A peaceful afternoon.Amid the crowd of people each busy with their own errands, a child’s sharp, shrill shout rang out.“Where do you think you’re crawling out to, you creepy witch!”The child hurled what he was holding at Angela, who was wrapped head to toe in a black cloak.Splack!Startled by the sudden assault, Angela froze where she stood.The blow had been thrown with enough force that her back stung and throbbed. A quick glance downward showed shattered eggshells rolling across the ground.“……”It had simply been so long since she last faced such malicious hostility that she just stood there and stared. People stopped in the bustling street to watch.Though Angela was the one who had been struck, their eyes did not blame the child who had thrown the egg. Instead, they looked at Angela with disgust—as though she were the wrongdoer.“Get out of here already! No one wants a witch like you around!”Emboldened by the crowd’s mood, the child shouted triumphantly, as if he were a hero who had struck down some evil foe. There was not a trace of guilt or shame on his face—only frustration that he had run out of eggs to throw.Silently, Angela curled her trembling hands into fists. There were more than enough adults present to scold the child—but none of them said a word.She had endured this kind of cruel persecution all her life, yet she still could not grow used to it.“…Haa.”Angela exhaled softly, steadying her shaking heart, then quietly turned away.At least it had been an egg and not a stone.The pain in her back would fade, and the stains on her cloak could be cleaned. Drawing any more attention would only make her humiliation worse.“Waaah! Why are you doing this to me!?”Just then, the child let out a sudden scream. Angela turned her head toward the commotion.“Where does a brat like you learn to throw eggs at people?”A man with beautiful blond hair and clear, lake-blue eyes stood holding the child by the scruff of the neck.Dressed in a black frock coat with a gold watch chain, polished cufflinks, and a perfectly shaped silk top hat, he radiated elegance and refinement. Wearing white gloves, he clicked his tongue at the squirming child.“Let go! Let go of me! The adults said it’s fine to teach that witch a lesson!”“Who did?”“Grown-ups! They told me! So I just punished her for them!”At the child’s brazen outburst, the onlookers avoided the man’s blue gaze, coughing awkwardly. The man, unfazed by the child’s weight, turned his head toward Angela.“….”He was too dazzling to look at straight on.Angela hunched her shoulders and lowered her head deeper into the shadow of her hood.“Did this lady do something to you?”“N-no…”“Did she throw an egg at you?”“…No.”“But you tried to punish her without any reason? A weak lady who’s done nothing to you?”The child looked around ten years old—surely old enough to know that throwing eggs at someone was wrong.“A lady whose arms and legs are much thinner than yours. And you call that courage? As a gentleman, I find that rather difficult to overlook.”“Huh…?”“So I’ll call the constables. It seems you are the one who needs correction.”“Hiik—No!! Let me go! Dad! Daaad!!”At the word constables, the child went pale and burst into hysterical tears.“Timothy. Fetch the city constables to process this assault.”“Yes, sir.”At the title sir, murmured with quiet deference, the crowd stirred. The child’s father, who had been hiding the entire time, finally burst forward in a panic.“A-ah—Lord Grace! I sincerely apologize! The boy is young, he didn’t understand what he was doing! Please—just this once—”“You seem to be apologizing to the wrong person.”“…Sir?”“You and your ill-bred son should be apologizing to her. Not to me.”The father’s face drained of color as the heavy reality of the situation settled in. The duke handed the child off, as if discarding something trivial, and motioned toward Angela.“There.”“Y-Your Grace…”“You will offer a proper apology to the lady, and provide compensation for emotional and physical harm.”“But—that woman—!”The duke clicked his tongue, expression turning cold.“I frankly do not care. Whether your child ends up behind bars for assault does not concern me.”“B—behind bars?! It ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) was just a childish prank—just an egg!”“‘Just an egg’? Even if it were a cotton ball, throwing something at a person without cause counts as violence.”“Th-that’s…”“Fortunately, our kingdom’s law ensures that even a child who commits a crime must face punishment. And your boy seems old enough to receive a rather significant one.”The man hesitated, cornered and furious—but powerless.The duke stepped past him and approached Angela.She wanted to run. The polished toe of his shoe drew closer and closer.But she forced herself to stand her ground. He had stepped in for her—she could not flee from that.“Lady.”“……”“You seem shaken. Would you like to press charges for assault?”Angela could not answer. She hesitated.The father was right about one thing—it was something a child had done in ignorance. But if she let this go, nothing would ever change.Perhaps… if this boy faced consequences, others might think twice before hurting her.Was she allowed to make that choice?To accuse a child?“You don’t have to let him off because he’s young.”The subtle woody scent that reached her nose made her breath catch. The duke was close—too close. His voice brushed her ear.“If you find it difficult to say the words, a nod will do.”Angela hesitated for just a moment longer.Then nodded.“Timothy. Why are you still here? Fetch the constables.”“Y—Yes, sir. At once.”“Your Grace! He’s only twelve!”“Twelve? Then he is certainly old enough to learn consequences.”Panic finally overtook the father.“L-Lady! I beg you! I’ll make sure he never does anything like this again! Please—please show mercy just this once!”Angela pressed her lips together, repeating the same motion several times before finally speaking, voice trembling:“…Please donate the cleaning costs and compensation for emotional damages to the orphanage through the Grace Foundation. Then I will not press charges.”The father’s face collapsed. He had planned to refuse any direct compensation—to stall, to fight, to deny.But a donation through the Grace Foundation was unavoidable—and expensive.And with so many witnesses, there was no escape.“…Y—Yes. I will.”The child’s sobs filled the street.“Haa…”Angela had lived through this scene countless times—yet this was the first time she had ever been able to answer it back.The weight on her lungs loosened, and she exhaled—light and clear.“A wise resolution.”The deep, warm scent drifted close again.Angela bowed her head deeply.“Thank you for helping me. I should repay you somehow—”“No need. I merely acted on a small sense of justice. I intervened on impulse.”Even without seeing his face, she knew he was smiling.For a fleeting moment, she wanted to see that smile. But she didn’t have the courage to show her own face—not fully.“T-then I’ll take my leave. Thank you again… truly.”If she had known that this would be the last time she would see him up close—she would not have fled like that.She would have forced herself to look at his face.Angela only realized that much, much later.

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