“Oh my, Mr. Hadel, you have such a rich imagination!”

“Well, there’s no way. If she’s related to the queen, she’d belong to one of the most politically influential families. It’s hard to believe she would hide in the slums.”

Unless there was a reason to hide.

The three of them headed to the slums in a carriage. Along the way, Larisa, lost in thought, had a dark expression on her face.
“Why is that?”

“Huh? Come to think of it… if we go out like this, they might think we’ve come to distribute money…”

“Distribute money?”

“Sometimes nobles come to the slums to distribute money.”

Hadel frowned. Being an orphan himself, he understood what Larisa was talking about.

Nobles occasionally tour the slums or orphanages as part of their children’s education. It is an attempt to make their precious children aware of the hardships of life. However, for those in poverty who have to exhibit their hardship, it is not pleasant to be treated as a spectacle.

“Can’t we just ignore them?”

Not fully understanding such things, William asked indifferently. Larisa momentarily wore a bitter expression. She didn’t want to give false hope to the slum children and then disappoint them.

Larisa had experienced a life where a penny determined her meal. William, who couldn’t even perceive such emotions, didn’t understand.

“Oh, no, then let’s just give. Let’s stop by the bank.”

They went to the bank and exchanged the coins. Of course, it was all William’s money.

“Sorry, William. I’ll definitely pay you back later.”

“It’s okay. It’s not much.”

For William, it was truly not much money, but for Larisa, it was a considerable amount.

“But…”

“Alright, then pay me back when you get your allowance later.”

“Allowance?”

“…Your mother doesn’t give you an allowance?”

Hadel, sitting beside them, scratched his cheek awkwardly. Ginevra didn’t bother to handle such trivial matters.
“I’ll talk to the master about it.”

“Oh, will you?”

William awkwardly scratched the back of his head. It felt like he should express gratitude, but it was so awkward that he felt embarrassed. On the other hand, Larisa was straightforward.

“Thank you, Mr. Hadel!”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just because the master is busy, not because I don’t want to. It’s not like that.”

Hadel instinctively cast a blood shield for Ginevra. It was a daily habit for him to go around making excuses.

“I know. But I’m not sure if I should receive an allowance or not.”

Larisa hesitated as she spoke. Hadel seemed to understand what Larisa was feeling.

“You can accept it. Now that you’re the guardian of Miss Lara, who’s under the master. I also received it as soon as I became a disciple.”

“Really?”

“She didn’t give it to me, so I asked for it.”

“Wow!”

Larisa widened her eyes in amazement.

“It’s really cool.”

Feeling proud for no apparent reason, Hadel added unnecessary words.

“In fact, I also mentioned William’s allowance… Oh.”

Realizing his mistake, Hadel closed his mouth. William was staring at him with surprise.

In the awkward atmosphere, Larisa, who had been alternately glancing at the two, laughed and said,

“Mr. Hadel is a good brother.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

However, Larisa just smiled broadly. Despite their teasing, considering the not-so-bad atmosphere between them, they seemed like ordinary siblings.
Moreover, Hadel seemed to be concerned that William might have been hurt even now. Though Hadel himself seemed unaware of this emotion, Larisa’s intuition couldn’t be deceived.

Intuition was an essential condition for both a detective and a pickpocket.

“Ah, we’re here! Over there!”

Larisa pointed to one side as if she didn’t know anything. At the entrance of the slum, in a narrow alley where the carriage could no longer pass, the three turned the carriage away.

Children who looked pitifully cunning started approaching the three, dressed in luxurious clothes.

Carrying a basket full of coins, Larisa began to distribute the coins to the children. Most of them were familiar faces, but both the children and Larisa pretended not to know each other.

The children pretended to know Larisa, who had become a remarkable person, afraid that they might get scolded if they showed fear. Larisa understood their feelings.

Quietly distributing the coins, Larisa walked into the deep alley of the slum and stopped. William frowned.

“Someone is already living here…”

Larisa murmured with disappointment. The house where she used to live with Marina was now occupied by someone else.

“It’s a rental, so there’s nothing we can do… Maybe we can reclaim our house when we earn a lot of money later?”

Larisa tried to put aside her regrets and walked towards another place. Then, she knocked directly on someone’s door.

“Mrs. Linda! It’s me, Larisa!”