Rosalia — POV
I noticed that children weren't that afraid of Cassel, perhaps because, as he knelt, he sounded calm and harmless instead of the terrifying force I had seen before.
But before the children could speak and answer Cassel's question, the man sneered from the side.
"Sir Cassel, why do you concern yourself with these brats? They're merely illegitimate children, as that fool of a man decreed."
At his words, the three children trembled violently, but one child stood apart, his eyes burning with nothing but pure, searing hatred.
Despite the older girl's feeble attempt to hold him back, the child stepped forward and confronted the wanderer. "We are not… we are not illegitimate children."
The wanderer seemed utterly indifferent, bullying a child no older than ten. He stared at him with sheer disgust, his voice sharp and biting. "What? Am I wrong? Your father never married your mother, so naturally, you are illegitimate. Otherwise… what else should I call you?"
