Lia and Ace never thought a day would come when they would tell a noble the reason they hated nobles.
Evidently, they were in enemy territory.
At least, that was what they thought—until they spoke.
They told Michael everything. The way nobles acted. The arrogance, the cruelty. The way commoners were treated like insects under their boots. And then, the recent incident—the one that changed everything for them.
What happened to their younger sister.
Michael listened in silence, his expression unreadable.
Then, for a brief moment, the air around them shifted.
A weight—heavy, suffocating—pressed down on their shoulders, making them want to kneel. It vanished as quickly as it came, like an illusion.
But they knew it wasn’t an illusion.
Their instincts screamed at them not to look into his eyes again, but the glimpse they had caught was enough.
Those green eyes, cold and sharp, sent a chill through their very souls.
And yet… his reaction puzzled them.
Why did it seem like this noble—this one noble—was furious at the actions of his own kind?
Weren’t they all the same?
Michael exhaled, closing his eyes for a brief moment before the tension in the air eased.
When he opened them again, the piercing coldness had dulled.
“Are all nobles the same?” he asked, his voice calm yet firm.
Lia and Ace almost nodded on instinct, the answer ingrained in them after years of suffering. But then—
They hesitated.
For the first time, they truly thought about it.
Almost every noble they had encountered had been arrogant, entitled, and indifferent to the struggles of commoners. Some were outright cruel. But there had also been those who simply minded their own business, who didn’t oppress but also didn’t help.
And then there was Michael.
A noble with power—real power. Enough to crush them without a second thought. And yet, he hadn’t.
He could have killed them by now. Should have, if he were like the others.
But he didn’t even seem interested in doing so.
A realization settled heavily in their minds.
Had they been too biased?
Had they let their hatred blind them?
The moment the thought formed, an uneasy silence stretched between them.
Ace swallowed hard, shifting on his feet. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Maybe not all of them. But most.”
Michael exhaled softly. “Most isn’t all.”
Lia scoffed. “Does it matter? The ones who aren’t cruel just sit back and watch. They don’t do anything. They let things happen.”
Michael’s gaze sharpened. “And what would you have them do?”
Lia opened his mouth but hesitated. He had never thought that far. It was easy to hate, to blame, but now that he was forced to explain—
Michael continued, “Let’s say a noble—one with real power—decided to stand against the others. What do you think would happen to them?”
Ace furrowed his brows. “They’d… get crushed?”
Michael nodded. “Exactly. The world isn’t fair, and power doesn’t always mean freedom. Even those at the top have chains around their necks. Different from yours, but chains nonetheless.”
With his experience in the past few days in the real world, he could see things from another point of view and understand them. This didn’t mean he agreed with them, but it didn’t stop him from understanding.
Speaking to these two wasn’t just for their sake—it was also for himself.
Lia’s fists tightened. “So what? Are you saying we should just accept it?”
Michael sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m saying that painting the world in black and white is the easy way out. The truth is messy.”
Lia scowled, but the anger was weaker now—less certainty, more doubt.
Ace glanced between them, hesitant. “Then… what about you?”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “What about me?”
“You’re a noble,” Ace said, voice quiet. “But you don’t act like one.”
Michael’s lips curved slightly. “And what do nobles act like?”
Lia flinched but didn’t answer.
Michael let the silence stretch before speaking again. “I don’t care if you hate nobles. That’s your choice. But if you’re going to despise something, at least understand what you’re hating. Otherwise, you’re no better than the nobles who look down on commoners without ever knowing them.”
Lia’s breath caught. The words hit harder than he wanted to admit.
Michael let those words settle before shifting the conversation. “Now, let’s talk about what happens next.”
The sudden change in topic sent a jolt through the two youths. Their bodies tensed, bracing for whatever punishment he had in mind.
Michael crossed his arms, studying them. “You tried to rob me. You pointed knives at me. If I wanted, I could have you both arrested or worse.”
Ace swallowed hard. He didn’t doubt it. Any noble with half a mind would have called the guards by now.
Lia, despite himself, clenched his fists. “Then why haven’t you?”
Michael’s lips curled slightly—not quite a smile, not quite a smirk. “Because I’m not done with you yet.”
A chill ran down their spines.
Lia felt it in his gut. Whatever was coming next wasn’t going to be simple.
Michael leaned forward slightly. “Can you read?”
The unexpected question caught them off guard.
Lia hesitated. “…Some.”
Michael nodded, then shifted his gaze to Ace. “And you?”
Ace scratched the back of his head. “A little. A bit better than Lia.”
In fact he was much better than Lia but for some reason he didn’t really think exposing his full capacity was the best decision at the moment.
Michael hummed. “What about writing?”
“I can’t write but Ace can,” Lia admitted.
“How well do you know the capital?”
“Pretty well,” Ace said quickly. “We’ve lived here all our lives.”
“And the kingdom?”
Ace hesitated. “We don’t know much outside the city… but we know people who do.” Unlike Lia, Ace had picked up on what was happening. Michael didn’t seem to want to punish them but use them.
He didn’t know if this was better, but it was definitely better than dying. Or being arrested, which was just another route to death… or something close to it.
Michael’s gaze sharpened. “People who do, huh?” He tilted his head slightly, considering. “Smugglers? Informants? Or just people who get around?”
Ace swallowed. “A bit of everything.”
Lia shot him a wary glance, but Ace ignored it. He had already decided—their best option was to make themselves useful. If Michael wanted something from them, that meant they had value. And if they had value, they might just survive this.
Michael studied them for a long moment before nodding. “Alright. I’ll give you two a choice.”
Lia tensed. Ace did too.
