Aisha was truly a clever child.
Hiding in the drainage tunnel, she knew that its filth and narrowness would deter anyone from following her inside.
But Calypse didn’t hesitate to bend down.
His well-pressed trousers and polished shoes got dirty with dust, but he didn’t care.
“Aisha.”
He would do even more.
“Take my hand. It’s dangerous there.”
Because he was her only hope.
“Don’t even think about doing anything foolish.”
Ironically, it was he who had wished for death.
“Cleaning up your mess means I can’t die either.”
Startled, her golden head lifted at his words.
Had she been crying?
The area around her eyes, which took up half her face, was red.
The child looked at the hand extended to her, her small mouth slightly open in surprise.
But then, as if realizing something, she shook her head.
“…If you help me, you’ll get caught too.”
Worrying about me in this situation. What a silly child.
This wasn’t her fault at all.
A lot could have happened to the Lady since Aisha had given him the information. Maybe the Pose family had hidden her away.
Even if the whole thing was a lie, Aisha had her reasons.
“Adults are responsible. The rotten adults who drove you to this should bear it.”
His earnest, rough voice cracked into two.
She was within reach, yet the tunnel was too small for him to enter further.
“So take my hand, Aisha.”
As his breath grew heavier with frustration, something rustled inside.
Calypse froze, unable to see what was happening below. The moment felt like an eternity.
‘Please, please.’
Then, something small grabbed his thumb.
“Hold on tight and don’t let go.”
No time to waste.
He swiftly pulled Aisha out, hugging her tightly.
“!”
The girl spread her hands in surprise, but he didn’t notice.
A moment later, he could hear her little heart beating.
If he had been a little later, he might not have heard that sound.
No one else might have heard her lonely sobs.
‘…You are my savior.’
He recalled the child’s confession.
But as he listened to her heartbeat, he realized one thing.
He wasn’t her savior.
Her small, desperate plea had saved him.
So he was the one who had been saved.
* * *
A short while later.
Time passed, and the horizon began to glow with the red of the setting sun.
“Aisha!”
“Aisha, where are you?”
The knights continued searching outside the estate, not expecting Aisha to be hiding in Ariena’s garden.
Nox, who was circling the estate with them, sighed.
“…We should have just chased her out.”
Now this mess had happened.
The claim that the Lady was in the Pose Duchy was false, and the child had run away.
‘Of course, she’d be executed if the Lady wasn’t found, according to the contract.’
He hadn’t believed it from the start.
What judgment could a five-year-old make?
Calypse had been too emotional, and Nox had failed to properly support him.
“…Your Excellency?”
At that moment.
Lost in thought, he was snapped back by a knight muttering to himself while searching the bushes.
“Your Excellency?”
Following the knight’s gaze, Nox saw a tall man walking from the garden entrance, carrying something.
No way.
Feeling uneasy, Nox lifted his monocle and his mouth dropped open.
The small something was Aisha.
Aisha, with her eyes closed as if dead.
“Your Excellency!”
Nox shoved the knights aside and ran over.
“Did you already execute her? She’s just a child. If it gets out that she was executed, it will ruin the Kreutz Duchy’s image…”
“Shh.”
The red eyes in the black mask turned to Nox.
“She’s sleeping.”
“What?”
“And who said anything about an execution? Don’t scare her.”
“What?”
What was going on?
Nox pinched his cheek to see if he was dreaming. It hurt. It was reality.
“Your Excellency. For the record, you were the one who first mentioned the word execution…”
“There’s that word again.”
“What?”
Nox had merely pointed out his past mistake.
Calypse sighed, seemingly displeased with Nox.
“She’s had a tough time. Why make things worse? Don’t wake her up.”
He even scolded Nox.
The same person who had signed the execution contract.
“Your Excellency. Are you out of your mind?”
Nox was dumbfounded.
Ignoring him, Calypse walked past, holding Aisha.
