Chapter 68: Festival with Vivienne (XXI).
The man that was running his fruit stall was clear he didn't look happy with me getting into the middle of their fight.
But then I saw he was putting his arm behind his back as if he was hiding something.
"No. My daughter has her own money pouch, it's colored black with a cute white ribbon on it. Just let me see your hands and then I'll back down."
Vivienne could never steal, she shouldn't have a reason to steal.
The stall owner scoffs, "Listen here I don't see nor have taken anything, it's your daughter's fault she lost her things." He points at me with his other hand repeatedly stabbing my shoulder refusing to reveal the other.
"Then why do you keep hiding your hand behind your back? Just let me see it, sir." I ordered for him to reveal his hands once more but he refused.
"Prick, just pay up and we'll forget about this." He tells me with a little grin on his face. I ought to punch it when I have the chance. "This what you nobles are!" he continues preaching, getting many to sympathize with him.
The people from the crowd gasps as if they were hearing something obviously true. They all began to whisper by themselves and not good things about us.
"Picking on a small stall owner, does this noble lady have no shame?"
"It's always them I tell you..."
"He's true she shouldn't be blaming him if her daughter was the one at fault."
"Nobles are really scums..."
I looked at the crowd forming around us and clicked my tongue in annoyance.
Rose and Vivienne were getting a bit restless as they stood behind me.
As to make sure there was a nose understanding I looked at Rose and once I did she already knew what to do and kneeled head leveled to Vivienne talking in a soft voice.
"Vivienne darling... Can you tell mommy if what this man is saying is true?" (Rose) tilts her head slightly and holds Vivienne's hand for reassurance. Vivienne looked so scared before all of this. "Did you take something without paying for it?"
Vivienne shakes her head at Rose giving her hand a firm squeeze. "No Mommy..." she tells her with those gray eyes that were pleading as if to say... please believe me.
Well then that settles it.
We took in Vivienne's answer and decided to fight back.
"I see..." (Rose) pats her head hugging her before lifting her up to her chest. "That's my darling, thank you for telling us the truth."
Meanwhile...
I could see the stall owner's smug expression feeling like he landed the crowd's attention winning them over so he continued to berate me. "You prey in the weak just because we're poor you assume we'll steak even from small little girls like her- but really how many of you have stolen from the innocent?!"
At this point I couldn't even be bothered with his words and forcefully took his wrist with my hand to reveal that I was right.
He was holding the same pouch that Father gave to Vivienne. Now it was my turn to laugh, seeing his panicked expression was truly worth it. "Well then, what's this now?" I pulled his hand out for all the crowd to see what he was holding.
"Ah- this is-!"
"I don't suppose you would own a cute pouch now big fella? The same exact pouch I described and something you told me you don't have?"
It was my turn to give a really cocky grin, and held his wrist a little too tightly because I could feel him slipping away from my grasp.
"That hurts you little-!" He groans in pain looking at me with pleading eyes. "Stop it already! Here you can have the pouch back! I just found it on the street! I didn't even know it belonged to her!"
If he thinks he can escape me and try to take something away from my daughter.
He's dead wrong.
With no warning nor mercy, I twisted his hands and slowly the pain made his knees weak. He screams in pain while he falls onto the ground. "AH! STOP!"
He told me to stop but I didn't do what he wanted. Not until I get the truth out of his mouth.
"Tell me really, did you steal from my little girl?" I ask him to put a bit more pressure on me.
The color of his skin was turning purple and I didn't really care if I broke it or not. I've done more nasty work for the Knights under good reason. This is nothing and I don't really see that I'm breaking any laws, since he's alive. "I'll ask again and this time I would like to have the proper truth, did you steal or not?"
"I... Hngh- Stop it! My hands are going to break..."
I couldn't stop myself from hurting him and I don't intend to until he tells me the whole thing. Everyone in the crowd was watching all of it unfold, no one wanted to stop me from hurting him since they were all agreeing with him that nobles were stealing from the poor.
When he was the one actually stealing from the little girl, who's guilty now?
After a few minutes more of pleading I felt a hand holding my shoulder as Rose even under that red shawl I could feel her face making a sad expression as she looked at me and the man I was holding down. "Kein... that should be enough- please... he's in pain. I know we want the truth but hurting him like this is a bit too much..."
Rose snakes her hand around my arm and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. My hand that was holding onto the man unconsciously loosened and I sighed in defeat. "Apologies, I must've... gone too far."
Even if Rose told me to stop, I still looked down at him as he fell down to the ground. The dust getting everywhere on his clothes.
"You're quite lucky." I told him while I took Vivienne's wallet from his hands and gave it to Vivienne who smiled when she got back her pouch.
