CHAPTER 83: THE GIRL WHO SHOULDN’T BE HERE

The Girl Who Shouldn’t Be Here

"Do you really think that anything you’ve just said makes any sense!?"

A sharp bonk landed squarely on Isabella’s head, followed by Davis Fireheart’s voice echoing through the carriage, raw with irritation.

"Owww!" she whimpered, clutching her head with both hands and crouching down like a scolded kitten.

---

What could I even do in this situation?

There she was—the little troublemaker—sitting on the floor of my carriage, pouting, teary-eyed, and holding her head in pain as if I were the villain.

How did she even get in here? We’d departed in such a rush that even my escort barely had time to breathe, yet somehow this girl managed to sneak aboard.

It didn’t make any sense.

Max—the man revered as one of the Heavenly Paragons, known across the Martial World as a legend—was her grandfather. Someone like him could erase an entire clan from existence with a flick of his finger.

So how in the nine hells did his granddaughter end up stowing away in my carriage?

Could it be that Max knew? At his level, he should’ve been able to sense every inch of the Fireheart estate. There’s no way he missed this.

So then... did he let her go?

"It hurts..." she muttered, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

"It’s supposed to hurt," I replied dryly.

A part of me felt a little guilty—I had left without saying anything to her. But it wasn’t my fault. The Second Elder shoved me into the carriage before I could even breathe, let alone say goodbye.

Still, the timing was too sudden. And now here she was.

"Why did you follow us, seriously?" I asked.

"I wasn’t trying to follow... The ghost really—"

I raised my fist again, and Isabella immediately ducked, covering her head like she’d trained for this exact scenario.

"I’m sorry!" she squeaked before I even said anything.

I sighed. There was no winning with this girl. Her pitiful trembling made me lower my hand despite myself.

What should I do now? Send her back?

That’d be the sensible choice. But the problem was... time.

We were already behind schedule. If I sent her back with an escort, it’d take them several days to return to Emberhold City.

The idea of a child traveling on the open road for days, even with guards, twisted my stomach.

I wouldn’t sleep a single night if something happened.

As I hesitated, Isabella tugged gently at my sleeve.

"C-Can I not come with you?" she asked in a trembling voice. "I can work hard! I promise I’ll work really hard! So, please, bring me with you, Young Master..."

Her head lowered, blonde hair falling like a curtain as tears gathered at the corners of her blue eyes.

"We’re going to be away for a while," I said quietly. "Your grandfather will be worried."

"Grandpa said I can do anything as long as I listen to you and work hard!"

...The problem is, you’re not listening right now.

"It’ll also be troublesome for the other servants if they have to take care of y—"

I stopped mid-sentence.

Because when I looked up, the servants sitting across from me weren’t backing me up. Oh no—they were smiling.

Their eyes practically screamed:

Go, Isabella! Beg harder!

And one of them was even mouthing silently, Thank the heavens, she’s with us!

I pressed my fingers to my temples and groaned.

So now I’m the bad guy. Perfect.

Why do I always get dragged into these situations? Was I cursed in a past life?

I exhaled slowly. "So... why did you really follow me?"

Isabella hesitated. Her lips trembled before she whispered, "I feel uneasy without you. Like my heart aches when you’re not around... So could you please bring me with you?"

Her voice cracked halfway through, and the tears in her eyes sparkled like dew under morning light.

Something in my chest twisted. A soft, unfamiliar warmth that I quickly tried to smother.

Still, I couldn’t help but wonder—why did she feel that way?

Sure, I’d given her some chikki before. And maybe I’d been a bit kinder to her than others were used to. But I had gone out of my way not to get too close.

So why did she...?

It wasn’t love. No, it couldn’t be.

Even if it was, it was just a childish crush. Something that would fade with time.

It had to.

Isabella looked up at me, her eyes trembling like a cat abandoned in the rain, her small hands gripping my sleeve.

My heart stung. But reason won over sympathy.

No matter how much I wanted to give in to her pleading gaze, I couldn’t take her to Velmora City. It was dangerous—too dangerous.

I had no idea what awaited me there.

Bringing her along would be reckless.

I needed to find a way to send her back—either by calling escorts or requesting someone from the clan to retrieve her.

I couldn’t let my path be swayed by her. Not again.

That wasn’t why I came back to this world.

I drew a steady breath and looked her in the eye.

"...Just know that I’ll send you back if you cause any trouble."

The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

And the moment they did, regret hit me like a hammer.

...You fucking idiot.

That wasn’t what I meant to say.

But seeing the way Isabella’s eyes lit up—tears vanishing, replaced by hope—I knew it was already too late.

I’d lost.

Again.

And I hated how soft my heart had become.

"Yes! That’s right!" she said with innocent confidence.

He raised an eyebrow. "Then what about the carrot in your mouth?"

"...I was hungry. And there were only carrots."

Davis sighed, pressing a hand over his eyes.

She looked away, pretending to study the floor.

Then—

He clenched his fist.

"So..."

"...Yeah?"

"Do you really think any of that makes sense?!"

Bonk!

"Owww!" Isabella yelped, clutching her head as his frustration finally spilled over.

Outside, the horses continued their steady rhythm, pulling them deeper into the road that led toward Velmora City—while inside, a very flustered Young Master silently cursed his fate.