Odalisque - Side Story 14

Was it too naive to think finding an officer would help?

“It happens all the time.”

The officer seemed indifferent to Liv’s explanation that she had found a lost child. Instead, he looked rather uninterested, as if he had already handled numerous similar cases that day.

“You may not be aware of this, being a lady, but on days like this, there are many parents who abandon their children.”

“How can you be so sure? I told you the child is lost, not abandoned.”

The officer sighed, frustrated by Liv’s immediate rebuttal, but didn’t ignore her.

“Look at the kid’s shoes. Do those look like shoes meant for a child out having fun?”

Liv looked down at Noah’s shoes, which she hadn’t paid much attention to amidst the chaos. They were clearly worn and tattered, hinting at Noah’s circumstances.

But shoes alone couldn’t tell the whole story. Shoes wore out easily, especially for kids. However, when she also noticed the short, frayed pants and faded sleeves, Liv pursed her lips tightly. It was evident that Noah’s clothing was not suitable for a child his age.

His cheeks seemed a bit sunken too. Judging by how the ill-fitting clothes weren’t too tight, it was likely that he was undernourished overall.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do. During the Harvest Festival, hundreds of people come and go from the city every day, so catching parents who came here just to abandon a child is nearly impossible.”

She was glad she had kept Noah away from hearing this conversation. Regardless of whether it was true, it would be too cruel for Noah to hear such words.

Liv looked at Noah, who stood watching them from a distance, with a troubled expression, and spoke calmly again.

“Perhaps their situation isn’t good, and they haven’t been able to provide properly. I want to help find his parents. Isn’t there anything that can be done?”

“Oh…”

The officer scratched his head, looking conflicted, then clicked his tongue before responding, “There’s been no report of a missing child today, so there’s not much information I can give you. However, if the child came here by train, it means he’s not a local, so I can contact the inns around the city to ask if his parents are staying there.”

Even that was a big help. Liv had been worried she might have to go to every inn, holding Noah’s hand, so she nodded gratefully.

“Thank you so much.”

The officer avoided her gaze and cleared his throat, seemingly flustered by Liv’s bright smile.

“Then please wait here for a moment.”

“Alright.”

Liv decided to stay at the makeshift patrol station with Noah while they tried to contact the inns. Though she was a bit worried about Dimus, who might be wandering around looking for her, it didn’t change her decision.

Dimus was an adult, and Noah was a child—surely, Dimus would understand.

No, he had to understand.

…Right?

***

He was lost.

Dimus stopped calmly and looked around. It was clear that the place he found himself in now was not the original plaza where he was supposed to wait for Liv.

He had only moved slightly to avoid the rowdy crowd, who seemed to be laughing and shouting like madmen. While wandering, he had bought a bag of candies from a candy seller, intending to relive an old memory, and returned to find himself in a different place.

He hadn’t moved much, so how had the location changed?

Dimus crossed his arms, trying to understand the baffling situation. The most likely culprit was the damned crowd. Even now, waves of people were brushing against his shoulders as they passed by.

Caught up in this human wave, he must have wandered through several alleys without even realizing it. To make things worse, every street had been decorated similarly for the Harvest Festival, making it difficult to tell one alley from another.

“Tsk.”

If he returned to the plaza now, would Liv still be waiting?

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was long enough for Liv to notice he was missing. Knowing her, she had probably realized he had been swept away by the crowd and had considered her options.

She could either wait at the plaza or return to their lodging.

Judging by the atmosphere, the crowd wouldn’t thin out even by evening, so staying in the plaza indefinitely wasn’t wise. Returning to the lodging seemed like the more sensible choice. Liv was likely to have chosen that option.

Yet, despite reasoning this out, Dimus found himself naturally heading back towards the plaza—or rather, in the direction he guessed the plaza was.

He doubted that Liv, being the smart woman she was, would wait for him like a child, but seeing the plaza empty with his own eyes would at least put him at ease. And if, by chance, he did find Liv waiting for him, it would make him genuinely happy.

He wasn’t worried about not recognizing her because of the mask. He had made a special mark on her mask that only he could identify. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it; it was simply because he didn’t want her to wear a mask identical to everyone else’s.

Who knew it would come in handy like this?

Dimus strode confidently. Naturally, he didn’t ask anyone for directions to the plaza. Finding it on his own should have been easy enough. This wasn’t a massive city like the capital, after all—just a small provincial town.

And so, Dimus got even more thoroughly lost.

It was the consequence of underestimating the monotonous appearance of the buildings and the streets packed with people half out of their minds.

***

“There’s no one looking for a missing child.”

“That can’t be true.”

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more we can do.”

The news they received after waiting was the worst possible outcome.

Seeing the officer’s apologetic face, Liv couldn’t press him further. It was already generous of him to take the time to investigate, especially with the crowds keeping him busy. There was nothing more she could ask of him—nor did it seem like there was anything more he could do.

“Um… just in case a report comes in later, could you leave a contact number where we can reach you?”

Liv gratefully accepted the officer’s kind suggestion and wrote down the contact information for her lodging. However, she wasn’t confident that she would receive any contact.

It didn’t feel like a good sign that, despite having spent quite some time with Noah since meeting him in the plaza, no missing child report had come in.

Liv glanced at Noah. Seeing something in her expression, the officer lowered his voice and whispered softly.

“If you’d like, you can leave the child here. If his parents come looking, we can hand him over immediately. It might be better to leave him with us.”

“And if they don’t come looking?”

“Well, then…”

The officer glanced at Noah. “Children like him usually end up in an orphanage. He’d probably be placed there temporarily. Given his age, where he can walk and communicate, he likely wouldn’t stay long.”

“Temporarily?”

“There are limits to how many children the orphanages can take in. As I mentioned, many parents abandon their children during the festival.”

Liv fell silent, biting her lip.

After a moment, she spoke calmly, “I’ll take care of him for now. Please contact me if there’s any news of a missing child.”

“It’s quite a burden…”

The officer sighed at her insistence, but Liv smiled, undeterred.

“Thank you for your help.”

After thanking the officer, who looked like he had more to say, Liv took Noah and left the patrol station. However, she didn’t get far before she had to stop. She glanced at Noah.

She had confidently declared that she would take care of him, unable to leave him alone. But now that she was outside, doubts crept in. She hadn’t even asked Noah what he wanted, which bothered her.

“Noah, it might take a bit more time to find your parents.”

Would it be better for Noah to wait at the patrol station instead?

But what if no one ever came for him, and he ended up in an orphanage, just as the officer said?

“Temporary placement” just meant they’d find an excuse to send him away. While some children in orphanages found kind adoptive parents, many did not. Some were even sold off as a means of making money—used for begging or worse.

The younger a child, the easier it was to exploit people’s sympathy. Liv knew this, and she also knew that those children often had gangs behind them, making it hard for ordinary people to help them.

If she wanted to ensure Noah didn’t end up like that, she had to help him now.

“…If you’d rather wait at the patrol station, you can. But if you’re okay with it, I’d like to stay with you for a while longer. Is that alright?”

Noah looked up at her worried face, clutching his basket of candies tightly, and answered, “Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

There wasn’t a trace of worry in his innocent reply. Liv smiled as she gently patted Noah’s head.

“Are you hungry? Did you have lunch?”

“I had bread in the morning.”