrowed her golden eyes. She couldn’t believe how pathetic her hands were clutching at thin air.
Daphne looked down at her outfit. House Greene wore green dresses of silk for the most formal occasions. A little extra lace here and there to make it feel a little fancier.
Daphne has been forced since she was a little girl to wear only the most formal clothes with all the trimmings.
—If it’s stuffy, don’t wear it like that. Wear it cool.
—Even in winter?
—Yes, if that’s your choice. But you’ll catch a cold.
From then on, Daphne stuck to very light clothes and consciously avoided anything stuffy. It was okay to catch a cold. There were six adults in Serenade who took care of her, including her godfather and Narid!
The fact that she even wore a hat was…
‘I’d be overwhelmed, too.’
Daphne felt a little ridiculous at herself for dressing up like a grown-up to welcome a new member of the family.
Daphne was squatting in the car when she arrived in this shabby countryside wearing these clothes.
Her back, which had been overworked for a long time, was still screaming. And on top of that, she’d waited almost an hour under the sun when she’d been told to wait here!
“How dare you, you violent criminal.”
Daphne, who returned to the car with her feet filled with anger and stamped her footprints on the ground like a stamp, bit her teeth. The driver, an ex-military man, and Narid in the passenger seat looked back at her.
“Weren’t you hot?”
“Not hot? I’ll hold the parasol for you.”
“I have a hat, it’s okay. Mister, do you carry a gun?”
“Yes?”
“Extra gasoline and a lighter, too.”
The driver looked puzzled, but soon nodded. Daphne nodded in satisfaction. The shabby orphanage made of brown bricks. It had been grimy and dirty since she’d first seen it.
Daphne crossed her arms and stared at the walls of the orphanage.
It was more disgusting that the adult hit the child and then asked for support afterward, than that the boy didn’t follow her.
“An asshole who hits a child deserves to be killed.”
