CH 6

However, Camry didn’t let Izeline go.

In a way, it was expected. Since Krug’s disease was a rare, incurable illness, there were various rumors surrounding it. Some claimed it was a curse from the devil, while others believed it could be contagious if one came too close.

Camry tightly grasped her shoulder in a protective manner though Izeline was resolute.

“Let go!”

She swatted his hand away.

She may have been just a four-year-old girl, but for some reason, Camry couldn’t stop her. Her determined gaze and powerful voice seemed to make him weak.

The next moment, she moved forward and reached out her hand toward Robert, who was frozen in place. Startled, he reacted sensitively, like a cat with its fur standing on end, but Izeline pretended not to notice and calmly spread his shirt apart on both sides.

“D-don’t look!”

Seeing him struggling to speak as his voice trembled, she responded with a composed voice.

“The buttons are undone, so wear it the opposite way.”

“….”

Was she not going to say anything about his scars? Was she not going to criticize him for hiding such a strange illness and sharing a bed with her? The scars on his chest, visible through the torn shirt, were repulsive even to Robert himself.

Nevertheless, in her eyes, there was no trace of disgust or any negative emotion.

“It’s not your fault.”

“….!”

Robert’s wounded heart trembled.

It was a statement that no one had ever uttered to him before. Still, it was something he had longed to hear. Though he had fallen victim to the disease through unfortunate circumstances, the condemning gazes of those who saw him as cursed were something he had to endure.

“Alright, twake your arm out.”

“Umm…”

Robert replied with a shaky voice, obediently doing as he was told.

As she attempted to put his shirt on backward, he cooperatively slid his arm through. While his chest and abdomen were covered, his back was fully exposed. He had never worn clothes in this manner before.

It was a comical sight, yet he felt safer than ever.

Then, she took hold of his hand.

“Awen’t we friends now?”

“….”

“Rweal friends don’t leave because of something like this.”

“….”

Robert tightly sealed his lips. Even though he wanted to say ‘thank you’ a thousand times, he found himself unable to utter a single word due to a lump in his throat. Regardless, his gratitude was clearly conveyed to Izeline.

His hands trembled with earnest gratitude as he grabbed her hand.

* * *

As they emerged from the woods and crossed the meadow, Izeline began to feel a growing sense of concern. Many had witnessed the scars on Robert’s chest.

‘What should I do?’

It was evident that the children who had befriended him would have already spread rumors among the adults. That meant that the news of him leaving the mansion would certainly have reached the Duke of Armaty as well.

‘…This is troubling.’

She remembered the Duke of Armanty, who had scolded him just yesterday.

Having picked him as a subject for his amusement and tossed him aside like a discarded toy, Brioche was surely eager to tear him apart.

‘Should I escape with him?’

She wanted to rescue Robert from the misfortune that awaited him. If that didn’t happen, there would be no chance for this child to become the leader of the underworld and exact revenge on his parents…

However, she immediately shook her head.

It wasn’t a world where two four-year-olds could escape somewhere. If they encountered any wicked adults or were sold as slaves, what would become of them? Moreover, she couldn’t leave behind her kind-hearted mother, Monica.

“W-what to do…”

At that moment, Robert murmured in a frightened voice. It seemed like he had a premonition of his immediate future.

At this point, there was no one who didn’t know that he was the Duke of Armanty’s son. Being the only cursed one in the small village of Souvri, his identity had already been exposed. Robert was well aware that his secret had been uncovered.

“Shwould we run away..?”

“I dwon’t think so.”

Izeline, who had been thinking the same thing a moment ago, replied. They still had to endure everything here. He was truly pitiful, so it was heart-wrenching to see him like this.

She gazed at Robert briefly and let out a sigh.

He nervously bit his lips as if his life depended on it. His eyes were slightly moist, on the verge of tears.

“Why did Camry hwave to play so roughly?”

Izeline glared at the troublemaker.

Camry, who had been following them at a distance, trembled. He felt a surge of sorrow at receiving such treatment from the child he had cared for since they were little. He hadn’t intentionally made a big fuss.

