Chapter 12
“Auntie isn’t going to die. I’m not leaving you behind.”
“I know. Riley told me.”
“Really?”
Lucian avoided my gaze. He looked embarrassed and guilty.
“She said there are a lot of kids like me in the world, and you went to help them because they remind you of me.”
“Yeah.”
It seemed like Riley had explained everything well.
‘But Lucian isn’t the type to just listen quietly…’
For him to say something like this, he must have been really shaken by my collapse.
‘He’s still just a kid.’
Seeing him like this made it easier to forgive him for punching me in anger.
But I couldn’t let it slide just because he was being cute. Hitting people is wrong, no matter what.
‘This is a good chance to teach him a lesson.’
I decided to stay in bed instead of getting up. Letting out a dramatic groan, I sank deeper into the blankets.
“Ow… It hurts.”
“A-Auntie! Are you okay? Does it hurt again?”
“Yeah… My stomach feels sore.”
“Your stomach? Why? Did you not poop?”
“No, I think it’s because Lucian hit me yesterday.”
Lucian clamped his mouth shut, looking guilty.
‘So, he does feel bad about it.’
I was determined to make him promise never to hit anyone again. Clutching my stomach, I groaned again.
“I was already sick, and now my stomach hurts even more. I feel like I’m going to die…”
“Auntie, no! Don’t die!”
“If only Lucian hadn’t hit me, I’d be fine…”
My act worked. Lucian burst into tears, sobbing loudly.
I felt a little guilty… but bad habits had to be fixed.
Hitting people wasn’t just any bad habit—it was serious. And besides, it really did hurt when he punched me.
For such a small kid, he was surprisingly strong.
“Auntie, I’m sorry! I’ll never hit anyone again! Just don’t die!”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“And you won’t do anything mean to others?”
“I won’t! I won’t put salt in tea anymore, and I won’t cut the Viscount’s bread either! Just please, don’t leave me!”
Lucian sobbed so hard that he buried his face into the bedsheet.
‘Alright, I can’t watch this anymore.’
I lifted Lucian up into my arms. He was heavier than I expected—when did he grow up so much?
“Okay. I won’t die, so stop crying.”
I patted his back gently. Lucian clung to me like a baby koala.
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry, Auntie.”
My shoulder grew damp with his tears and snot. Seeing him cry so hard made me feel bad.
Some people might say I scared him too much. Others might argue that my punishment was too light.
But this was the best I could do.
I wasn’t an expert in childcare, and there were no child psychologists around.
So, this was my first time raising a kid, too.
“You have to keep your promise this time, okay? If you cause trouble again, Auntie might get so sick that I’ll collapse again.”
“I’ll keep it! I’ll keep my promise and protect you, Auntie!”
His determined words made me chuckle.
A tiny thing like him, protecting me?
But his sincerity was touching, so I didn’t tease him about it.
“Alright. Then I’ll stop being sick, and you’ll stop crying.”
“Okay…”
I patted Lucian’s back gently. Soon, his sniffles faded, and he fell asleep in my arms.
“Lady Lucella, please hand the young master to me.”
“It’s fine. I’ll hold him.”
“But you just collapsed. The doctor said you need rest.”
Collapsing from just one sleepless night—taking care of a child really was exhausting.
I had been staying up late, worrying about how to raise Lucian properly.
“You should eat first, my lady. You haven’t eaten all day.”
Now that she mentioned it, my stomach felt empty. And I was craving something sweet.
“The young master should sleep in bed, too. He hasn’t slept at all since you collapsed.”
“Lucian?”
“Yes. He kept saying you couldn’t die and refused to sleep. He even checked on you every hour.”
“…I see.”
I gently brushed Lucian’s hair away from his forehead. He had cried so much that his skin was damp with sweat.
‘This tiny child… was so worried about me that he couldn’t sleep.’
The thought made my chest tighten.
Lucian wasn’t born bad, like the novel had described.
He had just grown up without parents and had gone a little astray.
He wasn’t a psychopath who enjoyed hurting others.
“No, Riley. I’ll take him to bed myself.”
“But…”
“I just… want to hold him a little longer.”
Riley hesitated before nodding.
Smiling faintly, I continued patting Lucian’s back until his breathing evened out.
I hoped he was having good dreams.
And when he woke up, I hoped he would be a kinder, better child.
“Amelia! Throw the ball over here!”
Amelia looked down at the ball that had rolled to her feet.
Before, the orphanage didn’t have any proper balls. The old ones were too deflated to use.
Now, they finally had a real ball—one that didn’t burst when kicked.
And it was all thanks to one person.
‘Lucella.’
If it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t have gotten a bright yellow soccer ball or time to play freely.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and throw it!”
“Okay.”
Amelia picked up the ball and threw it. The bright yellow ball traced an arc through the air as the children laughed and ran after it.
But Amelia didn’t join them. Instead, she looked at the chocolate cookie in her hand. It was still in its wrapper, with a small yellow note attached.
[Thank you so much for last night. This is a special gift just for you and Edwin. I wanted to give it to you in person, but I had to leave without saying goodbye. Next time, let’s eat something even more delicious together.]
Lucella had visited the orphanage four days ago. She had been helping take care of the babies, but when Amelia woke up in the morning, Lucella was gone. In her place, there were strangers—new adults Amelia had never seen before.
“From now on, we’ll be staying with you.”
A woman named Heidi, who introduced herself as their new teacher, secretly called Amelia and Edwin aside. She handed each of them a small chocolate cookie, about the size of an adult’s palm.
“Lady Rilfrey asked me to give this to you two in secret.”
“Lady Rilfrey…? Do you mean Lucella?”
“Yes, that’s right. She said she was very grateful for what you did last night and that she was sorry she had to leave so suddenly.”
“Wow! I’ve never had a chocolate cookie before!”
Edwin was overjoyed and quickly ate his cookie. But Amelia couldn’t bring herself to eat hers.
It felt too precious—like a four-leaf clover pressed between the pages of a book. Instead of eating it, she kept it safe.
It reminded her of when her parents were still alive.
‘I wanted to thank her when she came back and share it with her…’
But four days had passed, and Lucella still hadn’t returned. She hadn’t even sent a message about when she’d come back.
The other children had already forgotten her. This kind of thing had happened too many times before.
Kind-looking adults would visit the orphanage, but if they didn’t find a child they liked, they would leave just as quickly.
But Lucella had been different.
She had saved them from the headmistress and had been kind to them the whole time.
That’s why Amelia had trusted her.
She had started to believe in her just a little.
“I guess she’s not coming back after all.”
“Amelia, why are you mumbling to yourself?”
Edwin peeked at her from behind.
“Nothing. I was just thinking that, in the end, the only person you can really trust is yourself.”
“What about me?”
“Of course, I trust you too.”
Amelia smiled and playfully pulled Edwin’s cheek. His soft skin felt like freshly baked dough.
Edwin grinned but then looked at the cookie in her other hand.
“Why haven’t you eaten that yet?”
“I don’t know… It just feels too special.”
Edwin tilted his head, confused.
Amelia was always giving up her share of food for him and the younger kids. Whenever anyone asked if she was okay, she would just smile and say, “I had plenty when I lived with my parents.”
For someone like her to hold onto food like this…
‘I was going to ask if I could have it if she wasn’t going to eat it…’
Feeling a little embarrassed, Edwin scratched his nose.
The chocolate cookie he had eaten had been the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. It was soft, sweet, and had little black beans that melted in his mouth.
‘Maybe Amelia has never had something this good before either.’
Maybe that’s why she wanted to save it—for as long as possible.
