ICTV - Chapter 40
I Changed The Villain
“Please be either smart or pure…!”
“Wow, my sisters say the same thing as you.”
Rika covered her mouth seriously.
“...But the scarier thing here is that he's not completely wrong.”
“This won’t work. Let’s just wake Lady up.”
No matter what anyone says, the person who can talk to Taksha for the longest time in this mansion is Rose.
The maids gently shook my shoulders. After a while, I finally had to sit across from Taksha while yawning.
“… Yes, Taksha. What do you wonder?"
“Oh my, I already told you. Are there any parents who enslave their children?"
“What does it mean to be a real slave?
"What."
“Then what is it?”
“Usually, after eating at a restaurant or sleeping at an inn, you have to pay, right?”
"Yes. It’s a scary world where it costs money to do nothing and even just live a basic life.”
Taksha, who had to starve as if he was eating food and sleeping on the street because he had no money to pay, nodded and strongly sympathized.
I continued.
“Not all parents are like that, but there are parents like that. Parents who think they have to pay for giving food to their children, for raising them.”
“...But a house is not an inn, right? Food served at home is not the same as restaurant food.”
"Yes. But there are parents who really think that way. That's why we end up with children who are exploited like slaves."
Taksha looked blankly at me.
“Now, is your curiosity satisfied? If you have any more questions, feel free to ask more. It’s okay.”
"...Nonsense."
Taksha's face was one of shock.
“...I really thought it was because of slavery! How can parents exploit their own children?!”
“… … I wonder sometimes too. Now, all your questions have been answered, right?”
I tried to close my eyes again, but couldn't. This is because Taksha started going wild.
“If you want to get that price, you have to warn them before you feed them and raise them. Isn’t that right?”
"...Warning?"
“Yes, warning! For example...!"
Taksha recalled how he once saw a store owner scolding a clerk on the street. Taksha spoke in an annoyed tone, like the store owner.
“You see, if I raise you and feed you, you have to pay me that much or work later. Who knows how to make money by digging the ground? I don't want to raise you at a loss. If you can’t pay, get out.”
"..."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly calmed down. But Taksha still shouted loudly.
“Look, how nice it would be to have a warning like this! Then, the children will have to prepare their minds in advance and be careful not to spend money on their own! The more I think about it, the more absurd it is!”
I think that's the problem in its own right. The adults, including me, thought at the same time.
Taksha's anger continued into the night.
“Taksha, calm down now.”
“The more I think about it, the more absurd it is! They're willing to give birth to this difficult world and take money for it!”
"..."
“It’s the same as a loan shark who forces you to borrow money and then collects interest!”
Taksha roughly bit into his dinner sandwich. I, who was quietly listening to Taksha's story next to me, put down the weasel that was sleeping in my arms. The weasel has gained quite a bit of weight now.
The weasel yawned slightly and buried his face in the grass.
I poured the juice into a cup.
“Do you know what a loan shark is?”
Taksha licked the sauce off his finger and quickly took the cup.
“Yes, I saw him often in the back alleys. I even went to him in person to borrow money.”
"You?"
“Honestly, getting hit for stealing money or getting hit for borrowing money and not being able to repay it is the same. So I thought it would be better to get hit for the latter.”
He found out where the loan sharks were from a man who was lying in the middle of the street after being beaten by debt collectors. When he thinks about it now, it was a dangerous thing. Taksha reluctantly shook his leg.
“What were you planning to buy with the borrowed money?”
Taksha’s face turned red.
“…I was going to buy cotton candy.”
"Cotton candy?"
“At that time, cotton candy seemed the softest and prettiest food I had ever seen."
At first, he thought it was a cloud, but when he saw a kid begging his mom to buy it and eat it, Taksha realized it was food. I
He didn't think it would matter if he got hit as long as he could eat that cotton candy. However...
“Not only do they not lend money to children, they also don’t lend such small amounts of money. He just scolded me and told me not to come here again."
“I heard a lot... Of course, he won’t lend it to you. I’m just glad you ended up getting scolded.”
A question mark appeared above Taksha’s head.
“But he definitely said that small loans are also available.”
“So, that small amount is not the standard. It's better not to know that. That guy is ridiculous.”
If you ask, will you tell me where the loan shark is? I stuck my tongue out.
“Do you still want to eat cotton candy?”
“Last time I went to the market, sister Becky bought it for me and I tried it. However, I have already eaten a lot of food that is much more delicious and prettier than cotton candy at the mansion. It wasn’t as delicious as I imagined.”
"..."
“If I think about it now, I’m more like cotton candy. I think my parents who bought it for me wanted it more.”
When Taksha was a pickpocket, the person he wanted to steal the most was his parents. He thought he could live comfortably while being loved by his parents.
Taksha pursed his lips for no reason.
“My thoughts have changed a little.”
“How has it changed?”
“I just realized the obvious."
The fact is that not all parents are good. Taksha only looked up at the sky. His eyes grew hot because something got into them.
“Maybe the reason my parents abandoned me was because they didn’t have money.”
"..."
“But no matter how poor they are, Would they have been poorer than me, who was just born? How can they abandon a child who has less than them in an alley? They are truly bloodless and tearless people.”
