Chapter 3-2:
Richard
I DON’T REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT MY PARENTS. I don’t really want to remember them anyway. My old man often punched my mom, and after he was thrown in jail, my mom took me to the orphanage.
“Richard,” she told me, “whenever I see your face, I’m reminded of that good-for-nothing.”
Both of my parents were alive, but I was thrown away and forced into an orphanage. If I were asked whether I was unhappy, I would have replied that I was lucky. I had food to fill my stomach, and I didn’t hear my parents shouting at each other in the middle of the night. The environment I was in was much better, but I still had a problem, and it wasn’t the orphanage—it was me. I couldn’t stop myself from hitting others.
Before I could verbally retort, my body would already be moving on its own to punch the other person. It was the one thing that I had learned from my father. There was no need to talk, and if I won, that was that. It was the easiest form of communication in the world.
I was larger than the other kids my age and never lost a fight. The director often scolded me for my actions, but the punishments were minor. Even if I was forced to skip a meal or two, or locked away in the lecture room, it was far more preferable than the unreasonable treatment that I had received at home. The director and the other staff of the orphanage were annoying, but I lived a comfortable life.
It all changed when she arrived—the noble who came to the orphanage one day. That wasn’t unusual in and of itself; haughty nobles would come in and gaze at us abandoned children with pity and gave us a snack or two. I absolutely despised being looked down on. I always glared at those pathetic nobles’ faces, so whenever they arrived, I was locked away in a room.
That day, I was being kept in the lecture room. I had heard that a high-ranking bratty noble was going to select squires out of the orphans, and the smart ones were taught basic manners to show off.
Does she think that she’s benevolent for allowing pitiful orphans to take care of her? I thought. Give me a break.
I was infuriated just hearing about it. I lazed about in the lecture room as I always did, used to lying low and quietly waiting for unpleasant things to pass. If I stayed quiet, I could get a couple of those snacks they gave away, and I didn’t mind having some.
Just then, that old hag of a director opened the door to the lecture room.
She stated that I would be introduced to the daughter of the duke. I thought she had gone insane, but she also seemed confused by it all. Then, I was finally introduced to her. There were a lot of important-looking adults around, but I instantly knew that this girl had gone out of her way to meet me. She had long, silky black hair and pale, clear skin. I could only assume that a shitty God had played favorites when her face was created.
But above all, her eyes twinkled with malice.
I immediately knew that she was bad news. She might have been pretty, but she was insane. The moment I became her squire, I would be forced into the most horrific situations. I glared at her with all I could muster to signal that I was refusing her request to entertain her. However, the next moment, she shattered my hopes.
“This child will be one of my first squires,” she said.
Argh, damn it! I knew it! She’s crazy! No normal person would choose me—she must be completely insane.
“Hey! Stop deciding all by yourself!” I bellowed. “Don’t get cocky just because you’re a noble!”
“Richard, you’ll become my squire candidate from today onward,” she said. “If you have any complaints, why don’t you fight me? You seem rather confident in your strength, though I can’t say the same for your brains.”
She halted the angered adults with her and gestured with her index finger, provoking me. My body moved on its own as I pounced. I had never lost a fight against anyone my age. If I backed down against this frail girl, I knew that I would be laughed at. But the next moment, she vanished from view, and I felt a strong blow on my chin. I saw stars as my feet began to wobble.
I hadn’t let my guard down. However, by the time I’d reassessed her abilities and realized that she was used to combat, she had kicked my groin with all her might.
She didn’t hold back at all, and I had never felt such pain in my life.
This is why I hate women! They don’t understand how much this hurts!
As I writhed on the floor in agony, she walked away. It didn’t mean that she’d spared me; when she left, the other unlucky good-for-nothings and I were packed into a carriage like livestock and shipped out of the orphanage.
Isabel, Alice, Emma, Oscar, and Lewis were the other orphans who were selected. Isabel and Oscar were known troublemakers, and Alice, Emma, and Lewis had also caused the orphanage much trouble. None of us could possibly be favored by the refined nobles. I had no idea what that lady, Serena, was thinking.