Chapter 30
“So… where should I go?”
“…Where should you go?”
“You said I’m your son, right? That’s why you brought me here. To stay here?”
“That’s right.”
Rather, it was the Grand Duke who seemed flustered. Usually so composed that he hardly ever showed emotion or surprise, he now shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat.
“So, I’m supposed to show the way.”
“Do as you will.”
As if trying to hide his emotions, he stepped ahead. Rohen, who was about to follow, grabbed my arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“Why? Do you have something else to say here?”
“No, nothing.”
Even though I said nothing, Ron seemed to have a lot on his mind. He still couldn’t take his eyes off us.
The Grand Duchess, who had been keeping her expression under control the entire time, now seemed unable to maintain it any longer. Clearly irritated, she patted Ron on the shoulder.
“You’re not the strange one here.” She did this partly because she couldn’t openly scold Rohen, and partly because it was necessary in this situation.
“Alright. Fine, but then… what about that? That wretched thing—is it also a sibling? Its hair color is different, though.”
Thanks to the Grand Duchess calming him, Ron, whose anger had simmered, pointed a finger at me.
“Huh?”
“That one too! How many kids are there, anyway?! How much am I supposed to understand?!”
“Oh. That one isn’t. Not a child of our family. The twins wanted to take him, so we had no choice but to bring him here.”
Taken just as words, it sounded kind, but in reality, it wasn’t.
“What? Then what is it?”
“Just a child who will soon be kicked out, so there’s no need to worry. Our son, you don’t need to get angry, and he’s not worth your attention.”
“……”
“A child who came here just to grab whatever he can.”
Ron, who had been huffing in frustration at not being able to get a single word in against Rohen, finally smirked and curled the corners of his mouth.
“Ah… a little beggar, huh.”
“Yes. So don’t get angry, okay? When our son gets upset, this mother’s heart hurts.”
“Yeah, yeah. I understand. I, with a heart as vast as the sea, will understand everything.”
Ron nodded as if he had spoken and concluded everything by himself. His words didn’t make sense, and at that moment, when he seemed completely worthless of attention, Rohen tugged harder on my arm than before.
“Then let’s go. We should see how impressive this place you’re leading us to is, right?”
Lari, who had only been observing the situation, also moved.
“Yes, let’s go, sister!”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Being hated by someone—those kinds of feelings had become familiar to me. Even before I became Aisha, before I became an extra in a book, my life had always been like that.
Being hated despite doing nothing.
The reasons for that hatred were always trivial, but the torment that came with it was never trivial.
Back then, I was weak. Why did that person hate me? Why did I have to be hated? What had I done wrong? I was weak, foolish, and easily exploited.
‘That doesn’t mean I’ve gotten used to hatred now.’
Inflicting wounds and dulling them—this was my coping method, at least. And I would do the same here.
‘At least I know the reason for the hatred.’
It didn’t scare me. Back then I had nothing to protect, now I had something. Some say having something to protect makes fear worse, but for me, it was the opposite.
Seeing Rohen holding my wrist and Lari clinging to me, I steadied my heart. From the moment I decided to come here with these children, my resolve had only grown stronger.
“I’ll show you around. Lari’s room is huge! It’s scary to sleep alone!”
Lari’s eyes sparkled with excitement, more than ever. Rohen occasionally looked uncomfortable at Lari’s enthusiasm, but in the end, he gave up and led the way.
“See you next time.”
It was then, leaving behind the Grand Duchess and Ron, that Jeffrey, who had kept a little distance, smiled and waved.
It was natural for my gaze to turn that way.
“Oh.”
I thought he was talking to Rohen or Lari, but somehow Jeffrey’s eyes were on me.
“I thought we might be in a similar situation.”
When I stared at him, Jeffrey’s face lit up with a full smile. A similar situation, he said. In some ways, yes; in others, no. I had nothing to show but a stern face.
‘Even if I pretend to be friendly, you’ll be causing trouble for our kids in the future, so you’re out.’
There was not a single person in this family I wanted to be close to. So I strode past him with more determination.
“Don’t get close to anyone.”
“Huh?”
Rohen, walking ahead, finally spoke once we had some distance.
“Not with that guy earlier. Not with anyone in this family. Ah, no. Only be close to us.”
“Oh.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that.
“Are you jealous?”
It was just a casual question, but Rohen’s reaction exceeded any expectation. I thought he’d say, of course not. Why would I be jealous? But instead, the plump little head nodded up and down.
“It makes me feel bad.”
“Uh…?”
“Seeing you hang out with others makes me feel bad. So don’t.”
I was the one who ended up flustered.
“Uh… oh. You feel bad. I didn’t expect that.”
“…It’s not for any other reason.”
Rohen, now recovering a moment later, glared at me with his previously angry expression.
“If it’s not for another reason, then what is it?”
“Well…”
Rohen, hesitant, messed up his neatly combed hair. Still no words came, so he bit his lip and suddenly shouted.
“Exactly! That’s it! These people are terrible. They make you stand there and feel embarrassed! There’s nothing I like about them. So don’t go laughing like an idiot just because you try to be nice to them!”
“You mean you care about me like that?”
“No. Caring about you? No, it’s just annoying! Just follow me quickly!”
Rohen, who had suddenly snapped, now walked much slower than before, keeping pace with us. Muttering, he didn’t forget to check behind to make sure we were okay.
‘They’re such kind children, such considerate children.’
Because of that, I felt a stronger sense of responsibility. The children would recover quickly despite past wounds. Knowing that, I held Lari’s hand tightly and followed behind Rohen and the Grand Duke.
Walking and walking, the thought that kept coming to mind was how absurdly huge this place was.
It was so grand it barely felt like a house. Not a castle, but a grand estate consisting of four main buildings.
Four buildings, yes, but each one massive, with countless auxiliary structures. And the size of each garden attached to each building…
“Haa…”
Sweat ran down my back, and my legs ached slightly. Even during my orphanage days, I wasn’t entirely unaccustomed to physical effort, but this was over the top.
“Are you tired?”
Of course, Rohen was the first to notice my sigh. Or maybe he himself was tired and spoke to me because of it.
“Yes. A little?”
“The kid says they’re tired.”
Indeed, he seemed tired—Rohen’s voice trembled slightly. The Grand Duke, who hadn’t even glanced at me when I complained about being tired, now looked slightly stern.
“So…”
“If he’s tired, then I’m tired too.”
“……”
The Grand Duke’s gaze sharpened at me. As if saying, Who are you for me to care about this? I almost felt I could hear him.
“No, I’m fine. Let’s just go.”
Today, I just wanted to let it slide. Ever since leaving the place where the Grand Duchess had been, all I could think of was resting.
But the Grand Duke, who had been quietly watching me and Rohen, turned his gaze to the knights following behind. I wondered if he would say more, but he only nodded silently.
Without a word, the knights, as if telepathically understanding, approached us. One of them picked me up.
“Huh? Huh?”
“Is this enough?”
“Oh.”
I was surprised, the Grand Duke was unfazed, and Rohen just quietly observed us.
“Now let’s go.”
Even the knight carrying me moved without a change in expression, following the Grand Duke. Each time he walked, my body bounced slightly, like a puppet.
