“Would there be a way in the capital?”

“There might be a way, but can this child make it? It would be better to go buy medicine yourself.”

Fortunately, they said there was medicine in the capital. Worried about leaving Rose alone, he made an agreement with a village widow to care for Rose in exchange for providing all the firewood for winter. Fortunately, she also loved Rose like a daughter and readily agreed.

‘I’ll return quickly.’

Though Rose worried about Rick going to the capital alone after hearing the situation, Rick reassured Rose and left alone that night.

When he finally returned, what he found was a ruined cabin.

“Oh my goodness… I didn’t know. That she was such a high noble lady. How surprised I was!”

The Clematis Knight Order had burst in and taken Rose away. They said they came knowing everything. Rick clenched his teeth. In a way, it might have been for the best. Rose was really weak, and might have lost her life to the fever. Now she would have received proper treatment.

“But, Rick, that noble lady, she had a really high fever at the end. They said she might die, I wonder if she’s okay…?”

At those words, Rick headed back to the capital. Just to ask if Rose was okay. It was fine if he was driven away. Because he didn’t have enough yet to stand by Rose’s side. Because he would work hard. Let’s just try asking about Rose’s condition.

But unfortunately… When Rick entered the capital, before he could even reach the Clematis ducal residence, he encountered the ill fate he had created.

“Hey, Maggot. You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”

“Who do we have here. Ha! It’s the bastard who burned my face!”

“Look at his face? Just like the guy who found him said. I almost didn’t recognize you, huh?”

The organization members. Those who survived among them found Rick. They had been desperately searching for him, and the one who informed on him was the village chief from the village at the foot of the mountain.

Rick was dragged away and beaten within an inch of his life. Even while being beaten to the point of barely breathing, Rick thought of Rose.

When she opens her eyes, won’t she look for me? Then she’ll call for me? What will happen when I’m not at the cabin?

Though he had left word with the widow just in case, he was anxious. But imprisoned, experienced continued violence whenever he seemed to be healing, Rick couldn’t go anywhere.

While living like their puppet, Rick was knocked unconscious in a sack and woke up in a strange place. He knew this method.

‘Human trafficking…’

When he opened his eyes, a man with a cunning appearance was observing him.

“They said they needed someone around fourteen? This one seems close to an adult.”

“Ahaha. He just matured early, but he’s fourteen alright. Besides, this face, this hair color, eye color. All exactly as you wanted.”

The organization member grabbed Rick’s hair and lifted him up. The man exhaled with a “ho-oh”. A lecherous smile played on his lips.

“Not bad. For the next ‘son’.”

A restraint was placed on Rick’s neck. He soon understood his situation. He had been adopted as a son by a noble who had developed a taste for abusing boys. Outwardly, the noble appeared to be building virtue by adopting and sponsoring children, but in reality, he was someone who abused his adopted children and, when they died, disposed of them while claiming he had sent them to good places.

Count Phlox. People called him this, and he showed Rick a large board when he first brought him in.

The Count bestowed his first and last kindness. He told him to choose what would become his name here.

Rick scanned all the names and soon found one containing his name.

“…Maverick? Not bad.”

Though he abused children, the Phlox family itself was an influential house. Let’s build power here. To go to Rose’s side, I need to be noble-like. To fulfill Rose’s request, I need to speak like a noble too. Then…

‘Yes. And you look like a prince. Later, call my name elegantly.’

I can call your name. Rick, no, Maverick gritted his teeth through the organization members’ violence and protected his face, avoiding vital points to survive, all to see Rose’s face even one more time.

Though he was beaten like this because he saved Rose, because he helped Rose escape, he never once thought it was because of Rose.

It was the same now. Because of the restraint, he couldn’t leave the Phlox mansion. They said it was a device that would only open when the Count died. That’s fine. Someday he would kill him with his own hands. As the whip marks on his back increased, he gradually became more noble-like.

Because Count Phlox was obsessed with playing father while abusing, he provided education alongside the abuse. The intelligent Maverick absorbed everything like a sponge.

Still, there were days when he was tired and struggling.

On such days, there was an elderly maid who secretly cared for and helped him. Her name was Martha. Having lost one eye because of Count Phlox, she said she couldn’t leave the mansion and helped each child the Count brought in because she felt too sorry for them.

“With such intelligence, why don’t you escape…”

“It’s alright, Martha. Go now. The Count will come.”

Though different from Rose, she was someone who made his heart warm. Martha said that was what family was, and said she would become his family. If he ever killed Count Phlox and became Count, he wanted to meet Rose and introduce her.

She’s my family. Um, probably… Like a mother figure.

He repeated the words countless times in his dreams. The Rose in his dreams only smiled without answering.

Time passed. Maverick became fully adult. He learned how to remove the restraint without killing the Count and became able to go outside. Sneaking into the streets, he used his childhood experience to gather people and established a small information guild.

And before all this, as soon as he got out, he heard news of Rose.

Rose was living well.

As a woman loved and cherished by everyone in the capital, while also being envied.

Did they say she had several lovers?

Truly, as if she had completely forgotten his existence… she was living well.

Moreover, people didn’t know much about Rose’s kidnapping incident. As if someone had deliberately hidden it. Maverick even began to lose confidence that he had ever had a connection with Rose.

He felt himself becoming empty inside.

For what had he endured such painful suffering? The abuse continued relentlessly. Count Phlox felt ecstasy at the unbreakable Maverick, and rather than adopting more children, he took more pleasure in beating him.

It was pain he had intended to endure until the day he killed him. Worried Rose might dislike it, he had Martha consistently apply medicine to erase his scars. Because Rose shouldn’t find him disgusting.

The pain of being beaten nearly to death by the organization members before, the abuse that continued for nearly 10 years… All of it was nothing in the face of the hope of meeting Rose. However, the moment he heard news of Rose, an even greater pain struck his heart.

A self that Rose took no interest in had no worth living. For what reason did he run so fiercely? Even as his heart was soaked in resignation and emptiness, he never once blamed her. If it was Rose, she could do that. There must be a reason.

Still, wouldn’t she remember me? This was Maverick’s last hope.

And this hope was mercilessly trampled and shattered by the appearance of a certain man.

“Are you Maverick Phlox?”

Swoosh.

It was a day of heavy rain. Maverick stared emotionlessly at the corpse carelessly sprawled in the garden. Since hearing that Rose was living well, he had lost interest in everything except Martha. This was true even for the murder that occurred in his family’s house, the Phlox residence.

The man standing under the umbrella held by a servant had black hair. He had a dignified impression. Strangely, Maverick was reminded of someone by those deeply set eyes. It was Rose.

“I am Bruce Clematis.”

It was the name of the Duke of Clematis.

“Everyone in this family died today. Since they were all helping in the destruction of my family, there should be no one who feels wronged.”

“……”

“Except for one. If we exclude you, the adopted son.”

From Duke Clematis’s mouth came talk of opium, which was banned continent-wide. Maverick was just listening blankly when he thought of one person.

“What happened to Martha?”

“Who is that?”

“The maid… with one eye.”

“Ah.”

The Duke let out an uninterested sound. Soon an aide came and whispered something.

“Going back to our conversation, you alone are innocent in this family. Moreover, I have no particular intention of holding an abused adopted son responsible. However… there is one interesting fact.”