Chapter 31

Chapter 31

* * *

Heizel de Deitz was an ordinary young nobleman. He had a sizable inheritance awaiting him, and he had studied with moderate dedication. In most ways, he was unremarkable—except for the fact that he had a horrendous habit of committing sordid assaults, primarily against women. But he dismissed his occasional visits to the city watchhouse as being irrelevant—after all, a nobleman like him had no trouble bailing himself out.

“God, those women today were irresistible.”

He’d broken a woman’s bones while he’d been drunk. He’d driven his friend’s fiancée to suicide. He’d drugged innocent ladies at the cabaret so he could have his way with them. Apart from that, he lived a peaceful, happy life.

It’s a privilege to have been born an aristocrat, he thought to himself. However, a strange event had marred his otherwise tranquil life—his friend Percy’s suicide.

Is he a fool? With enough money, you can have any woman you want, but he killed himself because he couldn’t forget his fiancée? What’s so special about an impoverished wench, anyway? Heizel snickered.

Well, perhaps it’s for the best. Now I needn’t worry about Percy discovering what we did to that girl Eliza and exacting revenge on us. Talk about a weight off my mind. It was a relief that his friend had died in ignorance.

Those harlots are to blame for being of easy virtue. Tsk, tsk. He stepped into his carriage unburdened by guilt, but in the next moment, something had slithered in behind him. A gurgling sound was choked from his throat. He couldn’t breathe. A strong, rope-like entity had coiled around his neck.

Bam!

His head slammed into the carriage wall.

“Hello there,” a voice whispered from behind. The voice was enchanting, its tone soft and deep. “I’ve heard that you have quite the laundry list of crimes. Your friend told me all about you. I believe his name was Percy. You’ll soon be reunited with him in hell, so be sure to thank him for me.”

The man sneered as Heizel gasped for air.

“Your name is Heizel de Deitz. You’re a twisted man who violated and murdered a woman. Then you swept her death under the rug with hush money. You’ve assaulted numerous other women and are suspected of fifteen other similar crimes.”

Heizel’s body was spun around, bringing the choking boy face to face with the mysterious man.

“But look at you now. All tied up for me. Like a present,” the man continued. His handsome features gave him goosebumps. The man’s black hair and red eyes were as cold as the Grim Reaper.

I’ve seen his face somewhere before, Heizel thought. But wait, why can’t I move my tongue? What in the world have you done to me? He tried to yell, but not even his pinky finger twitched.

“Oh, you’re still alive. But you’ve been struck mute. Now, shall I begin my meal?”

“Mmph… Mmm!” Heizel desperately crawled across the carriage’s floor.

“Food tastes better when it’s fresh, you see. Ah, but this might hurt a little. That’s all right, isn’t it?”

Heizel’s head snapped back as the tether around his neck was yanked harshly, like a dog on a chain.

“Seeing as how you lived like a churlish brute, it seems only fair that you should die like one,” the man postulated as he reeled the boy’s body closer. “I now have a daughter, so I have decided to prioritize hunting bastards like you. I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Kallen de Lewelton. It is a mercy that you should know the name of the man who will kill you, so remember it.”

Kallen set his foot to Heizel’s neck and leaned his weight into it. He ground his shoe into his flesh.

“I’ll kill you soon, but don’t worry about your friends being left out of the fun. I shall snatch them up and take my time toying with them.”

A black snake emerged from Kallen’s hand.

“Baal,” he whispered.

A dark magician’s black snake can absorb the mana of those who are dying to grow stronger.

“Enjoy your meal.”

The boy trembled as the snake pierced Heizel’s throat until he took his last breath.

I’m in such a pleasant mood now that I’m full. The mana that could be scavenged from dying bodies was always so sweet. Kallen lightly brushed the dust from his hands and turned toward Dr. Sibel’s Laboratory, where his beloved daughter Leticia was being tested to determine whether she was a genius. He refused to keep her waiting any longer. A gentleman’s basic principle was to use his time wisely, especially on a tight schedule.

* * *

Kallen walked into the laboratory in a good mood, only to be met with Leticia bursting into tears at the sight of him.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I’m not a genius,” she said, gasping for breath between tears.

Kallen froze for a moment.

She’s a lovely child, but sometimes I don’t know what to do with her. Perhaps she was gifted in magic and cast spells to pluck at his heartstrings like a violin. Following the test, Kallen took his gifted daughter to a cafe. He was prepared to order every cake on the menu when Leticia adamantly shook her head, her cheeks puffed up like freshly risen bread. She always looked so serious when she was attempting to reel in his behavior.

“I can’t eat all of that, Your Grace. One slice of chocolate cake is plenty.”

“Are you quite sure?”

Leticia paused and pursed her lips in thought. Then she slowly raised two fingers. “I exercised my brain a lot today, so maybe two slices?”

Kallen suppressed a laugh. Unbelievable. She’s so adorable that I could eat her up, he thought.

