Chapter Text
Freedom.
A foreign word that Roksu never thought he’d hear the first time he opened his eyes in this new world.
"I am sure I told you to live your life quietly, as if you were dead."
Roksu focused his gaze on the pink-haired girl kneeling in front of them.
Ugh. I have grown accustomed to being the victim of bullying, but it appears that I am now the perpetrator.
"They say you made a ruckus at the banquet to celebrate the crown prince's return; what were you thinking?"
He was reminded of Lante by the stern voice. But this one's voice bothers me more than the old man's.
"You would better respond right now."
The girl in front of him appeared befuddled as well. Roksu assesses the situation and looks at a man with dark blue hair and another man with pink hair.
"Well... the thing is..." She, too, is perplexed and hesitant. Not at all. Roksu was well aware that this was yet another transmigration story. Her voice, on the other hand, sounded distant and forced. She sounded as if she was seeing something in front of her and could not control her voice.
Should I interfere?
It is similar to ORV's game-style message board. But she’s more controlled than having her freedom.
The man with dark blue hair appeared irritated. They continue to have a meaningless conversation without allowing the pink-haired girl to speak.
“Penelope Eckart.”
"Hah," he groaned as he realized he was in another universe.
"For the time being... I will remove the Eckart surname from you."
"You retard. Serves you right," said the pink-haired man as well.
I am just another member of another messed-up family. Why do I keep getting these types of roles? Give me a decent one!
He fixed his gaze on the befuddled young lady. He was reminded of how this girl had gone and made a mess.
According to the original work, this girl went insane and died after her real daughter returned. However, there’s a catch that made Roksu’s blood boil.
He remained silent and fixed his gaze on the girl kneeling in front of them. He did not have to worry about anyone else and could just do what needed to be done.
"Zaire Eckart, do you have anything to say?"
The older one appeared to be quite intense.
He looked at the girl and then at them.
"You should look into why she acted that way first," he advised.
"You, of all people, said that?" the pink-haired one inquired.
"Yes," he said, frowning at how they were treating this girl. Even if she is a replacement for their lost younger sister, they have no right to treat her as less than human.
A child with no value.
Living with his uncle and at the orphanage reminded him of a past he desperately wanted to forget.
Unfortunately, I am the type of person who can never forget.
"Are not you tired already?" he inquired. "Tired of blaming her for your uselessness? I am quite tired now," he says, asking if they are not tired of treating her this way.
He knew this had become a vicious cycle already.
The man with pink hair aimed at him and grabbed his collar.
He just stood there staring at him.
What was my name again? Zaire?
He locked his gaze on the pink-haired brat who was staring at him right now.
"Go on," he taunts. He has no intention of bullying someone simply because she is different.
"If you do not like her, just tell her... do not treat her like an animal you can control. You are disgusting, and if you treat her like that, it is obvious that is how you will treat the people of the duchy."
The pink-haired and black-haired men both flinched.
They let him go and stared at him as if he had finally lost his mind.
“Um…”
He looked at the girl and stated solemnly, "I have no intention of becoming friends with anyone." This was the kind of family that reminded him of how his uncle and the people at the orphanage treated him. "I have no plans to stay here either."
This is a story where the heroine earns everyone’s love too easily; on the other hand, this girl becomes more miserable, no matter how much she begs for affection.
"Honestly, this family is getting even more ridiculously messed up."
He says this and walks away, tending to go far, far away.
Damn it. Why now?
Images of bullying, cursing, and confinement resurface.
He should not be affected by such things right now.
But—
"Zaire," greeted a man with white hair. He resembled the blue-haired bastard, but he’s even more annoyng. “Were you meeting with you siblings?”
“Meeting?” He mocks, “shutting others and making a fool of her without listening to her is a meeting now?”
The man seemed surprised as well.
“You don’t even know why she acted that way, nor make the effort to know. This family is really ridiculous.”
“Young Lord, please respect the His Grace.”
“Respect?” Zaire’s annoyed. Living in other worlds seemed to have softened the heart he steeled for a lifetime.
I’ve become too soft on these kinds of things now, huh?
He mocks himself.
“If you can’t protect her, then you should’ve not brought her here.”
The Duke stared at him for a good while.
"You should not have brought her here if you cannot tell your children not to treat her like an animal."
If you can not accept responsibility for the life you saved, do not bother bringing her to a place where she will be unhappy.
"She would be better off in the streets where you found her, where she could have lived peacefully, than in this rat's hell, where she is nothing more than a clipped-winged canary you have all been blaming for your mistakes—everyone in this duchy.”
He left. He can’t stay in this place at all.
Even though he’s an extra, he can’t ignore that girl at all.
Damn it.
He curses. He shouldn’t be too emotional but…
I can’t help it.
He can’t look away from the misery of the people who walked the same path as him.
TBC