After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 10

“I am not sick anymore, Mother.”

Ayla called out with confidence.

Every winter she had suffered from harsh colds, but right now she was truly fine. She wanted her mother to believe her.

But her mother’s expression turned cold.

“Ayla, I already told you no.”

She struck Ayla’s small hand away with a sharp slap. The thick ring on her finger scratched across the delicate skin of Ayla’s hand, leaving a red mark.

“Stay quietly in the annex where no one will see you.”

Her eyes were filled with irritation and disgust.

Ayla could no longer pretend not to notice that her mother hated her. That look made it painfully clear.

Her mother stepped into the carriage with a cold air about her. Shuelle, dressed neatly and carefully, followed behind, holding her hand.

Everything about that moment moved slowly. Every detail from that day remained burned in Ayla’s memory. That was the day she was left completely alone once again.

One day, the maid who had been assigned to the western annex was replaced.

The new maid barely tried to hide her annoyance at having to walk all the way there. As time went on, she visited less and less. Eventually, there were days when she never came at all.

Unable to stand the hunger any longer, Ayla sneaked quietly into the main house. Just as she did, she heard footsteps and quickly slipped into the open laundry room to hide.

“Anna is seriously getting on my nerves. She keeps disappearing just because she’s dating someone, and now she wants me to do all her work.”

While Ayla crouched among piles of laundry, the voices of two maids echoed down the hallway.

“I mean, really? So, you’re the one who’s been feeding the young lady in the annex?”

“No one’s allowed in the western annex without permission. She’s probably starving by now.”

“Are you sure that’s okay? I know there are rumors she’s illegitimate, but she’s still a noble.”

“If she’s not a bastard, why would they keep her hidden in the annex? Missing one meal won’t matter. Nobody’s going to care. Stop worrying.”

They were talking about her.

Ayla’s eyes grew wide, and she repeated the word bastard to herself several times in her head.

She didn’t know what it meant, not exactly. But she was certain now that this was why her parents never took her to the capital.

“What does bastard mean?”

Ayla asked the maid bluntly the next time she appeared, two days later.

The maid looked surprised to hear the word come from Ayla’s mouth. Then she laughed in a mocking tone.

“What do you think it means? It means you were born outside of marriage.”

“Outside of marriage?”

“It means the master isn’t your real father. You’re only half of what people think you are.”

“What?”

Ayla stood frozen, clearly confused and hurt. The maid’s face twisted into a crooked smile.

“So, you’d better behave and stay quiet, young lady. The Duke hasn’t kicked you out yet, but no one knows when that might happen.”

At the end of a long and bitter winter, Ayla had suffered through a terrible fever.

Maybe it was the illness. Maybe it was despair.

But when she saw the wagon being loaded for the capital, she slipped into it and hid without thinking.

That night, in the townhouse in the capital, a strange rumor began to spread.

They said a wagon had arrived from the Saint estate carrying a dirty beggar girl.

A servant, who happened to know that the second daughter had blue hair, acted quickly.

Ayla stood in front of the carriage, staring blankly up at the grand building, when her mother appeared with a stiff expression.

“Mother…”

Ayla smiled in relief, happy to see her, even like this.

“Come with me.”

Her mother looked down at her for a moment, then helped her into the carriage and took her outside.

They arrived at a quiet alley. Ayla stepped down and began to follow her mother without asking any questions.

She was not curious about where they were going. Just being with her mother in that moment made her happy.

As the scent of flowers drifted from her mother’s body, Ayla took it in deeply and thought proudly that sneaking into the carriage had been the right decision.

She was completely wrapped in that joy when her mother suddenly stopped walking. She turned and spoke to her.

“Ayla, stay right here.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Ayla nodded eagerly.

She stood there waiting, believing her mother would come back.

But it did not take long for her to realize the truth.

“She abandoned me.”

The moment of realization came quickly. But strangely, she did not cry.

She did not want to keep waiting like a fool, so she simply started walking aimlessly.

She stopped when she came across a fruit stand.

“I’m hungry.”

Red apples were piled high like a small mountain. She was used to feeling hungry, but standing in front of food made it harder to ignore.

She could not turn away, so she stayed there for a long time.

“Why are you standing there like that?”

Startled by a sudden voice nearby, Ayla took a step back and almost fell over her own feet.

A boy caught her just in time.

“You need to be careful.”

He helped her stand upright, then casually sat down next to her.

Ayla was flustered by his sudden closeness. The boy looked at her again and asked casually.

“You’ve been standing there for a while.”

“What?”

“Why are you standing there like that? You look just like a stray puppy.”

Stray puppy.

That one phrase described her perfectly. Ayla’s eyes welled with tears, and she could not hold them back any longer.

She burst into tears.

“Waaah…”

“Hey, hey, why are you crying?”

The boy’s face blurred in her tear-filled vision.

That was the first and last time she ever cried like that.

“Feeling better now? Tsk. Your face is a mess, even though you’re pretty.”

Ayla sniffled and looked up at the boy, surprised by his words.

“I’m… pretty?”

“You’d look even prettier if you stopped crying.”

“Then I won’t cry anymore.”

“Good. That’s better.”

Ayla widened her eyes as he gently patted her head.

No one had ever called her pretty before. No one had ever shown her such warmth.

“Are you an angel?”

“What?”

“I read about them in a book. Angels appear to help those in pain. And they’re always beautiful. Are you an angel?”

The boy let out a small laugh and lowered his hand.

“Definitely not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Who’s saving who here…”

“Huh?”

His voice was full of tired resignation, and Ayla tilted her head in confusion.

Only then did she notice the boy’s appearance.

She had thought his black clothes looked stylish, but on closer inspection, they were torn and tattered.

Then she saw it.

“You’re hurt.”

Ayla pointed at a large stained area near his side and gasped.

Blood had clearly soaked through, but the boy just smiled as if it were nothing.

“It’s not a big deal. I got off easy.”

“Got off easy?”

She repeated his words, not understanding what they meant.

The boy chuckled and stood up.

“You don’t need to understand, kid. More importantly, you wanted that, right? Why were you just staring at it?”

“Huh?”

Ayla looked back at the fruit stand. Her stomach growled. After crying so hard, her hunger had returned even stronger.

“I don’t have any money.”

“So you were just looking?”

“Yes.”

The boy stared at her in silence, then smiled.

“You’re a little fool, aren’t you?”

“I’m not. I’m smart.”

Ayla pouted and defended herself. She remembered the maid Anna often complained about her being “too smart for her own good.”

“If you’re so smart, why were you just standing there with no money?”

“What else could I do?”

“Listen carefully, kid. The world doesn’t take the side of the weak. Never.”

The boy held her hand and smiled bitterly.

“If you want to be strong, you need to know exactly what you want. So what do you want right now?”

“I want to eat an apple.”

“Good. Then what should you do?”

It was a hard question. Ayla could not answer right away.

Other than paying for it, she did not know what options she had.

The boy waited for her answer, but when she stayed quiet, he let go of her hand.

“Watch closely.”

He walked straight toward the fruit stand. Just before passing it, he reached out and slipped an apple from the edge into his pocket as if it were nothing.

Ayla was shocked. She never imagined he would steal it.

When he turned around and saw her horrified expression, he gave a small, amused smile. Then he returned to the stand and pointed at another apple.

“Excuse me, sir. Could I have one of these on credit?”

“What?”

“I can’t pay for it now, but I promise to repay you many times over in the future.”

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