“What?”

“Handsome, smart, born in a good place. You’re outstanding.”

William stood dumbfounded as if hearing nonsense, then burst into laughter.

“When you say it like that, I guess it seems that way.”

“It’s true. You’re outstanding, so I’m calling you outstanding.”

“Alright.”

When Larisa spoke casually, it seemed like she had been pondering something truly trivial. William kept chuckling, finding himself amusing.

However, William couldn’t laugh at Larisa’s next words.

“You know, there’s some story about my mother.”

“Huh?”

“An auntie I knew well in the back alley said so. She said my mother had some story and ran away.”

“…”

“I wonder what kind of story it is?”

Larisa carefully took out the locket she always wore around her neck and spoke while holding it. William felt a bit awkward, not knowing Larisa had been having such serious concerns.

‘I was having even more childish worries.’

“I’m curious about my mother’s story. Can’t you help me, William?”

“How?”

“I don’t know. Should we meet that auntie and ask again?”

William pondered.

“Can I see that locket for a moment?”

Larisa stretched out her neck. William unfastened the locket and began examining it front and back.

“Usually, noble families engrave their family crest, but this one doesn’t have a crest… It doesn’t seem to be from a noble family. We might need to look into merchant families.”

“Do you think we can find them?”

“What will you do if we find them?”

“If there are other family members of my mother… I should let them know she passed away.”

Larisa’s face grew gloomy. William stroked Larisa’s cotton candy-like pink hair and said,

“You’re really not like a child.”

“I hear that a lot.”

“Cry if you want to cry.”

“I don’t really feel like crying though?”

“I don’t know what to say then.”

Larisa smiled broadly. So William smiled along with her.

The next day, William decided to go out together at Larisa’s request. The news was soon delivered to the butler and Hedel by the servants who prepared for the children’s outing.

“Just the two of them going out?”

“Yes.”

“Are they running away again?”

“No.”

Hedel looked at William suspiciously. William said with a confident face.

“I told you we’re going out for some business.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“I don’t want that.”

“Then I’ll follow you secretly.”

Dumbfounded by Hedel’s confident attitude, William stood with one leg crossed and said,

“…Look here, mister.”

“Why am I a mister…!”

Before Hedel could get angry at William’s remark, Larisa clung to Hedel’s leg and said,

“Uncle Hedel!”

“That’s right, but anyway, why are you doing this, Miss Lara?”

“Uncle Hedel, you’re busy, right? It’s okay if William and I go by ourselves.”

“You two don’t seem to know how bad the security is in the slums, do you?”

“I’ve lived there all this time, you know?”

“That was then, and now Miss Larisa’s value is different from back then. Anyway, I can’t send just two kids alone.”

As Hedel took a firm stance, William made a sour face and said,

“You left me alone when I went out by myself all this time…”

“That was when Miss Larisa wasn’t here. And you didn’t go to the slums. Even now, if you were going alone, I wouldn’t stop you.”

William almost blurted out, “Are you discriminating?” but stopped himself.

‘Right. A little discrimination is fine. Larisa is delicate after all.’

Hedel, who had been watching William, quietly added,

“If William had insisted on going out alone when he was 7 years old, I would have followed him then too.”

“What?”

“14 is still young, but I believe William now has the ability to protect himself to some extent, so I trust him. So don’t make that face. Children need adult protection, that’s the way it is.”

“…”

Anyway, that’s how Hedel ended up accompanying them.

“So where are we going?”

“I want to hear from the auntie I met yesterday…”

Hedel, who heard Larisa’s concerns, examined the locket. Inside the simple locket with no pattern was a portrait of a girl that reminded him of someone.

“She looks a lot like Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Right?”

Larisa said proudly.

“Actually, my mother looked incredibly similar to Her Majesty the Empress too. My mother was also very beautiful.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So when I first saw Her Majesty the Empress, I was really surprised. But the picture in the locket probably isn’t my mother. The hair color and eye color are definitely different from my mother’s.”

“What was your mother like?”

“Her hair was as white as snow, and her eyes were red like mine.”

“That’s an unusual color…”

Larisa had rare red eyes. Hedel looked at Larisa’s pretty face, which made him guess that the Empress must have been captivated by her cuteness and adopted her as a daughter.

‘Ah, I have a feeling this isn’t an ordinary story.’

Thick pink hair, red eyes sparkling like beads. A doll-like cute appearance. She would undoubtedly grow up to be quite a beauty later.