“What’s wrong, Your Grace?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Kallen summoned the cafe clerk and ordered every dessert containing chocolate.

Leticia’s eyes started to sparkle as the sweet-smelling cakes piled up in front of her: A cake garnished with cookies, gâteau au chocolat dusted with a generous heap of powdered sugar, and a brownie topped with ice cream. She gulped and stared at the mountain of delectable desserts.

“Dig in,” Kallen said.

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Leticia quietly began munching her way through the cakes, but then looked up at the duke. “By the way…”

“Yes?”

“Where did you go while I was taking the test?”

Kallen tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, your cheeks are slightly flushed, and you seem to be in a good mood. Your cravat is also tied differently than usual, or at least different from the way Sion ties them. He’s very skilled at tying both ribbons and cravats.”

The sun shone through the windows of the cafe. Kallen smiled faintly as he watched his daughter speak, a smear of cream smudged on the corner of her mouth, surrounded by chocolate delicacies.

How is she simultaneously cute and perceptive? She was right. His clothes had become disheveled during his work, and he’d had no choice but to attempt righting them on his own. But despite his admiration for Leticia’s intellect, he had to fabricate an excuse. He cast a thoughtful glance to the side.

“I was out meeting a new friend,” he finally said.

“A new friend?”

“That’s right. I only stopped by to say hello.”

“Should I say hello to them, too?”

Kallen stared at Leticia, then shook his head. “No,” he said softly, “I won’t be able to meet with them again.”

Leticia’s fork stopped in front of her mouth. “Pardon?”

“We weren’t very close, to begin with. It was nice to see them one last time, though.”

Leticia bit down on her fork and mumbled, “I suppose even adults struggle with friendships.”

Kallen stared out the window behind her. A large group of police officers had gathered.

They must have found Heizel’s body. Suddenly, I’m grateful that the kingdom has a low arrest rate. There were many unexplained deaths in the kingdom, and strange events occurred constantly under the shroud of night. The kingdom suited Kallen, particularly the capital, for this reason. And the most fascinating part of the capital was that it was here he discovered his new source of joy, one he could never have imagined—his daughter, with pinkish blonde hair that glistened like strawberries, snowy cheeks that flushed to rosy red, and perfect green eyes. The mysterious child who had unexpectedly walked into his life and rekindled the human emotions that only his mother had provoked in him before.

“You know, Leticia…” Kallen began as he stared at his daughter, the person who had become the apple of his eye. “I truly am quite fond of you.”

He adored everything about her—her mysterious personality, her puzzling cleverness, and even her slightly suspicious behavior—as if she were his biological daughter. Leticia’s eyes widened.

“I hope you stay exactly the way you are,” Kallen said.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re already perfect. You needn’t change a thing about yourself.”

Leticia’s eyes glowed before she averted her gaze. “Thank you, but hearing such things makes me feel embarrassed.”

Kallen grinned. “I’ll say anything to make you happy, even if it’s embarrassing.”

“Well, I’m glad Your Grace is in a good mood.”

How strange. I never felt this way when Jade was growing up, Kallen thought to himself, smiling. But when will she start calling me “Daddy”?

Aside from his daughter’s insistence on addressing him by his noble title, it was a perfect afternoon.

* * *

I had a lovely time at the cafe. There was no better way to lift your spirits than to eat a bellyful of chocolate and send your heart racing. When Kallen and I walked outside, an unexpected person appeared before us.

“Good afternoon, Your Grace.”

“Sion!” I squealed at the man waiting for us by the carriage.

“Are you here to take us home?”

“Yes, my lady. Please step in.”

For some reason, he was smiling with a gentler expression than usual.

What’s going on? I tilted my head curiously, but then noticed that Jade was sitting inside the carriage.

“Jade! Why are you here? Is it a special occasion?”

“I’ve simply come to retrieve you,” he said calmly, setting his chin on the window frame.

That’s weird. Are we going somewhere? Once everyone had settled inside the carriage, we started down the road. I looked around, bewildered by the faint smiles each of them wore.

It’s cold. The carriage suddenly passed the opening of the back alley where I used to live. Every time I come near here, an unseen chill wraps around my body.

Huh? I was shivering, rubbing my arms to warm them when I noticed something strange outside the window.

“Wait!” I yelled in surprise.

The carriage began to slow.

This is the back alley where I once lived… When we came to a halt, I quickly clambered out of the carriage. Kallen and Sion leisurely followed behind. My eyes widened at the sight before me.

It’s so different. My home, the street where I used to live, has completely changed. The house of the family who had turned a blind eye when we dug through their garbage, the warehouse where the children would huddle tightly to warm our frozen hands and feet. Everything was gone. The houses had been demolished and in their place stood a single structure, with a sign hanging somewhere in the middle.

Lae, a Refuge for Children

I held my breath, unable to believe what I was seeing.