Fugitives
The Fides estate, swept through by two insolent members of the imperial family, looked as if a typhoon had torn through it. The invisible scars of the disaster could be seen in Tollin and the Young Duke, who sat silently facing each other on the sofa in Tollin's office.
Pale, looking at the Young Duke's heavily downcast expression, was at a loss. At Tollin's order to bring some simple desserts without tea, he left the room, glancing back like a puppy that desperately needed to relieve itself.
Tollin was the first to speak to the Young Duke, whose eyes were fixed gloomily on Tollin's chest.
"...You did very well today."
Though contrary to his intentions, the words came out rather awkwardly. At his remark, the Young Duke's expression darkened even further.
"No, there is no need to say that. I made a terrible mistake."
Tollin knew exactly what mistake the Young Duke was referring to. He meant failing to control his emotions in front of Ditto Abaran, attaching sentiment to the death of the late Duke of Fides, and letting it show. The Second Prince had initiated that cruel game the moment the Young Duke shed tears of sorrow. As if delivering a punishment.
"As the heir to the Fides Duchy, I cannot hold my head high. It is all because of me that you had to suffer such things today."
Seeing a child feel guilty for grieving his father's death made Tollin's brow furrow. Of course, in the Abaran Empire, where the imperial family was revered as gods, what the Young Duke had said might be considered a grave sin. But Tollin, who had long since abandoned any devotion to those gods, cared far more about the sorrow of the young boy before him.
Tollin spoke to the young child, who sat with his mouth tightly shut, waiting for words of self-reproach.
"Lord Flin. Even if the Duke is deemed a criminal, I personally believe you have every right to grieve as much as you wish."
The Young Duke's eyes widened at the radical statement, and he stared at the man before him.
"But... but my father is a criminal..."
"According to the law, perhaps. But..." Tollin gently but firmly cut off the child's flustered, stammering words. "There are times when what we believe to be right goes against the rest of the world. In those moments, it is simply a decision different from the world's, not a wrong one. After all, the Duke's decision did not kill anyone or put anyone in harm's way. Quite the opposite, in fact."
The Young Duke was bewildered; Tollin's words were so vastly different from everything he had been taught. He felt as if he were committing a crime, to the point of casting a wary glance around the room even though he knew they were completely alone.
"And emotions do not simply vanish just because you bury them. Even I find it difficult to contain myself when I think of the late Duke."
At his words, the Young Duke's eyes grew even wider.
"Does Tollin... also say that he is sad?"
"Not exactly." Tollin shook his head slightly and offered a faint smile. *I don't say it out loud. And my feelings might not be as soft and simple as yours, my Lord.*
Tollin recalled how he had frantically attacked other noble houses after Agoni Fides vanished from the world. Perhaps it had been rage rather than sorrow.
"Though I do express it quite violently in other ways."
The Young Duke looked surprised again. He had likely imagined Tollin crying in some hidden corner. Deciding there was no need to correct him, Tollin feigned ignorance and continued.
"Therefore, what happened today does not affect your worthiness as the Young Duke in the slightest."
"But..."
"If you insist that it does, then wouldn't I also lose my qualification as the acting head of the house?" Tollin said quickly. "Am I an unqualified vassal?"
The Young Duke met Tollin's calm gaze and shook his head slightly. "No, of course not. You are more worthy of being the acting head than anyone else."
Only then did Tollin offer a thin smile. "Thank you. Your words make all my efforts worthwhile. However, you must not speak of this elsewhere. It could be dangerous if the wrong ears hear it."
The Young Duke nodded resolutely as Tollin pressed a finger to his lips. The boy had endured too much in such a short span of time. Tollin hoped that the child, who was already far too mature for his age, wouldn't shoulder unnecessary burdens—even if Tollin's words were merely empty comfort.
"Besides, did I not tell you? You are allowed to run away. As long as no one dies, I will find a way to clean up the mess."
"But..." Just as the Young Duke opened his mouth to respond to Tollin's playful attempt to lighten the mood—
Knock, knock.
"Lord Tollin, Young Duke, it's Jack."
At Jack's unusually urgent tone, Tollin frowned slightly and asked the Young Duke for his understanding. Once permitted to enter, Jack rushed in and quickly saluted them.
"I have returned from my mission."
Sensing that something had gone wrong from Jack's hurried demeanor, Tollin turned to the Young Duke with an apologetic look.
"Young Duke, would it be alright if I hear Jack's report? It seems he has urgent news to deliver."
"Of course. I am rather tired today anyway, so it might be best to continue our conversation next time."
The mature Young Duke immediately stood up. He left Tollin's office without hesitation. Because of this, Tollin never got to hear what was supposed to follow the boy's "But..."
