Please Save My Child - Chapter 8

‘If someone had taken a hostage like Boten’s family.’

Not everyone would make the same choice as Reina.

Some might truly harm Estelle to protect their own families.

Rather, it was surprising that Reina had been able to make such a cold, rational decision.

How much fear and uncertainty had she endured before she finally reached the conclusion to seek out the duke and beg for her daughter’s life?

It was beyond what he could even begin to imagine.

Unlike Reina, Duke Winternight had the power to protect what was his.

He could not fathom the despair of being powerless, forced to beg others for help.

He recalled Reina’s face, twisted with guilt, as she pleaded for her daughter’s life, confessing her wrongdoing like a sinner seeking absolution.

‘Just what does she think of me?’

He had a reputation as a cold-blooded villain, but even so, it wasn’t as if he could kill an innocent child without feeling anything.

The duke knew of Bonita.

And through her, he often saw Estelle’s reflection.

If that small child were to die in Estelle’s place…

He would spend the rest of his life haunted by ghosts.

If anything happened to Bonita—

‘I don’t even want to imagine it.’

Frowning, the duke summoned the butler.

It was time to establish a system that could protect those around Estelle as well.

It left a bitter taste in his mouth, but the fact remained—Estelle cared for Reina more than she cared for him.

And as much as Estelle cherished Reina, both Reina and Bonita had now become his weaknesses.

‘That’s why.’

The image of Reina weeping as she begged for her daughter’s life refused to fade from his mind.

But the duke shook his head and quietly left.

That was the extent of their relationship, nothing more.

***

In the empty office, Reina finally managed to rein in her emotions and lift her head.

The setting sun had painted the entire room in hues of crimson and gold.

Realizing she could no longer remain there, she stood up and opened the door—

Only to find a small girl standing outside.

“Reina? Were you crying?”

It was Estelle.

Two knights stood behind her, their expressions unreadable.

Judging by their demeanor, they had already been briefed on what had happened.

“A-ah, no. It’s nothing.”

Reina quickly shook her head.

She didn’t want this child, who knew nothing, to learn the truth.

But Estelle still wore a worried expression.

“What brings you here, Miss?”

“Oh, I wanted to ask the duke for a favor.”

“…His Grace has stepped out of his office for now.”

“I see…”

‘A favor?’

In the fragments of the novel Reina recalled, there had been no mention of this.

Perhaps she had taken Estelle away before such a scene could occur.

Just the thought that she might have kidnapped Estelle made her chest ache.

Reina had always maintained a kind demeanor in front of Estelle.

And now was no different.

But wearing a warm smile while her tear-streaked eyes were still red only evoked sympathy and sorrow from others.

Even though Estelle was just eight years old, she could still sense the depth of Reina’s concealed grief.

Without a word, Estelle reached out and tugged at the hem of Reina’s dress.

The knights stiffened, wary of any sudden movements from Reina.

“Reina. Reina.”

When Estelle called her name so earnestly, Reina knelt to meet her gaze.

As always, she treated Estelle with gentle affection.

Estelle simply looked at her, eyes searching.

“Miss?”

Then, she softly pulled Reina into an embrace.

“You always smell nice, Reina. Maybe because you’re a good person. Everything will be okay.”

“…What?”

“Reina, it’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

Estelle kept repeating those words, even though she didn’t know what had happened.

The fragile child in her arms was so warm.

They say children have higher body temperatures than adults.

“You know, Reina… My mother was part of a group called the Phineque, right? And they say the Phineque have the power of sorcery. Even though I’m not fully Phineque.”

“……”

“And some Phineque can see the future. So, it’s going to be okay. Because I’ll definitely be able to see it.”

No matter what Reina was afraid of, the child whispered that everything would be fine.

To be Phineque was a mark of disgrace in the empire.

They were persecuted, tormented, simply for who they were.

Until Estelle had been recognized as a Winternight, she must have endured the same.

For her, being Phineque was a painful wound—a curse that shackled her to the past.

And yet, she had brought up that very name, the name of her suffering, just to comfort Reina.

“So it’s going to be okay. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve definitely seen a future where you’re smiling, Reina.”

