Chapter 2
Are you coming with us?
He was a man of noble appearance.
Black hair, crimson eyes devoid of any emotion.
Everything he wore looked expensive. Even just standing there, he exuded dignity.
‘A noble.’
And not just any noble, he looked incredibly high-ranking.
For a moment, Agnes, forgetting her own situation, gazed blankly at the nobleman.
Then someone grabbed her arm.
It was the nobleman’s attendant.
The young attendant with brown hair, lifting Agnes who had stumbled, turned to the nobleman and asked.
“Are you alright?”
For a moment, the gaze of the nobleman, which had briefly touched Agnes, shifted elsewhere.
In his indifferent gaze, Agnes felt as if she were becoming an invisible presence.
The nobleman replied to the attendant.
“I’m fine. This alley is still as busy as ever.”
“Shouldn’t the Lord have come out in person? After all, the young master has once again driven away the child they brought.”
“Jed.”
“I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”
The attendant called Jed, with a mischievous face, waved his hands apologetically.
Agnes’s heart raced at their calm demeanor.
She had collided with a nobleman.
She didn’t think she could just pass by unnoticed.
But if they were going to converse while treating her as if she were invisible, she might as well let go of her arm.
However, the seemingly light grip of the attendant’s arm wouldn’t loosen no matter how much she struggled.
“Let go of me…!”
At Agnes’s choked voice, the two men looked down at her.
A smelly and dirty child. His face was hidden by tangled hair growing haphazardly.
‘Gigantic…’
‘He looks like dust.’
That’s what they thought.
And he was still dressed too thinly for early spring, with skinny arms and legs, bare feet covered in wounds.
‘Is he a child from the slums? Looks like a neglected little brat.’
The child struggled as if he had to leave this place immediately.
The two men thought as much.
The way he struggled suspiciously, the attendant spoke to the nobleman.
“Sir, aren’t you being pickpocketed?”
“No. I still have all my belongings.”
“Really? Then why is this kid acting like this…?”
“Hey, Brown-haired Sir.”
That was when.
Tamper, who had finally caught up with Agnes, stood a certain distance away, with a worried look on his face.
He didn’t stand directly in front, fearing it might turn into a quarrel with the nobleman beside the attendant.
Tamper looked at Agnes, who was lost in thought.
“That kid, hand him over.”
“Do you know him?”
The attendant, Jed, asked Agnes. Agnes shook her head with all her might.
“He doesn’t know anything about this.”
“What does that have to do—!”
Tamper raised his voice and then stopped abruptly.
Glancing at the nobleman, who was indifferent, Jed continued, “Master, isn’t this none of your concern?”
“Why should I care—!”
Tamper’s voice faltered.
He had not anticipated that the nobleman would intervene.
He wanted to just get the child back from the attendant, and that was all.
Even without threatening to demand a fine 100 times the usual amount for the loss of the child.
Tamper secretly grinned, thinking that if he just got the child back from the attendant, that would be enough.
He knew that the noble lords of this country had no interest in the affairs of commoners.
Whether they were pickpocketing, buying or selling, or killing.
Judging from the nobleman’s appearance, he seemed no different from other nobles.
Tamper thought that if he could only get the child back from the attendant, that would be the end of it.
“Sir, aren’t you being pickpocketed?”
“No. I still have all my belongings.”
“Really? Then why is this kid acting like this…?”
“Hey, Brown-haired Sir.”
That was when.
Tamper, who had finally caught up with Agnes, stood a certain distance away, with a worried look on his face.
He didn’t stand directly in front, fearing it might turn into a quarrel with the nobleman beside the attendant.
Tamper looked at Agnes, who was lost in thought.
“That kid, hand him over.”
“Do you know him?”
The attendant, Jed, asked Agnes. Agnes shook her head with all her might.
“He doesn’t know anything about this.”
“What does that have to do—!”
Tamper raised his voice and then stopped abruptly.
Glancing at the nobleman, who was indifferent, Jed continued, “Master, isn’t this none of your concern?”
“Why should I care—!”
Tamper’s voice faltered.
He had not anticipated that the nobleman would intervene.
He wanted to just get the child back from the attendant, and that was all.
Even without threatening to demand a fine 100 times the usual amount for the loss of the child.
Tamper secretly grinned, thinking that if he just got the child back from the attendant, that would be enough.
He knew that the noble lords of this country had no interest in the affairs of commoners.
Whether they were pickpocketing, buying or selling, or killing.
Judging from the nobleman’s appearance, he seemed no different from other nobles.
Tamper thought that if he could only get the child back from the attendant, that would be the end of it.
‘Goodness. All this trouble because of that brat who’s worth only 100 dergels.’
“The little one, the Lord is asking.”
“M-me?”
Agnes was startled and looked up.
Having never imagined that the nobleman would speak to her, Agnes opened her mouth obediently without even hesitating.
“I’m seven years old.”
“Older than I thought.”
The nobleman muttered.
He had looked so young that he might have been around six.
‘If he’s this small, he probably won’t have Deon’s temper.’
The nobleman’s crimson eyes were lost in thought.
“If you’re seven, that means you’re two years younger than the young master? If we go back now, you’ll be able to return to the mansion before sunset.”
Quick to pick up on what the nobleman was thinking, Jed quickly intervened.
The nobleman, without looking at Agnes, abruptly said to her, “Are you coming with me?”
Agnes’s hunched shoulders perked up.