Who would have thought he would turn out to be a victim of Krug’s disease? He had simply acted out of a strange sense of competitiveness among boys.

But anyway, it already happened.

The three of them walked in silence.

As they returned to the outskirts of the village, they sensed an unsettling atmosphere.

Robert tightened his grip on Izeline’s hand unconsciously.

Despite his noble status as the Duke of Armanty’s son, Krug’s disease came with such a severe prejudice that it rendered everything else irrelevant. Even an Emperor would be dragged down if he contracted Krug’s disease.

Robert’s spirit waned, and he hung his head low.

Meanwhile, the villagers’ gazes were cold.

Disgust. Contempt.

They stared at him as if he was a bug. It was a familiar sight. Still, he couldn’t help but shrink his shoulders.

“Hey, look over there!”

At that moment, a child pointed his finger. Behind the child, knights from the Armaty mansion approached.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

They came to a halt in unison, and a man who appeared to have a high rank rode forward on a horse. After that, he forcefully pulled the reins, dismounting with his graceful blond hair swaying, and approached them.

“Young Master.”

His tone was arrogant and commanding as he called him. Robert trembled as he looked up at the man.

“Viscount…”

“The Duke is deeply concerned. Please return.”

“….”

Robert bit his lower lip hard.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary conversation, but Izeline instinctively realized that if she let him go like this, something bad would happen.

“Go ahead and ride it.”

As the man made a motion to lift Robert onto the saddle, she unknowingly stepped forward to block their path.

“Wait!”

“What is it?”

A chilling gaze met her from beneath the blond hair. She didn’t know who he was, but the overwhelming presence was no joke.

Izeline felt a shiver run down her spine though she mustered up the courage. After all, the future Robert was stronger than this man. The only one who could defeat Robert was the protagonist, Prince Arsen, with his silver hair and handsome appearance.

Of course, the figure in front of her could easily defeat the young protagonists of this world in an instant, but…

She spoke with a faint yet firm voice.

“Lwet me accompany the young master. I’ll twake responsibility, too.”

Upon hearing her words, Robert’s feet shuffled anxiously, fearing she might provoke a conflict. On the other hand, the man pulled up one corner of his mouth as if finding it amusing.

“Do you know what it means to take responsibility, child?”

“It means I’ll face the consequences!”

Izeline replied defiantly. In moments like this, she knew she had to remain undaunted and bold to keep the man from killing her.

As expected, the man chuckled.

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Robert’s eyes widened at the sight. He had never seen the Viscount in such a state before. Of course, the man swiftly ended his laughter, returning to a cold expression.

“Fine. I won’t take your life, but I’ll make you regret it.”

Izeline swallowed hard. For her, it was also a gamble.

As a commoner, drawing the attention of a high-ranking Viscount was never a good thing. The capricious nobles could treat their subordinates with cruelty depending on their mood. Hence, the best option was to live quietly, unnoticed.

‘But ever since I got involved with Robert, everything has already gone wrong.’

For now, she had succeeded in piquing the Viscount’s interest.

However, she still had to go to the mansion and prevent any harm from befalling Robert.

At that moment, the man’s hand come around her waist, lifting her onto the saddle. Then, he did the same to Robert. Finally, the man skillfully mounted his horse behind them and pulled the reins, setting the horse in motion toward the mansion on the hill.

The knights followed closely behind.

After the chaos settled, the remaining villagers began to murmur. Camry, seeing Izeline like that for the first time, was also shocked, his mouth agape like a fish.

“Wow, impressive.”

“Even grown adults couldn’t lift their heads under such intimidation.”

“I wonder if something big is going to happen.”

“Ugh, pretend you don’t know. It’s not good to meddle for no reason.”

Leaving behind the murmuring crowd, they continued riding their horses. In the meanwhile, Izeline soon found herself standing in front of the Armanty Mansion.

Until later, she had been unaware that due to the rebellion of the extra, the original story had started to twist.

* * *

A solemn atmosphere filled Duke Brioche’s study. His hazel eyes scanned the people standing before him, one by one. His aide, his son and a young girl he had never seen before.

The Duke slowly parted his lips.

“Viscount Wilbright. Who is this child?”

