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Chapter 03
When I calmly called out to the child, the child slowly pulled the blanket down.
The moment our eyes met, the child’s eyes flew open as if they had seen a creature beyond imagination.
“An… angel…?”
“I’m not an angel.”
Thankfully, it seemed the kid still had the energy to joke.
Maybe because they were a child, their way of thinking was oddly creative. I let out a small laugh at the completely unfamiliar title, and the child, looking dazed, reached out a hand.
The child’s roughened hand touched my cheek. Even though I was the one who had crossed through the wind to get here, the child’s hand was colder than my face.
The child blinked blankly.
“It’s real. This isn’t… a dream?”
“Yeah. It’s not a dream.”
“Really…?”
Wriggling, the child’s other hand popped out from the blanket and grabbed my other cheek.
Cold, small hands rested on both my cheeks. Even though I tried to pull away, the way their eyes sparkled made me give up and just let them cup my face.
The child’s fingers shifted slightly against my cheeks. It tickled, and I frowned just a little—at which the child flinched.
“Does it hurt?”
“Why would this hurt?”
It’s not like you’re shooting magic at my face. There was no reason it should hurt. But maybe the child thought differently, because their expression quickly turned gloomy.
“But it hurts for me.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere that isn’t touching the angel.”
“I told you, I’m not an angel.”
Only then did I notice—the body wrapped in the blanket was still trembling violently.
On impulse, I reached out to the child.
As I slipped an arm under their bottom and lifted them up, the child wrapped their arms around my neck. My neck, which had been warm moments ago, quickly cooled from the child’s ice-cold hands.
I didn’t need to examine them closely to know. Severe hypothermia. Malnutrition. Just as I suspected, Merihen must have used the child only as a servant—but their condition was a complete mess.
At this level, it almost felt like she wanted the kid to die as soon as possible.
I stayed still until the child completely sagged against my body. Only then did Merihen finally come crashing into the living room.
“Luisa? Why are you here…?”
“Why else? I came to see if you were keeping your word. But it doesn’t look like you’re doing a very good job.”
I flicked my gaze toward the child. Merihen’s face turned deathly pale.
But she quickly changed her attitude, putting on a bold expression as if nothing were wrong.
“I just used them as a servant, like you said.”
“It certainly looks that way.”
Judging by how rough their hands were, it really did seem like she’d worked them to the bone.
“So? Planning to keep tormenting them?”
“Tormenting? They’re just too weak to endure it.”
Wow. That’s rich.
“And besides, that’s mine. What’s wrong with doing whatever I want with my own property?”
“Oh, really? So because it’s yours, you can do whatever you want?”
“Of course!”
Moments like this really hammer home that this is a rigid class-based society.
As I locked eyes with Merihen, standing proudly with her chest out, I turned my head toward the child.
The child also lifted their head to look at me—the same expression they’d had last time when they clutched at my pants.
With desperate eyes, the child grabbed onto my collar.
“Angel! I’ll work hard, so please don’t abandon me—”
“Okay. Then do you want to be mine?”
“…What?”
I nodded immediately. The child’s face turned blank. The kid clearly didn’t process it right away, so I repeated myself slowly and clearly.
“I’m asking if you want to be mine instead of hers, kid.”
If you’re mine, I’ll take you with me.
Even after dangling the bait, the child didn’t answer for a while. Multiple emotions flickered across their wavering eyes.
Don’t like it?
I tilted my head, and suddenly Merihen shouted.
“That’s mine! You told me to take it! Why are you doing this now?!”
“Yeah. True.”
Looking at the trembling child, I felt something like pity—oddly enough.
The child overlapped with my own childhood self. And because of that, I couldn’t let them die like this. It felt like abandoning the me from ten years ago all over again.
That damn nightmare still lingered, haunting me.
“Just because.”
I didn’t feel like explaining everything, so I gave a vague answer. Merihen ground her teeth in frustration.
Ignoring her completely, I turned my attention back to the child.
“Kid. Answer.”
At my quiet prompt, the child snapped back to reality and nodded. Their cheeks were strangely flushed.
“Yes. I want to be yours, angel.”
“Good. Merihen, you heard that, right? They say they’re mine now.”
“You need my permission—!”
I should’ve just shut her mouth permanently.
While Merihen continued yelling, I rubbed my itchy ear.
“Ah, I need your permission? Too bad. They’re mine now.”
“Luisa!”
Merihen’s voice, thick with killing intent, slammed into my ears. She looked ready to attack at any moment.
“What, does it piss you off that I’m taking them?”
“Of course it—!”
“If you’re that mad, then try coming at me.”
Let’s see if you can even dare to.
I patted the child’s head and jerked my chin at Merihen, daring her to try.
But she didn’t move. She knew it too—even in a standoff like this, she’d be the one to lose.
I glanced toward the entrance. Through the broken doorframe where the door had been ripped off, the outside world was fully visible.
Putting more strength into the hand supporting the child’s back and bottom, I walked past Merihen. The child immediately wrapped their legs tightly around my waist and buried their face into my shoulder.
Their body shook violently. They must have seen Merihen’s vicious glare as we passed.
“It’s okay. I’m stronger than her. If she messes with you, I’ll kill her.”
