How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Kaden opted to stay in a small tavern with a reputation for being welcoming and warm, despite its lacking features.
In the carriage, Arlo had been wide-eyed, glittering curiosity shaped in his face that had gotten more round over the days. The mangled, bruised and bony child almost seemed to be a delusion of the past.
The boy excitedly pointed at everything—from the low hanging trees that passed outside the Academy, to the gates of the city that were towering, fit to welcome a giant inside. Kaden had indulged him, though his knowledge was limited.
Where to find the perfect fools to trick and use for crime? He could find it. Secret organizations that could find information or take illegal trades? Easy.
It wasn't exactly something to be proud of, murder was no celebration, but it suited his current tasks.
Of course, the priority of this trip was mainly Arlo's enjoyment, and to satisfy the blank slate of the child's curious mind. He wouldn't attempt anything risky while watching the child.
As they walked down the bustling streets, busy with midday business, Arlo lifted his eyes and smiled widely.
"Everything looks so clean, Kaden! There are so many people, and they all look so happy!"
They were surrounded by commoners, and the streets were still lined with filth. But the poor envied the middle class, and they envied the rich. To the child who had been submerged in the deepest filth, this was a salvation brighter than the dazzling sun.
Kaden's gaze grew far-away as he watched the little exchanges in the corners, the lovers sitting at a bench, or the sellers running around with baskets.
Indeed, a normal life like this, plain and simple, was all he desired back on the broken streets, where he starved for days. He longed to feel sated and at ease, without need to cower in the shadows and learn to grow numb to pain.
However, he had indulged in status and for a time, looked down on the poor that he once was.
A manifestation of his own hatred. He never harboured a dislike for the poor—he despised himself for how weak he was.
Now, in this second life, he felt at peace.
No longer desperate to prove himself, nor terrified of ending up on the streets again.
The time spent in solitude terrified him more than any starvation or abuse could. A life with nothing, no voices except his own. There was enough food to sustain him, a strange fullness at the odd fruits and plants that surrounded, but it was a fullness that felt empty and bleak.
Then, as he was lost in the meanderings of thought, a rumble shook the earth and stormed through the crowd. Most kept to the sides of the street that were often busy and dangerous.
In front of the roaring wheels of a luxury carriage, two children stood. Their eyes went wide in a bleak mixture of terror and surprise.
Kaden cursed under his breath, his feet moving faster than his thoughts as he sprinted across and wrapped one arm around each child. He kicked off with his leg, bundling them to his chest.
They slammed against the cobblestone, Kaden bearing the brunt of it all.
He recognized the crest on the carriage, claiming one of the richest nobles in the land. A particular man Kaden sought out.
Richard Halls.
The door to the gold-inlaid carriage creaked open as a well-dressed man peered coldly outside, disgust rampant in his stare. However, it was quickly hidden with a glaze of false sentiment.
Another noble beside Richard seethed, swinging his cane as he stepped outside.
"Are you blind?! What fools wander around the streets without mind for carriages!" The man narrowed his eyes onto the ruffled and dirty clothes on the children. "Of course, I should expect nothing more from beggars!"
Pain scabbed Kaden's back as he softly moved the children over, patting their heads once as he stood up. He cleared the dust off his clothes calmly, barely acknowledging the noble.
It only infuriated the other more. "How dare you ignore me—or my dear friend whose life you put at risk!"
"If that carriage hit those children," said Kaden in a slow drag, lifting his cold stare viscously. "Whose life would be most at risk, do you think? Or is your gold-crusted brain not able to understand that much?"
He checked for the small pouch of gold he carried, enough to indulge in Arlo's whims for their trip. Sighing in relief, he focused his attention on the nobles.
"The streets are for all to roam on. What gentleman doesn't ride through carefully, I wonder? Certainly not the dazzling man of the hour, Richard Halls?"
Richard smiled amiably, slightly startled at being recognized. "I apologize. It wasn't my intention, and the fault lies in myself. I did not expect children to be running on the streets at this time while classes are ongoing."
His words, seemingly kind and understand, held a malicious twist. Most children, of the reasonably wealthy, were able to afford a basic education.
Those who couldn't were often the ones at the bottom of society.
The looks of pity surrounding grew a little harsher, as if blaming the children for the state they were born in. Kaden's sharp green eyes flickered over dangerously, and for a second, some of the civilians thought their surroundings warped into something obscure.
Kaden's lips curved in dark amusement. "The one you should be apologizing to isn't me."
The thing that Richard Hall would despise the most is apologizing to somebody below him, having risen from poverty himself. Expectedly, the kind façade slipped into twisted disgust at the idea.
Kaden's smile grew more brilliant, more sarcastic before he slipped down his hood. Cursed pink hair that was unnatural, and feline eyes that dug into one's thoughts. In further towns, his identity was woven from rumours and gossip.
