C27
"If I wanted to, I could discover anything!"
"Then, don't scratch the temperament of a sensitive person and find out separately."
Erno Etham's face was dark and sharp, as if he had been suffering from madness for a long time.
When the symptoms of the berserk state began to increase, the whole body heated up like lava, and the intense headaches and muscle pains made it impossible to sleep at night.
"Isn't this happening because you couldn't handle your things properly in the first place?"
"...Seems like you worry about useless things."
A cold look reached Duke Mirel. He seemed a bit nervous.
"Mmm, ahem. So, did you find her?"
"You seem very concerned after you drove her away."
"Although you have a twisted mouth, speak well. When did I say I drove her away?"
"If intimidating a child isn't expulsion, what is?"
Duke Mirel's gaze grew even fiercer at the growling voice.
"I've said it several times! Other Etham children grow up like this!"
Erno Etham rubbed his throbbing head with a tired expression.
Where the hell are you, daughter?
"I can't stay with you all the time because I have work."
After a long week of waiting, we arrived in the capital.
"I never thought it would be this far..."
I felt like my back was about to break from sitting.
If I hid, I would already be dead.
It's to the point where I wonder why Richard and Albion show no signs of fatigue.
"I have an inn here. If possible, eat in your room and refrain from going out."
Albion sat the two of us on the bed as if he were full of concern and began to give a long speech.
"... Even if they offer you sweets or food, don't follow them, or anyone who approaches you in ragged clothes... You should never carry a lot of money, and never go to places like alleys... This is a communication tool, so you can contact me when needed... Finally, when your safety is in danger, break this jewel. Arrangements have been made for me to run here."
When Richard and I were half-dazed by the nearly two-hour speech, Albion got up from his seat with a worried look on his face.
"It's the safest inn in the capital, but when you go out, put on this robe and walk without being noticed."
"... ..."
"... ..."
"Understood?"
"Yes, yes!"
"Understood, Director..."
Richard said, collapsing on the bed with a tired expression.
Still, Albion, who had asked several times, seemed restless and left the inn with an awkward farewell after a long time.
"BamBam, come here."
As soon as Albion disappeared, Richard happily handed me a side of the soft bed and said.
Since I was quite tired from the long journey, I quietly nestled in.
Then Richard covered my neck with the blanket and lay down beside me.
"Oh, it's nice. It feels like we're here for a trip, doesn't it?"
The boy's smiling face was innocent, as if he were on a family trip.
"But why did you ask to come to the capital?"
"I want to keep my promise..."
"Your promise?"
"Yes, we decided to find your parents..."
The hand that was stroking my back felt quite tense.
But was it because I was exhausted both mentally and physically? I never thought to look back.
Sleep swallowed me up in an instant.
"Are you going to leave me too?"
The eyes looking at Eirin, who was sleeping, overflowed with a slight sense of betrayal.
"No, it's not possible. I'm the only one for you, and you're the only one for me."
Richard Collin murmured softly.
"Only you, didn't avoid me."
Only Eirin didn't shy away from his touch alongside the director.
Both beasts and humans avoided his touch, but this girl climbed obediently into the palm of his hand.
She felt no fear of his touch.
"Because I saved you, you're mine. You must stay with me forever."
A colorful and regular sound of breathing echoed.
"You are my only family. You are completely mine. I like the family I found more than the family that abandoned me. You do too."
So, even if you come now and find my real family, nothing will change.
Richard Colin, who was firmly holding Eirin's hand, slowly closed his eyes.
A night that was always difficult to sleep through became a comfortable night with Eirin's warmth.
Obviously, no one knew.
Eventually, the two children, holding hands, exhaled evenly and fell into a deep sleep.
I woke up as if I had been waiting for the sunlight.
"I slept soundly...."
As I tried to get up, I realized my hands were still trapped.
Turning my head slightly, I saw Richard sleeping deeply with an innocent look on his face.
"Good morning."
I felt like I could understand why he was always in the top 5 in popularity polls despite being called a 'Crazy Psychopath.'
I reached out and delicately stroked Richard's loose hair.
"Where's Duke Collin...?"
Since the novel didn't have a map or anything, I wondered if I should find a source.
"It will be a bit difficult if he goes out with me...."
It was clear he wouldn't listen if I told him to wait here.
When he opens his eyes, he would surely say he would follow me.
