The One Who Won't Be Abandoned - Chapter 12

Listening to the knights’ conversation, Andre’s initial relief and tears at hearing that his father was alive were short-lived. As their conversation continued, the longing that had filled his heart slowly turned cold.

[“For that child’s safety, it might be best to sever ties with Kaiman. If she’s found, entrusting her to Scarlett’s noble family would be the best solution.”]

Andre, who had been ready to burst out and reveal himself to Dune and the knights, froze in place at the mention of entrusting Jeanne to another household. A chilling dread coursed through him, as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice.

Andre turned away from the knights with a hardened expression.

“We can’t part. Never.”

He resolved to be content with the knowledge that his father was alive and decided, for now, not to seek him out.

“No matter what, we can’t be separated.”

Andre was painfully aware that Jeanne could leave his side at any moment. He was the only one clinging desperately to the fragile thread of their bond.

Emerging from the alley into the bustling marketplace, Andre ran straight toward the direction of the flint vendor’s stall. Fortunately, the area around the stall wasn’t too crowded, and he spotted Jeanne immediately.

At that moment, Jeanne was handing a silver coin to the merchant, her face glowing with a satisfied smile. The merchant, on the other hand, wore a contorted expression, as though barely suppressing his annoyance.

“Jeanne!”

Andre’s youthful, high-pitched voice, not yet touched by puberty, made it difficult to tell if it belonged to a boy or a girl.

Hearing her name called, Jeanne turned to look at Andre, her smile unwavering. She waved the flint in her hand as if to show it off proudly, only to realize moments later that he had called out to her loudly in the middle of the crowded market.

“I’ll come over!”

Her face paled as she hastily tossed the silver coin to the merchant and hurried toward Andre.

“Bow your head. Quickly, bow your head,” she whispered urgently.

Placing an arm around Andre’s shoulders, Jeanne shielded his face with her own body, glancing around nervously to ensure no one was watching.

“What happened? Why are you shaking like this? Hm?”

It was only after hearing Jeanne’s words that Andre noticed his own trembling. He was shaking uncontrollably, like a child who had just lost their parents, overwhelmed with anxiety.

With trembling fingers, Andre tentatively grabbed Jeanne’s clothing before suddenly throwing his arms around her waist, clinging to her tightly.

“Did soldiers pass by? Did you make eye contact with them?”

“No.”

Even as Andre’s grip around her waist tightened, Jeanne didn’t push him away. Instead, she embraced him, gently stroking his back to calm him down. Resting her cheek against the top of his head, Jeanne spoke with a face filled with quiet guilt.

“I must have stayed in one place for too long, right? I’m sorry. You must have been worried about being discovered, and I was too distracted to notice.”

“……”

“I’m sorry.”

“Promise me.”

Andre, his face buried against Jeanne’s chest, mumbled something indistinct, but Jeanne, accustomed to him, managed to understand perfectly.

“A promise?”

“That you’ll stay by my side. That you won’t leave me.”

At his sudden, out-of-the-blue demand, Jeanne pouted, clearly taken aback. But she quickly decided it was better to humor the upset boy for now, and she gave her answer without hesitation.

“I promise. I’ll stay by your side. So, calm down, okay? Let’s head back to the mountain.”

“…Okay.”

Though Jeanne’s promise held not a shred of true sincerity, it was enough to provide Andre with a small measure of comfort. His trembling began to subside. However, as the quivering stopped, a sharp, unyielding determination filled his hidden gaze, buried where Jeanne couldn’t see. It was a look far too intense for a child, brimming with a possessiveness that bordered on obsession.

“Jeanne. I’ll make a promise too. No matter what happens, I won’t let you go.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. I will.”

“Fine, whatever. Nobody can stop you when you’re being stubborn.”

“Let’s go. Let’s hurry back home.”

Despite how tightly he had been clinging to her waist moments ago, his arms released her without resistance. When Jeanne looked at him, the fierce desire that had burned in his face had vanished, replaced by only nervous urgency.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

“Alright. Is your bag too heavy?”

“It’s fine.”

“Then if it gets too heavy while we’re climbing, let me know right away.”

“Okay.”

Taking Jeanne’s hand, Andre began leading the way toward Kayal Mountain at a brisk pace. They needed to leave the village as soon as possible to avoid the eyes of Kaiman’s knights.

Though the image of his kind father’s face briefly flashed through his mind, Andre’s steps didn’t falter as he made his way toward the mountain. He told himself that once he was certain Jeanne wouldn’t leave him, he could always go back to his father.

Just wait a little longer, Father.

Even as his heart ached with longing and guilt for his father, Andre couldn’t bring himself to return. He knew too well that if he went back now, Jeanne might leave him without hesitation. For now, all he could do was choose to return to the mountain.

* * *

After returning from the village, Andre started acting strangely.

For one, he would zone out several times a day, staring at me with an intensity that felt almost oppressive. He also lost the enthusiasm he used to show for setting traps or gathering fruits. Even his habit of waking up early to wander through the mountain had stopped.

The only time he seemed lively was when he followed me around, chattering endlessly.

