The Precious Baby of the Bandit Leader Chapter 3

The bandits surrounding me suddenly scattered.

 

A man with a huge and intimidating presence slowly walked in between them. 

 

It felt like the surface of my skin was tingling, as if a tiger was approaching.

 

You could truly say he was a leader worthy of commanding them.

 

‘He was quite handsome, too.’

 

To be honest, it was mostly the overwhelming aura—but the boss’s face was handsome enough to put all the handsome actors from my previous life to shame.

 

‘But why is he glaring at me like that?’

 

My young body couldn’t withstand the tingling murderous intent and began to tremble little by little.

 

‘Wait a second, don’t tell me he’s holding a grudge against me… because he got hit by my snot?’

 

Considering the average personality level of criminals, it was entirely possible.

 

Just as I took a sharp breath at the sudden realization.

 

I saw the boss slowly reaching his hand toward me.

 

‘Is he going to hit me?’

 

I closed my eyes tightly, anticipating the pain that was about to come. However, nothing happened, as if my tension was meaningless.

 

‘What is it…?’

 

When I opened my eyes again to check the situation.

 

Swoosh.

 

The soft blanket, which had been kicked off during the commotion, was carefully laid back over my body.

 

“The baby is trembling—what have you all been doing?”

 

At the same time, a stern voice scolded the bandits.

 

“Tsk, the child’s body was already frozen cold.”

 

Pat, pat.

 

His long, calloused hand gently started patting over the blanket covering me.

 

With a gentle touch that didn’t at all match his cold and fierce face.

 

‘This… actually feels kind of comforting?’

 

Suddenly, a sense of calmness filled me.

 

It was almost laughable that I had hastily assumed he was coming to hit me.

 

‘Really, really, they have no intention… of harming me?’

 

I blinked and looked at the chief, who was staring at me with a blank expression.

 

His eyes were completely unreadable.

 

Still, one thing was certain: among everyone here, the chief looked the most normal.

 

‘It feels like he saved me from freezing to death… and just now, he stepped up for me.’

 

A brief thought crossed my mind.

 

How should I treat the man in front of me?

 

And surprisingly, I came to that conclusion quickly.

 

‘For now, it’s best to act in a way that earns their favor.’

 

No matter what, this person holds the power of life and death over me. There’s no harm in getting on his good side.

 

So what I have to do now is!

 

“Abu—!”

 

I reached out with both hands and suddenly grabbed the calloused fingers of the chief that were resting on my belly.

 

And then I pulled his hand in and pressed my soft, chubby cheeks against it. Then…

 

“Gyaak!”

 

…I gave him a bright smile—!

 

With wide, sparkling eyes, I endlessly studied his fiercely intimidating yet handsome face.

 

Flinch—!

 

At my actions, his eyes momentarily twisted in confusion.

 

His pupils were even trembling, as if he had just been struck hard by something.

 

Even I felt puzzled by the way his long eyelashes trembled slightly.

 

“Heek?!”

 

It seemed the chief wasn’t the only one surprised—the bandits standing beside him also clamped their mouths shut.

 

“D, did it just smile?! Just now?”

 

“Whoaaa! The little thing, it’s, it’s like—breathing and even smiling too!”

 

As if they were about to throw a festival, the bandits raised their voices in joy.

 

My gaze remained fixed solely on the chief.

 

Then, he quickly erased his noticeably surprised expression and twitched the corners of his mouth.

 

“Hahaha, as expected, the Chief must be pleased too. You’re smiling…”

 

“It’s noisy. Everyone, get out.”

 

As the bandits’ reactions grew increasingly intense, the chief firmly issued a command to calm them down.

 

“That, yes… no. Yes…”

 

The hesitant bandits glanced at each other… then reluctantly left the tent, their faces clearly showing their disappointment.

 

“Dupil, Gaon.”

 

Then the chief called out to the two men who had remained standing inside.

 

Step, step, step—!

 

Then, the two men quietly stepped forward and walked toward the chief.

 

“Yes. Chief.”

 

“Did you call for us?”

 

One was a deep, heavy voice that inspired trust.

 

The other was a captivatingly beautiful voice—so much so that it was hard to believe it belonged to a man.

 

I cautiously peeked out and examined the men.

 

‘They look like the men who were closely following the boss in the mountains. One of them even has his face covered with a mask?’

 

The man called Dupil had black hair and dark eyes. He had a blank expression and a heavy impression… He gave off an aura that reminded me of a general in a historical drama.

 

The man called Gaon’s face was not visible, but his slender figure, tall height, and striking light brown hair and eyes stood out.

 

“Gaon, go to the nearest village and bring the wet nurse. Offer a large sum of money and make sure to bring someone who can keep a tight lip.”

 

As soon as the chief gave the order, a flicker of confusion crossed Gaon’s eyes.

 

“Why do you order me to bring a wet nurse instead of someone to take this child away?”

 

“Due to last year’s drought, the people are starving. There are countless cases where mothers abandon even the babies they gave birth to because they have nothing to eat. How could they possibly take this child in?”

 

“Then….”

 

“For the time being, the child must be cared for here in the mountain stronghold.”

 

What…? So they really don’t intend to harm me after all?

 

‘Despite how he looks… he’s the kind who has more compassion than expected.’

 

Growling.

 

At that moment, my hungry stomach growled loudly.

 

Ugh, I’m really hungry, aren’t I?

 

“Byaa!”

 

I absentmindedly whimpered and flailed my arms and legs.

 

Because of that, the blanket that the chief had carefully covered me with got pulled off, exposing my feet.

 

Whoosh.

 

The chief’s gaze unintentionally drifted over the top of my foot.

 

“….!”

 

And then the next moment.

 

His expression instantly froze as if he had discovered something.

 

Step.

 

As he clenched his trembling fist and took a step back.

 

Dupil and Gaon also looked at the top of my foot where the chief’s gaze was directed, their expressions puzzled.

 

And then their expressions quickly turned cold.

 

‘What? Why are you doing that?’

 

I looked down in puzzlement.

 

It was to check my tiny foot.

 

‘Oh? There’s a mole? And it’s a pretty star shape, too?’

 

It’s kind of interesting, but I don’t think it’s something to be that surprised about—after all, it’s pretty small.

 

“Abu?”

 

After checking it, I casually turned my head away, but their expressions didn’t look all that casual.

 

“Chief… This is.”

 

Dupil’s face had gone pale, as if he couldn’t bring himself to say another word.

 

In a very brief moment, a whirlwind of emotions flashed through his eyes.

 

Shock and surprise, confusion, and finally, a trace of anger.

 

“Isn’t that the mark of the royal family?!!”

 

Gaon stepped forward and asked loudly, as if interrupting the conversation.

 

“Abu?” 

 

I checked the mark on the top of my foot once again.

 

So you’re saying that a person with this star-shaped mark is royalty?

 

“Bya?” 

 

I waved my chubby little arms and tilted my head in puzzlement.

 

‘What is it? I don’t feel good, though?’

 

While I was feeling anxious and looking around,

 

“You must immediately return the child to their original place.”

 

“Lower your voice… Gaon.”

 

The chief gave a cold, stern order. This time, Dupil stepped forward.

 

“Chief! If this is a royal child… wouldn’t that mean the current king’s child? More than half of those here have lost their families to the current king.”

 

“That doesn’t mean we can just let the child die.”

 

“There’s no reason for us to care for the bloodline of our enemy!”

 

At Gaon’s strong objection, the chief frowned as if troubled.

 

Then he opened his mouth again.

 

“Then, what is the decision regarding this child…”