WHYMCF 11

Chapter 11

The man introduced himself as Max.

Max? That’s not creative at all, Lizbet thought dryly, but she followed him out of the back alley without comment.

Once they finally reached the bright, bustling main street, he turned to her.

“Only until sunset.”

“Well… I actually came out to watch the puppet show in the plaza. Could you stay until that’s over?”

“…Fine. Until the puppet show ends.”

“Thank you, Max!”

Lizbet beamed brightly in the sunlight.

The man looked at her, then let out a sigh and scratched his head.

He seemed slightly annoyed, yet he carried out his role as her guard faithfully. Whenever someone nearly bumped into her, he noticed first and stepped in to block them with his body.

Lizbet strolled along, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

The street overflowed with life.

People shopping at the market, children running about, couples on dates…

The man blended into the crowd with remarkable ease.

As they walked, he greeted acquaintances naturally and even haggled confidently at street stalls.

Lizbet watched him bite into a skewer he had managed to win for half price after a brief standoff with a vendor, grinning to himself.

What is this? He seems to be enjoying himself more than I am.

Truthfully, she was only pretending to have fun for his sake—but it wasn’t as though she found the capital’s marketplace dull. It had been a long time since she’d seen it properly.

When I was Crown Princess, I used to sneak out alone on purpose.

Whenever being with Frederick had grown suffocating, she would wander the marketplace by herself.

That was how she had learned about back alleys like the one from earlier.

Lost in those memories, Lizbet safely watched the puppet show.

It was a somewhat cliché story—a banished prince who, with the help of a fairy, defeated the evil king and became the new ruler.

By the time it ended, darkness had already fallen.

The man glanced at the dim street and spoke first.

“Where’s your house? I’ll walk you there. It’s dangerous to go alone at night.”

“…You figured out who I am earlier, didn’t you? And you’re still fine with this?”

She tilted her head slightly as she asked.

Lizbet Armiersha—the woman at the center of the capital’s hottest scandal, rumored to be a wicked seductress.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t surprised that his attitude hadn’t changed, even knowing that.

Though he acted bothered, he still looked after her to the end.

But the man seemed to think differently. He gave a crooked smile.

“That’s actually what I wanted to ask.”

“What?”

“Are you really fine walking around with a nobody like me, Lady?”

Is he mocking me?

Lizbet narrowed her eyes.

But he simply stood there with his hands in his pockets, grinning.

It was such an open, refreshing smile that there wasn’t a trace of cynicism in it.

“……”

After quietly studying his face for a moment, Lizbet explained the location of the ducal estate.

He yawned once, then began strolling in the direction she indicated.

Lizbet followed silently behind him.

Just then, from around a corner, a small child in ragged clothes rushed out and grabbed the hem of his trousers.

“P-Please, just one coin. My little sibling hasn’t eaten. Please…”

Lizbet stopped walking and wrinkled her nose.

A foul smell wafted from the child’s body—the same kind she had smelled in the back alley earlier.

Are there still beggars like this?

Granted, places like the plaza where puppet shows were held—crowded with people—were ideal for the poor to beg.

But it was already dark. And the child looked no older than six.

Smoothing her expression, Lizbet turned to watch the man, curious how he would respond.

In the darkness, she saw him look down at the child expressionlessly.

Hmm. So he’ll brush him off here?

After all, instead of giving money outright, it might be better to send the child to a nearby job agency.

Selling flowers to puppet show attendees would be far better than begging.

Still, if he’s too harsh, I’ll step in.

Just as Lizbet shifted slightly, anticipating his reaction—

Far more gently than she expected, the man removed the child’s hand from his trousers.

The blank expression on his face melted away.

In its place appeared a warm smile, and his voice, when he spoke, was surprisingly gentle.

“Can you wait here for just a moment?”

He seemed to be trying not to frighten the child.

The sniffling child nodded.

After telling Lizbet to wait as well, he quickly disappeared.

A short while later, he returned with three loaves of bread wrapped in paper.

He handed one to the child.

“Here. Share this with your sibling. And take this coin too.”

“Th-Thank you…! Thank you, my lord!”

“I’m not a lord.”

The real noble is over here… he muttered, but the child didn’t hear him. Bowing repeatedly, the child dashed off into the darkness.

Lizbet watched the small figure vanish, then turned back to the man.

A filthy child reeking of stench, begging in the street.

Most nobles—whether the particular person Lizbet had in mind or not—would have recoiled in disgust.

But he merely took a bite of one of the remaining loaves.

Chewing thoughtfully, he frowned slightly.

“Bought these cheap since they were the last batch of the day. They’re a bit cold. Want one?”

Instead of taking the bread, Lizbet spoke in a slightly colder tone.

“If you’re not going to take responsibility for that child for life, it would’ve been better to bring him to a job agency rather than give him money. And the story about the sibling was probably a lie.”

It was a perfectly rational statement—and a thoroughly noble one. Whether true or not was another matter.

After swallowing his bread, the man replied calmly.

“You might be right. That could be better. But… first, you can’t make a kid work. Second, if I hadn’t given him money, he might’ve died before getting any job at all.”

“……”

“Third, I’m not going to take responsibility for him forever, but I can at least help him get through today. And fourth—maybe it wasn’t a lie.”

He shrugged.

Lizbet gazed at him quietly.

Perhaps he was merely posturing, feeling superior to the child.

But in the tone of his voice, she sensed sincerity.

Genuine pity. Genuine care for another person. Genuine conviction.

“……”

“The lives of the poor are harsher than you think. You really do sound like a true noble.”

“And you don’t sound noble at all.”

“I’m not a noble, so that’s only natural.”

Chuckling, he lightly ruffled her hair.

One might expect her to feel offended—but Lizbet simply stared at him.

No. You’re not a noble.

His hair was a murky brown now, but she knew that in truth it was brilliant gold.

The arrogant yet dignified beauty unique to the imperial bloodline lingered subtly in his features.

Yet that arrogance never stepped forward—unlike Frederick’s.

In the darkened plaza, Lizbet took in his beautiful face.

The smile she had just seen flickered in her mind. Perhaps that was closest to his true nature.

Unlike his cold-faced older brother, his features were far softer and warmer.

To think that Noah Regencia would be this kind of person.

Noah Maximilian Regencia.

The Second Prince of the Regencia Empire.

That was the true identity of the man walking ahead of Lizbet.