9.
“You didn’t know?”
Fortunately, the duke seemed to relent a little and gave his luck in a timely manner.
The director said, ‘You damn bastard! Just try to come back. I will beat you until you become an asshole!’ he gritted his teeth, but for now, he hid his true feelings and bowed low.
“Of course I will wear it! Well, I had no idea! Ronnie, that fool fooled everyone… … ! Ah, how dare you do such a shameless thing to the Duke… … .”
“Umm… … .”
“Your Excellency the Duke! I have caused great trouble due to my carelessness… … I don’t know if I should apologize. Although deception is the only sin, it is also wrong to not know that the child lied… … .”
“I didn’t know anything. “You were just deceived?”
“yes! That’s right! How well it has lied… … .”
I tried to appeal by nodding my head, but the duke was not so receptive.
“Do you think that’s an excuse? Even if the child was deceived, it is a mistake in itself not to crack down on the child properly. Are you saying that they didn’t even know the basics of not telling lies because they were given an alternative education!? Unless you neglected the child… … .”
The director became thoughtful. If he was accused of being negligent in his education, it would be difficult for him to avoid responsibility.
“Is that possible!? I did my best, but the child was very disobedient… … He always tells lies, and he’s lazy and has bad hand habits… … .”
I’m sure he gave Ronnie all sorts of compliments when he was taken away yesterday, but the director made up all sorts of stories to avoid responsibility and disparaged Ronnie. Then, he finally confessed his history of abuse with his own mouth. I didn’t even know I was digging my own grave, so I exaggerated it even more.
“really… … I tried everything I could, but it didn’t help. “He was a vicious child who could not be reformed no matter how much he was beaten.”
“It seems like you saw it even if you hit him enough to hit him.”
In his excitement, the director did not notice that the duke’s voice had changed slightly.
“yes. Of course I wear it! There wasn’t a single day that went by that I didn’t get spanked! Even if you get beaten until you pass out because of how poisonous it is… … .”
“stop.”
That was it. I didn’t want to hear any more.
“… … yes?”
“It makes me want to rip your mouth off, so shut up.”
Even though I clearly knew the situation, I deliberately induced the situation to hear a confession directly from his mouth. Because it was obvious that if I asked too hard, they would catch me.
They’ll probably be talking bullshit, like saying that the bruise was from a fight with the kids, or that the scar from the whipping was there before they came here.
Fortunately, the stupid director confessed exactly as intended. But I felt like my ears would rot if I listened any longer.
The sudden change in attitude made the director completely dumbfounded. Ignoring him completely, the duke winked at the knight. The Duke’s knights surrounded the director.
“Go, Your Excellency… … ?”
Leaving him bewildered and puzzled, the duke ordered the child to be summoned.
Rozny, who followed the driver, looked anxious. The duke told him to wait in the carriage, but he was so worried that he got off and wandered around when he heard shouting from inside the door. Because the building was so shabby, the director’s voice could be heard without any filtering.
‘I usually tell lies… … .’
‘I’m lazy and have bad hand habits… … .’
He said there was nothing to worry about, but he was afraid that the duke would believe him and hate him. I was scared that they might look at me with colder eyes than the director.
‘no. I’m not a bad kid… … .’
It’s true that I lied about my gender, but it wasn’t intentional from the beginning. Because I was confused myself, but little by little I became more confident.
I was never lazy. Ronnie was more diligent than anyone else at the orphanage, and he never once coveted what belonged to others.
But whose words will the Duke believe? He must think that he is a really bad kid, that he deserves to be beaten like a meal.
“… … .”
The Duke placed his large hand on the child’s slightly trembling hand.
“Rozny.”
Contrary to expectations, a friendly voice was heard. Rozny barely stopped trembling at the warmth she felt in his hands and the reassuring look in his eyes.
However, the terrible voice I heard made me start shaking again.
“this… … Young-ae… … ?”
The director did not recognize her when she suddenly appeared at first. The director, who had been tempted to bow down to the idea that she was a minor princess based on her outfit, was astonished when he saw her child’s face.
“Roh, Ronnie!?”
Before I could even startle, I heard the Duke’s cold voice.
“I heard you abused the child for a long time.”
“… … yes?”
