Chapter 20
Even if she had told them the truth of the situation, there was no way the Kleins would have cast Kir out.
The Klein couple were not such cruel people.
Still, part of her couldn’t help but worry.
Her parents always reacted so strongly to matters concerning her.
As Emilina’s expression grew more and more serious, Katie let out a sigh and finally spoke.
“There’s no need to look so grim, dear. That boy’s uncle came by.”
“His uncle?”
“Yes. He thanked us for taking care of him all this time, and then he took him away.”
“……”
Emilina was speechless.
Kir had an uncle? She had never heard such a thing, and her mind went blank in confusion.
Then had Kir lied to her all this time?
‘No… maybe he was forced into it.’
Given the bad circumstances, the thought weighed heavily on her.
“What if he was threatened?”
“Do you really think I wouldn’t notice something like that? Stop suspecting needlessly. That man came to look for him.”
Katie continued with a tired face.
“I heard the slum kids locked you up as a prank. When I heard that, I was utterly shocked. Apparently, that boy got caught up in it too while searching for you.”
Ah. So that’s what happened. Only then did Emilina finally grasp the whole situation.
The Kleins had no idea that she had been kidnapped.
Of course. Otherwise, how could they be so calm about it?
Emilina secretly felt relieved.
But at the same time, she couldn’t shake off her frustration.
There was no way for her to learn what had really happened after the kidnapping.
That was why this so-called uncle seemed all the more suspicious.
At that moment, Katie confessed with a resigned look.
“Truth is, he asked me to keep it a secret from you. He said he wanted to leave quietly.”
“What?”
“It was entirely his own decision. No one forced him. He said he was going back to where he belonged.”
“Really? He truly said that?”
“Yes. I couldn’t believe it at first either, so I spoke to him privately.”
Privately. Emilina repeated the word in emptiness.
If what Katie said was true, then Kir had truly chosen to leave on his own.
There was no room left for doubt.
But still—
‘Why?’
It wasn’t strange that he returned to where he belonged, but why did he insist it be kept a secret?
If he had merely gone back to his rightful place, there was no reason to hide it.
Katie had no reason to lie either, so the words were likely true.
‘But even so… to leave without saying goodbye?’
Their time together hadn’t been that long, but surely they weren’t close enough for such a heartless departure.
And yet Kir had left without even a letter.
Emilina found herself resenting him.
He knew she would worry. And still, he had gone without the slightest hesitation.
But she couldn’t bring herself to resent him completely. In a low, dejected voice, Emilina asked,
“…Did he leave me no message at all?”
Something like “See you later” or “I’ll come visit”—a promise of next time.
“Sadly, no. He didn’t ask me to tell you anything.”
Katie patted Emilina’s shoulder with a sympathetic look.
She thought back to Kir’s last appearance.
The gentle-looking young boy had somehow taken on a strangely different air.
But Katie chose not to mention that aloud.
She didn’t want her daughter’s heart to be troubled further.
Then a memory flashed into her mind.
Katie clapped her hands and spoke.
“Oh! Come to think of it, he did say something. He said he’d come to get you when the time came.”
“He’d come… to get me?”
“Of course, he was muttering to himself. But you know my ears are sharp.”
“……”
“Still, he looked quite serious. Maybe it was something he meant for you to hear?”
Katie tried to lighten the mood as she said this.
Emilina let out a helpless, hollow laugh.
Come to get her when the time came? It sounded like a line straight out of some third-rate novel.
She didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad.
Her feelings were left in a strange, muddled state.
Time passed slowly yet swiftly.
Emilina turned fifteen and, contrary to her worries, she safely made her debut into society.
Though she did have some trouble because of Serica’s followers midway.
Still, she handled it well, and her days passed peacefully, unentangled with them.
Her memories with Kir gradually dulled.
Since she had heard no news of him at all after his departure, perhaps that was only natural.
Three more years passed, and Emilina came of age.
In this world, one was recognized as an adult upon their eighteenth birthday.
So Emilina began thinking about the future ahead.
Now that the shadow of death had receded, she wanted to live her own life.
‘But… nothing really comes to mind.’
She struggled to find anything she truly wanted to do.
She liked cooking, so she thought perhaps she could become a chef. But though she was from a poor house, a noble was still a noble.
For a young lady of nobility to seek employment in someone else’s kitchen was nearly impossible.
Of course, she could hide her identity.
But McTron and Katie would never allow it.
If she wanted to cook, they would rather go into debt to open a shop for her than let her toil in another’s.
Emilina had no such stubborn desire to become a chef at all costs.
‘Well… I suppose something will come to me later.’
She had plenty of time to think, so she decided not to rush.
Then she recalled McTron wiping away tears once.
He had fussed about how she was already at marrying age.
‘Now that I think about it, I never once dated in my previous life.’
She never had the chance—there were no men around her, and life had been too harsh to even think of a boyfriend.
Whenever loneliness became unbearable, she would read romance novels and live vicariously through them.
In short, her only knowledge of romance came from books.
It had been such a dull life.
So this time, she decided to actually enjoy her youth.
Of course, that required a man.
‘But that shouldn’t be too hard, should it?’
After all, this was noble society.
Marriage talks would soon come her way, and she would have the chance to meet several prospects.
If she found a good partner, marriage wouldn’t be so bad.
She wanted to have many children and live in happiness.
In her past life, it had been her dream to have her own family. In this life, perhaps she could finally realize it.
As she was entertaining these thoughts, McTron came to her.
“Milly, Baron Pruqin says he wishes to meet you. What do you think?”
“Baron Pruqin?”
“Yes. It seems he took a liking to you at the New Year’s gathering this year. He said it was love at first sight and asked me to arrange a meeting.”
Baron Pruqin was a young noble, three years older than Emilina.
A businessman who had achieved great success at a young age. Emilina didn’t think too hard about it.
If his character had been lacking, her father would have rejected the proposal outright.
“All right. I’ll meet him.”
But to her surprise, only a few days later, Baron Pruqin canceled the arrangement, refusing to meet her.
It was such a one-sided, absurd notice.
“Hah! Seems I misjudged the man. How dare he stand up my daughter?”
Naturally, McTron was furious.
“I’m fine, Father. He must’ve had his reasons.”
“Reasons, nonsense! I hear he went and got engaged to Lady Wilhelm. Can you believe this insult?”
Emilina had already heard the news.
He had broken off their meeting only to immediately become engaged.
It had all happened far too quickly, making her wonder—but it didn’t particularly hurt her feelings.
She simply thought their ties had ended there.
Besides, there was also the issue of the Klein family’s poverty.
Even if the marriage had gone through, it would have been burdensome.
That was probably why he had made the proposal so casually and withdrawn it just as easily.
Either way, it was pointless to dwell on something already over.
It was no longer any concern of Emilina’s.
But McTron, unwilling to let it go, spoke with fiery eyes.
“Milly, don’t you worry. I’ll find you a truly good match!”
He looked at her with an expression mixed with guilt and sorrow.
It pained him to think that his powerless position had allowed his daughter to be treated so lightly.
They couldn’t even lodge a complaint, given their family’s standing. Even if it had only been a meeting.
So McTron resolved himself.
He would do everything he could to ensure his precious daughter married into a good home—
—to a man who would cherish her and love her for life.
Emilina, sensing her father’s feelings, only smiled quietly.
There was no reason to object.
After all, even without him, plenty of opportunities would come her way.
