Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 74- Fake Witch

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Looking back now, I realize that as a child, I was surprisingly mature for my age, enough to astonish the adults around me.

By the time I entered elementary school, I had learned how to wash rice, cook it myself, and even prepare simple side dishes.

There were even times when I did the grocery shopping alone.

While I took care of the household, my father left early in the morning and worked late into the night to pay for my mother’s hospital bills.

“You’re suffering a lot because of your incompetent parents.”

That’s exactly what my father said when he found out that his elementary school son was paying for his own school lunches by collecting empty bottles.

I looked at him, his head hung low in guilt, and tried my best to smile brightly.

“Dad, as long as I have you, I’m fine.”

At that time, I had just lost my mother, and nothing scared me more than the thought of my family falling apart.

It wasn’t that I was more mature than other kids my age—I was just acting grown up on purpose.

I was terrified that one day, my father, worn down by our poverty, might abandon me.

But even though my father felt sorry for me, he never gave me the words I longed to hear the most.

I wanted him to tell me that everything would be okay, that as long as he was there, things would get better.

That my mother’s death, the emptiness that never seemed to go away, all of it would be fine.

That I didn’t need to be afraid.

After my father’s death, I missed him, but if I’m honest, I also resented him.

Everyone else had families—why was I the only one without one?

I spent summers sweating it out in a tiny room barely five square meters in size, watching sitcom families on TV, laughing and enjoying life together, something I desperately longed for.

‘Maybe the one who was truly deprived was me…’

A splitting headache jolted me awake.

The musty smell of a dusty room filled my nose. I tried to sit up, but my body slumped sideways.

The spot where I had been kicked in the ribs ached dully.

As I curled up, groaning, a soft voice whispered to me.

“Don’t get up. They might notice.”

It was the voice of a very young girl. I squinted and saw her, eyes tightly shut, huddled close.

Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be a Sacre, like Jeanne. I cautiously looked around.

The carriage was filled with other Sacre girls, none in great condition but not as badly beaten as me.

“Who are those men?”

I could hear men talking outside the carriage. It wasn’t moving, probably because they had stopped to rest or make repairs.

The girl answered in a calm voice.

“They’re slavers, specializing in Sacre people.”

“S-Slavers?”

“Yes. We’re near the border to the capital.”

Suddenly, a line from a movie I once saw popped into my head: You’ve been kidnapped.

Damn it, kidnapped now?

I thought bitterly, already making a vow to have a cleansing ritual once I got out of here.

As I swallowed back tears, the girl opened her eyes slightly.

“From your clothes and how shiny your hair is, you must’ve come from a pretty good family. So why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

I retraced my memories.

Whoever had sold Jeanne to slavers must have held a deep grudge.

Sure, I had exploited the labor of naive college students, secretly sold expensive artwork from the duke’s mansion, and fed leftover food to Bermut as a test… but I hadn’t done anything bad enough to get killed for.

“So why are you all here?” I asked, not expecting much from the question.

The girl bit her lip painfully before speaking.

“We all came to the capital from Sacre to find jobs. It’s a dream for Sacre girls to work in the capital. But the man who promised to help us sold us to these slavers instead.”

“Is there no way to escape?”

“We can’t outrun them. Too many of us are injured.”

Once I understood the situation, I sighed.

Maybe Jeanne could have escaped on her own, but it was impossible to get all these young girls out at once.

I clenched my fists behind my back, trying to think.

‘Is there really no way out of this?’

As the guards’ vigilance began to wane, I considered my chances of escaping, but something told me that once the carriage crossed the border, there would be no turning back.

These were the same men who had kidnapped a noblewoman, even if I was just the duke’s adopted daughter.

Who knew what else they might do?

I groaned, pressing my throbbing forehead to the floor.

After what felt like an eternity of deliberation, I finally made up my mind and opened my eyes wide.

“There’s no other choice. I have to use my last resort.”

✽ ✽ ✽

Late at night.

I peered through the small window of the carriage and tapped on the bars.

A guard standing nearby turned irritably, his eyes meeting mine.

He flinched, his shoulders twitching.

“Hey there, what’s your name?”

I waved my hand through the bars, and the guard, after nervously glancing around, approached.

His face was rough, but I pouted, pretending to be disappointed.

“Aww, don’t be like that. It’s been so suffocating being stuck here all night.”

“…”

“You must be bored too, standing guard all night. Wouldn’t you like to have some fun?”

My soft tone seemed to chip away at his stern expression.

I noticed the bow slung over his back as his eyes slowly raked over my face, a sleazy grin spreading across his lips.

“Well, now that I look at you, you’re not bad.”

“Really? Do you think so? Then how about…”

There was no way I could win a physical fight with a burly mercenary.

