Chapter 10

Could he have been around eleven years old?

He was far too young to be working as a servant.

“You should have taken proper care of it!”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

The boy, who had light brown hair and green eyes like the Marchioness, answered in a flat, emotionless voice.

His voice was exceedingly thin, as though he hadn’t even reached puberty yet.

My eyes widened even further.

I had assumed he was a servant because of his shabby appearance, but he was actually her son?

“We need to have this resolved before Regina and Leopold arrive, Timothy. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”

“B-but…”

The boy stammered, his face filled with fear.

I swallowed hard.

Judging by their names, Regina and Leopold were probably the other two children of the Marquess and Marchioness.

Could he be an illegitimate child?

But if that were the case, Timothy looked far too much like the Marchioness.

“If all the rooms are already occupied, there’s nothing I can do…”

“Then you’ll have to bear the consequences yourself.”

“Mother, there are other hotels nearby…”

The Marchioness harshly cut him off.

“You can’t even properly handle the one task you were given, and you’re making excuses?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Timothy lowered his head deeply.

“Please forgive me, Mother…”

“Forgive you? For what?”

The Marchioness spoke sharply.

“I told you to find a way, any way you can, to get us rooms! Show me that you’re useful.”

The hotel manager was now practically beside himself, sweating profusely.

“I’m terribly sorry, Madam. We would like to help you, but there’s simply nothing we can do… I ask for your understanding.”

The Marchioness haughtily tilted her chin upward.

“I have no intention of wasting any more time speaking with you, so talk to my son instead.”

With that, she immediately left the hotel.

She claimed it was because traveling by carriage was more convenient, but I knew better.

It was simply another way to torment Timothy.

“……”

Timothy, his face as white as a sheet, pleaded with the hotel manager.

“I-isn’t there any way? I’ll do anything. I could even work…”

“…There really is nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”

The manager also looked extremely sympathetic toward Timothy.

“I-I might die this time. Last time, my leg was broken. Please, any way at all…”

I don’t even know why I stood up.

Perhaps it was because of my title as Deputy Director of the Child Protection Bureau.

Even if it was only a title in name, a position had a way of shaping the person who held it.

Or perhaps…

My conscience simply wouldn’t allow me to turn my back on this young boy.

Just as it hadn’t allowed me to turn my back on Melissa.

I walked toward them.

“I’ll give up my room. Though I’m not sure whether it will be good enough to satisfy the Marchioness.”

The hotel manager let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m certain the Marchioness will be satisfied. It’s a very fine guest room.”

I was puzzled.

It definitely wasn’t that high-class…

The manager hurriedly explained.

“We always provide better rooms to imperial officials.”

So that was it.

Even though my position had essentially been created as a place of exile, apparently the title of ‘Deputy Director’ still carried quite a bit of authority.

“Th-thank you, Imperial Official.”

Timothy bowed deeply.

“Mother will be pleased.”

I shrugged.

“That’s none of my concern. I’m interested in you.”

“Me…?”

“How long are you staying here?”

“…I think about a week.”

“Really? Then keep me company during that time.”

I wanted nothing more than to separate the child from his parents immediately, but I couldn’t act rashly.

The Child Protection Bureau was practically a powerless institution to begin with.

No matter how high my position was, there was no way for me to forcibly separate abused children from their parents.

At most, if the child were a commoner or a low-ranking noble, I could invoke the authority of the Imperial Family and take measures.

But the other party was the House of Duke Diber.

If they set their minds to it, they could make my life miserable in countless ways.

So, all I could do was…

Give him even a brief respite from his abusive environment.

Timothy stammered in confusion.

“Keep you… company?”

“Yes. Your mother will allow it, won’t she? She told you to obtain a room by whatever means necessary.”

“Yes…”

Timothy looked down at the floor.

The hotel manager nervously glanced at me.

“Still, he is the Marchioness’s son. Shouldn’t we speak to the Marchioness first?”

He wasn’t wrong.

It was a rather absurd situation that we had to ask the wishes of parents who abused their own child.

“Then go tell your mother. Tell her that I’ll give you the room on the condition that you keep me company for the next week.”

