The Precious Baby of the Bandit Leader Chapter 76

‘Gaon has changed…’

 

I’d thought something was different ever since he came to get me yesterday, but hearing him say those things directly made me certain. 

 

‘Saying he absolutely won’t send me away.’

 

I felt my face burn hotly at his doting remark.

 

‘Hmph… wasn’t he the one who drew a hard line before, saying we could never be family?’ 

 

I grumbled inwardly, but honestly, it didn’t feel bad.

 

Because I thought he would take the lead in trying to kick me out of the mountain stronghold before anyone else, just like before.

 

‘Somehow… I feel truly loved.’ 

 

I wiggled my toes for no reason. I don’t know about others, but I never thought Gaon would step up to cover for me like this.

 

‘Maybe now, I can truly become family with Gaon too…?’

 

Such hope filled me up.

 

Only for a moment, I shook my head vigorously.

 

‘No. Gaon is just following the Chief’s orders, right? Let’s not be mistaken.’

 

Rather than that, I had to think about what I could do right now.

 

‘He said it’s important to unite everyone’s hearts…’

 

“Shouldn’t we just persuade the guys who say they don’t like it well?”

 

Gaon’s words, spoken without hesitation just now, stuck in my mind.

 

Come to think of it, if I just persuade them well, it might not cause any harm to the Chief.

 

I quickly came to a conclusion about what I had to do from now on.

 

‘I should try to… persuade Jeon Bongjin myself!’

 

Operation Get Close has now become my specialty!

 

* * *

 

The Chief continued to try and persuade Jeon Bongjin, who was locked in the wooden prison in the grand plaza, even after that, but.

 

I heard he wouldn’t budge an inch.

 

“It is unfair to lock us up. If you do not let us out of here, we will not eat anything.”

 

Eventually, I even heard news that they had completely stopped eating since last night.

 

I made a resolution to try and do something behind the Chief’s back.

 

Glance.

 

Waking up early in the dawn, I tiptoed and moved stealthily so as not to be caught by Malja and Bokhee.

 

In my hand was a basket holding the precious refreshments the uncles had given me, telling me to eat them all myself.

 

I approached the place where Jeon Bongjin was, making as little rustling sound as possible.

 

Amidst the blowing cold wind, Jeon Bongjin was sitting with his eyes closed, not even wearing the thick fur the Chief had given him.

 

He looked extremely aloof.

 

“Who is there?”

 

I flinched in surprise and stopped dead in my tracks as if nailed to the spot.

 

Because I hadn’t thought he would notice right away from this distance.

 

‘A master is a master.’

 

I heard this later, but while I was away, Jeon Bongjin fought fiercely with the Chief, crossing swords with him for quite a long time.

 

Since they said there was no one in the mountain stronghold who could receive more than ten strikes from the Chief’s sword… he must definitely be an incredibly skilled person.

 

All the more reason, I must persuade him.

 

Gulp. I swallowed my saliva and offered a greeting as politely as possible.

 

“Hello.”

 

As I gathered my two hands on my navel, bowed my head politely, and raised it.

 

Perhaps having recognized who I was even in the dim darkness, he raised an eyebrow.

 

“What brings you here? Did you come to mock me.”

 

He sneered in a voice that sounded deeply offended.

 

Flinch, my body trembled.

 

And for good reason, I wasn’t feeling entirely comfortable on my way here either.

 

Because there was no way he would want to see the current King’s daughter in this situation.

 

But… there was one thing I was certain of.

 

‘This person is the Chief’s close friend.’

 

That meant he was absolutely not a bad person by nature.

 

So I mustered my courage.

 

“No. I came because there’s something I want to give you.”

 

I took several small steps, moving closer to the cage.

 

Not only Jeon Bongjin but his subordinates as well were sitting next to him, watching what I was doing.

 

Paying no mind to their gazes, I carefully placed the basket in front of him and opened the lid.

 

“What is this?”

 

“Sweets! They’re very precious, so the uncles told me to only eat one a day, but…”

 

“……?”

 

“I wanted to… give them to you Uncles.”

 

Jeon Bongjin tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand my words.

 

But I continued to rummage and take out the things I had brought in the basket.

 

“And this is my chewished wabbit doll! When I feel down, touching this makes me feel much better. I brought it… thinking it might help Uncles too.”

