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Chapter 2 –
I Found Kiara
The original novel’s plot was simple and painfully cliché.
If I had to describe it with keywords, it would be something like sweet romance, healing, and family regret.
The hero and heroine, each carrying wounds of their own, met at the Imperial Palace’s debutante ball.
They were drawn to each other.
After countless twists and turns, they finally confirmed their feelings.
Naturally, there was someone who stood in the way of their happiness.
That person was Kiara.
Kiara developed an inferiority complex toward the heroine.
The most obvious reason was their hair.
The heroine had soft pink hair like spun cotton candy.
Kiara’s own hair was a striking crimson that almost hurt to look at.
The hair before my eyes was that very same shade of red.
‘What are the odds of this?’
I stared blankly at the tiny figure crouching beneath the bench.
Then I quickly came to my senses.
‘No.’
‘Don’t jump to conclusions.’
Kiara did have vivid red hair and brilliant golden eyes.
But possessing those features alone didn’t prove this child was her.
I cautiously approached the bench.
Stopping about two meters away, I saw a child shivering in thin clothes.
She was painfully thin from hunger.
She didn’t look even ten years old.
“Um… excuse me, little lady?”
The red-haired child flinched.
She jerked her head up from where she’d been staring at the ground.
Her wide eyes were filled with wariness.
‘I’ve never dealt with a child before.’
Every younger person I’d ever interacted with, in both my previous life and this one, had been biology students at university.
Even then, more than half of them had actually been older than me.
I at least knew I should lower myself to her eye level.
I awkwardly bent my knees and crouched in front of her.
Resting my hands on my knees, I searched for the right words.
I was painfully aware of how awkward I looked.
“I’d like to talk with you.”
“Could you tell me your name?”
“…My name?”
“You resemble someone I know.”
“I thought… just in case.”
Only after saying it did I realize how much I sounded like a kidnapper.
A few people on the otherwise empty platform began staring at me.
The child remained silent.
Then, with naturally sharp eyes, she quietly examined me from head to toe.
Despite her ragged appearance, she was an adorable child.
Her luxurious crimson hair reached down her back.
Her golden eyes shone like captured sunlight.
Her clothes were worn out, and her pale skin was scratched and bruised.
Even so, her uniquely upturned eyes were impossible to ignore.
‘If this really is Kiara…’
‘Then this is exactly what one of the novel’s main characters would look like.’
Apparently finishing whatever calculation she was making, the child looked straight at me.
“What will you give me if I tell you?”
Goodness.
She already understood that nothing in the world came for free.
Perhaps because I’d heard informal speech from Hernan far too often, I wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest.
Besides, I habitually spoke politely to everyone anyway.
I thought for a moment about what I could offer her.
Fortunately, I had something appropriate to exchange for a name.
I hesitated for only a brief moment before making my decision.
“Do you have anywhere you’re staying?”
The child shook her head.
I expected as much.
“Then I’ll support you.”
“I can even become your guardian.”
“In exchange for your name, I’ll offer you a place to stay and warm meals.”
By “a place to stay,” I meant my townhouse in the capital.
That was right.
I decided to abandon my plan to leave for the Jonas territory today.
I couldn’t leave a child on the freezing streets.
Whether she was Kiara or not.
That didn’t mean I intended to break the promise I’d made to Hernan.
I still planned to return to my family’s territory and never come back.
‘A few days’ delay won’t matter.’
I had already made that decision the moment I spoke to her.
“We don’t need to take a train.”
“My house is on Jules Street, not far from here.”
The child frowned.
“Jules Street is where nobles live.”
“Why would a noble make an offer like that to me?”
‘Is she really not even ten years old?’
She was so cautious that she reminded me of one of the Empire’s diplomats.
I knew my offer sounded excessive.
Flustered, I searched for another explanation.
“Like I said, you reminded me of someone I know.”
“But more than that…”
“Seeing a child all alone caught my attention.”
She looked like she’d been living on the streets for a long time.
That alone made my heart ache.
Most of all…
“Your rose-colored hair is beautiful.”
……
“Does that answer your question?”
The child said nothing.
She simply lowered her gaze back to the ground.
‘Even I think that excuse sounded rather forced.’
“It’s not unusual for noble families to sponsor children they happen to notice.”
“You simply happened to catch my eye.”
“I want to help you.”
