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Chapter 02
Marisel turned to the brothers who were still holding each other tightly.
“Does it hurt much… where you were hit?”
Her voice was full of concern.
The boy blinked, unsure how to react to kindness from a stranger—or from a noble.
“I’m… okay. Thank you for helping us.”
He held his younger brother close as he spoke.
“It must hurt. You’re brave, though. What’s your name?”
“Damon. I’m twelve. My little brother is Finn, seven.”
Damon’s voice carried a confident tone, not at all like someone from the slums.
While Damon answered, Finn stared at Marisel with wide, innocent eyes.
“Damon, that’s a lovely name. Finn, you’re lucky to have such a strong and kind brother.”
Marisel smiled gently and patted Finn’s head.
“Is she a goddess? Did a goddess save us?” Finn asked his brother, then stared at Marisel with pure, awed eyes.
Marisel chuckled softly.
‘Not a goddess… I may be pretty, but not that much.’
She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Not a goddess. Just a person. But today, it seems like the goddess of luck visited you.”
Damon’s eyes widened at the sight of her violet eyes, which seemed almost mystical. He recalled a picture of a goddess with silver hair and white wings.
“Do you have parents?”
“Yes. My mother, but she’s often too ill to get out of bed.”
“I see.”
Marisel wanted to ask more about the poor children, but held back.
‘That’s enough meddling! My nose is bleeding right now!’
“Take this for your back. I’m giving silver coins, not gold, so you won’t lose them. And be careful near the road; sudden traffic is dangerous. In crowded places like this, always watch your surroundings. Today, both you and the carriage were almost in danger. Understand?”
Damon, who had grown up hearing only harsh words in the slums, found her gentle tone strange.
Although she was scolding, there were no sharp words. No insults. Yet her words cut straight to his heart.
He pressed her advice into memory, gently placed his hand on Finn’s head, and bowed in unison.
‘That boy is tough,’ Marisel thought. If he weren’t born a commoner, he’d have done something impressive.
Watching the two boys walk away, Marisel swallowed the bitterness of class society.
“Ah… Miss.”
Emma, who had been silent until now, collapsed to the ground.
“Sorry, Em—”
Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over Marisel. She flinched and turned around.
A man dressed entirely in black, hooded, sat atop a large, shining black horse, glaring down at her with piercing blue eyes.
His face was mostly hidden, but his strong, sharp jawline seemed unusual.
Marisel instinctively stepped back.
“Who are you, suddenly blocking a lady’s path?”
“Why? You may stop the carriage, but I may not?”
His voice dripped with a low, icy sarcasm. Marisel felt a chill run down her spine.
Her instincts screamed to retreat, yet she oddly did not want to yield.
“Strictly speaking, I didn’t stop the carriage. It was already stopped. You must not have seen it from the start.”
“And if I had?”
Her instincts shouted to get away, but she answered calmly.
“Then please continue on your way. That’s all from me.”
She slightly lifted her skirt and bent her knees, silently signaling: Go away.
The man only smiled and pressed on with a question.
“Do you know who I am? Earlier, you asked my name. Are you pretending not to know, like the coachman?”
Marisel did not falter.
“I just guessed you were a noble from your attire and manner of speaking.”
“Judged me as a higher-ranking noble just by appearance?”
‘Why is he arguing like this? Just go!’ she thought.
“If one could truly know a person’s heart, then they’d be a god, not human.”
Marisel refused to back down.
She realized the man was almost certainly of higher rank, and his arrogance was natural, not forced.
He had finished a night patrol of the estate, nothing unusual, until a noblewoman intervened. His curiosity was piqued.
But her actions were unlike other young nobles. She was entertaining.
She stood her ground, not flinching, and responding with wit.
“From your family crest, I thought you’d play hero. Was that it?”
“Excuse me?”
Marisel bristled at the word “play hero.”
“I didn’t see the carriage crest because I was in a hurry. And it wasn’t hero play—I helped because I could. Anyone could do the same.”
He smirked.
“Seeing how bold you are, I see you really did play hero. But you don’t actually think you can save all the children in the world, do you?”
Her body signaled that further verbal sparring was dangerous.
“Hearing your words, I realize I’ve done something remarkable. Thank you for your high regard.”
The man found it audacious how she turned mockery into praise.
“Your ears must be godlike. You know it wasn’t praise, yet you reply so boldly.”
Marisel noticed his twisted smirk.
‘You, sir, are a master of cutting words.’
“Thank you for your concern. I know my limits, and I do only what I can. Please, go on your way.”
She lifted her skirts gracefully with both hands in a gesture of polite dismissal: I wish to speak no more; leave.
Emma, still in shock, mirrored the bow.
‘Has she really changed after almost dying?’
Even standing in front of him, Emma’s body tensed—but Marisel, unwavering, spoke each word firmly.
“Good. Knowing your place and keeping it will benefit you. Whether you watch over or leave, it’s not your concern. Let’s go!”
The man spurred his horse, shouting commands.
“Onward! Move!”
His companion, riding silently, was surprised.
‘My lord said that? That’s unlike him.’
As the man disappeared swiftly, Marisel exhaled in relief.
“Ah! Miss! My heart nearly stopped. I thought I might die before even reaching the end of my duties!”
“Emma. Me too. Who is that person? So strict… that look in his eyes?”
“Miss! How could I even dare look? I thought a reaper had appeared in broad daylight!”
Indeed, the man on the black horse, covered in black with piercing blue eyes, seemed like a deadly specter.
‘That recklessness. Why show off now?’
Marisel shook her hands and scolded herself.
“Still, we made it through safely! Right, Emma?”
Her lighthearted laugh left Emma feeling completely drained.
“Miss, you’re laughing now. What if something serious happened?”
“Then we’ll deal with it then. By the way, let’s go buy those apples we saw earlier—they’ll feel sad if we don’t!”
Emma, exhausted, allowed herself to be led obediently.
