Chapter 16
Golden eyes gazing up at her. He was a child with an innocent face despite having the facial features of a man.
This Suin child, who had been crying, held onto her skirt in the Wizard"s store. Soon, he fell asleep, most likely exhausted.
Not knowing where to let the boy peacefully sleep, Raylene eventually ordered her servants to first carry him back to her house.
Later that evening, she spoke to the child again when he"d woken up.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes.” The Suin child gently nodded.
He then looked away, due to shyness and awkwardness, and maybe even shame.
Looking at his handsome face, Raylene wanted to cover him in fluffy blankets and parade him around.
She felt like she was losing her mind because he looked like those innocent, cute school boys from an anime.
He was like the main character of a Korean drama. That kind of character style! The boy was now looking at her with a sheepish smile.
“Do you have a place or family to go back to?”
The Suin child, who was sitting on the sofa, was startled when she said that and shook his head.
“Heuk.” The boy hiccuped.
The maids squealed. Raylene fully understood what they were thinking.
That simple act was so cute and lovely!.
“Has my master changed now?” The Suin asked after a few moments.
She didn"t understand what he meant. While pondering his question, she saw his golden eyes flicker a few times.
He showed no remorse or negative feelings as if he had asked something simple.
“What do you mean your master is changing?”
“You bought me for a large amount of money.”
His small smile was so lovely.
Yet the way he smiled was not genuine. He was smiling at Raylene to look good, like he was an obedient slave.
Raylene looked at Becky hoping she could help, but Becky had already left to finish her other tasks.
“I just saved you from that horrid man. I"m not your master.”
His mouth was agape as he looked at me. His eyes were filled with questions.
How long has he been living such a h.e.l.lish life, that he refuses not to be enslaved?
“Now I would like you to live however you"d like. If you want to go somewhere, just go.”
His expression of doubt changed into confusion. He looked at my face for a while, then looked at his hands.
His gaze went further down and was focused on his feet. He looked like he was trying to spot something, even though there was nothing constraining him, unlike before.
I had no intention of detaining him or enslaving him.
There were people around me who did in fact keep slaves, but there was no reason for me to do so.
I felt disgusted by those who forced people into slavery.
“I have nowhere to go. There"s nowhere for me to go.” the boy cried out.
The confusion seemed to have filled him. There was no joy in his sad, empty eyes.
Haven"t you ever thought of living the life of your dreams? A life where everything was finally peaceful and just marvelous?
He stood up from where he was seated.
“W-what are you doing?!”
The boy was lowering to the ground. He kneeled down and put his hands forward before bowing like a dog.
I hurriedly stood up from my seat and sat down before him, trying to lift him back up.
But his stone-hardened body did not move an inch.
“I have nowhere to go. Please don"t let me leave your side.”
I could feel his body shaking along with his hands.
“Let me serve you as your master. If it"s you that has become my master, then I am fine. It"s okay because you saved my life. Please let me serve you forever.”
I could feel the tears swelling in my eyes.
He must be so alone in this world. This little boy. I guess he has no other place to go. He doesn"t have anyone to rely on, and no reason to live.
That"s why he wanted to hold onto my cheap sympathy with grat.i.tude.
“Let me stay by your side. Please-.”
His quivering voice was pitiful and desperate. Oh, how my heart ached.
“Get up now, and look at me.”
He lifted his body again with force in his hands and rose up.
Still, his knees were bent and his frozen visage was covered in tears.
Why was he crying? Why was this boy hanging on to me? Why did my sympathy become something that was used against me by this… this man??
What kind of life have you been through, boy?
Whatever the reason was, it occurred to me that it wouldn"t be safe for him to wander around all alone. It would be best to look after him, just for a short while.
”If you don"t have anywhere to go, you can stay here until you want to. It doesn"t matter.”
Well, I did have a lot of money at home. Surely it would be alright if we had just one more soldier?
His eyes glistened with joy at my words. The tears that had been flowing stopped.
“Is it okay if I stay by your side? What should I do? I"ll do everything I can! What should I do first?” he bombarded me with questions.
“You don"t have to do anything. Just eat well and rest well.”
He looked at me with a perplexed expression.
“Is there nothing I can do?”
“No, for now, don"t cry. Eh?”
“I"m sorry. I"m sorry if I cried. I"m sorry if I"m useless.”
I wondered if the tears had barely stopped, but I for sure internally shed some tears again.
I mean, it wasn"t that he was useless, but it seems he took my words close to heart.
I didn"t even know what to say.
Holding his cheek with one hand and holding a handkerchief with one hand, I gently wiped away his tears.
I was surprised when my hand touched his face, but he accepted my hands with no hesitation.
“I"m not saying that you are useless…”
I have never seen someone cry.
Holding his face and wiping his tears away with dexterity, I could see what it was like to burst into tears.
Ah… What should I say?
I didn"t want anything from him. I myself had a hard time in my previous life, and now I didn"t know how to react to someone else with my old sufferings. I didn"t bring him here for that—.
Besides, what if I made you do something slightly dangerous and you get a scar on your fine, smooth face! What if you were hurt somewhere? What if someone hurts you?!
“Stay by my side!” I declared.
“—What?”
“That"s all you have to do! Just stay by my side!”
I didn"t know what to exactly do anymore. First, I"ll just rejoice, I"d be happy to see his angelic face every day.
With what I said, he looked at me with his eyes wide open.
“Always stay by my side, be healthy, and find what you really want to do. That"s all you have to do.” I affirmed.
“—Is that enough? Is it alright?”
His expression in his face looked like he was saying- "Can I stay here if I only do things like that?"
Even though he already knew my answer to that.
To be able to stay on someone"s side, to find what you wanted to do. Where is the difficulty in that?
“Yes, that"s enough. That"s what you"ll do for me.”
He nodded his head. Immediately, he stopped crying.
Things were calmer now, but why did I feel threatened? I feel like I"ve been humiliated in the world of beauty…
“And now don"t cry. A natural smile is much prettier! It looks good on you.”
“Is it nice to see me smile?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
He laughed.
His golden eyelashes slightly fluttered as he beamed with happiness. His vivid coral red lips curled upwards.
“I"ll always smile from now on.”
I felt my face heat up as I accidentally dropped the handkerchief.
It was clearly different from the smile I made. He was really handsome when he smiled.
“Master?”
“I don"t have to be your master either. In fact, I"m not your master.”
I saw him clasp the fallen handkerchief and then kindly handed it back to me.
I reached out my hand to receive the handkerchief. My hands barely brushed against his. Every time my hands touched him, he always looked surprised. Even the small contact with the man was enough to make him gasp.
But, what was the relationship between me and him then? I didn"t think we were friends. Was it more proper to say I was his guardian?
“I"m just someone who protected you. So maybe I"m like your mother or older sister—?”
“Then can I call you sister, or maybe mother?”
M-my heart hurts! You really won"t spare my heart today, huh boy?
So I guess this was my type of style. Secretive mommy stimulation style?
“You can call me by my name. My name is Raylene. From now on, call me Raylene.”