* * *
And yet, despite his promise to be careful after that…
“Sia…”
When I groaned his name, the child, who was lying face-down on the bed, hesitated before averting his gaze.
He had opened his mouth as if to say something but quickly shut it again.
Raising a hand, I ran my fingers through my disheveled hair, which had gotten messy from the rushed horseback ride.
Viscount Vito’s nephew, Nael, had been relatively quiet for the past two days.
Today, the third day of his stay at the castle, was also his last.
I had gone out for an inspection of the territory—not so much by choice, but because Haen had strongly suggested it.
‘Sha, will you be okay on your own?’
‘Yeah.’
‘…I’m trusting you. I really am.’
‘Just go already! At this rate, you’ll be here all night!’
Originally, I had planned to take Sia with me, but he didn’t want to go.
He had insisted on resting at home, and I couldn’t exactly force him to come.
Since nothing had happened so far, I assumed today would be no different and left with Master to survey the duchy.
When I returned from my so-called goodwill efforts to maintain my reputation, Haen, who had been keeping silent to ensure I didn’t rush back midway, finally spoke up.
‘Your little slave boy got into a fight with Young Master Nael and ended up getting beaten by Viscount Vito. It wasn’t life-threatening, so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning earlier. But I figured you should know.’
The moment I heard that, I didn’t even bother changing out of my travel clothes—I ran straight to my chambers.
Now, looking at the small pink form lying limply on the bed, I sighed.
I should have taken Sia with me no matter what.
Or at least left Master behind with him.
I kneeled beside the bed, running my trembling fingers through Sia’s hair before shutting my eyes tightly.
“Sia, what the hell happened?”
Even though I kept my voice as calm as possible, Sia didn’t respond.
He simply kept his eyes closed, as if unwilling to talk.
My gaze lowered to his bandaged leg.
Bright red blood was seeping through the white cloth.
Watching that painful sight, I rubbed my face with both hands.
“You said everything would be fine.”
I murmured to myself, forcing down the nausea rising in my throat.
Sia had gotten hurt because of me.
A freed slave fighting a noble heir—of course, it was an impossible situation.
But if I had been a proper duke, no one would have dared to lay a hand on him.
If anything, they would have punished that bastard Nael instead.
This only happened because I wasn’t strong enough.
That thought alone made me want to cry, but no tears came.
I simply stared at Sia for a long time before finally burying my face against his back.
“You promised me, Sia. You said you wouldn’t get into trouble.”
With a voice that was dry and cracked, I murmured, and I could feel the body beneath me flinch.
Sia had been trembling for minutes, and as if he couldn’t take it anymore, he suddenly lifted his head and stared straight at me.
Even when he was lying down, I could hear his sniffles.
Now that he had raised his head, it was clear—Sia was crying.
His reddened eyes and flushed nose made it obvious. I finally snapped back to my senses.
I should have comforted him, should have apologized.
This wasn’t a moment to question him.
Just as I was about to say I was sorry, Sia, his face full of injustice, suddenly shouted.
“That bastard insulted Vivi! Right in front of me, he cursed at you! He called you a demon! Said your very existence was disgusting! That you should never have been born! That since they couldn’t kill you because you’re a Saint, they locked you up in prison to rot, and yet you stubbornly survived and came back like a damn cockroach!”
How the hell was I supposed to stay still after hearing that?!
I had to at least throw a punch!
Even as he sniffled, he clenched his fists tightly, his voice shaking with rage.
Sia, who had been glaring at me as I stood there speechless, suddenly swung his small fist and hit me.
It didn’t hurt, but I let him land the punch without resistance.
As if still unsatisfied, Sia bared his sharp teeth and growled.
“Don’t apologize to me. If you’re going to make that face, get out of the room!”
“Why did you fight?”
“Because I like you, Vivi! Because I hate it when someone insults the person I like!”
“But Sia, I…”
“Just like how you don’t want me getting hurt, I don’t want you to be insulted either. Even if you really are a bastard, even if you’re an irredeemable demon, to me, you’re just Vivi.”
Sia declared this arrogantly, saying he wouldn’t give a damn even if I called him selfish.
…Though, honestly, I think he could’ve done without the cursing.
As I muttered to myself, Sia, clearly annoyed, flopped back onto the bed.
