Episode 4

“I don’t have any business in town yet, but if you want, I’ll ride down to town with you today. I’m doing you a favor, and you should be grateful.”

The boy’s eyes widened at Hestia’s unexpected words. But then he lowered his head, narrowed his eyes, and chewed on his lower lip.

She had expected him to be pleased with her words. Instead, his expression grew even stranger, and Hestia was puzzled. Perhaps that was why.

“Of course, you can stay here for a few more days if you want. As long as you follow a few rules.”

She’d made a suggestion she would never have made normally.

I couldn’t help but notice the strange look on the boy’s face, even though I knew I would regret this moment one day.

The boy’s pupils fLouttered slightly as he considered Hestia’s options.

“Actually…….”

The boy’s lips curled into a tight line as he chose his words.

“Not yet, I don’t know.”

The words spat out with effort were short, but perhaps this was the truth he was struggling with right now.

“Of course not, I was going to kick you out if you said you wanted to stay right here.”

I’ve lived long enough to have seen a lot of shit.

Hestia shuddered slightly as if she didn’t even want to think about it.

Perhaps emboldened by her lighthearted tone, the boy pursed his lips, choosing his words carefully. When he finally made up his mind, he gingerly lifted his head to meet Hestia’s gaze.

“.…..Can I stay here a little longer?”

Hestia’s eyes were no longer wary, but questioning.

“Uh, yeah. I’m only letting you stay because you’re cute.”

Hestia tilted her head and smiled brightly at the boy.

The boy looked dumbfounded as if he had never heard such a thing before.

“But not for long. I’m thinking of moving soon.”

Hestia’s calm demeanor intensified the boy’s suspicions.

He couldn’t understand why she had allowed him to stay without asking him who he was. It didn’t matter how long or short she would stay. She hadn’t intended to stay long in the first place.

The boy bit his lower lip.

“You haven’t asked me anything about me yet, and I might put you in danger…….”

The boy’s question and worry was this. Would someone innocent get hurt again because of him? That he would hurt someone who reached out to him in good faith.

He was a sinner. A sinner who couldn’t protect his people. If I hurt someone who reached out to me in good faith like this…….

The boy gripped his teacup so tightly that it rattled. His face contorted as if he were about to burst into tears. It was a heaviness that was unexpected for someone so young.

“It’s okay, my life is pretty tough. I’m not going to tell you about me, either, so let’s just punch each other.”

Hestia threw her hands up in the air and smiled as if life were no big deal.

“Thump, eh?”

The boy repeated, not understanding what she meant.

“Sam-sam, no. I mean, let’s call it a tie. It’s grown-up talk, so it’s okay if you don’t understand, just let it flow.”

Hestia threw up her hands and said.

The boy narrowed his eyes, not liking how Hestia kept treating him like a child.

No one had ever treated him like a child before, and it felt unfamiliar.

But that wasn’t the point of this conversation. The boy returned to the point and opened his mouth.

“You could get hurt because of me. It’s not an easy decision to make. If you stay with me, everyone…….”

I felt unhappy.

He shouldn’t have let himself be taken in so easily. The boy curled up tightly, his lips dry. He stood still, waiting for her answer.

“.…..It doesn’t matter.”

The boy’s eyes widened in surprise at her response.

“On the contrary, I’ll be glad if my misfortune doesn’t reach you. It may be you, not me, who needs to be careful, so you should think about it. And know that I have no intention of telling you anything about myself.”

Her tone was breezy in contrast to the heavy content. The discrepancy confused the boy even more.

After a short pause.

“One question, then.”

The boy’s golden eyes hardened as he made up his mind.

They were still a mixture of wariness and questioning, but they seemed to be weighed down by the boy’s hard-won decision.

“Just tell me how I got here.”

“I was out gathering herbs at night and found you down, so I picked you up.”

Dahlgrak.

Turo Hestia, still lightheaded, set down her teacup.

“Was ……anyone around, anyone else?”

“Nope. No one.”

Unlike the boy, who was cautiously phrasing his words, Hestia was adamant. She could sense what the boy wanted to ask.

But Hestia didn’t want to leave him with just words or an afterthought.

The death of someone was such a thing, and the hopes and expectations of what might have been brought about only led to greater frustration and despair.

So Hestia did not wish to offer such false comfort or hope.

“Ah…….”

The boy groaned in agony and covered his face with both hands.

He rubbed his face roughly in frustration, then asked again.

“Where am I, where am I?”