I wasn’t sure if this was the right way to comfort someone, but it was the best I could come up with. Thankfully, when I awkwardly patted their back, I felt their trembling gradually ease.
“Kid. Where’s your home?”
It felt late to ask now, but just in case.
At my question, the child buried their face deeper into my neck and shook their head.
“You don’t know?”
“…I don’t remember. I don’t know anything. I just opened my eyes, and I was here…”
“Then you don’t remember your name either.”
The child nodded slightly. From that alone, I could roughly piece together what had happened.
During times when war was frequent, slave traders sometimes abducted even nobles amidst the chaos. Unlike commoners, nobles were raised with care from birth—every part of their body flawless and valuable.
Normally, they only targeted fallen nobles or kidnapped people discreetly.
But no matter where you go, there are always those who bite into forbidden apples.
Sometimes, alchemists would specially brew potions that erased memories, force them on nobles who still had proper homes, and then sell them as slaves to foreign countries or the empire’s frontier.
The child was skinny and shabby-looking, but their speech and manners clearly showed they’d been raised well.
“You’ve really got terrible luck.”
“But still…”
The child tried to argue, then closed their mouth. They lifted their head to look at me and just smiled, giggling.
What could possibly make them so happy when they’d nearly died moments ago?
Feeling the child tighten their grip around me, I opened the door to my house—we’d already arrived without me realizing it.
The old door looked like it would fall apart with just a little force, and the child’s eyes wavered slightly.
From the outside, it definitely looked unimpressive.
But the inside was different.
Imagining the child’s amazed reaction, I stepped inside slowly. A wide, comfortable living room spread out before us.
It was enormous—far larger than the exterior suggested.
Sunlight poured in through the large windows along the wall. A soft sofa big enough for eight adults to sit comfortably, chicken-leg-shaped cushions, and a rainbow-colored shimmering table created a warm, cozy atmosphere.
And the multiple branching paths scattered throughout the living room—proof that this space didn’t end here.
It was a dreamlike house that anyone seeing it for the first time couldn’t help but admire.
“Wow!”
Just as expected, the child exclaimed in awe, jumping down and running around the house excitedly. The corners of my mouth twitched upward without me realizing it.
Are you okay? Surprised?
“It’s really amazing!”
“Yeah? What exactly is so amazing?”
Unable to resist my curiosity, I asked in a teasing tone. The star-shaped fireplace blending perfectly with the classical interior? The dazzling chandelier illuminating the room at once?
Or maybe the spacious kitchen barely visible at the end of the hallway?
Go on. Tell me. I’ll listen generously.
That’s when the child shouted brightly,
“I didn’t know people could live in a place like this! It’s small enough that I think I could clean it all myself!”
The corner of my mouth shot up crookedly.
…This kid. Do they even still have memories? Are they subtly saying this place is smaller than the mansion they used to live in?
“You don’t need to clean a tiny house like this.”
I replied with deliberate emphasis, but the child just smiled and nodded happily.
“Angel.”
“I’m not an angel. It’s Luisa.”
What kind of angel walks around drenched in blood?
But the child refused to accept my denial.
“Lady Luisa.”
“Drop the ‘Lady.’”
I’d never seen a kid who treated someone worse than a slave before.
The child ignored me again.
“Lady Luisa. Lady Luisa.”
“…What.”
When I replied gruffly, the child bowed deeply.
“Um, thank you so much for saving me. I’ll do my best from now on.”
Hesitantly, the child curled their fingers around my pinky. The warmth blooming from that tiny hand strangely spread through my entire body.
How long had it been since I’d felt another person’s body heat?
Our eyes met head-on. It was a color that went against human instincts—yet for some reason, those eyes shone beautifully.
* * *
After that, the child followed me around nonstop, chattering endlessly.
I thought they’d be cowed after suffering so much at Merihen’s place, but not at all.
This kid is brighter than my living room chandelier. It’s impossible to be brighter than this.
I even fed them beef and sugar-sprinkled tomatoes for dessert, hoping they’d quiet down once full—but the child’s mischievous mouth refused to rest.
“Lady Luisa, I think you have terrible taste in houses! Hehe.”
“But what is that fireplace? The placement is really interesting!”
“Lady Luisa, the windows are so big the sunlight hurts my eyes. How do you live in a place like this?”
The kid was a master of verbal violence that stabbed straight into one’s heart. If I listened any longer, blood would start pouring out of my chest and ears.
In the end, I decided to put them to bed early and shoved them into the bathroom—but even that turned into a disaster.
An hour passed after the child went in, and they still hadn’t come out.
Thinking they might’ve drowned in the bath, I rushed in—only to find the child asleep right by the door, dressed in clean clothes, using the fluffy foot mat as a bed.
A kid with a real talent for giving people heart attacks.
I picked up the limp child and headed to the bedroom. Water still clinging to their half-dried hair soaked my shoulder.
Hey—are you rubbing against me now?
Lamenting my sudden promotion to personal towel, I laid the child down on the bed and tried to stand up—when suddenly the child shot out a hand and wrapped both their arms and legs around my arm.
Did they wake up?
I looked down, but their freshly washed, pale face wore a deeply satisfied expression.
Doesn’t seem like they’re awake.
A hollow laugh slipped out.
“Hah. What am I, a body pillow?”
