RYL Chapter 66

Chapter 66 

“An imperial banquet?”

At my question, Lilianne nodded.

“Yes. The Devonshire Count should be getting an invitation soon too. It’s to welcome the delegation from the Western Continent — they’re visiting for the first time in ten years.”

‘Right, in the novel, there was a big imperial banquet around this time too.’

Of course, the heroine couldn’t attend since she was a palace maid, so the novel didn’t describe it in detail.

‘I guess it’d be better to turn down the Crown Prince there instead of calling him out separately.’

But really… was it okay to just leave the Crown Prince and Edith like this?

Instead of falling in love with each other, the male and female leads were both looking at me with hearts in their eyes.

Sighing, I rubbed my forehead.

And just then—

Thud.

I hadn’t noticed the small child running toward me because I’d been too busy talking with Sabrina and Lilianne.

The kid, maybe seven or eight years old, dressed in shabby clothes, bumped into me.

“Oh! Sorry, little one. Are you okay?”

The child bowed politely and ran off without saying another word.

‘Was he scared I’d punish him just because I’m a noble?’ I wondered, feeling a bit bad.

Then, suddenly, Sabrina handed me the parasol she had been holding.

“Huh?”

When I took it, looking confused, she said coolly,

“Hold this. I’ll be right back.”

“Back? What do you mean—?”

Before I could finish, she dashed off like the wind — in the exact direction the kid had disappeared.

“Sabrina?! What’s going on?!”

Lilianne and I exchanged startled looks and ran after her, but there was no way we could keep up.

We were wearing the same heels, but she ran like she had a motor in hers.

By the time we reached the alley where she had gone, we were panting hard.

When we looked up, we saw the little kid cornered at a dead end, glaring up at Sabrina, who stood with her hands on her hips.

“Huff… huff… Sabrina, what are you doing? Why are you chasing that kid?”

Instead of answering me, she extended her hand toward the child.

“Hey, kid. If you give it back now, I won’t scold you too much.”

The child’s eyes widened in confusion, and he began to cry.

“Wh-why? I didn’t do anything…”

His teary, frightened face made me hesitate.

“Sabrina, don’t scare the poor kid. What’s going on anyway?”

Sabrina sighed and tilted her chin at me.

“Don’t you feel like something’s missing?”

“Missing? What are you—”

Then it hit me. My wallet.

I frantically reached into my coat, only to realize—it was gone.

‘No way. That little kid? He looks barely eight!’

The innocent eyes, the tiny frame—it didn’t seem possible. We’d barely brushed past each other!

“No, I must’ve dropped it somewhere,” I said quickly.

But Sabrina sighed and shot the kid another sharp look.

“This big sister here is really scary, you know that? I’m thirty belts combined in judo, kendo, hapkido, and taekwondo.”

Of course, the kid couldn’t possibly understand what that meant… or so I thought.
But apparently, he did — because his face went pale as he slowly reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

‘Wait… he did steal it?!’

How did that tiny kid manage to slip his hand into my clothes without me noticing? That was basically magic.

And the fact that he acted so innocent right after? Unbelievable.

“Good. Now hand it over,” Sabrina said, lowering her voice slightly.

But right then—

“Bleeeeh!”

The kid stuck out his tongue, spun around, and scrambled up the wall.

“What the—? Spider-Man? Parkour?!”

Lilianne and I just stood there in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Sabrina trembled with rage, clenching her fists.

“When I catch you, you’re getting a hundred flicks on the head.”

And then, to my shock, Sabrina also scaled the wall.
No, not scaled—ran up it.

‘What is she, a martial arts master?!’

In an instant, she bounded between the walls like lightning and caught up to the kid, who was climbing like a spider.

The boy turned around and screamed,

“Eek!!”

Sabrina grabbed him by the back of the neck with one hand.

Dangling in midair, the kid glared at her in defiance.

Sabrina snatched the wallet from his hand and tossed it back to me.

Lilianne frowned sympathetically.

“Oh dear… he must’ve been really hungry to steal like that. Poor thing.”

‘Maybe, but my wallet came first!’

I checked the contents immediately — not for the money, but for my most precious items.

‘Thank goodness… the salon VIP cards are all still there.’

Sabrina turned back toward the kid.

“Alright, happy now?” the kid said, puffing out his chest. “I gave it back, so I’m not in trouble anymore, right?”

Sabrina didn’t hesitate — she flicked him hard on the head.

Thwack!

“Ow!!”

The sound was so loud I thought she’d hit a rock.

The kid grabbed his head, eyes watering, glaring up at her.

“If you steal, you get punished! You’re coming with me to the city guards.”

At that, the kid’s face turned pale.

“I—I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!”

“Oh, so now you’re acting?” Sabrina snapped.

“N-no! I have three little siblings who haven’t eaten anything! Please, I had no choice!”

Tears streamed down his face as he pleaded, and for a moment, I froze.

‘Wait… maybe…’

“Sabrina, hold on a second.”

“What? You’re not seriously saying we should let him go, are you? Wrong is wrong!”

“No, I’m saying… this kid might actually be useful.”

“Useful?”

Ignoring her confusion, I knelt in front of the boy, matching his eye level.

“What’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know…?”

Sharp eyes. This kid had already seen a lot of the world.

‘Not your average child, huh?’

Agile, quick, and clever — and bold enough to lie with a straight face.

Exactly the kind of person I needed.

“How about working at my salon?” I asked. “You’ll get good food and money.”

Lilianne whispered beside me, covering her mouth,

“Claire… that sounds like child labor…”

‘It’s not child labor! It’s like hiring a young actor for an audition!’

I planned to pay him fairly, of course.

“Where’s your mother?”

At that, the boy’s face hardened.

“I don’t have one.”

“Then… any guardian?”

“What’s a guardian?”

“Someone who takes care of you — like family or an adult.”

The boy hesitated, then muttered,

“I have an older sister.”

“Really? Then can we meet her?”

He fell silent, clearly reluctant.

So I pulled a coin from my wallet and placed it in his hand.

Instantly, his face lit up with a grin.

“Follow me!”

Sabrina sighed beside me, clicking her tongue.

The boy led us to the far edge of the slums — the most rundown part.

People were living in makeshift tents, without proper homes.

“Gypsies,” Lilianne murmured.

“Gypsies?” I echoed.

“They’re refugees — from a neighboring country that’s still at war.”

‘Ah, that explains their slightly foreign look,’ I thought.

But surprisingly, despite their poverty, they didn’t look sad.
Around thirty of them were gathered around a bonfire, singing and dancing.

Men played guitars, women twirled and clapped, and children stomped to the rhythm.

The lively sound, the laughter, the movement — it all felt free and passionate.

It wasn’t an elegant ballroom dance, but something raw and real.
Just watching it made my heart race.

As I stood there, smiling faintly, one thought crossed my mind.

‘I thought I’d just picked up a pumpkin… but it looks like the whole vine came with it.’