* * *
“I’m going to Lizelle!”
Chaser found Raphel struggling in Rohan’s arms in the hallway as he was on his way out of Lizelle’s room. Rohan, trying to console Raphel, saw Chaser and came rushing over like a man meeting his savior. The servants also tried to comfort Raphel, but it was not enough. He was so stubborn that even a bull would lose to him.
“Master!”
“…”
Rohan shouted at Chaser with a face that begged for him to save him.
“LIZELLE!”
Meanwhile, Raphel flapped his short legs and arms and pummeled Rohan. He wasn’t very strong, but after repeatedly being hit, he started to feel the pain. Chaser, looking at Rohan as he struggled to hold onto the child, sighed and took Raphel from Rohan, holding him close.
“Let go!”
Raphel’s cheeks were puffed up, he was very upset.
“Raphelion.”
Chaser spoke to Raphel in a stern voice. Raphel, being persistently stubborn, froze at the voice that sent chills through his entire body.
“The young lady has injured her ankle and will be in a lot of discomfort.”
“… Is Lizelle sick?”
“Yes.”
“Is it my fault…?”
In an instant, tears welled up in Raphel’s clear eyes. His chin was trembling pitifully. Chaser comforted Raphel before he started crying.
“Shh. It’s oKei. It’s not because of you.”
“… It’s not?”
“No. You don’t need to worry. She’ll get better soon if she gets some rest.”
Raphel’s tears stopped. For some reason, Chaser’s words held power. The power to make everything he said really come true, like a spell. Perhaps that was why Raphel, who hadn’t listened to anyone else except Lizelle, nodded obediently.
“OKei! I will protect Lizelle!”
Raphel clenched both fists, red eyes showing his determination. For a moment, Chaser felt like he had been hit on the head. Can a child who trusts her this much and shows his sincerity be considered abused? Absolutely not. He really misunderstood her.
“… OKei. You must stay by the lady’s side quietly and assist her.”
“Yes! I can do it!”
Chaser lowered Raphel to the ground with a blank expression.
“Lizelle!”
Then, as if he had been waiting to be released, Raphel rushed into the room.
“Master?”
Rohan called out to Chaser, who was in a daze. The sight of his master holding Raphel just now seemed like it was a moment between family. Black hair and red eyes. In fact, they were so similar that if it weren’t for the existence of transformation magic, anyone would have thought they were blood relatives.
“Rohan.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Chaser, snapping out of his daze, focusing his eyes.
“Get the antidote as quickly as possible.”
If he had misunderstood, he had to fix it.
* * *
“Really?”
“Yeah. I heard she fell while trying to protect the child?”
“… Is it really because that kid is the young master?”
“I don’t know. It could be that she was acting intentionally to catch the Duke’s attention. You saw it too, she was carried in like a princess.”
The servants gathered in groups, talking about what happened in the mansion today. They seemed very dissatisfied with the fact that Wilhazelle and Raphelion had been living at the Duke’s residence under the pretense of being guests.
“I guess she’s no different, right? Isn’t she just trying to get the reward like everyone else, or is she trying to seduce the Duke, using his nephew as an excuse?”
Among them, one woman, who seemed the most dissatisfied, spoke in a loud voice. All attention focused on the woman.
“That’s right. It’s the same. Why would a noble lady suddenly go to the garbage dump? And does it even make sense to pick up a child from there? Don’t you agree?”
The woman spoke angrily and crossed her arms. Her name was Regina. She was a servant who had been working at the duke’s residence for just over three years. Among the servants, Regina was the prettiest-looking one, with unique orange hair and brown eyes. She had just entered her early 20s, and the head maid thought well of her, so she was popular among the servants.
“She is, isn’t she? I guess…”
“That’s right. Why would a noble lady go to the garbage dump?”
The servants, who were looking at each other, each spoke in agreement. If they looked down on Regina, they could end up in charge of cleaning the sewers, which everyone avoided.
“Is that so? She must have approached the Duke after seeing his money too.”
Regina sneered, expression fierce. With the support from the other workers, Regina felt as if her argument was valid, so she spoke with even more vigor.
“She thought they wouldn’t know if she went somewhere and picked up a skinny kid, turning him into the lost child.”
Regina muttered, twirling her well-maintained hair. Her voice was full of envy and jealousy. The servants gathered around her looked uncomfortable and rolled their eyes. Everyone had a lot they wanted to say, but they held back. If they said the wrong things, they could be punished with unsavory work.
“That’s right. From what I can tell, that child isn’t from a noble family.”
“When the antidote comes, every lie will be revealed.”
