Chapter 3: Truth

I made a decision.

To take care of Yulia Hessenia Stella.

But I had no idea where to start.

First, my identity.

Just a day ago, I was part of the Imperial Guard. I had high credibility and power.

But now, I can’t use it.

I’ve become an illegal immigrant.

Yulia was in the same situation.

We had 2 million Hats.

Enough to live for about three months.

To survive, I needed an identity and a job.

“Uh…”

“Are you awake?”

While I was lost in thought, Yulia woke up.

“Gerta?”

“Yeah. You slept pretty soundly. Do you feel a bit more rested?”

I poured the warm milk I had ordered from the inn into a cup and handed it to her.

Yulia took the cup with her small hands and drank.

Gulp, gulp.

She drank heartily.

Milk stained the area around her mouth white.

I wiped it off with my hand.

Yulia looked up at me with bright, curious eyes.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Yeah.”

Yulia spoke.

“When are we going home?”

“Home?”

“Yeah… I want to go home and see Dad.”

“…We agreed to stay for a week, remember? It hasn’t even been a day yet.”

“But I still want to go.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I promised. I promised your dad that I’d take care of you for a week.”

“I don’t like it…”

Yulia pouted.

I understood.

The emperor had spontaneously planned this trip.

For Yulia, coming to an unfamiliar place and staying with a stranger was undoubtedly uncomfortable.

But still.

“No means no.”

Some things just aren’t possible.

I couldn’t explain the complicated circumstances of adults to her.

Besides, ‘could a ten-year-old really accept the death of her father?’

Yulia’s mother had died during childbirth.

The emperor had poured all his love into Yulia, compensating for her mother’s absence.

To Yulia, the emperor must have been her entire world.

Telling her that he was dead… was too painful.

Someday, she would have to know, but not now.

“Let’s just wait for a week.”

“After a week, we’ll go home, right?”

“…Yeah, we will.”

I lied to get through the moment.

There was enough money to make plans for the future.

But the real problem was something else.

The atmosphere in Lenz felt unusual.

***

A few days later, King Aichenvalt expressed his condolences and sent a delegation to the empire.

“Where are those people going?”

Yulia asked, watching the line of mourners.

It was a procession of the crown prince, nobles, and guards, all dressed in black.

The trumpeter played a solemn melody.

“It’s like an event. They’re going on a journey.”

“A journey? But their clothes are so gloomy. Wouldn’t that make them feel sad?”

Yulia pointed to the mourners, who wore serious expressions.

Aichenvalt was the empire’s closest ally, and the royal family took the mourning seriously, making the atmosphere heavy.

Even young Yulia sensed the somber mood.

Rain was gently falling.

The streets were quiet, and white flowers fluttered in the wind.

Just as the mood became more depressing, Yulia started bouncing around.

“Look! Look! It’s our national flag!”

At the end of the procession, the imperial flag appeared, alongside the Aichenvalt flag.

The double-headed eagle stretched its tongues out on both sides, roaring.

Seeing her country’s flag in a foreign land made Yulia happy, unaware it was her father’s funeral.

I smiled faintly along with her.

Guilt pressed down on my shoulders.

“Let’s stop watching and read a book.”

“Again? I want to go outside! I want to find bugs and climb trees!”

Yulia puffed out her cheeks.

It wasn’t right to keep an active child cooped up in a small room.

But there was a reason.

The imperial soldiers had arrived.

They were reconnaissance and intelligence soldiers, keeping an eye on the mourners from strategic spots.

On the surface, it seemed routine, but to me, it looked like they were searching for Yulia.

More than ten soldiers had already passed by the inn.

Half of them even entered the inn, likely asking the owner about Yulia.

The only reason we remained safe was because I had given the innkeeper 1 million Hats.

As the rain grew heavier, the procession turned even gloomier.

I closed the curtains, unable to stand the dismal sky.

I read Yulia a fairy tale book I got from the inn.

But Yulia couldn’t concentrate.

I forced myself to keep reading until we fell asleep.

***

A week passed.

The imperial soldiers, who had been searching the area, disappeared.

But my worries had just begun.

“Can we go home now? We can, right?”

As soon as the morning sun rose, Yulia woke me up, brimming with excitement.

Her bright face showed how happy she was to leave this place.

I dragged myself up, still half-asleep.

Yulia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

I opened my mouth hesitantly.

I had been thinking for a week about how to break the news to Yulia without hurting her.

But I couldn’t find the right words.

I needed to come up with something believable.

“Yulia. I… I talked to your dad through letters.”

“Really?”

Yulia focused on my words.

“Well, it seems… meeting him might be a bit difficult.”

Yulia tilted her head in confusion.

“Your dad is really busy with work. So… it might be a few years, maybe until you’re an adult, before you can see him.”

Yulia’s expression changed rapidly—from joy to doubt, doubt to disappointment, disappointment to anger.

“No!!”

“But—”

“No! I don’t want to! I want to go home! I want to see Dad!”

Yulia tried to dash out of the room, but I quickly grabbed her shoulder.

She struggled, crying out, and I hugged her tightly.

“It’s not that you can’t see him. One day, when you’re grown up—”

“No! I want to see him now! Take me to Dad! I hate it here! I want to go home!”

She hit my face and chest, trying to break free.

Her small fist struck my lips, splitting them open.

“Yulia, please…”

“I hate you, Gerta! I want to go to Dad! I don’t need you! Just go away!”

My head throbbed.

Forgotten memories surfaced—no, memories I had forced myself to bury.

As my mother grew older, she once said something like this:

“I really hate it. I hate you for stealing my youth. Why did I ever give birth to you!? Just disappear from this world.”

Countless were the days when she, furious that I had robbed her of her youth and vitality by being born, beat me relentlessly.