"Ungh..." I could still hear him groan in pain while he held his wrist trying to relieve the pain.
I wanted to leave right then and there but Rose looked at the injured stall owner and unexpectedly, she stopped me and offered Vivienne over.
"Can you hold her for a bit? I just need a second..."
With that look in her eyes I already knew what she was going to do. "You feel pity for him don't you? Don't tell me you're going to heal him Rose..." I pleaded for us to just leave him be but it seems she couldn't take no for an answer.
"I can't leave an injured person... Kein. He's still one of my people and besides... Perhaps during these hard times some people steal." (Rose) tells me as I take Vivienne away from her as she goes to the man and kneels.
Rose… you're too optimistic!
"Please let me take a look at your hand." I heard Rose say softly and the man looked up at her like she was some angel that came to his savior.
I was on high alert, even if she was still dressing up as a commoner I have to keep it in mind she's still the second princess of this kingdom.
If anything happens I will be responsible if she gets hurt.
Once the commotion was over, everyone else felt bored and dispersed feeling like there was nothing interesting to watch anymore.
The stall owner looks conflicted as he looks away and moves his hand over to the side.
"No need... I probably deserve it." He sighs and looks guilty standing up to take a seat in his stall. He looks at me admittedly guilty of his actions because he told Rose, "Your friend is right. I took the wallet from her little girl. I'm sorry..."
I wanted to correct him and say it's actually 'our' little girl... But it didn't feel like the time to do so.
"I understand and I'm sorry. I know everyone in the kingdom is having hard times, what you did was not right but you were only doing what you needed to go on." She smiles at him gently walking towards him and taking his hand that I twisted until it was bruised.
Maybe... I really was being too rough.
"Tell me do you have a wife, sir?" (Rose) started a conversation with him to ease up the mood.
The stall owner smiles as he looks up at her, his expression smitten when he talks about his wife. "Heh... Yeah I do... We have two kids that's going to school soon... I was a little hesitant on letting them go there since I... don't make much you see."
He looked at Vivienne when he told us about his two kids. He looks down on his thighs and rubs the sides of his temple. "We've been married for eight years now. I can't believe I would stoop low to take money from a little girl and to even say all those things about your folk... I really apologize, milady."
Rose nods hearing him out on every inch of his story. The more that I heard about it the more I felt guilty about breaking his hand.
Still I stand by my case that he's wrong. I might feel guilty but anyone who crosses my family will not be safe from me even if they tell me their personal sob story.
It might not be kind now, but this is how I am.
"Thank you for telling me, sir. Don't worry the light forgives you for you told us with honesty what you're going through and we understand." She put her hand over the injured hand and soon a flash of light appeared, including some small glowing orbs floated once Rose was done heaving his injury.
"[Light Magic: Heal]." (Rose) chants her spell completely focused on making him do a full recovery. Her eyes were closed when she did it but after she finished, she opened them looking at the hand proudly at her work. "Thankfully, none of your bones have been dislocated or broken so this was really easy to fix. You can work another day, sir."
"I... My hand..." He raises it up a little inspecting it. "It's all okay now... Thank you, milady." The stall owner tells Rose and bows his head deeply at her.
"Please never do what you did today, that is all I ask." (Rose) stands up walking towards me with those kind eyes of hers and I sighed. I can't believe I'm going soft now. If it helps him not do any stunts like this in the future it should be worth the mention.
"Hey mister, what's your name?" I called out to him and asked.
He looks and points at himself in confusion before answering. "It's... James Hollow, milady."
"Alright, James Hollow. If you're going to enroll your kids in my school, tell the principal your children is qualified to try for a scholarship and get some of its merits so you won't have to pay much for anything just as long as they keep up their grades." I told him, taking a pen and paper from my storage ring and wrote a quick note about the situation.
"When you get them fully enrolled, give them this." I offered him the paper and he took it in his hand looking over the contents of it.
His expression slowly changed from dread when he got to the bottom of the paper. That's when he understood I wasn't just an ordinary noble passing by for a good time at the festival. "Y-You're the one who built the-?!"
I nodded and when he got my affirmation his face turned pale. Now then, I'm giving you a favor James. I hope you never do any kind of bullshit ever again.
"I don't want you doing anything like this because if my girlfriend hears that you're up to no good, she's going to be sad and I don't like it when she's sad." I bent down staring at him with my serious blue eyes making him frozen on the spot. "Are we clear, James?"
"C-Crystal clear, milady."
Well then now that's one problem over, I held Rose by her hand and dragged her away from there. "Ah- Kein hold on! Be gentle!"
I really don't like it when she gets too overly nice to others she knows who has it hard… that could take advantage of her someday…
Still her kindness is one of the most attractive parts about her that I love.
I love her too much to get angry.
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