Chapter 8

The boy had a hollow gaze, which was a bit disappointing, but he possessed a beauty that could be described as exceptional.

‘Definitely! His features are becoming more distinct, just like a main character’s would!’

That’s how I naturally came to understand the rules of this world.

I, too, had a face that was excessively cute for an extra, hadn’t Susan Auntie praised me until her mouth was dry?

‘Turns out I wasn’t an extra either. What’s an extra? I…’

Suddenly, my head started to hurt because of my existence. I had tried not to think about it.

‘Oops, put my worries aside for now.’

Right. My intuition was telling me that this boy was Cheshire.

Black hair, red eyes.

First, his appearance matched the description of Cheshire.

Of course, there might be other children with black hair and red eyes, but still.

‘A handsome boy with black hair and red eyes’ found by ‘Enoch Rubinstein,’ the ‘main character.’

This couldn’t be a coincidence.

It was undoubtedly following the original plot 100%.

“What’s your name?”

“……”

The boy didn’t answer the question I blurted out in a hurry. He just stared at me persistently.

Well, he was clearly on guard, so he wouldn’t easily speak.

“Kid, are you in a lot of pain? Can you get up?”

When Dad extended his hand, the boy glanced at it for a moment before getting up on his own.

Then, he limped past us.

“Wait a moment. You.”

Thud!

Dad’s hand, which tried to grab him, was pushed away by the boy.

He looked at Dad and me once more with his empty eyes and then calmly disappeared.

“Hey, wait a moment!”

“Lilith.”

Dad stopped me from trying to catch up.

He smiled wryly and said,

“Of course, Princess. Not everyone likes nobles.”

“Ah, yeah.”

“Since he’s uncomfortable, let’s just help him up to this point.”

Dad said this while still looking at the boy’s back as he walked out of the alley.

I looked at Dad, who seemed to be drawn to the boy, and inwardly chuckled.

‘This is definitely a novel world. The original plot is progressing smoothly.’

This must have been the first meeting between Enoch Rubinstein and Cheshire, which the original described as a ‘chance encounter.’

“Let’s go, Princess.”

“Yeah.”

Dad, holding my hand, started walking again without a word.

I could see through Dad’s thoughts, which seemed to be filled with many things.

The reality of this country, which had decayed over seven years, was not welcoming.

Worries about his daughter, who would have to adapt and live here.

A strange attraction to the boy he had just seen.

He must have been thinking about such things.

“Dad.”

I squeezed Dad’s hand, which I was holding gently.

“Dad, can’t I make friends as I please?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m a noble, right? So… can’t I make friends with commoners?”

Dad was silent for a moment at my question.

Enoch Rubinstein, a righteous revolutionary who was skeptical of the empire’s class system.

This must have been a question that would have stirred the revolutionary blood in him, even before he lost his daughter.

“No, Lilith.”

As expected, Dad had a firm look.

“If you want to, no one can stop you. Whether they’re nobles or commoners, capable or not. If you’re happy, you can be friends with anyone.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Dad chuckled and pinched my cheek lightly.

“Dad, Dad. What about that boy earlier? Is it really okay to leave him like that?”

“Huh?”

“He was badly hurt. Did he get proper treatment? And… he seems to dislike nobles, so what if he gets beaten up again?”

“…That’s true.”

“Where could he have gone…?”

“Are you so concerned about a boy you just met?”

“Yeah!”

I looked up at Dad.

“I don’t know why, but I keep thinking about him. I… want to be friends with him.”

Dad looked slightly surprised.

Of course, he was probably also thinking about that strange boy, so it made sense that his daughter was saying something similar.

“Can’t Dad find him later and help him? I’m curious if he got treated and I want to talk to him….”

“Ha, ha.”

Dad looked at me blankly for a moment before starting to laugh.

“I….”

Then he suddenly picked me up, pressed his forehead to my cheek, and muttered,

“…I have an angel.”

“Will you find and help him?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Of course, I should. When have I ever ignored my princess’s request?”

“Yay. Dad is the best. Thank you.”

I buried myself in Dad’s embrace, hiding my wry expression.

‘If the original plot is followed, Cheshire should be living with the Onyx Marquess by now.’

According to the 6th setting of Cheshire Rubinstein—

6. Originally an illegitimate child of a noble, he suffered abuse until he caught Enoch Rubinstein’s eye and was adopted.

