WAYSOWD 08

Chapter 8

After the previous count and his wife died in a carriage accident, Noah’s uncle came to see him, wanting their money.

Noah once said the tea smelled nice, but his uncle laughed at him right away.

“Ha! So it’s true your family is ruined. You drink cheap tea that only commoners use and say it tastes good? Now I see your real level.”

His uncle took all the houses, mines, tree farms, and horse ranches that belonged to the old Count Lenister.

‘Noah’s uncle stole everything before Noah could sell it to pay debts.’

The uncle took all the money but left the family title, so all the debt became Noah’s problem.

Only about 40% of the debt was real, from the late count. The other 60% was fake, made with false papers from other families.

But the imperial palace helped the liars.

Inside the family, the uncle robbed them; outside, the palace did. In the end, Noah was forced to declare bankruptcy in his own name.

He was only nine years old. He was very smart, but escaping from the debts made by the palace was impossible.

Noah had to take all the blame, and as the Lenister family head, he heard endless mockery and hate.

I learned these facts only in my sixth life, from Noah himself. So I can’t act like I know them now.

“Count, are you the same? I don’t know much about tea either.”

Noah hesitated, but took a sip. His eyes went wide when he tasted the tea.

I poured more tea for him and spoke softly. The sound was clear.

“I think it’s okay to like something even if you don’t know much about it. Nobody knows everything from the start.”

If you have cultured parents, they teach you. If not, you must learn on your own.

“It’s not shameful to be awkward. Tea is just a matter of taste.”

If it’s not your job, it’s fine to be bad at it.

“…But I’m a noble.”

Noah bit his lip. I shook my head.

“Your job isn’t to drink tea, Count. You should work hard at your job and just enjoy the things you like.”

Trying to be perfect at everything is tiring. Noah looked tired.

In the end, you blame your surroundings—and then yourself.

No one taught Noah how to stand up without blaming himself.

‘He’s only fifteen.’

He became the family head at nine. Noah’s heart was stuck at that age.

He didn’t know, but I did, that he was still hurting inside.

I was like that too once. Even though I had parents and siblings, I was treated like a shadow.

My older brother was loved, but I was only my grandmother’s target for anger.

I stopped thinking about the past and smiled sadly.

“Not all nobles are good at everything. You probably have no one to rely on… That’s why you must be kind to yourself.”

There was a long silence.

I knew my words wouldn’t really reach Noah right now.

“Count.”

I put down the teapot and moved closer to Noah.

Carefully, I reached out and touched his perfectly combed black hair. He looked at me quietly, a boy acting like an adult.

“You’ve done well, Count. You ran without a break until now.”

I gently patted his black hair.

He looked like he needed comfort, so I reached out without thinking.

Noah did not push my hand away. He just sat there.

“It smells nice,” Noah finally said. His chest moved up and down, like he was finally letting out a breath.

He wrapped his hands around the teacup, as if trying to feel its warmth.

Noah woke up in a shabby room before sunrise.

Baron Rotten’s servant gave him this attic room. It was old, small, damp, and smelled musty. There was mold on the walls.

Yesterday’s teatime felt like a dream. Noah stared at his outstretched hand.

“Noah, listen. The debt from the last count is not your fault.”

She didn’t know Noah had already paid his father’s real debts. The new debts were false, made by the palace.

His uncle had stolen the last of the real family fortune before bankruptcy. With nothing left, Noah gave himself to the imperial palace—as a test subject.

There was an old rumor in the city.

They said the founder of Lenister had a special power to conquer the world.

Enoch Lenister, the Black Knight, took back the northern continent from monsters.

He helped King Arthur build a kingdom, which became an empire after a thousand years.

Over time, the Lenister blood thinned, and the power became just an old story.

But the imperial family wanted a war hero. That’s why, six years ago, they started a secret experiment called “Cheongmyeong.”

The first Lenister had very blue eyes, which shone on the battlefield and made enemies afraid.

Noah also had those blue eyes.

“Give me your son, Count. I’ll reward you. You can always have another heir.”

When his parents were alive, they refused the emperor’s offer. But after they died, no one could protect Noah.

His uncle kept pressuring him, and in the end, Noah joined the palace on his own. For five years, he suffered painful experiments.

The tests were cruel. Wise men studied and hurt him.

It was strange that Noah didn’t go crazy, but he barely held on.

The pain was so great, it swallowed all his emotions. Now, he could not feel fear, sadness, or loneliness.

As dawn broke, the golden sun touched Noah’s hand.

‘Strange.’

It felt strange. He didn’t know why.

When Solia’s soft hand touched his hair, Noah felt like he couldn’t breathe.

A feeling he couldn’t name rose up—relief, worry, and longing all mixed together.

“It’s not your fault, Noah. You worked so hard to survive—how could that be wrong?”

She said that with a faint smile, not knowing the truth.

Her blue eyes were kind—not mocking or judging.

She looked at him with real warmth.

Noah wanted to ask her, Which one is your real self?

He never cared about people. Everything he loved had left him, so he had no feelings, no interest, not even questions.

For him, the only choice was to follow orders and marry the baron’s daughter.

As the emperor’s test subject, Noah had to obey. The emperor chose the baron’s daughter for him.

Baron Rotten was of low status and no real power—a perfect pawn to use and throw away if needed.

Noah hoped Solia would not be a kind person, and kept delaying the marriage.

At their first meeting, she avoided him. At the second, she insulted him. That was easier for him.

But—

When they were alone, Solia changed. Her harsh words and proud attitude seemed fake.

“I’ll help you grow up, Noah. I’ll help you become an adult.”

Noah almost laughed at her words. She was only two years older but acted like an adult.

He wanted to brush her hand away, to say, Don’t act like you know me.

But when her gentle hand touched his hair, he stopped.

“You’ve done well, Count. You ran without a break until now. You can breathe easy in front of me.”

Noah let out a breath he’d been holding, almost like a survival instinct.

Comfort from someone else was strange. He hadn’t felt it in so long.

Knock, knock.

Noah pushed himself up from the old bed at the sound of knocking.

‘Is it Miss Rotten?’

His heart beat faster, and he looked at the door.

Creak. The door opened, and Noah felt disappointed. It was not Solia.

‘I shouldn’t have hoped.’

Noah hid his face and asked why the servant came.

“The young lady prepared breakfast. Please don’t be late.”

‘Miss Rotten called for me. I thought she forgot…’

The door closed. Noah put his hand on his chest. A pleasant warmth spread from his heart to his fingertips.