Chapter – 46
Walking down a narrow alley reeking of filth, I finally located the source of the sound.
I opened a door that looked like it might collapse any moment, and as soon as I stepped inside, I had to cover my nose with the edge of my cloak to block a stench different from ordinary garbage.
Passing through a kitchen-cum-living room devoid of any warmth, I entered a single room and found a baby wailing loudly on a thin blanket.
Beside the baby lay a woman, presumably its mother, motionless on the floor.
It was a miracle the baby was still alive.
“Don’t cry.”
I picked up the newborn and gently patted them, and the crying stopped almost immediately.
“What should I do with you…”
I had just taken care of an elderly man recently, and now it was a newborn. Unlike my respect for the long-lived elder, it pained me to see a baby, who hadn’t yet lived a proper life, facing death.
Perhaps it was because this might be my last chance that my heart softened.
No matter how desperately I live, my end is always death. Unlike the inevitable death that comes to everyone, the death approaching me has always been unfair.
No matter how hard I try to survive, I cannot live longer than the predetermined time.
“But you are different. You will live for a very long time.”
I wrapped the baby in a relatively clean cloth I found in the room and held them inside my cloak.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
Once we get to the mansion, the maids will take care of you.
Fortunately, the baby smiled gently, and I quickly left the filthy, cramped alley.
There was no one to pick a fight, and just as I was about to leave the slums safely, someone called out to me.
“Miss Leveillean?”
Ah, my luck never fails.
Even wearing far shabbier clothes than usual and with filth on my hood, I ran into the Crown Prince.
I had no choice but to stop, remove my hood, and bow.
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
Waaah!
At that moment, the baby woke up and began wailing loudly.
“Shh, you need to be quiet.”
I tried to calm the baby as the Crown Prince watched curiously. Reluctantly, I took the baby out from inside my cloak.
“Is this a child from the slums?”
“Yes. I happened upon them and am bringing them to the mansion.”
“And the child’s parents?”
“I didn’t see the father, and unfortunately, the person presumed to be the mother was found dead. There is no sign anyone had been there, so it would be difficult to find the father. That is why I brought the child with me.”
Thankfully, the baby seemed to dislike the Crown Prince even more than me and cried even louder. But since he would not harm the baby, I didn’t feel uneasy.
“Why is the child suddenly crying so much?”
“Perhaps because they were warm in the cloak and now are out of it.”
At the Crown Prince’s gesture, I held the baby back inside the dark cloak, and soon the baby seemed to fall asleep again.
I wanted to leave, but since the Crown Prince hadn’t told me to, I quietly remained. Lowering my gaze, he asked:
“I understand the Leveillean family does charitable work for the poor, but why are you wandering through the slums yourself?”
“There is no particular reason.”
Even if I gave an answer, he would surely find fault with it, so I kept my reply brief.
“No particular reason?”
“Yes.”
The Crown Prince frowned.
“You wear a cloak splattered with filth, touch dirty rags… and you aren’t bothered?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve never heard that you behave like this. Do you hide it from others?”
“There’s no need to reveal it.”
“Ha.”
As expected, the Crown Prince laughed, looking exasperated.
“Ha… ha ha. Why do I even…”
What insult was he planning this time?
Suppressing a gag, I stood there while the Crown Prince sighed and gave an order to the nearby knight.
“Escort Miss Leveillean home safely.”
“Your Majesty, I appreciate it, but I—”
“It’s an order.”
I immediately bowed. At a time like this, adding any more words would only result in harsh words.
“I am grateful for Your Majesty’s generosity.”
The knight who stepped forward was Sir Milt Belland, who had escorted me before.
“Thank you.”
When I smiled faintly, the Crown Prince’s face contorted. Right, he particularly disliked when I smiled.
“Miss Leveillean, the other day I—”
I quickly hardened my expression and lowered my gaze, and the Crown Prince fell silent.
Kicking the ground a few times, he muttered softly before leaving:
“See you at the Crown Princess selection.”
The Crown Princess selection? Did I hear that correctly?
The Crown Prince likely expected my family to participate, not that he intended to make me his consort.
I would not participate.
The selection process could end in a few months or sometimes take half a year.
By the time I became a final candidate and was about to be chosen as the Crown Princess, I would always die.
No matter how the selection proceeded, the Emperor always tried to forcibly include me, and unwilling to die, I always escaped somehow.
The best strategy was to distance myself from the selection from the beginning.
That way, I would meet the Crown Prince less frequently during the process.
“Sir, please wait here for a moment.”
Since I hadn’t used my family’s carriage, I needed to take a shared carriage and change out of my filthy cloak.
While buying a new cloak, I also bought a soft scarf to wrap the baby.
Belland, observing me holding the baby wrapped in the scarf after changing, said quietly:
“You are a very kind person, Miss.”
“Thank you for saying so. I am simply doing what I can.”
When I smiled, Belland’s cheeks reddened.
We boarded a shared carriage. People inside stared at us.
Waaah!
The baby woke from the carriage’s movement and cried, but I soothed them, and they quickly calmed down.
An outgoing lady, noticing the baby, spoke.
“Are you a married couple?”
Denying it here would only invite more questions.
I smiled quietly under my hood. Everyone’s eyes lit up as they looked Belland over from head to toe.
“The husband is tall and handsome.”
“Uh, well…”
Belland blushed at the comment, but I didn’t deny it and remained silent.
One by one, people left the carriage, and at the terminus, a carriage sent by Ted was waiting.
“Excuse me, Sir. I think you should accompany me to the Leveillean mansion and then return.”
“That’s natural. Escorting you safely to your mansion is my duty, Miss.”
Belland and I sat facing each other. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked softly:
“Earlier, why did you not deny being a married couple?”
“If I denied it, people would ask even more questions. Surprisingly persistent, it’s easier to stay quiet.”
“I see…”
Belland nodded in understanding. Fortunately, he was taciturn and didn’t speak further.
“Thank you for escorting me again today, Sir Belland.”
“You remembered my name.”
“Of course. I would love to invite you to a meal, but you must return to the palace, correct?”
Belland nodded with a smile.
“Instead, may I send an invitation to a party I will host next time?”
“It would be an honor.”
He lightly tapped his left chest twice with his fist and reboarded the carriage he had just left.
“As for me, I will see you next time, Miss.”
As the carriage moved, I immediately headed inside.
Upon entering the main hall, I came face to face with my mother.
“Roa!”
The baby, sensing her voice, wailed loudly from inside my cloak.
“What… what is this?”
I revealed the baby, and my mother’s eyes widened as she examined them.
“Is this someone you know’s child?”
“No. It’s an orphan whom I happened to bring along.”
“‘Happened to’?…”
Though taking care of a single baby was not a difficult task, my mother muttered under her breath.
Then she suddenly sniffed me.
“More importantly, what have you been doing to smell like this, Roa?”
Seeing my mother’s expression as if about to impose another confinement order, I quickly took a step back.
“The gem artisans from the East will be arriving soon, so I need to check the arrangements with them.”
I handed the baby to a maid and hurried to my room as if fleeing.