“Did His Excellency find Aisha?”
A knight who saw them asked Nox, out of breath.
“That Aisha…”
Nox muttered, as if in a trance.
“Could it be that she’s His Excellency’s own daughter?”
“…What?”
The knight, bewildered by Nox’s question, stared at Calypse entering the estate.
‘Is he serious?’
Whatever it was, Nox wasn’t one to joke around.
“Can men… have children?”
The knight asked seriously, scratching his head, but Nox was too dazed to respond.
* * *
That night, I had a good dream.
Mom and Dad, who had almost died in an accident, miraculously recovered.
I didn’t end up with relatives but grew up loved in our small but happy home.
A typical fairy tale.
Oh, and the best part was the bed.
I had never slept in a bed before. But now, I had.
Because-
Because-
…
“Mm.”
I opened my eyes.
In a bed.
“……?”
Instinctively, I reached out, but something soft blocked me.
I realized I couldn’t move my legs or body properly.
“What is this…?”
I discovered I was wrapped like a silkworm in a white blanket, with only my face and eyes peeking out.
“…What is this? Was I kidnapped?”
Rustling, I quickly untangled myself from the blanket.
But the problem came next.
‘Is this a noble’s bedroom?’
A luxurious religious painting on the ceiling, white pillars.
A thick, purple canopy with golden tassels swaying in the breeze above the king-sized bed.
It didn’t look like a kidnapping.
If it were a kidnapping, I’d be tied up with ropes, not blankets.
“Kid, you’re awake?”
The familiar deep voice calling me as the door opened.
It was definitely the gardener’s voice.
“Mister?”
But when I turned my head-
“…You’re not the gardener. Who are you?”
A stranger stood there.
Instead of the dark robe, he wore a neat white shirt.
A well-built upper body, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. Dark hair and red eyes.
He was a handsome man, like someone straight out of a painting.
“Who else would I be? I’m the gardener you called out for.”
He responded as if he’d heard something trivial.
‘…That handsome guy is the gardener?’
Is everyone in this world incredibly good-looking?
No, the knights didn’t look like that.
Blink, blink-
Rubbing my eyes slowly, I stared at him in awe.
No matter what, it was nice to see such beauty.
At that moment, the gardener, carrying a tray with sandwiches, sat at the tea table.
“You need to eat breakfast. Sit down.”
Tap, tap-
He tapped the table with his finger, signaling me to sit.
Oh, right. He found me hiding in the drainage tunnel.
But.
‘How did I survive?’
I was a spy.
A spy who failed to fulfill the contract of revealing the Lady’s location, deserving execution.
Since the gardener found me, my existence must have been reported to Duke Calypse.
So why was I still alive?
And why was the gardener, a commoner, in such a luxurious bedroom?
Why was he so handsome?
With all these questions, I jumped off the bed.
“Mister.”
“What?”
I wiggled into the chair, ready to ask my questions.
“How did I survive…”
“Eat first.”
A sandwich suddenly filled my mouth, cutting off my question.
Alright, food first.
Nibbling on the sandwich, I swallowed.
“Okay, I ate. So-”
“Now wipe your mouth.”
A handkerchief interrupted my question this time.
He focused on wiping the crumbs from my mouth, then smiled contentedly.
“Now, speak.”
This is taking forever.
I finally burst out my question.
“When am I going to be executed?!”
“That’s not happening. I tore up the contract.”
“What? What?!”
His shocking statement left my mouth hanging open, but his expression remained calm.
Did he really mean the adult responsibility was tearing up the contract and running away?
“Mister! Are you crazy?!”
I grabbed his collar, trying to shake him, but he didn’t budge.
“How could you tear up a contract with the Duke’s seal?! Did you run away from the Kreutz estate because of me?!”
“…That’s a wild imagination.”
He sighed, handing me something.
“Calm down and read this.”
“……?”
“It’s your adoption papers that you wanted.”