As she hesitated to answer, the nobleman’s low, deep voice sounded again.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll take you.”
Agnes’s eyes, hidden by her hair, blinked.
‘Take me?’
Even though she couldn’t see it, she felt Tamper’s intense gaze.
If she followed the nobleman, could she avoid being sold into slavery?
But…
‘This nobleman…’
Agnes swallowed hard.
Recalling the warning engraved in her mind once again, she shook her head.
This nobleman was not Duke Gerwer.
And there was no better choice in the current situation.
“What will you do?”
Agnes cautiously asked the nobleman again.
“Will you hurt me?”
“What nonsense is this?”
“Even if I say no… will you hurt me?”
Even if there was only one visible choice, Agnes needed hope.
Hope that following this nobleman would not lead to unbearable pain in her future.
“…”
Meanwhile, the gaze of the two people who were unaware of Agnes’s inner thoughts turned to Tamper, who was fidgeting.
Especially Jed looked at him with eyes that seemed to see him as trash.
‘Even Anna said not to mess with child abusers.’
Not only did he try to sell the child, but he also hit him.
A gentleman with well-developed limbs. Using the strength to hit such a small child for productive work.
Behind Jed, who was sneering with pity, the conversation between the nobleman and Agnes continued.
“If you say no, I won’t hurt you.”
“Really?”
“I swear.”
“…Then I’ll go with you.”
“Good.”
The nobleman, as if not caring about Agnes’s filthy appearance, picked her up and turned around.
“W-wait! Noble sir!”
Tamper, unable to bear his impatience any longer, shouted.
The thought of a debt 100 times greater than 100 dergels terrified him.
He couldn’t afford to open his eyes and sit in a pile of debt.
The nobleman spoke in a low voice without even glancing away.
“Jed.”
“Yes, I’ll handle it and follow.”
Approaching Tamper as if he had been waiting, Jed said.
The nobleman, holding Agnes in his arms, walked towards the carriage he had parked nearby, and in the distance, with a dull thud, Tamper’s scream was heard.
Agnes hoped desperately to leave this place quickly, holding her breath tightly, stiffening in the nobleman’s embrace.
—
Inside the rattling carriage.
The nobleman looked at the young child sitting opposite him.
Two feet dangling in the air, a straightened back, hunched shoulders, hands tightly clasped as if glued together, not even shaking from the thighs as if glued with adhesive.
“Anyone would think you’re edible.”
At the nobleman’s words, Agnes stiffened even more.
She was already careful not to breathe too loudly for fear of going against his will, but hearing such words made it impossible for her even to breathe.
“…”
Under her disheveled hair, Agnes’s unseen face gradually turned red.
The nobleman, noticing this, grabbed Agnes’s cheeks with one hand.
“Oof.”
The breath she had been holding burst out through her pursed lips.
She made a strange sound, and for a different reason than before, Agnes’s face turned even redder.
Her soft cheeks stuck to the nobleman’s hand like dough.
‘Why is he doing this…’
Agnes watched the nobleman’s reaction carefully.
He didn’t let go of her cheeks. His expressionless face made it impossible to read his thoughts.
“Um… sir…”
In a voice tinged with panic, Agnes called out to the nobleman, and only then did his hand drop.
The nobleman glanced at his hand for a moment, then suddenly spoke.
“Address me as ‘Lord.'”
There seemed to be a problem with being called ‘Sir,’ so he corrected her title.
Agnes’s heart pounded at the sound of his voice.
‘He really is a lord.’
She had suspected it from the beginning.
The swirling energy emanating from the nobleman’s heart.
Although it was not particularly large, it was thick and dark as if it had not been purified for a long time, covering about half of his upper body.
Seeing that energy meant that the man was talented.
There were only four noble families where talented individuals were born.
“Among Seldia, Rodwick, and Hibetzman, which one are you from?”
In a trembling voice, Agnes asked, and for the first time, emotion appeared in the nobleman’s eyes.
Interest.
Despite appearing to have received no basic education, he had readily mentioned the names of the noble families.
If he belonged to a noble family, he would surely know my name.
A name known throughout the Locke Empire as a murderer. How would he react?
‘I hope he doesn’t cry.’
He detested noise.
However, Blake’s worries were overshadowed as the child, with a rather ordinary reaction, murmured the name of the noble family and nodded.
There was no disappointment in Blake’s face, only growing interest.
Whether it was because the child was quick to learn or because he had received education different from what was apparent.
Although there were no visible signs, Blake’s interest in the child was growing thicker and thicker.
When he nodded to indicate that it was okay to ask questions, the child spoke.
“Lord, may I ask you one question?”
This time, the child used the correct title.
‘He knows how to ask for permission.’
Whether he was quick to learn or received education, Blake wasn’t sure.
He didn’t know if the child was a relative.
It seemed that the child was worried about whether child abusers or human traffickers were also uncles.
“Your uncle is…?”
“Um.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed slightly. He didn’t know if he was related by blood.
It seemed that the child was worried about whether his uncle was a child abuser or a human trafficker.
“Yes, your uncle is-.”
Blake paused for a moment.
He had sent Jed, so that trash would spend a few months lying in a hospital bed.
By now, he would be signing an agreement for compensation and silence, and he wouldn’t come looking for the child again.
‘What should I say.’
Blake looked at the child.
“Yes, your uncle… I’ve ensured he won’t appear in front of you again.”
“…Is he dead?”
The child’s voice as he asked this was inexplicably calm.
