Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The New Bond

"Ouch!"

Noah winced in pain when the old lady rubbed the cotton swab soaked in herbal medicine in his deep wound on the finger. Watching his quiver, the woman frowned and scolded him, looking a bit anxious, "How can you get so injured on your first day here, brat? How are you going to survive here at this rate?"

"I-It's fine...I was just a bit reckless, madam." Noah tried to smile with little difficulty, but the burning sensation on that wound was putting him in a difficult state.

While dressing his wounded finger with a bandage, her sharp gaze didn't avoid the sight of the embroidered blood-soaked silk handkerchief with him. Holding a skeptical look in her brooded eyes, she asked him, "Brat, where did you get this refined silk handkerchief? It's something that, people of lowly status like us can't afford."

Noah had somehow expected her keen query but facing it directly, he flinched a little. He peeked a quick glance at it and pondered, 'there's no way she would believe if I tell her that someone from the royal family actually gave it to me to wrap around my finger. Besides, she might get suspicious of me.'

"Brat?"

He winced again as she called her aloud, and put an anxious smile as he came up with a quick excuse, "Ah, this? I found it lying on the road when the guard asked me to walk out of the servant's quarter. I g-guess, someone might have dropped it, so I used it to wrap around my bleeding finger."

Hearing his confession, the woman frowned with a stiff gaze towards the piece of cloth for a moment. With a heavy sigh, she mumbled, "You don't even have an idea how precious silk it is! Only the royal members could afford to carry such a lavish piece of silk and you soiled it already. Be thankful enough that you weren't caught by a guard and accused of stealing it!"

Her answer made Noah a little fretful as he peeped a glance at the cloth and gulped his saliva. Without realizing it, he continued wondering in his mind, 'that mysterious handsome man didn't think twice before giving such a lavish piece of cloth to someone like me. I guess, he might be really a nice person.

So, I should just keep it with me. Once I get out of here tomorrow, I can wash and sell it somewhere at a better price which might benefit me and Kirin to survive.'

"What are you thinking again, brat?" The woman could notice him gazing blankly at the small handkerchief while immersed in thoughts. Her curiosity piqued a little as she poked her head with her pale fingers and tried to revive him back to reality.

Her sharp-pitched tone flinched Noah as he averted his gaze away from the piece of clothing and looked at her. She had already finished dressing her injured finger with a bandage and noticing it, Noah cordially smiled to thank her.

"Madam, you might sound harsh from your tone, but, you have been very kind to me. Earlier also you helped me in escaping from Crown Prince's rage by making me bow my head down. I was thinking that I don't have enough words to express my gratitude towards you."

Hearing his polite mumble, the woman held a genial look in her eyes while she was closing the lid of the small medicine bottles that she applied to him. With a small huff of breath, she tried to sound a little strict, "No need to be cheeky with me, brat. I am doing all this because I just don't want you to die on your first day here."

"Even if you are trying hard to act stern, you can't hide the fact from me that you have a pure heart, madam," Noah abruptly answered, gazing softly at her.

As soon as she heard his words, a saddened expression grew apparent on her wrinkled, haggard face. She placed her deep gaze down at the ground and murmured in a morose tone, "You...just remind me of my son, brat."

"Huh? Really?" His ocean eyes beamed with curiosity as he eagerly asked her, "Where is your son now? Does he live outside the town?"

For a brief period, she stayed still like an ice statue and mumbled in a broken voice, "He was executed...here."

"What!?" A jolt of shock wavered Noah as he rolled his orbs in wonder, staring deeply at her bereaved face. Before he could ask her any further, she continued mumbling on her own, "Though he was a bit clumsy as you, still he used to serve here as Crown Prince's servant. But..."

As soon as her voice trailed off, Noah impatiently urged, "But? What happened, madam?"

"But one day when the Crown prince had visited outside the castle with a few court maids and servants, a group of assassins attacked him. Even though the guards fought hard to protect him and bring him back here, but, the prince had some minor injuries. Suspecting one among them as the traitor, the prince ordered all the servants and maids present with him on that day to be executed." Her low voice grew a bit heavy as if she was suppressing her grief inside.

"What?" Deadpanned in shock to hear the story, Noah swirled his eyes with confusion as he asked in a baffled tone, "But, how come it was their fault? How could the prince just order to execute someone based on suspicion without proof? That's crazy! How could he?"

"It's because the crown prince doesn't have the heart, to begin with, or sympathize with other's pain." A tiny, hostile smirk curved on her slender lips with tears of despair shimmering in her eyes.

She huffed a heavy sigh and lifted her gaze to look into his ocean eyes as she spoke, "He is rumored to be a vicious monster and the cruelest man in our whole kingdom who feasts on humans. You can't expect kindness or empathy from him, nor he ever entrusts someone with his whole. His arms are tainted with the blood of thousands of innocent people yet, his blood-thirst has no limits.

That's why...brat, no matter what you do, you must never be involved with that heartless man until you are here. Just...stay out of his sight."

Holding a sad gaze towards her lifeless dark eyes, a stinging pain aroused inside his heart. A profound bitterness overwhelmed his senses as he wondered, frowning his face. 'Now I understand, why must someone have come to the Chief for hiring an assassin! After all, why must such evil beings like him deserve to live and become the future of the country!? Gosh, I am so mad at that jerk that I do really wish to kill him now!'

Watching him go all silent with grief, the woman softly tapped his shoulder once and sounded a bit gentle in her tone, "Don't worry too much about me, I am...fine now. After all, pretty much sooner or later I will be meeting my son in heaven."

Noah lifted her saddened gaze to her face and watching her still trying to smile broke his heart. He groped her cold palm and mumbled in a resolute tone, "I might not be able to bring back your son, but, from today, you can treat me as your own son. I...don't have a mother too, so, I guess, my inner void will be also fulfilled by your warmth, madam."

His sincere yet sad request suddenly rolled down the tears shimmering in her eyes as she lifted her face down with a bereaved smile. Softly she nodded her head and mumbled in a teary voice, "Just stay alive here...that will be enough for me."

Nodding at her answer, Noah held her arm and continued looking at her distressed face. Muddled thoughts ran inside his mind as he frowned his brows a little, and he peeked a quick glance around them. "Madam, do you want to escape with me from this hell tomorrow?" He whispered to her.

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