On the Day of Jeckson Libert’s Arrest, Golden Cask Tavern in Ironwood Viscounty
“They are saying across town that Lord Libert will most certainly face a massive, terrible punishment for what he did. He might even be dragged all the way to the Capital in heavy chains by the Imperial Investigators. Unless Lord Ivan generously decides to drop the charges entirely… which is highly unlikely since it's a direct crime against a High Noble house, it really doesn’t look good for him at all.”
The little Selen’s eyes widened in sheer horror as the terrifying weight of the news sank in. Without warning, she spun entirely on her heel and bolted out of the tavern, leaving her precious food basket completely abandoned on the table behind her.
The other orphan kids, the bartender, and the tavern owner all shouted out in pure confusion after her retreating figure as she vanished into the dark, freezing night.
“Selena! Where on earth are you running to?!”
Ivan’s Guest Chambers, Ironwood Castle
“Lord Ivan... a little girl at the front gate has been loudly demanding to speak with you,” Albert reported as Ivan prepared to settle in for a comfortable sleep tonight.
“A little girl?” An image of the young orphan girl from the Moonlight Day ceremony flashed briefly in Ivan's mind. He gestured casually with his hand. “Well, let her in... There shouldn't be any security risk. She is just a child, after all.”
“If you insist, my Lord...” Albert sighed softly, bowing before leaving the room to fetch her.
After fifteen minutes of waiting, eight-year-old, dark-haired Selena sat on the sofa opposite Ivan, visible emotional distress written across her small face.
Ivan observed her quietly for a moment. Then, conjuring a soft, polite smile, he spoke up, “Just as I thought. You are that brat from the Chapel. Tell me, what could possibly bring you to visit me so late at night? Shouldn't you be sound asleep in the orphanage by now?”
“The arrest...” she whispered in a low, trembling voice.
Unable to hear her properly, Ivan leaned forward. “What was that?”
“THE ARREST!” she blurted out, sitting bolt upright as hot tears welled up in her eyes, staring directly into Ivan’s. “I heard you, mister! You arrested Big Brother Jeckson Libert! It must be a mistake, right?! Big Brother Jeckson would never do something like that without a good reason! He is not a bad person!”
Ivan was taken completely aback by her sudden outburst and even more so by the revelation that this little girl had a deep connection to Jeckson Libert, going so far as to affectionately address him as ‘Big Brother.’
“Selena... this is a complex matter between adults,” Ivan said, trying to maintain his composure. “You shouldn’t worry yourself about—”
“He saved me from those bad people! He... he always kept his promise to send me letters!” Selena started sobbing uncontrollably, wiping her wet cheeks with her sleeves. “Big Brother Jeckson is not a bad person! Please don’t take him away! He is the only one I have left...! Sob... sob...”
“You don’t even know how terrible it feels to say goodbye forever...!” she wailed, throwing an emotional tantrum as Ivan struggled with how to handle the escalating situation.
“That’s... that’s not true. I...” He began to bring up his own childhood friend, Selena, but stopped himself mid-sentence. She is just a child... I shouldn't burden her with my past right now.
“Listen to me, Selena,” Ivan said gently, standing up and picking her up in his arms as her sobbing continued without pause. “Things happen in this world. When someone does something wrong, they must face the consequences...”
“Liar! Big Brother Jeckson didn't do anything wrong!” Selena cried out, pounding her small fists against his chest. “You are a liar! I knew it! All adults are liars, except for Big Brother Jeckson! Sob... You promised! You made a vow of protection, but you... you aren't protecting anything! You're just taking away family from me, just like all the other bad people!”
“I...” Ivan stood frozen, holding her tightly in his arms as her bitter tears soaked his shoulder.
“Selena! Mister... did you make her cry?!”
Several more children suddenly burst into his guest chambers, huddling together near the entrance. Albert stepped in right behind them, looking flustered. “They followed her all the way up here, my Lord...”
“I... I might have,” Ivan admitted softly, his jaw tightening as he clenched his fist.
He carefully placed Selena back down on her feet and knelt to look her in the eyes. “Listen to me, Selena. I will... I will see what I can do about Jeckson, okay?”
She stood up, surrounding herself with the other children who gathered protectively around her. She quieted down slightly, though heavy tears still clung to her long eyelashes.
“Why don’t you all stay here at the castle tonight?” Ivan proposed softly. “Until Selena calms down... maybe we can all spend tomorrow playing together while I figure this situation out?”
Selena nodded silently, taking deep, shuddering breaths to soothe herself.
Ivan patted her small head gently, turning his gaze toward Albert. “Go ask Kenny to assign comfortable guest rooms for all of them tonight...”
Next Day Night, Parlor, Ironwood Castle
“Stop preaching to me from your moral high horse and just admit it, Francesca... you are nothing but a selfish bitch who doesn’t give a damn about the people who struggle and suffer for you.”
Ivan looked at Miller one last time, his voice cold and transactional. “I will wait until tomorrow’s Council meeting. Decide what you truly want by then, Lord Miller. This decision rests entirely between you and your wife now.”
Without waiting for another word, Ivan turned and slammed the parlor doors shut behind him, the violent thud echoing through the hallway.
Without waiting for another word, Ivan turned on his heel and slammed the parlor doors shut behind him, the violent thud echoing ominously through the grand hall.
Thump... Thump...
His heavy footsteps echoed down the dimly lit hallway as he walked toward his guest chambers. Suddenly, the ethereal, ghost-like figure of a young girl with jet-black hair materialized in the flickering lamplight ahead of him.
“What now?” Ivan muttered under his breath, whispering to the illusory figure of Selena as he brushed past it. “I am doing everything I can to keep my promise to you already... am I not?”
A soft, sweet voice echoed clearly from right behind his shoulder before dissolving into thin air.
“While taking away a little girl’s only remaining family... what difference is there between the pain you felt when I left, and the pain she will feel thanks to your actions?”
Ivan froze mid-step as the lantern overhead flickered faintly. He spun around, searching side to side in the quiet corridor.
There was no one there, just as always. Even the ghost of Selena, a constant figment of his broken imagination, had vanished. “You... you already left me!” Ivan called out bitterly into the empty hall, his voice trembling. “Why do you keep judging me?!”
As his words died away in the silent hallway, Ivan turned and walked back to his room, his fists clenched tight as a storm of emotional turmoil raged across his face.
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