Clear liquid dripped down his soft cheeks. Taksha quickly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and spoke in a cheerful tone.
“Oh, no. Now that I think about it, I'm actually glad I was abandoned by them. I don’t need parents like that either. If we had lived together, I would have lived like a slave like Rika and I."
The tears continued to flow. Taksha tried to raise the corners of his mouth, but it was no use. Taksha cried and laughed at the same time.
“And crucially, I also met the Young Lady…!”
Suddenly his vision was obscured. I hugged Taksha tightly. That too, so tightly that Taksha couldn't even push me away.
Taksha said while struggling desperately.
“Oh, Lady? Don't do this. I'm not a noble like you, so if you hug me carelessly... .”
"It's okay."
My tone was as indifferent as usual. My calm attitude even in the unprecedented situation of a nobleman embracing a child from the back alleys stopped Taksha's struggles. I spoke again.
"It's okay."
“…What does it mean to be okay?”
"Just...."
"..."
Taksha said no more and buried his face in my arms. Taksha may have wanted it subconsciously since long ago. Someone who will hold him tightly like this when he goes astray.
I felt my clothes getting damp and looked down at Taksha. Taksha sobbed.
"... Still, they have to take me and live with me for now.”
“Okay, it’s okay, just spit everything out first.”
I slowly stroked Taksha's hair. Taksha, encouraged by that touch, continued speaking.
“They mean they don’t care if I’m hungry or cold there. If that’s the case, why did my mother give birth to me? Just don’t give birth.”
Taksha's voice grew louder.
“I never asked you to have a baby..! Why do you give birth to children as you wish and then abandon them as you wish? !”
'I never asked to have a baby. It's my mother who gave birth to me on her own terms.'
I felt like I knew why the maids and myself were particularly weak to Taksha. Taksha looks very similar. At that time, I felt abandoned. Right away, I was arguing with my parents and they argued like that. But I saw my parent's reaction was extremely cold.
‘Why do you say that without even changing your expression? Creepy.'
If I had cried and said as sadly as Taksha at that time, would things have been different?
It was a moment when my eyes gradually darkened. Taksha screamed.
“I really hate you guys! I don’t know your names or your faces, but I will curse you for the rest of my life!”
I came to my senses at that cry. That's not what's important now, really. I almost went into a daze again.
I stroked Taksha’s hair again. Has Taksha calmed down yet?
He rubbed his face with his sleeve.
“Master said that if I cry, I will lose muscle mass. Is that okay?”
“...You’ve definitely calmed down.”
When I see you say things like that, I took out the chocolate, tore off the wrapper, and broke it into small pieces. The two sat side by side again. Taksha suddenly asked while munching on her chocolate.
“Aren’t you going to stop me?”
"What?"
“It’s a bad thing to curse others, especially your parents.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s wrong. Your parents are just ugly parents. And, do I seem like a diligent person who would nag you about everything?"
“No, never.”
Honestly, the curse level is pretty cute. It's not that he's going to find his parents and cause mischief, he just said he's going to curse them. Isn't it true that Taksha said that he would seriously curse with a wish like a warlock?
“If you want to hate, hate it. It’s good for your mental health.”
There are so many people in the world, how can you forgive and like them all? It is natural to curse ugly people.
I broke open the chocolate again, but Taksha was still sullen.
“But just in case, I ended up doing it.”
"What?"
“What if my parents had other unavoidable circumstances besides money?"
“I don’t know.”
"Yes. As expected, Miss..."
“I am not your parent. Unless you ask the people directly, you will never know the answer. So don't worry. Your head will hurt."
"But….”
“Don’t look for answers or fault in yourself. Why do you bother to tell me the answer that is not even accurate? It would be wrong anyway. So just do whatever you want.”
"..."
“When you want to hate, hate, and when you want to miss, miss. Then at least it won’t be painful.”
Taksha stared endlessly at the chocolate placed on my palm.
"When you want to eat cotton candy, tell us. Say it right away."
The corners of Taksha's mouth slowly rose. Taksha laughed until his eyes could not be seen.
“Yes! I definitely will!"
Taksha responded bravely and took the chocolate and threw it into his mouth. As expected, chocolate was delicious, so Taksha shook his body from side to side.
I put the rest of the chocolate into Taksha's mouth.
“If I eat this, I have to walk dozens of times around the garden the next morning, but I can’t give up.”
“Yes, you should eat when you want to.”
Taksha cupped his cheeks with his palms and swallowed the chocolate.
I stood up.
“Should we stop going in now?”
"Yes!"
Taksha quickly wiped his hands with a napkin and then held my hand. Taksha crossed the manor, waving his hands excitedly.
“By the way, Lady.”
"What?"
Taksha looked up at me.
“Miss, who do you hate when you want to hate?”
"Huh?"
“I heard it’s good for your health. Miss, who do you blame for your health?”
“...I have no one to hate.”
“As expected, Young Lady. You are generous and have forgiven everyone.”
That's not it, I'm just tired. What I hate and what I miss. Everything is just annoying.
How great would it be if you could live your whole life without thinking about anything?
I gazed at the night sky. The night sky is so dark that I can't see anything.
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