Chapter 009
‘Should I get more sleep so I can recover quickly?’
Adele groaned and lay back down. Her furrowed brows showed how uneasy she felt as sleep took over.
She had recently learned the ingredients of the health foods Madeline had prepared for her, such as bear paw, fire lizard tail, wyvern claws boiled together, and more.
I actually ate that! And she even fed me some while I was asleep.
In her past life, she never would have eaten anything like that. She sighed deeply, but it seemed like she would have to keep eating these health foods for a while.
“We still have a lot of health food ingredients left. Don’t worry!”
Madeline said this with a proud smile.
‘Health food ingredients must be expensive,’ Adele thought.
It was an overwhelming kindness. She needed to get up and help with the work as much as she could.
Adele yawned and slowly closed her eyes. The medicine was making her drowsy.
Lucas let out a deep sigh. He had planned to apologize, but the words got stuck in his throat.
“Young master.”
Lucas awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth. Meanwhile, Ronschka, who had been beside Madeline, quickly dashed into the room.
“Have you tried talking to her?”
“No.”
Though he had tried, he answered “no” because it wasn’t the kind of conversation Madeline wanted. Madeline’s eyes sharpened.
“Next time, make sure to try to talk to her. Understood?”
“I’ll try.”
“Do you even understand how she feels?”
“Probably not.”
“Should I talk to her?”
Madeline said to Lucas with a subtle expression. After Adele collapsed, Lucas had often left the mansion to search for herbs believed to be good for health.
At first, he was reluctant to go, but later he actively went out to find them. Because of that, Leon’s lessons had also been continuously postponed.
“No, absolutely do not mention that.”
Lucas said in a firm voice. With that, Madeline could no longer speak.
Three days after Adele regained consciousness, Ronschka’s first lesson finally began.
Ronschka glared at Lucas with a pouty face as they stood on the training grounds.
“From today, you’ll have lessons with Leon,” Lucas announced.
“W-What kind of lessons?”
“First, we’ll focus on stabilizing your body and mind and learning how to handle spirits.”
“T-This?”
Ronschka pointed at the little flame that constantly hovered near him. Most people couldn’t see it, but Lucas was different.
“Yes, that. It’s called a spirit, and someone who controls spirits is known as a Spirit Master. They’re highly respected.”
Ronschka blinked in surprise. Being treated with respect was far from his experience in the village, where his abilities were seen as a curse.
“R-Respected?”
“Yes.”
“W-What does that mean?”
“It means you can eat to your heart’s content, sleep in a comfy bed, and travel wherever you want.”
“W-With mom?”
Ronschka’s lips curled into a small smile.
“…Yes, with your mom.”
“Then I-I’ll do it!”
“That’s a good attitude. But we’ll also need to work on your speech. I’ll arrange a tutor for you, Kish will teach you how to talk properly.”
“I-Is my talking weird?”
“A little.”
“I-I’ll learn!”
He thought of the better life he could live with his mom and felt determined.
“Healthy mind in a healthy body,” Lucas said, instructing Ronschka to run three laps around the training grounds.
“Leon, you run ten.”
“Yes!”
Ronschka was told to run three laps around the training ground while Leon had to do ten. But it wasn’t long before Ronschka fell behind, struggling to keep up.
“Ha… ha…”
Ronschka dragged his heavy feet, trying to keep up with Leon.
‘With my mom…’
That thought kept him going, and after three laps, he was completely exhausted.
He stopped and looked at Leon, who was still running as if nothing had happened.
He felt a little bitter. ‘Why is he still fine while I’m struggling?’
He bit his lip and started running again.
“Ronschka?”
Lucas called from behind, but Ronschka ignored him and kept running until he finally collapsed on the ground.
“Ronschka?”
Leon, who had been ahead, rushed over and checked on him.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine.”
This is nothing. Ronschka nonchalantly brushed off his clothes, only to realize later that his palm was bleeding.
‘Did I get hurt?’
As he became aware of the injury, the pain started to hit him.
He hesitated, then tried to wipe the blood on his pants, but Leon stopped him, horrified.
“You shouldn’t rub the wound like that!”
Leon grabbed his hand and led him to where the healer was, before Lucas could offer help.
‘It’s rare to see Leon speaking so casually. Is it because they’re the same age?’ Lucas murmured to himself.
Leon had always been a reserved child, wary of others and careful to keep his distance. Lucas had tried to break down those walls but had little success.
Watching Leon interact with Ronschka, Lucas felt a little relieved.
Leon held Ronschka’s wrist as they walked down the hallway. His thin wrist felt as fragile as a twig. Lucas had mentioned Ronschka had gained some weight since arriving, but Leon found that hard to believe.
At the infirmary, Leon knocked on the door.
“Doctor?”
“Oh, young master. What brings you here?”
“Ronschka got hurt.”
“Let’s see. Come here, child.”
The doctor smiled kindly and cleaned Ronschka’s wound, applied medicine, and wrapped it with a bandage.
“Be more careful next time.”
Ronschka stared at his wrapped hand, flexing it slightly.
The people in this mansion were strange.
No one screamed at him, pointed fingers, or threw stones like in his village. Everyone treated him kindly, like any other child.
Maybe Mom was right. Maybe I’m not a monster after all. Otherwise, these people wouldn’t be so nice to me.
Ronschka’s thoughts wandered until something outside the window caught his eye—a garden full of blooming flowers.
“F-Flowers…”
“What flowers?” Leon asked.
“T-Those… outside.”
“Oh, do you want to see them up close? Let’s go.”
Without hesitation, Leon led Ronschka to the garden, ignoring that their lesson was still ongoing.
‘I’ll take the scolding later.’ Leon thought.
The weather was warm, and a gentle breeze blew. The well-tended garden glowed with vibrant flowers.
Ronschka suddenly started plucking flowers, making Leon panic.
“Ronschka?”
“I’m m-making a bouquet.”
It was for his mom. Seeing the determination in Ronschka’s eyes, Leon sighed and decided to help.
“That flower looks better.”
Sorry, Mr. Gardener.
Leon thought he would need to apologize to the gardener later.
The bouquet, once gathered clumsily, now looked rather beautiful with Leon’s help.
Ronschka stood up with the completed bouquet and headed toward his mother’s room. Leon hesitated for a moment before following.
Ronschka, who had been walking quickly, slowed down when he reached the door.
“Will Mom be awake?”
He gently opened the door and peered inside. Adele was sitting up, looking out the window.
“Mom”
