~Chapter 26~
Latryne smiled gently at my words.
“Thank you for thinking so kindly of Sertien.”
It wasn’t until we entered the mansion that I finally got down from Latryne’s back.
As we stepped inside, I noticed a woman approaching from afar.
Remembering the last time I encountered a maid in Latryne’s villa, I unintentionally tensed up.
But just as Latryne had said, this was a new servant, and she didn’t react unusually upon seeing me.
“This is the captain of the knights. Due to some circumstances, she’ll be staying at the mansion for a while. She isn’t feeling well, so please make sure to take care of her,” Latryne instructed.
“Understood.”
“Where is Sertien?”
“He’s sleeping in his room. He was playing just a while ago.”
“I see…”
At those words, I looked back at Latryne.
Meeting my eyes, Latryne gave in with a small sigh.
“You may sleep with Sertien if you wish. But before that, wouldn’t you like to change into something more comfortable? It’ll be quite uncomfortable to sleep in your current attire.”
I was still wearing my knight’s uniform.
Latryne turned to the servant and said, “Please bring something comfortable for the captain to wear.”
“Yes, right away.”
The servant promptly disappeared to fetch the clothes.
Thankfully, they had something suitable for me to wear.
After changing into the provided clothes, I quietly made my way toward the bedroom.
I opened the door gently so as not to make any noise and saw a familiar small figure.
‘Sertien!’
There he was, lying on the big bed with his small body curled up.
I approached him, feeling a rush of warmth and affection.
He seemed to be in a deep sleep, as he didn’t stir even when I got close.
Unsure if I should, I lightly pressed my fingers against his soft, chubby cheeks.
‘So cute…’
I couldn’t help but wonder how he would react when he saw me here.
I had missed Sertien so much while resting at the palace, but I never imagined I would end up seeing him like this.
I quietly lay down next to him, already looking forward to how he’d react when he woke up in the morning.
I must have been more tired than I thought, because despite being in an unfamiliar place, I quickly drifted off to sleep.
And at some point, I must have completely lost consciousness, as I didn’t even remember falling asleep.
After a quick shower, Latryne, dressed in more comfortable clothes, decided to check on Sertien and Litya.
He carefully opened the door to their room and saw that both of them had already fallen into a deep sleep.
They seemed quite exhausted, as neither of them noticed him enter.
While it was normal for Sertien to sleep soundly, it was rare for Litya—who was usually quite alert—to sleep so deeply.
“…”
Latryne stood at the door for a moment, gazing at the two sleeping figures with a bittersweet expression.
‘A trauma…’
He recalled the time he had spent with Erias.
‘I remember that strange scar…’
There had been a small, pale scar on Erias’s neck.
If it had been an ordinary scar, he wouldn’t have thought much of it, but its unusual shape had stuck in Latryne’s mind.
When Erias had touched the scar, she had explained:
‘Oh, this? It’s from when I was a child. I got it while playing around.’
‘On your neck? That’s unusual.’
And not long ago, during the landslide incident, something else had come to Latryne’s mind.
He had noticed it while gently stroking Litya’s head as she slept.
There, on her neck, was the same familiar mark.
‘…’
It felt like being hit over the head with a blunt object.
There was no way Latryne could forget that scar.
It was exactly the same as Erias’s scar—the same location, size, and shape.
How could this be possible?
But at that moment, only one possible explanation had come to his mind.
He couldn’t confirm it yet, but…
Latryne, who had been staring at the sleeping Litya and Sertien, finally turned away and quietly closed the door before heading to his own room.
The bed was so comfortable that I slept dreamlessly.
I felt like I could have slept even longer, but I had no choice but to wake up because someone was shaking me awake.
“Mom!”
It was a voice I had grown so accustomed to that it felt odd not hearing it.
Small hands grabbed me and shook me energetically.
I slowly opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was a pair of big, round blue eyes staring back at me.
“Mom! When did you come? Did you come because you missed me? I woke up and you were here! I’m so happy! I missed you!”
I had expected Sertien to react excitedly, but his reaction was even more enthusiastic than I had anticipated.
His joy made me feel warm inside.
I hugged him tightly as he clung to me and said, “Yes, I came because I missed you so much.”
“Really?”
Delighted, Sertien giggled and his cheeks flushed pink.
“Mom, are you going to live with me again? I have so many things I want to do with you! Will you do them?”
“Well, about that…”
I hesitated, unsure how to respond, as I wouldn’t be staying here permanently. Just as I was searching for the right words, there was a knock at the door.