Here, in the capital, there wasn't anybody who didn't know.
There was only one man in the kingdom that satisfied those requirements.
"Well, well. It's a pity you caught me in a good mood—I'm feeling like doing a good deed. Luck is on the children's side, though it isn't on yours." laughed Kaden, a lingering chaos weaved into his voice. "It seems you recognize me? How flattering."
Richard's gaze widened slightly, while his companion immediately lowered his head. Even if Kaden, behind his back, was spoken of as a dog to the royal family, that didn't change his connections.
"Y-your highness Kaden."
"Oh, don't be so distant. I'm sure you call me wonderful nicknames in private. Shall I guess? Perhaps... the Chauvet's dog?"
The oppressive air blanketed around the nobles, suffocating them.
Kaden blinked thoughtfully. "I'm sorry though, I don't have any nicknames for you. You aren't all that spoken about, or important unfortunately."
Richard trembled, teetering between stark-white anger and rationale. He spun his head, and ground his teeth. "Children. I apologize for my rude attitude, and my lack of consideration for the passersby."
Kaden glanced over, giving a slow applause as he yawned in boredom. "It wouldn't been faster if you just said, 'I'm sorry for being such a trash human'."
"Prince. Know what lines not to cross."
"I don't see any lines—would you kindly show me them?"
How could the man dare to teach a noble—a prince, for that matter—manners or basic respect? Even if the rumours told of Kaden's low status in the castle, it was still beyond levels that Richard could reach.
He swallowed, reeling in his anger at the smiling man before him. "I will take my leave now, your highness. Thank you for your understanding."
"Oh, but... I don't remember saying I'd forgive you?"
Richard's knuckled whitened as he gripped his cane to the point of pain. "I believe you told me to apologize to the children?"
"Yes, but is that pathetic apology all you'll do? What a disgrace to your lascivious name, don't you think?"
Richard's eyes set in anger before he cleared his throat, waving at his companion who hurriedly brought out a bag of gold coins, giving them to Kaden with shaking hands.
Kaden, having robbed enough money, waved them away. "Well, goodbye then."
"If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with the Grand Duke." bowed Richard, keeping up the hopeless display of nobility.
The carriage door slammed shut before the carriage whistled away, wheels clattering against the cluttered streets without looking back.
He turned to the children, crouching down to meet their height. "Are you hurt?"
The boy took charge, furiously shaking his head. A youth, perhaps thirteen at the oldest, all skin and bones from the lack of food. But a fire burned in his brown eyes, a protective instinct.
Kaden tugged at his cloak, sliding it off his shoulders. It was a little large, but the weather wasn't entirely warm and those frail shoulders shook with cold.
He tossed it over the girl, ignoring the clear gleam in the boy's large eyes. She seemed to be the most injured, and more weak. He suspected the boy would've given the jacket to her, regardless.
The girl flinched in surprise before her short fingers slowly curled around the fabric. Lifting her chin, she frowned at the noble before her, not in the slightest letting down her caution.
"How about I grant you a wish, for showing me such an amusing sight?"
He didn't mention that he'd been the one to skid across the streets, or mutter about the scrapes that likely ran along his back.
The boy lifted his chin, determined and shameless. "I want money."
Kaden tilted his head before rummaging through his pockets, where he'd dropped the small pouch of gold given by the earlier encounter. He'd never really intended to keep it anyways—Kaden didn't like having an excess of money on hand.
Across the street, Arlo watched without moving, a strange scrutiny behind the large, blinking eyes.
The sinner handed out the bag. "Here. Go on, it was your lives that were at risk."
"...what? Really, really?" stammered the boy, accepting it quickly, greedily. There was no such thing for pride when he had somebody he needed to take care of. "Hey Mister, what do you want?"
"Me?" Kaden laughed. "Nothing you could give me."
"Still, I'm curious!"
Kaden regarded the question, contemplating seriously before remembering something he'd briefly seen in town earlier.
Pushing himself to his feet, he started to walk away as the two children glanced at each other, quickly rushing to follow behind. They chased after him, although Kaden stopped a few times along the way to wait for their small legs to catch up.
He glanced backwards at Arlo, who trailed behind at a distance, as if wanting to observe instead of running up. Such a display was unlike the innocent act the child had been portraying.
The sun was especially bright, that day. Smiling down, high in the skies in its glory. Yet the air still carried a light breeze, wisping past bare skin.
Finally, he paused in front of a small stall outside one of the buildings, a large man blowing a buff of air from where he leaned back, behind the table.
Displayed like an exhibit were a over a hundred doves in a wide prison, flocking together in a flurry of snowy white. There were other animals trapped in cages.
