* * *
The factory’s inactivity in broad daylight, his drunken stupor—it all hinted at deeper troubles.
“Anyway, I’m not doing it. Go back.”
And just like that, Roberto disappeared into the shadows.
“Wait, hold on…!”
Remi tried to call out, but the words died in his throat.
Left standing alone, he could only stare at the spot where Roberto had vanished.
“What the hell? This didn’t happen in the original story.”
His frustration bubbled over.
‘Unbelievable. Nothing’s going smoothly.”
Remy was finally driven to investigate what had happened to Roberto.
At first, he agonized over who to ask for such information, but the answer turned out to be closer than expected.
Just as Oliver had helped locate Roberto’s factory, this time, too, he had the answer.
“Roberto’s factory had a massive fire not too long ago.”
Remy, who had been sharing a meal with Oliver at a makeshift table outside the tent, perked up at the unexpected news.
He set down the sandwich he had been biting into and stared at Oliver intently.
“What? A fire?”
“Yes. I don’t know all the details, but the baker said some bad people set it on fire.”
“Bad people…?”
“It seems the leaflets printed at Roberto’s factory were the issue. He was exposing the wrongdoings of those bad people, and they retaliated by doing something terrible to him.”
“Wow…”
This was bad. Remy immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
‘So that’s why Roberto outright refused the moment he heard the job was risky. Makes sense. I’d probably have done the same.’
Hicks Road was home to countless print shops, but Roberto’s factory was special.
As Oliver’s story suggested, Roberto was known for undertaking “dangerous printing.”
In an era devoid of telephones, the internet, and other modern communication methods, leaflets were the most powerful medium.
With newspapers and periodicals still underdeveloped, important news spread through leaflet distribution, making them incredibly influential.
This was precisely why Remy had used leaflets in the original story to frame Allen.
In the original tale, Remy printed leaflets exposing the corruption of Allen’s family, revealing to the public that the Aylesford family’s “New World Development Project” was nothing more than a hollow scam.
Given the family’s esteemed reputation, such a revelation would have been a severe blow.
Although the original story didn’t delve further, it was clear that the leaflets would have irreparably tarnished the Aylesford name, leading to their social downfall.
‘The stakes are too high. There aren’t many print shops willing to take on such risky work. Without Roberto’s factory, this will be tough.’
Remy had been banking on Roberto’s help, but the previous incident had thrown a wrench in his plans.
Of all times, this had to happen before Remy could settle things.
‘What do I do now? This is a disaster. Convincing Roberto will be nearly impossible, and finding another print shop is out of the question. Isn’t there any way around this?’
“Is something wrong, hyung? Do you really need Roberto’s factory for something?”
Oliver, noticing Remy’s pensive expression, asked with wide, curious eyes.
By then, his two younger siblings had finished the food Remy brought and were getting up from the table.
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask Roberto to print something, but it seems like it’ll be difficult.”
Not wanting to burden a child with details, Remy gave a vague response.
Oliver tilted his head, seemingly unconvinced.
“Does it have to be Roberto’s factory? There are lots of print shops on Hicks Road.”
“Well… it’s something only Roberto’s factory can handle…”
“Why? Are you also trying to talk about bad people, hyung?”
“…Not exactly.”
Jeez, why am I discussing this with a kid?
Remy chuckled awkwardly.
That chuckle, however, was cut short by Oliver’s next words.
“If it’s that kind of printing, there are other places that can do it besides Roberto’s factory.”
“…!”
Remy dropped his sandwich in surprise and stared wide-eyed at Oliver.
Did he just say that there were other places capable of “dangerous printing”?
“What do you mean, Oliver? Can you explain in more detail?”
“I know of a factory that does work similar to Roberto’s. It’s where people like you sometimes secretly go.”
“Hey, I didn’t secretly go anywhere. Anyway, where is it?”
Oliver looked at Remy in silence, his pure gaze seeming to communicate something unspoken.
Remy immediately understood—money talks.
“Here. Ten shillings.”
“I’ll take you there right away.”
Oliver promptly stood up, brushing off his pants. Remy followed with a sigh, thinking, ‘This kid is going places.’
“Is it far?”
“No, it’s closer than Roberto’s factory.”
“Good.”
As they began to leave the shantytown, with Remy holding Oliver’s tiny hand like before, a soft meow interrupted their steps.
It was Taz, the tuxedo cat who was always prickly toward Remy.
“Hello, Taz?”
When Remy greeted the cat, it haughtily turned its head away.
Before Remy’s temple vein could fully bulge, he noticed a piece of paper clamped in Taz’s mouth, making him blink in confusion.
The sight reminded him of the time Taz had snatched his map and run off with it.
Taz promptly dropped the paper into Oliver’s hands.
Oliver, accustomed to such antics, took it nonchalantly and said, “Taz, you’ve brought something again.”
…Huh? What’s going on here?
Remy blinked at the cat and Oliver in turn.
“But Taz, you don’t have to bring these anymore. This hyung gives me ten shillings every day, remember?”
…What???
Only then did things start to click for Remy.
This cat, Taz, must be Oliver’s accomplice.
It would swipe items from visitors to Hicks Road, and Oliver would use them to negotiate and make money.
“…!”
Realizing he had been thoroughly outplayed, Remy froze in shock, mouth agape.
“What’s with the look? Didn’t you see this coming? You’re too naive for someone your age. How do you plan to survive in the world being this gullible?”
Oliver’s blunt comment, delivered with an innocent face, felt downright devilish.
“Hyung, are we going to the factory or not?”
With that, Oliver tugged on Remy’s hand impatiently.
Still reeling from the mental whiplash, Remy snapped out of it and began walking, practically dragged along by the younger boy.
Internally, Remy reflected, ‘It’s not because I’m naive. It’s because Oliver is destined for greatness—that’s the only reason I got played.’
…Damn it.
At the same time Remy was walking away, feeling relieved that he had met a good child and could help those in need, someone paid yet another visit to the Wesley estate.
It was none other than Ashton, who hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of Remy since their hunting trip.
“Out again today?”
“Yes, young duke.”
“Unbelievable… He claimed he wasn’t feeling well, so where is he running off to every day?”
“We are not privy to that information.”
“Do you think that makes any sense, Chandler?”
“My apologies.”
Ashton scowled at his butler’s robotic, fact-only responses.
He felt utterly frustrated.
That night—after they had been so passionately intertwined—Remy was now pretending as though nothing had happened, avoiding him completely.
No push-and-pull game had ever been this maddening.
How much longer was Remy planning to drive him crazy?
‘Ha, I really don’t get him. Acting so naive, yet playing the sly fox when it comes to this.’
Eventually, Ashton began to wonder if Remy was simply oblivious to his feelings.
‘No way… Did he not understand my confession? Seriously…?’
Ashton distinctly remembered saying, “I like you.”
Not just once, but multiple times.
He had whispered it again and again into Remy’s ear, holding him close, their bodies entwined.
He’d even repeated it the next morning.
How much clearer could he have been?
But maybe, just maybe, Remy had chalked it up to being caught in the heat of the moment.
* * *
Remy, is somewhat indecisive or in denial.. or maybe both..
Very indecisive