Suddenly, I couldn’t figure out how things were going. But one thing was certain: before I knew it, the sharp swords of the knights were pointed at my neck.
The duke was no longer looking in the direction of the director. He said, looking only at Rosny.
“Hey. I have one question. “Can you answer that?”
“… … yes.”
I don’t know what it was, but Ronnie nodded unconditionally. It seemed like he could do anything, according to the Duke.
“Do you think you will be sad when interest disappears?”
He couldn’t ask the child directly, ‘Can I kill him?’, so he deliberately asked the question in a roundabout way.
However, the director immediately noticed that indirect question. That his life could come and go with just one word from that child.
‘What, what nonsense…? … !’
It was unfair. I just beat Orphan Cheongeo a little, so how can that be a problem?
He never even thought that this was wrong in the first place. Isn’t it natural for an aristocratic family to whip their employees? It was just the same thing, but it was truly unfair!
But now is the time to show off to that damn kid. I decided to persuade the director to start with the child.
“Ronnie, honey. How much I cared for you… … .”
visor.
But I couldn’t move my mouth. Because it seemed like her sharp sword would cut off his head at any moment. No, in fact, blood flowed down my neck along with the burning sensation of my flesh being torn.
“Rosney? “You can be honest.”
As the duke gently urged him on, Rosny looked at the director.
Perhaps because of the Duke, I wasn’t as scared as I used to be. He wasn’t as anxious as before. Although he did not elaborate on a single word, Rosny instinctively guessed that the Duke would absolutely take his side.
“… … no.”
Children are pure and honest. And it is that cruel.
“I’m not sad at all.”
With that one word, his future was decided.
“Roh, Ronnie!”
The director screamed. When his fate was decided by an insignificant being whom he could not care less about, he finally realized what it was like to be the weak.
The misery of being trampled over and over again depending on the other person’s mood. A feeling of absolute helplessness, unable to even save one’s life.
“Ronnie! Ronnie! “Don’t do this!”
“… … .”
“Ronnie! I fed you and put you to sleep! He is your benefactor. How can you repay the favor like this? … !”
“no.”
Rosny’s small but clear voice rang out.
“The director is a devil.”
The seven-year-old child spoke clearly. The girl from earlier who was just shaking was no longer there. Although his voice was slightly trembling, Rosny continued speaking calmly.
“If I had stayed here, I would have died like Peter someday.”
“… … .”
The director flinched and closed his mouth at the words that came out of the child’s mouth.
“If you get kicked in the stomach too many times, you’ll die.”
The surroundings also became quiet for a moment. Although the words were spoken calmly, the content was by no means casual. The expressions of the knights, including the duke, became even more sober.
“Peter was my only friend. therefore… … “I’m not sad even if the director is gone.”
It was a firm statement that no excuse or struggle would be of any use. The duke, who was holding Rozny, winked at the knight to take her child out first.
“Roh, Ronnie… … ! You can’t do this! Your Excellency the Duke! Ronnie misunderstood something, oh, he misunderstood… … Ronnie, Ronnie!”
In order to survive, the director did not give up his struggle until the end. When Rozny left, he started to fall for other things.
“Go, Your Excellency! You can’t do this! How could such an injustice be done to an innocent person? … ! There is no way the church would just sit by and watch this… … “Ahh!”
However, he could no longer shout as his teeth were shattered by the broken sword sheath. There is only screaming.
“It’s a denomination… … .”
The duke spoke coldly to the whimpering man.
Even if you shed tears of repentance, it would not be enough, so you even deny that you are guilty. He was someone who could not be killed gracefully.
The duke decided to keep him alive and punish him for a long time. Please pay the full price for the evil deeds you have committed so far. I’d rather beg you to kill me.
“This Marques is my land. “My will is the law of this land.”
Although the denomination was said to exercise autonomy, it was only permitted to do the work of priests. Even though this orphanage is affiliated with a temple, the director is at best an operating agent and not a priest. In other words, in terms of status, it means that one is a citizen belonging to a duchy.
And the duke was a god-like being within the territory. No, not just in the territory, he was an absolute being that could not be compared anywhere in the empire, even rivaling the imperial family.
Even if it is truly unfair, it is natural that no one can dare to go against its will. Especially in a situation where there is clear and clear evidence like this.
“Take him away.”
