Chapter 04
One Day, My Body Was Taken
There were often nobles who took an interest in commoner culture and came to visit the village. My little older brother, Chester, was one of those cases.
But that only lasted a time or two. Nobles who had grown up pampered quickly got tired of commoner life and stopped coming.
There’s no way he’ll come again.
Just by looking at him, he seemed like a young master who was treasured by his family. He even said he had to sneak out without his family knowing.
Sneaking out wasn’t something easy to do. And even if he did manage to come out again, it was unlikely we’d run into each other. Our village was fairly large, and it wasn’t like I went out often either.
So I treated today’s event as nothing more than a one-day incident and flopped down on the sofa.
“Ribe!”
And then, one week later. In front of me stood Roel, waving with a bright smile.
“…….”
I stared blankly at Roel.
Roel was sitting properly on the same bench where we had first met a week ago.
To think we’d really meet again. Coincidence didn’t get much crazier than this.
“……Why are you here again?”
“You said we should meet again next time.”
Roel answered as if it were obvious.
Wasn’t that kind of greeting usually just something people said out of courtesy? Like how noble ladies said they should have tea together sometime. I thought it was just a polite phrase nobles used. It was my first time seeing someone who actually kept it.
Roel laughed softly and continued.
“So I waited for a whole week! To run into you, Ribe.”
So it wasn’t coincidence—Roel had stubbornly waited for me.
Since that day, I had barely come this way. Today, after buying dinner ingredients on an errand for the director, I deliberately took this route because I wanted to delay going back.
I looked at Roel with a dumbfounded expression.
“What if I never came? Were you just going to keep waiting?”
“We met here before, so I thought if I kept coming out, we’d run into each other at least once.”
“And if I really never showed up?”
“Then I would’ve kept waiting until the end.”
Roel was just cheerfully innocent.
I looked at him with blurry eyes. He was a noble, so how did he have this much free time?
Roel easily brushed off my gaze and spoke to me in a friendly manner.
“Where are you coming back from? That bag you’re holding looks really unusual!”
“It’s a shopping basket. Sorry, but I can’t hang out with you today. I’m busy.”
Roel visibly drooped and then silently stared at me.
He’d waited a whole week just to see me. There was an unspoken pressure in his eyes, asking if I was really going to leave so coldly.
I felt a bit guilty, but I had no choice. It was already evening, so I needed to hurry back to make it in time for dinner.
“Can’t we at least talk for a little while before you go…?”
“If I’m late, everyone starves. It’s dinner time.”
I deliberately lifted up my shopping basket. When Roel saw the green onions sticking out of it, he finally realized it really was dinner time.
Roel thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.
“Then can I go to your house with you, Ribe?”
“…….”
I stared at Roel in disbelief. He was extremely persistent.
“You want to stick with me that badly?”
“Yes, we finally met after a whole week. I’ll just politely greet them and come back.”
“Why would you greet my family?”
“Um… because we’re friends?”
“…….”
I looked at Roel with displeasure, then turned my head away.
“Do whatever you want.”
One extra person at dinner wouldn’t make us run out of food. If it came down to it, I could just eat a little less.
I immediately started walking toward the orphanage. Roel followed beside me and spoke again.
“Then can we at least stop by a dessert shop? It’d be rude to go empty-handed!”
“Fine.”
If he was going to buy food, there was no reason to refuse. I hadn’t gotten anything last time, so I figured I should get my cake money this time.
We headed to the same cake shop we’d visited a week ago.
Roel, wearing an excited smile, was picking cakes from the display.
Then Roel suddenly looked at me.
“By the way, what kind of cake does your family like?”
“……What?”
I frowned at the word family.
Even though I clearly showed my displeasure, Roel didn’t seem to notice and spoke casually.
“Since we’re buying anyway, we should get something your family would like.”
“…….”
Come to think of it, Roel didn’t know I lived in an orphanage.
The reason he insisted on following me was probably because he thought I lived in a normal household.
I kept my mouth shut, but Roel didn’t rush me and just waited for my answer.
After a short silence, I finally spoke.
“I don’t have a family.”
“……?”
“I live in an orphanage.”
I tried to act like it was nothing, but I could already predict his reaction, and my pride hurt.
A commoner, and an orphan on top of that. To a noble like Roel, I’d obviously seem far beneath him.
No matter how much a noble claimed they wanted commoner friends, they wouldn’t want to be close to an orphan. Even other commoners often avoided kids from orphanages.
“…….”
Roel stared at me, then opened his mouth.
“Then…”
I deliberately avoided Roel’s gaze.
And then, Roel’s bright voice followed.
“Then how many slices of cake should we buy?”
“……?”
At Roel’s words, my eyes widened.
While I stood there blankly, Roel looked back at the cake display and chattered on.