Making a scene might put the children at risk too.

The only way to draw this guard away from the camp seemed to be seduction, even if I loathed the idea.

Jeanne’s beauty had a way of lowering people’s defenses, no matter how much patience or self-control they had.

‘But this plan could backfire, and I could end up overpowered.’

The guard, loaded with weapons like daggers and a bow, was clearly not someone to mess with lightly.

To say I wasn’t scared would be a lie.

But the thought of being sold into slavery without even trying made me determined to act.

When you’re dealt a bad hand in life, sometimes you have to gamble.

‘Yes, this is my gamble.’

I clenched my trembling hands into fists and steadied my nerves as the guard, now visibly aroused, loosened his belt.

I bit back my disgust, forcing myself to smile as I whispered, feigning embarrassment.

“There are too many people around here… Can’t we go somewhere more private?”

The guard’s throat bobbed, and I silently rejoiced.

‘He’s all bark and no bite.’

He dragged me into a dark thicket, but even then, he didn’t untie my wrists.

I followed behind him, focusing on how I could steal that bow of his.

‘I need to get that bow if I’m going to help the children escape.’

But my hands were tied, and Jeanne was much smaller than the guard.

If he hit me even once with those thick hands of his, I’d be out cold.

Just as I heard the click of his pants buckle, I shuddered.

‘At least I’ll have one chance. I need to make it count.’

The moment the guard turned, I leaned in and kissed him.

I mentally distanced myself, imagining that this wasn’t a man but just a big slab of meat, as his foul breath and the slick sensation of his tongue in my mouth made me want to retch.

The guard grunted, pleased, tightening his grip around my neck and shoving me to the ground.

His hand squeezed my throat, and all I could do was thrash weakly.

“Struggle a bit more, like the other girls from Sacré.”

“Ghh…”

The guard chuckled, his hand now on my thigh, but before he could do more, I looped my tied hands around the back of his neck.

He took this as an invitation and eagerly kissed me again, his lips curling. This was my moment.

“Ugh! Argh!”

I bit down hard on his tongue.

He tried to pull away, but with my arms hooked around his neck and the rope binding my wrists, he was trapped.

His tongue was nearly severed before he managed to yank himself away and smack me across the face.

“Ugh…”

Stars burst before my eyes, and one side of my vision blackened.

The guard stumbled back, clutching his bleeding mouth, his eyes wide with fear as he realized what had happened.

“If I were you, I’d take this advice from one man to another.”

I spat out a piece of his tongue and grabbed the dagger from his waist.

The sharp blade made quick work of the ropes binding my wrists.

Ignoring the guard’s sobbing, I picked up his bow from the ground.

Realizing he was in danger, the guard turned to flee, but I was quicker.

Drawing the bowstring, I aimed at his back and let the arrow fly.

“You really shouldn’t treat women so roughly. It’s bad manners.”

The arrow struck the guard, and he collapsed without so much as a scream.

I stood over him, wiping the blood from my nose with the back of my hand.

I started to head back to the carriage, but then I hesitated.

‘Do I really have to go back for them? I might not make it on my own. Are those kids worth risking my life?’

If Jerome were here, he’d definitely scold me with a smile, telling me that someone as weak as Jeanne shouldn’t even think about saving others.

And honestly, I didn’t want to go.

Why should I rescue those children, who were abandoned by everyone else?

I couldn’t convince myself that it was the right thing to do.

But in this critical moment, the thought of my father came to mind… the way others had treated him.

‘I don’t want to turn my back on them.’

My hands trembled as fear of death crept in, but I forced myself to take a step forward.

My doubts vanished, replaced by determination.

‘Yes. I can’t just walk away now.’

With the bow in hand, I made my way back to the carriage.

By the time I arrived, the mercenaries had already armed themselves, alerted by the commotion.

The leader, a burly man, shouted at me.

“Hey! Sacré girl! What do you plan to do with that bow?”

“…”

“Don’t get confused with the mirror you carry around. That’s a weapon for killing people. Have you ever even fired a bow? Killed anyone?”

I met his gaze, expressionless.

Certain I was scared, the mercenaries laughed.

The sight of the children, dragged out of the carriage and gathered nearby, filled me with resolve.

The leader unsheathed his sword.

“Even if you’ve never killed, surely you’ve played with—”

Before he could finish, my arrow pierced the scabbard on his hip.

If it had been any higher, it would have gone straight through his hand.

His cocky smile vanished, replaced with disbelief.

He couldn’t comprehend how a simple wooden arrow had pierced solid leather.

“This is your first and only warning. Don’t move.”

Breaking the tense silence, I spoke calmly, my voice cold. I nocked another arrow, glaring at the leader.

“If you do, I’ll pierce your eyes next.”

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