I could easily afford to care for one child from the slums.
There was no urgent reason for me to rush to the Jonas territory.
‘As long as I don’t run into Hernan.’
Yes.
As long as I didn’t meet Hernan in the capital.
I had boldly declared I was leaving.
Surely a slight delay wouldn’t matter.
It wasn’t as though Hernan would personally come and chase me out.
‘…Though he’d probably laugh at me.’
The child hugged her knees tighter.
Her fingers fidgeted nervously.
Follow a complete stranger…
Or refuse.
Anyone would hesitate.
If someone suddenly appeared and offered food and shelter in exchange for nothing more than your name, I’d hesitate too.
But unfortunately…
Or perhaps fortunately…
I already knew.
“Kiara.”
“My name is Kiara.”
She couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand away from mine.
I canceled my train ticket.
I sent a message to my aide, who had already departed for the territory, informing him I’d be delayed.
I could vividly imagine him crushing the letter in fury.
Still, what could he do when he was already so far away?
Holding my hand, Kiara followed me while looking around in complete disbelief.
I learned something new that day.
A child wearing a winter cape and pouting was unexpectedly adorable.
I was glad I’d spent so much time choosing it.
“Where are we going?”
“Like I told you, my townhouse on Jules Street.”
“…You own a mansion?”
“Technically, it belongs to my family.”
“We’re fortunate enough that I can grant just about anything Miss Kiara might wish for.”
To prove it, while waiting for our carriage, I bought nearly every dessert I could find along Dessert Street.
“After we’ve had a proper meal, I’ll give these to you for dessert.”
“Is that all right?”
“Can I eat them now…”
“No.”
……
That was how we eventually arrived at my townhouse in the capital.
‘Spicy food isn’t good on an empty stomach.’
I led Kiara through the front entrance.
We waited in the entrance hall.
Moments later, the butler came rushing over.
The elderly man, with his magnificent white beard, was breathing heavily.
He looked utterly bewildered.
“Lady Fidelia.”
“I was certain you’d already departed for the territory.”
“Why have you returned?”
“Well…”
“Just before boarding the train, I met someone I thought would benefit from my sponsorship.”
“So I’ve decided to remain here a little longer.”
“Someone to sponsor…”
The butler naturally looked toward Kiara beside me.
His puzzled expression suddenly brightened.
“Ah!”
“Could this possibly be the young lady you’ve been searching for all this time—”
“Shh!”
I hurriedly cut him off.
Looking down, I saw Kiara completely distracted by the enormous mansion.
Thankfully, she hadn’t heard.
“She’s not the person Pippin mentioned.”
“Let’s not bring that up again.”
The old butler, Pippin, looked deeply wronged.
His face practically screamed, But she obviously is.
Then again, how common was a child with rose-red hair and radiant golden eyes?
During my time in the capital, I’d worked both my butler and my aide to exhaustion searching for Kiara.
They knew every one of her distinguishing features.
“It’s cold outside.”
“Come inside, Kiara.”
……
Pippin now looked completely dumbfounded.
His expression clearly said, Even her name is Kiara.
I ignored him.
It happened some time ago.
As usual, I attended a banquet where Hernan was present and spent time with him.
To escape the people constantly bothering him, Hernan retreated onto the terrace.
I followed.
Leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, he simply allowed me to stay beside him.
Perhaps he’d already given up trying to chase me away.
Or perhaps he was simply too tired to bother.
Once, I’d asked him if I wasn’t annoying too.
He replied that if I wanted to be thrown out, he’d gladly do it.
I wisely kept my mouth shut after that.
Even so, I knew he enjoyed our pointless little jokes, at least a little.
“Hernan.”
……
“May I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
Resting his chin on one hand, Hernan turned toward me.
In the darkness lit only by the banquet hall’s glow, his eyes resembled the deep blue sea.
Those were the moments when I inevitably fell in love with him all over again.
“Do you like children?”
I asked the question because of the heroine of this world.
From time to time, I found myself thinking about the events that would unfold far in the future.
And whenever I did, I also remembered Hernan’s predetermined fate.
His role in the novel was simple.
He was the noble man who rescued and cared for the heroine when she was still a child.
Then he died young.
A tragic figure whose life ended long before the story truly began.
I knew all of that would happen.
What I didn’t know was when.
‘I have to end this love before that day comes.’