—He must be going through a very difficult childhood.

Of course, this difficult childhood is not described in the story.

<Rebellion of Doss> starts with 13-year-old Cheshire practicing swordsmanship, after he has already been adopted by Dad.

The fact that he was an illegitimate child of the ‘Onyx Marquess’ is revealed later.

‘I know where you are now…’

The narrative of abuse given to Cheshire to instill his resentment towards nobles was heartbreakingly tragic.

Anyone who saw Cheshire’s hollow expression, unbecoming of a child, would feel the same way as me.

‘Wait for me, Cheshire. I’ll find you as soon as I can.’

* * *

He had no surname, only the name Cheshire.

He lived with his mother, a former maid, for 11 years until he was abandoned in front of the Onyx Marquess’s house half a year ago.

His father, the Onyx Marquess, whom he didn’t even know existed, was a remarkable person.

A noble of the Quarto class.

The second most powerful ability in the empire.

“Jonathan, have you finally lost your mind? What are you going to do by leaving that child outside?”

Cheshire, who had been abandoned, watched blankly as his father, the Onyx Marquess, and his half-brother, Jonathan, argued.

Jonathan, his half-brother, despised Cheshire, the illegitimate child of his father, to an extreme.

Today, Jonathan had secretly dragged Cheshire out like a dog and left him in the middle of the city, returning home alone.

“I can’t stand the sight of that scum in this house!”

“Shut up! What do you want me to do? If I leave him anywhere and the imperial army conducts a random ability check, what will we do?”

The Onyx Marquess sputtered.

“If his ability is discovered, they will search for his parents. It’s only a matter of time before it’s revealed that he’s my blood. Then I’ll be seen as a man who not only had an illegitimate child but also threw him away like trash.”

“Then why don’t you just announce that he’s your illegitimate child! A scum with low blood!”

“Then why don’t you just lock him up secretly and raise him!”

“If you’re going to do that, just kill him quietly. I find it revolting to be in the same space as him!”

“……”

The Onyx Marquess fell silent at Jonathan’s words.

His silence was a sign of hesitation.

A tainted existence that would tarnish his reputation, yet he couldn’t bring himself to kill him because he was his blood.

A hesitation born from a shallow sense of guilt.

“Don’t do something like this again. I won’t interfere with anything else.”

The Onyx Marquess glanced at Cheshire, who was kneeling, and coldly left the room.

“Scum.”

Jonathan’s fist, as if waiting for this moment, flew towards Cheshire’s head.

Cheshire instinctively blinked.

The world slowed down.

Very slowly, as if someone had cast a spell.

It would probably take ten minutes for the fist to reach his cheek.

Whether it was slowing down time or tricking his eyes, Cheshire didn’t know what kind of ability it was.

He could only vaguely guess that it was an ability he had because he was a capable person.

“What’s your name?”

Suddenly, the young girl in priest’s robes he had met in the alley came to mind.

A young priest must be a high-level capable person.

They wouldn’t understand.

The lives of the countless non-capable and low-class people beneath their feet….

‘It’s tiring.’

Cheshire thought.

Nobles are all arrogant and oppressive.

Like his father and half-brother.

‘Ah.’

His head turned as the fist finally connected.

The world slowed down, and the fist flew slowly, but the pain was felt fully.

He didn’t avoid it to avoid provoking his brother’s anger.

It was the right thing to do.

Low-class people shouldn’t even look up at high-class people, let alone offend them.

‘Just end it quickly and disappear.’

Cheshire closed his eyes.

The world returned to its normal pace.

Fists and kicks, now familiar, rained down quickly.

‘It would be easier to die. But that’s also scary.’

Cheshire curled up and endured the kicks, feeling self-pity.

He knew how to die but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was hungry, so he didn’t run away and returned obediently to the Marquess’s house.

He found himself disgusting.

Without the courage to commit suicide, it would be nice to naturally disappear when his time came.

“Cough, cough!”

Eventually, Cheshire, left alone, slowly blinked as he looked up at the ceiling.

His hand instinctively went into his pocket.

The handkerchief given by the noble girl.

“S-Sorry… I’m sorry for touching it. I’ll leave it here.”

Cheshire couldn’t understand why he had kept it.

He looked at the handkerchief with a rabbit on it, then tightly clutched it in his hand and muttered in a dry voice.

“I want to die….”