"Milady, sometimes I'm questioning myself if you're truly the old you now"
"....W-What are you t-talking about M-Melly! Of course, as I've said earlier I've changed. I'm now trying to be lady that will try to help those in need"
However, Melly didn't seemed to buy what Victoria was telling when the carriage that they were in had already stopped from moving
"See? I didn't shouted or was I even angry about it, right Melly?"
That made Melly sighed and nodded defeated
'I guess people truly changed overtime if they wanted to change. For Milady's case, I'm just glad that she's already this far from being like this. I hope the old her never comes back. It's because I thought that she again had those childish attitude on her father that's why she was allowed to go in the market. But may this time I'm already wrong again'
"Alright, alright Milady, I now believe you"
They were now currently at the market. What Victoria had asked her father on going towards the market had been granted if she should go along with her father's personal knight. Now, the personal knight named Howald was the one who was operating the carriage with moving horse that was mobilizing it.
Melly, on the other hand, had been granted to see the market with the lady she's assisting. All her life, she had known that the lady had been afraid of going to the market because of the polluted air that will mixed inside her body. However the lady that was now in front of her had changed. She kept denying the reality however it always slapped her hard that she can't deny it anymore
'I more like the new Lady that I'll assist for all my life now'
Melly thought, it's because she owed something from the family that she wanted to repay. That's why she was assisting the lady in her needs knowing that she had changed for the better.
"Alright, I guess we're already in here!"
Then the carriage's door immediately opened. Making the two lady looked at the knight that was shining like prince charming. Victoria, upon meeting the knight named Howald earlier can't help but praise the appeal that the knight had. He had those brown hair and green eyes that every lady will swoon over. However, Melly, on the other hand, seemed not to be affected with his charisma at all. That's the reason that Victoria was curious in the first place. Up until now, she remained curious about her movements and look towards the knight who was smiling genuinely at them
"Miladies, I guess we're already now at the market. I'll have to stop in here due to the parking of the area. However, I'll continue guiding you two afterward"
"Thank you, Howald!"
"No worries, Milady"
'Lady Victoria sure had changed. At first sight I was confused because she was all smiles earlier. It was because the previous her wasn't like that at all. She was all serious and one of her eyebrows are always raised like a strict person. Yet, the lady that I've met earlier wasn't like that at all. The duke of the household had told me that she had lost her past memories that's why I was surprised to actually know that effect of it. It can truly change people'
"Alright! From today, let's go towards a bakery. Sir Howald have you known some bakeries here in the market?"
"Certainly, Milady, it was in the part of that path then we'll only have to turn to the right and we're already at the Berry Bakeshop"
"Alright, Melly keep your eyes close on me okay?"
"Yes, Milady"
"Alright, then let's go!"
***
"Ger, you did get these kinds of things again? You're truly our genuine person here. you're much worthy than the others"
"…"
A young man was showing a pile of jewelries covered in a small wallet in front of an old man. The old man was having those beards that can be seen like it wasn't being cared upon, they were messy and full of dirt. Then all of a sudden, the man laughed in front of the young man who was handling the jewelries to the man
"I'm never wrong to pick you up on the streets later that night. You're truly capable of stealing things like these. Moreover, tomorrow, your priority is to steal some money and food. Right now, it's enough for these jewelries"
Then, after saying those words, the old man had laughed again while the young man had only looked at the old man laughing
'How disgusting'
It was only on his thought however, he never bothered to speak such words because he's only a slave young man working for him. He had to claim his trust in so he could climb to top and escape the place where he and the others were forced to do such illegal things
'If only I had such family in the first place then I would never had done such things for survival. I hated the one who gave me life only to throw me in the streets not even caring if I die or live'
It's true, the young man was still a baby when he had been left out on the streets in the market. He wasn't even given such proper training or even proper food to eat. However, he lived a miracle without food and water for days. It's only a good thing for him that the old man had found him that night that he was doing such things like what the young man and the rest had been doing now
"Alright, you may now go back again with the usual. Don't forget to bring food later on, Ger"
What the old man was portraying was for the young man who was named Ger by the old man does is to have that part-time job that he was working with. In the empire, it is illegal for a child to work as a part-timer in the market.it violate such human rights however, in Ger's case he wasn't like a child for the people outside the market. He appearance had already grown to a fine young man. That's the reason that he can still perform part-time jobs after his primary job of stealing are done.
