Chapter 42
Nina kept her mouth shut, but her eyes gleamed with a strange light.
Rabian, of course, understood exactly what Nina was hinting at.
In truth, the one most surprised right now was himself.
‘Why doesn’t this feel dirty?’
Among the countless lovers who had come and gone, not even with the most breathtaking beauty had he ever dared to do something like this.
At most, he might have handed them a handkerchief, but touching someone’s tears and snot with his bare hands? The mere thought was revolting.
It didn’t matter if the other person was a child.
And yet, for some reason, when it came to Nina, he didn’t feel disgusted at all.
Normally, he would have thrown away not only his damp outer garments but also every single piece of clothing that had gotten wet.
What on earth was he doing?
‘I really must be going mad.’
Feeling a grim certainty about his own state, Rabian suddenly began examining Nina’s hands.
Her small, leaf-like hands had a little sand on them, but there wasn’t a single wound.
Her fingernails were intact as well.
“Uncle?”
Nina blinked curiously, surprised that he had suddenly grabbed her hand.
Rabian alternated between her hands, checking carefully, and abruptly asked,
“Kid, have you ever hurt your hands?”
“My hands? No, never.”
“Really? Never lost a fingernail or anything?”
Why was he asking something like this?
Hamelin’s article flashed through Nina’s mind, leaving her a little uneasy.
Did Rabian see that article too? Even if he had, what reason would he have to ask her directly about it?
Either way, she was fortunate—Nina had never experienced anything like that.
She might have been kidnapped twice by Hamelin, but at least she’d been spared from losing her nails.
The first time, Rabian had rescued her beforehand. The second time…
‘Well, maybe it happened after I died.’
“Nope. Never. Why do you—”
“Why are you even asking that?”
“Ah, damn…!”
Messi had slipped in silently, poking his head between the two just as Nina was speaking. Rabian nearly unleashed a string of curses at the intrusion.
“Why so startled? Feeling guilty?”
“You little punk… ahem. I was checking if the kid bites her nails, that’s all. You jealous or something? Since we’re at it, want me to check yours too?”
“Hmph.”
Messi gave him a long, skeptical look.
Rabian glared back, eyes full of menace.
‘Want me to rip all your nails out, brat?’
‘Try it, bastard.’
“Does that include toenails too?”
At the unexpected question, everyone’s eyes turned in unison.
Katya, suddenly the center of attention, looked a bit awkward but soon snapped firmly,
“Since he’s ‘it,’ I should charge him for my hospital bill.”
“Huh? Katya, you got hurt?”
Nina, who had momentarily forgotten her surroundings, spun around in alarm. Katya frowned, looking even more self-conscious.
“It’s nothing serious. Honestly, it was a close call, but when it finally came off, it actually felt kind of refreshing—”
“Your toenail came off completely?!”
As Nina tried to rush toward Katya, eyes wide, Rabian stopped her.
He caught Nina’s hand and drew her closer, but kept his gaze fixed on Katya.
“You’ve been showing up pretty often lately, haven’t you?”
“What, I’m not allowed here? Even if this playground were yours—”
Katya bit her tongue.
The truth was, not only the playground, but the entire district here belonged to Rabian.
At that moment, Messi suddenly chimed in as though he’d just remembered something.
“Right, I was just about to recommend her as Nina’s babysitter. What do you think? That way, insurance would cover it too.”
“…What did you just say?”
The hotel’s in-house clinic felt less like a medical facility and more like a crematorium.
The staff didn’t look like doctors or nurses at all, but assassins in disguise. Even the bravest patient might feel their life was in danger here.
Yet, their skill seemed unexpectedly good.
Sitting in the luxurious hotel lounge afterward, Katya wiggled her toe wrapped in fresh bandages and let out a long sigh.
‘I really thought I was going to die.’
Even a street rat who had seen the worst of life found it terrifying to sit alone in a grim place that could easily be mistaken for a morgue.
Luckily, the treatment hadn’t taken long.
Still, this lounge wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
Feeling the weight of the disdainful stares directed at her, Katya instinctively clutched the hem of her ragged clothes.
It was no wonder people were staring. In this extravagant setting, she looked every inch the street child she was.
‘If it were Nina, nobody would think it strange to see her sitting here alone.’
Even if she wore rags, Nina would still look beautiful.
Katya, lost in that gloomy thought, suddenly lifted her head in surprise.
“Here, have a drink.”
Rabian had appeared at some point, setting a beverage down on the table with a sharp thunk before dropping casually into the seat across from her.
Caught off guard, Katya blurted without thinking,
“What is this?”
“A latte or something. What, worried I poisoned it?”
Rabian smirked and lit a cigarette.
He looked insufferably cocky, yet somehow elegant at the same time.
Katya took a cautious sip of the latte.
For a gutter child, coffee was even rarer than clean water.
She didn’t know if he’d thought that far, or if he’d just grabbed whatever was handy, but the fact he’d personally brought her a drink was surprising.
‘Maybe he does have a surprisingly kind side…’
Considering what had happened earlier at the playground, it wouldn’t be too strange if he had hidden depths that others didn’t see.
‘Guess that’s why he’s so popular.’
Thinking thoughts too mature for her age, Katya finally spoke more calmly.
“…Not bad.”
“Really? That’s good. I always thought the coffee here tasted like crap.”
“….”
“Anyway, since you got treated for free, let’s get to the point. Why?”
Katya stiffened under his gaze.
“…Why, what?”
“Why are you trying to cozy up to my kid and work under me?”
“…How did you twist the story into that?”
Katya snapped, dumbfounded, but Rabian only exhaled smoke without a word.
He still wore that nonchalant smile, but behind the veil of violet smoke, his absinthe-colored eyes were razor-sharp.
“Those two kids you’ve been hanging around with since yesterday—one’s unexpectedly innocent, the other’s borderline antisocial, maybe just plain abnormal. Either way, it’s weird that a street-tough like you is spending time with them.”
Katya’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“So what? Afraid I’ll corrupt them? For the record, they were the ones who first offered me a job. I just—”
“Don’t kid yourself. There’s nothing left in them to corrupt.”
Rabian muttered it with distaste, and Katya shot him a bewildered look.
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Forget it. What I want to know is, why did you accept so easily? Why suddenly decide to work under me? Not long ago you were making a nuisance of yourself like we were sworn enemies.”
His tone wasn’t mocking—he genuinely didn’t understand.
And Katya was left speechless, because he wasn’t wrong.
She really had gone out of her way to get under his skin with all kinds of antics.
But still…
It wasn’t as if she truly hated him, or saw him as an enemy.
Her family might feel differently, of course.
“…Because thanks to you, I was about to starve to death. So I figured it was only fair to demand you take responsibility.”
