Free Web NovelChapter 308: Come With Us
Feeling this gentle embrace filled with warmth, Toby and Mable did what any young children who had finally found some semblance of comfort in a harsh, cruel world would do...
They cried harder.
Christina became flustered, wondering what she had done wrong, but there really was nothing she could do but continue patting the children’s backs as everyone looked on, appreciation and a bit of teasing filling their gazes.
Lucas, in particular, couldn’t stop grinning at this scene. That look of panic on Tina’s face and her silent pleas for help contrasted so greatly with her normally calm, confident demeanor that the boy almost couldn’t stop himself from laughing out loud.
Not missing all this, Christina glowered back, especially at her annoying Senior Brother who she marked for ’punishment’ later.
It wasn’t until several minutes later that the kids finally calmed down and let go of Christina, both of them profusely apologizing for acting so childishly and soiling her expensive clothes.
Rapping each of their heads lightly with her fist, Christina chided softly, "No more of that. If you want to cry, cry. It’s a big sister’s job to protect her siblings."
Pursed lips trembling, it seemed like the pair were about to break down again, but they somehow managed to choke that impulse back and nod, thanking Christina and everyone else around them.
However, Toby and Mabel soon began sporting looks of serious concern, ones that shouldn’t have appeared on the faces of such young children.
Noticing this, Eris stepped forward and asked, "Is there something you’re worried about?"
Toby looked up and opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated, seemingly debating whether it was alright for him to say anything or not.
Mabel, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have the same level of restraint as her older brother and muttered lowly, "We might... be in trouble."
Raising his brow, several thoughts immediately came to Lucas’ mind, "If it’s about those bast... those bad men, you don’t need to worry about them. As long as we’re here..."
Suddenly, Lucas frowned, realizing what the problem was.
Sure, while they were still in Crystal Lake, those silk-pants young masters wouldn’t dare to cause any more trouble, but once they left...
That sly old man from the Barnes Family had apologized and offered up some compensation, but it was obvious to Lucas that the trio of troublemakers weren’t sincere in their repentance. They would surely try to seek revenge, and since they couldn’t get it from his group, the next most likely targets would be the 2 local children.
Toby and Mabel were orphans, and from the subtle probing he had done during the day, Lucas suspected that the orphanage they came from wasn’t a very good one either, not that that mattered much.
Even the best meaning and funded of orphanages wouldn’t be able to withstand pressure from a local Viscount Family intent on causing them trouble.
The ways in which 3 rich young masters could torment a few poor orphans living in the same city were too many to count, ranging from simple harassment to arranging for ’accidents’ to happen to them.
Thinking about the bleak future Toby and Mabel were now facing, Lucas felt his heart sink.
He knew that, in no small way, they were responsible for getting these 2 kids into this mess, but how exactly were they supposed to solve this issue?
"Do you two like it here, in Crystal Lake?" A new voice suddenly asked.
Looking up, Lucas saw his Aunt Sasha had returned at some point and was now seriously meeting eyes with Toby and Mabel.
Toby hesitated again, uncertain how he should answer, but Mabel replied directly with a fierce shake of her head.
Seeing this, Sasha nodded just once, "Good, then come with us." freёweɓnovel.com
""Huh?""
Everyone, from Allina to Mabel, was confused by this sudden declaration.
"Mom, are you... sure?" Eris couldn’t help asking.
She also felt sorry for Toby and Mabel, but taking a pair of orphan children with them was...
Actually, when Eris considered it for a moment, there didn’t really seem to be a problem. They were already immigrating to a new city together with over 10,000 other people, and it wasn’t like they were so poor they couldn’t support feeding another mouth or two.
Thinking about it like that, Eris, as usual, quickly adapted, a smile blooming on her face as she nodded, "Never mind! I agree!"
Saying so, she stepped forward and gave little Mabel a hug while declaring, "From now on, call me Big Sister Eris!"
Mabel froze, her mind unable to keep up with the rapid changes in her circumstances.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted, but it was all a bit too much too fast, so she was having trouble keeping up.
Toby, quite contrarily, asked incredulously but hopefully, "Lady Sasha... you... you want to adopt me and my sister?"
"Why not?" Sasha shrugged her shoulders, really not thinking it was a big deal.
In truth, when she made her way back from the stables, Sasha had heard the people around her talking non-stop about the incident in the lobby, so she had a fairly good idea of what happened.
Sasha arrived just in time to hear Lucas mutter about the problem their two young guides would soon be facing, so she decided to act.
Now, Sasha had only intended to have little Toby and Mabel join their convoy, perhaps placing them in the care of Director Leah or one of Misty City’s local orphanages, but her daughter seemed to have gotten the wrong idea and somehow painted her into a corner.
That wasn’t the say Sasha was completely against the idea of taking in Toby and Mabel.
Throughout the day, she had carefully observed this little pair and found them to be both polite and sensible, far more so than ordinary children their age.
This both endeared them to Sasha, and also caused her to feel a great deal of pity for them; after all, the only reason such young children could behave so maturely was because they had been forced to endure a disproportionate amount of hardship.
In any case, if Eris didn’t mind having a new little brother and sister, Sasha didn’t think it would be a problem either.
As for what Charles would think... Sasha could already imagine that big oaf of a man trying to give little Mabel a ride on his shoulders to show off her new papa’s great strength.
Pushing away the slightly painful thought that it could be years, or even decades before she reunited with her husband, Sasha cleared her throat and announced, "Once we’re done settling in here, you can lead us to your orphanage and we’ll deal with the formalities to have you two adopted."
Mabel, whose brain had finally rebooted, heard the word ’adopted’, and burst into cheers, tears streaming down her face once more, but this time, not because of sadness or relief, but instead pure joy.
Toby also looked like he was about to celebrate, until he suddenly stopped, a look of reluctance flashing across his face.
Lowering his head quickly, Toby seemed to be struggling desperately with himself, his fists clenched tight, but eventually, his voice leaked out, "L-Lady Sasha... could you... could you also..." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Red faced and clearly embarrassed by his own selfishness, Toby’s head jerked up and he blurted out, "Could you also help the others? I don’t want any of them to spend another day in that damn place!"
Raising her brow slightly, Sasha was intrigued by this outburst. Lucas and the others were also leaning in curiously, hoping to finally get some answers to the questions that had been swirling around in their heads all day.
Ever since they first hired Toby and Mabel, Lucas and his group had been wondering just why such young children were working such a dangerous job.
In fact, they were wondering why children like them were working at all.
There was nothing in the Kingdom’s Law that explicitly forbid children from working, and it was quite normal for even those as young as Mabel to be helping their parents out with chores or simple farmwork, but in a major city like Crystal Lake, it was definitely unusual for a 10 and 7 year old to be loitering around the docks, working as tour guides for new arrivals.
Even Sharon, their guide back in Southbridge, had technically been an adult as she had just turned 16.
Sasha, Allina, Lucas, Christina, and even Eris had tried to ask Toby and Mabel about their circumstances, but each time they did, the children would deflect the conversation.
If it had been a simple case of the orphanage being poor and them desperately needing money to help feed themselves, as sad as it might seem, Lucas’ group would probably have accepted it as an unfortunate reality.
However, the evasiveness both Toby and Mabel displayed was more akin to them being deeply fearful, like speaking about the orphanage at all was taboo.
This was a huge red-flag for all of them, one they had intended on quietly investigating later if the children didn’t want to explain, but now that Toby was making such a bold request, it seemed that would no longer be necessary.
They were finally about to get some answers, but none of Lucas’ group was looking forward to it as they suspected they weren’t going to like what they were about to hear.
