Chapter Text
It was a cloudy afternoon in the rainy season. Soon enough there will be rain.
Lloyd and Javier are on their way back from exploring the site for a new construction project. He hadn't made up his mind yet, so he had to keep looking. Fortunately, it wasn't something that was urgent or necessary.
The sound of grass rustling moved Javier to a semi-defense position and began to look for the source of the noise. but when turning back to his master, Lloyd was looking at the side of the road with an illegible expression.
“ Master Lloyd ? ” Javier called out exactly as Lloyd knelt down. He hurriedly walked towards the young master.
Moving to look at whatever caught his attention, he saw a little boy. When assessed by only his eyes he is probably not more than two or three years old at most. His clothes were torn, his hair was messed up, his body was stained with bruises, on the head, there were bright blood stains on the light-colored hair. Behind him there was a pile of decaying wood.
“ Hi little one ” Lloyd's expression turned to a little moment of irritation before turning soft. Like many times he used it when handing out a contract to someone. But in his hand, he didn't hold a paper, but instead reached out to brush the hair that was covering his eyes and get rid of the tall grass that was scratching the kid's body.
The boy tilted his head to the touch like a little kitten. It would have been a lovely sight if they weren't in the forest and the boy with many wounds.
“ Kid, where're your par– ” Javier's words were cut off as Lloyd raised his hand to stop him. The knight decided to continue to just look until there were signs of something wrong.
“ What's your name ? ” Lloyd asked But the child in front of them remained silent and made a face as if he didn't understand the meaning of what he was saying even like they were speaking in different languages “ What do people usually call you? ”
The boy tilted his head in thought “ k'd or bwrat ? ” He replied like he wasn't sure. But that answer was enough to cause Lloyd's blood to rage.
“ Hmm is that so? ” Lloyd responded, although his face was still stained with a smile, whoever saw it would have guessed that he wasn't in a good mood and was thinking about what to say next.
Javier found himself thinking about years ago. Image of Lloyd overlaid the Baron. and that little boy overlapped himself. As for now, he is in the place of Sir Bayern at that time.
A cold wind blew with water droplets. It's starting to rain And if he didn't hurry up, the blueprint paper he brought with him would be seriously damaged. Looking back, the boy in front of him was startled by the drop of water before he began to tremble with cold and tried to dig back into the rotten pile of wood.
“ Hold on ” Lloyd called, the little boy turned around to confirm if he meant him or not, not only that his expression became more and more unstable. “ Yeah, I meant you, there's no others here anyway. ”
The boy sit still, hugged himself, waiting to hear what Lloyd had to say. But there was no more sound, just the touch of a soft fabric to wrap him up The warmth brought drowsiness to him faster.
“ Red sun ” The voice seemed to be far away. At the end of that word, the little boy fell into a deep sleep as his body lifted up.
On the way back Lloyd was wrapped in a shivering bundle by cold that kept snuggled up to him in his arms.
“ Are you thinking to raising that boy, my lord? ” Javier asked, looking at the kid with doubtful eyes.
“ Nah ” Lloyd replied simply. The knight shifted his gaze to his master and was about to ask the next question. But Lloyd spoke again in a joking tone. “ But left a toddler in heavy rain is too evil, don't you think? ”
“ I think you already are one, aren't you? ” He joked back as he always had then hurriedly took long steps faster as the rain began to get heavier.
As expected, they quickly returned to the manor. They both moved to their own rooms.
Lloyd grabbed a soft dry fabric. Before placing the boy on his bed and starting to dry him. As he was about to walk out to get a change of clothes for both himself and also bandage for the kid, there was a loose grip on the hem of his sleeve.
A toddler mumbles disjointed words. Lloyd heard a word about the word don't. leave. go. Or something he couldn't process all the sentence. “ shh, sleep little one I'm just going to get some dry clothes for you to change and treat your wounds. ”
Maybe the toddler could process only the word ' go ' that time, so he gripped Lloyd's hem of sleeve tighter, leaned over and dropped his light weight onto Lloyd's arm. Lloyd's expression softened as he began to think of carrying this little one instead of leaving him here.
Knock knock
“ Master Lloyd, it's me ” was the sound of Javier entering from the door.
“ Come in ” Lloyd responded. He retreated and sat down on the bed next to the boy who had moved completely on his lap. The door opened. But the one who entered was not only Javier, beside the knight stood a Baroness with dry clothes in her hand. It wouldn't have been weird if Javier was holding them as well. Lloyd assumed that Javier must have told her what happened.
Marbella cooed to the sight in front of her. She walked straight with Javier. Carrying the little boy up, despite a few struggles that he initially refused to let go until Lloyd persuaded and comforted for a moment. So in the end, the boy fell asleep again in Baroness' arm.
Lloyd took a towel and dry clothes from Javier while the Baroness brought the boy away to a more tidy outfit. And maybe if that kid wakes up, he might take a shower as well. Lloyd didn't care that much.
.
.
.
Yes, he didn't care to know anything. He was just finishing up quickly so he stopped by to see if that little one had caused any trouble for the Baroness and the maid. Merely that.
“ Young master ” Javier's voice called from behind Lloyd. Of course, this man followed him.
Lloyd shook his head, dismissing his own thoughts. “ Yes, I know, let's go back. ” He waved off whatever Javier had in mind to say.
Many curiouses made Javier choose to ask as he walked in order not to waste time returning to his room. “ Why did you stop me when I asked that kid about his parents? ”
Lloyd paused for a moment before continuing. “ Well, you see? I don't know, ” he answered simply, “ I just think; if it's me, I don't want to be asked that question. ”
Javier made his thoughts again. He didn't know where those wounds came from. If that was from the kid's parents, it would be right not to ask about it. Even a child at this age is still unable to understand what is a threat or harm to themselves.
Lloyd just recalled his life in Korea at a funeral. Many relatives asked him about the cause of their death as if out of curiosity and joy somehow. Suho had to answer that kind of question endlessly. He didn't think there could be anything more painful than talking about that.
It might be a little different from that kid's situation. But he didn't think that there were any kids who had to be alone. would really want to be asked about his parents at that time.
“ So in conclusion, will you continue to take care of or raise that boy? ” The knight asked the question again.
Lloyd hummed while thinking of an answer. Even though in the first time he could answer it immediately. “ Well, yeah temporary, though. ”
“ Keep him until we can find a adopter. or something like that ” Maybe an orphanage or something like that is more necessary than he thought. At least there should be a nursery.
So he will take care of this little one.
Temporary, of course.