Chapter 150
Even back when he was a shabby, underfed child, hadn’t his handsome face alone shone brightly?
Now, grown tall, his once lean frame built up with solid muscle, his polished features paired with refined clothing, he had become a man so striking it nearly took my breath away.
My heart pounded wildly on its own.
The kid who used to sleep under the same blanket and smile brightly as if he owned the world over a single chicken skewer was nowhere to be found. In his place stood an adult who commanded people and received their reverence, and that sight held enough power to make even me, who felt nothing for Declan, feel fluttery.
‘He grew up well.’
Beneath that racing feeling, a sense of relief settled in as well. Memories of the long-ago Declan, clinging to my pant leg in tears and begging me to take him with me, surfaced.
Unlike my worries about whether he could endure a life so different from that of a slave, Declan now bore the flawless air of a ducal heir.
It was obvious even from his movements, which bordered on arrogance.
The vague guilt, something like a birth mother’s remorse at having abandoned a child who knew nothing, melted away like snow.
As emotions I couldn’t quite define or describe swirled within me, Declan steadily drew closer.
“He’s really handsome…”
At the voice of some onlooker ringing out loudly, the part of my mind that had been drifting somewhere beneath the surface suddenly popped back up.
Only then did I realize I’d been staring blankly at Declan and blocking the way. Startled, I grabbed Feyden’s hand and hurriedly stepped aside to the edge of the path.
Then, like the others, I lowered my eyes and dipped my head slightly. A bloodline noble enough to rank just below royalty. As if accustomed to people bowing to him, Declan walked on without the slightest concern.
Who would ever guess that he’d once been a slave in an underground mine.
As Declan’s unhurried steps drew nearer, a chilling silence settled over the area.
Then a thought struck me. Had Feyden bowed his head, I wondered anxiously.
Anyone with sense would know to bow when a noble passed by, but remembering Feyden’s stiff-necked nature too late, I hurriedly glanced at him beside me.
When I looked up at Feyden sideways… as expected, he hadn’t bowed his head. Far from it, he was staring at Declan with a crooked posture.
‘You lunatic. Are you trying to get executed?’
How much cold sweat had I broken out in the Eastern Kingdom when Feyden casually plucked foxtail grass and stared straight at the magistrate’s face as he passed.
Back then, at least we could use the excuse of being foreigners who didn’t know better. That excuse wouldn’t work here.
‘Seriously. A leopard never changes its spots.’
Declan was right in front of us. Desperate to keep things from escalating, I kept poking Feyden’s thigh insistently. When he still didn’t budge, wearing an indifferent expression, I hurriedly lifted my head, about to forcefully push down the back of Feyden’s neck.
“……”
The moment I jerked my head up, familiar yet unfamiliar shoes, legs, and then an expressionless face loomed right before my nose.
‘Huh, when did he get this close…’
Startled, I sucked in a sharp breath.
Declan, wearing a calm expression that gave nothing away, was staring straight at me among the countless people, as if I were the only one he could see.
It was a persistent gaze, like he might say he’d walked all the way here for you alone from the very start.
“Ah…”
As those red eyes bored into me, flustered, I darted my gaze back and forth.
With Declan stopped and staring only at me, the murmuring around us grew louder.
‘Crap.’
I hastily pushed down hard on the back of Feyden’s neck and bowed deeply. I wanted no more attention. As a fallen noble, little different from a commoner, there wasn’t a single benefit to be gained from getting tangled up with someone as exalted as a Young Duke.
This was close enough to satisfy any curiosity I’d had about Declan’s face.
Snapping back to my senses, I broke the silence hanging between Declan and me.
“…Apologies, my lord.”
From my deeply bowed perspective, I could see Declan’s shoes. And that the toes were pointed straight at me.
It looked like he’d turned fully to face me. I squeezed my eyes shut at the increasingly noisy surroundings, then opened them again.
‘Please. Please just go.’
I repeated it over and over in my head, but Declan showed no intention of granting my wish and took a step closer.
Then his voice settled over me. Low and gentle. Completely unlike the boy’s voice I remembered.
“Grow up quickly.”
“……?”
Grow up quickly.
What did that even mean? As I puzzled over it in my head, the little kid standing right next to me answered in a bright voice,
“Yeees!”
Declan lightly ruffled the child’s hair, then turned without a shred of hesitation and went on his way.
‘What. Was it not me, but that kid he stopped for?’
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