“It looks like you might need a handkerchief. Please use this.”
Elise offered a handkerchief to Cowett. Cowett looked back and forth between Elise and the handkerchief before sitting up.
Six years old, was it?
To meet the eyes of the boy much smaller than her, Elise bent down considerably.
“Where does it hurt?”
At her gentle tone, Cowett’s eyes welled up with tears again.
“I’m not, sniff, hurt, I’m, sob, the king, king of Tetris…”
Seeing Cowett sniffling pitifully, Elise unconsciously picked him up in her arms.
****
“Miss, why are you here? Why haven’t you returned to the palace?”
Elise, who had gone for a walk, was in the greenhouse in the rear garden instead of returning to Karan’s palace.
She asked a passing servant to call Regina, Fiona, and Ruo to the greenhouse.
Not long after, those who came looking for Elise in the greenhouse widened their eyes.
“Who is the child lying with his head on your lap, Miss?”
“A child in need of care.”
Elise couldn’t return to the palace for fear that Cowett might be startled if he learned her identity.
But she couldn’t leave the child who had fallen asleep crying in her arms just anywhere, so she brought him to the greenhouse.
This greenhouse was also a place that Bennet didn’t visit.
“Could you prepare a thin blanket, some drinks for when the child wakes up, and some refreshments?”
“I’ll bring them right away.”
Fiona and Ruo ran out.
“Is that His Highness Cowett?”
Regina asked carefully.
“How did you know?”
“I heard recently that His Highness Cowett had returned after a long period of recuperation. And his clothes. Anyone can see that it’s not the attire of an ordinary noble child.”
Bennet had decked him out so lavishly that Cowett was wearing clothes so splendid they would dazzle the eyes in sunlight.
“Indeed.”
Is it a style of expressing affection with money? Or rather, it must be a desire to show off.
“Regina, go to Leber and bring some medicine that a startled child can take, and some ointment for bruises.”
The reason Elise only sent Fiona and Ruo to prepare refreshments was that she had this separate request for Regina.
“Miss, are you hurt? Where? Let me see. Oh dear, even though you’ve grown up, you’re still bumping into things and falling… It really upsets me.”
Regina made a fuss. Elise waved her hand.
“It’s not for me.”
Regina’s hand, about to lift the hem of Elise’s dress, stopped. Elise held her hand.
The beaten child – Regina was also not free from that memory.
Anyone could easily guess that Regina’s life as a servant of the Worton family, especially as Elise’s maid, was not easy.
“It’s not, is it, Miss?”
Regina hoped that this young child had not been exposed to violence helplessly.
But Elise couldn’t give her the answer she wanted to hear.
“Go quickly, please. We might not have much time.”
They didn’t know when Bennet would come looking for Cowett, and Cowett might realize who Elise was and try to run away.
In the meantime, even if she couldn’t fully console the young child’s heart, she at least wanted to take care of his aching body.
“I understand, Miss. I’ll be back quickly.”
Regina ran out of the greenhouse. The speed, faster than ever before, caused a sharp pain in a corner of Elise’s heart.
Because it was exactly like the back she saw when Regina cried after being hit by Madam Worton.
Elise turned her gaze from the closed greenhouse door to look at Cowett, whose breathing had become much easier than before.
With his round face, black eyes, and cute little nose, he was truly a lovable child.
Although the only resemblance to Karan was his black eyes, Elise felt fond of Cowett.
That’s why she was so concerned about the child’s flushed cheeks. The cheeks that Bennet had struck.
‘I heard she cherished him greatly, but that was just a false rumor.’
Bennet treated even her own child as a means to fulfill her desires.
To Bennet, Cowett was merely a tool to continue her power.
Although Cowett and Elise were completely different, she kept feeling similarities between them.
This feeling shouldn’t grow any stronger.
She should be kind only for today, and from tomorrow, they should return to being strangers.
That was the right thing to do for both Cowett and Karan.
‘I’m sorry, Your Highness Cowett.’
Elise patted Cowett’s chest while making an apology she couldn’t deliver directly.
