THE PROPOSAL: PART 3

"That's what you're sorry for?" Leticia asked as she looked up at Austin who was just standing while also looking at the passerby.

Austin slowly turned his head and stared down at her. Seeing how the smile on her face disappeared, he thought that maybe he had gone too far.

"I know I'm kind of sarcastic but that's just the way I am…" He tried to explain himself but seeing Leticia unconcealed displeasure he changed what he was about to say.

"Alright…" He scratched the back of his head and walked closer towards where she was sitting and sat near her.

"I'm sorry… if I annoyed you with my sarcasm-"

Austin was trying to explain his actions but he stopped when he heard her sharp tone.

"What the-?!"

"Look, you don't have to respond like that-"

As he was turning his head, a wavy chocolate hair suddenly entered his vision flying through the wind.

It was Leticia, standing abruptly and running through the crowds. He was stunned and was confused for a moment. His eyes followed where she was going.

"Wait- Miss Leticia!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Seeing her enter through the gaps of the crowd and not stopping while being called makes him frustrated.

And it seems that she was running faster. "damnit! What is she doing?!" he said as he followed through the crowd.

"Hey!!! Stop!!! Damnit!"

***

While Austin was explaining, Leticia's eyes became fixated on something. Amongst the crowd, she saw some adults dragging a child to a dark alley.

At that time, the only thing she saw was the back of the boy with ragged clothes and striking light blue hair.

She was about to ignore it as it was none of her business what was happening to other people as she cannot save everyone she encountered with such situations. But it made her concerned as it was a boy being dragged by adults.

At first, she thought, the kid must have pickpocketed them. It was a scenario that was not new to her.

Because a rich neighborhood ought to have desperate people.

But of course, it's not an excuse to harm the child that made a mistake for the sake of surviving. So she decided to watch first and thought that she would ask for the knights patrolling to go there if the situation escalated.

However, she was stunned when she saw a bruise on his back when the wind blew and his ragged clothes went up.

'That's not the body of a child who was caught pickpocketing…' Leticia thought.

The bruise on the boy's back was purple, red, and yellow. Indicating that it's not the first time that he was beaten up. And indicating that he was recently beaten up.

Suddenly, the boy struggled from the adults dragging him.

Leticia then stands up abruptly.

"Why does no one intervene?" She looked around the surrounding area where the alley was and because people are busy with shopping, no one seems to have noticed.

Then she saw the boy's face!

Her heartbeats escalated. Thump! Thump! Thump!

The boy with striking light blue hair and chrysanthemum eyes has cuts and bruises on his face and body.

'It can't be…!'

She squinted her eyes hard enough to make her doubts go away. But it only made her suspicion strong.

'No! He's supposed to be with his new family… So why?' she thought.

But It was not hard to confirm her suspicion as the alley was only at the opposite side of the tree that she was taking shade from. And it was only a small distance away from her.

"What the-?!"

Leticia runs at full speed leaving Austin behind. The only thing that was on her mind was to get there in time before the boy gets dragged somewhere else.

"That's Anton…" Leticia mumbled.

'That's Anton…'

Her thoughts were spinning and were only thinking about one thing.

'That's Anton… But Why?!' as she ran through the gaps of crowded people.

She thought she mistakenly saw the child that was supposed to be in a manor with his merchant family that adopted him but what she saw made her run without thinking.

It was because Anton, the child that was adopted from the orphanage, was getting beaten by some adults in an alley.

Leticia didn't want to assume that it was Anton at first. It didn't even occur to her that it was the child that she was taking care of at the orphanage.

When she entered the alley, she could hear Anton begging.

"Please! Stop! Stop!"

Pak!

"You fucking kid! How many times do we have to tell you to stay still!"

"No! Please! I won't run away again!"

Anton was begging while his lips were bleeding from the slap that he got.

Thud! Another kick to his stomach made Anton pale.

"Ugh!"

Then, one of the men lifted his small body using his messed-up hair and whispered to Anton with a smirk.

"Of course, you will not run again! We will make sure that those little feet won't be used. You should forget walking again-"

Leticia saw it all. As their backs are facing her and the two men are enjoying the pleas of the boy who is lying on the floor while his small hands are protecting his small head which made her blood boil,

Her eyes dimmed. She wanted to kill the men for doing that to a small child but she can't just attack the two men like some idiot!

'I need something that I could use as a weapon!'

In her peripheral vision, she saw lumber amongst the barrels that were stacked at the side of the alley.

'This will do…'

She knows some self-defense but she can't risk endangering Anton and her when she doesn't know what weapons they're hiding and besides 'I heard Austin following me… I'll just strike them hard as long as I can get Anton to safety-!'

Then, she heard Anton's small whisper while sobbing.

"Leti…"

Leticia's mind went blank. Her body suddenly moved on its own and ran full speed!

Tak!

Thud!

The man who was just laughing his ass off passed out as he was struck hard at the back of his head.

"Huh?" the other man said as he saw his companion with foam on his mouth, passed out.

"What just happened?!" he said as he looked up. But what he saw made him stutter.

"Wha- wha-what"

Because before he could prepare himself for what was coming, he saw a woman running to her with her eyes glowing dangerously and with lumber on her hand.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" The man stepped back a few times as he was flustered at the crazy woman running full speed to him.

"St-stop… Hey! St-stop!"

Pak!

He didn't even get the chance to know what was happening and the scenery changed into the blue sky.

"Die bastard!"

Pak!

The last thing that the man saw was the fierce golden eyes of a woman who looked at him like he was the lowest of the low.

***

Austin arrived at the alley where Leticia suddenly entered and saw two men lying on the ground without their consciousness.

"What the hell happened here?"

Then he saw Leticia standing and breathing heavily with lumber on her hand that was stained with blood.

Haa… haa… haa…

Her chest going up and down made Austin realize something. As well as the boy staring blankly at Leticia.

Austin sighed. The messed-up look of the boy and the bruises on his body made the situation clear to him.

"Miss Leticia?" Austin called.

Leticia slowly looked back. And Austin's eyes went wide.

Not because he saw how angry she was but because her eyes were glowing. The kind of glow where it sends shivers down the spine.

"Miss… Leticia?" He slowly said.

However, no response came to him.

Then, suddenly, the boy who was just staring at her whispered.

"Leti?"

"..." Leticia slowly blinked her eyes as if waking up. And her golden eyes that were just glowing moments ago returned to normal as if it never happened.

"Is it really Leti?"

Hearing Anton, Leticia immediately became aware of the situation and saw the men lying at her feet and Austin looking at her with knitted brows.

'What happened?'

She doesn't know.

But what's important was that she did it and saved Anton.

'That's right! Anton!'

Leticia threw her body at him for a hug as if protecting him.

"I'm sorry I'm late. It's okay now… Everything is fine now. I'm here… no one's gonna hurt you"

Leticia slowly caressed the small back of Anton and started to comfort him.

"Leti…hic!"

"It's okay. It's okay!" Leticia caressed him and made sure that he felt her presence and at least made him feel safe and secured.

And Anton could no longer hide his emotions and burst into tears while hugging Leticia tightly.

"Waah!!!!"

Austin who was standing there and silently watched Leticia and the boy hug each other sighed...

He asked himself, "How am I supposed to report this to the Duke?"