Chapter 15
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 15
"We cannot rescue every child. There are dozens of Circus Troupes scattered throughout the Empire, and it's impossible to track them down one by one."
"I suppose so. Oh? We've arrived. There it is."
As I walked while conversing with the man, I suddenly found myself standing before the Inn.
I entered the Inn and immediately sought out Mary's room.
"Mary."
But no response came from within the room.
I knocked on the door again, calling out to her once more.
"Mary, I'm coming in."
"Oh, Miss?"
Only then did Mary's voice emerge from inside, and moments later she flung the door open with startling speed.
But upon seeing the man beside me, she wore a look of surprise and called out to me again.
"Miss...?"
"I'll explain the details later. Where's the Young Boy?"
"He's inside."
"Is he?"
I stepped into the room.
The Young Boy immediately rushed toward me.
"Bell!"
"My goodness, you! Who gave you permission to call that name so carelessly?"
At Mary's reproachful tone, the Young Boy's face fell, and he gazed up at me with pitiful eyes.
I gently stroked his hair and smiled reassuringly.
Then I turned to Mary and spoke.
"Mary, it's fine. I told him to do so."
"But Miss...!"
I shook my head slightly, signaling her to stop.
After all, this would be the last time the Young Boy called my name.
Mary looked as though she had more to say, but she closed her mouth at my words.
"My lady?"
The man waiting outside called to me then.
I opened the door wide with a sudden realization.
It was an invitation for him to enter.
Aiden stepped into the room with long strides.
His broad frame seemed to fill the space entirely as he entered.
But suddenly, the Young Boy grasped my hand and squeezed it firmly.
"Bell...."
He called out to me in a small, trembling voice.
It seemed he was terrified at the sight of this unfamiliar man.
I bent down to meet the Young Boy's eye level and took both of his hands in mine.
"This person has come to help you all."
"Really...?"
"He rescued your siblings too."
After saying this, I straightened up and looked at the man.
"This is the child. The one those other children called Number Five."
"I see."
But as the man stepped closer to the Young Boy, he remained wary and hid behind the folds of my dress.
"He's not a bad person. He's someone who will help you all."
I explained again and tried to coax the Young Boy out from behind me, positioning him at my side.
But despite his youth, he possessed surprising strength and wouldn't budge an inch.
"It seems I'll need to accompany you. Once we arrive at the Inn where the children are staying, I'll return him to you."
"Ah... yes, let's do that."
Judging by the Young Boy's state, it appeared we would need to travel together to the Inn.
"Come on, let's go meet your siblings."
The moment I suggested going to meet his siblings, the Young Boy nodded and gently grasped my hand.
Accustomed to holding my hand, he took it without hesitation.
I found his gesture endearing and clasped his hand in return.
The three of us set out toward the Inn where the children were staying.
The two men exchanged few words.
Of course, I wasn't particularly talkative either, so aside from the occasional exchange between the Young Boy and myself, silence accompanied our journey.
After walking for some time, we arrived before an unfamiliar building.
"This is it. This is the Inn where the children are staying."
"Yes, then."
I released the Young Boy's hand and bent down once more to meet his gaze.
This time, I placed both hands on his shoulders and spoke.
"Listen to me carefully. This person will take care of you and your siblings from now on."
"...Really?"
The Young Boy looked up at me with an expression of considerable shock.
"You'll all be going to an Orphanage that this person knows well. I hear there are many children there who were rescued from the Circus Troupe, just like you."
"...."
"Once you go there, you won't have to live a wandering life like this anymore. You must do well there. Do you understand?"
The Young Boy didn't respond to my words.
His face hardened, but I pretended not to notice.
I shrugged and straightened up, then looked at the man and spoke.
"I have somewhere else to be, so I'll leave you here. Please promise me that you're someone worthy of my trust, that my faith in you won't be misplaced."
"I promise you."
Of course, I didn't trust people based on mere words alone, but there was something about this man that felt trustworthy.
One shouldn't judge people by appearances, but my instincts were telling me something different.
"Yes, then I'll trust you. And I can return with my escort knight, so could you call my escort knight for me?"
"Then please wait a moment. Come inside."
However, even though the man gestured for the Young Boy to enter the Inn, the child didn't budge from his spot.
I pushed the Young Boy's back and nodded, telling him to follow the man inside.
But still, the Young Boy didn't move.
"What's wrong? Do you have something to say to me?"
"...You bought me."
"Huh?"
"You bought me. So you were going to take me with you, weren't you?"
"What? That's..."
"What does 'bought' mean?"
Hearing words I hadn't anticipated from the Young Boy, I couldn't hide my confusion and struggled to find the right response.
Meanwhile, the man was staring at me with eyes full of suspicion.
"So that is..."
I hadn't done anything wrong, yet I found myself cornered. I didn't understand why, but I soon opened my mouth with a composed expression.
"You said you saw the child being beaten by Circus Troupe members on the road, right? I ended up giving those people money to save the child."
I explained the general situation to dispel the man's suspicion.
"Bell."
The Young Boy called my name and grabbed my hand, pulling me toward him.
It felt as though he was telling me to look at him instead of the man.
"Can't I come with you too?"
"What?"
"I'll behave well. So please take me with you. Okay?"
I looked down at the Young Boy with an uncomfortable expression.
"That won't work. I'm not going home. That's why I can't take you with me."
I had no choice but to turn away from the Young Boy's desperate gaze.
"And I never intended to take you with me in the first place. I'm sorry, but this person will take better care of you and your siblings than I ever could. So you need to listen well. Do you understand?"
"..."
The Young Boy now simply bowed his head without answering my words.
Then suddenly, as he looked at me, tears glistened at the corners of his eyes.
"Please call my escort knight."
There was nothing more I could do, so I chose to leave this place quickly, turning away from the Young Boy's face.
The man took the Young Boy into the Inn, but even then, the child kept looking at me with sorrowful eyes until the very end.
* * *
I returned to the Inn in the late dawn hours, and the accumulated fatigue sent me into a deep sleep that lasted well past morning.
"Miss."
When the sun reached its zenith, I barely opened my eyes at the sound of Mary calling me from beyond the door.
"Come in."
Mary entered the room.
"What time is it?"
"It's already time for lunch. You must be hungry? I called for you this morning, but you didn't answer, so you missed breakfast, but you really should eat lunch."
"What about William?"
"The knight already woke up and finished his morning personal training."
Impressive, truly diligent.
He was every bit the exemplary knight.
"What shall we do about lunch? Will you eat here at the Inn?"
But we're in the Festival—we can't possibly stay cooped up here.
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