-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: A Transaction
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Enoch was momentarily stunned, trying to process the absurd situation.
Lilis, who was supposed to be looking at the art gallery, had suddenly appeared with the Marquis's illegitimate son—the very reason they were here today.
*He was supposed to be raised in absolute secrecy... and a seven-year-old girl found him?*
He didn't even have to lift a finger.
It was absurd, but not bad. In fact, it made things easier.
"Hehe, Daaad!"
A stunned silence fell over the drawing room.
Lilis, the cause of the disaster, ran to Enoch with an innocent face.
"The Marquis's house is huge! There are so many rooms. I met him while I was wandering around!"
"Is that so?"
Enoch slowly examined Chessier.
The boy, unable to properly open his severely swollen right eye, was on high alert.
He looked even thinner than the last time Enoch had seen him, as if he hadn't been eating well, and his lip was split from a recent beating.
*Damn it...*
Enoch clenched his jaw, barely swallowing his rage.
"Where did you meet him?"
"In a room in the basement! But I don't think the Marquis cleans the basement. His room was dark and smelly and there were mice... Eww. It was like that."
"Ah, I see."
The Marquis and his wife could only tremble, unable to utter a word.
The words pouring from the oblivious young Lilis sounded like a death sentence.
The Marquis, finally regaining his senses, managed to part his lips, but,
"Your Grace... That is to say, that child is..."
"He has a resemblance."
He quickly shut his mouth at the sharp edge in Enoch's voice.
With a faint smile, Enoch bent his knees to meet Chessier's eye level.
And then, very slowly...
he studied the boy's face and muttered in a meaningful tone.
"A strong resemblance. To the Marquis."
A boy raised like an animal, locked away in a basement.
A face so similar to the Marquis's that denial was impossible.
Given the social stigma against illegitimate children, anyone could see the boy was the Marquis's hidden bloodline.
There was no room for excuses.
Of course, even so...
he couldn't be held accountable for the crime of child abuse.
What the Marquis feared was the damage to his own image if the boy's existence became public. Nothing more.
And Enoch knew that all too well.
"Marquis."
Enoch finally straightened up.
"Let's have a word. In private."
* * *
Dad tactfully separated Chessier from this house's devils, saying it would be best for the children to be alone, then went to talk with the Marquis.
*Dad will take care of the aftermath, right?*
While waiting for Dad, I opened the cap of the ointment tube I had.
*So this is why Richel gave me the ointment.*
The ointment had been tucked inside the rolled-up note Richel gave me.
I squeezed some onto my index finger and looked up to find Chessier staring at me.
"Lower your head. Your lip is split."
"...It's fine. It doesn't hurt much."
"I already squeezed it out."
"..."
Chessier fell silent.
That must be a yes, right? I carefully brought my hand closer, and thankfully, he didn't pull away.
"Thanks for... not leaving me behind earlier."
"..."
"But you can dodge. Why did you let them hit you all this time?"
"..."
"You don't want to talk to me?"
"If I dodge."
"Huh?"
"What changes if I dodge? It just makes them angrier. And it's not like I have anywhere to go if I run away. If I don't want to starve to death outside, I have to endure the beatings inside."
Chessier muttered with a sneer, as if my question was ridiculous.
"Ah..."
He had a point.
No matter how good his ability was, Chessier was only eleven. And he had no official status.
Surviving without a guardian in this corrupt empire would naturally be difficult.
"Right. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say."
I apologized for my privileged question and continued dabbing the ointment on his lip.
"Your father is the Duke of Rubinstein?"
"Huh? Yeah. You know him?"
"I heard Jonathan talking about it. He said he was going to get close to our father soon."
"What's he talking about? He sure dreams big. Why would my dad befriend a man who beats up kids? Is he crazy?"
I closed the ointment cap and said.
"My dad only brought me here today because I said I wanted to see the art. And the reason I came wasn't for the art, but..."
"..."
"...for you."
"..."
"I came to save you. A friend told me you were here. His name is Richel, do you know him?"
When I asked, Chessier looked surprised for a moment before nodding.
Then he asked.
"But why were you looking for me? Do you know me?"
"What? You don't know me? We met before. Are you pretending you don't remember?"
"..."
"You know, Chessier... I've been thinking about you ever since then. I wanted to see you again."
"...Why?"
"Umm, just because? You can like someone for no reason, right? I like you."
Chessier stared at me for a moment, then spoke.
"I understand."
"What?"
"I just have to be your toy, right? If I do that, you'll give me food and a place to sleep at your house, right?"
"...What?"
I stared at him, dumbfounded, and he tilted his head slightly as if asking if he'd said something wrong.
"Wh-what kind of thing is that to say? How can a person be a toy...? I'm going to be your friend!"
...And Dad will put you on the family register, so we'll be siblings later, right?
I swallowed the last part. Chessier looked puzzled.
"You're a duke's daughter. How can you and I be friends?"
"We can."
"..."
"You don't want to?"
