Chapter 7
Noah’s mother, Julia Ashford, was peculiar in more ways than one.
“Noah, the fact that you’re Mr. White’s son is undeniable. No one can ever change that.”
Perhaps that fact was important to every mistress who bore an illegitimate child. But Julia Ashford was obsessed with it.
After Mr. White died, she desperately moved from one man to another. She sought someone to settle down with but failed time and again.
“You need to be protected under the wing of a strong man.”
Was it because the Wifland family didn’t acknowledge illegitimate children? Or because she feared the Whites?
Whatever the reason, Noah was left feeling lonely in an empty home because of a mother who was always out chasing men.
She had warmth, but not in the shape of proper love. That’s the best way to describe Julia Ashford’s version of motherhood.
Noah spent the entire night thinking about Scarlett.
He compared their lives—Scarlett, who was raised by her siblings after her parents died, and himself, who had a living mother but was neglected. Which of them had it worse? He also daydreamed vaguely about what the future might look like.
After another sleepless night, morning came. Noah ate the dry bread and milk someone had left at his door.
When it was time to head to Iodes, Scarlett came to find him.
“Your clothes are pathetic, no matter how many times I see them.”
“Sorry.”
“After class, we’re getting you new ones. You carry the White name—even by association—so I can’t stand you looking like that. And Mary, make sure the others watch their mouths.”
“Don’t worry. Have a good day.”
The carriage arrived at the front door. Scarlett climbed in first, proudly, and Noah followed, sitting across from her.
As the carriage rolled forward and the mansion faded into the distance, she finally spoke.
“What kind of man was your father?”
“He was a good person.”
“How? In what way? Or was he only good to you?”
“That could be true. But one thing’s certain—Mr. White was… very kind.”
“Hmph. Too kind for his own good. Kind enough to cheat on his wife.”
Scarlett snorted. Noah tried to remember how old she was. They were only a year apart.
Noah had taken her father, and she was the one who’d lost him. Of course, Mr. White had been Noah’s father too, but their births couldn’t have been more different.
“When I was little, I thought John—the oldest—was my father. He was a father figure, just like Aaron and even Scott. But I don’t know how close any of them came to being the real thing. I’ve never even really seen my father properly.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I don’t know what to say. My memories of Mr. White are hazy too.”
“Are you trying to say this situation wasn’t your doing? You know what, never mind. Don’t answer. I’m tired—I need sleep.”
Scarlett crossed her arms and sank deep into the carriage seat. Noah stayed silent, alternating between watching her and the window.
Maybe her half-brothers pitied her as much as he felt guilty.
Understanding that deep, complex emotion, he acted according to her wishes—not out of obligation, but because of the original sin of simply being born.
Noah recalled the servants’ complaints he had overheard in the corridor the day before.
“I heard the rumors, but she’s completely out of her mind.”
“Shh. Quiet. We’re not supposed to talk about what goes on in this house. That’s why the pay is triple.”
“Even if she’s dying, this is too much. Who can put up with her temper? Every word out of her mouth is a barb.”
“Honestly, looking at Scarlett White, I think I’d rather be a healthy pauper than a dying rich girl.”
They pitied her, mocked her, and used her as a mirror to comfort themselves. That was… pathetic. And maybe Noah pitied her too, more than he realized.
“…No…”
Scarlett murmured in her sleep. She looked distressed, as if trapped in a nightmare. That was when Noah finally understood what she meant when she said he’d know once she fell asleep.
Just as he reached out to wake her, the carriage came to a stop. They had arrived at Iodes. Scarlett opened her eyes reflexively, clutching her chest in panic as she looked around.
“Get out.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll take care of myself.”
Noah had no choice but to get out of the carriage alone.
He headed for the economics building by himself. When he entered the lecture hall, the students clustered by the windows turned to stare. Edwin whistled and called out:
“You rode in with the White carriage!”
“It’s not what you think.”
“It’s exactly what I think. We’ve all got eyes.”
Edwin praised Noah’s looks, saying he knew he’d stir something up eventually. Someone else asked if Noah had played the role of a helper just to get close to her.
The teasing stopped only when Noah warned them seriously.
“Cut it out. Linking me to the Whites is a huge insult.”
“By the way, Grisham—someone’s looking for you at the school gates.”
“Who?”
“No idea. Didn’t look like someone you’d want to know. Be careful.”
Damn it.
Noah’s mother may have loved him in a twisted way, but she would risk everything to ensure his safety. It seemed their visit to her home last time had left a trace.
But maybe this was inevitable. Throughout the lecture, Noah thought of ways to deal with the situation.
Yet when class ended, everything unraveled. As he was walking to another room, a familiar voice called out:
“Theo Grisham.”
It was the moneylenders—men with mustaches and scars across their faces.
“Well, well. I had a feeling, and I was right.”
“You’re alive after all.”
After Mr. White’s death, Julia Ashford became obsessed with the idea that his legitimate children would try to kill them. She filled her home with expensive magical security devices from Natalia, the kingdom of magic. Sometimes, she even made risky investments.
They always failed. Those investments became debt. She sold everything she owned, but interest from loan sharks was merciless.
“You ungrateful brat. If you were alive, you should’ve contacted us.”
