Chapter 32
Paiki had only spoken with Viscount Mullier once, but that was enough to gauge what kind of man he was. He had no solid vision for business. He just liked to make a lot of noise with an empty can, wanting to tell people he was doing something.
A man without vision could never succeed in business. Among the ventures he had tried, there were some decent items, but they all ultimately failed. Even after failing spectacularly, he somehow managed to attempt new things, and it seemed his family’s sacrifices were what enabled it.
“Maybe he thinks he’ll make it big someday, but it’s just pouring water into a bottomless jar.”
It seemed that Aniella Mullier hadn’t realized this yet. Or perhaps she had noticed, but found it difficult to break free because they were her parents?
If she was struggling, he wanted to tell her to look at him. He had risen to his position largely because his biological parents had abandoned him in a basket in front of an orphanage.
What kind of terrible future would have awaited him if his biological parents had raised him themselves? They were the kind of people who tried to assuage the guilt of abandoning a child with a single cheap piece of candy. It would have been difficult for him to receive a proper education and grow up well.
People in the world misunderstand, acting as if something terrible will happen if you abandon your parents. His firm belief was that if you actually abandon them, it’s not a big deal, and you can even gain opportunities.
Paiki recalled Aniella’s dejected appearance and took off his glove. Her foolish behavior had brought back bitter childhood memories.
The reason that cat died was because it foolishly kept waiting for its mother. If it had left the nest and become independent earlier, life might have been hard, but it wouldn’t have burned to death. If it had clung to the girl’s leg and asked to be taken away, it could have lived more comfortably.
“If she can’t leave her parents, that woman will ruin her own life too.”
His palm, which couldn’t possibly be warm, felt hot, and he frowned. He wasn’t the type to meddle, but he thought he should do a good deed at least once in his life. Paiki decided that the next time he saw her, he would advise her to run away before she ended up setting herself on fire.
An opportunity arose at a party held at the imperial palace. However, Paiki couldn’t advise her. Because Aniella was dozing off, nodding her head while sitting on a chair.
“Young Lady.”
He tried clearing his throat and called out to her two or three more times, but she couldn’t get up. She was so tired she was swaying like a roly-poly toy; it seemed she might collapse at any moment.
He couldn’t just stand idly in front of a sleeping woman and stare at her. Paiki sat down next to her, waiting for her to wake up.
Just when would she wake up? As he waited with his arms crossed, her head, which had been swaying back and forth, bumped against his shoulder. As if she mistook him for a wall in her sleep, she leaned her entire body against him and slept comfortably.
It was useless to stare at her in disbelief. She was in a deep sleep and couldn’t regain her senses.
Should he shake her awake?
He pondered for a moment but gave up. Wasn’t the woman, whose face looked like it would crumble under the weight of exhaustion, too pitiful? Unlike the kitten that had scorched his hand with its fiercely burning body, this was just a shoulder. He could lend it to her for a little while. Of course, it wouldn’t be for free.
Paiki thought about what he should receive from her in return for lending his shoulder. Information on how far Marius’s secretly hidden flight magic research had progressed seemed about right.
He waited for quite a while after lending his shoulder, but she showed no intention of waking up. She even started talking in her sleep, frowning as if having a nightmare.
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