#63. A… Child?
Even though the curtains hid the inside of the house, whoever was within must have seen the scene earlier—when a man’s face was split open with just a flick of a hand.
From that moment, the person inside would no longer be in a state where their vigilance could be eased.
No matter who it was, they wouldn’t obediently confess anything just because some noble-born young lady asked them to.
In the end, it would fall to him to take action. Since they couldn’t leave such a distinguished person lingering in a neighborhood like this, the quickest, most efficient way to extract information would be…
Before Isaac could finish his thought, Anbruch, as if reading his mind, reached out toward the door and spoke cheerfully.
“After what you just did, you’ve probably inspired nothing but fear and suspicion. But which do you think is better—meeting you directly, or being approached gently by someone whose noble bearing is obvious at a glance? Of course, if the person inside is a hardened, wicked sort, then things might go exactly the way you’re planning in your head right now.”
Isaac’s foxlike eyes opened slightly, startled that Anbruch had so neatly voiced what he had been thinking.
“…You are wise.”
Unlike before, his reply carried genuine respect. Anbruch beamed brightly, while Isaac swallowed back a sigh.
After a moment of silence, he asked,
“Should I apologize?”
“For what? For assuming, from the very first moment until now, that I was nothing but a foolish, naïve girl raised too delicately to know anything of the world?”
Anbruch shot back playfully, as if it were of no consequence. Isaac bowed his head politely.
“I’m sorry. I misjudged you.”
“It’s fine. Sometimes it makes my work easier if people underestimate me. My father always told me to make good use of what I was born with. And I’ve followed that faithfully.”
“Your work…?”
“Business, of course. I’m a Taren. When people look down on me, it gives me the chance to see their true selves—whether that’s their character or the true value of the goods they’re trading. But…”
Placing both hands on her hips, Anbruch shook her head at him.
“I won’t be doing any business with you, Isaac. So don’t go judging me and running ahead of yourself.”
“Yes. I’ll remember that. If I underestimated you any further, I doubt my head would remain intact.”
What could have been a bitter, relationship-breaking exchange was handled between Anbruch and Isaac as casually as sharing candy from one’s pocket.
With that, their relationship settled into clearer terms, and Anbruch curled her hand into a fist and knocked on the door.
—Knock, knock.
The sound echoed, but the house remained silent.
“Was I too quiet?”
Tilting her head, she raised her hand again.
—Knock, knock, knock.
A little louder this time, but still no sound of movement or voice from within.
“Hmm, maybe no one’s home?”
“There’s someone inside. They’re just not moving.”
“You can tell that?”
“Yes.”
Answering briefly, Isaac shifted the subject.
“When there was noise outside earlier, I saw a figure pressed against the window. Now, they’re still, deep inside the house.”
“Then at least they’re not someone dangerous to me, right?”
“Not necessarily. They could just be waiting for us to lower our guard before attacking.”
Anbruch widened her eyes and stepped closer to him. Because of their height difference, she tilted her head back slightly, cleared her throat, and asked,
“If we’re attacked, you’ll protect me, won’t you?”
“As I said before, I’m not particularly strong.”
“But you can stop them, right?”
She smiled knowingly, already used to the way he spoke.
“If you couldn’t, you would have just said so.”
“Well, yes. I should be able to handle it.”
If someone’s presence was faint enough for him to sense but not threatening, then whatever they tried, he could deal with it.
Satisfied with his confirmation, Anbruch confidently reached for the door handle instead of knocking again.
—Clatter.
Naturally, the locked door didn’t budge. Just as she drew a deep breath—
Isaac extended his hand from behind her.
—Crunch.
—Clunk.
The doorknob snapped off, and the door creaked open with an unpleasant sound.
Holding the broken knob in his hand, Isaac looked at Anbruch, who gasped in admiration.
“You really can do all sorts of things! But… breaking a lock like this…”
“Were you expecting me to pick it with a pin? This door is too cheap to bother. Breaking it is faster.”
“Hmm. Depending on who we meet inside, we may have to fix it before we leave.”