 

Honestly, this was something I really, really cherished, so I hesitated a lot when bringing it!

 

Still, thinking about them being locked in prison because of me, I couldn’t not do it.

 

“Wastly… these are fwowers. I made them myself to give to you misters. I found only the pwettiest ones awound here!”

 

“Flowers? Did you think I would need such a thing?”

 

“No. You pwoably won’t need them, but still, it might make you feel a wittle better…”

 

Did I make him even angrier after all.

 

My confidence was slipping slightly, but believing my sincerity would get through someday, I looked straight up at him.

 

“Pwease try eating this first! I heard you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday!”

 

I quickly took out a dried persimmon and offered it to him.

 

I saw one of Jeon Bongjin’s subordinates swallow his saliva next to him, looking conflicted, but.

 

Swoosh.

 

Jeon Bongjin raised his hand as if declining. Then he quietly asked me with calm and cool eyes.

 

“Why are you giving me this?”

 

“J-just because I was worried about you….” 

 

I was about to say some sweet-sounding words but stopped and let out a breath, phew.

 

“There’s that too, but! As I asked yesterday… I wanted to ask you to pwease help D-Dad, the aunts, and the uncles.”

 

“I commend you for speaking honestly. Then this is a bribe. To think you’ve already learned how to give bribes…”

 

“Hic!”

 

Hiccup!

 

Actually, being a child living my second life, I was flustered when he hit the nail on the head and started hiccuping.

 

‘Ugh, what do I do. Was it too obvious? My mind was in too much of a hurry… But my concern was sincere too.’

 

“Hic! Hic! Th-That’s… hic!”

 

Aargh! And why won’t this damn hiccup stop!

 

As I stamped my feet, not knowing what to do, the corners of the mouths of the people next to Jeon Bongjin twitched.

 

It was hard to tell whether they were laughing at me or not.

 

“What a fuss you make. Drink this.”

 

At my increasingly reddening face, Jeon Bongjin instead picked up the water bottle inside the prison and handed it to me through the wooden bars.

 

It seemed the Chief had ordered that they be given plenty of water and food.

 

“Th-Thank you, hic!”

 

Even while trembling like a leaf, I took it and gulped it down.

 

Hic, it’s embarrassing, but it can’t be helped. I had to survive first!

 

After completely emptying the water, the hiccups fortunately stopped.

 

“Gasp!”

 

Only then did I realize that I was the one who owed Jeon Bongjin a favor instead.

 

“I, I’ll tell Dad right away to bwing more water…!”

 

As I scrambled about in surprise.

 

“Enough. Just go back now.”

 

Suddenly, Jeon Bongjin’s cold and murderous voice struck me.

 

It seemed he had absolutely no intention of dealing with me anymore.

 

“B-But…”

 

“Do not make me say it twice. I told you to go.”

 

Now he completely closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and even turned his back to me.

 

‘What should I do…?’

 

Mumbling to try and say something more, I eventually gave up.

 

Thump, I dropped my raised hand.

 

“Then I’ll leave these… and go. Pwease eat them if you’re hungwy.”

 

It would be better to approach him slowly.

 

I pushed forward the basket I had tried so hard to bring, and carefully turned around to return to my barracks.

 

* * *

 

“You came again?”

 

“You really don’t give up.”

 

Four days passed after that.

 

Did you think I’d give up after failing just once?

 

For the past four days, I packed something to eat and went to Jeon Bongjin every dawn.

 

However, Jeon Bongjin remained consistent without any words or reactions, and didn’t even touch the food I left behind.

 

As time passed in the cold prison, he grew increasingly thinner, and even the color faded from his face. But he didn’t say a single word.

 

“The leader won’t eat even if you bring those things anyway, so leave.”

 

“Because of who are we locked up here!”

 

Only Jeon Bongjin’s subordinates would say a word each time they saw me come.

 

Gulp.

 

Of course, even while saying that, they were swallowing their saliva.

 

‘Since the superior they serve isn’t eating, they can’t eat either… they must be hungry.’

 

With the small hope that maybe they would eat it someday if I kept doing this, I carefully put down the basket today as well and was about to turn around.

 

“Do you not hate me?”

 

And right then.

 

Suddenly, Jeon Bongjin asked in a low voice.