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Chapter 9
The talking crow was too attention-grabbing, but the other two people were also quite unusual in appearance.
One was a burly man who looked at least twice my size, and the other was a child who didn’t even reach his waist.
It was a strange combination.
The first one seemed noticeably intimidated, while the second looked down on the adult with disdain, which made the pairing even more bizarre.
“Let me introduce them from the left. This one is Levi, as you can see, a crow. He is the master’s pet. He can talk, but he doesn’t say anything useful, so you can just ignore him.”
“I’m a pet! You’re a slave! I’m a pet! You’re a slave!”
“Thanks for helping with the explanation, Levi. See? You don’t need to speak to her.”
With that, Guillermo stepped one step to the right and stopped in front of the large man.
He wore a battered, rusted suit of metal armor, cracked in several places. It looked so miserable that I wondered why anyone would even wear such a hideous thing.
If it was meant to kill enemies with tetanus, maybe—but the fatal flaw was that he was far more vulnerable than his targets.
“This is Sir Maximilian Hawk. Three years ago, he boldly invaded our castle and was captured. Instead of death, he is paying for his crime with labor.”
“Yes. You can just call me Max…”
I finally understood why he looked so beaten down. He was a surrendered invader.
I remembered Guillermo’s warning when I first arrived here.
It seemed that if you ignored that warning, you would end up like this man.
After Ivnia nodded in silent understanding, Guillermo stepped one step further.
He lowered his hand and pointed at the delinquent-looking boy.
“This is Seven. He has fairy blood, so he ages slowly, and he’s also cursed so his body’s age is frozen like this. Despite looking like a child, he is actually older than both the master and me, so you must not treat him like a child.”
“If you talk down to me because I look young, I’ll kill you.”
Seven warned in a delinquent posture, his hands shoved into his pockets.
He looked no more than ten years old, but he was actually older than Ram, who was over four hundred years old.
I hadn’t noticed because the crow had distracted me, but the truly strange existence was hidden here.
Guillermo, who had known him for a long time, seemed more bothered by his delinquent behavior than his age.
He stepped forward and scolded Seven in Ivnia’s place.
“Seven, you must use honorifics for Lady Ivnia regardless of age.”
“Lady? She’s not even the real Nina. Why should I?”
As Seven answered in disbelief, Hanna and Sir Max glanced toward Ivnia as if checking.
It was a moment that clearly divided who was human and who was not.
‘So the deceased wife’s name was Nina.’
Ivnia silently understood.
Being treated like a fake with no worth wasn’t pleasant, but it didn’t feel wrong either. Because the words were true.
Ivnia didn’t want to make the atmosphere more awkward, so she bowed politely.
“I’m Ivnia… Nice to meet you all. I’m only staying here for a short time, but please take care of me while I’m here.”
She ended her introduction without mentioning the Hassen family, then slowly lifted her head again.
Had Ram not left any instructions about how to treat her?
She could feel everyone staring at her with puzzled eyes.
“If you’re leaving, then leave. If you’re staying, stay. What does ‘staying for a little while then leaving’ mean?”
Seven, the eldest, spoke on behalf of the group.
Then Hanna, who finally came to her senses, cried out with a desperate expression.
“Do you not like it here? I’ll do better. Please don’t leave, Lady Ivnia!”
Hanna turned to Guillermo as if begging for help, but he simply crossed his arms and stroked his chin, looking intrigued.
Guillermo muttered in surprise.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a development.”
“Don’t act like this is some unexpected outcome, you fish-brained idiot! Didn’t I tell you this wouldn’t end well?”
Seven shouted at Guillermo.
Ivnia, startled by the sudden loud voice, stepped back, and Seven frowned as he looked at her.
His appearance was cute, so he wasn’t that scary, but she could definitely feel the presence that came from his age.
“Hey, if you want to go back to your family, don’t hesitate. Just go now.”
“Huh?”
“You came here because of this fish-brained idiot’s scheme. Don’t worry about being harmed. Just go where you want.”
It took Ivnia a moment to understand his meaning due to his harsh tone.
On the surface, it didn’t look like it, but considering what he meant…
‘Is this… consideration?’
The problem was that telling her to go home sounded like telling her to die.
Ivnia, not wanting to be kicked out of the castle, hurriedly answered.
“Oh, it’s because I’m not on good terms with my family. When we part, it’s almost like a complete severance… I have no place to return to. Ram said I could stay here for a while. So I thought I’d stay for a month or two… I won’t stay long. Please bear with me for a little while…”
After hearing Ivnia’s desperate explanation, Seven let out a deep sigh.
He glanced at Guillermo with a reproachful look and said,
“It’s obvious. You were dragged here by some strange guy, thinking you’d be sold off.”
Ivnia didn’t answer. She closed her mouth.
The real reason was more complicated, but she didn’t need to reveal that she was like leftover scraps no one wanted.
If she spoke badly about Emilia or her family, Ram would also be put in a difficult position.
Actually, she didn’t want to see such a kind person become cold to her because of her sister.
She had already experienced enough of that in the Hassen territory.
“If you have nowhere to go, just stay here. Even if you live here until you die, Ram will laugh and say, ‘You didn’t leave today. Will you go tomorrow?’”
“No, I still can’t owe you that much.”
Ivnia shook her head awkwardly.
She couldn’t keep deceiving them and sitting in her sister’s place forever.
She wouldn’t be so reckless as to reveal her sister’s survival immediately after the Hassen count and countess offered her as a sacrifice, but thinking of Emilia’s future, she would have to return her to society within a year or two at most.
It would be cleaner if she told them first that her sister was alive.
Emilia, who had been suddenly dragged to Litberg, would despair briefly, but soon she would inevitably fall in love with this place.
Because the castle was full of good people.
Ivnia blushed at the unexpected warmth and said softly, “Still, thank you for worrying about me.”
At that moment, Sir Max, who had been quietly watching, didn’t miss his chance and intervened.
For some reason, his gaze toward her was very earnest.
“Lady, if you plan to leave, may I ask where you intend to go?”
“Well… I haven’t decided that yet…”
“Goodness, you’re planning to go to a strange place with no connections? Alone?”
“I said I haven’t decided where yet…”
“A young woman moving alone to a place without protection—anything could happen. You need a reliable guard. Don’t you agree?”
It was undeniable, but the knight wearing rusty, broken armor didn’t look reliable at all.
Perhaps sensing her distrust, Max looked around earnestly as if seeking agreement.
I didn’t know how he had been living here, but one thing was certain.
He seemed desperate to leave this place.
