Chapter 18 – A Place To Return To
After the bread and skewers were gone, the girl sat with both hands wrapped around the empty paper stick, like she didn't quite believe it had existed.
Some colour had come back to her face, just a little. Enough to prove she was still sixteen, not some ageless thing the alley had swallowed.
Rion leaned in toward me, whispering.
"So," he said, "is this the 'check something' you ran off for?"
"Yes," I said.
He glanced at her, at the too-thin wrists, the faded dress, the cracked bowl she still clutched with one hand.
"…Okay," he said more quietly. "Yeah. Fair."
The girl's eyes flicked between us warily.
"If you're done staring," she rasped, "you can go back to whatever you were doing. You've… already done more than enough." Her fingers tightened on the bowl. "Coins and food. That's… two days' worth I didn't have."
Two days.
If she stretched it.
[ System ]
[ Timeline Check: In original route, target leaves this alley alone. ]
[ New Branch: Erynd + Rion present. ]
I shook my head.
"That isn't enough," I said.
Her lips twitched.
"Generous," she muttered. "Dangerous word."
"Realistic," I said. "You're not going to survive the winter on one skewer and some bread."
"Oh?" Her voice was sharp, but tired. "And what do you suggest? I don't exactly have a house to go back to."
"Then we'll borrow one," I said. "For a few nights."
Rion blinked.
"…We will?" he asked.
"Yes," I said.
The girl let out a small, disbelieving breath.
"You can't just say things like that," she whispered. "Borrowing houses isn't something normal people do."
"I didn't say a house," I said. "I said a room."
She frowned.
"A room where?"
I looked at Rion.
"Inn?" I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking.
"There's one not far from here," he said. "Not the worst, not the best. They don't ask too many questions as long as you pay in advance."
"Good," I said. "Take us."
Rion glanced at the girl again, then at me.
"…You're serious."
"Yes."
He let out a sigh that sounded like he was already regretting it, then nodded.
"Fine," he said. "Follow me. And if someone stabs me for this later, I'm haunting you."
***
The inn sat on a side street off the main road. Not completely hidden, but not polished either. The sign above the door showed a faded painted sun and the words "Evening Light" carved underneath.
Inside, the air smelled of wood smoke, stew, and old ale. Tables filled the front room, a few early drinkers scattered around. Behind the counter, a woman with strong arms and rolled-up sleeves wiped down mugs.
She looked up as we approached, eyes flicking from our uniforms to the girl's cloak.
"Students," she said. "You're earlier than usual. Most of your kind come in when the lamps are already lit."
"We wanted food," Rion said quickly, lifting the skewers he still hadn't eaten.
"And a room," I added.
Her eyebrows rose.
"For how long?" she asked.
"A few nights," I said. "For her."
The innkeeper's gaze shifted fully to the girl.
Now that we were inside, under decent light, it was harder to pretend her condition wasn't obvious.
Too thin. Too pale. Too wary.
The woman's eyes narrowed slightly.
"She in trouble?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. "The kind that doesn't go away by itself."
The girl shot me a sharp look at that, but didn't argue.
The innkeeper studied us a moment longer, then sighed.
"Three nights," she said. "Meals not included. Paid upfront. If she breaks anything, it's extra."
"Done," I said.
I opened my pouch and counted coins onto the counter. Her eyes widened a fraction at the amount, but she didn't say anything, just swept them into a box.
"Name?" she asked, reaching for a ledger and a quill.
The girl beside me stiffened.
Her hand tightened around the cracked bowl, knuckles white.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Noble names had been taken from her.
Street names were whispered, not written.
"I…" she started.
Silence stretched.
Slowly, she lifted her head.
"…Valeria," she said. The word sounded strange in her mouth, like she was trying it on for the first time. "Just Valeria."
The innkeeper dipped her quill in ink and wrote.
"Valeria," she repeated. "Right. Room on the second floor, end of the hall. Key."
She set a small iron key on the counter and nodded toward the stairs.
Valeria stared at it.
Not like a key.
Like a spell.
"A room," she murmured. "Mine?"
