Chapter 7 …
“Didn’t you say you had no intention of using my ability? Then why are you being so nice to me?”
“I should be the one asking. What made you trust this place enough to fall asleep here without any suspicion?”
“I lived on the streets for two years. I can tell whether someone means me harm or not.”
“Just from that…!”
“More importantly, I have the ability of foresight.”
At the mention of her ability, the man’s angry expression softened a little. Still, he spoke firmly, as if scolding her.
“No matter how strong your foresight is, trusting a stranger is dangerous.”
“I’m about to starve to death. Why would danger matter right now?”
If she could have, she would have sold even her soul.
At her self-deprecating words, the man stared at her with stiff eyes, as if someone had struck him hard on the head.
Trying to lighten the mood, she forced a smile and asked,
“I think I’ve explained why I stayed here. What about you? Why are you being kind to me?”
For a moment, he seemed at a loss for words.
After some time passed, he slowly parted his lips.
“You resemble my first love.”
“…What?”
“If she had a child, I think they would have looked exactly like you.”
“Ah… she must have been very beautiful.”
“She was.”
A faint, bitter note lingered at the end of his quiet chuckle. It must have been an unfulfilled love.
There were plenty of orphans in the back alleys, so she had sometimes wondered why he had taken her in of all people.
She hadn’t expected there to be such a story behind it.
So that’s why he didn’t like being called ‘Dad’? Because it reminded him of his lost first love?
She was chewing on her food, lost in slightly gloomy thoughts, when—
The man reached out and gently brushed her messy hair behind her ear.
“You must have been really hungry. You’re even chewing on your hair.”
“Ah…”
That small gesture melted away her lingering disappointment, leaving behind only a soft, warm feeling.
She grinned mischievously and deliberately chewed on her hair again, then leaned her face forward as if asking him to do it once more.
“Hehe, over here too.”
✦ ✦ ✦
After finishing breakfast, they headed to the marketplace to buy necessities.
As expected, the man was wrapped in a robe that covered his entire body, with the hood pulled low over his face.
Covering his face completely would only attract more attention, so this was likely his chosen compromise.
A life spent being chased every second of every minute. That was the kind of life he lived.
…This time, I’ll make sure he can live proudly without having to hide his face.
She subtly tried to take his hand, but then remembered they had only met a day ago and withdrew.
Sensing her hesitation, the man quietly extended his hand first.
“…There are a lot of people.”
At his gesture, she smiled brightly and took his hand.
Their difference in size was so great that she could only hold onto two of his fingers.
“Come to think of it, is it really okay for you to spend time like this because of me?”
“It’s fine. I don’t have any commissions right now.”
“Even so, I was worried I might be messing up your schedule.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about.”
She was just about to thank him—
When her gaze landed on golden, freshly grilled chicken skewers at a nearby stall.
“Do you want some?”
“Yes. They look delicious. Three, please.”
“I like that you don’t hesitate.”
With a satisfied expression, he handed silver coins to the vendor.
The vendor, who had apparently been listening, spoke up eagerly.
“Three, right? Haha, your daughter may be thin, but she sure has a good appetite!”
Oh no.
He really hates being mistaken for my father!
She glanced nervously at Aiden, whose face was slowly stiffening at the word “daughter,” and hurriedly spoke.
“He’s not my dad.”
“What?”
“Look at his young, handsome face. He’s obviously single. How does he look like someone’s father?”
“I-Is that so?”
“Besides! The only thing we have in common is that we both have eyes, a nose, and a mouth. How could you possibly think we’re father and daughter?”
“I-I see. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
She puffed out her chest proudly and looked at Aiden as if to say, Did I do well?
“Thank… you.”
For some reason, his expression was slightly awkward.
She assumed he was simply relieved by her perfect handling of the situation and, feeling pleased, took the skewers and left the stall.
With both hands full of skewers, they wandered through the marketplace together.
“Tania?”
Surprised that someone recognized her at this point in time, she turned around to see a familiar man.
“Huh? Merchant Lord?”
Both the merchant lord and Aiden looked at her, clearly wondering who the other was.
She laughed awkwardly and introduced them.
“Sir, this is the person who helped me come to the capital. Merchant Lord, this is the person I’m currently staying with.”
Aiden seemed to roughly understand, but the merchant lord’s expression darkened.
“Tania, didn’t you say you were going to enter the Abiliter Orphanage?”
“He said I could stay at his place, so I postponed it a little.”
“What?”
The merchant lord looked at her seriously, as if questioning what she meant.
“Tania, come here.”
He pulled her behind him.
“I thought you were a smart child, but this is very dangerous. What made you stay in a stranger’s house?”
“That’s exactly what I said.”
Instead of getting offended, Aiden rubbed his temples as if agreeing.
“I was wondering how to persuade her, but she immediately thanked me and accepted. You have no idea how worried I was.”
Excuse me, aren’t you supposed to be on my side?
The merchant lord hesitated for a moment, then spoke firmly.
“Thank you for taking care of the child. From now on, I will take responsibility and bring her with me.”
At those words, Aiden’s eyes instantly turned sharp, like a beast’s.
“That won’t do. You may have helped her briefly, but that doesn’t mean I can fully trust you.”
The merchant lord frowned and questioned him.
“I should be the one asking whether you’re trustworthy. What is your occupation?”
“…A mercenary.”
“Do you have any children?”
“…I’m unmarried.”
“Then you expect me to leave a young girl with an unmarried man who disappears for long periods on missions?”
“That’s…”
Sensing the tension rising, she stepped in between them.
“Um, you two? If two scary-looking men argue over taking a child, people are going to misunderstand.”
Only then did they notice the attention around them.
“Cough, cough!”
“…Let’s move somewhere quiet and talk.”
“Very well. Come to my company.”
The merchant lord immediately led them to his trading company.
The building was fairly large and clean, suggesting decent business.
As they entered, the sound of a bell rang, and the employees greeted them.
“You’re back early, sir.”
“Huh? Isn’t that Tania next to you?”
People she had met on the way to the capital recognized her.
As she waved cheerfully, the merchant lord brushed them off and spoke.
“I need to talk with a guest. Focus on your work.”
Then he gestured as he led Aiden upstairs.
“Ron, stay with our guest in my place. Treat her well.”
This must be the merchant lord’s son he had mentioned before.
Ron had blond hair and blue eyes, with the refined appearance of a young noble.
Perhaps it wasn’t the nicest thing to think about a child, but he looked like the type who would make many girls cry when he grew up.
He seemed to be around ten to twelve years old.
Well, regardless of his age, she had no intention of speaking formally.
Watching the merchant lord and Aiden disappear upstairs, she turned to greet Ron, who was sprawled lazily on a sofa.
“Hi.”
But the response she received was a thoroughly annoyed expression and equally harsh words.
“If you’re here to leech off my father like a parasite, don’t act friendly with me and just get lost upstairs.”
Haha, how amusing.
Thinking the merchant lord’s parenting had clearly gone wrong, she calmly walked over and sat down on the sofa where Ron was lying.
That is—
She sat right on top of him.