Timothy immediately ran toward the carriage.

A short while later, the Marchioness entered the lobby with her chin held high.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Tessa Harrington, Madam.”

“…Hmm. An imperial official. Then you should at least be smart enough not to do anything foolish…”

The Marchioness seemed to weigh Timothy’s value against the value of the room he would be staying in for a week.

“Not bad. However, you must return him before dinner.”

“Of course, Madam.”

I answered as politely as possible.

“Thank you for lending me your precious son as my companion.”

A chill ran down my spine.

The moment I said precious son, a powerful sneer appeared on the Marchioness’s face.

Although I had finally obtained this precious opportunity, talking with Timothy was anything but easy.

The following day, at lunchtime, he merely exchanged a brief greeting with me at the restaurant we had agreed to meet at before sealing his lips shut like a clam.

“……”

“……”

As the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward, I decided we should at least order some food.

“Pick whatever you want. I’ll order you anything you’d like.”

At those words, Timothy’s eyes sparkled ever so slightly.

……Ten minutes passed.

He really can’t decide.

Rather than rushing Timothy, I quietly observed the boy.

He had delicate features and a gentle appearance.

But it wasn’t Timothy’s looks that caught my attention.

……Those are bruises.

There were faint bruises on his wrists and cheeks, and when I looked closely, I could even see traces around his eyelids.

There couldn’t be many people who could lay a hand on the young master of such an influential marquess family.

The Marchioness? Or…

Timothy suddenly spoke.

“I-I think soup… potato soup would be enough.”

“Oh, really?”

I took the menu from Timothy.

“Forget the soup. You need to choose a main course and dessert too, don’t you?”

“Uh…”

Timothy hesitated.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll order everything.”

“No!”

Timothy cried out.

In the end, I had to place the entire order myself.

Two main courses and two desserts.

……Though I had to insist that all of it was for me because Timothy kept refusing.

I deliberately placed a hand on my stomach and sighed.

“I’m so full already… I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this. Could you eat half of it for me?”

“Yes.”

Surprisingly, Timothy obediently accepted the steak I handed him.

Something’s strange.

I narrowed my eyes.

The way Timothy accepted food given to him by someone else looked far too natural.

……Am I reading too much into this?

I couldn’t shake the uncomfortable thought that perhaps he normally only ate whatever food the rest of the marquess’s family left behind.

Timothy quickly devoured his food, and he didn’t refuse the crème brûlée from my portion when I pushed it toward him, saying that I was already full.

“Th-thank you.”

Timothy wiped his mouth and thanked me.

“Was it good?”

“Yes. It was really delicious.”

Only now was there finally some life in Timothy’s voice.

I tossed him a casual question.

“Timothy, how old are you? I just realized I don’t even know that.”

“I’m thirteen.”

Something felt strange.

Timothy was far too small for a thirteen-year-old boy.

I thought he was twelve at most.

“When’s your birthday?”

“It was recently.”

“Perfect. I happened to want to visit the souvenir district anyway. I’ll buy you anything you want as a birthday present.”

Timothy hurriedly waved his hands.

“N-no, I don’t need anything! I’ve already received plenty…”

But no matter how much he protested, he was still only a thirteen-year-old boy.

Against someone like me, who had been hardened by years of surviving in the Imperial Palace, he quickly had no choice but to surrender.

And so we went to the souvenir district.

It was supposed to be a precious opportunity to grow closer to Timothy, but…

“Hello, Tessa. Fancy meeting you here.”

“……?”

I stared at Kain Incaris, half surprised and half utterly dumbfounded.

“You said no one could know where you were.”

Kain answered shamelessly, as though it were perfectly obvious.

“I’m in disguise, so it’s fine.”

“……”

Could putting on a single brown wig really be called a disguise?

Meanwhile, Timothy, who was already thoroughly frightened, began stammering.

“W-w-who…”

“Just someone I know.”

I answered briefly.

“Don’t worry about him.”

“Tessa!”

The overly dramatic wounded expression on my former academy classmate’s face was none of my concern whatsoever.