It’s Time to Stop Clinging to the Fake Guide - Chapter 165

‘This is where he lives?’

Lynette looked inside once more, then glanced at the child.

Maybe he’s just the son of an employee who worked here.

There were cases where an entire family lived and worked in a manor, so it isn’t completely impossible. Even so, there was no reason for him to be wandering around looking like a beggar. No, if anything, such children were usually kept neater. They were fed three proper meals a day, and if they went around in such dirty clothes, their master would scold them.

‘If that’s not it, then is this child really the previous Count?’

She remembered what Euphen had told her.
The only child living in this house should be the previous Count. She had no idea why he’s in such a state, eating food off the ground, but she couldn’t think of any explanation besides that.

When she cautiously glanced at Sillian, he gave a slight nod, as if confirming her guess.

Edwin fidgeted with both hands and scraped the ground with the tip of his shoe.

Lynette hesitated for a moment.

Should she ask him outright if he’s really the previous Count? or just pretend not to know anything?

‘But I said I wouldn’t get involved.’

Meeting him and leaving an impression on the child couldn’t be helped, but knowingly getting entangled is something she absolutely couldn’t do.
Euphen wouldn’t want that, and the man beside her surely thought the same.

“Go on in.”

Pretending as if she knew nothing, she smiled faintly and waved her hand.
The child only stood still with his lips pressed tight together.

“We should leave.”

Perhaps thinking the child would not budge at this rate, Sillian spoke calmly as he stepped between Lynette and Edwin. Then he gently pushed her away with his whole body.

Lynette stumbled a bit as she turned and walked a few steps before glancing back out of concern.

The child is only staring blankly at the two of them.

“…”

Forcing herself to look away from that gaze, she let out a small sigh and left with Sillian.
Only after they had walked quite a distance and left the street lined with luxurious houses did she carefully speak.

“About Edwin…”

Lynette hesitated, then pulled out the thought that had been sitting in her mind.

“He’s the previous Count Euphen mentioned, right?”

“That’s correct.”

A clear, definite answer.

Had he heard information about Edwin from somewhere?

She glanced at the man whose face remained composed.

“Did you know from the beginning that Edwin was a Count?”

“When I heard his name, I wondered. I only became certain once we arrived in front of the manor.”

He spoke honestly, as if he had nothing to hide.

Lynette closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again.

‘Even if I know, there’s nothing I can do.’

Euphen and Eshar would take care of it anyway, and there’s no room for her to step in, nor any reason to.

“Now that we know who he is, it’s better not to get involved any further.”

“I understand.”

She nodded obediently.
He wasn’t wrong.

The manor was no longer visible at all, yet she found herself turning back again for no reason.
It felt as though the skinny child was still standing there.

***

When morning came, Lynette woke up then let out a tired groan and shook her head.

She had scolded herself countless times, telling herself it’s none of her concern, that she has no reason to intervene, that there’s nothing more she could do.
Even so, she couldn’t shake the thoughts of Edwin.

‘Maybe it would’ve been better if the child were simply poor.’

If that were the case, she could have just pitied him, bought him some bread while she stayed here, and be done with it.
But the situation is far from something that simple.

The child is, after all, a member of a Count’s household, and his title had been taken by a loan shark.
On the surface, it must have looked like he handed it over by his own will.

When she first heard the story, she didn’t care as much. But after seeing the miserable state of the child with her own eyes, she couldn’t just let it go.

It wasn’t because Edwin is a noble. The fact that a noble is living miserably wasn’t a reason to pity him. The problem was that the child wasn’t simply poor, but rather someone had taken everything from him.

‘That moneylender must have done this to him.’

It’s worse than simply having nothing.
It meant there’s someone clearly tormenting him.

Lynette let out a sigh and then made her way downstairs to the first floor.

‘Thinking about it won’t change anything. There’s nothing I can do.’

Hadn’t Sillian practically warned her outright? That it would be best not to get involved.
Even knowing she wouldn’t reach an answer, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“Lynette.”

She lifted her head at the sound of her name.

Euphen’s seated there.
Judging by his empty, spotless plate, he had already finished eating.

“You’re up early.”

“You too.”

At her reply, the man smiled faintly.

She remembered that they had barely seen each other these past few days.
He had been quite busy looking into various matters concerning the Count’s household.
It would have been easy if he could use people freely, but since he had faked his death, there were only few he could command properly.

Lynette took a seat diagonally across from him again.

“Eat something.”

“I’m not very hungry.”

At that, Euphen shrugged and smiled.

“Are you doing alright? We haven’t been able to talk properly these past few days.”

“True. I didn’t think it would be this hard to run into each other even while staying in the same place.”

She gave a faint laugh.

As they exchanged small, trivial remarks, about the weather being nice, or the bed being a little uncomfortable, he eventually asked another question cautiously.