# 59
---
There were many things I wanted to ask the child who was still moaning and suffering.
How long have you been experiencing this kind of harassment, and why did I pretend to be fine and not say anything while being treated like this?
“Why did you want to leave us?”
But I wasn't disappointed.
How can an adult, who thinks he will get along well with a child, be disappointed when he cannot properly understand her situation?
I just felt sorry.
“Maybe I was untrustworthy, to the point where I couldn't even say it.”
Because it was obvious that he had hurt the child and failed to protect him, the Duke's eyes sank deeply.
But he hasn't given up yet.
I wanted to right my mistake so far and become someone my baby could trust and depend on.
So there was only one thing he wanted now.
Leah overcomes the crisis tonight and faces the next day safely.
* * *
〈Who are you?〉
〈Because you keep calling my name.〉
Lucio remembers the day he first met the little girl.
Although it wasn't my habit to bother talking about something I normally ignored.
This is because the little girl who was trembling while looking at me looked like a small, fragile animal trembling.
He had never seen anything this weak before.
I started out weaker than a newborn animal.
An emaciated body, scars on the arms and legs that can be seen through the torn clothes.
The brown eyes, which rolled back as they looked at me, kept hitting me.
Since then I have met the child several times.
No, actually, we didn't bump into each other; She deliberately appeared in front of the child.
There were many, many naked and hungry ar children walking around in front of the academy, so I didn't know why this one was the only one who caught my attention.
I couldn't understand it myf, but when I left the academy without my knowledge, Lucio was looking for the child because of her habit.
It seemed that the child had not been washed properly, her hair was disheveled and she looked dirty, like other ar children.
She would sit in the street like this, ing for money, or sometimes digging through piles of trash with her bony hands.
However, strangely enough, he didn't feel dirty.
I'm just not satisfied with the fear in their eyes that flash at me.
He would give the child food or medicine in his own way, but there was always fear in the child's eyes when he looked at me.
I really didn't like it.
For some reason, I felt angry.
Even he couldn't understand. Why do you feel so weak?
It didn't bother him at all that others were afraid of him, but it was strange.
Then one day it happened.
Heavy rain was falling outside the window.
Naturally, the little girl comes to mind.
Since you won't have an umbrella, you're sure to get caught in the rain.
It was certain that his weak body would suffer a lot, and then.
“You may die.”
By the time I came up with this idea, I had already grabbed my umbrella and was on my way out of the academy.
However, the front door was noisier than usual.
Soon, a familiar, frightened voice reached his ears.
⟨I didn't steal it, I really did. ...It's not a lie...⟩
At that moment, I felt like all the blood was draining from my body.
Once I quickly arrived at the scene, I made eye contact with the child lying face down on the ground.
At that moment, anger suddenly rose.
My eyes were burning as if I had swallowed a ball of fire in my chest, and while I was catching my breath for a moment, the child got up and started running.
As he watched the child's back frantically running away getting smaller and smaller, he could barely hold on to his senses that seemed like they were about to break.
There was work to be done first.
⟨You ar, how dare you touch someone's things. …Argh!⟩
The boy who was holding a fountain pen screamed and shouted in the direction where the child had disappeared.
This is because Lucio grabbed his wrist and broke it.
⟨Lucio—Mr. Lucio?⟩
Ignoring the disturbed voices around him, Lucio gently stepped on the fountain pen that had fallen to the ground.
Then the fountain pen broke like its owner's wrist.
Lucio wanted to repay the same insult and pain the boy had suffered from the helpless boy next to him who was writhing in pain.
Of course, that was not the end of the matter.
In the future, this boy and his family will face an end so hellish that they think it's better to die.
But there were too many eyes to destroy the boy now.
This wasn't his way of doing things.
In fact, breaking the boy's wrist was extremely reckless.
So Lucio turned around.
It was to find the little girl.
There was so much I wanted to say when we met again.
You know now.
The world is full of scary things.
So come with me.
There will be no danger if you stay by my side.
Don't get out of my sight.
Lucio no longer wanted the child to live on the streets, cold and hungry.
Even wondering why I thought this way was now meaningless.
All I could think of was that I should first contact the Duke's house and take her there.
Although the atmosphere at home has changed a little since my mother died, it is still better than on the street.
