Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 35

Chapter 35

Over the sunset sky, the smell of baking bread rose in wisps.

Dried meat was simmered until tender with vegetables to make a soft stew, accompanied by warm, flat-baked bread.

They even brought out ale that had been sleeping in the corner of the storehouse, and smiles spread across the villagers' faces as it was poured.

It felt as if the village from her childhood had finally returned.

Amidst the slightly drunken crowd, Agnes searched for familiar faces one by one and realized someone was missing.

"Tymona, where's Kania?"

"Kania?"

"Did something happen? I don't see her."

"Well..."

According to Tymona, Kania lived in a hut on the outskirts of the village.

Agnes gathered some bread and fruit and headed there with Ignitan.

A faint light seeped out from the small, ramshackle hut that looked like it might collapse at any moment.

Agnes knocked lightly on the door.

"Sister Kania! Are you there? It's Agnes. Do you remember?"

A silhouette appeared behind the tightly drawn curtain.

After checking who was outside through a gap, a rough, thumping footstep came from inside.

Soon, the door swung open.

"Lady Agnes?!"

"It really is you, Kania! How have you been?"

"Goodness! That little girl has grown up so much!"

Had she last seen her when she was nine?

Even so, Agnes recognized her immediately.

Because she still had the same freckled cheeks and the smile that used to be full of warmth.

Back then, Kania was sixteen.

Kania was like the leader of the village children.

She would gather them together and lead them around energetically when the adults were busy.

Naturally, it was also her job to discipline the mischievous ones.

'She was a great help when I had to scold the twins.'

She often recalled and imitated what Kania used to do.

But now, in her late twenties, she had lost most of the vitality she'd had as a child.

She was pitifully gaunt and looked exhausted.

Agnes thrust the bread and fruit toward her without preamble.

"I brought you some food."

"So much? Where did it come from?"

"Actually..."

Agnes signaled to Ignitan and stepped inside.

After hearing the full story, Kania sighed with a dark expression.

"For Baren to act that way even toward you, my lady..."

"What exactly happened in the village? Baren was bullying the villagers, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was. What happened was..."

Kania told her what had been going on in the village.

"Actually, Baren was run out of the village once before the lady passed away."

"Why?"

"He was a menace even as a child, wasn't he? He was the same as an adult. One day, Uncle Tom tried to intervene, and that bastard knocked him down and beat him senseless."

When the village chief, Johas, learned of this, he couldn't forgive his own son and expelled Baren.

But Johas was so heartbroken that he fell into a decline.

Around that time, Agnes's mother had died giving birth to Amy.

"Then Baren sneaked back. He said he'd been working as a mercenary, and he had a sword at his waist. He'd always been a violent bastard, so no one dared to stand up to him out of fear."

Agnes shook her head quietly.

Tymona had told her that someone had resisted.

"Not you, Kania? Tymona told me you stood up to Baren."

"Yes, I did. I must have been out of my mind. I should have just kept quiet, but I had no sense of fear."

What Baren did to Kania after she'd grown up—no longer the fearless child she once was, now armed with a sword—was obvious.

He formed a vigilante group with other young men and singled her out as an example.

Even when Kania tried to participate in village work, Baren would mockingly give her food mixed with sand or grass.

"I must have looked so pitiful to them. People would secretly share a bit of their portion with me, so I managed to survive."

"But it still wasn't enough. That's why Ronan left, isn't it?"

"That's... right."

Kania confirmed with a groan.

Ronan was Kania's younger brother.

Unlike the lively Kania, he was quiet and kind, always following behind her and helping her without a word.

"He said it would be easier for a man to adapt outside than me. I haven't heard from him since—I don't know how he's doing."

Agnes smiled bitterly.

She wanted to say something comforting, but her throat felt blocked, and no words came out.

'At least my situation was better.'

The humiliation from the creditors.

The maids' reproach at the Waldemar estate.

Looking back, it was nothing.