Estelle loved Reina that much.

“…Yes.”

And Reina felt crushed beneath the weight of this small child’s unconditional love.

My child was kidnapped instead of you.

Such a cruel truth would never be spoken from Reina’s lips.

Because as she looked at Estelle, she saw Bonita’s face overlapping with hers.

No, no matter what, a child should never become the target of resentment.

To Estelle, Reina was the first kind woman in her life.

At least, as far as Estelle could remember.

“Surely, the gods wouldn’t torment someone as kind as you, Reina. The gods are merciful, right?”

Reina couldn’t bring herself to answer.

She had never thought of herself as a kind person.

If she hadn’t known the future, she would have kidnapped Estelle.

She would have taken her and done whatever it took to save Bonita.

Reina was truly a wretched adult.

And in the end, she found herself leaning into the warmth of this child’s embrace, tears spilling once again.

***

“……”

At some point, Reina had collapsed.

When she came to, she was lying in bed.

Instead of Estelle, it was the maids she was friendly with who were watching over her with worried expressions.

“You’re awake, Reina! We were so shocked when you suddenly fainted…”

“I knew you’d been losing weight lately, but I didn’t expect you to collapse like this.”

“Is it because of Boni? It’ll be okay—the Winternight’s First Knight Order has already been dispatched.”

“……”

Reina barely managed to sit up.

All of them were anxiously watching her, until one of them brought over a cup of water.

Even now, Reina’s expression seemed as though, if anything were to happen to Bonita, she would completely lose herself.

“Reina… Don’t do anything reckless, okay?”

“That’s right. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“……”

For a long time, Reina remained silent before finally parting her lips.

“…I…”

“…Yes?”

Bonita was a mature and composed child.

“…I’m a terrible mother.”

Bonita hadn’t disliked fancy dresses.

Back in their old, crumbling hut, whenever stories of princesses were told, her eyes would always sparkle with fascination.

In the fairy tales Reina vaguely remembered from Eugene’s memories, Bonita had always loved the scenes that featured beautiful dresses.

She hadn’t disliked sweets either.

It was just…

“Reina, what are you saying? There’s no better mother than you.”

“That’s right. Boni loves you so much…”

“Hhic…”

Bonita had simply been watching Reina’s every move.

There is no such thing as a child who is mature without reason.

If a child is too mature, it’s because the world has forced them to be.

Bonita had grown up suppressing her wants—choosing the cheapest things, prioritizing meals over snacks—so that Reina wouldn’t struggle.

Extreme poverty had caged her in, forcing her to shrink herself.

And the realization of that broke Reina’s heart.

“…I knew.”

She had always known.

She had seen how much Bonita had loved the taste of honey bread, licking her fingers clean after eating it.

She had noticed that Bonita had actually preferred the white dress embroidered with gold thread in the shop window, rather than the simple green one she had chosen.

She had known that Bonita had wanted more pudding, but had held back because she was afraid that if Reina found out, she would buy sweets for her every week.

Reina had noticed all of it.

And yet, she had felt relieved.

Relieved that Bonita had never openly voiced her desires.

Relieved that their financial situation was finally stabilizing.

She was a selfish adult.

A terrible mother.

And now, she couldn’t even remember what kind of expression Bonita had worn when she had greeted her that morning.

She had relied on Bonita’s maturity.

She had ignored the things Bonita wanted, telling herself that if they just endured a little longer, better days would come.

She had turned a blind eye, over and over again—only to regret it now.

Because in Eugene’s memories, Bonita’s future had never been revealed.

This uncertainty about what lay ahead—this overwhelming fear of the unknown—terrified her.

If she had betrayed Estelle, then at least Bonita might have survived.

Perhaps the duke would have pitied her and sent her off to another country, sparing her life.

Had she made the wrong choice?

“…Reina, you haven’t eaten anything today! If you keep crying like this, you’ll collapse again.”

“Y-yeah! Boni will be back soon too…”

The maids had already heard too much of Reina’s crying.

And now, watching her burst into tears again the moment she woke up, they exchanged uneasy glances.

At that moment, someone came running and flung the door open.