Using every bit of strength I had, I yanked Lucas’s ankle, causing him to stumble and fall flat on the floor.
“You…!”
He shot up, his forehead now flushed red. Rubbing the spot, his once smooth expression crumpled with frustration.
“You! When I asked if you were a spy earlier, you didn’t say anything! That’s because you are, isn’t it? How can you claim you’re not a spy?”
His words pierced through me like arrows, but I shook my head furiously.
“I’m not a spy!”
It was a lie, but…
“Even if I was born a spy, that doesn’t mean I have to stay one if I don’t want to!”
This, however, was the truth.
“I’m going to change my own life!”
Lucas’s eyes widened at my outburst. Memories of everything I’d endured to escape my fate as a spy flashed through my mind. The lengths I had gone to…
“Sniff… sniff…”
Especially the terrifying moment when I decided to end my life after being exposed as a spy. How scared I was…
I remembered the hand that reached out to me—Calypse’s hand. Warm tears began to pool in my eyes. This kid, Lucas, looked a bit like Calypse, so I wanted to save him, but his personality was completely different.
“Hiccup…”
I bit down hard, trying to hold back the tears, but…
“I’m not going to be a spy anymore, waahhh!”
The little body that had held back so much finally broke down. Logically, I didn’t want to cry. But once the sadness hit, the tears wouldn’t stop.
This tiny body had endured too much, held back too many worries.
“Hey, hey…! Why are you crying!”
Lucas’s guarded expression began to soften, and he awkwardly sat down in front of me.
“If you weren’t a spy, you should’ve just said so.”
He reached out, though it seemed like he was unsure how to comfort me. His hand hesitated, hovering just above my shoulder as if there was an invisible barrier.
“Why did you make things so complicated and make me misunderstand?”
I cried out, tears streaming down my face.
“I am a spy! But I saved you because I don’t want to be one anymore!”
“So, are you saying you’re not a spy or you are?”
“I am, you idiot!”
“Stop crying—wait, ew, gross! Snot!”
“…?”
Snot? He hasn’t bathed in over a month, yet he’s calling me gross?
“Lucas, you’re the dirty one!”
I snapped, pushing him away.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Lucas, who easily let himself be pushed, began waving his hands, his face turning red as he realized what he had said.
Then, after a moment of internal struggle, he yelled out.
“Hey!”
At the same time, his rough hands grabbed my cheeks.
“…?”
I blinked at him in surprise.
“You’ve got snot all over. Let me wipe it off. Just stop crying already.”
Mumbling grumpily, he frowned and wiped my snot away.
An eight-year-old wiping snot—how embarrassing. But since I’m only five, I guess it’s okay?
“Ugh…”
Lucas wiped his hands on his shirt with a look of utter disgust.
But then…
“I’ve got more snot.”
I pointed at my nose.
“Oh, come on! My hands are dirty now.”
His face turned red again. He really does blush when he’s flustered.
“It’s fine. I’ll just use your shirt.”
I reached for his shirt, and his body flinched, but he didn’t pull away.
“Sniff!”
“…”
Thanks to him, I managed to blow my nose properly. Though Lucas looked even more displeased.
‘…But he did try to comfort me, didn’t he?’
His words might have been harsh, but I could feel the warmth in his touch when he comforted me after my nightmare.
‘He might actually be a good guy.’
Even though he was embarrassed, he still wiped my snot. He’s got a good heart under that gruff exterior.
I glanced at his now dirty shirt, feeling a bit awkward, then scooted over to sit beside him.
We sat in silence for a while. Maybe because I had thrown such a fit earlier, but the quiet after crying felt clean and peaceful, just like my mind.
‘Okay, let’s think. How do I get Lucas out of here?’
But as I returned to my senses, my mind filled with worry. It would be hard to sneak out with so many staff members around, and we had ventured deep into the storage area.
What if I left alone and told Knox that I found Lucas?
Would Knox even believe me? I had already failed to find the Lady. Now, if I claimed to have found the Young Lord, would he really believe that?
What should I do?
As I pondered over my next move…
“Hey.”
Lucas, who had been glancing at me from the corner of his eye, finally spoke up, though a bit timidly.
“…You said you wanted to quit being a spy, so you came to save me, right?”
When I looked up, I saw Lucas scratching his forehead awkwardly.
“…Yeah.”
It seemed like he was finally ready to talk. I nodded, fiddling with my short fingers.
“So, are you a runaway?”
“…”
His next question left me speechless. Technically, I wasn’t a runaway.
‘After all, I was adopted by your father.’
But I didn’t think he’d believe that, so I decided to keep that detail to myself for now.
“I’m still figuring that out.”
“Alright, you can think about that later.”
Lucas shrugged nonchalantly, then stood up as if he had made a decision. He offered me his rough hand.
“If you’re done crying, get up.”
“…Why?”
“We need to get out of here. We can’t stay here forever.”
That’s exactly what I had been thinking.
Hmm… I hadn’t figured out how, but we had to try something.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Determined, I grabbed his hand and stood up.
“Just trust me and follow.”
“Trust you? I’m the one who came to save you…”
He cut me off, pulling me behind him.
“I’m leading. You stay behind me.”
“What? But I’m the one who saved you…”
“Who’s saving whom here?”
As he spoke, my eyes widened as ice crystals began forming around him.
“Just freeing me from that shackle was enough.”
Right. Worrying about how to get him out was silly. Lucas was a Kreutz Young Lord with ice powers.
“Alright, let’s go!”
With a decisive swipe, I wiped away the remaining snot on my hand.
“Now, use that ice power of yours to clear a path.”
“Look at you, changing your attitude so quickly. You’re like a dandelion puffball…”
“Huh? What was that?”
I didn’t catch his last words, so I leaned in closer. But Lucas’s face turned red, and he quickly turned away.
“Ah, never mind! Let’s just go!”
This guy really can’t say anything nicely.
But that didn’t matter now. With a somewhat reliable boy leading the way, I grabbed the door handle of the storage room. A chill began to spread through the air.
“Time to show what five years of practice can do.”
At the same time, at Ahilli’s Circus…
‘…Damn it. I lost her.’
Knox was still searching everywhere. He had held onto Aisha’s scruff to keep an eye on her, but he still lost her.
The crowd here at the illegal monster show had the worst manners.
“Aisha!”
“Wooahhh!”
“Ugh, move aside, please…!”
Pushing through the swarm of people, Knox climbed to the top of the stands and put on his monocles.
Please, please…
Aisha, with her distinctive appearance, should be easy to spot, but…
The girl with the golden pigtails was nowhere to be seen.
Even if he did find her…
‘I just hope she hasn’t been trampled…’
Even if she was here on a spy mission, the circus was packed with people. A child would have to fight her way through the crowd to reach the meeting spot.
“…”
Knox felt a chill down his spine.
After losing his family, Calypse had hidden behind a mask, but Aisha had brought him back to life. Even if she might be a spy, she had revived the Kreutz household.
As he gazed over the endless crowd, Knox recalled his conversation with Calypse.
‘Saving that child… It’s the only choice left in my life.’
He had to save her, no matter what. Even if she turned out to be a spy and was imprisoned, he needed to show her to the Duke.
“Please… don’t get trampled…”
Praying under his breath, Knox scanned the area, and then, by some miracle, he noticed a door tucked away in a corner.
[Staff Storage Room]
It seemed like an insignificant place, probably just a storage area for supplies.
He almost walked past it when the words from the fake report echoed in his mind.
Ahilli’s Circus. 12 o’clock. Staff storage room.
His footsteps halted.
