The One Who Won't Be Abandoned - Chapter 2

The sixteen-year-old girl, innocent and full of life, and the twelve-year-old boy, raised in refinement, found themselves at a loss for words as daylight revealed each other’s faces.

Both of us were covered in black dust, with the telltale streaks of dried tears marking our cheeks. We looked pitiful and absurd, but out of respect for one another, we avoided meeting each other’s gaze. Instead, we decided to search for a stream where we could drink and wash our faces.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find a patch of wild raspberry bushes to sate our hunger and a small brook to refresh ourselves. Without any hesitation, we both began washing—splashing water on our faces and rolling up our sleeves to scrub our arms clean. Even that small act felt rejuvenating.

We sat side by side with our feet dipped into the cool water of the brook, sharing a handful of berries we had picked. The peaceful forest around us, with its vibrant greenery and chirping birds, seemed like a cruel mockery—a stark contrast to the horrific flames that had consumed the Kaiman Estate just the day before.

As I took in the crisp mountain air, fragrant with the scent of fresh grass, I couldn’t bear the heavy silence between us any longer. To distract myself, I fished the pouch of coins from my pocket and began examining the contents.

“I’ve never touched a gold coin before,” I muttered.

The pouch my mother had handed me contained dozens of gold and silver coins, their value immeasurable in the forest but undeniably useful when we eventually reached a village. The intricate designs etched on the coins fascinated me, and I stared at them, my eyes lighting up as I traced the patterns.

Andre, who had been silently watching my actions, reached into his own pocket and pulled out the small box the mistress had given him. It was slightly larger than his palm, its surface adorned with ornate carvings just as exquisite as those on the gold coins.

“What’s that?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “Open it and see!”

“…The seal.”

“The seal? The Kaiman family seal?”

Andre nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the ornate box in his hands. It was something he would have inherited with the family name eventually. But that was meant to be in the future. For now, the rightful owner of the seal had been Andre’s father.

What had happened to him? Yesterday morning, the head of the family had left for the royal palace. If the accusations of treason were true, it was likely that by now he’d already lost his life.

Watching Andre staring down at the box as if it held the weight of the world, I felt a pang of guilt, as if I had overstepped. Trying to distract myself, I glanced at his once-pristine jacket, now filthy with dirt and dust.

I had often attended to Andre in the estate, and I knew just how particular he was about cleanliness. The maid responsible for cleaning his bedroom often left in tears after receiving sharp criticism from the boy—still in his early teens but ruthless enough to reduce a grown woman to sobs. I had witnessed it more than once, shaking my head in disbelief at his cutting words.

The sunlight was warm, and a gentle breeze was blowing. If we washed his jacket and hung it to dry, it would probably be clean and dry before nightfall.

“Take off your jacket. I’ll wash it for you,” I offered.

Andre finally looked up at me, his gaze briefly scanning my face before he replied.

“Don’t bother.”

“Alright,” I answered softly.

Trying to lighten the mood for once, I offered a kind gesture, only to be met with a firm refusal. Embarrassed, I forced a clumsy smile and nodded as if it didn’t bother me.

Silence settled between us, short but heavy, until Andre unexpectedly broke it.

“…I’m sorry.”

The sudden apology caught me off guard, and I instinctively asked, “For what?”

“…For Scarlett’s death.”

Standing there, this boy who barely came up to my shoulder was apologizing for my mother’s death. Despite the fact that he had just lost his own mother the same way, he still felt a sense of responsibility for the servant who had cared for him. Even now, Andre carried the demeanor of a master ingrained deep in his bones.

“If you’re sorry,” I said, looking at him with a slight smirk, “then why don’t you light a fire for us?”

We had already prepared the firepit by gathering dry twigs and leaves in the center of a ring of rounded stones piled up behind us. Without a word of discussion, we had naturally worked together to build it. Our teamwork wasn’t bad at all, but there was one glaring problem—neither Andre nor I knew how to start a fire. The matches and flintstones that were so commonplace at the estate, to the point of being taken for granted, were now desperately missed.

When I suggested he light the fire, Andre looked at me with startled, uncertain eyes, as if I’d just set him an impossible challenge. But after a moment, his expression hardened with determination. He stood up, found two stones on the ground, and began striking them together over the pile of kindling.

As the sound of the stones clacking together echoed through the air, I tucked the pouch of coins deep into my pocket, thinking ahead.

We would need to stay hidden in the forest for at least a few days—maybe even a week—before venturing down to a village. I could manage on my own just fine, but for Andre, it was a different story. If his identity were discovered, and royal knights caught him, his life would end immediately.

For his safety, we had to stay out of sight for as long as possible, hidden deep in the wilderness, so those pursuing him might believe the boy had fled much farther away. The echoes of my mother’s and the mistress’s last words—Take care of Andre—drifted faintly through my mind.

* * *

In the end, Andre failed to light the fire, and we were left exposed to the cold night air. It was hardly surprising, so I didn’t let myself feel disappointed. Instead, I calmly laid out the plan I had been considering.

“I’ll go down to the village tomorrow,” I said.

We were lying side by side on the ground, using our arms as makeshift pillows, our backs pressed against each other to share warmth. The chill of the earth seeped into us, but our closeness helped to stave off the cold.

I felt Andre’s body flinch against mine, startled by my suggestion.

“I’ll buy matches and some food. I’ll also check the mood in the village, so you stay here and wait for me,” I added.

“Take me with you.”

“It’s too dangerous for you. You’ll stand out.”

I barely held back from adding, Just look at yourself.

Andre’s striking appearance was unmistakable: golden hair that shone like sunlight, deep blue eyes that seemed to pierce through everything, and sharp, noble features that mirrored his father’s so perfectly he could have been his shadow. If any royal knight familiar with the head of the Kaiman family saw him, he would be captured on the spot.

