Chapter 3.3

For some reason, Kadis seemed pleased with her earlier remark. He scooted closer, his guard lowered, and wore a mischievous expression befitting his age.  

“Hey. Be honest with me.”  

“Y-Yes?”  

“What do people call him outside?”  

Kadis nudged Lyla’s arm with his elbow, urging her to answer quickly.  

“Y-You mean the Duke…?”  

Lyla’s eyes darted around nervously.  

There was no way she could answer that.  

In the North, the Duke was like a king. His word was law. If she spoke honestly here, the consequences were obvious.  

Treason against the royal family!  

Lyla firmly kept her mouth shut.  

But Kadis wasn’t ready to give up. Her silence seemed to fuel his amusement, as if he were challenging her to speak.  

“Last year, he raised taxes and added some kind of protection fee, didn’t he? And now, because he didn’t send guards to small villages, this mess happened.”  

“B-But surely he sent someone to rescue you, Young Master. By now, they must be searching for us—no, for you—with all their might.”  

This was the only answer Lyla could give.  

It was the best response to avoid criticizing the Duke while also reassuring the young Kadis.  

But Kadis didn’t seem pleased with her careful words.  

His eyes grew sharp again, and his guard returned.  

“Wake up.”  

“…What?”  

“That man wants me dead.”  

“T-That’s impossible! What kind of father would wish for his son’s death?”  

“My father would.”  

Kadis turned away and lay down, his back to her.  

“Get some sleep.”  

“…?”  

“The bandits will wake up soon.”  

Though Kadis appeared clean and well-dressed, he had actually been imprisoned here for two weeks.  

“And then they’ll drag you out and torture you. Don’t worry—they won’t touch me. I’m too valuable to them. If they kill me or leave any scars, I’ll lose my worth.”  

Lyla was more concerned about Kadis, who spoke so nonchalantly about the situation, than about what would happen to her.  

“So, I’m not the first person to end up here.”  

Lyla could guess what had happened.  

The bandits, aiming for ransom money, had kidnapped Kadis and brought in others to torture in front of him, hoping to break his spirit.  

In front of a child.  

How could they be so cruel?  

“Ah… that…”  

Not far from their cage, something bulged under a cloth. Lyla noticed an arm sticking out from beneath it and quickly turned her head away.  

The thought of such atrocities being committed in front of a child made her chest ache. She rubbed her chest and cautiously reached out to Kadis, who had turned away. She intended to pat his shoulder. 

“Are you alright?”  

Smack!  

Without even looking, Kadis slapped her hand away. His reflexes were sharp, like those of a wild animal.  

Then came his harsh rebuke.  

“Do you want to comfort me?”  

“N-No, I was just worried about you…”  

“Ha. What nonsense. The last guy who died begged me to convince them to spare him.”  

“…”  

“You’re probably clever like that guy, but give up. Whether you die or not, I don’t care…”  

Kadis, who had been spitting out his anger, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and sat up abruptly.  

Unlike her, he didn’t hit his head on the ceiling, which made Lyla painfully aware of how small and young he truly was.  

“Just give up. Die. Just die already!”  

The boy’s voice was filled with rage, his words a desperate cry.  

It was as if he were roaring like a young snow leopard, trying to expel the bitterness within him.  

“Young Master…”  

Lyla quietly stared at the hand Kadis had slapped away.  

She didn’t feel angry or scared.  

She just felt sad.  

Because she could tell that his furious words weren’t truly directed at her.  

Kadis was yelling at himself.  

He was the one who wanted to give up and die.  

And that realization reminded her of her past self, trembling in despair at her own helplessness.  

What could have driven a boy of just ten years to this point? 

Life was indeed a series of cruel injustices.  

“How pitiful. To be so unlucky as to get tangled up with someone like me. Just curse me and die already.”  

How could he say such sad words? 

Even if she were to die, she would never resent him.  

“I hope that you unlucky little brat lives a miserable life and dies—ugh!”  

Slap.  

A sharp sound echoed as Kadis’s head jerked to the side.  

For a moment, Kadis sat there in a daze, like someone who had lost his mind. Slowly, he raised a hand to his stinging cheek, and only then did the burning pain register.  

Kadis had never been struck before—not by his father, nor by his swordsmanship instructor. The realization of this fact made the pain spread from his cheek like fire throughout his entire body.  

The boy’s face twitched, turning red and purple, as if it were about to burst.  

“You… you little—!”  

Kadis trembled with rage, glaring at Lyla.  

“You dare hit me?”  

“Then survive.”  

“What?”  

“Survive, and punish me yourself—not the bandits, but you, Young Master.”  

Lyla grabbed Kadis firmly by both shoulders. The unexpected force silenced Kadis. His fiercely furrowed eyes widened, and his expression softened, becoming more boyish and gentle.  

Looking at him with affection, Lyla spoke clearly and firmly.  

“My name is Lyle Cardia, head of the Cardia Earldom.”  

“…”  

Kadis, who had been frozen in shock, eventually let out a derisive snort. So much for being from some grand noble family.  

“Cardia Earldom? Never heard of it.”  

Kadis brought his arms together and then abruptly spread them outward. With that simple motion, Lyla’s hands, which had been gripping his shoulders, fell away effortlessly.  

“Ah…!”  

“Pathetic.”  

Kadis sneered again, but his tone lacked its earlier venom.  

Lyla stared blankly at her own arms, now hanging limply at her sides.  

Though Kadis was a boy, he was much smaller than Lyla, as he hadn’t yet entered puberty. His strength likely didn’t match hers—at least, not yet.  

The ease with which he shrugged off her grip was more a matter of skill than power. Kadis moved with the practiced precision of someone trained to defend himself. As the heir to the Ducal House, it seemed he had learned self-defense at an early age.  

Even in the worst-case scenario, with skills like his, he might be able to escape and survive on his own.  

This thought gave Lyla some relief.  

‘But to think he’s never even heard of the Cardia family.’  

Lyla glanced at Kadis.  

He didn’t look like he was lying.  

Her parents had lost their lives after being falsely accused of desertion, but it seemed their tragedy hadn’t even become gossip among the higher-ranking nobles.  

‘No, this isn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts.’  

Lyla steadied her resolve.  

First, she needed to come up with an escape plan.  

“You said the bandits are going to torture me, right? How long do their torture sessions usually last? And how many days do most people endure?”  

Kadis’s expression twisted slightly, and Lyla immediately regretted her words.  

“I know it’s painful to talk about, but this information is crucial if I’m going to save you, Young Master.”  

If necessary, she was prepared to use the fact that she was a woman to her advantage.  

She would use every card at her disposal—there wouldn’t be a second chance.  

She would give everything she had to protect this child.  

‘I think I finally understand why my brother was able to save me.’  

She remembered Lyle, at such a young age, facing a bear several times his size with nothing but a sword. She had never understood where he found the courage.  

But now she did.  

When you have someone to protect, you can become strong.  

Be strong, Lyla.  

You’re going to protect this child.  

“Come out.”  

Just as Lyla was brimming with determination, the bandits appeared and dragged her out.