Izeline’s eyes shook slightly at his cold voice, although it wasn’t because she was scared. In the face of his chilling voice, her eyes trembled subtly. It wasn’t out of fear but rather astonishment.

‘…Wilbright?’

She thought belatedly as if she couldn’t believe it and looked up at the man.

Beneath his blond hair, the self-assured expression on Karif Wilbright’s face captured her gaze, and he subtly concealed a smug smile. It was as if he was implying, ‘Do you finally realize how remarkable of a person I am?’

However, unfortunately, she didn’t know who he was. Her reason for being surprised was elsewhere.

‘Oh, my God! The sub-male lead’s name is Michael Wilbright…!’

Described with radiant blond hair and lively green eyes, Michael had charmed his way throughout the novel with just the right amount of playfulness and freshness, evoking excitement within her as she read.

Of course, he was pretty annoying and childish. When he was scolded by the protagonist, Livny, he was annoyed and acted recklessly.

‘So, is this man Michael’s father?’

Izeline stole a glance at Karif. While the color of his eyes was different, it seemed that Michael had inherited his father’s blond hair.

Just then, Karif’s voice reached her ears, and she tensed up.

“She was the one who was involved in the Young Master’s disappearance.”

The Duke of Brioche’s cold gaze lingered on her.

In an instant, he rose from his seat and began to approach her, the air becoming tense. Izeline swallowed as she gazed at the elegant leather shoes that came to a stop in front of her. Cold sweat ran down her back.

“What is your relationship with him?”

“Fwiends, my lord!”

Izeline, who was on edge, replied confidently in a firm posture.

“Friends? Friends…”

At her words, he tilted his head as if finding it hard to believe. Then, he suddenly gripped the small chin of Robert, and his gaze turned cold.

“Ugh…”

A frightened whimper immediately escaped Robert.

Slap!

At that moment, Izeline was so startled that she covered her mouth with both hands. Robert’s head turned, and his small cheek swelled up instantly.

The Duke of Brioche asked again.

“How did you escape?”

Izeline was confused. What did he hit his son for? Was it because it was an unsatisfactory answer?

What a psycho!

Slap!

Once again, a sharp sound echoed through the air. Robert’s hand trembled with embarrassment as his eyes became moist.

‘Crazy b*stard…’

If he acted like that, she would answer it then!

Izeline clenched her fists and glared at the Duke.

“Why don’t you respond?”

As she looked at the Duke, who was looking down on them arrogantly, she tightly clenched her fist and firmly said.

“Hwole!”

“What did you say?”

Looking at the bewildered face of Duke Brioche, she shouted even louder.

“We met twough a hwole!”

An awkward silence followed. Both Duke Brioche, who couldn’t understand, and Karif, who had been observing the situation with an inscrutable expression, looked bewildered.

The Duke asked.

“Did you say hole?”

“Yes.”

“Where is this hole?”

“It’s on the swoutheast wall of this mansion.”

The Duke’s hazel eyes shook slightly at her confident and accurate information. Every aristocratic mansion within the empire was surrounded by mithril steel walls, boasting the highest level of strength on the surface, and they were quite thick.

But a hole?

“Nonsense.”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it as the Duke’s hazel eyes turned cold.

“Do you know that if you lie, your life will be on the line?”

“I know. We escaped twough the hole.”

“….”

He remained silent for a moment. It was hard to believe that the mithril walls had been breached, but there didn’t seem to be any other way for the two children to escape the watchful eyes of the knights and flee from the mansion.

However…

It was mithril steel.

The fact that a hole had been boldly pierced through the security of Duke Brioche’s mansion was unsettling. The Duke’s jaw muscles twitched uncomfortably.

He gestured to Karif.

“Go and check.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Karif was also curious. He immediately moved and left the study.

Now, only three people remained in the room as a strange silence pervaded the heavy air. Duke Brioche bent his knee, and after locking eyes with Izeline, he tried to soften his expression to the point where it felt artificial.

Upon seeing this, Robert’s eyes trembled anxiously.

It was because, after such a gentle expression, stormy violence would always follow.

“Father…”