While stroking Sertien’s head as he clung to me, I responded to the knock.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and it was Latryne, holding a tray.
After placing it on the table beside the bed, he said, “I see you’re awake. Since it’s morning, I brought you something light to eat.”
I looked at him in surprise and asked, “Something to eat… Did you make it yourself?”
“Yes. Since I haven’t been here long, we don’t have many servants yet, so I’ve been handling the simpler tasks myself. Besides, it’s just Sertien and me living here, so there’s not much to do.”
“I see… So, you made this breakfast?”
“Yes.”
I glanced at the tea and biscuits on the tray and said, “I’m really curious to try it, since you made it yourself. Can I eat it now?”
“Of course.”
Latryne sat down in the chair next to me, watching as I ate.
The biscuits were surprisingly delicious.
It seemed that Latryne was skilled in cooking as well—was there anything he couldn’t do?
“These are really good,” I said, impressed.
“I’m glad you like them,” he replied with a satisfied smile.
Sertien, sitting beside me, chimed in excitedly, “Dad’s cooking is yummy, right? My dad is really good at cooking!”
He said it as if he was the one who had cooked, looking so proud.
Latryne patted Sertien on the head, and Sertien, bouncing on the bed, called out to me, “I want some too! Mom, feed me!”
Latryne gently scolded him, “Sertien, you shouldn’t make her do that. She’s not feeling well, so you need to be considerate and behave.”
“But I want Mom to feed me!” Sertien pouted.
I didn’t want to deny Sertien such a small joy, especially while we were in the mansion together, so I said, “It’s okay, Latryne. Sertien, say ‘ahhh.’”
When I picked up a biscuit and offered it, Sertien eagerly opened his mouth.
“It’s tastier when Mom feeds me!” he said, beaming with joy.
He really did have a way of saying things that were sweet and heartwarming.
As I watched Sertien happily enjoying the biscuit I fed him, I suddenly felt his gaze shift to me and Latryne, staring at us intensely.
Both Latryne and I, noticing his curious gaze, looked back at him, puzzled.
After a moment of silence, Sertien finally spoke up.
“But Mom, why didn’t you say ‘ahhh’ and feed Dad like you did me?”
“What?” I stammered, caught off guard.
Sertien didn’t let up, looking at me with wide, expectant eyes.
“You used to feed both of us! After feeding me, you’d give some to Dad too. Why don’t you do it now?”
“Well…”
“Hmm?” he pressed, clearly expecting an answer.
I could tell that Sertien wasn’t going to give up until I did the same for Latryne.
Given Sertien’s stubbornness, I figured it was easier to just go along with it rather than try to explain.
Reluctantly, I picked up another biscuit and held it out to Latryne, who, seemingly thinking the same as I did, leaned forward and accepted it.
‘Now that I think about it, he has a rather small mouth…’
Without realizing it, I found myself lost in that observation, while Latryne quietly wiped away the crumbs from his lips with his fingers.
Feeling embarrassed, I quickly turned my head away.
Sertien, however, seemed satisfied, nodding approvingly.
“Okay, that’s good,” he said, finally content.
Thanks to Sertien, I had somehow ended up feeding Latryne, which made me feel like I was playing the role of a mother more than ever.
While I felt flustered by the situation, Latryne appeared completely unfazed, watching with a calm expression as Sertien and I continued eating breakfast. After a while, he stood up, gathering the tray.
“Please rest comfortably. And Sertien, don’t bother her, alright?” he said, clearly concerned that Sertien might cause trouble.
Sertien raised his hand eagerly and said, “Okay! I won’t bother her!”
Latryne smiled in response, though it was a smile that seemed to say, “We’ll see about that.”
As Latryne was about to leave the room, I suddenly remembered something and called out to him.
“Wait, I should probably contact the palace…”
“I’ve already taken care of it,” Latryne said.
“Oh, thank you,” I replied, relieved.
I had completely forgotten about notifying the palace, but it seemed Latryne had already handled it.
The thought of not being at the palace—where they were likely in a state of chaos—gave me a sense of peace and freedom.
After that brief exchange, Latryne left the room, and Sertien, after going to change his clothes, came back.
He didn’t want to be away from me for even a moment.
Perhaps it was because I reminded him of his mother.
I found it both endearing and bittersweet.
I wasn’t really his mother, after all.
But thanks to Sertien’s company, time passed much faster than it did back at the palace.
