Yan looked at Marianne and asked. Instead of answering, she bent her knees and sat down to be at eye level with the boy. She took the boy’s hand.

“Your mother is looking for you, Daniel.”

“!”

Upon hearing this, the boy’s eyes widened, and Yan looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Daniel? Hmm, I’ve heard that name somewhere before. I think I’ve heard that name somewhere…”

In the next moment, the boy pushed Marianne’s hand away and fled.

“Oops!”

In doing so, he collided with a massive wall and fell to the ground with a thud. Marianne slowly raised her head. Christoph was standing there, as if he knew the boy would run away.

Marianne unfolded her knees.

“No! I’m not Daniel! I don’t know anyone named Daniel!”

The boy desperately raised both hands. Instead of taking her hand, he just looked at her with a tearful face.

“Some things can’t be hidden, even if you get dirt on your face or change your clothes.”

Marianne’s voice shook the silence in the room.

“For example…”

In the midst of the messy silence, her gaze moved downward.

“Well-maintained, clean fingernails.”

This time, Marianne’s gaze moved upward.

“Or, well-groomed hair.”

“…”

“It seems you haven’t paid attention to those details, Daniel Heinz.”

“Daniel Heinz?”

A nearby fellow boy, as if hearing the name for the first time, tilted his head in amusement. Then he looked at Daniel with a suspicious glance.
A fellow boy nearby tilted his head as if hearing the name for the first time. Then, he looked at Daniel with suspicious eyes.

“Your name is Hans, right? You said your parents passed away, and you became an orphan. Was that a lie, Hans?”

“…”

Daniel didn’t say anything. But his face, which seemed like it could burst into tears at any moment, answered in silence. The boy accused Daniel with a face full of betrayal.

“You liar! You couldn’t even steal bread, so we thought of taking you as a subordinate! Don’t pretend you don’t know me ever again!”

“P-Peter…”

Daniel held onto Peter’s arm. Peter, who had been looking at Daniel resentfully, pushed the boy’s hand away and then walked away resolutely.

Thud.

Daniel, who had lost his balance, sat down right there. The boy clenched his lips and took quiet deep breaths. It seemed he was quite used to holding back tears.

Of course, nobility was taught not to show emotions from a young age. Perhaps the boy had received harsh scolding from his parents or tutors every time he shed tears.

The bakery owner, who had been standing there in a daze, muttered, “If you’re Daniel Heinz, then…” His expression showed a mixture of surprise and embarrassment.

“Daniel Heinz.”

Mihayi pronounced the name clearly. Only now did he seem to understand what had happened.

Yan, who belatedly remembered the name Heinz, shouted, “What? Is he the son of Lord Heinz?”

“The young nobleman who was kidnapped, right? Oh, so it wasn’t a kidnapping, but he ran away…?”
Yan, partially lost in his thoughts, clutched his head and mumbled, “What have I done? Ugh, the ear of Lord Heinz…” as he babbled on.

Daniel’s face contorted more and more at the mention of ‘Lord Heinz.’ Everyone stared at Daniel.

Among them, only Christoph fixated his gaze on Marianne. She was the first to notice Daniel’s true identity.

Only after hearing Marianne’s words did Christoph realize that something was amiss. He then began to deduce, studying the boy’s behavior belatedly.

His shiny, unblemished brown hair, neatly groomed fingernails, well-proportioned back, and strong self-esteem emanated an odd feeling. If it hadn’t been for Marianne, he might not have noticed. No one paid attention to the behavior of a bread thief.

Christoph looked into her serene azure eyes. Marianne possessed excellent observational skills and a remarkable ability to deduce based on what she saw.

Click.

Christoph let out a sigh, as if the wind had been knocked out of him. Suddenly, Michael’s gaze landed on his lips.

But Christoph didn’t shift his gaze away from Marianne. Yes, staying by her side, becoming a self-illuminating star, didn’t seem like a bad idea.

No, perhaps it might even turn out to be quite enjoyable. Discovering Marianne’s previously unknown facets one by one felt somewhat similar to an astronomer discovering a new planet.
Furthermore, she had something that Christoph lacked: a loving gaze directed at Daniel and a soothing, gentle voice.

“I know why you left home.”

Her words caused tears to well up in the boy’s eyes. They were thick tears, as if he could no longer bear it.

Marianne didn’t wipe away the boy’s tears. She simply pulled the corners of her lips into a gentle smile and whispered kindly.

“I can’t claim to understand everything in your heart, Daniel, but I’ve had similar experiences. It’s quite challenging not to be able to do anything as you wish. Sometimes it feels like you can’t breathe, and other times it feels like no one is on your side. It might be like pruning, cutting away one piece at a time.”

“…”

For a moment, Christoph’s pupils sank deeply. His previously relaxed lips had hardened.

Pruning.