I Picked Up the Precious Daughter of the Villain

Elodie nodded with a puzzled look, seemingly not understanding my intention.

“So, you see…”

I took a breath. This might be a bit of an exaggeration. But I had a duty to reassure this child.

“I’ve encountered characters like that more than once or twice. And I’ve dealt with them all in the same way. I’ve never faced retaliation, not even once.”

“But… but…”

Just as Elodie was about to burst into tears again, Ian quietly spoke up.

“Elodie, I promise you this. If that person comes back seeking revenge, just ask any guard for help immediately. I’ll mark him as a person of interest in advance. He’ll end up in jail right away.”

“…Really?”

“Of course, it’s real.”

Ian gave me a slight nod. It meant this wasn’t a lie to comfort the child. I flashed Ian a grateful smile before turning back to Elodie.

“You heard what the Captain said, right? So you don’t need to be scared anymore.”

“…”

“But thank you for worrying about me. Who else would think of me like this if not for Elodie?”

Elodie pouted her lips.

“Aria needs to be more careful.”

“I am being careful, of course.”

I answered firmly.

“So, don’t worry about anything. That person from earlier won’t show up in front of us ever again. Understand?”

Very slowly, the fear and anxiety clouding Elodie’s face began to disappear. I hugged Elodie tightly and stroked her head, thinking that meeting Elodie was the greatest fortune in my life.

***

“That damn woman…!”

Jim Kershaw, the man who had tried to pull a scam at <Cafe Aria> but failed miserably, kicked a pebble on the roadside while panting heavily. He was still fuming. He had a hunch she had some backing, but to think she’d bring in the Captain of the Guard.

Typically, most Captains of the Guard would scoff at requests from ordinary citizens and go on their way, but that young man seemed to have nothing better to do, ready to settle in the cafe. Jim frowned. His anger was still unresolved, but with the Captain of the Guard as her support, it seemed difficult to set up shop in the cafe again and nitpick at various things.

But who was Jim? He was known as the ‘Frog’ among the capital’s guards for his ability to hop around and make quick getaways.

“…Come to think of it, there was that child.”

Jim suddenly muttered aloud. A woman who seemed to be in her early twenties at most, raising a child old enough to understand conversations. Judging by her behavior, she was clearly in an unusual relationship with the Captain of the Guard. A wicked smirk appeared on Jim’s face.

After all, she was just a woman who spent a night with the Captain of the Guard. If he used the child as leverage to blackmail her, she would have no choice but to beg on her knees. If he timed his actions to avoid the guards’ working hours, even the Captain would find it bothersome and not help.

‘…?’

Jim whirled around. Suddenly, he sensed an ominous presence. Jim, trained in the alleys of the capital, quickly realized its nature.

‘I’ve been tailed. Who could it be?’

As soon as he looked around, a man slowly emerged from the sunset. It was the handsome, seemingly wealthy young man who had been sitting in the cafe earlier. Jim hadn’t paid much attention to him then, but now he was following him. It made no sense.

“Hey, you…!”

Jim’s words were cut off as soon as they began. It didn’t take long for his eyes to widen with shock and terror.

***

‘I want to sleep more…’

I rolled around in bed, savoring my day off after a month. Just one day a month. It was a meager holiday befitting a self-employed person, but it was incredibly precious. On days like this, I should do nothing and just stay tucked in the warm blanket with Elodie…

‘Oh no.’

My eyes snapped open. Today wasn’t a holiday where I could just laze around as usual. It was the day for a picnic with other parents who had children around Elodie’s age.

I carefully extracted myself from the cozy bed, trying not to wake Elodie who was sound asleep. Fortunately, it wasn’t cold thanks to Duke Baniche practically wallpapering the house with insulation and carpets. I skillfully fried bacon and eggs and chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions to make a salad.

‘Elodie will probably wake up a bit later.’

Elodie hadn’t slept well last night due to her excitement for today. The prospect of going on a picnic with children her age seemed to thrill her so much.

‘It’s understandable.’

Elodie didn’t have any friends her age. It was natural, given that before living with me, she had been moved around by the human trafficking ring, and after living together, there hadn’t been a suitable opportunity. And today was finally that opportunity.

I unfolded the newspaper that was delivered every morning. Since I started raising Elodie, mornings had become much busier, and I rarely had time to read the newspaper. With Elodie sleeping in for once, I thought I’d skim through the newspaper before packing the picnic lunch.

I opened the local newspaper, which lacked any coverage of international affairs or major events happening across the empire. For a business owner, knowing what’s happening in your neighborhood is more important than the goings-on among the high and mighty in the distant capital. The headline on the front page caught my eye.

I narrowed my eyes. There was a small illustration in the newspaper, and the description of the person’s appearance seemed familiar.

‘No way…’

I rubbed my eyes and peered at the illustration. It was undoubtedly the same con artist who had caused trouble at the cafe a few days ago before disappearing. I hurriedly read through the rest of the article.

I swallowed hard. Unlike the grand headline, Jim Kershaw was just a petty criminal. His prior convictions were all insignificant. Most were similar to the scam he had tried to pull on me.

This Jim Kershaw was found sitting in a secluded alley, completely out of his mind. The passerby who discovered him initially thought he was drunk, but upon seeing his rolled-back eyes and incoherent babbling, they realized something was seriously wrong and reported it.

Jim Kershaw seemed to have lost his mind to the point where proper communication was impossible.

‘Did he receive some divine punishment?’

I quickly lost interest and closed the newspaper. Whether he had gone mad or not was of no concern to me. If anything, it was a good thing. If I told Elodie about this in a softened way, she would feel reassured.

I got up and started preparing for the picnic. I wanted to make sure Elodie wouldn’t feel inferior to the children who grew up with their birth parents. As I was taking various ingredients out of the cupboard…

“…Aria?”

A small voice called out. I turned my head. Elodie, still half-asleep, was standing in the bedroom doorway, rubbing her eyes. In our small home consisting of just a kitchen connected to the living room and one bedroom, Elodie would often come straight for breakfast as soon as she woke up.

“You can sleep a bit more if you want.”

We were planning to go for the picnic around lunchtime anyway. It would be the last outdoor picnic before winter, and it would be a shame to spend it nodding off. Elodie shook her head. The clear determination burning in her eyes showed that she had no intention of going back to the bedroom to sleep.

“What are all those things up there?”

Elodie asked, munching on some bacon.

“Oh, I’m making lunch boxes. We tend to eat twice as much when we’re outside, so I need to make plenty.”

“Lunch boxes…”

“Would you like to help me later, Elodie?”

“Yes!”

I smiled brightly and resumed preparing the food ingredients. The lunch boxes were just the beginning. I needed to hurry to get Elodie dressed, and pack the picnic mat, blankets, bottles filled with warm water, and various other small items.

Some time passed. Before I knew it, Elodie had quietly sidled up next to me.

“It’s dangerous, so stay back.”

I said sternly while making cuts in mini sausages. Elodie looked at me with curious eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Octopus sausages.”