Chapter 3

Behind the men talking heatedly, something small and black flickered among the low shrubs.

The child looked about five or six years old.

A small, round head peeked out, then disappeared, only to reappear moments later.

The little boy, hiding behind the bushes, observed the men in front of the stable with anxious eyes. When he saw that they were too absorbed in conversation to notice him, his eyes brightened slightly.

After hesitating several times, he finally seized the moment when both men turned their heads and slipped into the stable on tiptoe.

A moment later, a sound echoed from inside.

Neigh—!

“So right after crying like that, it kicked Hans right in the stomach…”

The half-bald man, who had been spitting as he talked, turned toward the stable and froze. His small button-like eyes widened to the size of lanterns.

“Y-young Master!”

The man screamed and flailed his arms as he ran toward the stable.

“It’s dangerous! That horse is vicious!”

Startled by the man’s booming voice, the horse reared up.

Neigh—!

The huge beast stomped its hooves, and the thick wooden stall shattered with a loud crack.

The man who had been shouting turned pale and ran out of the stable.

“G-guards! Guards! The young master is in danger! The horse is rampaging!”

The horse burst out of the stable, frothing at the mouth as it kicked and thrashed wildly.

But the boy’s eyes were not on the raging horse beside him. They were fixed on the approaching guards rushing across the garden with raised spears.

When I saw his small face turn white, I knew instantly what was about to happen and leapt down from the wall.

-Bam!

I landed on the roof of a building below, rolled to break my fall, and ran straight toward the horse.

The guards’ sharp spears were moments away from piercing the creature.

“Stop!”

I threw myself over the boy and rolled on the ground just as the horse’s heavy hooves came crashing down.

Thud. Rattle—

A pouch fell from the boy’s hand, spilling sugar cubes that rolled across the grass.

Over the horse’s furious cries came the shouts of the guards.

“Restrain the horse!”

“W-wait, hold on!”

I tried to block their path, but one of them swung his spear shaft wide, striking me in the head.

Thud—

A flash of light burst before my eyes.

The startled guards immediately stepped back.

“M-move aside!”

“Wait, please.”

Still holding the boy in my arms, I staggered to my feet.

“The horse… it wasn’t trying to hurt him, it just…”

Huh?

My vision suddenly blurred, and I felt something warm trickle down my forehead.

“…Ah.”

I must have hit my head.

“Oh no, oh no!”

The half-bald man nearby screamed in horror, his face pale as chalk.

‘His voice is so loud…’

It reminded me of Father Leben from my old village, who used to shout the noon hour every day.

The nostalgic memory made my eyelids droop.

‘Ah, right.’

I still had to look after Mother…

—Thump.

My strength left my body, and darkness closed in.

* * *

“…Mmm.”

When I slowly opened my eyes, my vision was blurry.

Something black and fuzzy seemed to be hovering over me.

‘A kitten?’

I blinked a few times, and my sight gradually cleared to reveal a small boy looking down at me.

His big eyes brimmed with tears, and as soon as our gazes met, they overflowed.

“-!”

Drip. Drop. The tears that had gathered in his wide eyes fell one by one. The boy hurriedly rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

But the blanket over me was already dotted with small, wet circles.

Feeling a bit flustered, I smiled gently and asked,

“Were you worried I wouldn’t wake up?”

The boy rubbed his eyes again and gave a tiny nod.

Oh my.

A wave of affection rushed over me, and I immediately hugged him tightly.

“-!”

The boy froze like a startled kitten, his small hands trembling as his fingers spread wide.

Oh dear.

I quickly released him and stepped back with an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“…!”

The boy stared up at me, dazed, then suddenly burst into tears.

Startled, I waved my hands in panic.

“I’m sorry! Really, I’m sorry. You must have been so frightened.”

Even as I kept apologizing, the boy shook his head hard, tears spilling down his cheeks.

His short tufts of hair quivered like a kitten’s tail.

“So you’re saying you’re all right?”

Nod.

The boy bobbed his head up and down.

Phew. I let out a sigh of relief and patted my chest.

Then a sharp pain pricked my forehead, and I winced.

“Ouch.”

There was a bandage wrapped around my head. Someone must have treated me.

As I pressed the spot gently, the boy’s eyes widened in alarm, tears welling up again.

I waved my other hand frantically and gave a sheepish laugh.

“No, no, I’m fine.”

And I really was.

If a single blow had knocked me out, then it must have been quite hard. But if I could wake up with only this much pain, I was definitely fine.

Still, seeing the boy’s watery eyes made me wave my hands even more eagerly.

“I mean it! I’m really fine!”

To prove it, I lifted the bandage slightly and touched underneath.

A small, rough scab had already formed. It would heal soon.

There was also a faint herbal scent mixed with moisture. It seemed they had used a high-grade potion to treat it.

‘Oh my.’

How kind they were.

Using something so precious on a complete stranger.

As I marveled inwardly, the memory of what happened before I fainted suddenly resurfaced.

I turned to the boy, who still looked at me with concern, and asked softly,

“By the way, were you trying to feed sugar to the horse earlier?”

The boy hesitated, then nodded.

I smiled gently.

“You must really like horses.”

Nod, nod.

This time he nodded twice quickly, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

‘Ow.’

The sting on my forehead nearly made me flinch, but I bit the inside of my cheek and continued.

“Then next time, shall we go feed the horse together?”

“…!”

The boy’s eyes widened, then wavered with tears again.

Ah, I see.

I quickly read the look in his eyes and asked carefully.

“Are people trying to hurt that horse? Is it in danger?”

Nod, nod, nod.

The boy nodded desperately, tears pooling again.

“They haven’t hurt it yet, have they?”

When I asked urgently, the boy shook his head fast.

Thank goodness.

I let out a breath of relief and smiled softly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them for you—”

“My lady!”

The door flew open with a loud crash, and someone burst into the room.

It was Demius, covered in blood, striding straight toward the bed.

I gasped and asked quickly,

“Are you hurt?”

“It’s not my blood.”

He gave a short answer, then roughly pushed aside the trembling boy and stepped up close to me.

When his eyes landed on the bandage around my forehead, his face twisted sharply. He scanned me quickly, and his jaw tightened before he suddenly turned around.

“I’ll go sever that horse’s neck.”

“Wait, please!”

I reached out in panic and grabbed the edge of his coat.

But Demius spoke in a tone I had not heard before, or perhaps not for a very long time. It was cold and absolute.

“A horse that harms a person is executed on sight.”

I flinched slightly, then quickly replied.

“But it didn’t hurt anyone.”

“It didn’t hurt anyone?”

Demius turned to me, his voice rising with anger.

“You were injured!”

“No, that’s not…”

I almost blurted out that I’d been struck by a guard’s spear instead, but stopped myself just in time.

I bit my tongue to hold it back. The pain did not matter. What mattered was not making things worse.

Because Demius’s eyes were already burning with a deadly chill.

“Who was it.”

His voice was quiet, but each word carried lethal intent.

“Who hurt you.”