"Whoa! This is delicious!" the boy exclaimed.
His blue eyes sparkled like gems as he bit into the pretzel in his hand, and chewing on to it, he savored the delicious goodie. Those expressive eyes of mirrored his feelings well.
Odette accompanied the vibrant boy. Silently, she stole occasional glances at the boy enjoying the treats while feeling content inside. Adrian looked extremely endearing while eating, making her want to spoil him and watch him eat.
It was silly how this brought her peace.
Adrian tilted his head to look at Odette while protectively holding on to the dessert and asked, "You sure you don't want any, Lady Odette?"
A teasing glint appeared in Odette's eyes at his actions, and she questioned, "Will you share?"
This made Adrian tighten his hold on the packaging, and then, pointing towards the stall, he voiced out, "There are a lot more there, and you have lots of coin. You can buy from there. You know that I am penniless."
He grinned widely following that.
The corner of Odette's lips twitched.
This child was heartless.
"And you say that you like me," Odette pointed out.
Adrian stared at her in confusion as if asking with his eyes what's the connection between that.
"Just finish eating quickly. You have to go back to train."
Adrian had become too naughty and cheeky this days; he needs to be tortured a little to work that off.
This made the child's face fall, and he whined, "Can't I get a day off today? I feel exhausted and sleepy, Lady Odette. And I also feel extremely heartbroken after being betrayed."
Odette wanted to laugh at the boy who hardly appeared convincing. She sneered and pinched on to his cheeks.
"You sure look heartbroken. At least wipe that grin off of your face before uttering these words."
"Ow! Ow! Lady Odette, go easy on my face. I won't be adorable anymore if you damage it," Adrian cried out.
°°°
Because Odette didn't bring along a carriage, she chose the shortcut through the dark alleyways. This part of the town was unsafe, especially for a seven and five year old to be travelling alone.
But this barely shook up Odette's spirits.
The sun was starting to set down, and this is when the criminal activities here ran rampant. Therefore, Odette wasn't surprised to be robbed at here.
In the eyes of the others, both of them appeared to be defenseless children, making them an easy target, and because Odette hardly considered the place to be threatening, she didn't put up her guard much.
What's the worse that can even happen here?
Adrian, walking beside her, cheerfully talked the entire time, and Odette made few comments here and there. The atmosphere between them was harmonious.
"Lady Odette, look there's a kitten, and it is orange. How adorable!" Adrian commented.
He was about to make his way towards the animal, and Odette's eyes were on his back, fainting smiling at the endearing child whose appearance and gesture was distracting.
This is when Odette's purse was snatched by the man running past her. This made Odette turn to face the thief's distancing back. Adrian let out a gasp upon noticing what happened whereas Odette remained unfazed.
She reached out for the dagger hidden in her clothing and targeted it towards the man's back.
Then, keeping her eyes on Adrian, she smiled and informed, "Adrian, this is what happens when someone tries to take what is mine."
As those words left her mouth, she shot the dagger at the man. The man was far enough from Odette, but he wasn't able to prevent himself from getting attacked. A loud scream left his mouth as the sharp blade was embedded into his being. Blood immediately oozed out from the wound, staining his clothing.
Odette's lips curled up, and those eyes of hers became menacing. There was a sadistic glint in them. Adrian's eyes widened as he stared at Odette. He understood there was a lesson in those words for him.
The sudden pain made the man get down on his knees, and he twisted his hand backwards to touch his back. His palm in contact with the damp and warm garment.
Odette made her way over the kneeling man, and Adrian's eyes followed her. The thief turned to stare at her with horror in his eyes. The murderous intent in her eyes was clear and bone-chilling.
Was this even a child?
Raising her feet, Odette stepped on to the man's back, pressing down on him, and then, she pulled out the dagger. Another scream left his mouth at that.
She bent down, and the man noticed the crest on the dagger. Even if one lived in these dirty streets and was uneducated, there was no way they would be unable to recognized that frightening crest.
"Albinius," he weakly mumbled.
"You recognized well," she commented.
Although the ruthless methods of Albinius family was widespread, Odette was a mere child, and despite those fierce eyes of hers, he wanted to try his luck.
"Please forgive me this one time. Please be magnanimous. I will never do this again. I am willing to do anything. Spare my life—"
Before the man could continue with his desperate begging, Odette attacked the man's throat with her dagger. There was no change in her expression as she did that, and the blood splattered on her face.
Odette looked towards Adrian, and the boy was completely frozen, unable to process the situation.
"There is no forgiveness for those who touches what is mine."
Adrian was shaken up, and Odette's eyes were on him, wondering how he would react in this situation. She didn't wished to take such drastic measures so soon, but the thief made her impulsive. It made her blood boil when others touched what was hers.
Would Adrian be disgusted at her? Would he treat her as a monster? Although it was a little too soon for that, she was curious.
Adrian made cautious steps towards Odette. Stopping in front of her, he scanned Odette from head to toe. His features were completely pale, and tears glistened in those eyes of his.
He was frightened by her?
That wouldn't be shocking to Odette.
Before Odette could laugh, Adrian extended his hand and pulled her into a hug, placing her in a whirlwind of confusion. What was going through his head?
Was he doing this out of fear?
Did he not just see her kill someone?
Even though she had questions running in her head the corner of her lips were hooked up, and she didn't push the child away. As always, Adrian surprised her and made her curious.
An interesting child indeed.
°°°
"Where were you the entire day?" Dennis asked as he saw the beaming boy.
He skipped through the hallways with a wide smile on his face as though he had forgotten about the incident that took place a while ago. Odette thought it was because he was a simple-minded child, the matter easily dissipated from his head.
Dennis's voice made Adrian glare at the scowling boy, and, puffing his cheeks, he harshly responded, "I am not saying anything to a thief."
This made Dennis grab on to his wrist and push him against the wall. A wince left Adrian's mouth at the contact, and he raised his head to look at Dennis who glowered at him.
"You were not in the residence. Did you sneak out? You are truly courageous. You skipped all of your duties today. Do you know how badly you will be punished?" Dennis attempted to scare the boy.
"That's none of your business," Adrian shot back, "and don't you know that Lady Odette loves me a lot? She will protect me."
"Look at how casually you are throwing around my name."
That teasing tone made them turn their head instantly. Odette leaned against the wall and had her hands folded on her chest. Her lips were curled up, and she was in a playful mood.
Dennis was shocked to see that Odette wasn't mad. Following this, his eyes fell on Adrian, and bitter envy arose in his chest. Was it because the other party was Adrian?
He felt stuffy as Dennis let go of Adrian and stepped away. Millions of complaints were in his head, and he wanted to question Odette on them. But he didn't wish to be punished again.
Although he was a child as well, he noticed the special affections and gentleness Odette showed to Adrian. This made him clench his hand into a tight fist, and he wanted to destroy Adrian badly.
"Lady Odette," Adrian complained, "Dennis was bullying me again."
Saying that, he walked closer to Odette and wore a pout, waiting for Odette to comfort him. His actions made Odette scrunch up her nose, and she flicked on his forehead.
"Ow!"
Adrian rubbed his forehead, and feeling indignant, he voiced out, "You should hit Dennis, not me."
"You are not going to get out of your training even if you keep on wasting your time like this," Odette pointed out, "Now, hurry up."
"Eh? Lady Odette, come on."
Dennis could only grit his teeth in anger as the two of them interacted. It was as though he didn't exist any longer, and his eyes that fell on Adrian turned further vicious.
Why was it Adrian?