Please Save My Child - Chapter 9

***

“Ugh…”

The duke, his expression unreadable, crushed the groaning man beneath his boot.

The narrow room was drenched in blood, yet not a single drop stained him.

He wiped his sword clean and turned to the knight behind him.

“Did you get the information?”

There was no emotion in the duke’s voice.

No, if anything, the lack of inflection was a sign of his fury.

Under the weight of his silent rage, even his knights instinctively shrank back.

“Yes, my lord. He just confessed the child’s location.”

“I see.”

The duke looked coldly at the mercenary sprawled beneath him and kicked him aside.

“Then take care of what remains.”

“Yes.”

He once again checked himself for any traces of blood.

If the child was awake, she might be frightened at the sight.

“It could be a trap.”

One of the elite knights whispered cautiously.

“Of course.”

They had arrived at the location Reina had provided, but there wasn’t even a shadow of a child.

What they found instead were mercenaries, gathered in a small, decrepit house, wielding grotesque weapons.

The moment the duke saw them, he realized they had never intended to return Bonita in the first place.

‘Disgusting.’

He had never expected child kidnappers to be honorable.

But to mock a desperate parent’s plea for their child’s life—he found it repulsive.

Normally, he would have tortured them for every scrap of information before disposing of them.

‘This isn’t like me.’

Yet the moment he realized they had planned to deceive Reina, he had launched an attack before even issuing an order to his knights.

“My lord, please compose yourself next time.”

“Are you giving me orders now?”

“…It is merely the plea of a loyal vassal.”

It had taken only a few minutes.

That was all it took for every mercenary in the house to be wiped out.

‘As expected of a swordmaster.’

The knight commander watched the duke, whose presence alone radiated a chilling aura.

Even though he had sworn loyalty to him, at moments like this, he felt as if he were standing before a monster.

“How long will it take to get there?”

“I-it should take about thirty minutes.”

“If we hurry, we can make it in ten. Move out.”

“Yes, my lord.”

It was an order bordering on the impossible.

A journey that would take thirty minutes on horseback—cutting that time down to ten would require an inhuman pace.

The knights were already exhausted from rushing to this location.

Even so, the duke did not slow down.

‘She had better not be injured.’

Otherwise, he would not be able to face Reina Boten.

Spurring his horse forward, he soon spotted a small mansion.

“A villa?”

“It appears to belong to Baron Testoa.”

“Testoa…”

Baron Testoa was someone the duke had occasionally encountered.

“Would he have any reason to resort to such threats?”

The Duke of Winternight had many enemies, and he kept a close watch on those who might become adversaries.

Baron Testoa had been granted his title about twenty years ago.

He had never aligned himself with the imperial faction, the noble faction, or any political group.

His only notable asset was a vast orchard, and he had no ties to the political world.

‘Then someone else must be behind this.’

There was a hidden force operating from the shadows.

Since Testoa had little contact with other nobles, there wasn’t much information available on him.

“Regardless, after this, his name will be erased from the noble register.”

“……”

“No one who dares lay a hand on Winternight should expect to live.”

The duke gazed coldly at the towering mansion before him.

To others, it was an imposing estate, but to him, it looked pitifully small.

“Knights, move in.”

“Yes!”

***

“Reina…!!! The knights are back!”

“……!!”

“They’re in the garden, with Boni… Reina!”

Before the sentence was even finished, Reina dashed out barefoot.

Her colleagues shouted after her, trying to stop her.

Her usually neat pink hair became a tangled mess as she sprinted frantically.

She had always scolded Bonita, warning her not to walk around barefoot in case she got hurt.

But now, Reina was running barefoot across the cold ground without hesitation.

“Boni…!!!!”

The garden was dimly lit beneath the night sky, and knights stood gathered around.

She could feel their eyes turn toward her in surprise at the sudden, desperate scream.

But Reina didn’t stop.

She ran straight toward Bonita.

Wrapped in a large blanket, Bonita was cradled in the duke’s arms.

“…Ah…”

“M-Mom.”

Reina completely forgot to greet the duke.

Her trembling hands reached out for Bonita’s cheek.

Was this real?

Was she imagining things?

Was she about to wake up to the devastating reality of a lifeless body?

