IBYSRHML | Chapter 51

Episode 51

The incident happened right after Lilliana entered the bathroom.

Marius and Edgar stood side by side in front of the bathroom, glancing at each other.

Marius wanted to strike up a conversation with Edgar, and Edgar, for his part, wanted to constantly confirm that Marius didn’t feel burdened by him.

“Edgar. Next time, let’s—”

Just as Marius started speaking, a little girl running with a drink bumped into Edgar.

At the same time, the drink spilled, soaking Edgar’s clothes.

“Ah……”

The drink dripped from his jacket, soaking his pants and shoes as well.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry. Violet, didn’t Mommy tell you not to run around?”

The woman, who seemed to be the child’s guardian, took out a handkerchief and tried to wipe Edgar off, but it was no use.

Marius told the repeatedly apologizing woman that it was fine and checked on Edgar.

“Edgar. I think you’ll need to change your clothes.”

Since summer was approaching, Edgar wore nothing over his light shirt.

Because of that, if he kept wearing the wet shirt, he was sure to catch a cold.

Marius quickly took off the cardigan he was wearing.

“Take off the shirt and put this on for now.”

“I’ll go inside and change. Stay here, so we don’t miss Lilliana.”

“Will you be okay alone?”

“Yes. No problem.”

As Edgar accepted the cardigan from Marius, the woman watching from the side spoke up.

“If you’re waiting for someone, I can help.”

“Yes. That would be great.”

Uncomfortable sending Edgar alone, Marius explained about Lilliana to the woman.

“A little girl with black curly hair and blue eyes will come out of the women’s bathroom. Her name is Lilliana, and she’s about this tall.”

“Perfect. Violet also urgently needs the bathroom, so we’ll wait inside.”

“Please take care of it.”

So Marius headed to the men’s bathroom with Edgar, and the woman went to the women’s bathroom with her daughter.

While her daughter Violet was in the stall, the woman waited for Lilliana to come out.

But then Violet called her mom, saying there was a problem.

While the woman briefly checked on her daughter, Lilliana exited the bathroom, and the two parties missed each other.

By the time Marius realized Lilliana wasn’t in the bathroom, his face had turned pale, and he started asking people nearby if they’d seen a child.

“A girl with black hair? She was standing here earlier, then went that way…”

Marius clutched Edgar tightly and ran in the direction the passerby pointed.

“Lilliana!”

“Hey, Lilliana!”

Both Edgar and Marius, without saying a word to each other, started searching for Lilliana.

It was circus admission time, and the place was packed with people.

Because of that, the short Lilliana would be hard to spot in the crowd.

Afraid of losing Edgar too, Marius clung to him so tightly it seemed he might crush him.

Waves of anxiety crashed over him.

The rising tide of fear frayed his nerves to the edge.

“Lilliana! Lilliana!”

Where could that little girl have gone?

What if some wicked person took the crying child?

Or what if she was just scared and crying somewhere alone?

He hadn’t even been this afraid when his throne was threatened… He should’ve brought Max.

Thinking he could handle two kids alone had been his arrogance.

How was he supposed to find Lilliana among all these people?

Should he summon soldiers? Start by locking down the entrances and search methodically?

Marius felt his guts turn cold, and his heart felt like it was going to explode.

“Lilliana!”

She wasn’t his daughter, not even his niece—just the younger sister of a woman he had a contract marriage with—but he had grown very fond of her.

Despite being so young, she had used her wish ticket for her sister’s sake.

She was naturally bright and cheerful, and ever since Lilliana came, Edgar had become much more open.

Thanks to Lilliana, he’d cleared up misunderstandings about Edgar, and they’d been able to mend their strained relationship by going out like this.

If something happened to that small, lovely child, he…

“Where the hell did that little brat go… I’m going crazy.”

While nervously biting his lip, Marius noticed Edgar.

Edgar’s eyes were red and bloodshot, and he was crying miserably.

When Marius reached out to console him, Edgar slapped his hand away.

“If you don’t find Lilliana, I won’t forgive you.”

Edgar’s voice carried a vague sense of dread.

Lilliana wasn’t just a friend.

Marius had started keeping his distance at some point, and Leopold was always busy.

So Edgar, already a sensitive child, became even more so.

No one his age wanted to befriend a boy with sharp edges.

And Edgar didn’t desire friends either.

Kids his age were all dumb crybabies… They didn’t understand him.

No, the truth was he was unbearably jealous.

Because Edgar had no parents to comfort him when he cried.

Unlike the other kids who could return to their parents, Edgar was alone.

He hated facing his loneliness, so he chose to be alone.

Then Lilliana appeared.

A child from a similar background, who’d come back to joke with him even if he acted out—the first friend of his life.