"Borrowed," I said. "But no one will kick you out of it for three days."
"Unless you set it on fire," Rion added helpfully.
"Don't set it on fire," I said.
Valeria's fingers crept toward the key, slow, unsure. When they finally closed around it, she held it too tightly, as if afraid it would disappear.
"I can't pay you back," she said.
"Not today," I answered. "That's fine."
She swallowed.
"That's… not how this city works."
"Then it's good we're from the academy," Rion said, shrugging. "We don't know the rules yet."
The innkeeper snorted softly at that, but didn't comment.
"Come on," I said. "Let's see the room."
***
The room was small.
A narrow bed pushed against the wall, covered with a clean but worn blanket. A simple wooden chair and a small table beside the window. A single shelf with nothing on it. The window looked out over the street, the glass a little cloudy but intact.
It wasn't much.
But it was more than an alley.
Valeria stood just inside the doorway, cloak still wrapped around her, eyes moving slowly over everything.
"No rats," she whispered. "No holes. No… posters."
Her gaze lingered on the bed.
"When was the last time you slept somewhere with a blanket?" I asked.
She didn't answer.
Her hand went up, fingers brushing the rough fabric of the blanket, like she had to make sure it was real.
"You can lock the door from inside," I said. "No one comes in unless you open it."
She took a breath that shook more than it should have.
"This is… too much," she said.
"It's three nights," I said. "Not that much."
"For me, it is."
Rion shifted his weight awkwardly beside me.
"You, uh," he said, "should probably lie down before you fall down. Just saying."
Valeria let out a small breath that almost became a laugh.
"Bossy," she murmured.
"You haven't met our professors yet," I said. "We're nothing."
She turned around then, slowly, to face us.
Her hair, under the hood, was still tangled. Her dress was still faded. Her eyes were still tired.
But something had shifted.
Just a little.
Like the air in the room was different now that she wasn't outside.
"You're going back to the academy," she said, not a question.
"Yes," I said.
"And then?"
"Then," I said, "I'll send a message."
"To who?" she asked quietly.
"My father," I said.
Rion perked up.
"You're writing to the Viscount?" he asked. "About her?"
"Yes," I said.
Valeria blinked.
"…Viscount?" she repeated carefully.
"Milton," I said. "My father is Viester Milton. If anyone can give you a place that isn't an alley, it's him."
Her fingers tightened around the key.
"Why would a viscount care about… me?" she asked. The word stuck in her throat. "I'm not… anything."
"He cares because I care," I said. "And I care because I heard you."
She looked away, jaw working.
"That's a terrible reason," she murmured.
"It's the one you have."
Silence.
Then, very softly:
"If I… stay here," she asked, "you'll come back?"
"Yes," I said.
"No matter… what your father says?"
I paused.
[ System ]
[ Branch Decision: "Regardless of Father's Answer" – Yes / No ]
[ Suggested Option: Yes ]
"Yes," I said. "No matter what he says, I'll come back."
She closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them again, some of the emptiness had gone.
Not completely.
But enough.
"Then…" she said, voice barely above a whisper, "I'll… try trusting you. For three days."
"That's all I ask," I replied.
***
Back at the academy, after we returned our day passes and Rion complained loudly about being tired and emotionally drained, I sat at the desk in my dorm room.
The lamp crystal on the wall gave off a steady light.
The key to my own room hung from a nail beside the bed.
On the desk was a blank sheet of paper and a pen.
I dipped the pen in ink.
"Dear Father," I wrote.
I paused.
How do you explain a starving girl in an alley, a ruined noble, a future underworld queen the System claimed she would become?
You don't.
You explain what matters.
I started again.
"Father,
I hope this letter finds you and the household well.
Today, during an authorised visit to the city near the academy, I encountered a girl around sixteen years of age. She appears to be a fallen noble or someone raised in a house like ours, now completely without support. She was starving and begging in an alley. I believe she has been used by criminals and then abandoned.
I have temporarily secured her a room at an inn for three nights. I paid in advance. Her current name is Valeria. She has no last name she can use safely.