‘I hope she’s not unluckily entangled with the Empress?’

Hedel stared at the girl in the locket for a long time. Golden hair flowing like honey and green eyes. Her gorgeous face looked just like the Empress might have in her childhood.

“Are you perhaps related to Her Majesty the Empress…?”

Larisa burst out laughing at Hedel’s suspicion.

“Oh come on, no way.”

“Maybe a hidden younger sister…?”

“My, Uncle Hedel, you have such a vivid imagination!”

“Well, that’s unlikely. If she were related to the Empress, she’d belong to one of the most politically successful families, so why would she hide in the slums?”

Unless there was a story that required her to hide.

*

The three of them took a carriage towards the slums. On the way, Larisa remembered something and made a gloomy face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? I just thought… if we go dressed like this, everyone will think we’re coming to give out money…”

“Give out money?”

“Nobles sometimes come to the slums to distribute money.”

Hedel frowned. As an orphan himself, he understood what Larisa meant.

Nobles tour slums and orphanages as part of their children’s education. They want to show their precious children impoverished lives to make them aware, but for those who have to display their poverty, being a spectacle is hardly pleasant.

“Can’t we just ignore it?”

William, who didn’t know much about such things, asked nonchalantly. Larisa’s expression turned bitter for a moment. She didn’t want to unnecessarily raise the hopes of the children in the slums only to disappoint them.

After all, Larisa had lived that life where a single coin could determine whether you eat or not. William wasn’t the type to fail to notice even those emotions.

“Ah, no, then let’s give some out. Let’s stop by the bank first.”

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

“I’m sorry, William. I’ll pay you back later for sure.”

“It’s okay. It’s not much.”

It really wasn’t much money for William, but it was an enormous amount for Larisa.

“But still…”

“If you insist, pay me back later when you get an allowance.”

“Allowance?”

“…Doesn’t Mother give you an allowance?”

Hedel, sitting next to them, scratched his cheek awkwardly. There was no way Guinevere would attend to such trivial matters.

“I’ll speak to the Master about it.”

“Oh, will you?”

William also awkwardly scratched the back of his head. He felt like he should say thank you somehow, but it was too awkward and he was at a loss. On the other hand, Larisa was honest.

“Thank you, Uncle Hedel!”

“It’s nothing. The Master is just busy, it’s not that she doesn’t care.”

Hedel habitually put up a shield of blood for Guinevere. It was his daily routine to go around making excuses for her.

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

Larisa said with a hesitant face. Hedel thought he understood how Larisa felt.

“It’s okay to receive it. The Master is now your guardian. I started receiving it as soon as I became a disciple too.”

“Really?”

“I asked for it when she didn’t give it to me.”

“Wow!”

Larisa exclaimed with wide eyes.

“That’s really cool.”

Hedel felt proud and added something he didn’t need to say.

“Actually, I spoke to her about William’s allowance too… Oh.”

Hedel closed his mouth, realizing his mistake. William was looking at him with surprised eyes.

In the awkward atmosphere, Larisa looked back and forth between the two and said with a smile,

“Uncle Hedel is a good older brother.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

But Larisa just kept smiling brightly. Even though they bickered, they didn’t seem to have a bad relationship at all, just like ordinary siblings.

Moreover, even now Hedel seemed worried that William might have been hurt. It seemed to be an emotion that Hedel himself hadn’t noticed, but it couldn’t fool Larisa’s keen eye.

After all, being perceptive is essential for begging and pickpocketing.

“Ah, we’re here! It’s over there!”

Larisa pointed to one side, pretending not to know anything. At the entrance to the slums, where the carriage could no longer pass through the narrow alley, the three of them sent the carriage back.

Seeing the three people in elegant attire, scruffy children began to approach first.

Larisa, who had brought a basket full of coins, began distributing coins to the children. Most of the faces were familiar, but neither the children nor Larisa acted like they knew each other.

The children were afraid of getting in trouble if they acted like they knew Larisa, who had now become an important person, and Larisa understood that feeling.

Silently handing out coins as they walked, Larisa stopped deep in the alley of the slums. William swallowed.

“Someone’s already living there…”

Larisa murmured regretfully. Someone was already living in the house where she had lived with Marina.

‘It can’t be helped since it’s a rented house… I wonder if I can reclaim our house when I make a lot of money later?’

Larisa tried to let go of her lingering attachment and walked towards another place. Then she immediately knocked on someone’s door.

“Auntie Linda! It’s me, Larisa!”