# Chapter 021
Asher’s shoulders flinched at the gently resonating voice. It seemed like a considerate gesture to speak closer because the music might have muffled their conversation. Asher bit the corner of his lip slightly, making sure Luke couldn’t see, and gently clenched his hand.
“People are watching…”
He worried that being with him, who had such unfavorable rumors, might damage Luke’s reputation. But Luke drew a long curve with his lips and whispered softly.
“It doesn’t matter how people see us.”
“…”
“What matters more is who I’m with in this moment.”
Asher’s long eyelashes trembled at his affectionate words. Unable to deny that he didn’t dislike those words, Asher unconsciously smiled.
“I… I want to look around…”
“Where would you like to go?”
To defuse the situation, Asher pointed somewhere.
“Over there…!”
“Would you like to play marbles?”
Only then did he realize that the place he’d pointed to was where children were gathered playing marbles. Embarrassed, Asher’s cheeks flushed slightly as he explained defensively.
“The children look so cute…”
“…You find children cute?”
“Yes. They’re adorable with their tiny forms.”
Somehow, it reminded him of his childhood memories. Asher smiled lightly while rubbing the back of his neck.
“…Why?”
Asher blinked at the gaze that seemed surprised. Luke looked down at Asher intently and slowly parted his lips.
“It’s nothing.”
“…”
“Then let’s move to another place.”
He seemed to have something he wanted to say, but what actually came out of his mouth was resolute. Asher blinked slowly and nodded.
They couldn’t walk far. A child suddenly darted out from a short distance away. It happened so quickly that Asher couldn’t react, and Luke wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.
“Y-Your Highness?”
Asher’s nose touched Luke’s chest. In this unintentional contact, all he could hear was the thumping of Luke’s heart.
“You almost bumped into each other.”
Since the carriage ride, Luke’s scent made it impossible to think clearly. It felt as if he’d taken an aphrodisiac—his vision seemed dizzy, and his breath caught in his throat. Asher pushed away the hand still on his waist and said:
“…Thank you.”
“Young Master.”
Toms approached Asher, who was whispering softly like a shy flower. Asher composed his expression and looked at him.
“It seems to be a pickpocket. Judging by the skill, it’s not their first time.”
He whispered in a voice just loud enough for Asher to hear. Only then did Asher see that the child was being held by another guard in the distance.
“It looks like they have accomplices. How should we handle this?”
At Toms’s words, Asher looked toward an alley. Another child was peering out from there with teary eyes before hiding again. Asher approached the child being held by the guard, leaving Toms who was waiting for his judgment.
“I-It hurts… Why are you doing this?”
The terrified child spoke to the guard with a pale face. Upon making eye contact with Asher, the child hurriedly repeated the same words, pleading innocence.
“My, it seems the child was trying to steal.”
“Indeed. And of all people to get caught by, it had to be the Duke’s troublemaker…”
“Oh, how unfortunate.”
People whispered as they looked at him and the child, their attention suddenly drawn to the scene. They seemed to be trying to speak quietly, but their words carried to where he stood.
Luke, who had been silently watching nearby, finally called his right-hand man and guard.
“Saint.”
At Luke’s command, Saint dispersed the onlookers. Presumably, because it was festival season, the spectators were simply sent away. Had it been any other time, Asher thought, they wouldn’t have been able to leave so easily.
“Asher.”
Luke called his name and approached. Asher asked him for a moment and went to the child.
“Did you really try to steal?”
Asher bent down to the child’s eye level and asked. But the child continued to deny it and sniffled. Seeing the trembling fingertips, it seemed the child was afraid of being punished if the lie was discovered.
“I was planning to forgive you if you told the truth. But since you’re lying too, that’s going to be difficult.”
The child’s eyes shook violently at Asher’s words. The child raised their voice, as if displeased with Asher’s conclusion.
“But I didn’t end up stealing anything! So what’s the problem? There’s no evidence…!”
“The absence of evidence doesn’t erase the crime. What matters is that you had that intention and tried to act on it.”
“You’re rich! What difference does losing a few coins make to you? Can’t you share a little with us poor people?!”
Tears welled up in the child’s eyes as they shouted in anger.
“All nobles are evil! They don’t even feed us properly, they lock us up and torment us!”
“What? Lock you up and torment…?”
“Just punish me already! What’s the difference between this and prison…? *sob*…”
Could such words really come from a child’s mouth? Finally, tears burst from the child’s eyes. As if the previous words were spoken in anger, the child knelt and begged Asher, rubbing their hands together.
“…I’m sorry! I was just hungry… no… if we don’t meet the quota… we’ll die… *sob*…”
The child speaking incoherently appeared to be at least ten years old. A shabby shirt with a stretched collar and pants worn at the knees—the child’s appearance was pitiful enough to break one’s heart.
“If I go back like this, I’ll die… Won’t you take me with you instead? I’ll do anything. Cooking, laundry, whatever—as long as you take me in… please…”
Unable to just watch anymore, Asher took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the child’s tears. Unfortunately, the adults who had tormented the child were people like himself, and Asher felt a wave of guilt.
“Please take me with you… *sob*.”
Watching the child repeatedly asking to be taken away, Asher felt a surge of emotion. But he pushed it down and said to the child:
“…Even if you didn’t steal, thinking about it and trying to do it is wrong. Of course, even if someone told you to do it, it’s still wrong. If it had been someone else, it could have been a serious problem.”
“*Ugh*… I’m sorry… but I had no choice… if I don’t bring anything back… he won’t even feed me…”
In books, there are always vile adults who exploit children. It seemed such people existed in this world too.
“There are many eyes watching. I’ll handle the rest from here.”
Luke, who had been silently observing, came closer and whispered. It seemed to be his own consideration, perhaps worried that the child might face retaliation. Asher smiled faintly and said to Toms:
“Prepare clothes and lodging for the child. If they want, give them a job too.”
“Yes.”
“The same goes for the child in the alley over there.”
At Asher’s words, the child’s crying abruptly stopped. As if to confirm what they’d just heard was true, the child looked at Asher with round eyes.
“From now on, you’ll work honestly.”
Jewel-like tears welled up in the child’s wide eyes. Then, as the tears finally poured out, the child roughly wiped their eyes with the back of their hand.
“…*Sob*, thank… you… thank you so much.”
The child repeated the same words while crying. Seeing a child who should be growing up beautifully at this age made Asher’s heart ache. To exploit a child who should be eating well and developing—Asher clenched his fist tightly.
“To think such things are still commonplace in the Empire. After the festival, I should conduct a proper investigation to root it out completely.”
“…Thank you.”
“Um…”
The child seemed to have gathered courage and called to Asher. With tears still in their eyes, the child put their hands together and whispered in Asher’s ear.
“There’s a pub called Foston. If you go toward the bathroom and look to the left, there’s a really small hole—that’s where my friends and I live…”
“Friends…?”
The child nodded. According to the child, many children were being exploited for labor, called by numbers instead of names, and suffered from hunger every day. But what was more absurd was that the child said they were all Alphas. In the Empire, buying Omegas illegally was punishable by death, but with Alphas, everyone tended to turn a blind eye even when reported. Asher quietly watched as Toms took the child away and belatedly realized Luke was still beside him.
“It seems when people lose their memories, their personalities change too.”
“…Pardon?”
“Before you lost your memory, you told me you disliked children. You also said that pregnancy was more horrifying than being born an Omega.”
Asher let out a short “Ah…” only then. Somehow, Luke’s gaze had become strangely sharp.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