"A hundred an' forty of them in there." grinned the seller as Kaden approached, bragging. "Real impressive to you gaudy folk. What'd ya think?"
"Um..." whispered the little boy, tugging at her shirt. "Aren't they sad in there?"
"Are they?" replied Kaden in a soft mutter.
"Yeah, they're pretty and everything, but they look sad. There's no room for them to fly—don't birds... like to fly? I-I don't know. It's sad. They look sad."
"Then what should we do?"
"Can we free them, Mister?"
Kaden lowered his head to meet the boy's earnest stare as he ignored the flattering words of the seller. He nodded quietly, before stretching out an arm. Madness swirled in the air, wrapping around them.
A gust of wind passed, and the air plummeted into chilling cold.
The seller suddenly gasped, jumping up from his seat as he reached out into empty air, waving his arms around wildly.
Kaden's eyes were dyed in the deepest black as he stared at the scene silently.
He watched, as the seller clamored around chasing something invisible, panic rampant across his features. He 'caught' something in his arms, and ran to the cage, pulling out a key to hastily unlock it.
A warped smile curled on Kaden's lips as a flurry of white doves rushed out of the cage at once, knocking the seller to the ground. The gate to the cage swung wide.
There was a rush of white as they unleashed into the air, stumbling and desperate for the skies they almost never felt again.
In a moment, the merchant woke from his delusion in horror.
"Hey! Hey, hey you can't do that!" snapped the merchant with wide, livid eyes as one of the birds flapped their beautiful wings, unsteady in the air. He grasped out, attempting to yank at its wings but failed.
Kaden said nothing, watching as that particular dove rose to the skies eagerly, only to fall and sink under the weight of injury, somewhere cut across its skin.
He watched as it fell to the ground, wings spread helplessly, and watched when the merchant snatched it up from its hope of freedom, locking it away again.
A smaller cage, much lonelier now after seeing all their companions soar away—fulfilling the dream that it could no longer.
"Oi! What in the heavens was that madness? You—you, you're cursed! You can't just let my product escape and—"
Kaden slammed a few pieces of golden coins onto the table, silencing the other's rambling. He'd calculated—he'd still have enough to take Arlo to play.
He sneered. "Cursed? Don't blame your madness on me, dear seller."
Then, stretching out a hand as the black faded from his eyes, he flicked open the lock of the remaining bird.
It stared at him through beady, black eyes, but it didn't move. Pure feathers stained with dirt and failure, unable to fly again. Perhaps, it had given up the moment the doors of the cage closed again.
Several minutes went by before the sinner turned around, starting at Arlo, who watched with a slightly open mouth, dazed.
The girl, cropped hair and uncertain eyes, ran forward to tug on his pants, the robe hanging over her entire body. Kaden decided he should perhaps convince the 'wealthy' friends of his to tailor some clothes for these children.
Far away, a particular dragon sneezed and raised his head with a slight frown.
At the very least, something more suitable for the weather that was prone to wind. Kaden could pay them back later... he hadn't considered earning money, but it wasn't impossible.
The girl blinked, staring at the ground. "...what was it that you wanted, Mister?"
"I want," started the man slowly, gazing up at the blue that carried an illusion of wings. "Something nobody can give me. Not even god."
He turned around, meeting Arlo halfway. He observed the child for a moment, well-aware of the boy's learned darkness after living in the slums for so long. That Arlo, regardless of how he acted, couldn't fully trust him.
Not until this moment. When the child realized, belatedly, that they were one and the same.
Kaden smiled, tilting his head. "Are you satisfied with my act?"
Arlo pressed his lips together into a pout. "I didn't mean to suspect you, okay?"
With a short laugh, he ruffled the boy's head. "Aren't you obedient, answering me so quickly? Well, it's not good to keep up an act, kid. Isn't it exhausting?"
Pretending to be innocent, deceiving others for the sake of protecting oneself.
The boy nodded. "Yeah! It is."
"And do you want to spend the rest of your life exhausted?"
"No way, that sounds terrible!" exclaimed Arlo in protest, furiously shaking his head at the idea. He'd been focused on meeting Kaden's expectations in order to not be cast back down to the slums, without realizing he'd already been seen through.
"Good. Though keep in mind, I'm not a good person, kid. Don't pretend to be obedient, and remember to stay alert."
"Mn... okay!"
Kaden nodded, and turned back to the other two children he'd saved. He bowed slightly, before turning around and disappearing into the crowd with Arlo.
The eldest boy didn't look away, until their saviour had fully faded from sight.
He glanced back, but his sister had approached the open cage, reaching out her small hands to the still bird before softly scooping it out. The merchant didn't stop them; he'd already been paid.
She petted the soft feathers, and a faint smile appeared on her dirt-covered lips.
Even if it could no longer fly, it could still run under the free skies.