After making this decision, I couldn't understand why I hadn't thought of this before.
The child might refuse, but Lucio wasn't going to listen to that.
That was his personality and the way he acted.
It was weird the whole time.
After making all the decisions, my patience ran out, like someone eager to take the child to Duke Elade's house as quickly as possible.
〈I wish someone would ask me if I'm okay when I'm sick〉
Suddenly, she remembered the child's wish one day with her eyes tightly closed.
Yes, let's make this wish come true.
Not only that, Lucio thought, let's give her the most expensive gift in the world, feed her delicious food, and dress her in beautiful clothes to make her happier than anyone else.
but … .
The little girl was nowhere to be seen.
Even though they sent people to search, they were unable to find that little girl.
Unfortunately, it rained all night.
Lucio couldn't sleep as he watched the rain falling outside the window.
The image of the little girl in pain was vivid in his mind.
I regretted it again.
I should have gone after the child immediately.
I stayed up all night feeling remorseful, and then the next day dawned.
Even though he knew that Lucio was not there, he went to the place where the child often sat ing.
In the end, I walked straight to the den where the gang of ars who were walking around with the child were sleeping.
But there was no baby girl.
The next day too
Then again the next day.
“I finally found out the name.”
Lucio laughed helplessly as he watched the pouring rain in silence, not knowing how long he would have to wait.
〈. ...Lea.〉
It was the moment when the world of the man who had never known loneliness was turned upside down.
* * *
Lucio slowly raised his eyelids.
I think I spent all night interrogating the maids in the dungeon last night, and then came to the library at dawn to get some sleep.
It seemed like he had fallen into a deep sleep before he knew it.
But when I woke up I felt dizzy and my body was heavy.
It seemed like I was once again dreaming the dream I had the past few days.
“What a dream.”
Lucio sighed, carelessly wiping away the tears that ran down his cheeks.
The dream feelings were still thickly covering my body.
The problem is that the feeling of the dream is vivid, but its contents cannot be remembered at all.
"impossible ."
The moment I woke up, tears fell again.
Now that I think about it, I cried so much that the couch was all wet.
I laughed out loud.
“Am I really crazy?”
* * *
I opened my eyes with difficulty, and I felt a severe headache.
Under the high ceiling, I could see the flowing canopy hanging over the bed.
My whole body was throbbing as if I had been beaten, and my body was so heavy that I could not lift a finger.
In my head, I wanted to get up right away, but the reality was not that easy, so I turned my eyes and looked to the side, where I could clearly see the scene outside the window with the curtains drawn.
Last night, I think I was distracted by the sound of the heavy rain hurting my ears, but the sky is clear after the heavy rain.
“...Ahhhh!”
She frowned after making a short noise as she recalled yesterday's memories.
As soon as I uttered my voice, my throat became extremely sore.
It looks like it might have been the result of yesterday's screaming and bloody vomiting.
"Leah? Are you awake?"
At that moment, the door between the bedroom and the drawing room opened and the Duchess entered.
Her face was exhausted, as if she had been up all night and wasn't alone.
“Dear, come on.”
When the Duchess tapped the Duke, who had a stunned expression on his face, the Duke quickly shook the bell on the bedside table.
Then, the wizards and council members who had been outside the whole time came streaming into the room as if they had been waiting.
“Now that you've come to your senses, hurry up and check on her condition.”
Based on the Duke's words, Thelin and the wizards began using the magic stones and strange tools around me to cast healing spells.
Meanwhile, Viscountess Bardot and the medical staff examined my body and the inside of my mouth.
“As expected, your throat is very swollen.”
The Viscountess frowned sadly and handed me what appeared to be a painkiller.
I swallowed it without saying a word, and stroked my head as if it were being cute.
“The medicine will take effect soon, so just be patient.”
Then he turned and spoke to the Duchess.
“You should avoid hot and spicy foods.”
"Good."
After the Viscountess nodded and took a step back, it was Wizard Thelin's turn next.
“There was an increase in mana, do you remember?”
I felt a tingle of relief as I felt my body become more comfortable thanks to the magic of recovery.
She nodded with a shy look on her face.
Because I clearly remembered all the atrocities I committed yesterday.