Cowett occasionally frowned or whimpered as if having a nightmare. Each time, Elise whispered that everything was alright.
Cowett slept longer than expected. It might have been exhaustion rather than sleep.
He had cried enough to soak Elise’s clothes completely.
“We’re back, Miss.”
Fiona and Ruo returned with their hands full of food. It seemed they had taken a liking to the cute child they had briefly seen.
There were even desserts not usually seen in Elise’s palace.
“Could you put them on the table? And please let me know if anyone comes.”
“Of course, Miss.”
Although Elise felt sorry for having Ruo and Fiona keep watch, it was necessary to keep this meeting a secret between them.
Next, Regina arrived.
“You’re back quickly, Regina?”
“Leber happened to come to the palace to see you, Miss. I brought some of his emergency medicines. There’s an ointment and an energy tonic. He said to give only a third of the tonic dose.”
“He must have had some business.”
“Nothing important, just that he wants to hire more people to increase production of the hair loss treatment.”
“Please tell him to handle it as he sees fit. Leave the medicine here.”
Regina did as Elise instructed.
Just as the preparations to comfort the child were complete, Cowett started to stir more frequently.
It seemed he was about to wake up. Elise gently rubbed his back and put on a smile to avoid startling him too much.
Cowett’s eyelids trembled and then opened.
“Who…? Ah, the handkerchief from earlier…”
“Hello, Your Highness. Are you thirsty? Would you like some water? Or lemonade? We also have fruit juice.”
“Fruit juice.”
As if thoroughly trained to answer immediately, Cowett responded first even in this confusing situation.
Elise helped Cowett sit up and offered him grape juice.
Cowett took the grape juice, looked into it, and then handed it back to Elise.
“You drink it first.”
“Pardon?”
“It might be poisoned. Mother said to be careful of food given by strangers.”
“Who would try to poison Your Highness?”
“Brother Karan…”
Perhaps still half-asleep, the child answered Elise’s questions candidly.
Elise’s brow furrowed deeply.
“You’re saying His Highness Karan would poison you? Do you really think that?”
“I don’t. Brother… he doesn’t even have time to worry about someone like me. Oh, did you know my brother recently achieved great merit at the 3rd Gate? And now he’s gone to conquer the 4th and 5th Gates. My brother is truly amazing and cool. Someone like me doesn’t even compare.”
When Elise nodded as if agreeing with his words, Cowett excitedly chattered on.
“I like my brother. I don’t know if he likes me though.”
“He probably does.”
“Huh? Why do you think so?”
The child’s eyes sparkled as he gulped down the grape juice Elise had tasted.
It’s always pleasant to hear that someone likes you.
“Because you’re brothers.”
“Right. We are brothers… But who are you?”
Cowett finally asked the question he should have asked first.
Since he said he liked Karan, should she honestly reveal who she was? Or should she lie?
Elise couldn’t find an answer. So instead of introducing herself, she offered him a dessert.
“Have you tried this? It’s honey-glazed walnuts. I find them delicious.”
“Honey-glazed walnuts?”
Elise took a small bite of the dessert before offering it to Cowett.
It seemed Bennet had instilled quite a wariness about food in Cowett through some early education.
“Mm, it’s delicious.”
“And this is chocolate.”
Elise took a bite of each dessert she normally wouldn’t even touch before giving them to Cowett.
Cowett ate the desserts until his cheeks were full and drank the beverages.
After finishing the desserts, Cowett’s face had noticeably brightened.
“Do you eat these every day? Where did they come from? Oh, are you a maid? Which palace do you belong to?”
As if he had regained his energy, he started bombarding her with questions.
Elise hesitated before introducing herself as a maid belonging to Karan’s palace.
“Ah… my brother’s… Then you must know a lot about him?”
Contrary to her expectation that he would become more wary after hearing her introduction, Cowett moved even closer to Elise.
“Can you tell me about my brother? What time does he wake up? What does he do right after waking up? Does he drink water? Or does he wash up? Training? I want to become strong like him, you see.”
Elise’s worries about what to talk about when Cowett woke up became meaningless.