Pure hatred struck me.

It had been so long that I had forgotten that feeling.

***

“Hic, huuh… I miss Dad. I want to go to Dad. Daaaad…”

Yulia sobbed uncontrollably.

The sight reminded me of my younger self, and before I knew it, I had let go of her shoulder.

Taking that chance, Yulia broke free and ran.

Even the way she fled resembled the old me, running from beatings.

I sat there, dazed for a while, then hurriedly got up and followed.

“Damn it, where did she go?”

Yulia was nowhere to be seen.

Despite her small stature, she was surprisingly quick.

She must have slipped into one of the alleys.

The outskirts of Lenz were far less safe than the center.

Thugs loitered around, and human traffickers lurked, ready to pounce at any moment.

They wouldn’t miss an opportunity to snatch a high-demand product like Yulia.

Young, pretty, and a girl—she was the perfect target.

Even those who’d never trafficked anyone would be tempted.

In short, Yulia was in serious danger.

I closed my eyes and unleashed my magical power.

Six rings spun violently.

My power stretched out like threads.

Waves spread out from me as the threads of magic reached out.

I filtered through the presences that came into my mind: people, cats, rats, insects.

Discarding useless information, I focused on finding what I wanted—

A small figure, sobbing, running.

Found her.

I dashed in that direction.

***

When Marcus suggested going on a journey, Yulia had refused.

She loved the palace where she had been born and raised.

Besides, her father would be staying behind, so she told Gerta to go alone.

Yulia didn’t want to go.

To her, family meant Dad and no one else.

She didn’t want to stay with anyone else.

But it was her beloved father’s request, so she agreed.

And Gerta was a decent person.

Even so, she still wanted to go home, but she held out for a week.

But she had been deceived!

Gerta never planned to return to the Empire in the first place!

She missed her dad.

Yet Gerta kept telling her to wait, and she realized she had been tricked.

For the first time, something hot surged within her.

For the first time, Yulia felt betrayed.

Angry and impulsive, she lashed out at Gerta.

Caught off guard, Gerta released her, giving her a chance to escape.

To get away from him, she ran to a deserted area.

Having played tag with the palace servants, Yulia was confident in her running skills.

She darted through the alleyways, weaving in and out.

The further she ran, the narrower and filthier the alleys became.

A dark, sinister atmosphere seeped through, but Yulia didn’t notice.

She just kept running without direction.

And then, unfortunately, she found herself surrounded by four nasty-looking men.

She only realized she had made a mistake after they encircled her.

The reason she felt they were bad news was their vibe—

Slouching like beasts, their gazes sticky and lecherous, the distance between them closing in.

“Hey, little girl. Are you lost?”

“Come with us. We know a nice place.”

One of them grinned.

They spoke in Aichenvaltian, so Yulia couldn’t understand, but she sensed danger.

Greasy beards, missing teeth, matted hair.

She tried to run.

But the men pounced like animals, grabbing her shoulders and arms.

“Stop! Let go!”

Yulia was dragged helplessly.

Unlike Gerta, who was considerate, these men had no restraint.

Their rough hands hurt, making her cry.

But there was no one to help.

“Think it’s okay? She doesn’t look like an ordinary girl.”

“Look at that smooth skin. She’s probably from a wealthy family.”

“What if she’s a noble? We’d be dead if they caught us.”

Despite having caught Yulia, the men hesitated.

If she were just any girl, they would have sent her to the auction immediately.

But Yulia was different— silky hair, deep eyes, milk-white skin, plump cheeks.

Neat teeth, a pleasant scent.

It was obvious she came from a distinguished family.

“Screw it. Even if she’s a noble, who cares? We’ll sell her at the black market, and no one will know it was us.”

The leader spoke with disdain.

In this vast city of Lenz, who would notice a missing noble child?

He looked at Yulia and asked, “Hey, kid. Who’s your dad?”

Gently, but only to avoid damaging the merchandise.

Sensing the twisted intent, Yulia trembled.

“D-Dad?”

“Yeah. Who is he? Tell me.”

“She’s probably from the Empire,” one guy muttered.

“Hey, you! You’re from the Empire, right?”

One of the men, a criminal who fled from the Empire, asked in a crooked tone.

“Kid, who’s your dad?”

Yulia’s eyes filled with tears.

“If I tell you… will you let me go?”

“Maybe. If your dad’s rich.”

Of course, that was a lie.

They couldn’t just return her home— the parents would retaliate.

They planned to sell her instead— to a place where once you enter, you never come out.

Most likely as a sex slave— that’s where the demand was.

Unaware of that cruel reality, Yulia replied, “Marcus… Hessenia, Stella…”

The men froze, processing the names.

Those unique names belonged to a single bloodline—the direct descendants of the Imperial family.

“Your dad… is the Emperor?”

“Y-Yeah! My dad’s the Emperor!”

“Bullshit. The dead Emperor’s daughter—here? Really?”

“What?”

Yulia’s face went blank.

‘Dead Emperor?’

Her dad was the Emperor.

So… her dad was dead?

Before she could fully grasp the words, something unexpected happened.

The men looked up at the alley Yulia had come from.

From the darkness— the sound of unhurried footsteps.

“What’s that?”

A tall man dressed in a black coat appeared, his figure partially swallowed by the shadows.

Sharp blue eyes, as cold as a glacier, fixed on the men.

Before they could react, the man moved.

With swift precision, heads fell, and bodies collapsed a beat later.

When Yulia blinked, the men were gone— only Gerta remained, shielding her from the gruesome sight.

Yulia, unaware of what had happened, spoke in a trembling voice.

“Gerta…”

“…”

“Did… Dad die?”

Gerta remained silent.