Chapter 91: Our Family (4)

The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

When I first fell into this place.

I had possessed the body of a child in the slums.

A gaunt, emaciated body.

With a fragile physique that growled in hunger with every slight movement, I opened my eyes.

-What the hell. F*ck.

The same face as my past life.

Other than the hair color being different, my face was identical to my previous appearance, filled with memories that were not so welcoming.

Born to a prostitute and abandoned.

That was the body I possessed, a body with bleak memories of starving to death.

Possession or not, the primary goal was to survive.

And so, I began to beg.

-Pretty eyes! Your future husband is trembling.

-Hahaha? Did you just call me ‘elder sister'? I’m over 40 years old, you know?

-Oh, sorry, not elder sister but young lady.

-Hohohon. This kid has a way with words.

An ordinary body with nothing special, but by reviving memories of making some pocket change at Seoul Station in my past life, I began to make my life more comfortable slowly.

Whatever it was, I was an experienced professional.

I lived life as if a screw had come loose – laughing at ‘lame' little beggars with their empty cans while brandishing my full one, a madman who teased those around.

-What are you looking at, you beggars.

Even I thought I was crazy.

After being robbed of the money earned by begging by some bigger kid, I would make nightly courtesy calls with a rock in hand.

-Had a good meal with my money? You orc son of a bitch.

-Hey…hey..hey…! Let's put that down and talk.

-It's Excalibur filled with love, you brat.

About a year into living in the alleys…

Naturally, I came to rule as the king of the alley kids.

Not that I was involved with drugs or crime, but I reigned as a king over the orphans abandoned by their parents in the slums.

-Alright. From today, you'll call me ‘Boss'.

-I'm older than you.

-So what. Try earning more than me.

-…If you earn a lot of money, then you're the elder brother.

I took quite a few beatings.

I had been dragged away by other vagrant children for a group lynching enough times to wonder if I might die, but I tenaciously survived and became a hero for the slum kids.

Was I projecting my past as an orphan onto these kids? I didn't like seeing them wither away.

It was like watching my difficult past unfold, and as an orphan, I knew better than anyone how hard it was to live in this world. It felt like the first time I ever volunteered for anything.

And I needed to feed myself too.

Until I met Olivia, I lived like that, and until I was drawn out of the slums by her hand, I lived like that.

Begging. Fighting.

And when evening came, sharing bread with the children with the money earned from begging and preaching to them to hold hope amidst a bleak future.

That was the life of the one who possessed the name ‘Lee Minhyuk' in his previous life.

Then one day…

A silver-haired boy was abandoned by the roadside.

Covered in bruises.

In a state where no one would be surprised if he was dead.

-What's this. Why is he here?

-Do you know this person?

-No? I've never seen him before.

-…?

[Michail Lv. 2]

[Occupation: Unemployed]

[Affinity: 50]

[Favorite topics for conversation: Family, hunger, not abandoned. Love. Hurt. Help me.]

-Let's take him with us.

That was the first meeting with Michail.

Though he does not remember me…

*

Kyle was looking at me with cold eyes.

Holding a cigarette and inhaling the cold winter air, Kyle's blue eyes were shimmering with anger as he exhaled white smoke.

"I sent you a letter a year ago."

"The letter about Michail."

"You're well-informed."

A year ago.

Kyle sent me a letter filled with fury. He wanted accurate information about how and why Olivia had come to use black magic. And he asked for a complete report on Michail.

It was a letter written out of love for his sister, blaming a commoner for ruining a noble, even though it was Olivia's fault.

The letter had to be filled with malicious content about Michail.

His relationships.

His vulnerabilities.

And everyone he held dear, Kyle had told me to write it all.

Following Kyle's letter demanding accountability for meddling in Desmond family affairs, I responded with a short reply, "I’m sorry. I cannot disclose such information," and sent a response.

Kyle was questioning the truth of that reply.

Despite his calm demeanor, I could not imagine the rage harbored by the future head of the family.

As the silence stretched, Kyle burned the cigarette stub to ashes with magic, and the heavy white smoke seemed to weigh down on my shoulders.

"Why didn't you send me information about that commoner scum?"

"I apologize."

Kyle spoke to me with a heavy voice.

