If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 4
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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She had heard about the brown-haired squire before. It was highly unusual for the Kristin Order to accept such a young boy as a squire. Originally, the Kristin Order did not recruit squires separately, and the knights who joined as apprentices brought their own squires to fulfill that role.
Moreover, he was an orphan from a fallen family, even if he came from a small Viscounty family in the countryside. It was an unprecedented event for an orphan with no connections to enter the Kristin Order without any backing.
The Duke, however, had taken him in out of pity. Agatha remembered that some of the knights had grumbled about how strange it was for Duke Kristin, who wasn’t known for acting out of sympathy, to do such a thing.
Agatha’s interest in the squire had nothing to do with the rumors circulating among the knights. She was simply fascinated by the fact that a boy not much older than herself was following her father around.
She had seen him from a distance as he accompanied her father to the estate. His uncommon brown hair had caught her attention, and they had made eye contact several times during their brief encounters.
However, those brief encounters were the extent of their interactions. There was no further connection between them.
“It’s raining, Your Ladyship.”
I know, Agatha muttered inwardly as the rain began to fall.
Swoosh…
Cain continued to whisper a few more words, but they were drowned out by the sound of the rain.
“…So, so…”
“…I will. Certainly.”
Agatha couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she didn’t inquire further. She remained motionless.
Seeing that Agatha didn’t respond, Cain removed his outer cloak and draped it over her head. He stooped down, perhaps to tie the cord, and now Agatha could hear his words clearly.
“I will protect you, Your Ladyship.”
He definitely said that. “I will protect you.”
Agatha wanted to ask him why he would protect her, but the question only circled in her mind. She had no strength to voice it aloud.
Ridiculous. Who are you to protect me?
The raindrops intensified, and her voice faded away.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Imperial year 515, December.
Stella’s displeasure fell. Agatha immediately jumped up from her seat.
“Kristin!”
Her sharp cry pierced through the air. Thump, thump, thump. Stella’s footsteps, filled with anger, drew closer.
“Kristin!”
Before the door had fully opened, a flushed Stella burst into the room. Agatha quickly pushed the book she had been holding to one side of the table and took a step back.
She wondered what made her angry today. Stella’s hands, as wrinkled as her red lips, crumpled something as she scanned the bedroom with her piercing eyes.
“When did I ever allow you to write such a letter?”
Ah, Agatha inadvertently let out a short sigh and bit her lip. She had sent a letter secretly to the maidservants without Stella’s knowledge, but it seemed that her actions had been discovered.
“I am your guardian. You can’t do anything without my permission. How many times do I have to say it?”
“…I’m sorry, Aunt.”
At times like this, she must apologize first and then see what happens. The longer she resist, the more Stella’s anger grows.
“Sorry? You say sorry when you know you did something wrong.”
Stella began to look around, searching for something. She was looking for a whip. Agatha swallowed her nervous breath.
“Please, I’m sorry, Aunt. Please don’t be angry. I was just curious about where Charlotte went…”
She pleaded desperately, but it was already clear that her pleas wouldn’t work. Today, she would endure the punishment again. Agatha’s lips turned pale blue as she anticipated the imminent pain.
For a 10-year-old noble girl who had lost her family in an instant and was left alone, the need for someone to care for her was profound. According to imperial law, without a single testament and haven’t participated in the coming-of-age ceremony, she couldn’t inherit the family estate.
But at her young age, marrying to continue the family legacy was not an option for Lady Kristin.
And so, there was an urgent need in the Kristin family for someone who could properly manage their assets.
If no suitable person emerged, the family would disappear into the annals of history as just another sentence, a dire situation.
In this crisis, it was Agatha’s aunt who appeared to help. She had never seen this aunt before, the one who had come forward and said, “I will be your mother and father.”
At first, that was all she thought it was.
