How can a girl so small exude so much antagonism? Still, I doubt a punch or a kick would hurt that much from someone her size. Plus, she doesn’t seem to have a dagger…
Chester slowly approached her.
The girl maintained her unfamiliar stance and began to sway slightly on the spot, her entire body oozing fierce hostility.
He was about three steps away when she suddenly vanished. She’d leaped into the air toward her left, but she was nowhere to be found in that direction.
Where in the world did she go? Chester cautiously scanned his surroundings.
The next moment, the girl landed on his back and wrapped a cord around his windpipe.
“Don’t move, or I’ll break your neck. Think I’m bluffing?”
Chester shook his head slightly. The thin cord dug into his skin, preventing him from speaking or breathing properly.
“If I jump down, the small bone in your throat will snap. You’ll suffocate and die an agonizing death. So don’t move.”
Chester nodded as an unpleasant wheezing sound escaped his lips. The air he desperately sought wouldn’t come in. Should I fight back? he wondered, but he had no idea what her next move might be. His instincts screamed that if she really jumped down with that cord on his throat, it would be all over.
He couldn’t breathe, and panic set in.
He’d never failed so miserably before.
With a sudden whack, Nonna kicked Chester’s back with both feet, making him stumble forward. Suddenly, he could breathe again.
He coughed violently and turned around, then saw the girl perched on the wall of the neighboring estate.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m—cough—Chester. Mike asked me to watch—cough—you because you might try to sneak out of the house. Cough, cough, cough.”
“Oh, really? Sorry, I had no idea. I’ll come down now.”
The girl immediately descended in front of him, landing silently just like before. “Can you prove you’re not a bad guy and that you know Mike?”
“Prove it?”
“Villains always claim stuff like that to get their opponents to lower their guard in the novels I read. Do you know Dell Dolgarr: Messenger from Hell?”
“No, I can’t say I do.”
“Oh, you haven’t read it?!”
“My house is right behind Lady Yolana’s estate. Cough. If I take you there, would that be enough to earn your trust?”
“Oh, that house! Mr. Miles used to live there!”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“All right, let’s go.”
“If it turns out I really stay there, will you believe me?”
“Sure, but if you try anything funny, I won’t hesitate to attack you.”
“Fine, fine. Should I walk ahead?” he asked.
“Yep.”
Chester struggled to suppress the laughter that was welling up inside him as he walked ahead of the girl.
This was by far the most entertaining thing that had happened to him since he’d retired. A delicate little girl had nearly killed him, and now she was escorting him to his own home under her watchful eye. It was humiliating, yes, but also absurdly funny.
Who is this kid? I can’t believe someone like her is hanging around Lord Edward! he thought as he walked.
Mike’s words echoed in his mind. “She’s no ordinary twelve-year-old girl. She beat me in a sparring match.” “I hate to admit it, but if she’s armed, that could make her even stronger than either of us.”
Forget weapons—she almost killed me with a piece of string, Mike.
Chester managed to hold it in until a small chuckle slipped out. He immediately felt a wave of hostility behind him.
“What? You want to fight?”
“No, I don’t! Take it easy on me!” Chester replied, holding back his laughter. The girl, however, continued to radiate animosity, forcing him to turn around. “Come on, now. I’m not going to do anything. Stop staring daggers at me from behind. It’s exhausting!”
“You’re definitely suspicious.”
“I am not! Ha-ha-ha… Bwa-ha-ha…” But no matter how much he tried, the laughter kept bubbling up. His stomach hurt began to hurt, and tears streamed down his face as he wiped them away with his fingers.
This sure is a great job, he thought, chuckling as he walked. The girl’s hostility hadn’t faded in the slightest.
Once they reached the house, and Nonna confirmed beyond a doubt Chester lived there, she finally relaxed.
From that night on, she started sneaking out almost every evening.
Chester would pick her up on horseback, spar with her for an hour, then return her to Lord Edward’s house. The martial arts she practiced were Shenese and unlike anything Chester had ever encountered. Her motions were fluid yet precise, every move aimed for a vital point. Her techniques were unpredictable, and her strikes were ruthless.
But because of that, Chester found himself looking forward to sparring with her every night. Despite Nonna’s initial hostility, she began to open up to and rely on him.
One day, Nonna approached Chester with an unexpected request.
“Chester, can you teach me how to pick locks?”
“You’ve never been taught that?”
“I think Mom might’ve showed me before, but I forgot.”
“I see. Well, let’s start with this padlock. We can practice on it first.”
Chester had assumed Victoria had already taught Nonna the basic skills that every operative learned. He thoroughly explained the techniques for lockpicking to Nonna.
Once she mastered the basics and could open ordinary locks with ease, Nonna said, “Why didn’t Mom ever teach me this? It’s so simple and useful.”
“Huh?” Chester stared at her, startled. Nonna looked away. “Nonna, I thought you said Victoria did teach you this before?”
“No… I said I thought she had, but I might’ve been wrong. Maybe she never taught me. But don’t worry, Chester! I promise I won’t use what I learned to steal anything.”
“That’s not the point! Haah, now I’ve really messed up. Dammit…”
“I’ll tell my mom I asked you if she finds out.”
“That’s not the issue here! As an adult, I, well… I suppose it’s too late now.”
“Exactly.”
“‘Exactly,’ my foot!”
I’ll have to apologize to Victoria someday. She probably had a reason for not teaching her this. And here I go, overstepping my boundaries and teaching her anyway.
Chester felt a headache coming on, but at the same time, he adored Nonna. He was looking forward to seeing how far her knowledge and skills would take her.
Recently, Chester had even been tempted to teach her his most guarded techniques—ones he’d never even shared with anyone else before.