Volume 2 Chapter 36: I Just Wanted to Be Held at Least Once【The Aristocratic Council Arc】

She doesn’t remember anything after that.
Before she knew it, the guests at the freak show who had laughed at her were gone.

Her parents had already vanished.
She remained in a daze until the freak show ended.

In this harsh environment, the pillar of her heart had been completely shattered.
It was natural to be so overwhelmed that she lost all sense of time.

“Ha, ha—today we made money again, we really did. Especially with so many guests coming just for the cursed child. What a great sale!”

With a broad, careless grin, the owner of the freak show sauntered up close to Izun, checking if any customers were still around.

“Hey, you’re still here? Hurry up and go back and eat something.”

The moment he saw Izun, his expression twisted into genuine annoyance.
The area where she was exhibited was separate from where they slept, and though the environment was harsh for everyone, Izun was confined in a glass enclosure with no place to hide.

Snorting at her lack of reaction, the man suddenly brought up a random topic.

“By the way, did you see those nobles?”

Izun’s shoulder twitched slightly, but the man paid it no mind.
He was speaking to her not expecting any response—merely voicing his thoughts.

“What a messed-up world—nobles coming here, looking down on someone and laughing. Looks like they’ve taken quite a liking to you, watching you for a long time.”

He laughed arrogantly at the guests.
To him, an exhibit like her—and even the noble customers—were nothing more than tools to fatten his own pocket.

“And still, you kept spouting off that disgusting, repulsive stuff. Hahaha!”

Hearing that, Izun slowly stood up, her face still bowed.

“…Enough.”
“Huh?”

Her softly muttered words went unheard, but even he sensed the strange atmosphere surrounding her.

“There’s no reason for you to be here anymore, you worthless little runt…”
“Hey, what?”

The man’s eyebrows shot up in puzzled alarm, and his face twisted in terror as he noticed Izun’s bright red eyes shining even more brilliantly.

“Let everything just die!”

A curse erupted.
In one night, the once-glorious freak show was utterly annihilated.

◆

Izun had escaped from the freak show.
But does that mean she was free? Not exactly.

One might think so.
Nothing bound her, and she wasn’t confined anywhere.
She could go wherever she wished.
In the past, she would have run to her parents without hesitation.

But now that she knew what they truly thought of her, she no longer had the option of returning to them.
She lacked the strength for that.

So, could she live freely on her own?
For an ordinary person, that might be possible.
But Izun was a cursed child—reviled by every human in this world.
Even her parents were like that.
There was no one who would accept her.

If it were a secret she could keep hidden, she might have managed to live.
But the appearance of a cursed child was far too conspicuous.
Living normally was unthinkable as long as people were watching.
If she came near someone, she might even be cursed.
Worse yet, some would try to kill her.
For that reason, Izun lived in the back alleys.

Well, “living” is hardly a noble term.
She would cover her head with discarded rags, never exposing her white hair or skin.
And to avoid being noticed, she would crouch low, barely breathing.
Her meals consisted only of scavenging from trash.

Even living so inconspicuously, she still drew attention.
She wasn’t the only pauper eking out a living in the alleys.
And those people were desperate to survive—they’d kill and steal without a second thought.
There were times when Izun became their target.

“Eek!? A—cursed child!”
“Run! You’ll be cursed!”

After a round of abuse and having her rag torn from her, the moment they saw Izun’s appearance, they would scream and flee.
It was a cycle repeated over and over.

Thus, she rarely suffered serious injuries or had her body defiled.
Yet those words, just as they had in the freak show, continued to wound her heart.

“…Rain.”

Drip, drip—water droplets began to fall.
Rain was a major nuisance for Izun, who lived on the streets.

There were no buildings to shield her from the droplets, and of course, nowhere to take shelter.
Getting wet would chill her body, and with no proper meals and little strength, it wouldn’t be surprising if she fell gravely ill.

“At this rate, I might just die…”

Still, perhaps that would be better.
There was no meaning in living.

Until now, she had lived for her parents.
But without that, being despised just for existing left her no reason to endure such suffering.

Then, it would be better to die and find relief.
Normally, she would try to avoid getting wet in the rain, but Izun remained motionless, head bowed.

She could feel her body temperature dropping steadily under the rain.
At this rate, she would likely break down and die.

No one would help her.
Living in the alleys—well, if that were the only problem, there were people who banded together to help each other.

A cursed child. Yes, a cursed child.
There was no one in the world who would help someone like her—not even a god.

“Ah…”

By now, she no longer feared death.
But if there was any regret left…

“I just wanted someone to hold me, just once.”

Uttering a longing for the embrace everyone should experience at least once, Izun closed her eyes.
Not raindrops but tears streamed from her eyes, and she was destined to die unloved and without anyone by her side.

“…?”

What she noticed was that the sensation of rain pounding against her body had ceased.
Had the rain stopped?

No—the shrill, relentless patter of rain still filled the air.
Only around her, the rain had mysteriously stopped.

She opened her eyes to see what was happening…

“…Are you okay?”

She looked up to see a man holding out an umbrella.