"No."
Chessier didn't seem to believe me.
He seemed to think it was just the fleeting interest of a young noble girl in a peer.
*Sigh, his heart is completely closed off. He's like a feral cat...*
Just from his expression, I could tell Chessier had walls of steel. His prejudice against me and my noble father seemed to be as strong as ever.
*Well, it can't be helped. This is something only time can solve.*
If I treat him well, Chessier will soon realize.
That the world isn't just filled with bad people like his father and brother.
"Lilis."
"Oh, Dad!"
Dad came into the room, apparently finished with his conversation with the Marquis.
He came closer, silently observed Chessier's condition, then sighed and said with a smile.
"Let's go home now."
* * *
"An illegitimate son, I see. Now that I've found him, the boy's fate is obvious."
The existence of his hidden illegitimate child had been exposed to an outsider.
He would try to stop the rumors at all costs, which meant the boy would surely be disposed of in the near future.
"However, as you've seen, my daughter... seems to have taken quite a liking to the boy. So, how about I take him with me?"
"Y-yes? No, Your Grace..."
"Well, it's unfortunate for you that I was the one to find out, but it might be a stroke of luck. I have no particular desire to dig up other people's scandals. I'm not interested."
"..."
"If you want to handle this as quietly as possible, my offer isn't a bad one."
The Marquis had no way of refusing Enoch's proposal to take Chessier as his daughter's playmate.
He didn't want to make an enemy of someone like Enoch by going against his wishes...
and now that Enoch knew about the illegitimate son, he had plenty of leverage to blackmail him.
"W-well, then..."
the Marquis said after a long moment of deliberation.
"When the young lady tires of him, or when he is no longer of use... please dispose of the child properly so that no careless words leak out."
"..."
"You know as well as I do how important reputation is for nobles like us... I'm counting on you."
*...Disgusting.*
Enoch almost spat the word out loud.
He simply couldn't understand.
How someone could so casually ask for their own flesh and blood to be killed.
"...I'll do that."
Enoch, who had been seething as he recalled his conversation with the Marquis, relaxed his expression as he looked at the two children sitting across from him.
"Eat this, too."
"..."
"This, too!"
Plates were piled high like a mountain, and Chessier was shoving food into his mouth like a starved animal.
Beside him, Lilis was diligently moving food from her own plate to his.
*Just how long did they starve a child who eats like that?*
When they left the Marquis's estate, Enoch had asked Chessier what he wanted to do. Chessier had answered immediately.
"I'm hungry."
—he'd said.
So they had simply found the nearest restaurant.
"Eat slowly. You'll get indigestion."
"..."
Chessier stared at the cup of water Lilis offered him before finally taking it and drinking.
The boy was extremely wary, but he seemed to be gradually getting used to the caring hands that tended to him.
Enoch let out a small laugh and said.
"You should eat too, Princess."
"Okay, I'm eating too. Here. Try this."
When Lilis stabbed a small sausage with her fork and held it out, this time he simply opened his mouth and accepted it.
"Heehee."
"..."
Lilis beamed, clearly very fond of Chessier.
*That's a relief.*
Enoch thought, relieved.
He had been worried about Lilis having to enter the Ability User Training Center soon, but sending her with Chessier wouldn't be a bad idea.
*The boy's mother was a non-user, he'd said.*
If he was the child of a user and a non-user, Chessier's rank would probably be the lowest, a 6th-grade Diez...
or, at best, the next step up, a 5th-grade Noveno.
*Well, even if it's a low rank, just having one would get him much more humane treatment.*
Later on, whatever Chessier wanted to do, wherever he wanted to go...
in this country where rank was everything, an ability user's badge was essential just to be treated like a human being.
"Your name is Chessier, right?"
At Enoch's question, Chessier slowly raised his head.
His wary eyes were sharp.
"Mm. What do you want to do after you finish eating?"
"..."
"My house is big and nice... It has plenty of rooms, too."
"..."
"Don't you want to talk?"
"...No."
Unable to just bluntly ask the wary Chessier to come with him, Enoch had chosen his words carefully, but the boy seemed hesitant for some reason.
*Is there somewhere he wants to go? His mother, maybe? But I heard she abandoned him, too...*
Enoch rubbed his forehead in thought before asking.
"Do you know where your mother is?"
"..."
*Hmm, that wasn't it.*
Chessier's expression hardened, as if he hadn't wanted to see his mother at all.
"Mister."
"Yes."
Chessier soon put down his utensils and spoke.
"I don't have a mother. I don't know where she is, and I don't want to know."
"Oh, is that so."
"Um..."
After biting his lip and hesitating for a long time, Chessier looked up with determination and opened his mouth.
"I'll be a good servant for your daughter. You brought me out because of her, right? I'll do everything she tells me to. I'll play with her if she wants, I'll run her errands. So, please..."
*What is this kid saying?*
Chessier stared at the dumbfounded Enoch and added.
"...just give me food and a place to sleep."
