Dietrich stopped at the empty market, no, there were people swarming there, in fact, he was looking for one small child but even as he scanned the place with his eyes, he couldn't find her, and stared blankly.
As the skewers in his hand gradually cooled down, he considered the emotions which he was feeling for the first time.
His pounding heart was beating quickly, and his tight fist was sweaty.
'Is this what it feels like to be lost?'
Only then did Dietrich realize that he had lost something for the first time in his life.
Because a child who had nothing also had nothing to lose. Anissa was the only unique existence who had stood by his side. Whether it was by choice or not.
'It's easy to lose a child, so you have to be careful, young master.'
'What are you going to do if you get lost?'
Marilyn and Josef's warning belatedly came to his mind. They even added that if they go to a crowded place, he must hold on to Anissa's hand and never let go.
'If Anissa is gone…'
Dietrich could not tell whether his anxiety was due to losing his last gateway to becoming the successor or simply because he lost the child.
'It's unpleasant because my plans were ruined', he thought rationally and quickly went to find the stalls where Anissa passed by as she drooled.
'Not here.'
But he couldn't find Anissa anywhere. Dietrich hurriedly crossed the drawbridge and returned to Dahlia palace.
"Where is Anissa?"
"What? Didn't the young master go with her?"
Marilyn and Lancel, who were already in their sleep attire, answered that they had never seen Anissa, and even Baal could not find the child's whereabouts.
"At least not in the castle."
"Why can't you find her?"
"As I have told you before. It's strangely difficult to use my abilities on the princess."
Baal sighed as if he was frustrated that he cannot find the shadow of Anissa.
".....I will go back outside the castle again."
"This late at night? When day comes, it would be better to call Derek—"
"Do you think Derek will help find Anissa?"
If Derek found out that Dietrich lost Anissa, known as his most precious thing, he would openly mock and laugh at him; he would never help.
Dietrich sighed deeply and then turned back out of the castle.
'I should've just bought it for you.'
Except for the chicken skewer merchant who was obviously a servant of Leatris, the other merchants were usually ordinary people.
Dietrich frowned, brooding over his belated regrets.
He thought he was a little upset that she didn't believe in him. For such a trivial reason, he couldn't control his emotions, which was new to him.
'What if I really don't find her like this?'
In the Empire, slavery and human trafficking were prohibited by law, but in the state of Lagrange, illegal slave markets were still prevalent.
Only then did Dietrich look down on his pale skinny hands, feeling his heart sinking.
'What the hell is this feeling?'
Was this how it felt to lose something that was his? Was it this scary?
He searched in and out of the castle, even at a bigger risk, he searched Leatris Palace and even the Rose Palace, but he wasn't able to find Anissa's cotton candy-like pink hair.
It was almost midnight that Anissa reappeared in front of his eyes with a shabby frame.
"Brother?"
The child approached Dietrich casually, as if nothing had happened.
"Ha."
He bit his mouth hard to hold back his stunned laughter.
The child had sweaty hair stuck to her round forehead after coming here doing whatever she must have done.
".....went looking for me?"
"....."
"Wai?" (Why?)
Of course he was looking. Who was she kidding?
When looked down in a fit of anger at the child who didn't even reach half of his body, Dietrich had to stop talking.
"Wanna eat this?"It was because Anissa held out a skewer that was held tightly in her small hand like a bracken.
There was a lot of seasoning on Anissa's mouth, as if she had been eating while walking.
Looking at her intent stare as if it was attached to the meat, it seemed she held back from eating what she had wanted to eat.
"I bring this for Detrie."
Anissa, with her round wide eyes, agonized for a moment, in the end faintly laughed and then held the remaining half of the skewer towards Dietrich's lips.
Without thinking, Dietrich ate the meat that Anissa offered. Even though he didn't remember eating any food that someone gave him without any doubt.
The already cold meat was strangely warm.
For him, this was what winter meant.
It wasn't very hot, but for the first time, it wasn't very cold. To the point that he could get used to such a winter night.
'I should stop messing around in front of Dietrich.'
