The Story of How I Pretended To Be A Boy and Ended Up Being Loved By A Mafia Boss - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Where is my mother?

The end of the month came so quickly.

Today, my mother was going to the house of Count Royden to repay our debt.

Earlier, I saw her putting money into her shoulder bag, but… it didn’t look like there was 2 million Regin inside.

The envelope looked thin—maybe there was only about 100,000 Regin at most.

Still, to us, that was a lot of money.

“Mom, take this too.”

I gave her a slightly thick brown envelope. Her eyes opened wide.

“Where did you get this?”

“I earned it by shining shoes.”

“This much?? ”

“Yeah! A lot of nobles are really generous.”

“Really??”

“It’s true! ”

“I see… If you say so. But earning this must’ve been hard, right? ”

“It’s not a big deal. I’ll keep earning more. Tell the count, okay? That we’ll pay all the money back soon.”

“Yes. I’ll try asking him for a bit more time too.”

“Okay… Take care.

I smiled as I saw my mother off…

But that day, she never came home.

****

Morning came, and I hadn’t slept at all.

I picked out the cleanest shirt and pants I had and changed clothes.

I had no choice but to go to Count Royden’s mansion myself.

I only knew it was somewhere in the North District. But maybe if I asked people nearby, they’d tell me where it is.

****

How long had I been walking in the North District? I couldn’t find the mansion easily.

There were many big houses that looked the same, and a lot of them didn’t have nameplates on their gates.

I tried talking to passing nobles, but maybe I looked suspicious—none of them answered me.

I had been walking since morning and hadn’t eaten anything since last night. So I stopped at a bakery I found along the way.

The food is so expensive…

I picked up one croissant and brought it to the cashier. The lady at the bakery smiled at me.

“Oh my, you’re not from around here, are you? What brings you here today?”

“Ah, I’m looking for a mansion… someone I know lives there.”

“Is that so? Whose mansion is it?”

“Count Royden’s.”

“Oh… then go straight down this street, turn right at the fourth corner, and you’ll see it. It’s the one with the red roof.”

“Ah, thank you so much.”

So there are still kind people in this city…

Feeling warm inside, I left the bakery.

But suddenly it started to rain, so I hurried up to Count Royden’s mansion.

By the time I arrived at Count Royden’s mansion, the rain had gotten stronger. My clothes were soaked and stuck to my body.

With my numb fingers, I rang the bell at the gate.

Huh?

No one’s coming…

I rang it several times. Finally, an older man, probably a servant, came out of the mansion.

“What do you want? ”

“Um, this is Count Royden’s mansion, right? Did my mother come here? ”

“Your mother…? ”

“She came yesterday to see the Count.”

“I don’t know her.”

“Huh…?”

“Stop ringing the bell. It’s annoying. Go away! ”

“B-but, I’m looking for my mom! Are you sure she didn’t come?? ”

“You’re noisy! Want me to call the guards? ”

“…”

“Don’t ever come here again, understand?

The man looked annoyed as he went back inside.

I peeked through the gate, but the windows were covered with curtains, so I couldn’t see inside.

Where are you, Mom?

Please… come back soon…

I just kept walking in the rain, not really thinking.

I thought I was heading back to the West District, but I didn’t know where I was.

My body was wet from the rain, but I didn’t feel cold anymore. I couldn’t even feel my fingers.

After walking for a while, I finally saw a street I knew.

Ah! That’s where I always shine shoes!

Seeing a familiar place made me feel relieved. I tried to run—

But suddenly, all the strength left my body.

Huh…?

SPLASH

And just like that, I lost consciousness.