Fortunately, Andre seemed to understand and didn’t argue further. The eerie chill of the forest was amplified by the sound of insects chirping and the occasional rustling of birds taking flight from the treetops. Resting my cheek against my arm, I closed my eyes tightly, pretending to sleep.

I could feel Andre shifting restlessly behind me, unable to find peace. But no matter how much he fidgeted, he kept his back pressed against mine, holding onto the warmth we shared. I could feel the tension in his trembling body and the shallow, uneven breaths tinged with emotion.

He was struggling—writhing in the despair and hopelessness of everything that had happened. Part of me wanted to reach out to him, to hold him and whisper words of comfort. I understood his pain all too well; we were now in the same situation, our lives torn apart in a single day. I felt immense pity for him.

And yet, I didn’t.

I didn’t hold him, didn’t offer him comfort.

Because, as cruel as it sounded, some part of me thought it was only right that he felt the weight of responsibility. That he experienced this agony.

I wasn’t a saint. I couldn’t accept my mother’s death—my only family’s death—as mere fate or divine will.

I had to blame someone. I couldn’t breathe without hating the Kaiman family, accused of treason, for the chain of events that led to this tragedy. I couldn’t keep my sanity without seeing the royal knights, who had mercilessly slaughtered everyone in the estate, as my sworn enemies.

I knew full well that none of this was Andre’s fault. He was just a child—what fault could he possibly bear?

But still, cowardly and selfishly, I let myself find a twisted sense of relief in watching the heir of the Kaiman family suffer. His visible despair allowed me to vent the boiling resentment I had bottled up inside.

And yet, as I lay there, I was disgusted with myself.

Disgusted by the person I had become, who could coldly ignore a crying child, all in the name of vengeance. My hatred for myself made my skin crawl.

* * *

Still groggy from a restless night, I splashed my face with the icy water of the stream. The sharp chill stung my skin but jolted me awake immediately.

When I returned to where we had spent the night, I found Andre curled up pitifully on the dirt ground, still fast asleep. A gust of wind swept through, making his shoulders shiver. Without much thought, I tore off the wide apron attached to my maid’s dress and gently draped it over him.

“…Mother…”

Mumbling in his sleep, Andre, with his reddened, tear-swollen eyes, softly called for the mistress. The sight was a far cry from the cold, aloof Andre I had known back at the estate. Curled up into himself, with his back rounded, he looked so small—like any other child his age.

This boy, who had been born into wealth and privilege, who had only ever known the finest things, was now sleeping on the dirt ground and eating wild berries to stave off his hunger. And with no one else left, he had only me—someone who had lost everything too—to lean on. I could only imagine how deeply he must have longed for his mother.

I watched him for a moment, a wave of pity washing over me, then turned and headed into the forest. I wanted to gather some fruit to prepare for when he woke up.

Thinking back on everything, it occurred to me how lucky Andre and I had been.

Everyone else in the estate had perished, but we had escaped unscathed. We had quickly found fresh water from the stream, and the forest was rich with food like wild berries and fruit trees. The abundance was surprising—it was almost puzzling why no one had ever tapped into Kayaal Mountain’s resources before.

But then it struck me: this must have been part of the Kaiman family’s foresight.

Not only had they built a secret escape route, but they had likely planted these fruit trees to ensure a minimal source of food in case of emergencies.

“If only they’d prepared a proper hideout too…” I murmured half-jokingly to myself.

And as if the universe had heard my idle musing, I stumbled upon something remarkable.

Following the wild berry bushes deeper into the forest, I came across a cabin standing tall amidst the trees.

It was a small, single-story structure, hidden so well by the surrounding trees that it would’ve been impossible to find without getting close. The yard, enclosed by a low wooden fence, was overgrown with weeds, suggesting it had been abandoned for quite some time.

Despite its neglected appearance and eerie aura, the sturdy cabin looked like a fortress to me—protection from the elements and the cold, far better than the damp earth we had endured the night before.

Excited by my discovery, I quickly turned back and retraced my steps to where Andre was. My heart pounded with exhilaration as I ran, faster than I had ever run in my life.

I reached our makeshift camp in no time. Andre was awake now, sitting up where he had been sleeping. He was holding the white apron I’d used to cover him, clutching it in both hands, and staring blankly into space as though still half-asleep.

If I had looked more closely, I would have immediately realized that Andre wasn’t simply groggy from sleep, but rather in shock, lost in his thoughts. But consumed by the excitement of discovering the cabin, I didn’t notice at all.

As I emerged from the bushes with a burst of energy, Andre slowly turned his head toward me.

“Young master, I’ve got amazing news!”

“….”

“Do you know what I found? Something incredible!”

“…I thought you’d left,” he murmured softly.

“Get up quickly! You’re going to be blown away!”

I was so thrilled that I barely registered Andre’s quiet words. Grabbing his arm to pull him up, I accidentally tugged the apron he was holding.

“Come on, put some strength into your legs and get up already!”

At my urging, Andre finally staggered to his feet, unsteady but compliant. I grinned brightly as I took his arm, practically dragging him along.

“Our days of sleeping outdoors are over!”

Though his face was still dazed, there was now a spark of life in his eyes that hadn’t been there earlier.

“We’ve got a cabin now!” I announced triumphantly.

Andre stared at my smiling face for a moment before his lips twitched upward. It was a faint, trembling smile as if he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. The expression was a little odd, but I was far too busy bouncing with excitement to notice.

I led him eagerly, filled with a contagious energy that seemed to make the weight of our troubles a little lighter, at least for a moment.

* * *