— Don’t say bad things about Edgar!

Lilliana, though small, had bravely stood up to adults for a boy she wasn’t even close to yet.

Both had no parents and were raised by their siblings.

Fearing abandonment by their siblings, longing for their real parents… Lilliana could understand it all.

That’s why they had become best friends over the past few months.

They fought over silly things several times a day, but with Lilliana, he wasn’t lonely.

Instead, he laughed every day.

Playing rock-paper-scissors, lying side by side staring at ceiling patterns—all of it was fun.

“Please find Lilliana soon… brother. I can’t be without Lilliana……”

Sniff. Edgar rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, and new tears welled up again.

Seeing Edgar crying in fear, Marius drew a breath.

“Edgar. You……”

Edgar wasn’t the type of child who cried easily.

Even when he got hurt while playing, he’d wash the wound and continue playing.

Even when scolded, he would bite his lip but wouldn’t cry.

That’s why seeing Edgar sniffing and crying like a child shocked Marius deeply.

His startled mind calmed instantly, and a sense of clarity washed over him.

Now he knew exactly what he had to do.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find her soon.”

“Hhk.”

Kneeling on one knee to meet his eyes, Marius hugged Edgar and gently comforted him.

“I promise. I’ll find Lilliana. Everything will be fine, so don’t cry.”

“Sniff… You promised. You said you’d find Lilliana.”

“Yes. I promise.”

His mind cooled.

Marius decided to lock down the area and secure Lilliana’s safety.

Just as he was about to pick Edgar up and go find a staff member—

[ Attention please, A lost child has been found. A lost child has been found.]

A loud voice rang out from somewhere.

It was an announcement made by the wizards who were scheduled to do the fireworks tonight. They used magic to amplify and spread their voices across the area.

[Marius and Edgar, please come to Sector A-32 to retrieve Miss Lilliana.]

[Repeating, A lost child has been found. Miss Lilliana Berchio is looking for Marius and Edgar.]

“Ha……”

Edgar, overwhelmed, gasped. Marius let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

[If you see a blond adult in a white shirt and a child in blue pants, please inform them that their guardian is waiting in Sector A-32.]

Passersby began whispering while glancing at them after hearing the lost child announcement.

Embarrassed by the attention, Edgar turned bright red and buried his face in Marius’s chest.

Dumbfounded, Marius looked around in disbelief and started scanning for Sector A-32.

What a bold little rascal she was.

“Hey little one. Your guardian will be here soon.”

“Tha-thank you. Sniffle.”

“There, there. Stop crying. Big sis will give you candy.”

I wiped away my tears while sucking on the candy the wizard lady gave me.

It was a stroke of luck that the wizard lady found me bawling after I lost Marius.

She even made the announcement with her loud voice and gave me candy.

As I sucked on the lemon-flavored candy and stopped crying, I heard Marius’s voice from afar.

“Lillianaaa—!”

Marius, holding Edgar in his arms, charged in like a bull.

“Puuu.”

Seeing his pale face made me tear up again.

Not that I started crying again.

Before I could cry, Edgar dropped to the ground and clung to me, sobbing loudly.

“Where did you go! You were supposed to wait at the bathroom! Sob!”

Huh…? I thought I was the one supposed to cry…?

“I was so worried… Can’t you even go to the bathroom alone? Stop making me worry!”

“Wh-why are you like this……”

His tears streaming down left me speechless.

Marius was supposed to be the guardian, but Edgar seemed way more shocked.

“Edgar was really scared he’d lost you. Lilliana, are you okay? You’re not hurt, right?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I cried a little though… Edgar. Don’t cry.”

“Sniffle… Waaahhh.”

Edgar’s face was red, almost about to burst.

He hugged me so tightly it didn’t feel like he was my age, and he clung to my clothes like he’d never let go.

Being held by Edgar was uncomfortable, but he cried so pitifully that I couldn’t pull away…

So I had no choice but to hug him back tightly.

Because when my sisters did that to me, I always felt better.

“…I’d like to give a proper thanks. Can you tell me your name and affiliation?”

“I only did what anyone should. The little one seemed really scared, so please comfort her well. Ah, I have to get back to work now.”

While I comforted Edgar, Marius and the wizard lady finished their conversation and parted ways.

“Lilliana. Don’t lose sight of your big brother next time. Got it?”

“Yeah. Thank you, wizard lady.”

After the wizard lady left, it was just the three of us—Marius, Edgar, and me.

Having calmed down a bit, Edgar stopped crying but still clung tightly to my sleeve.

Marius looked down at us with a complicated expression.

I had a feeling I was about to be sentenced to one hour on the Thinking Chair…