The thought terrified her.

However, the child’s cheek was just as soft and warm as it had been when Reina secretly caressed it the night before as she slept.

“Thank you… Thank you.”

“Uh, Mom…”

At some point, Bonita had been transferred from the duke’s arms to Reina’s embrace. In a flustered voice, she kept apologizing.

“I-I’m sorry… I said I would stay in my room today… But the knights’ training looked so cool… So…”

“Boni.”

Bonita had been apologizing frantically, but Reina’s words cut her off.

Everything was over now, yet Bonita’s eyes were still filled with fear.

“…Mom, so… I…”

“Are you okay?”

“…Huh?”

“Were you scared? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Bonita hadn’t expected such questions. She blinked her big eyes in surprise before hesitantly nodding.

Only then did Reina manage to smile.

With her tear-streaked face, the way her lips curved into a smile looked somewhat ridiculous.

“Thank you for staying alive.”

“……”

“Thank you for coming back to me.”

***

A few days had passed since the kidnapping incident.

Bonita sat calmly on the bed, watching Reina prepare to go out.

It was a sight she saw every morning, but today was different—Reina was wearing casual clothes.

“Mom, aren’t you going to work today?”

“No.”

Thanks to the duke’s consideration, Reina had been given a full day off.

At the unexpected news of a day together with her mother, Bonita looked pleased but also a little puzzled.

“Today, Boni and Mom are going to the city. We’ll have a delicious meal, eat some desserts~ and buy clothes.”

“Clothes? What kind of clothes?”

“Clothes to wear before the Star’s Birth Festival. It gets really cold after that, doesn’t it? Once winter comes, we won’t be able to go on outings.”

“But I have the light green dress.”

“…Boni.”

“……”

When Reina called her name and looked at her, Bonita avoided her gaze.

Reina sat gently beside her and spoke, “Boni, let’s say that next year, you don’t grow much, and you don’t need to buy a new dress. Would you still not get one?”

Bonita pondered the question for a moment before nodding.

“I see. But next year, I have so many things I want to do with you. I want to take you to the spring festival, visit a seaside village… In autumn, I want to go to the autumn festival, and in winter, I want to celebrate the Star’s Birth Festival with you. But if you keep wearing the same light green dress, I wonder if I’ll be able to remember each of those days properly.”

“I can remember them for you!”

Reina shook her head. “If you wear the light green dress every time, even if you tell me, ‘That day was fun,’ won’t it be hard to tell exactly when it was?”

“Hmm…”

“As the seasons change and we spend time together, I want to see you growing in different ways.”

Bonita, convinced by Reina’s reasoning, eventually nodded.

Reina beamed and carefully fastened Bonita’s collar, ensuring no cold air could slip in.

“Today, we’re going to eat all your favorite foods and see lots of fun things. Alright?”

“…Okay.”

As Reina took Bonita’s hand and stepped out of their quarters, they were met by a man with a sword at his waist, waiting for them.

“Reina.”

“Oh, I’ll be in your care today.”

“…Uncle Dean!”

Bonita, recognizing him, greeted the knight enthusiastically.

Dean, who was well acquainted with Bonita, smiled warmly and nodded at Reina.

“It’s still dangerous for you to go out alone, so I’ll be escorting you.”

“I feel much safer knowing you’ll be with us, Sir Dean.”

Dean gave Bonita a fond smile before lifting her into his arms and gesturing for Reina to follow.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Reina was grateful that Dean had volunteered to accompany them, even skipping his training.

Though the duke had likely chosen a knight familiar with Bonita, it was still a favor that brought Reina great relief.

“Sir Dean, do you have anything you like?”

“…Pardon?”

“Like a favorite food or an item? I can’t afford anything too expensive, but I’d like to give you a small gift as a token of appreciation.”

“…Hmm.”

After thinking for a while, Dean met Bonita’s curious gaze and chuckled.

“I like honey bread the most.”

“Oh my.”

Reina was a little surprised.

“I thought you were from a noble family.”

“I am, but my family isn’t particularly wealthy. As the third son, I don’t have a title or estate to inherit.”

Still, honey bread wasn’t something nobles often had the opportunity to eat.

Hearing that he loved it most, Reina couldn’t help but smile.