Ch. 62
“Really? When are they coming?”
“I don’t know, but it seems like our group or the city guards are nearby.”
It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but it hadn’t been long since Undine left the room.
At most, maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
“I see. But…”
My eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness, and I could now clearly see Iruze’s silhouette.
I could even tell she was tilting her head in confusion.
There was a bit of light near the door, after all.
“Come to think of it, where are we?”
“…You were that relaxed without even knowing that?!”
“I was relaxed because I didn’t know.”
“We were kidnapped!”
“Oh, it’s my first time being kidnapped! My brothers have, though.”
As expected, Iruze was a bit odd. Her mental world was just on a different plane.
“So we were kidnapped for ransom?”
“I don’t think so. We were just snatched off the street—how would they know you’re from the Feiru family?”
“Huh? Then why?”
“To sell us off, probably…”
“Sell us where?”
“Yeah, where are they planning to sell us?”
Turns out they were this relaxed because neither of them had been thinking at all.
They were clearly delicate greenhouse flowers, completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
Especially Ash—he didn’t even seem to fully understand what being a slave meant.
From the way their eyes wandered, they were both unbelievably naïve.
“You two really are innocent. Listen—there are perverts out there… who like children.”
“Eeeek?!”
“B-But I’m a boy?”
“There are perverts who like young boys too.”
“Ma-Maybe you misunderstood something?”
Now they start shaking like leaves in the wind.
“What would you two have done without me?”
“…Been sold to a pervert?”
“Should I have mentioned my dad’s name?”
They looked like clueless puppies blinking at the world.
Today, I found myself sighing way too often.
“Anyway, Ash. Come over here and untie my wrist rope.”
“Huh? Oh. Okay…”
The reason I asked Ash was because Iruze still had her hands tied, but Ash seemed to be free.
Watching how obediently Ash followed instructions just reinforced my belief that he couldn’t possibly be a prince.
He had too much of a lackey vibe for that.
“Hey, your name’s Geenie, right?”
“Geenie Crowell.”
“Thanks, Geenie. If we get out of here, it’s all thanks to you.”
Yeah, sure. Call me whatever you want—Geenie or Genie.
“Mom always said people should be grateful.”
“…She must have been a good person.”
“Yeah.”
It was pretty dark, so Ash had a hard time untying the rope and kept fumbling around with my fingers. If this weren’t an emergency, it would’ve been a bit embarrassing.
Feeling his hair brushing under my chin, I murmured softly.
“Ash, when we get out of here—go home.”
“I will… to the forest.”
“Where exactly is that forest house? There are tons of forests, you know.”
“No, I can find it!”
“You really did leave without a plan, huh. That’s just foolish.”
Ash didn’t respond and kept fiddling with my hands.
Only to untie the rope, of course.
“You said your mom passed away, right? Then what are you going to do alone in the forest? There’s probably nothing left there.”
“There is…! There are memories with Mom…”
“Don’t you think your mom wanted you to live with your dad so you wouldn’t go hungry? To get a good education, and not be alone?”
That’s when it happened. The rope loosened, and my wrist was finally free.
I rotated my numb wrist and kept talking.
“Even knowing it’d be hard for you, she took you to that rich-looking dad of yours because she didn’t want to leave you alone. More than anything, she probably believed you could endure it. Don’t you think?”
“Maybe…”
“That’s what I think.”
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know what your mom felt, but… isn’t that what parents do? They want their children to grow stronger. To live a better life.”
Back in my previous life—now vanished into emptiness—I think that’s why I had to study so hard.
Because that was the best thing my parents could do for me.
Even if I didn’t want it, even if I hated it, they believed that enduring it would make me stronger later.
If I’d known how far I’d end up from those days, maybe I would’ve resisted a little less.
“I get it. The more impossible it is to return, the more you miss it.”
“…Yeah.”
“But the present is the present. You can’t return to that forest home.”
“But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do at Dad’s house.”
As I untied Iruze’s ropes, I shrugged.
“You said you have a lot of siblings, right? Watch how the one who gets spoiled the most behaves. Then do even better than that. If your goal is to get your dad’s attention, that is.”
“You think Dad will pay attention to me?”
“He probably will. The fact that he even took you in means there’s hope, doesn’t it?”
“…If I go back, I think I’ll get scolded. I ran away… and got kidnapped…”
What a total coward.
I ruffled Ash’s shoulder and taught him something.
“Think about it. If someone hits you, who’s at fault?”
“The one who hit?”
“And if you get kidnapped?”
“The kidnapper.”
“Exactly! The bad guy is the bad guy! It’s simple!”
“But Geenie, I ran away on my own…”
That part I can’t really help you with. Even if I’m a master of mental gymnastics.
Bang!
“Come out, you noisy brats!”
A loud stomp slammed against the iron door without warning.
Then a hulking man—massive even at a glance—pushed the heavy metal door open and stepped into the cell.
He was so large, the prison now felt cramped.
We froze in place from shock, and that’s when I finally saw Ash’s face clearly in the light pouring in from the open door.
No wonder I couldn’t make out his hair color—it was pitch black.
But his sun-like golden eyes, in sharp contrast, made it clear why Ash had been captured.
That eye color was incredibly rare in this world.
In my past life, maybe not—but in this world, it was the first time even I had seen such rare black hair.
And black hair was a symbol of the Elan royal family.
‘Don’t tell me this kid is actually…’
The slavers probably captured him just thinking his coloring was rare.
If they’d known he was a prince, they wouldn’t have dared lay a hand on him.
“Well now, not coming out?”
The man threatened us, but none of the kids moved. Being dragged out meant who knew what might happen next.
All I could do in that moment was desperately hope—
Undine, please come back soon!
“You’d better come out on your own.”
“N-No!”
It was Ash who shouted back.
That caught me off guard—especially because I thought he was a total coward.
“Hey. Drag them out.”
The first man who entered seemed to be the one in charge—he didn’t move, just gave orders.
Two more thuggish brutes stepped into the cell behind him.
With just those two, the cell already felt full, and the three of us were quickly cornered.
“Stay back! Don’t touch us!”
Ash, speaking as he stepped backward, was clearly terrified—it was written all over his face.
I tugged on his collar.
We were safer pretending to comply and stalling for time, rather than provoking them too much.
“Ash!”
“It’s okay. I-I’ll protect you.”
“…Just stay still, will you!”
What the hell is this guy doing, trembling like a leaf but trying to act all brave? That’s not what I meant! I was totally thrown off.
“Whoa now! You think we’ll just say ‘yes, sir’ and leave if you tell us not to come?”
“Pfft, look at him trying to act tough just ’cause he’s a boy.”
“Forget him. Grab the girls.”
“Which one? The pink-haired one or the blonde?”
“Both.”
In that moment, Iruze suddenly hugged me tight—and it was clear she was overflowing with fear.
