Little Miss's Affection

"It's only morning, and you're already drunk?"

"Huh?"

'Was this guy so problematic that even his own father is calling him a drunkard just for saying something... good?'

"No, sir, I am not drunk, and as I told you, I won't drink and get wasted in a bar anymore."

Alexander blinked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

A chronic drunkard who had started drinking at 14, got so drunk last night that he initiated a bar fight, got knocked out, and needed more than four guys to drag him back to the castle was now saying he was done with drinking?

That didn't seem right to Alexander at all.

'Tsk, tsk. It's getting annoying.'

All this talking was making Kayden tired and annoyed.

Back in his world, he never had to talk this much. People kept to themselves and went about their lives.

This constant conversation felt really bothersome.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

Alexander nodded his head and leaned back in his chair.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Kayden shifted in his seat, not liking the tension at all.

Back at Rusty Ridge, if someone stared at you for too long, it usually meant one of two things: they either wanted to kill you, or you were about to be robbed.

In the best-case scenario, you'd end up dead.

Don't even think about the other options; it was that bad.

And Ryuu, in particular, was not fond of someone looking at him for so long at all.

Not because he would wage a war against them, which he couldn't even if he wanted to, but because he knew that if he stared back, he would be beaten black and blue and left for dead.

So instinctively, he lowered his gaze.

His heart was beating quickly.

Lub dub. Lub dub.

After a tense moment, Alexander spoke again.

"Alright. If you say so, son. Do you need anything?"

'Need anything? What can I ask--ah.'

"Yes. Credit—Coins. I need coins."

Wherever you are, money talks.

If you have enough, you can live relatively happily. If you have a surplus, you can command anyone and live lavishly.

But... if you're broke, you're as good as dead. It's better to be rich and miserable than happy and poor.

Alexander nodded his head.

"Alright. I'll send Oliver with what you want."

"Thank you, sir."

Alexander raised his brows again, though Kayden didn't see as he quickly stood up awkwardly.

He glanced back at the man.

"Can I leave?"

'It's proper equitty, right? Wait, it's not that. Equality. No, that's a dream.'

'Equipukity. Equitukity. Damn...'

Kayden shook his head in utter disappointment.

He didn't know some words at all.

Nobody taught him those things, and he suspects nobody at Rusty Ridge knows either.

"Yes, yes... You can leave."

Alexander waved his hands, dismissing his son, but he was looking at him with a strange expression.

It was almost as if he were talking to someone entirely different from his son.

Normally, the kid would've thrown a tantrum, but this time, he was calm and collected, almost as if he had gained some consciousness.

'Do I need to call the exorcist or something?'

Alexander thought as he watched his son leave the room slowly.

'No, not an exorcist. Probably just a healer. Poor kid must've hit his head yesterday.'

...

Outside the door, Kayden was relieved to see that the annoying maid wasn't standing there.

He was already annoyed and exhausted from speaking to two people already this morning.

'Like who would talk this much?'

He decided to spend the next two days lazing around in his room. By doing this, he only had to deal with the annoying maid.

'But getting food without having to scavenge and almost getting killed is always better.'

'Not to mention, I can enjoy the next two days sleeping and sleeping.'

Something he always wished for but never had back at Rusty Ridge.

You had to sleep with one eye open there, always on guard, afraid of danger at every turn.

You never knew when a sharp object would slice you up.

But now, he was in a happy moment, his mind at peace.

Until he saw the maid again, this time accompanied by a young girl. With her white hair and blue eyes, he instantly recognized her.

'Ah, shit!'

This was the youngest of the Ashbourne family, one of the twins. His youngest sister, whom he adores... but only when he was drunk.

Lilian Ashbourne.

'She was 15 in the novel when it happened.'

When the Ashbournes fell, they didn't spare this little girl who was depressed at the time...

Slitting throats while sleeping was sadly not an uncommon occurrence for Kael Ryuu.

A girl like her would've been sold right away back in his world. Well, she would've been sold as soon as they found out she was a girl anyway.

It's a sad situation, but when parents can't even afford food for themselves, what else are they supposed to do?

'Rusty Ridge is a hellhole.'

'To think the mythical hero Prometheus is said to be from Rusty Ridge. Haha...'

It was a sickening thought. This hero, Prometheus, is said to be the one who started the cyberworld evolution.

'Well, as much as I like the story, it's still a myth.'

But right now, she was full of vigor and life, though she wore a stern expression on her face.

It was said her mother—well, now his mother, the duchess—was also very stoic when it came to showing affection.

"Ah, here's your dear brother, young lady."

Emilia exclaimed, clasping her hands together as she saw him.

The girl appeared stunned upon seeing him. She was a head shorter than him, but not short for a 14-year-old girl, though.

"Young lady was just asking about you, young master. As always, she's so concerned about her brother. How lovely... Aww..."

Emilia fluttered her eyes, looking at the now flushed Lilian, as if she was watching the cutest thing.

Truly, it was undeniable.

This girl held a deep affection for Kayden.

So much so that she made a bold decision to sacrifice her own future, turning away from sword training, a field where she showed remarkable talent, to instead pursue healing studies, all for his sake.

Not to mention, the reason she was depressed was also because of him. A sister who failed to save her brother from a curse...

That failure ate her from inside out, made her depressed, and turned her into just a shell of her former self.

The curse made Kayden a loser, a broken man unable to use any Weapon Art or Mana Art.

Ironically, this curse was precisely what would help Kael Ryuu succeed in this world.