I was referring to the mountain of corpses lying under Dietrich's feet - although they didn't seem dead yet.
Ten adults attacked a child who was only ten years old, but he didn't even get a scratch on his body.
'I must have been crazy.'
The days when I clung to Dietrich without fear felt like a dream. In the dark forest, stepping on an artificially created bloody puddle, Dietrich looked more like a ghost than a person.
The soft light of the moon illuminated the small but slender body getting rid of the enemies. It was hard to grasp the reality of the scene.
'What the hell did I believe in and played the fool in front of him?'
At the glance of his chilly gaze looking down at the men scattered in the woods, beaten by a small boy, I unconsciously stepped back and collapsed.
Thud!
The rustling of the dry leaves reverberated through the tranquil forest. Dietrich who was looking at the men with a dull gaze, turned his head.
"...Anissa?"
"Bro--brother."
I didn't want to be caught by him, so I smiled reluctantly.
'Let's not mess around in the future.'
No matter how easy it may seem, he was the boy who would become the greatest villain in the world.
'What ten year old is so strong?'
"At this time of night, why are you…"
Dietrich, who found me, muttered under his breath and drew nearer. I swallowed and looked up at him.
'I see now why he looked like a ghost earlier.'
The cool face with the moon's shadow was unbelievably beautiful.
The deep eyes matched with the delicate pupils as if it was made of obsidian, and the sharp nose resembled an angel statue that was carefully carved by a craftsman.
The problem was, the blood splatter on such an unrealistic face.
'Now that he's closer he looks more like a ghost…'
It was a face that looked more like the devil than Baal. I bit my lips tightly and held Dietrich's hand.
"Why are you here?"
"Huh?"
It was pure coincidence that I saw this unbelievable sight. I didn't come out to the garden looking for Dietrich.
No matter how chilly the winter was before, summer was summer. The humid air of the night was damp enough to hinder my good sleep.
After tossing and turning unable to sleep, I went out for a walk with a fairy tale book that Baal gave me.
'The Rabbit Returned to the Moon.'
A fairy tale with a title that I've never heard of in my previous life was the story of a young rabbit who lived on the moon.
The baby rabbit, who was rejected by the black rabbit group because it was the only one that was white, was eventually driven out of the group and chased by a hunter.
I felt a sense of connection with the rabbit. Because I was the same.
'I'm the only one who's different.'
In my previous life, I had an older sister and an older brother, both of whom were talented people playing all over the country.
Not only did I study well, but there was nothing worse than being poor at music, art, physical education, and even cooking.
'I couldn't do much more.'
Naturally, our house revolved around them. When I was young, I just envied my older brother and sister. I never hated them.
However, the subtle favoritism of our parents had degenerated into discrimination that was close to abuse.
'If you're only going to that college, it's better if you don't go.'
It was not a famous university compared to the university where my sister and brother attended, still, when I got to college where it was difficult to go with my grades, my mom said that my tuition was a waste.
My parents didn't support me, and I worked hard night and day to pay for my tuition.
'If I turn black like ashes, they would also accept me.'
Although it was hard for the black rabbit to pull back on the mud to make it look good for the black rabbits, I remembered myself who was proud of the 'tuition fee envelope' that became thick every month.
I was stupid enough to think that if I save money by myself without asking my parents, they would be proud of me.
'Oh? Your money? Mom gave it to me.'
By the time the tuition deadline was near, I looked for the envelope to go to the bank, but it was gone without a trace.
When I grabbed my brother and questioned him about the empty envelope in his room, he had a face that said he didn't know about such a situation.
'Didn't you work part-time for us to use the money?'
'Why would I work part-time for you and sister to use my money!!!'
'Isn't it obvious? Isn't that all you can do for our family?'
'....what?'
'What are you going to do to make our family shine like us? If you don't have any talents, you should at least earn your keep.'
It was as if I was a broom stuck in the corner of the veranda.
'Well, sorry if you didn't mean to give it to me.'
My brother said so, taking out a ten thousand won bill from his pocket and giving it to me.
'There's one left. You keep it. Aren't you grateful?'