"Yes, understood Terius"
"Alright, now go!"
'It's the only thing you could ask of me. However, you're always the one being benefitted by the things that I and the rest were bringing to you. I'm very grateful that you let me live that night however, I never thought that living with you comes with a heavy price that I'm now repaying by doing those disgusting things'
Later on, before he goes towards the market, he went towards the secluded part of the narrow alley where they were living. The knight guards that always patrol outside the market never went inside the narrow alley because some of them were always tipped off by the old man that had five young boys that's doing his dirty tasks. That was what Ger never wanted, at first he wanted to be a knight but when he saw how the knights can be bribed off, he lost interest about being like them
"Brother Ger are you again going to your part time job?"
"Yes, Finneas"
"Then please buy me again that bread that you used to take home every night. Please brother?"
"Of course all for you four, Finneas, Grem, Xenius and Talius"
"Thank you brother! We always love you!"
"Yeah. Me too"
Ger only patted the head of Finneas who was one of the young boys that were working under the old man. However, on Finneas' eyes, Ger's sadness never escape them. He saw how Ger was smiling to him however the eyes always speaks everything that Ger was feeling that Finneas always felt pained.
Finneas and he others always say "brother" to Ger because he's the eldest of them and they treated each other like siblings because just like Ger, they were also abandoned in the streets that the old man had picked up like a piece of jewel to do his dirty tasks later on when they grew up
After saying those, Ger was now walking outside of the narrow alley leaving behind the rest. The other three were peacefully sleeping through the day because they are already done with their duties. Later that night, they'll eventually do the same thing that they're doing early in the morning
'Sooner or later, I'll always find ways to escape with you guys inside that dirty place of that Old man. I promise that'
***
"Hmmmm, what do you like Sir Howald and Melly?"
"Anything would be fine with me" Melly and Howald had said the same thing that made them look to each other. Howald was smiling towards Melly, yet Melly was only seriously looking at her. Then after a few seconds, she averted her gaze from her and immediately smiled back at the Lady
"Honestly Milady, anything would be fine with me, as long as you choose it"
"Alright Melly. How about you Sir Howald?"
"I guess Melly and I had truly the same taste, Milady"
"Oh! Then alright!"
Victoria found a new hint that Sir Howald was truly into Melly. That only made her blushed for a moment as she was now picking what food that they might like. However, when she was about to pick delicious breads for the three of them, the door inside the bakery had been opened with the bell's gentle ringing can be heard. That stopped Victoria to say something.
She felt in her instincts that she had to turn her head. Then, she wasn't betrayed by her instincts because what she saw made her surprised for the first time. She only saw the young man that she was thinking the previous night. She was thinking of the original Victoria's personal knight
'George Thelois. As I thought, I was never disappointed this day. That thing is that before I asked father to go to the market I already remembered where he was working at such a young age. He was working at a bakeshop inside the market. It was one of the sentences that I've read in the novel that he wasn't able to tell Victoria about it because he only heard her laugh instead of sympathize'
For the moment, Victoria nearly went out of breathe. As if she was the real Victoria on the novel her hands flew towards her neck with a sudden widened eyes upon looking at the young man. It's because of the way she read about him gripping tightly Victoria's neck in the night of her family's demise by the hands of the crown prince. Ger, on the other hand, ignored the lady and went ahead of her and bowed respectfully at the owner of the bakeshop
"I apologize Sir for being late this instance. I'll never be again for next time"
"Alright, just make sure that you'll never be late again. Now, go and clean the rest inside"
"Yes, Sir"
Then the young boy that captivated Victoria for a while went inside while Victoria shook her head and smiled at the owner of the bakery who was assisting them earlier
"So Milady, what would you like to choose, again?"
"Before that, Sir, may I ask the name of that child?"
"Oh that! Surely lots of ladies always went here because of that child. Anyways, his name is Ger"
'As I thought, Ger is George' first name. His blonde hair that was lighter than the crown prince and his crimson red eyes speaks of his cold yet alluring and gorgeous appearance. I need to know more about you, George ---- no Ger. I need you to be the successor of my family's household. In that way, I'll be treating you like a brother'