She hadn't been subjected to violence, nor had she gone hungry.

Agnes bowed her head silently.

Her eyes burned, but if she cried, Kania would only try to comfort her.

'So I have to try harder.'

This wasn't the time to sob like a child, saying she was sorry and it was all her fault.

'I can't undo the suffering. All I can do is make sure they can live comfortably from now on.'

She thought again about what she needed to do.

Until now, she'd thought she just had to pay off the debts and protect the territory.

Even if it was just to keep the title for her siblings' sake.

'But is that really enough?'

No matter how much money she had, it would run out if she only spent it.

If she didn't earn after receiving a large sum, she'd lose it all eventually.

'I need to find another way.'

A way for 'us' to survive without relying on the money Amy had brought.

Lost in thought, Kania looked at Agnes with concern.

"Are you alright, my lady?"

"About what?"

"The vigilantes won't stay quiet. They've been tormenting the villagers too."

"I know. That's why I'm staying in the village tonight."

"Pardon?"

Agnes glanced at Ignitan, who sat silently, and smiled.

"I have a very reliable knight with me."

That night.

After the villagers had fallen into a deep sleep.

The six men who called themselves the vigilante group gathered at the watermill.

After whispering and plotting for a while, they scattered to carry out their assigned tasks.

Only two remained at the watermill.

Peta and Zen.

Their task was to free Baren.

But under the moonlight, their faces were marked with anxiety and agitation.

"Is this really right? Are we actually going to burn down the storehouse?"

"Baren told us to."

"What if he runs away and leaves us behind?"

"He wouldn't. Why else would we kill the lady?"

"That's what I mean! Is he out of his mind? Why kill the lady?"

"Otherwise, she'd just try to arrest Baren again, wouldn't she? The guy who followed her drank himself stupid and passed out. When will we get another chance like this?"

Zen seemed unbothered, but Peta didn't like the situation.

"No, you know him too. That bastard would kill the lady and pin it on us without a second thought."

It had been fine when they were strutting around as vigilantes.

Just having the swords Baren had bought at their waists was enough to intimidate everyone into submission, and they could eat, drink, and play as much as they wanted under the guise of keeping watch.

But setting fires and killing people?

That felt like sinking to the level of scum beneath human dignity.

Zen glared at the reluctant Peta.

"What, are you going to turn traitor?"

"You crazy bastard. Is that the issue right now?"

Anger surged, and his words came out harsh.

To be fair, Zen had always gotten along well with Baren.

They were both bad to the core.

But Peta wasn't.

He'd been beaten by Baren more than once.

'I've been following him because I had no choice, but killing the lord's daughter is too much...'

Both Peta and Zen had lived in this village for generations.

Meaning, they'd relied on the Viscount Laverose since time immemorial.

'Maybe I can at least convince Zen.'

Thinking that, Peta deliberately raised his voice.

"I'm not saying we turn traitor—I'm saying we confess. If Baren cuts us off, what then? Do you trust that bastard? Would you still be fine with it if we end up with our heads cut off instead of him?"

"W-well..."

"See? You think the same as me."

"Then what do we do? If we're going to confess, we should have said something earlier. The others have already left to start the fires—are we going to go confess on our own?"

"Only fools suffer for their stupidity. Clever ones like us find a way to survive."

"The villagers won't let us off easy."

"But would they kill us? If this goes wrong, we really will die."

At that, Zen fell into thought.

It was a plausible argument.

If the lady really died, they could be executed for participating in the murder of a noble.

"And you know, if we confess, she might even reward us."

"But the others are still out there..."

As Zen muttered, Peta burst out.

"You piece of garbage. If you want to live by killing people, go ahead! I'm not that kind of person, you bastard!"

Peta remembered his childhood, when the lord's household was intact and the village was at peace.

If those days could return.

He felt he could even accept punishment for what he'd done.

When the two finally came to Agnes—

Naturally, Agnes and Ignitan were wide awake.

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