Please Save My Child - Chapter 12

“…That crawler donut, did you buy it separately?”

“Pardon? Oh, the crawler donut? Yes, I bought it yesterday when I went out.”

The duke’s gaze was fixed on the bag of crawler donuts still in Reina’s hand and the way she steadily held Bonita in her arms.

Despite looking elsewhere, he walked forward with steady, unhesitating strides, never faltering or misstepping—a rather fascinating sight.

“The child…”

“Yes?”

“Is the child not heavy?”

“…Ah.”

Bonita was an eight-year-old child. Though she had not grown much due to past malnutrition, she was not so small that Reina could effortlessly carry her.

Reina shook her head and smiled. “I used to haul water frequently, so I’m fine. About the weight of two buckets?”

“……”

For some reason, the duke’s expression grew noticeably serious. He muttered under his breath.

“…Buckets of water…”

“……?”

Had she said something wrong? Reina glanced at the duke in confusion, but he said nothing further.

As an employee, it was not her place to speak unless her employer permitted it, so she held her tongue.

‘Is he upset?’

Was he angry about being kept waiting?

More than that—why was the duke personally guiding her?

Reina’s mind spun frantically. It was difficult to make sense of such an unexpected situation.

While Reina was preoccupied with the mystery of why the duke was personally leading her, he was lost in thought about something entirely different.

‘…Buckets of water.’

Damian pondered the meaning of carrying two buckets of water.

What need is there to carry water?

Damian Winternight had been born into a golden cradle.

Though he had felt emotional burdens, he had never been physically oppressed.

In other words, he had never experienced a situation where he needed to fetch water.

Excluding his missions, he had never lived outside of luxury.

But Reina had.

Not just one bucket—but two.

If Reina had mentioned that these buckets were several times larger than the basins maids used for mopping, the duke’s expression would have grown even darker.

Fortunately, Reina didn’t elaborate.

Finding it curious how someone so thin could easily lift a child, the duke occasionally glanced at Reina.

He had carried Estelle a few times, but she had always seemed uncomfortable when he did.

‘Come to think of it, Estelle always clung to Reina Boten with ease.’

Was there some secret technique to carrying children?

With his usual solemn expression, the duke fell into deep contemplation.

As they both suffered headaches over entirely different concerns, only Bonita, nibbling peacefully on her donut, remained calm.

“I debated for a long time.”

“…Excuse me?”

“About your reward.”

“…Ah! Th-thank you…?”

Reina, uneasy, tightened her hold on Bonita.

To her, she had done nothing worthy of a reward, so just hearing the word made her anxious.

“There was even talk of offering you ten billion Theon.”

“……?”

Ten billion Theon wasn’t the name of some family pet.

Reina had never even touched one billion Theon, let alone ten.

She gasped, inhaling sharply.

The thoughts of the wealthy and noble were beyond the comprehension of someone like Reina, who had been born a poor commoner.

“But I judged that giving you that much money all at once would be too dangerous.”

“I see…”

“So first, I will help you gain the strength to protect that money.”

The duke opened the large glass doors leading to the balcony and stepped outside.

Reina hesitated, glancing at the attendants standing by the door, but only moved after the duke motioned for her to follow.

“…Gasp.”

At that moment, Reina finally understood that the phrase ‘so shocked she forgot to breathe’ was not an exaggeration.

In the vast gardens of the ducal estate, all the household staff stood in orderly formation.

Reina had never even imagined such a sight, let alone experienced it in a dream. She had no idea how to react.

But apparently, Reina was the only one taken aback.

Even Bonita, who might have shared in her shock, still seemed half-asleep.

A maid behind Reina lifted Bonita into her arms. Though Bonita mumbled in protest, unwilling to leave Reina, she quickly relaxed when comforted.

Now, the only thing Reina held was the bag containing a single crawler donut.

Hesitating, she stepped toward where the duke stood.

The duke spoke calmly, “You saved Estelle. I will properly repay that deed.”

“……”

“The people before you will learn through you—that those who remain loyal and do not betray will be greatly rewarded.”

“…Ah.”

At that moment, Reina recalled a scene from the novel.

The passage where Reina kidnapped Estelle and paid for it with her life.

‘In that case, my death served as proof of what happens to those who harm Estelle.’

Should she be happy about this? Or dislike it?

Should she be afraid…?

Reina concealed her complex emotions and looked at the scene the duke was gazing at.

“Henceforth, Reina Boten will have unrestricted access to all areas within the ducal estate, and the only people who may issue orders to her are those bearing the Winternight name and their direct subordinates.”

The first thing that surprised Reina was that the duke knew her full name.

