TFL 05

Chapter: 05

“I’m not an auntie. I’m only twenty-one.”

“Once you’re over twenty, you’re basically an auntie, anyway.”

The child wiped her mouth with a dirty sleeve and snorted softly.

‘Well, look at this little one.’

Daring to call me an auntie even though I’ve never even dated anyone?

“…Just call me ‘Noona’ [older sister]. Are you from this facility?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? There’s no way a kid like me would be around here.”

Six years old. Or maybe seven.

She was small for her age, but her sharp tongue rivaled that of an adult.

“Damn it, you’ve made a complete mess of yourself. Just for stealing a little soup.”

“…What did that person do to you earlier?”

“They dumped rotten meat broth all over me. This is the only set of clothes I have—I’m gonna die of regret.”

The child’s hair and clothes were soaked in a foul-smelling liquid, completely ruined.

From the bruises and marks scattered across her body, it seemed she had also been physically abused.

“Grab my hand and get up. There’s a well over there—we’ll wash you off.”

“I don’t need an auntie’s help. I can manage on my own…!”

“Don’t lie. You can barely stand up right now.”

Renia had experience treating all sorts of injuries while navigating the underworld.

Judging by her observation, the child had likely twisted her left ankle badly.

“Ugh, what’s wrong with my leg? I can’t move it.”

“Stay still for a moment. I’ll take a look.”

It was fortunate that she had brought some emergency medicine with her when visiting the temporary warehouse, just in case.

Kneeling down, Renia examined the child’s ankle thoroughly and let out a sigh of relief.

“Luckily, it doesn’t look broken. A simple treatment will help it heal quickly.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

Though she didn’t show it outwardly, the pain seemed intense.

Every time Renia touched the wound, the child trembled, barely holding back the pain.

‘Ugh, such a tiny thing, it’s pitiful.’

Seeing the child struggle to hold back tears reminded her of her own childhood, and she forced a wry smile.

“Here, little one. Ah, try this.”

“Huh?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Slurp.

The child’s eyes went wide as she swallowed an unfamiliar pill without noticing.

Compared to earlier, when she had been all grown-up and snappy, she now looked far younger and cuter.

“W-what did you just give me? It’s not poison, right?!”

“It’s an effective painkiller. One pill will reduce both swelling and pain.”

The medicine Renia gave her was made from rare ingredients and worked almost instantly.

As the child’s face relaxed visibly, Renia finally exhaled in relief.

Although hard to obtain, she had no regrets using it for this purpose.

“…Thank you.”

“What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”

“Hmph. I didn’t say anything.”

This adorable little thing.

The child puffed her cheeks and pouted, but when Renia reached out her hand, the hesitant child carefully took hold of her fingers.

‘Her hands are rough. She must have been forced to do so many harsh tasks…’

The adults who were supposed to protect her were exploiting her for their own purposes.

If this were Korea, she would have immediately reported it and had them thrown in jail—but unfortunately, this was an agrarian society where child labor was taken for granted.

‘If I were the typical protagonist from a fantasy novel, I’d probably turn this whole system upside down.’

But reality was cruel.

Changing the world alone was almost impossible.

Of course, if she were to win the empire’s largest audition for the heir to a ducal family, her status might improve somewhat. But to eliminate deep-rooted underworld practices, she’d need to be at least of royal rank.

“…Human hands are really warm. I never knew.”

The child, surprised by her own words, buried her head and blushed.

Had she never properly held hands with anyone before?

Renia forced herself to smile gently, not wanting to show her sadness.

“Alright, we’re here. Noona will wash you with water, so keep your eyes shut tight.”

“Okay. Got it.”

The child replied in a softened voice, and Renia carefully poured water over her, rinsing away the grime.

‘Wait… her hair color…’

At first, she thought it was ordinary brown hair.

But the more she rinsed, the more the hair shimmered like gold threads, tangling between Renia’s fingers.

“Such beautiful blonde hair. Truly stunning.”

“I hate my hair color. It’s like being bullied because of it.”

“…What do you mean bullied?”

“Blonde hair is only common among nobles. A kid like me having such fancy hair? Adults tend to hit you. They say it’s unlucky just to look at it.”

Being subjected to violence just for the color of her hair.

Her throat tightened at the thought that this child had to endure such absurdity alone.

“Hey, do you want to come with me? I can treat you much better than the people here.”

“Why would I trust an auntie like you? At least here I get one meal a day. I’ve been told that if I go outside, I’ll starve to death.”

No wonder she looked so thin for her age.

It seemed that even a single meal a day was an incredible luxury for this child.

Renia sighed softly and confidently held up three fingers.

“If you help me with my work, I’ll guarantee you at least three meals a day. Sometimes even snacks and late-night meals. How’s that?”

“…What kind of work is it that you offer such generous treatment? You’re not going to make me do something weird, are you?”

“You just need to stick by me and pretend to be my son. It won’t be difficult. I’ll let you wear nice clothes and eat good food.”

Even a child unfamiliar with the world would be suspicious of an offer that seemed too good to be true.

Seeing the drenched little one glare up at her, Renia decided to make an offer that couldn’t be refused.

“What I just mentioned is just welfare. If you come with me, I’ll pay you properly. I’m serious.”

“Pay me? How much?”

Even though young, her underworld origins couldn’t be hidden.

Renia handed the child gold coins, and her eyes sparkled.

“Fifty gold coins as a starting payment. When the work is done, I’ll give you ten times that. I promise you’ll never go hungry or be beaten. You have my word.”

At that moment, the child’s eyes lit up.

“Mom, what’s for dinner tonight?”

The little one’s quick change in attitude made Renia burst out laughing.

“You don’t have to call me ‘Mom’ yet. Just don’t call me ‘Auntie.’”

“You fool. You need to get used to saying things like this in advance. You’ve been running through the underworld so casually, and you didn’t know that?”

Yeah, you’ve got guts.

After washing the child and roughly drying her off, Renia headed toward the grim building that served as the director’s office.

She could have left right away, but she wanted to check if any documents about the child’s biological family remained.

As expected, the director shook his head, claiming there were no such papers, and demanded a large sum of money as ransom for the child.