Burying his face in the soft pillow, he mumbled,
“If you don’t want me getting hurt, don’t let that bastard into the castle ever again. If something like this happens again, I’ll fight and get hurt all over again.”
Without waiting for my response, he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from his outburst.
While my insides burned with frustration, he slept peacefully, even snoring softly.
I watched him for a long time, then unwrapped the blood-stained bandages, applied fresh ointment, and replaced the dressings.
I sat on the floor by the bed for a while before finally leaving the room.
The moment I stepped outside, Haen was there, leaning against the hallway wall as if he had been waiting for me.
His posture was relaxed, but as he sensed my presence, he slowly lifted his gaze.
Our eyes met, and for a brief moment, he looked surprised, as if he had seen something unfamiliar.
But then, as if he’d expected this all along, his lips curled into a strange smile.
“See? My friend, I told you not to get too attached to that slave.”
“…He’s not a slave, Haen. He’s Sia. Stop calling him that.”
His constant use of that word irritated me.
I couldn’t hold back anymore and snapped at him.
In response, Haen let out a lighthearted laugh and shook his head as if I were hopeless.
“Alright, Sia. But I guess it’ll take Sia dying for you to finally understand me. Well, it’s not like this is new. You’ve always been like this, Vivi. You never listened when I tried to talk sense into you. I told you to accept reality, but you just kept quiet until you ended up in prison. As if someone like you would ever change.”
His words, dripping with malice, made me let out a bitter laugh.
“Haen, stop provoking me before I really kill you.”
I whispered the words softly, and Haen chuckled, as if we had gone back to the days when we used to exchange harsh words as a joke.
But watching that smile brought back the metallic scent of blood from Sia’s bandages, twisting into the stench of prison bars.
Standing in the middle of the hallway, I found it hard to breathe again.
I thought I was doing better. But no, it was just that my focus had been on Sia.
I hadn’t actually gotten better at all.
I held my breath, forcing myself to inhale slowly, keeping my emotions in check.
I wasn’t even sure if the gods would let me live long enough to see my end.
But for Sia’s sake, I couldn’t die yet.
I had to find his family.
Not a family like mine—one that had been nothing but ruin, one that had taken everything from me.
No, I had to find him a real family.
For Sia’s sake.
…And for the child I once was, the one who had been abandoned.
As I tried to erase the damp, sickly scent that clung to me like a brand, I thought about the inevitable end that awaited me.
No matter what, the moment where everything had to conclude was approaching.
✽ ✽ ✽
Despite my devoted care, it took three weeks for Sia’s wounds to fully heal.
During that time, he never once complained about the pain, and I stayed by his side the entire time.
Those who had suspected my affection for Sia were now completely certain.
To prove that point, within those three weeks, there were ten assassination attempts on Sia and four attempts to poison him.
At first, Sia had been horrified that people could be so cruel to a mere child.
But he quickly grew used to it.
Waking up in a different bedroom, opening his eyes to see corpses lying around—these things became normal.
He got into the habit of inspecting even the smallest snacks before eating them, and he refused to eat anything unless it came from me or the Master.
Despite everything, Sia never once resented me.
Never once demanded I find his family faster.
He simply stayed by my side, occasionally throwing tantrums but always remaining close.
“Sha, don’t you find this place horrible? There are so many people who want you dead just because they hate me.”
I suddenly remembered the time I couldn’t hold back and asked him that.
And the way Sia had laughed, as if I’d just said something utterly ridiculous.
“Vivi, I don’t think you realize this, so let me tell you. Compared to the slave traders who bought me after my parents died, this place is paradise. So no, this is nothing.”
Sia, ever stubborn in the strangest ways, had said those words with an innocent smile, completely unaware that he was trying to comfort me.
“But I do admit one thing—this place is horrible for you. There are too many people here who hate you without even knowing you.”
That familiar scowl he always wore when he was annoyed.
The small hand that reached out to pat my head as if to comfort me.
The way his voice turned soft whenever he said my name.
For a brief moment, I had nearly asked him to leave with me.
I could be your family.
Let’s leave together.
But I had nothing.
Nothing that would allow me to take responsibility for him.
And I knew reality far too well to say something so reckless.
Then, just when I started seriously considering how I could get Sia out of this place, Haen brought someone unexpected before me.
“Greetings, Duke! Oh, but since I’ll be a Duke soon, should we just drop the formalities?”
…A complete idiot, by the looks of it.
* * *
