Chapter 75: Nightmare

The other guards tensed up upon hearing that.

Though the nobles had higher authority in the empire compared to the masses…

Murder was still considered a serious crime irrespective of the status of the individual killed.

The situation… It had escalated beyond control.

“What nonsense is that? I had just hit her once.”

The young lord raised his voice in annoyance.

“How could someone die from that?!”

Behind the mask was fear.

No matter who he killed… A murder was a murder.

“Master, let’s move from here. We will clear the scene, you just have to—”

“You bastards! Do you even realise the limits of your cruelty?”

Soi growled at the guards who began to escort their lord out of the place.

He picked up his body from the ground.

“Tsk. Commoner, do you want to die too?” The noble kid began to move towards Soi, but was stopped by the guards.

He might have felt the fear of the possible consequences of his actions… But his ego blinded him again.

“Master, the lord won’t be happy.” An elder guard in his forties tried to reason with their young lord.

Hearing about his father seemed to have knocked some sense into the kid, as he turned to leave the place.

Tears began to spill from Soi’s eyes as he looked at Nina’s lifeless body. He had to at least take her to the orphanage for a proper funeral.

Soi turned to look at Noah, but his pupils dilated the moment he laid his gaze on the latter.

Noah had gripped a stone in his hand, his gaze never leaving the retreating figure of the young noble.

“Noah, sto—”

Thwack!

“Argghh!”

The stone landed squarely on the young lord’s face, blood spilling from his forehead.

The nearby guards had been tense due to the death of the little girl. Most of them were engrossed in thought, trying to find possible solutions to remedy the situation.

That had led them to become negligent, as their senses couldn’t track the projectile that was hurled at their lord.

And the other thing being, none of them expected the commoners to gather the courage to harm a noble.

“Young master?!”

“Are you okay?”

“Lie down quickly!”

The guards panicked as blood flowed continuously from the wound.

Soi, seeing the situation getting out of hand, moved before the guards could turn their attention toward them.

He stood close to Noah, his knees on the ground, as he mimicked the act of throwing.

“Soi, what are you—”

“Shut up for a moment, please!” Soi let out a forced whisper.

Once the guards confirmed their master’s condition, their attention shifted toward the culprit.

As they looked back, all they could see was the older of the two boys on the ground, his hands holding another batch of stones, ready to attack them at a moment’s notice.

Two guards moved to teach the kid another lesson, but the senior guard had another thought.

“Bring him with us. Attacking a noble… An heir, no less, is a grave crime and shall be punished by the authorities. We can use the situation to frame him for the girl’s death.”

Noah’s eyes widened upon hearing the guard’s statement.

He messed up… Didn’t he?

Soi too had a look of realization, but now…

He couldn’t back down.

“Noah, hey! Listen to me.”

Soi turned to face Noah, who had a lost look on his face.

Soi shook him by his arm.

“Hey! Take Nina to the orphanage. I will try to make it back as soon as possible. And—”

“How?”

Noah’s voice broke.

“Listen—”

“How the hell are you coming back?! Let me go—”

Slap!

A red mark appeared on Noah’s face.

“Do as I say. Is that clear?”

Noah stood frozen for a moment.

“Sniff… Yes, sir.”

Soi’s gaze hardened as he looked into Noah’s lifeless eyes.

Before they could talk further, the guards grabbed Soi by his neck and picked him up from the ground.

“Hey!” Noah tried to raise his voice but was stopped by Soi’s gaze.

He then moved towards where Nina was and bent down to check on her.

Though from Soi’s reaction he could tell that Nina was probably dead… He wanted to see for himself.

The guard who had grabbed Soi chopped at his neck to knock the boy out.

“Let’s go.”

Giving a final glance at the two kids, the guards, along with the noble kids, left the place.

“Nina.”

Noah just sat there, holding Nina’s body close to him.

He remembered Soi’s instructions, but his body felt too heavy to move.

Noah felt lost about the entire ordeal.

They had just wanted to enjoy today like all other kids… Was that too much to ask?

Why did everything have to happen to them?

Was it a sin to be an orphan?!

Just why…

“Hah!”

“Huff… Huff…”

Noah abruptly woke up from his sleep.

“Haa… Haa…”

He kept taking deep breaths to steady his heart, which was beating like crazy.

The same dream…

It had been ten years since he kept dreaming the same thing.

No! It wasn’t a dream.

That was a nightmare for Noah.

A nightmare that he wished to forget, but the memory was so deep that it refused to leave his soul.

Nina had died that day.

Noah had carried her to the orphanage in hopes of saving her. His mind knew that she was dead, but his heart refused to accept it.

He begged several healers to salvage the situation through any means possible.

But reality had already made itself clear.

Nina was dead…

If only he had been stronger!

Noah wanted to grieve for her death, to let himself suffer for his incompetence…

But he still had other things to do.

It had been a day since the funeral, but Soi didn’t return.

Noah had waited for him… He went to the authorities, demanding Soi’s release.

But…

The answer he received was the last point that completely broke him.

Soi had been brought to the authorities for investigation, but he had mysteriously disappeared from the jail the next day.

A search was sent for him… But he was nowhere to be found.

Since that day, Noah had never seen Soi again.

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