~Chapter 30~
I forced myself to look away from the kids.
But even then, I couldn’t stop the anger rising inside me.
I was just sick of this world… and also frustrated at how useless I was in this situation.
Same thoughts as always.
‘So what if you’re angry? So what if it’s unfair? So what if you hate this world? What can you even do? Can you change anything?’
And the answer was always the same: “Nope.”
“Please don’t think we’re all dirty people just because everyone here lives like that.”
I turned to Jin.
The smile was gone from his face.
“Whatever. Just keep showing the way.”
I grabbed the water bottle hanging from Jin’s belt and poured it straight into my mouth.
Ugh, I’m so mad! Seriously mad! I wanted to grab each of those poor kids in the cotton field and take them all to the Count’s estate.
I mean, no matter how different this world is, how can anyone treat children like that and still call themselves human?
Sure, there was child labor in the modern world I came from too, but I never saw it with my own eyes, so it didn’t feel real back then.
Jin looked a bit confused by my reaction and tilted his head.
“My lady? Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m just upset about my situation. Don’t worry about it.”
I tried hard to ignore it all.
I shut my eyes tight, then opened them and just stared at the ground or the sky while walking.
Feeling sorry for those kids won’t change anything, and honestly, I can’t do anything about it.
Besides, I already had something important to deal with.
No need to get involved.
Yeah, I should’ve kept ignoring it like that.
“Get it together!”
There was a sharp scream, followed by a thud—someone had fallen.
Instinctively, my head turned.
And right at that moment, I knew I had just ruined everything I’d planned.
“…My lady?”
I don’t even know what I was thinking.
My mind went blank and before I knew it, I grabbed my dress and rushed into the field.
I ran over to the girl lying on the ground and helped her up.
“No, my lady!”
Jin followed right after me, clearly flustered.
But it was too late—my body had already moved on its own, and my mouth just started talking before I could stop it.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“What the…?”
Everyone froze.
I stood there facing the supervisor holding a stick, not sure what to do next.
Why the hell did I just charge in like that? Seriously?!
That’s when Jin ran up next to me and suddenly started talking fast.
“Why are you just standing there, staring? Are you that slow?”
He cleared his throat, then looked the supervisor up and down like he was trash.
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
Then, out of nowhere, he changed his tone and bowed his head to me like a totally different person.
“I’m terribly sorry, my lady. This was my fault. I should’ve made sure you didn’t witness such an unpleasant scene. Please forgive me.”
As soon as he finished, the supervisor glanced at me, his face went pale, and he immediately dropped his stick, fell to his knees, and bowed his head low.
“I-I didn’t realize you were a noble! I’m so sorry! P-please forgive me!”
Whether this was another world or a storybook, I still wasn’t sure.
But here, bowing and groveling was just… normal.
Honestly, it was awkward.
Sure, I stopped him from hitting the kid for now, but once I left, wouldn’t he just take it out on her even worse?
He’d probably say something like, “Thanks to you, I got scolded by a noble lady!” and then beat her again. This world was just like that.
I wanted to bite my tongue in frustration.
Why the hell did I do that?! Ugh!!
I frowned and sighed.
“Is this an area managed by the orphanage?”
The supervisor trembled and nodded quickly.
“Y-yes, it is. But, um, my lady, why are you—”
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and covered his mouth, realizing he’d just crossed the line.
He looked down at the ground, clearly terrified.
I guess peasants asking nobles questions was forbidden here.
The class system was that strict…
I glanced over at Jin, who was still acting like my personal guard without missing a beat.
What’s his deal? How can he act so casual around me? He’s clearly not ordinary.
I took out a few gold coins from my pocket and handed them to Jin.
I was going to ask him to give them to the supervisor so he’d stop bothering the kid, but Jin seemed to already get what I was thinking and accepted the coins politely.
Then he tapped the supervisor’s shoulder and said in an arrogant tone:
“Raise your head.”
“Y-yes!”
Jin smiled slightly and gently opened the supervisor’s clenched fist, placing the coin in it.
“Our lady seems to need a guide to the orphanage. Hope you can help us out.”
The supervisor started babbling, totally panicked. His face was red, and sweat was pouring down like crazy.
“T-then I’ll show you the way—”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on. You? A scruffy old man like you, walking with our lady? I don’t think so.”
Jin pointed to the crying girl next to him.
“She’s a girl, and from the looks of it, pretty obedient. Sure, she’s a bit hurt, but she’s clean enough. She’ll do it. You already got paid, right? Consider it a bonus. Oh, and try not to hit kids in public. You’re upsetting our lady here.”
Jin spoke slowly and dramatically, pushing the supervisor’s shoulder in a smug way.
“This is a wide open area. Who knows who might be watching, right?”
He stood up, brushed off his knees, and called out to the crying girl next to me.
“Alright, time to go. Let’s go.”
Thankfully, the gold coin seemed to have improved the supervisor’s mood.
It looked like he wouldn’t go after the girl later.
I tried to look like I didn’t care, holding my head high.
“Let’s go.”
Jin gently guided the girl by her back and replied:
“Yes, my lady.”
My head hurts. I didn’t know where to draw the line anymore.
It’s not like I ever had to deal with commoners before. Maybe I should’ve gone out like other nobles and bossed people around—at least then I’d be more prepared.
I’d just stayed locked up at home all the time.
“Be gentle with the ointment, okay? Be nice.”
“Y-yes.”
I couldn’t treat the girl myself, since if a noble acted too friendly, the kid might get the wrong idea and trust nobles too much—then get punished later for it.
“Lady, I think she’s bruised on the inside too.”
Jin whispered quietly to me, looking a bit troubled.
“She seems scared of me.”
“…Move aside.”
Ugh, my headache got worse.
How the hell does this stupid world even work?! I held back my anger and kneeled beside the girl.
I took the medicine from Jin.
“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. Can you help me a little? I’m just personally worried. My niece is about your age.”
Total lie.
But hey, it was mixed with truth, so I figured it was fine.
“Is it always like this?”
The girl gave a tiny nod.
“Your friends too?”
Tears started rolling down her cheeks.
I felt like losing it.
This was not the time for this! I had other priorities—damn it!
In the end, I couldn’t help it.
I pulled her into a hug.
My heart ached.
Maybe, deep down, I didn’t leave the Count’s estate because I didn’t want to see stuff like this.
“It’s okay. Shh. Be strong, okay? You have to keep your heart steady when things are hard.”
I gently brushed her stiff hair.
She clearly hadn’t been properly washed or taken care of.
“What’s your name?”
The girl bit her lip and looked around with big, nervous eyes. She didn’t seem used to kindness.
