Chapter 10
The scent of rusted iron bars and mold.
Every breath I took was filled with the damp air surrounding me.
“Hmmm~♬”
Humming quietly, I bobbed my head in rhythm inside this windowless space, where I couldn’t tell if it was night or day. It was more of a habitual tic than anything else, but in reality, it was the only way to endure the eerie underground prison without doing nothing at all.
‘Has Michael lost his mind from being in a place like this?’
Children are supposed to form attachments and undergo behavioral correction from a young age. But Michael, who was always causing trouble and treated solitary confinement like his second home, had probably missed that crucial period of development.
‘Then my first goal should be to help Michael avoid solitary confinement.’
I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off, but if I tried hard enough, maybe it was possible…
As I absentmindedly ran my hand through Michael’s hair, I settled on my rough plan.
Just adequately… develop the children’s emotional well-being… well, casually approach the nobles for them… and prevent bad things in advance… somehow, wouldn’t world peace come about?
It was a ridiculous thought, but unfortunately, it was the only plan I had to stop the world from falling apart.
Wouldn’t I be a bad example of someone who’s lived until now doing everything adequately… Haha…
“Mmm…”
Lost in my empty thoughts, I noticed Michael’s eyelids begin to flutter open. He blinked slowly, squeezing them shut and opening them again as if trying to adjust to the darkness.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
Finally, Michael was up.
Confirming that he had woken up, I removed my hand from his head and quickly pulled out a small piece of bread from my pocket.
“How do you feel? Are you hungry? I have bread and jerky. Do you want to eat? Or do you want some water first?”
“…..”
His unfocused eyes blinked quietly in my direction. Maybe he was too confused to understand the situation, or maybe my sudden barrage of words had overwhelmed him. He glanced around the room before abruptly pushing himself upright.
“Argh…!”
The moment he attempted such a reckless movement, unbearable pain washed over him. He immediately curled in on himself, breathing heavily, gasping.
“You okay?”
‘See? That’s what happens when you suddenly get up like that.’
I spoke in a casual tone as I moved closer, gently patting his shoulder to help him calm down. At my touch, Michael, who had been staring at the floor, turned his gaze toward me.
“Here, drink this. And eat this too.”
“…..”
I held out a small canteen and a piece of bread, grinning at him. Michael stared at the items in my hands for a moment before snatching them up like a stray cat. He then began devouring them like a starving animal that hadn’t eaten in days.
No one was trying to take his food away, yet he stuffed the bread into his mouth in a hurry, then grabbed the canteen and drank too fast, causing him to choke.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Oh dear, see? That’s why you should’ve eaten more slowly.”
I sighed, feeling sorry for him, and walked over to the wall, leaning against it. This spot was the driest, free of mold and moisture, making it the best place to sit.
“…..”
Michael glanced at me before, without hesitation, walking toward the opposite wall.
As expected from someone with a terrible personality who isolated himself from everyone, he chose the farthest spot from me without the slightest hesitation.
Any other kid might have found him insufferable and left him alone. But I had no intention of doing that.
“I also have jerky.”
“…..”
“I have more water and bread too.”
“…..”
“I even have a little bit of cookies left. Want some?”
At the mention of cookies, Michael, who had been walking away, suddenly froze.
I could practically feel his hesitation just from the way he stood there, unmoving.
Kid. Acting cute, aren’t you?
Holding up a cookie behind him like I was trying to tame a wild cat, I waved it slowly.
“We don’t know how long we’ll be locked up here.”
“…..”
“You might not be able to eat anything during that time.”
“…..”
“But if you’re fine with that, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Biting into a cookie myself, I shrugged. If he still didn’t take the bait after this, I’d just sneak over and give it to him while he was sleeping.
Just as I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, I heard a soft shuffle beside me.
“…Give me.”
A low, hoarse voice came from the darkness.
Michael had sat down awkwardly next to me, looking slightly calmer than before as he held out his hand.
Seeing him like that, I grinned and placed a cookie in his palm.
“Do you like cookies?”
“…..”
He still wasn’t willing to answer me. Instead, he turned his head away and quietly nibbled on the cookie.
Hearing the distinct crunch of the cookie breaking beside me, I smiled in satisfaction and popped the rest of my own into my mouth.
Indeed, isn’t it best to lure children with sweets?
˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗
After that, Michael quietly entrusted many things to me.
When I applied medicine to his wounds, he showed them to me without hesitation. When I handed him bread, he accepted it without a word—never asking for more or complaining that it wasn’t enough. Thanks to that, I was able to ration our scarce food supply properly and share it with him.
‘It’s been about three days, I think?’
Estimating time based on how much our food had dwindled, I figured that at least two days must have passed. Or maybe even more.
‘Since we don’t know how long we’ll be here, I should stop eating from now on.’
Considering how much Michael needed to eat for his recovery, it was better for me to reduce my portion or not eat at all.
So that day, I gave Michael his usual ration but didn’t eat anything myself. Since he accepted the food without question, I assumed he didn’t really care about what I was doing. However, after this repeated three times, Michael finally spoke to me for the first time.
“…What about you?”
Michael stared at the small piece of jerky in his hand before looking at me with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
‘What about me? …Is he talking about me right now?’
Caught off guard by his unexpected question, I glanced at Michael, blinking in surprise. His gaze held a slight frown, as if something was bothering him.
“Oh, I’m fine.”
Since it didn’t seem like he was worried about me, I brushed it off and leaned my head against the wall, staring into the empty space. When you go without food for long enough, the hunger eventually fades. I was just at that stage now.
“…You didn’t eat earlier either.”
So many questions today.
His oddly irritable tone made me sigh inwardly. I decided to just explain my reasoning.
“We don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here. And considering the situation, it’s better for the injured one to eat rather than me.”
“…You’re injured too.”
“?”
Me?
As far as I knew, I wasn’t hurt at all. I tilted my head in confusion.
Apparently frustrated, Michael furrowed his brow and abruptly grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him.
Caught off guard by his sudden action, I followed his lead, blinking at him in surprise.
“Here, you’re hurt.”
“Ah…”
It was only when I noticed the faint bloodstains on my forearm that I remembered—before coming here, the Countess had pricked me several times with a needle. I had changed my clothes since then, but I must have reopened the wounds without realizing it.
Seriously? He’s making such a big deal out of nothing.
“This is nothing.”
Honestly, it wasn’t even worth calling a wound. I pulled my arm free from his grasp and rolled up my sleeve to show him.
“See? It’s just a few needle pricks. The bleeding stopped a while ago.”
“….”
Michael’s expression hardened as he stared at the small puncture marks. His lips parted slightly, and he spoke in an odd tone.
“You… what did they do to you…?”
Do to me? Well, I just changed clothes… got pricked by a needle a bit… put together some outfits… That’s all, really?
I watched him curiously as he tensed, his fingers faintly trembling. It was like he was gripped by some unspeakable fear.
Worried that he might drop the jerky he was holding, I reached out and gently held his hand.
“I’m fine. It was just a few needle pricks.”
Of course, I had no idea what might happen in the future… If they liked the outfit I put together, I might get dragged back into solitary confinement again… But for now, I really hadn’t suffered anything major!
Smiling reassuringly, I spoke in a light tone.
“How…”
His eyes widened in shock as he stared at me. His gaze trembled, his voice barely steady.
˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗
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