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Chapter 11
I took the opportunity to organize my thoughts.
‘Ankus seems to be a person deeply trusted by both the head of the household and Lord Abellus.’
I recalled what Lord Abellus had said before:
“Five of the seven factions of Ignitus don’t know your secret!”
‘One of the factions that knows my secret must be Lord Abellus’ side. The other must be Ankus’ family.’
“Ha… So the young lord is part of the dyodang too. Miss, is the young lord that charming?”
“Yep.”
I responded firmly, without a moment’s hesitation.
All the way through the colonnaded entrance, Ankus grumbled about the fact that there was someone else besides him who qualified as part of the dyodang.
“Well… I suppose the young lord is handsome for his age. He’ll become even more outstanding as he grows.”
‘He’s a bit noisy, but this is actually comfortable and nice.’
Having quickly grown used to being carried around by others, I had come to think of Ankus as a kind of rickshaw and rested comfortably on his arm.
“Well now. If I want to push the young lord out of the dyodang, I’d better work har—”
At that moment, Ankus abruptly stopped walking.
“…We should head back.”
His voice was suddenly low. A stark contrast to the constant chatter just moments ago.
“What is it?”
I looked up at Ankus’ face, which had lost all trace of a smile.
His gaze was fixed on something beyond the pillar, where people were murmuring.
As I tried to peek ahead, Ankus quickly held me back.
“Shh.”
But before we could leave, the people beyond the pillar noticed us.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Ankus.”
A few people broke off from the group and approached us.
“If you’re out and about at this hour, I guess you’re having a leisurely day. And…”
All eyes turned toward me at once.
“…you’ve even got time to play with a little kid.”
One of them, who seemed to be a friend, spoke with familiarity. But strangely, Ankus didn’t respond and tried to walk away.
“We were just passing through. Excuse us.”
The man’s face stiffened with displeasure. As he opened his mouth to speak—
Clang. Clang.
The sound of heavy metal striking the marble floor echoed from behind the pillar.
The boastful man flinched and shut his mouth at once. As he stepped aside, a middle-aged man with a metal cane appeared.
He had been one of those standing at the front during the family council meeting.
In other words, he was the head of one of the Ignitus factions.
“Greetings, Erasinus. We meet again in just a day—”
“Spare me the pleasantries. It’s hard enough to catch you as it is—I won’t waste time listening to empty words.”
His voice was soft, but there was a subtle hostility in it.
Ankus gave me a slight shrug, as if to say, ‘We’re in trouble now,’ mouthing the words silently.
Then the man pointed at me in Ankus’ arms and spoke.
“Is that baby something Tiberius entrusted you with? A new item to manage? Or perhaps a new friend?”
“If I had to choose, I’d say more of a friend.”
“I understand you’re thrilled to finally be given work, but parading around with the child of a criminal doesn’t reflect well on you. Doesn’t the tragedy of Kekaum still feel fresh?”
The child of a criminal. That was directed at me.
“That guy…”
Ankus muttered under his breath, just loud enough to hear.
The tragedy of Kekaum.
It was the city our family had governed for generations, which was taken in a surprise attack by a neighboring nation.
Because of that, Lord Abellus’ father, originally the heir to the household, was killed. His younger brother, Lord Tiberius, then became the 14th head of the family.
Cities falling to ambushes wasn’t rare, but this particular event held such significance in the family’s history that it had earned the name “tragedy.”
Not only had a head of the family with powerful authority been murdered, but the incident also severely worsened relations with the neighboring nation.
‘And that event is connected to Lady Calidora?’
During the family meeting, the head had mentioned the “serious lie” and “direct insult” committed by Lady Calidora’s mother.
Could it have been related to the Kekaum incident?
‘That wasn’t written in the History of Ignitus…’
Every time something I didn’t know came up, I felt overwhelmed.
“Anku…”
I gripped Ankus’ arm tightly, signaling him to stay calm.
Since I didn’t fully understand the situation between the two elders yet, I didn’t want a heated argument to break out.
But instead, Ankus flinched, then covered my ear with one hand.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t talk that way in front of a creature with ears.”
He must’ve thought I was frightened.
“And besides, isn’t she now the adopted daughter of the head? Shouldn’t we leave the past behind, then?”
“To speak so lightly of such a grave matter—how disappointing.”
“Who said anything about forgetting Kekaum? I’m just saying, maybe we could forget the part where she spent a few years in Hella’s cradle. Is that really too much to ask?”
“You’re aware there were issues in how that child was brought here.”
“I’m also aware you want there to have been issues.”
Ankus responded with a calm smile, never raising his voice.
The man, in turn, sneered and muttered quietly.
“Vermin.”
I couldn’t tell if he was referring to me or Ankus.
Ankus pretended not to hear.
“If you’re that dissatisfied, wouldn’t it make more sense to take it up with the person who made the decision? Not with someone like me, who simply trusts and follows that person’s judgment?”
“You’re still clinging to the head’s side, I see. Sooner or later, you’ll realize how pointless that was.”
“Well, maybe.”
“It’s terrifying to think the children might learn from someone like you.”
At that, Ankus glanced past the pillar. Two or three children were watching us with curious eyes.
He gave them a brief glance and replied indifferently.
“That part… isn’t really my concern.”
Apparently deciding the conversation was useless, the man tapped his cane and returned to his original spot.
His family followed behind.
Ankus, now expressionless, silently walked until we reached the entrance hall. There, he casually resumed speaking to me.
“How did you know I bought a rattle? Miss, if you want one, just say so.”
“…Huh?”
My mind was still tangled in the tension between the two elders, so my answer was delayed by a beat.
“Haha. Though you seem a bit too grown up to play with such things.”
Ankus lifted me up slightly with both arms, pretending to weigh me.
‘I think I can trust Ankus. Maybe I shouldn’t overthink it and just ask him directly.’
As soon as he set me down, I asked right away.
“Anku, did you get insulted because of me and the Ignitus stuff?”
Ankus’ face froze for a second, then softened.
“Oh? You know a word like that? You’re smart.”
Sensing he was trying to dodge the question, I pressed him again.
“That guy earlier. Was what he said true?”
“Hmm… that’s a bit tricky to answer.”
Ankus hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said,
“What I can say for sure is—those guys weren’t insulted at all. Not even a little. They just don’t like us and are nitpicking.”
Well, that made sense. If anything, Lords Tiberius and Abellus were more closely tied to the Kekaum incident. Yet they accepted me—so why treat me like a criminal?
“Those people are the kind who would still doubt me if I said one plus one is two. Just wait here for a bit until someone comes to pick you up.”