All they could do was agree with what Regina said.
“Hey! What are you all doing here? Quickly get back to work!”
A maid passing by noticed them gathered together and shouted. The servants quickly dispersed to carry out their respective tasks. Except for Regina. Regina was standing alone in the place where everyone had disappeared, thinking about what happened earlier. The sight of Wilhazelle entering the mansion while being held in Chaser’s arms. That scene was stuck in Regina’s mind and wouldn’t go away.
“She seems to be trying to do something to the Duke by showing weakness, but does she think I don’t know her intentions?”
Regina clenched her fists tightly and muttered under her breath.
“The Duke is mine. No one can take him from me.”
* * *
“Lizelle… Now, if it hurts, you need to stay still.”
Raphel was wrapped up in Lizelle’s warm embrace. She hugged the small child and smiled.
“Of course.”
The softness she felt every time she hugged Raphel had the power to put her heart at ease. After the incident with Warden, Lizelle was locked up in her room and forced to rest. She thought a light walk would be oKei, so she tried to go out to the garden…
‘Rest! Lizelle is sick, so just stay still!’
She had to stay in the room because Raphel had his arms wrapped around her and looked worried. The little child was making such a solemn expression, it was so cute that she wanted to take a picture of it and hang it. Raphel changed after being told by a doctor that it was best to rest as much as possible and minimize movement until her ankle healed.
“Raphel will protect you! Lizelle, stay still!”
Even when she couldn’t reach the water cup and tried to move to get it, Raphel told her he would do it and retrieved it for her.
‘I will feed you!’
Since her hand was not injured, drinking water was not a problem, but Raphel even helped her by holding the cup up to her mouth with his small hand. The sight was adorable, so Lizelle just smiled and accepted Raphel’s assistance.
If it made Raphel feel at ease, that everything was fine.
After receiving Raphel’s sincere care for three days, she was able to recover quickly.
“Because of Raphel, I was able to get better quickly. Thank you.”
She rubbed her cheek against Raphel’s soft hair.
“Hehehe. thank goodness!”
Raphel smiled happily and wrapped his arms around Lizelle’s neck. She smiled affectionately as she faced Raphel, but at the same time she couldn’t help feeling bitter.
Time was passing by, day by day. That meant that there were not many days left until she had to say goodbye to Raphel.
‘I wanted to make as many memories as possible while staying with Raphel for this month…’
She was even more disappointed because she lost three days due to the ankle injury.
“Lizelle?”
“Huh?”
Raphel’s call brought her out of her thoughts. Then Raphel said, poking Lizelle’s forehead with his short finger.
“Wrinkle!”
“Ah…”
Wilhazelle realized it too late and groaned. I guess regret was hardening her expression without even realizing it.
“All gone, right?”
She quickly smiled brightly and looked at Raphel.
“Yes!”
Raphel also smiled brightly at Lizelle, his favorite person in the world.
* * *
Knight Kei stood in front of the Duke’s basement, which people rarely went to, avoiding people’s eyes. Something was slightly vibrating inside the shirt he was wearing, projecting a red light. Kei grabbed the basement doorknob and turned it. But as he expected, the door was locked. After thinking for a moment, he stretched out his hand, and a sharp claw sprouted from his index finger.
It was an animal’s claw.
He put his claw into the hole in the long doorknob and scraped it from top to bottom. The lock was immediately released with a click, accompanied by a chilling sound. Kei went straight into the basement and took out the necklace he had hidden under her shirt.
It was a necklace with a red ruby in it.
When he tapped the vibrating ruby twice with his finger, a tiny black object came out and floated in the air.
[Hazen.]
Soon, a low voice rang out from the black object.
“Yes, master.”
Hazen, disguised as Kei, bowed slightly to the object as he spoke. Since it was a voice transmission magic tool that could only exchange sound, they could not see each other, but he still showed respect to the owner. It was an action born of strong loyalty.
[How is it going?]
“They are now waiting for the antidote. Judging by his appearance alone, he has the features of the Halos family, but I am not positive yet.”
Hazen spent several days as Kei and reported exactly what he saw. Like the ‘Raphelion’ they were looking for, the child currently staying at the Duke’s residence had red eyes and black hair. However, since he had not been verified with the antidote, he could not move hastily.
[Watch from the side. If possible, stay close.]
“Understood.”
Hazen got down on one knee with an unwavering voice. The magic tool that was floating in the air buzzed like a flying insect and was sucked back into his necklace. He tucked the necklace into his shirt, hiding it from view. Then left the basement and returned to work as if nothing had happened.
