As Elvin lowered his voice and began to whisper, Laila tensed up and braced herself.
If he’s referring to “this kid,” then it can only be Sion. What is it? Did he find a problem? What kind of problem?
“As I examined his bones…”
“…….”
“He’s likely to be very tall.”
“What?”
“I’d say almost a foot taller than average.”
“…….”
“This is just a guess; his chest will likely thicken as well.”
I know.
Laila struggled to swallow both the light curse and the response.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
After Elvin left Sion’s room, Laila also left.
Laila went straight to find the butler.
Then she confirmed one fact from the butler.
That the ‘no outdoor activities period’ had ended.
“Yes, Miss Laila. Congratulations. You may go outside the estate grounds starting today.”
The butler said expressionlessly, devoid of any congratulatory tone.
Regardless, Laila felt good.
Finally.
At last.
‘Now I can proceed to the advanced stage!’
For the treatment of complicated grief, there are two main stages: the basic stage and the advanced stage.
Laila stayed on the basic stage for a whopping three weeks.
There are two reasons for this.
First, because the basics are that important.
Secondly, the first step in the advanced stage involved “going outdoors.”
Laila wanted to do everything in order, believing it would be more effective.
“Sion!”
After meeting with the butler, Laila immediately prepared for an outing. Once she was ready, she went to find Sion.
She checked the time. It was noon, but instead of suggesting a stroll in the garden, she had a different idea.
“Let’s go to the lake.”
Not “Do you want to go?” but “Let’s go.”
Somewhere along the way, Laila’s suggestions changed like that. It was a change that Laila herself hadn’t even noticed.
Sion, who had been silently watching Laila enter the bedroom, finally spoke up. The expected answer came.
“Okay.”
The lake was nearby.
Of course, being nearby didn’t mean they could walk there; they had to take a carriage.
‘It’s just an hour’s ride; what’s the big deal?’
As soon as they got off the carriage, Laila took in a deep breath of the lake air.
Ah.
Nice.
Truth be told, Laila wanted to see the sea more than the lake. But the sea was too far away.
Of course, if she really wanted to go, there was nothing stopping her.
However, before proceeding, Laila needed to directly obtain permission from Marquis Hilldegarde and prepare herself to spend several days traveling in the carriage with Sion.
Laila neatly gave up on the sea because she was neither willing to ask the Marquis for permission to embark on such a long trip nor to spend days on end cooped up in a carriage with Sion.
She could always explore the sea alone at some point.
It would be nice to go on a meaningful day.
For example… the day she leaves the family with the certainty that she won’t die by Sion’s hand.
Ah, just thinking about it made her happy. Laila smiled brightly as she gazed at the sparkling surface of the lake.
To others, she probably looked like an innocent child who was thrilled to go sightseeing by the lake.
Sion’s gaze lingered on Laila’s radiant profile for a moment before dropping away before she noticed.
“Would you like to move a little further? The lake looks even more beautiful from the other side, thanks to the direction of the sun.”
“Is that so? Sion, what about you?”
In response to the knight’s suggestion, Laila found herself asking Sion a question almost involuntarily, then hesitated.
Luckily, Sion simply nodded without saying a word.
“…… Then let’s go. Sir Keshik, lead the way.”
“Yes.”
The knight walked ahead at a moderate pace, with Laila and Sion following behind side by side.
Perhaps because the lake wasn’t very big, the three of them soon arrived on the opposite side of the lake.
“How is it?”
“Yeah, it does seem even more beautiful…”
Laila, about to ask Sion for his opinion, as she habitually did while gazing at the lake, accidentally bit her tongue.
She had decided just a week ago to turn the rumor about Sion being mute into reality.
Laila looked at Sion’s profile as he stared at the lake.
“…….”
The conversation they’d had before consisted of Laila rambling on and Sion responding with a few short answers, but…
Unable to initiate even such conversations, Laila felt strangely disappointed.
It felt awkward and, well, boring.
It was in the silence that Laila once gazed obligingly at the lake.
“Oh, Miss.”
“Yes?”
“I left the picnic supplies in the carriage.”
The knight spoke with an embarrassed tone, prompting Laila to recall the items she had forgotten.
The picnic mat, lunch boxes, and fruits.
Come to think of it, they weren’t just here for a simple lake outing, but for a picnic by the lakeside.
“I’ll go get them. Could you wait here for a moment?”
“Sure.”
With permission granted, the knight swiftly departed.
With his long strides, he quickly disappeared into the distance.
Laila absentmindedly looked down at her own legs.
All of a sudden, they seemed short. Still, she would grow a bit taller than average in ten years.
When would she ever reach that height again?
She wanted to grow up quickly. No, wait. The speed of growth doesn’t matter. It’s okay if it takes a long time to grow.
As long as she doesn’t get smaller again…
Lost in thought, Laila glanced back at the lake, then slowly turned to look beside her.
Sion’s gaze remained fixed on the lake’s surface.
Suddenly, she remembered the time she saw him in the forest.
He had looked exactly like this when the servant had left him alone in the forest.
An expression that revealed nothing, unreadable.
…… Even then, was he suffering from complicated grief?
Laila swallowed hard at the thought.
It occurred to her once more that it would not be so easy to get Sion attached to life.
No, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. Let’s not rush things.
She knew it would take a long time from the beginning.
Laila bit her lower lip until it turned pale, then let go and spoke up.
“What do you think?”
Sion’s gaze turned to her at her question. Locking eyes, Laila asked again.
“The lake. Is it beautiful?”
It was the first method of the advanced stage of therapy for complicated grief, escaping daily life to see beautiful scenery.
‘They said it’s a good method to try after achieving sufficient stability in daily life through basic steps.’
And Vilhel added why it’s important to choose a “beautiful” landscape, not just any landscape.
Beautiful.
An emotion everyone can feel.
But for people with complicated grief, it’s an emotion they often forget, especially if their illness is severe.
“You need to bring back those forgotten feelings, and the place to start is with the landscape. Show them something that’s so beautiful that their eyes glaze over.”
“For example?”
“Seas, lakes, forests… or, if it’s winter, a snow-capped mountain.”
“Seas, lakes…”
“As they start to feel beauty in landscapes, then gradually decrease in size. Buildings, paintings, jewels…”
Eventually, they should feel beauty, even from a single flower they can find in their daily lives.
That was the purpose Vilhel explained.
“…Is it beautiful?”
When Sion didn’t respond immediately, Laila asked again, her voice betraying a faint, unhidden tension.
Sion looked at Laila for a moment before answering.
“I don’t know.”
“Does that mean you’re not sure if it’s beautiful or not?”
“…….”
“You don’t think it’s ugly……, do you?”
“No.”
Laila turned her head forward and let out a breath.
As long as he doesn’t find it ugly. Yeah, that was enough.
Laila was developing a habit of feeling relieved as long as things weren’t the worst.
Perhaps it was natural. Since everything she had experienced so far had been the worst of the worst, anything not the worst was valuable and precious.
If it doesn’t look ugly to him, then I should show it to him more often. If he keeps looking, he might find it beautiful…’
Lost in thought, Laila flinched momentarily.
…Did I hear it wrong?
As she thought about it, a louder and clearer sound brushed against her ears.
Grrrr.
She hadn’t misheard.