The second shock came from the declaration he had just made.

It wasn’t just Reina who was startled—those waiting outside also exchanged astonished glances.

“A knight from the order will be selected to act as Reina Boten’s escort…”

She couldn’t even process the rest of his words.

Reina’s head spun from the sudden proclamation, and she barely managed to steady herself, forcing strength into her trembling legs to keep from collapsing.

‘So that room wasn’t the end…’

When she finally regained her senses, she found herself standing inside, clutching Bonita’s small hand, now fully awake.

“…Hah!”

“Mom?”

For a brief moment, Reina almost sighed in relief, thinking everything had been a dream.

But then she turned her head and saw the duke standing beside her—this was no dream.

“…Are you not pleased?” asked the duke.

“I—it’s an honor.”

Not pleased? Anyone else would consider this an incredible stroke of fortune.

Reina and Bonita were once again following the duke somewhere.

Living as she had, Reina never thought she would see the day when she was personally guided by the second most powerful noble in the empire.

‘How many people in history have experienced something like this?’

While the duke was leading the Boten mother and daughter, the reality was—he had never actually guided anyone before, and his manners were somewhat lacking.

With his long legs, he strode forward at a rapid pace, and before long, Reina and Bonita began lagging behind.

“…Boni, are your legs hurting?”

“No, I’m okay…”

While Reina could keep up, Bonita was still a very young and small child.

Reina worriedly glanced down at Bonita, who shook her head as if insisting she was fine.

Their conversation had been in hushed tones, yet the duke seemed to have heard it.

He suddenly halted and turned back toward them.

“…Ah!”

“……!”

Then, without warning, the duke effortlessly lifted Bonita into his arms.

Bonita let out a small yelp in surprise.

“…She’s light.”

She was slightly heavier than Estelle, but still quite small.

As he held Bonita, the duke unconsciously thought to himself, ‘So this is the weight of two buckets of water…’

“M-Master?”

The duke looked down at Bonita’s face before turning his gaze to Reina.

Their startled expressions were so identical it was as if they had been stamped from the same mold.

‘She doesn’t resemble her father, does she?’

Aside from her eye color, which differed from Reina’s, Bonita was a complete replica of her mother.

The duke stood still, observing the mother and daughter, who seemed at a loss.

It was an uncharacteristic action for him, and not one he had planned.

Before he realized it, he had already acted on impulse—something even he couldn’t fully understand.

“…The child seemed uncomfortable.”

“I—I can carry her.”

“You were carrying her earlier as well. Are your arms not tired?”

A maid receiving such consideration from the duke—it was unheard of.

Reina wanted to voice her protest, but the words got stuck in her throat, and she could only fidget anxiously.

Bonita, still in the duke’s arms, stiffened as her complexion paled.

The duke furrowed his brow slightly as he looked at her. It was out of pure concern.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“N-not at all! Hic! Not uncomfortable at all!”

Regardless of the duke’s intentions, to a child, he was more terrifying than a dragon roused from slumber.

Bonita hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands, trying to suppress the sound of her hiccups.

“……”

Come to think of it, Estelle also tensed up every time he picked her up.

“…Is it possible that I’m holding her incorrectly?”

“…Pardon?”

It was a sentence no one would have ever expected to hear from the Duke of Winternight.

“A-ah… Well…”

Reina, of course, knew from the novel that the duke adored his daughter.

However, she only remembered parts of the story, so she wasn’t certain what kind of father he was.

No matter what, she couldn’t just say, Master, your face isn’t exactly endearing to children.

Struggling with how to respond, Reina hesitated before carefully demonstrating with her arms.

“Y-you should position her like this… Support the areas that need it…”

“…I see.”

Following Reina’s calm instructions, the duke adjusted how he held Bonita.

Though she still found being in his arms a little frightening, the new position was noticeably more comfortable.

Bonita let out a small breath of relief.

“…Whew.”

“So, she’s fine now.”

Reina found herself wondering—how was she supposed to respond to So, she’s fine now?

Unable to think of an answer, she chose silence.

The duke resumed walking, though at a slower pace than before.

“Your Grace.”

The knights standing guard at the door greeted the duke.

Upon seeing Bonita in his arms, they looked slightly surprised.

“Hm.”

‘Where… is this place?’

“Open the door.”

“Yes.”

Reina had visited this place a few times while working.

When the knights opened the doors, a long table laden with food was revealed.

“Join me for a meal.”

“Hic.”

This time, the hiccup didn’t come from Bonita—it was Reina.

Damian Winternight briefly thought to himself—Even their hiccups sound exactly alike.