As Adelina and the man quarreled, the squirming child picked himself up off the ground. Adelina let go of the man's hand and spoke to the child in a steady voice.
"Apologize to the man. Quickly."
"Hey!"
The hand that was about to strike the child changed its direction and moved towards Adelina. Adelina took a step back and evaded his attack before swiftly moving behind him and kicking the back of his knee. As the man staggered, he tried to grab her, but Adelina grabbed his hand and bent it behind his back.
"Ugh!"
"It's not a good habit to raise your hand before you assess the situation. I'll pay for what that child has stolen."
"Who… said… Aagh!"
As the man tried to stand up and attack, Adelina tightened her hold on his arm in warning.
Despite her fragile appearance, the wench's grip was surprisingly strong. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't wrench his hand out of her grasp.
"Hurry up and apologize."
Unlike the man's screams, Adelina's voice was calm and steady. The child had no desire to run away from her.
The child glanced up at Adelina's gaze before looking around. He put the stolen apple down and went on his knees.
"I-I'm sorry."
"He said he's sorry."
"...Let go!"
"Promise me that you'll let them go."
As she listed out her conditions, Adelina did not move from her spot. No matter how much the man squirmed and struggled, she didn't back down. Finally, the man lifted his other hand.
"Alright! Fine!"
Adelina finally let go. As if he'd been waiting for this moment, the man turned around and raised his hand and swung it down towards her. The hand that had been a hair's breadth away from her cheek only met the air. Adelina crouched down and kicked his leg with all her might.
"Ugh!"
As the man's balance wavered, Adelina turned around and placed another forceful kick on the man's other leg. With his balance completely lost, the man crashed to the ground.
Completely shocked to find himself on the ground, the man squirmed. Adelina picked up the apple and placed it in front of the man.
"The child was in the wrong, but it isn't right to start swinging your hands like that."
"Hey! You damned wench!"
"I don't think I've done so much wrong to be called a 'damned wench'. Excuse me."
She lowered her head to the man and looked around. The people who had once gathered around her were now nowhere to be seen. Once everything had settled down, Adelina gestured to the child.
Still on their knees, the child quickly lowered his head when their eyes met.
"I-I'm sorry."
After hearing his apology, Adelina let out a sigh.
Because of the war, many homes were broken, and the number of orphans grew.
She barely managed to earn some money with her talent alone, but it would be hard for a child like this to find any work.
"Here. Take this."
The child's eyes widened when Adelina held out a money pouch. She wasn't able to give him all of her money, but she could afford to give him enough to buy a meal or two.
When the child stretched out his hand to grasp the pouch, Adelina quickly grabbed it back.
"If you're in a situation where you have no choice but to steal, don't get caught, okay?"
Instead of telling him not to steal, she ended up telling him not to get caught. After taking Adelina's pouch, the child disappeared into the throng of people.
After staring at the street that had now returned to normal, Adelina began to brush the dust off of her clothes.
Even though her family had been wiped out and all of their possessions had been taken away, their lives continued on.
Right now, there were more people that needed her than people who could help her. Adelina was now learning how to do her best to survive.
* * *
By the time Adelina returned home, the sun had gone down, and the sky was filled with the colors of the sunset.
"Doen, I'm home."
"Lady Adelina!"
Doen had been worriedly waiting for Adelina in front of the shabby house. When she saw her, she quickly rushed over to her. When Doen's voice rang in the air, the door opened and a young girl burst out.
"Unnie!"
Adelina gently stroked the girl's hair and gave Doen a smile.
"You said you'd only go out to sell the animal skins, so when you didn't return, I was so worried something had happened to you. You said you'd cut back on your work, but what is all this that you're bringing with you?! Didn't I tell you that I can just sew more?"
"I only brought back things that I can do slowly. Doen, if you overwork yourself in your condition, you'll get sick. You must not do more than what you have right now."
"How can I just remain like this when my Lady is working so hard? I'm merely my Lord's concubine…"
"What is so amazing about a fallen noble's daughter? There's no need for you to wait for me like this."
"My Lady!"
Doen cried out with a ghastly pale face, but Adelina didn't show any discomfort. She could no longer call herself a noble, and she held no foolish, lingering attachment to the past.
Her large family was no longer filled with members, and the shed that used to overflow with wealth was no longer here. The customers that used to come every single day had now turned their backs on them.
"Is Father inside?"
"He just got up."
"I'll give him my greetings."
"Um... my Lady."
Doen grabbed Adelina and shook her head. Seeing her gesture, Adelina let out a sigh.
Her household no longer had servants.
The only thing they had left was her collapsed father, his concubine with a bad leg, and the concubine's young daughter.
As misfortune rocked their house, they had nowhere to turn.
"It's fine, so just go inside with Nisha. And don't touch the things I brought with me or you may get hurt."
Doen didn't seem to know what to do. Seeing this, Adelina stretched out her hand to the young girl next to Doen and gently stroked the girl's hair.
Two years had already passed since their clan had collapsed. The pain of being abandoned by the Crown Prince as well as the aftereffects of her family's ruin continued to torment her.