Father, I Won’t Do Anything

Jaina approached and examined the boy she had collided with.

From his pulse, he seemed to have lost consciousness.

‘Fortunately, it wasn’t a direct collision…’

It appeared he had been swept up by the shockwave just before her fall.

As Jaina sighed in relief, some people who looked like merchants came running over with wide eyes.

“Not a magician, but a little girl?”

“A rogue magician must have attacked her!”

“Are you alright, little girl? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Did someone cast magic on you?”

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Jaina couldn’t collect her thoughts.

‘This could escalate if I don’t resolve it somehow…’

Deciding to utilize Mikael again, Jaina spoke up.

“Ah, no… I’m a magician. I was practicing magic under my master, the great magician, and caused this disturbance. My apologies.”

“You’re a magician?!”

Jaina nodded as she surveyed her surroundings. The merchants then exchanged grave looks.

‘They’ll surely demand compensation for the damage. But I don’t have a single coin… Should I tell them I’ll work for Mikael to pay it back and borrow from him…?’

As Jaina agonized, the gathered merchants suddenly burst into cheers.

“Well, well, the little magician caught a pickpocket!”

“To use magic at such a young age, she must truly be the great magician’s disciple.”

“Ahh, now we can finally sleep in peace. How many times have we been robbed by that rascal!”

Jaina blinked in confusion, struggling to understand the situation.

A pickpocket? What did that mean?

So the crowd wasn’t because of her?

“What is happening right now…”

“Allow me to explain.”

As Jaina looked around bewilderedly, a boy emerged from behind the crowd.

Judging by his height, he appeared around twelve years old.

His chestnut hair shone glossily, and his starry eyes twinkled brilliantly.

Though young, his distinct features hinted at future handsomeness.

Approaching with an affectionate tone and gentle smile, the boy expressed his gratitude.

“If not for you, I would have been in serious trouble. The pickpocket stole a treasure belonging to my family.”

The boy took Jaina’s unguarded hand and briefly kissed it.

“May brilliant fortune like the dawn’s light always accompany you. This is a blessing I give with my name.”

Jaina was perplexed. Suddenly kissing her hand, was he of nobility?

“I’m Rosian. I cannot reveal my surname, please understand.”

However, all of Jaina’s questions evaporated upon hearing his name.

‘Rosian?’

The name felt strangely familiar to Jaina, causing her head to tilt quizzically.

“Rather than lie to my benefactor, I’d prefer not to speak of it.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“For reasons I cannot disclose my identity, but I wish to repay you.”

Rosian untied a pouch from his waist.

It contained a dazzling gold coin, its high value evident even to Jaina’s unfamiliarity with this world’s currency.

“…”

After silently regarding it, Jaina shook her head.

“I’ll decline the reward.”

Caught off guard by her clear refusal, Rosian momentarily froze.

But he soon smiled and offered the coin again, assuming it was mere politeness.

“Please, do not decline.”

“Catching the pickpocket was purely accidental.”

“Regardless of the reason, the fact is that you helped me.”

Jaina’s eyes grew increasingly pensive, stirred by past memories.

-We’re going out for dinner. Use this money to buy something delicious.

Money left carelessly on the table upon returning from school.

-Jaewon was feeling under the weather, so he couldn’t make it.

Money given as compensation for missing a field trip.

They called her ‘good’ as they handed her the money.

But it wasn’t truly given for being ‘good.’ It was to rationalize their neglect by instilling a sense of obligation.

Jaina had accumulated those wounds and never forgotten them.

‘I don’t want that kind of money anymore.’

She had only caught the pickpocket by chance, not out of goodwill.

She wanted money earned through her own volition, rightfully and proudly.

“Your gratitude is enough.”

“My mother taught me never to let a benefactor leave empty-handed. I cannot send you away like this.”

“Then I suppose this will be a first for you.”

As their back-and-forth dragged on, Rosian’s face grew increasingly flustered.

‘What is with this kid?’

Rosian couldn’t comprehend the situation.

As the son of Princess Elia, heir to the Empire, he had been surrounded by people hovering by his side from a young age.

People seeking favors, trying to take advantage.

Rosian disliked such people, so he would offer a one-time reward before severing ties.

Help begets reward.

A simple principle.

Yet the girl before him desired nothing from him, claiming she didn’t intend to help.

