Please Save My Child - Chapter 17

What could have happened in the middle of the night for the child to be sobbing like that?

Just as the duke was about to approach, Estelle, clutching her pillow, stepped out into the hallway.

Still unaware of her father’s presence, the child sniffled as she walked toward a certain room.

“……”

He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up into his arms right then and there, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Unless Estelle sought him out first, meeting her like this in the middle of the night might only frighten her at the sight of his face.

Worried she might trip or lose her way, he followed her in silence from a few steps behind.

The place Estelle arrived at was the room where Reina and Bonita were staying. Thanks to the duke arranging Reina’s room close to Estelle’s, the child didn’t have to walk far.

“Reinaaa…”

With her voice thick with tears, the child called out to Reina.

“Miss?”

Perhaps she had been asleep, as Reina’s voice was husky when she responded to Estelle.

Confirming that Reina was awake, Estelle sniffled and trudged toward the bed where she was.

“Miss, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“N-no…”

“Then, did you have a bad dream?”

The duke listened in on their conversation through the crack in the door.

He knew it was improper to eavesdrop, but he found himself unable to walk away.

“…So, um… the teachers… and the kids…”

“I see, so you woke up startled?”

“…Yeah.”

Reina didn’t press Estelle for details about her dream.

Instead, she patted an empty space on the wide bed.

“Shall we sleep together?”

“…Can I?”

“Of course.”

When Reina nodded and smiled without hesitation, Estelle, still hugging her pillow, crawled onto the bed.

“I’ll chase away all the scary dreams.”

“Can you really do that?”

“Of course. It’s actually a secret, but I’m a magician.”

“……!”

Naturally, Reina had no magical abilities.

She had only said it to comfort the child.

Believing Reina’s kindhearted lie, Estelle responded in awe.

Reina gently soothed Estelle, speaking softly so as not to wake Bonita, and eventually lulled her back to sleep.

A long while later, once Estelle had quieted and seemed to be asleep, the duke finally turned to leave.

But just as he was about to take a step—

“…Master?”

“……”

Reina stepped out of the room, calling out to him.

He was startled that she had noticed him despite how silently he had concealed his presence.

“…How did you know?”

“…I just had a feeling you were there.”

Reina, too, had not been certain but had spoken on impulse. She smiled awkwardly.

Gesturing toward the inside of the room, she asked, “Would you like to see the young lady while she sleeps?”

“……”

“She looks absolutely adorable.”

“…I’ll take a look.”

Just as Reina had said, Estelle, fast asleep, looked like an angel descended from the heavens.

To most people, her stark white hair might have seemed eerie, but at this moment, it looked like the finest silk spun from the fluffiest clouds.

“…She doesn’t seem to be having a bad dream now.”

A short while ago, she had been crying, yet now she was sleeping so deeply that she wouldn’t notice even if someone carried her away.

Gazing at the sleeping children, Reina whispered to the duke, “It seems she still feels unsettled and has nightmares from time to time.”

“…Is she okay here because of the magician who drives away bad dreams?”

“……”

Realizing that the Duke of Winternight had overheard everything, Reina’s face grew hot.

Fortunately, the room was dim, concealing the flush of her embarrassment.

And in the darkness, the gentle smile that briefly crossed the duke’s face faded away unseen.

***

Recently, not only the nobility but even the imperial family had taken an interest in a particular woman.

Reina Boten.

She had been publicly recognized as the benefactor of Estelle Winternight, the only daughter and heir of House Winternight.

In response, the duke had declared that he would protect and support Reina Boten.

Many people were curious about whether this was true or just a ploy, but obtaining information about her was no easy task.

As a result, all sorts of baseless rumors began to spread.

Some claimed she was a princess who had fled from another kingdom.

Others whispered that she was actually a former assassin.

There were even rumors that she was a soldier or knight who had miraculously survived a war.

However, while such absurd speculations swirled, Reina herself was simply helping a fellow maid hang laundry in the peaceful ducal estate.

Sophia, the maid working alongside her, commented, “Reina, you don’t have to do this kind of work anymore.”

“It’s fine. I have some free time right now.”

The weather had grown colder, and their breath formed little puffs of white as they spoke.

As the chill settled in, Reina was reminded of that fateful winter day.

“…Is the young lady taking a nap?”

“Yes, it seems she’s been having trouble sleeping lately.”

“Sigh… Our poor young lady. Just how many awful things must she have gone through…”

“……”

“You two! Stop chatting and focus on your work!”

