Chapter 36
The boy stared blankly for a moment, then seemed to realize what was happening and shouted.
“I don’t have any money to buy this!”
“You do have money.”
“It’s stolen money!”
“Since it’s in your hand, it’s yours now.”
The boy looked at me in disbelief. Fine. I decided to use the money he stole before to pay for the cakes.
“Not eating? Then I’ll eat it.”
I moved the cake in front of him toward myself. Even though I had gone out of my way to be kind and order it, he didn’t seem interested and didn’t touch it.
“…You want to take money from a kid?”
“Why? I’m good at extorting.”
I said shamelessly. I had extorted my employer’s money, so taking a first-time kid’s money wasn’t hard. Besides, it was my own money, so no need for guilt.
“Are you really allowed to steal like that? Don’t you get caught?”
Judging by his skill, the boy wasn’t a beginner. He said casually,
“I only steal enough not to get caught.”
“Pickpocketing itself is illegal, you know?”
“Who would sue an adult for losing 3 silver to a five-year-old?”
So that’s what he meant by “not getting caught.” I doubted if this kid was really five.
He was no ordinary child. I stared at him, studying his appearance. Something faintly familiar came to mind.
A black-haired boy around five…
“…What’s your name?”
“Me?”
The boy blinked at my sudden question and answered.
“…Enoch.”
The child Able had been looking for. I put down my fork and pushed the intact cake back in front of him.
“…I’m Lily.”
“Oh… yes…”
Enoch didn’t seem curious but introduced himself politely. I had almost forgotten, busy adapting to the duchess’s mansion.
Even though I knew he was young, he was smaller than I imagined. Well, he was five, so naturally small.
Seeing a child like this appear in the original story? I was only puzzled. Aside from being a bit smart, he looked normal.
I watched Enoch eat the cake in front of him. Despite his age, he seemed mature for a child—like Able.
Could he be… possessed or something? I asked, just in case.
“Do you have another personality or someone else in your body…?”
“….”
Enoch stopped eating and looked at me, then turned away, frowning deeply.
“This is why adults shouldn’t give kids novels…”
“What did you just say?”
Judging by his reaction, he wasn’t possessed. Of course, possession wouldn’t be that common.
“You said you’re an orphan?”
“Yes.”
Enoch said calmly. No distant relatives, and he seemed completely unrelated to Deriksha or Odin.
“Is the orphanage in a bad state?”
Even if I didn’t care much about others, I couldn’t ignore this. A child already pickpocketing? Something must be wrong with his environment.
“The orphanage I’m at is fine. The director isn’t well, so it’s closing soon…”
Enoch scraped the leftover cream from his plate. He ate the last piece of cake.
“I’ll probably go to another orphanage. The one in that territory is said to be terrible. So I’m preparing to be independent in advance.”
“By stealing?”
Enoch smirked and raised his fork.
“Just borrowing for a bit.”
This kid was going to be big. His shameless attitude reminded me of someone. Now that I look, he even looked a bit similar.
I glared at him with cold eyes.
“You’re annoying.”
“Why again?”
“You look like someone I don’t like.”
“There aren’t many people who look like me.”
That confidence… even his words reminded me of Loo.
Enoch finished the cake and put down his fork.
“I’m done. Can I go now?”
“No.”
He looked like he wanted to leave immediately, but I had to deliver Able’s message. He frowned at me.
“You have something to say?”
“Someone asked me to tell you something.”
“…Who?”
“Someone I know.”
Enoch frowned. Strange that someone who knew him would be in contact with a pickpocket.
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. I hesitated for a moment. I knew he’d think I was weird for saying this.
Well, it didn’t matter if a kid thought I was strange. I spoke.
“You shouldn’t take a mage as a little sister.”
“…What?”
Enoch’s face was full of disbelief. What nonsense was this?
My reaction was the same as when I first heard Able say it. According to Deriksha, mages had disappeared from this world long ago. So why say this randomly?
“I’m an orphan. How could I have a little sister?”
“I don’t know. I’m just passing it on.”
I didn’t understand it either. But even if I said it now, he’d forget later.
I shrugged.
“I’ve said what I needed to. Pay and go.”
“Really, I’m paying?”
“Did you think I was joking?”
Enoch let out a dry laugh. Eventually, he trudged to the counter and handed silver to the clerk. The clerk looked between us with a confused expression.
A child paying alone—no wonder it looked odd.
After leaving the shop, having given him cake and money, I decided to show some kindness.
“Can I go now?”
Enoch crossed his arms and asked sullenly. I stared at him. He had nothing to do with me now, but if Able was looking for him, he might be involved later.
I could have helped him properly if I wanted, but that was too much effort. The orphanage near the duchess’s mansion was already well-run thanks to her support, so the facilities were good.
Still, I didn’t feel like putting in the effort. There was only one easy way to help Enoch.
“Here.”
I threw a cloth pouch in front of him. Enoch tilted his head, opened it, and froze.
He looked at me with wide eyes. I said casually,
“For the cake.”
“…Huh?”
“Don’t steal again. You’ll really end up in jail.”
Money solved everything. Inside the pouch was the budget I had brought for errands.
It was nothing to me, but to a kid stealing 3 silver at a time, it was a huge amount.
“…Why all of a sudden?”
Enoch looked wary, quickly sizing me up. I wanted to take the pouch back—he looked so uneasy at my kindness.
“I’m investing, just in case.”
He tilted his head. I wasn’t lying. Even if we never met again, he could grow up to be someone who could help Deriksha.
I didn’t know his role in the original story, but a child like this wouldn’t be a villain.
Being kind couldn’t hurt. After all, it was just a one-time encounter—he could think I was a pushover if he wanted.
“Remember my name well.”
Enoch was young, so he’d likely forget everything later. I had even given him money—if he forgot, it would be wasted.
He looked at me, then laughed.
“Yes, Lily noona.”
“Alright, go. And don’t ever meet me again.”
“Okay. I hope we never meet again.”
We parted with smiles.
After the short outing, helping the maids with chores, the sun had already set. Waking in the afternoon made the day feel short.
After dinner, I went to the duchess’s room for our now-routine tea time.
I knocked a few times and entered carefully.
“Come in, Lily.”
The duchess smiled softly when she saw me. I nodded in greeting and pulled a chair opposite her.
“You’ll leave tomorrow.”
I gave an awkward smile. For some reason, the duchess seemed less cheerful than usual. Even Sophia, who usually served tea beside her, wasn’t there.
Being alone with the duchess in the quiet room made me feel oddly awkward.
I took a sip of tea. The duchess watched me and then spoke.
“It’s a shame you’re leaving. I had so much I wanted to talk about with you.”
“I can tell you everything now.”
She smiled at my words.
“Right… there won’t be another chance to talk like this.”
I had expected light conversation, but the atmosphere became heavier than usual.
What’s going on? I looked around. The duchess stirred her teaspoon in her cup a few times before speaking.
“Lily, do you know why Loo dislikes Monica?”
I widened my eyes in surprise. I never expected that. I slowly shook my head.
“…I wanted to tell you when I first saw you. I kept putting it off, but now I’ll tell you.”
Her violet eyes looked at me. I didn’t know exactly what she would say, but it didn’t seem like casual talk.
I hesitated, then asked politely.
“…Is this something I should hear?”
“It’s something I want you to hear.”
Her expression was calm. I met her gaze without looking away.
The duchess seemed satisfied and began to speak.