Her words were filled with simple goodwill, but Isaac couldn’t comprehend them. Still, he saw no reason to argue.
She was a Taren, after all—the only heir of a family that could fill lakes with gold. However she chose to spend her wealth was none of his concern.
And yet, strange… the more he thought about it, the more he realized how peculiar she was.
Without realizing how well he was beginning to match this strange woman’s rhythm, Isaac pushed the loose door gently.
Light spilled in at once, chasing away the gloom of the curtain-drawn house.
Once Isaac stepped back, Anbruch entered first, pulling down her hood as she looked around. She didn’t bother calling out—if the person inside had been willing to come out, they would have done so when she knocked.
The house was tidier than expected. Observing this, Anbruch glanced at Isaac.
Without words, he gestured toward the one small inner room, indicating that someone was there. Quietly, she tiptoed closer.
—Creeeak.
The old hinges screamed so loudly that she abandoned her stealth and spoke at a normal volume.
“Where are you?”
“Over there.”
“The wardrobe?”
“Yes. Hiding.”
Isaac pointed casually toward the wardrobe, and Anbruch followed his hand.
—Click.
The small wardrobe opened easily, and inside they found a tiny figure crouched low.
“A… child?”
Anbruch’s eyes widened at the sight of a small boy or girl curled up in the corner, face buried in their knees.
“No wonder the presence was so faint,” Isaac said flatly. “It’s a child.”
He only looked down at the little head without moving. Since he made no effort to act, Anbruch extended a hand toward the child.
But just before her fingertips touched, the child flinched violently and curled up even smaller.
At that reaction, Anbruch drew her hand back and spoke gently.
“Hello. My name is Anbruch. Sorry for showing up so suddenly, but… I’m acquainted with your brother.”
It wasn’t a lie, but it certainly sounded suspicious.
Still, perhaps because of her tone, or the warmth in her voice—or both—the child slowly lifted their head, shoulders trembling.
Anbruch waited patiently. When their eyes finally met, she smiled brightly.
“You can’t run anyway, so come on out.”
Her cheerful way of stating the cold reality made the child clench their fists. After glancing around nervously, they did as she said, stepping out of the wardrobe awkwardly.
“Smart kid.”
Praising the child’s quick judgment, Anbruch asked again.
“You’re from the Luir family, aren’t you? What’s your name?”
Her innocent face and lively tone carried an odd weight of pressure.
There was no escape. The child had already seen what happened when the fox-eyed man behind her moved his hand.
But… if this woman knew his brother, maybe she had news. His brother had been gone for days without returning.
With a mixture of fear and faint hope, the child whispered,
“Su… Sugar. My name is Sugar.”
“Good. Well done, Sugar.”
Instead of bombarding the child with questions, Anbruch took a moment to look them over.
Despite living in such a remote, dangerous place, the child didn’t look sick. In fact, their cheeks were plump, their skin fair, their hands uncalloused—as if someone had raised them with great care.
Anbruch leaned closer to Isaac and whispered,
“Perhaps that servant was kinder than we thought. He raised his little sister so well.”
But Isaac shook his head, his voice loud enough for the child to hear.
“Or he raised her well to sell her later. There are always people who want beautiful girls.”
“No way. Slave trading is strictly forbidden in the Empire.”
The thought of people being treated as commodities hardened even Anbruch’s usually smiling face. But Isaac replied without emotion,
“That’s why it’s in demand. And there are kingdoms where such trading is perfectly legal.”
“Rotten.”
“Rotten indeed.”
Her voice brimmed with contempt, and his with cold agreement.
After a moment, they both turned to look at Sugar. Receiving their combined gazes, the child shivered, shrinking further.
Watching without pity, Isaac added,
“Still… even if he intended to sell her, he wouldn’t have treated her this well.”
Sugar’s small shoulders trembled harder, but they managed to stammer out,
“N-no… He wasn’t going to sell me! Brother always said… I was the most important thing to him!”
“I see. About that brother…”
Anbruch gently untangled the mess of hair from hiding in the wardrobe and asked softly,
“Where is he now?”