“My maternal grandfather left me a mountain,” he said one day as he sat unnecessarily close to me by the stream, where I was busy washing clothes. His tone was nervous, like he was trying to impress me.

“It’s a mine full of diamonds. It’s not in the Empire—it’s in Siamoss Kingdom, so it probably hasn’t been seized by the Imperial Crown. And it’s a secret inheritance, so even my father doesn’t know about it.”

“Oh, I see. That’s great. Wow. Amazing,” I replied flatly, not lifting my head from the laundry.

“See? If you stay by my side, you’ll never have to worry about money. I could buy you hundreds of flints if you wanted.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” I said with the bare minimum of interest.

Frankly, I didn’t care at all whether Andre had a diamond mine or not. We were barely surviving, isolated in the mountains, constantly fearing the moment soldiers would find us. A mine in some distant kingdom meant nothing to me.

Despite my curt response, Andre didn’t give up and continued his boasts.

“You know I was training to get knighted, right? If we go back down the mountain and I resume training, I’ll get my title in no time.”

I nodded absentmindedly while scrubbing hard at a grass stain on one of the clothes. It was stubborn, refusing to come out, and the cold water had turned my hands red. Andre, who had been staring at my reddened hands, spoke again with his usual needless commentary.

“Do you want me to do it?”

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter. The idea of Andre offering to do the laundry himself was so absurd that it was almost cute.

“It’s fine. You can do it another time. I’ll handle it today.”

“…Once we leave the mountain, I’ll make sure you never have to do things like this again.”

“…”

“So stay with me. Always stay with me.”

As usual, he ended the conversation with his persistent plea for me to stay by his side. Ever since our trip to the village, he’d been saying this every single day, like it was a mantra. It was as if Andre believed the world would end if I ever left him.

“Okay,” I replied simply.

I knew better than to say anything else. I’d learned the hard way how stubborn Andre could be when trying to extract the answer he wanted. Truly, he was relentless.

“Can you help me wring this out?” I asked, trying to redirect his attention.

Andre, thankfully, stopped talking. Instead of holding the ends of the laundry with me and twisting it together, he grabbed it from me and wrung it out by himself. What would have taken me a long, exhausting effort, he completed in one quick, efficient twist, squeezing the water out in seconds.

“That’s amazing,” I said, this time with genuine admiration.

Andre’s ears turned red at the rare, unfeigned compliment.

* * *

We decided to name the rabbit. After considering countless options, the final choice was “Dark Cloud.” Its fur reminded me of the stormy clouds just before rain.

“Doesn’t it seem like it’s grown a bit? What do you think?”

As I crouched down to stroke Dark Cloud, Andre, who was never far from my side, immediately answered.

“It has grown.”

Dark Cloud had grown into a healthy emergency ration—no, a beloved pet rabbit. It was so clever that it would leave the hutch Andre built for it at sunrise to graze in the yard and return to the hutch at sunset to sleep. Moreover, it even hopped over to me whenever I called its name.

“Don’t you think our Dark Cloud is a genius?”

“A rabbit?”

“It finds its way back home, comes when I call its name…”

“Well, at least it’s not stupid,” Andre replied dryly.

I rolled my eyes at his lackluster response and stood up, clasping my hands together and stretching my arms toward the sky to ease the stiffness in my body.

“Ugh! Did I sleep wrong? My body feels so stiff.”

Andre, who usually responded to everything I said, suddenly pressed his lips together, remaining silent. If he had any conscience at all, he couldn’t act like it wasn’t his fault. After all, my uncomfortable sleeping arrangements were due to someone hugging me so tightly I felt like I was being suffocated whenever I so much as shifted in my sleep.

“I need meat,” I declared.

We had been surviving on potatoes and grains bought from the village for a while now, but it was time for some protein. I could live without chocolate or cake, but I refused to give up meat. Jerky, which I was utterly sick of, didn’t even make the list of options.

Andre took the lead as we headed to check the traps. This time, instead of the original location, he had set up a pit in a new area, one where the ground was dotted with the tracks of small animals. I had a good feeling about today. It seemed like we’d finally get to eat some proper meat.

Sure enough, when we reached the pit, there was an animal trapped inside. Both Andre and I let out simultaneous sighs of disappointment as we peered into the hole.

“Ah…”

Of all the animals we could have caught, it had to be a rabbit. Judging by its size, it was a full-grown adult, well past its prime, but neither of us could celebrate. The sight of it immediately reminded us of Dark Cloud.

A moment of silence hung between us before Andre broke it.

“Should we eat it?”

“Are you crazy? You want to eat rabbit meat in front of Dark Cloud?”

“…Yeah, that would be a bit much.”

The large rabbit in the trap should have made our mouths water, promising a delicious meal. Yet, as soon as I saw it, Dark Cloud came to mind, and any thought of eating the rabbit vanished completely. Even if the deer we’d enjoyed before wanted to accuse us of being hypocrites for discriminating between animals, we wouldn’t have had a valid defense.

“Let it go,” I said, my voice trembling slightly as I made the decision with tears threatening to spill.

Andre nodded and quickly reached into the pit to grab the rabbit, which was frantically hopping around.

*