“Do you have a lot of younger siblings? I only brought a few gold coins. I wonder if I can buy enough for everyone.”
I stared at Roel in shock as he seriously pondered this.
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m from an orphanage.”
“Uh… I heard you just fine? Ah, I’m wearing this hood, so it blocks my ears a bit, but it’s a magic tool, so I can hear well and see clearly…”
“That’s not what I’m asking!”
I pressed down on my throbbing head. At this point, I couldn’t tell if he was just pretending to be nice or if this was really his personality.
After letting out a sigh, I frowned and asked Roel.
“Are you acting nice, or is this really how you are?”
“……?”
Roel just tilted his head.
“…Forget it.”
I stopped questioning him further and gave a hollow smile.
In the end, Roel bought as many cakes as there were people at the orphanage. Not slices, but three whole cakes.
“It’s a good thing you accepted gold coins this time! I still got a lot of change, though.”
Roel smiled brightly, holding a money pouch full of coins.
Since three cakes weren’t cheap, I didn’t really stop him from using gold coins. We were the only customers in the shop anyway, so no rumors would spread about it.
“Hey.”
As we got closer to the orphanage, I saw Eugene lying on the bench in the yard, reading a book.
“Hey, Eugene.”
“……?”
At my call, Eugene looked over at me.
When he recognized me, his face filled with surprise.
Makes sense he’d be surprised.
I was walking in with someone who looked suspicious at a glance, and I was carrying three cake boxes. Of course he’d be shocked to see someone who’d gone on an errand come back like this.
I said irritably while holding the cake boxes.
“They’re heavy, so hurry up and take them.”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
Eugene stood up abruptly and ran over.
After handing him all the cake boxes, I rubbed my sore arms. Seeing this, Roel whispered.
“I told you I’d carry them.”
“It’s fine. How can I make the person who paid also carry the luggage?”
Even if I acted rough, I wouldn’t make a noble carry things. It wasn’t so much consideration for Roel, but more because, as someone who used to be a noble, I found it extremely unpleasant for a noble to be carrying bags next to a commoner.
“…Who’s that next to you?”
Eugene asked cautiously after listening to our conversation.
Hearing his voice, Roel smiled brightly.
“Hello, I’m Roel. I’m Ribe’s friend.”
“Her friend?”
Eugene reacted as if he’d just heard something ridiculous.
“How does she even have a friend?”
As soon as Eugene finished speaking, I smacked the back of his head.
Eugene, who’d been hit, made a pitiful face.
“Just carry that and follow me inside.”
I walked past Eugene toward the orphanage.
Roel hurried after me and glanced at Eugene.
“Who is he?”
I answered simply.
“My lackey.”
“Ah….”
Roel immediately accepted it and nodded.
After glancing back at Eugene a few more times, Roel slowed his steps and moved next to him.
“Is your name Eugene?”
“…Yes?”
Eugene looked flustered by Roel’s friendly approach.
Thinking I’d give them space to get acquainted, I deliberately left the two behind and went inside first.
As soon as I entered the orphanage, I saw the director surrounded by children. She was holding a fairy tale book.
“Ribera unni!”
One of the kids who spotted me ran over. Because of that, the director also turned her gaze to me.
“Unni’s tired.”
I gently pushed the kid clinging to me. The kid, used to my attitude, burst into laughter.
I walked over and placed the shopping basket on the table.
“I bought everything that was written on the memo.”
“You didn’t waste money on snacks again, did you?”
The director asked with a small smile.
Every time Eugene or I went on errands, we always bought one or two snacks for the kids. Even though we tried to be sneaky, the director always found out and would flick our foreheads and laugh it off.
I rolled my eyes.
“…I did buy snacks, but I didn’t use errand money.”
The director looked puzzled.
“With what money?”
Then, as if something occurred to her, her expression turned serious.
“You didn’t use money you picked up again, did you?”
I flinched. Not long ago, I’d taken Roel’s dropped ring without permission.
I snapped irritably.
“Seriously. I said I won’t do that anymore.”
“Then how did you get the snacks— huh?”
The director stopped mid-sentence after noticing something.
Her gaze turned toward the entrance. Roel and Eugene were just coming inside, and Eugene was holding the cake boxes.
Eugene shouted in a lively voice.
“Guys, let’s eat cake!”
“Waaah!”
The children near the director cheered. Expensive snacks like cake were rare unless it was someone’s birthday, so of course they were thrilled.
I glanced at Roel.
“He bought them.”
Feeling our gazes, Roel smiled brightly.
“Hello, I’m Ribe’s friend!”
“…Ribera’s friend?”
The director muttered in disbelief.
“She has a friend…?”
Just like Eugene, her reaction was exactly the same.