As the two whispered quietly, a maid suddenly shouted at them.

It was Anne-Marie, who had been working in this mansion for at least eight years.

“…Ah, I’m sorry.”

Anne-Marie had been born as the daughter of a count’s maid and had been raised to serve nobility her entire life.

After years of hard work, she had finally secured her current position. Meanwhile, Reina had gained employment simply because she had caught the duke’s eye and had been given the honorable role of caring for Estelle just because Estelle liked her.

Reina understood why Anne-Marie treated her so coldly.

“Anne-Marie is really mean…”

“Haha, I’m just inexperienced.”

When Reina simply laughed it off, Sophia scolded her, asking how she could be so spineless.

But Reina didn’t particularly dislike Sophia’s nagging, so she just smiled again.

“More importantly, the Star’s Birth Festival is coming up soon. What are your plans?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking a lot about it.”

Until now, she had never celebrated the Star’s Birth Festival with much enthusiasm.

At most, she had bought cheap snacks or discounted food to share with Bonita.

“Would it be too plain if I made pancakes again this year…?”

“You made pancakes for the Star’s Birth Festival before?”

“Mm… I think I did twice.”

When Bonita was six and seven years old.

She remembered making them again the second year because Bonita had loved them so much the first time.

“I think it’s because pancakes were the tastiest food she had back then.”

But the pancakes she had made were nothing like the fancy ones others might imagine.

Syrup had been too expensive to buy, so she had scraped out the last bits of jam she had been saving and spread it over the pancakes, eating them with the cheapest butter she could afford.

Reina had spoken without much thought, but Sophia was already looking at her with pity.

“I knew you had a tough life, but… I didn’t realize it was that bad…”

“Huh? It wasn’t that bad.”

“No, Reina, you don’t have to hide it… It’s okay, from now on, I’ll do better for you…”

“No, really… I never thought my life was that miserable…”

There were times when she hadn’t been happy, but it had never been bad enough to make her cry.

She had Bonita, and while not often, there had been times when delicious food was placed on their table.

It had been difficult, but she had never thought of herself as so wretched that others should pity her.

Yet, with Sophia looking at her so sorrowfully, Reina suddenly felt as if she had lived a miserable life.

“Reina.”

At that moment, a gentle voice called out as someone pushed aside the fluttering laundry.

“Sir Dean?”

“Oh my, Sir Dean Peronte! What brings you here?”

With his warm brown hair, reminiscent of a golden wheat field, and his light violet eyes, Dean was a man whose appearance exuded friendliness.

Without a doubt, the most handsome man in the mansion was the Duke of Winternight.

But the one who had stolen the hearts of many women was the always-kind Dean Peronte.

However, among the maids, there was only one person who addressed him by name—Reina Boten.

Likewise, Dean was the only man who called her just Reina instead of Boten.

Because of this, many people had once speculated about their relationship.

But the moment they learned that Reina was a mother with a child, those suspicions quickly faded.

Sophia blushed as she looked at Dean’s bright, sunlit smile.

Perhaps Reina was the only woman in the mansion who didn’t turn red when looking at him.

“I wanted to ask what you are planning to do for the Star’s Birth Festival.”

“…Huh?”

Still holding an empty laundry basket, Reina blinked in confusion at his unexpected question.

Dean had casually asked, smiling warmly, but after a moment, he realized how his words could be misinterpreted.

“Ah, no! I wasn’t asking you out on a date or anything!”

“…Oh…? Okay…”

“I—I meant, you mentioned before that you promised Bonita you’d take her to see the traveling theater performance, right…?”

“……!”

“Recently, you’ve seemed so busy that I wondered if you might have forgotten.”

At Dean’s words, an image of Bonita, her eyes sparkling with interest in the theater troupe, flashed through Reina’s mind.

It was only then that she remembered the promise she had completely forgotten.

A bright smile immediately spread across her face.

“Thank you. I was just worrying that I couldn’t let this year end with just pancakes again. I nearly forgot the promise I made with my child.”

“No, I—”

“Then, I should go ask Bonita right away. I just finished hanging the laundry, so the timing is perfect. Sophia, will you be okay handling the baskets on your own?”

“Of course! This was originally Becky’s and my job, anyway.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help until the end.”

Handing the empty basket to Sophia, Reina quickly headed to the room where Bonita was waiting.

Dean watched her disappear into the distance, lingering for a long moment, as if reluctant to see her go.