"I don't understand."

Sighing deeply again, Kyle calmly asked again.

"I had his background checked. From his adoption into the Rock Orphanage right up to the present, I wanted to know everything."

"…"

"It was harder than I thought. Tapping into a commoner's personal history took quite a lot of money and time."

"You've had a hard time."

"Yes, I did… But the funny thing is, the more I investigated, the less I found. That he had lived as an orphanage child before entering the Royal Academy. That's all the information I got on him for a year. The last thing that came to light was…."

Kyle pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and showed it to me. A photo of children with bright smiles, with a banner reading ‘Free Meal Service', and a boy with red hair scowling while another boy with silver hair was hugging him with a bright smile.

"The commoner who wields a sword, from the same slums as you. Do you have anything to say about this?"

The silence grew longer.

Kyle demanding an answer and me unable to give one easily.

Not wanting to talk about the past, I remained silent as it had been somewhat depressing.

As the silence extended, Kyle let out a deep sigh.

"I don't think you approached the Desmonds with malice. If you had, I would have discovered it already and father would have killed you."

"I never had such intentions."

"What I'm curious about is this."

Kyle's eyes shone a harsh blue as he asked me.

"Tell me what you know about him."

"May I ask why you are doing this?"

"I’ll hold him accountable."

Kyle spoke with a chilling voice, a voice laden with cold vengeance unlike the kindness he had shown us before.

"I will slowly wilt away the people precious to him, hold him responsible for what he did."

"What you propose is meaningless."

"Are you saying what my sister went through was meaningless?"

Kyle did not back down, replying to me.

"He hurt Olivia."

"The cause lies with us."

"The outcome is that Olivia was hurt."

"Michail too is suffering because of us…."

"Whose side are you on!"

I watched as Kyle clenched his fist and bellowed, my inner worries deepening.

"Ricardo. Do you think it makes sense for a commoner to harm a noble?"

"No. I was just defending Michail because he is my friend."

"Friend? I heard you two weren't close at the Royal Academy. Can you really call that friendship?"

"…"

"You hit the nail on the head."

Once more Kyle spoke.

"I intend to teach that commoner scum the weight of the name Desmond."

"Miss Olivia will not like it."

"…"

Mentioning Olivia’s name made Kyle hesitate. I seized this opportunity to assert my impertinent opinion.

"He was once someone she cared for. Even if those feelings have cooled, I think Miss Olivia would disapprove if Michail were to be harmed because of her."

"You're insolent. I think she might even like it."

I glanced at the third floor of the mansion where Olivia was likely asleep and spoke to Kyle.

"I don't think so. You know, don’t you, Kyle? Miss Olivia may enjoy beating people but dislikes killing."

"…"

"Even if she did wish it…"

I looked Kyle in the eye resolutely.

"I cannot disclose any information about him."

If I were to talk about Michail, it was definite that Yuria would also be in danger.

I did not want to make Michail, who was doomed to be trampled on like dirt from the middle of the novel, and Yuria suffer by meeting a giant evil like Kyle.

No matter about Michail.

But not Yuria.

Kyle pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up.

"Sigh… As expected."

As if he had anticipated this, Kyle shook his head and reached into his pocket, handing something to me.

"Wear this until tomorrow evening."

[I will not lie.]

"A year ago, I would have killed him."

"…"

"But it seems like Olivia has grown up a bit. Let’s move on from a light warning. But if something like this happens again…"

"I will handle it then."

"You said he was your friend."

"He's my enemy now. That lolicon freak."

"Lolicon?"

"That’s a dangerous statement that could get you arrested by the imperial army."

Kyle sealed his lips tightly.

"I'll need to be careful."

Handing over the wooden sign and tapping his pockets, Kyle turned his back without another word and walked towards the mansion.

And.

-Halt.

"Thank you for staying by Olivia's side."

He expressed his gratitude with those kind words.

*

The next morning.

With a puzzled face, Olivia looked at the corner of the hallway where she had been punished the day before and asked.

"What are you doing?"

"Being punished."

"Like I was yesterday?"

"Yes."

Olivia’s expression began to twist.

"Eeeek!!! Brother!!!!!"

Watching Miss Olivia suddenly overcome by realization, I smiled quietly.