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Chapter 16
You Think So Too, Right? (2)
The strange signs began to appear once they passed the commoner’s district and entered the slums.
The voices of the people chatting around them faded the moment they noticed their presence, and the children who had been giggling and playing gradually slowed to a halt.
Their wary eyes pierced like needles against her skin. The escort knight with a sword probably only intensified their suspicion.
“I knew they wouldn’t welcome us, but… isn’t this more dangerous than I expected?”
Watching people who could turn hostile at any moment, Elluciana unconsciously swallowed dryly.
“Lady Elluciana, please reconsider. It’s not too late to turn back.”
The boundary with the commoner’s district was just behind them. If the young lady changed her mind, they could still safely return to the mansion.
Right now, most of the onlookers were children, but if the entire slum gathered, Ron alone wouldn’t be able to protect Elluciana completely.
It wasn’t because he feared them. Ron was more concerned about the number of lives that could fall by his sword—and the fragile heart of the young lady who would have to witness it.
“But we’ve come all this way… wouldn’t it be better to at least see Father before we go?”
Ron’s expression hardened instantly before he could answer. The children who had scurried away earlier were now slowly creeping back toward them.
“…Do you really insist on going that far?”
“Hehe, Sir Ron. You know how stubborn I am. So how much farther until the shelter?”
Ron looked helplessly at the number of children that had now doubled. At that moment, one particularly grimy child tried to grab Elluciana’s dress.
“H-Hey—”
Smack.
“Ahhh!”
The child let out a loud scream and fell on the spot, clutching his arm. Looking up, he saw a boy his age with bright red eyes glaring at him intensely.
Frightened, the child burst into sobs.
“Hic. Hic… Waaaah!”
“As. What are you doing? Let go of him right now.”
Elluciana lightly slapped Astain on the back of his hand.
Astain frowned in protest.
“He tried to touch your dress without permission.”
“Let go of his hand first.”
Astain quietly stared at her, then finally released his grip. Elluciana crouched down in front of the crying child.
“How hard did he grab him for it to swell like this?”
The filthy wrist was already turning red. Glancing up at the sulky Astain, she gently took the child’s wrist in her hands.
“Are you okay? That was scary, huh?”
“Hic… Hic…”
Elluciana gently wiped the tears from the boy’s cheeks, wearing an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry. As is… um, he’s family. What I mean is, he was just startled. He didn’t mean to scare you.”
The boy’s crying began to subside. His round eyes flicked to Astain for a moment but quickly returned to Elluciana’s face. He seemed more comfortable with her.
She softly brushed the child’s tangled hair.
“Could you forgive him just this once—for me? I’ll give you something yummy as an apology.”
“Something yummy?”
“Mhm. Like candy… or cookies?”
“Really?”
“Really. But you’ll have to wait a little. I don’t have anything with me right now.”
“Wha—what’s that!”
Now done crying, the child puffed up his cheeks cutely and looked at her.
“What’s your name, miss?”
“Me? Fufu, my name’s Elluciana. Call me Lucy.”
When she said her name, the boy’s eyes widened even more.
“Y-Your name is Lucy?”
“Huh? Yeah. Why? Do you know me?”
Elluciana wrinkled her nose with a playful smile. And then—
“Did she say she’s Lady Lucy?”
“Now that I think of it, she does look just like Viscount Simon—especially those kind eyes.”
Murmur, murmur.
People began to gather and surround them. Caught off guard, Elluciana hesitated and moved closer to Ron.
“S-Sir Ron? What’s going on?”
Ron sighed deeply, almost without realizing.
“I’m not sure whether to consider this fortunate or not. But at least… it doesn’t seem threatening.”
He paused for a moment before nodding as if confirming his own words.
“As… What should we do now?”
Astain scanned the crowd, then glanced again at the boy he had knocked down before muttering quietly.
“We should get to the viscount. Quickly.”
“R-Right? Sir Ron, you heard that? Let’s hurry to the shelter!”
As Elluciana tugged Ron’s clothes in a rush, he tried to carve out a path. But the crowd was too dense to break through easily.
Then the people, overhearing her words, began to speak one after another.
“Lady Lucy, are you headed to the shelter?”
“We’re heading there too—shall we go together?”
Elluciana looked around at the crowd pressing in and smiled awkwardly.
They really were like puppies excited to see their owner.
Their endless chatter sounded like joyful yapping, and their smiling faces radiated affection like wagging tails.
They formed a protective human dome around Elluciana, Astain, and Ron. Seeing this, Elluciana stammered.
“Y-Yes, th-then… please, go ahead.”
And just like that, a path miraculously opened toward the shelter. It felt like Moses parting the Red Sea. She was stunned by the miracle until she felt someone tug on her hand.
“Let’s go, Lucy.”
“Y-Yeah.”
As she and Astain began walking, a massive crowd followed. By the time the shelter came into view, the number had doubled from when they started.
Dizzy from the praise being hurled at her, Elluciana spotted Simon standing at the entrance to the shelter.
“Father!”
Overwhelmed with joy, she practically flew into his arms. Surprised, Simon embraced her, confused.
“Lucy. Wh-What are you doing here? Sir Ron, what is going on? Why is Lucy here? And you, Astain—”
“I apologize, my lord.”
“….”
Realizing the situation, Elluciana flinched. But it was only for a moment. She immediately snuggled deeper into Simon’s arms like a spoiled child.
“Don’t scold Sir Ron, Father. And Astain only followed me. But what could I do? I missed you soooo much today. Didn’t you miss me, too?”
Simon had been about to scold her—but her words made his expression melt.
“Of course I missed my daughter. But this place is a bit dangerous for you.”
“Dangerous? No way!”
Seizing the moment, Elluciana turned to the massive crowd behind her. Even she felt a cold sweat at the sight. But she smiled brightly and waved both hands.
A thunderous cheer erupted.
“Lady Lucy! You’re so beautiful!”
“Please visit often!”
Caught up in the applause, Elluciana’s smile grew even wider. She finally lowered her hands and looked proudly up at Simon.
“See? They really like me!”
“Aigo, my head… Alright, everyone, please calm down!”
Shaking his head, Simon quieted the crowd and led her into the shelter.
“You two wait here for a bit—Lucy, you too, Astain.”
“What about you, Father?”
“I still have work to do.”
“You mean the food distribution? I’ll help!”
“It’s not something that’ll be over quickly, Lucy.”
“I can still help! Please let me, Father!”
Simon hesitated, then gave in. He led all three of them toward the storage facility. When he unlocked the heavy padlock, an enormous warehouse appeared—something far beyond her imagination.
Elluciana’s smile vanished instantly.
“Th-This is the storage?!”
Her jaw dropped. The warehouse was large enough to fit an entire ship inside.
And the amount of grain stored was indescribably vast.
“Can you even call this just ‘a lot’?”
Her head throbbed. They distributed this much food every quarter? Every single year, without fail?
“Dear heavens. Are they insane? No matter how rich we are, this is just pouring money away! Are we… are we going to go bankrupt at this rate?!”