The boy eyed Hestia shrewdly, wondering if she was lying.

“The terrain is a bit vague, but it’s close to the village of Silio.”

But this time, Hestia’s quick response didn’t lie.

“If…… you’re trying to turn me over to someone, or kill me.”

The boy sneaks a glance at Hestia.

“If that’s what you’re going to say, just get out of here. The exit is that way, and I’ve fed you enough.”

Hestia rolled her eyes and pointed firmly toward the exit.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

The boy threw up his hands impatiently and spoke quickly.

“You’re quick to apologize.”

Hestia smirked and raised the corners of her mouth as if her earlier reaction had been a joke.

The boy gave her a puzzled look, then asked softly.

“Your name, Hestia, is it real?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it a real name, but it’s Hestia.”

The boy scratched his head at the vague answer.

“Then may I ask how old you are?”

“Um, no, because that’s the hardest question for me. But aren’t we supposed to never ask each other anything?”

Embarrassment flashed across the boy’s face as he shook his head at Hestia’s mild question.

As if sensing the boy’s embarrassment, Hestia changed the subject.

“Make your choice before the sun goes down. Do you want to stay or do you want to leave today?”

Hestia’s urgency made the boy look as if he wanted to be sick.

“Wait, wait, give me a minute to think.”

The boy cried out urgently, but all he needed was reassurance for his already leaning decision.

Hestia nodded and calmly began to drink her tea as if it didn’t matter what the boy chose.

As Hestia stared into her empty cup, debating whether or not to make more tea, the boy finished.

“I‘m sorry, but I’ll only be indebted to you for a few days, and I’ll make it up to you later, don’t worry.”

The boy looked determined, his eyes glazed over, and Hestia grinned broadly, thinking the boy was cute as she watched him try to play the grown-up.

“Haha. Where did you learn to talk like that, child?”

She ran a hand through the boy’s soft navy bLoue hair.

“You’re cute because you look so smart, but just be yourself. I don’t need a reward, so don’t worry about it, and I have more money than I thought I did.”

The boy flinched at Hestia’s unexpected touch, then glanced at her hand, which had returned to its proper place, and spoke quietly.

“.…..Please, call me Theo.”

“Huh?”

Hestia’s eyes narrowed at the sight of a boy suddenly saying my name.

“I‘m not as young as you think I am, so you can call me Theo.”

The boy’s brow furrowed as if the constant references to him as a child had been bothering him all this time.

I wasn’t sure if Theo was his real name, but I didn’t bother to ask.

“Okay, okay, just don’t make a face.”

Hestia reached out and gently rubbed Theo’s forehead. Her voice was still full of laughter, but her tone was soothing.

Theo clamped his jaw shut in disgust and jerked backward, away from Hestia’s touch.

Hestia shrugged and withdrew her outstretched hand.

“Now, here are the rules. First.”

Hestia extended her index finger, and it was Theo who was caught off guard.

“Wait! Are you sure you’re not going to ask about me?”

Theo’s eyes narrowed as if he didn’t want to have to ask anything.

Hestia narrowed her eyes as well, then stroked the tip of her chin.

“Mmm.”

Asked…….

Hestia rolled her eyes and thought briefly.

“Nothing.”

But her answer was terse. Her clear brown eyes showed that she meant it.

“If I had to go out on a limb and ask, why do you think you chose to stay here, Dae-Jung?”

Theo hadn’t even answered the question.

“I don’t feel comfortable asking you why you chose to stay when I made the first offer and to be honest, I don’t want to get bogged down in shallow sympathy and bonding while we get to know each other’s stories.”

Hestia smiled softly, a hint of resignation in her tone. No, perhaps it was more like resignation.

Theo understood the meaning behind the smile. His uneven life had made him more sensitive to other people’s emotions than most.

So he couldn’t say anything more.

Mate!

Hestia clapped her hands cheerfully to lighten the mood.

“Now, I’m going to tell you the rules again, and you’re going to listen carefully because there’s no second time.”

Realizing how many words she was about to spit out, Hestia took a deep breath and spoke quickly.

“First, always ask permission before leaving the house. We’re deep in the woods and there’s a lot of dangerous wildlife, and you don’t want to go out and leave a dead body behind.”

Second, keep it clean. I don’t like messy things.

And third, if you ever leave, you will keep everything about your life here a secret, incLouding things about me. That’s it!”

Huh. Hestia blew out a long breath and looked at Theo with pride.