Chapter 87

 

Leroy’s family and the Schmitz were close enough that they often spent vacations together.

 

However, that year only Viviana was with them because the busy count and countess had left their daughter under the care of the duke’s family.

 

Escaping the watchful eyes for the first time in a long while, it was a foregone conclusion that Viviana would act out, like a fish that had found water.

 

Nobody had heeded Leroy’s gloomy premonition, which turned out to be the cause of the current tragedy.

 

Even though they were the same age, Leroy, who had a dignified personality, was already burdened with many responsibilities.

 

When it was discovered that Viviana had disappeared while they were out together, it was clear who would bear the blame.

 

Considering his young age, it was only natural for Leroy to come to this conclusion:

 

‘I must find her before the adults do.’

 

Leroy took a quick glance at the guard waiting outside the store and headed straight for the back door.

 

It hadn’t been long, so Viviana couldn’t have gone too far.

 

If he could just return his erratic fiancée to her rightful place, everything would proceed without a fuss.

 

‘Yes, as long as I find her quickly.’

 

The main road he had passed when entering and the alleyway behind the store presented quite different scenes.

 

Leroy cautiously scanned the directions where Viviana might have disappeared.

 

She probably headed towards the shopping district, hoping to enjoy her freedom.

 

Just as Leroy was about to exit the dark alleyway, he spotted a girl rummaging through a trash can not far away.

 

‘Is she a pauper searching for food?’

 

For Leroy, who grew up as the only son of a duke’s family with no deficiencies, it was a sight he had never seen before.

 

Despite knowing that it was rude, Leroy couldn’t help but have his gaze drift towards the girl.

 

She might have felt his eyes on her, yet the girl was solely focused on finding something to eat.

 

The moment came when she pulled out a discarded bone from the trash.

 

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Leroy approached her.

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

He wasn’t intending to offer any presumptuous sympathy, but being a noble since birth, he couldn’t stand to watch such an unsanitary scene.

 

And yet, he couldn’t simply ignore the hungry child either; he thought of buying her some decent food.

 

But as Leroy reached out to grab the girl’s wrist, the world turned upside down.

 

Bang!

 

The moment his body hit the ground, bright lights flashed before his eyes.

 

In the next instant, Leroy realized he was lying on the ground.

 

Everything had happened so suddenly that he couldn’t make sense of the situation.

 

All he did was try to stop a girl from eating garbage, but why was she now on top of him, pinning him down?

 

“If you try to take me back there, I’ll kill you.”

 

She couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

 

The girl’s young face stared fiercely at him, her red eyes gleaming with menace.

 

Her hesitant pronunciation, mismatched with the gravity of her words, sent a chill down his spine.

 

It seemed she had misunderstood his intentions.

 

Was there some issue among the street children?

 

Regardless, Leroy quickly needed to clarify that he had no connection to the ‘there’ the girl referred to.

 

For good reason: the girl in front of him possessed a monstrous strength that could easily lift a boy bigger than him, and even now she was putting pressure on his throat.

 

“I just wanted to say... don’t eat spoiled food...”

 

With that, Leroy coughed lightly.

 

The girl, who had been sizing him up, seemed to realize he wasn’t someone she remembered.

 

Seeing the force leave her eyes, Leroy thought she might now let him go.

 

At least, until she began to idly fiddle with his clothes, lost in thought.

 

Then, as if making a decision, she grabbed his collar and asked point-blank.

 

“Do you have money?”

 

Suddenly, Leroy began to worry about Viviana, wondering if she might be in some sort of trouble.

 

After all, the outside world was indeed a dangerous place.

 

“They say I need money to buy food. I don’t have any. I’m hungry.”

 

Saying this, the girl gave a nudging shake to Leroy’s collar.

 

Leroy, his head drooping back weakly, took a moment to reflect on his life.

 

How did he end up being hustled by a girl he just met?

 

He had approached her initially with the intent to feed her, but now that she was demanding money, he wasn’t exactly thrilled.

 

“...First, let me go. Only then can I buy you something.”

 

Leroy spoke with a voice of restraint.

 

He wasn’t so desperate for money that he had to wrestle with a child smaller than himself.

 

It’d be more gentlemanly to have a little money taken from him than to overpower the girl before him.

 

Fortunately, upon hearing Leroy’s words, the girl promptly let him go.

 

Only then could Leroy finally push himself up from the ground.

 

Brushing off the dust on his clothes, Leroy turned to the girl with a cautious expression and said, “Follow me.”

 

Despite eyeing Leroy warily, the girl silently followed him.

 

It was true that Leroy wasn’t well-acquainted with the lives of commoners, but even taking that into account, this girl was unique.

 

Her animalistic reactions and awkward way of communicating gave the impression of a wild animal.

 

She seemed too naive for a street child, yet her knuckles were hard, suggesting a life far from luxury.

 

‘Well, either way, it has nothing to do with me.’

 

What was crucial was to quickly shake off this girl and go find Viviana.

 

As soon as Leroy left the alley, he took the girl to the first grocery store in sight.

 

He bought some bread and fruit and offered them to her.

 

She hesitated for a moment but then began to devour the food haphazardly.

 

She seemed starved.

 

After watching her for a short while, Leroy asked, “Did you happen to see a girl with brown hair and a yellow dress in that alley?”

 

The girl nodded with her cheeks puffed out.

 

“I’ve seen her.”

 

Leroy found a clue in the most unexpected place.

 

He inwardly praised himself for his patience and asked again, “Do you know where she went?”

 

“She came out about this far. I don’t know after that.”

 

The girl responded, swallowing the bread without chewing it properly.

 

Given that Leroy had only seen the dining habits of young noblewomen his age, her manner of eating left a deep impression.

 

Having obtained the information he needed, Leroy handed all the change he had received back to the girl.

 

“Take it.”

 

“Why are you giving this to me?”

 

“As payment for the information.”

 

Leroy responded and then added with a hint of an afterthought, “Next time you’re hungry, don’t knock down passersby. Use this to buy something to eat.”

 

He didn’t know how long she’d be able to survive on that money, but that was the best Leroy could do.

 

He couldn’t take responsibility for the girl’s life just because he felt pity for her hunger.

 

As Leroy prepared to leave, the girl suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

 

He tensed a bit, recalling the previous incident, but then she brightly complimented him.

 

“You... are nice.”

 

“What?”

 

“You gave me food, so now I have to pay for it. I’ll help you.”

 

Feeling a strange vibe from the girl, Leroy promptly declined without much thought.

 

“No, I don’t need help.”

 

“I’ll help.”

 

“I can do it on my own.”

 

“But they said if I don’t pay back for the meal, I’m a freeloader. I’m not a freeloader.”

 

First of all, Leroy wanted to point out that the food was not obtained through extortion.

 

However, what was the point in conversing more with someone he couldn’t communicate effectively with?

 

With a baffled look on his face, Leroy tried to refute the girl’s words but quickly closed his mouth.

 

He decided to ignore her entirely and turned on his heels.

 

He felt her following behind him, but thought if he didn’t respond, she’d eventually leave on her own.

 

Contrary to Leroy’s expectations, she was persistent.

 

Even after walking continuously for several hours, she didn’t seem tired and didn’t fall behind in the slightest.

 

Unintentionally, Leroy found himself accompanied by a tag-along as he roamed the streets.

 

Opening what felt like the umpteenth clothing store door, he repeated the same question.

 

“Excuse me, ma’am. Has a child with brown hair and a yellow dress come by here?”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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