At first, he thought it might be childish ignorance of societal norms.

But as their conversation continued, he realized that wasn’t the case. Her tone and expression seemed to stem from a resolute personal principle, not unlike his own aversion to feelings of indebtedness.

“Are you trying to make me an ingrate?”

“But if I dislike it, I dislike it.”

The girl’s voice grew softer, as if tiring of this conversation.

‘Heh, so I’m the one being tiresome now?’

People fawned over him constantly, yet she brushed him off without a second thought.

His initial intention to repay and forget her was now overshadowed by rising pique.

However, their exchange ended abruptly.

A commotion across the street piqued Rosian’s keen senses.

“Knights of the Violet Order. There will be an inspection shortly.”

“An inspection?”

“There is someone I must urgently locate.”

‘Oh no,’ Rosian inwardly grimaced.

‘Just when I encountered someone intriguing…’

Recently, Rosian had been living a dreadfully dull life.

Secretly carrying a national treasure that would make others tremble just by touching it was a form of rebellion for him.

Thanks to the little miss who helped him, he had failed to lose it.

Well, it was alright either way. He didn’t mind being called the ‘disgraceful imperial grandson’ for having the treasure stolen, or being dragged back to the palace to be disowned by his mother.

‘I’m really sick of this heir business.’

As the future ruler of the Empire, he was forced to study academics, swordsmanship, anything and everything, while constantly minding the intrigue-filled social circles.

Despite never once intending to succeed his mother to the throne, this duty and obligation of an imperial heir was thrust upon him.

‘That damned Deliad imperial family, that damned Princess Elia…’

Rosian gritted his teeth with a sullen gaze before surveying his surroundings with a sigh.

‘If I linger any longer, I’ll be caught.’

And that was when it happened.

Pit-pat.

Raindrops suddenly began to fall from the sky.

The smooth raindrops trickled down Rosian’s flawless face.

“Oh my, it’s raining?”

“The rain caught us off guard, what a pity. I just had this dress tailored.”

The sudden rain caused an uproar around the surrounding people.

Rosian turned his gaze back.

Faced with the girl’s diminutive stature barely reaching his chest, he was struck anew by her childlike size.

Flatter. Without hesitation, Rosian removed his cloak.

Though not revealed as a sacred artifact, the cloak’s color was a vivid ruby red, matching his eyes exactly.

‘You won’t recognize me with this, right?’

Rosian spoke with a tinge of regret.

“I hope we meet again someday.”

Woop. Rosian gently draped his removed cloak over Jaina’s shoulders.

Though not overly large, the cloak enveloped Jaina’s tiny frame with ample room to spare.

“This is…”

Lastly, Rosian flipped the attached hood over Jaina’s head.

“You’ll catch a cold in this rain.”

But what about him getting drenched?

His chestnut hair darkened as it became wet.

Too stunned to refuse the unexpected gesture, Jaina moved to remove the cloak Rosian had given her.

“Until we meet again.”

However, he was quicker.

Tap-tap.

Lightly stepping off, Rosian mounted a nearby high wall in an instant before disappearing from sight.

With a few strides, he had vanished, leaving the onlookers bewildered.

‘If he can move that nimbly, why couldn’t he catch the pickpocket?’

There were other perplexing points as well.

‘It seemed like he wanted to say something… Why did he suddenly flee?’

Jaina gazed in the direction Rosian had dashed off.

After some time, the enveloping warmth snapped Jaina back to awareness.

‘He sure moved deftly in that brief moment.’

Looking around, people were scurrying away, caught off guard by the unexpected shower. Some had already resigned themselves, trudging along with drenched clothes.

Amidst it all, Jaina alone remained serene.

“So warm.”

Jaina buried her face deeper into the cloak. Rosian had cast waterproofing and heating charms on it.

Jaina tilted her head slightly to keep the hood from slipping off. The rain only intensified, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon.

‘But what about him?’

Though he appeared a couple years older than her… he was still just a child, wasn’t he?

Woooong!

Lost in thought, Jaina’s head snapped up, sensing a familiar mana signature nearby.

Woooong!

“Ah, why won’t the tracking spell work?!”

People gawked as a young handsome man suddenly materialized in midair.

Just like before, and now again – magicians dazzlingly rare to witness even once in a lifetime were appearing in droves!