Once the Young Duke had completely vanished from sight, Tollin walked over to his desk. "Well, it seems you've made some progress today. Seeing how you didn't even have time to tidy your clothes before coming here."
Tollin questioned Jack, who was still dressed in a dirty commoner's robe.
Jack bit his lip. "I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news, Lord Tollin."
"What is it? Do not waste time with riddles and report both immediately." Tollin urged him on, annoyed by Jack's uncharacteristic hesitation.
Jack looked at Tollin with anxious eyes before speaking. "First, the good news is that we managed to capture one of the children I mentioned."
"That is good news indeed."
It truly was. Given the circumstances, the children were highly likely helping each other survive on the streets. This child might know the boy named Seya, whom the Young Duke was searching for, or perhaps the others. Tollin's face brightened at the thought of finally delivering some good news to the Young Duke. The boy had remained downcast despite Tollin's comforting words, but this might change things.
"And what is the bad news?"
At Tollin's direct question, his expression slightly relaxed, Jack licked his dry lips. "Well, you see..."
Seeing Jack trail off—a rare occurrence—Tollin's brow began to furrow again. "What is it?"
After a moment of hesitation, Jack squeezed his eyes shut and confessed. "...The child has vanished."
"What?"
At Tollin's dumbfounded response, Jack quickly added, "But we are certain he is still inside the estate."
Oh, how reassuring. Jack avoided Tollin's gaze, shrinking under the look of sheer exasperation on his master's face.
Seya hid around a corner of the hallway, watching the busy movements of the servants passing by.
"They said it's a filthy kid with his hands tied, right?"
"Yeah. They said he's incredibly fast and vicious, so be careful."
Hearing them talk as if they were hunting some wild beast, Seya clicked his tongue sharply. In the end, Seya had been dragged all the way to the Fides estate. The big guy's mistake had been handing him over to two servants after seeing Seya grow somewhat docile upon entering the mansion.
The moment the big man disappeared, Seya had thrust a bundle of skewers he had hidden in his shirt straight into the hand of the thinner servant leading him. Since they were merely cheap wooden skewers used for street food, they weren't very durable and didn't inflict a serious wound. However, perhaps due to Seya's surprising strength for a child, combined with the sheer shock of a quiet kid suddenly turning feral, the man shrieked and recoiled.
While the other servant panicked, the boy managed to break free from their grasp.
Everything had gone smoothly up to that point. Seya thought all he had to do now was find his way out of the mansion. The problem was that a ducal estate, which he was stepping into for the first time in his life, was far too vast. For Seya, whose idea of a grand residence was a two-room mud hut, navigating this place was an impossible task.
He remembered climbing up some stairs and tried to retrace his steps, narrowly avoiding several servants along the way. But after a few close calls, Seya found himself completely lost in the middle of a long corridor. If only Mir were here. He's smart enough to have gotten us out easily. He sorely missed his clever friend.
"Damn it, why are there so many people?"
Seya muttered, having no way of knowing that the mansion's staff had actually been drastically reduced after a massive restructuring. Every time he tried to slip down a hallway, someone would appear, leaving him with no opportunity to escape. Seya shook the rope binding his wrists in frustration. This was another problem. Dragging the long, trailing rope made it impossible to run at full speed. If he ran into that giant of a man again, he stood no chance of escaping. Even at his best, outrunning that monster would have been a gamble.
"He's not over here. The kid must be incredibly fast."
"Tell me about it. We need to find him quickly if we want to avoid facing Lord Tollin's terrifying wrath."
Hearing voices ahead, Seya quickly spun around and bolted down the opposite corridor, his heart pounding with anxiety. He had no desire to cross paths with this "Lord Tollin" the adults kept mentioning with such dread.
"Not here either. Does the brat have wings on his feet or something?"
"Well, all the exit doors are locked, so we'll corner him soon enough."
But cruelly, the voices of another pair of searchers echoed from that direction as well.
"Damn it all."
Seya stamped his feet in frustration as the net closed in from both sides. The rope around his wrists was too much of a hindrance to slip past four adults. Even as he hesitated, the footsteps drew closer by the second.
Desperate, Seya pressed his ear against the smallest door in the hallway. Hearing nothing from inside, he assumed it was empty. Without a second thought, Seya slipped inside and quickly shut the door behind him.
The moment Seya vanished, the servants searching from both ends of the corridor rounded their respective corners and met in the middle.
"Oh! Nothing on your end either?"
"Yeah, nothing over here. He must have slipped to another floor or hidden in one of the rooms."
Seya pressed his ear flat against the wood, focusing entirely on their conversation. The problem was that he was so focused, he failed to notice the Young Duke staring at him from behind with a look of utter shock.