They lightly smacked Noah and kept talking.
“We almost went to your dumb mother. You know how useless she is.”
“…”
“Say something, Theo—or should I say Mr. Grisham now? Heh.”
“G-Grisham… who are these people?”
“Just someone I know. Edwin, you go ahead.”
Noah was grateful Scarlett had gone to the infirmary, claiming she didn’t feel well.
“Come with us.”
He led the loan sharks behind the school. As soon as they reached a quiet spot, one grabbed him by the collar.
“You’ve grown, haven’t you? Your mom’s so useless, we never got a cent from her. We nearly wrote this off as a loss.”
“You went to her after what you did to me?”
“Of course. Do you know how much debt you two racked up?”
“Debt? Don’t make me laugh. There’s nothing left to pay. No reason to, and no money either. Now get lost.”
Noah’s voice turned harsh. The man shoved him against the wall, pressing down on his throat.
“Maybe you need to die to learn your place. Wanna die, punk? Go sell your worthless body and bring us the money.”
“Philip, tell it like it is. You could disappear one day and wake up sold off as a slave.”
“You already did that. How much did you make off selling me? That should’ve covered the debt and the interest.”
Shoving the man away, Noah snapped. He couldn’t hide how angry he still was about having been sold. The loan sharks cackled at his fury.
“Like selling a brat like you would make a dent. Useless mother, useless son. Can’t get through to either of you.”
“I paid off the principal ages ago, you scum. If you’re so upset, sue me.”
“You little—!”
The man punched Noah in the gut. Noah doubled over, clutching his stomach.
“Keep acting up and it’s going to get a lot worse.”
Noah grabbed the man’s arm and gritted his teeth.
“Let’s try it then. Which is the bigger crime—selling someone into slavery or faking an identity?”
“You little psycho!”
A punch landed squarely on Noah’s face. Blood flew from his mouth as he spat on the ground.
In the direction his head had turned, he saw Scarlett. His eyes widened, but he quickly looked away as if he hadn’t seen her.
“…Damn it.”
Noah cursed, seeming like a completely different person from the obedient boy Scarlett usually saw. There was no guilt, no fake humility—just unfiltered rage and humiliation.
Scarlett, having heard rumors that Noah was meeting shady people, had come looking for him. She stood at a distance, watching him get beaten up.
Just then, Wilhelm arrived—he had come to find Scarlett during their break and stumbled upon the scene.
“That’s enough. Stop it!”
“Step aside, rich boy.”
“Stay out of it, Hoffman. This is my problem.”
“You heard him, rich boy. Our debtor wants to handle this himself.”
Something in Scarlett’s gaze seemed to provoke Noah. Maybe it was her indifference. His pride burned. He bit down hard.
Why am I living such a pathetic life? This wasn’t the life he wanted. And that made it unbearable.
“Let’s see what happens. I can take a leave of absence, but scum like you—”
Noah laughed. It was the laughter of someone crushed by life, edged with madness.
“You want to be sold off as a lab rat in Natalia? Huh?”
“Do it, you bastards.”
His voice was cold and lifeless, like the air over a grave. A shiver ran up Philip’s spine. Hoffman shouted.
“Grisham!”
“I’ve got nothing left to lose—”
“I’ll buy the debt.”
Scarlett stepped between them. She looked neither shocked nor amused.
Calmly, she took off her ring and threw it at the loan sharks. One caught it midair.
“That’s the deposit.”
“So you’ve got a rich girl wrapped around your finger now?”
“Shut your filthy mouth. What’s the total?”
She pulled out her wallet and threw a stack of checks at their faces. The bills fluttered down like flower petals.
When the inside of his cheek split, Noah tasted blood. It was bitter. It tasted like the essence of the world.
Eat or be eaten. Kill or be killed. A savage world.
And in that savage world, he was at the very bottom.
Even someone at the bottom has pride—and Noah had more than most.
“This has nothing to do with you—”
“Shut up, Noah Ashford.”
Scarlett glared at the loan sharks.
“I’ve cleared Noah Ashford’s debt. Bring me the documents, you filthy bastards.”
The men hesitated, then glanced at the amount on the checks. Realizing how much they’d just made, they quickly gathered the money, smirking.
Scarlett looked thoroughly disgusted just being in the same space as them.
“Tch.”
“Our debtor sure has a good friend.”
One of them tossed a crumpled paper into Noah’s chest.
“Thank you for your business. Come back any time if you need a loan.”
They laughed as they walked away. As soon as they were gone, Scarlett slapped Noah across the face.
Smack.
Wilhelm jumped in shock, his eyes wide.
“Is this the best you can do? I had to talk to those kinds of people because of you?”
“…”
Noah kept his eyes on the ground, lips stubbornly sealed. He looked not just humiliated—he looked crushed.
“First… let’s go somewhere else and talk.”
Wilhelm suggested. They found an empty classroom, and he said,
“I’ll get you something to eat. You two… talk things out. Yeah. That sounds best.”
He too had heard the stories about the Ashfords—rumors that flared up when Scarlett arrived at Iodes.
As soon as Wilhelm left, Scarlett broke the silence.
“Is that all of your debt? If there’s more, tell me.”