I am writing to ask, is it possible for our house to take her in as a ward or servant-in-training, at least to remove her from the streets? I believe if she stays here, she will either die or be forced back into crime.
I trust your judgment.
Your son,
Erynd Milton"
I read it twice.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was honest.
I sealed the letter and stamped it with the small seal Father had given me when I left—a simple Milton crest, nothing official, but enough to mark it as mine.
Then I took it to the Divination campus courier office.
A clerk with ink-stained fingers and sharp eyes took it, weighed it, and nodded.
"Viscount Milton's estate?" he said. "We can send this with tomorrow morning's fast courier. You should have an answer within a few days."
"Thank you," I said.
[ System ]
[ Side Quest: "Give Valeria A Place To Return To" – Active ]
[ Waiting on: Viscount Milton's Reply ]
***
The reply came faster than I expected.
On the second evening, as I was leaving Basic Rites class, a messenger in academy colours approached.
"Erynd Milton?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Letter for you. From Milton estate."
He handed over a sealed envelope.
I recognised the seal immediately.
Father's. My heart beat a little faster as I broke it.
"Erynd,
I have read your letter carefully.
You have always had a troublesome habit of picking up strays. I am proud to see that this habit has not faded at the academy.
If this girl, Valeria, truly wishes to leave the life she has been forced into, my door is open to her. I will accept her into our household as a ward. We will find a role suitable to her abilities once she has recovered her health.
I am sending a carriage to your city. The Driver will be there in three days' time, at the main gate of the academy, under our banner.
Bring Valeria to the carriage. Alice will guard her and escort her back to Milton safely.
As always, I trust your judgment of character.
Lean on the now,
Your father"
I exhaled slowly.
"Troublesome habit, huh."
[ System ]
[ Main Support Secured: Viscount Milton – "House Milton Ward Route" Unlocked ]
[ Next Step: Escort Valeria to Carriage ]
***
Three days later, the Milton carriage arrived.
It was impossible to miss.
Polished wood, sturdy wheels, and the Milton crest on the door. Two horses, well-groomed, snorted small clouds into the cool air. The driver wore our colours. Beside the carriage stood a young woman in a maid's uniform reinforced with light leather armour, a sword at her waist.
Alice.
Her hair was tied back neatly, not a strand out of place. Her eyes were steady, scanning the gate area even as I approached.
"Miss Alice," I called.
She turned.
For a moment, the serious expression broke, and a small, fond smile appeared.
"Young master," she said, bowing her head. "It is good to see you safe."
"You too," I said. "You vanished after we arrived at the academy grounds. I thought you'd gotten lost."
She shook her head.
"All attendants were gathered by the academy staff," she explained. "They required us to undergo additional formal training and orientation."
"Training?"
"For proper conduct within academy grounds," she said. "And to give our young masters and mistresses a chance to be… more comfortable moving independently, at least on the first day."
"Independently," I repeated.
"Yes," she said. "Many nobles rely too heavily on their attendants. The academy believes that for you to grow, we must step back a little. Just enough for you to stand on your own feet more firmly."
I thought of Tamara, lost without Marion.
Lyra, standing alone in the crowd.
Me, walking to the dorm with my own key in my hand.
"And you?" I asked. "How was the training?"
Her lips quirked.
"They made us walk the grounds without following anyone," she said. "Some of the other maids nearly caused a panic."
I snorted.
"I can imagine."
Then her gaze sharpened.
"Now," she said, "where is the girl your father spoke of?"
"In the city," I said. "At an inn called Evening Light. I'll bring her."
"I will accompany you," Alice said immediately.
I shook my head.
"Too many academy eyes," I said. "A viscount's carriage leaving with a maid and a ragged girl might raise more questions than we want. Better if I bring her here on foot."
Alice frowned, then nodded slowly.
"Very well," she said. "I will wait by the gate. If anything happens, send word."
"I will."
I tightened my grip on my sword.
"A place to return to," I murmured.
Then I turned toward the city.
Valeria was waiting.
And this time, I had somewhere real to take her.