Albion might have passed by for a short while in the middle of the night, given that some clothes to change into, daily necessities, and a small amount of money were neatly placed on the table.
Really, Albion would have made a good father.
"I'm sorry, but..."
I'm going to sneak out.
I pulled my hand away, slipped down, took my clothes and my robe, and headed to the bathroom.
"I have to hide the tail well."
I tucked it inside the cloak; fortunately, it wasn't noticeable.
"When the hell is this going to disappear...?"
I feel uncomfortable every time I go out.
"It's great anyway...."
Yesterday I was too tired to check properly, but the inn is like a hotel.
"Maybe they gave me an expensive room in the most expensive inn."
I remember seeing a description of the scenery in this room. It was clear that it would be the inn where the heroine would stay if she had an event from time to time.
I said it looked like a hotel, but it really looked like a hotel.
In fact, I've only seen hotels in pictures, but it felt that way.
There shouldn't be much money.
Albion spent the money he earned in the orphanage or donated it to other orphanages, so the situation wasn't very good.
So, in the end, no one except the reader knew he was a hero.
"Still, if he meets the heroine, he'll be saved."
Albion is saved, saving the heroine from danger because he still feels guilty for not saving his daughter.
[... I'm sorry, I couldn't protect her properly.]
[What? What do you mean? The knight protected me. He sent me back to my family unharmed.]
[Still, the wound on the miss's arm...]
[Don't you know it's a glory wound? It's just that. Thank you, Mr. Knight. For saving me... At that moment, at that moment, I was very lucky to have you.]
[... !]
Even after that, the heroine and Albion occasionally exchanged letters.
Then, by chance, the heroine reveals a clue about Albion's daughter, and Albion searches for his daughter's grave.
"Well, there's no room for me to intervene."
Sorry, I used him a little, but that's it.
I left the inn after writing a brief note to Richard, who was still sleeping.
"First, I need money...."
I have to go to the bank to get cash, but wouldn't it be dangerous if Erno Etham is still looking for me?
I took some of the money Albion gave me, but I don't know if I can get a personal carriage with it.
"30,000 loste...."
I heard that traveling in a private carriage instead of a public one is a bit expensive.
In the novel, it was said that one meal per person is around 6,000 loste.
"Let's ask."
As I left the inn, I looked around.
It was the first time I had ventured into the center of the capital other than when I went to open an account.
"It's huge...."
I didn't notice it when Erno Etham was by my side, but was the world really so big and wide?
"Wow, the smell of bread."
I smelled the delicious scent.
Grrrrr-
I unconsciously held my stomach at the sound it made.
I looked around embarrassed, but fortunately, no one cared about a little girl like me.
Everyone seemed busy opening their shops early in the morning and shopping.
"I'm hungry...."
It's because I didn't eat.
I quietly approached the bakery and looked at the bread through the window.
It was full of delicious freshly baked bread.
"Can I at least have one?"
That's because there are 30,000 loste.
"Oh? A little adorable guest. Are you here to buy bread? Go ahead."
"Ah, yes."
Entering the bakery, the tasty smell vibrated.
I didn't know how many delicious breads there were.
"Prices range from 1,000 loste to 6,000 loste..."
It wasn't as expensive as I thought.
I looked around the bakery slowly, clutching my money.
They all looked appetizing, but there was one that caught my eye.
It was a bun with various flavors.
It costs 3,000 loste per piece, but it was the size of my fist, so I thought it would be enough.
"Give me this! Strawberry jam scones!"
"Wait a moment, I'll give you a freshly baked one."
"Yes!"
I grabbed a bun and left the store.
Grrrrrr-
I was about to take a big bite of the bun, but I heard a loud sound somewhere.
The sound was so loud that I instinctively turned my head. There was something crouched by a trash can right in front of the alley.
The person wearing a gray robe and crouching down trembled as if they felt my gaze.
I tried to look away and took another bite of the bun.
The crouched body shrunk even more.
"It's not my business."
In other words, unless I feed every beggar on the street.
"... Which I won't do."
Then I shouldn't have seen it, stupid!
I went back to the bakery and bought two more buns with a teary expression, and...
"Hey, I picked it up on the way. You can have it."
I tried to imitate a scene I saw in a novel somewhere, in case she took offense at sympathy and felt hostility.
At that moment, incredibly beautiful blue eyes, which had been looking at the ground, met mine.
