Please Save My Child

The child, who was watching the collapsed Eugene with her hands wrapped around her head, was at a loss.

“Uh, Mom… I just…”

“…Bonita.”

“…!”

Eugene addressed the child in front of her in that manner. The child, Bonita, couldn’t stop crying and smiled warmly.

“Huh!”

Her fingers slowly cleaned the child’s cheek, leaving traces of her tears.

“Sorry, I must have been tired for a while.”

Memories of ‘Reina’ invaded her head. But, Eugene, no Reina couldn’t call herself Bonita’s mother. Bonita stated she had no idea what Reina was thinking, and she simply smiled broadly when she replied she was alright.

“…huh. It’s OK; are you not unwell anymore?”

“Huh.”

Eugene embraced Bonita in her arms. Eugene then proceeded to live under the name ‘Reina’.

Reina was perplexed, but because of the memories that remained in her body, she was soon able to respond to the world. No, her memories of Eugene and herself were nearly non-existent, thus she had no idea that her life as Eugene was a long dream. However, it was evident that she was not an illusion, as the actual Reina could effortlessly calculate her money, something she couldn’t do well, and read complex sentences without stuttering.

‘Is it because I possess this body?’

Despite her diverse skills, it was difficult for her to find work as a woman with no connections and a child.

“So, who is at home? “Who will care for the baby?”

“No matter how polite she is, you can’t bring your child to work. What if she has an accident?”

“You can get that much manpower anywhere.”

Furthermore, the magical ability held by all ordinary people was insignificant, so no one hired her no matter how hard she read her words and calculated swiftly. Reina genuinely felt sad for herself.

When she awoke one day, she realized she was in the body of a woman she didn’t recognize, with no husband and only a young child named Bonita. Furthermore, the original Reina’s skills were unclear, and her memories of herself as Eugene were hazy.

It was difficult for her to adjust to her new existence because the memories of both sides were intertwined. Fortunately, Bonita was a grown-up child, and her memories of herself as Reina were more entrenched than Eugene’s. It would have been preferable if her recollections of life as Eugene were foggy. Otherwise, she would not have been able to endure a wretched and difficult life.

“Did you have a good time at home?”

“-yes!”

Reina was a tiny toddler who simply waited for herself. Reina quickly grew to love her little child, the only one in the world who greeted her.

* * *

“Bonnie, Mom’s here…”

What a cold winter it was. Even that day, she couldn’t find a job and returned in vain. Reina called her daughter, Bonita, but Bonita didn’t answer. When she went to bed in a strange mood, the child was exhaling excitedly. She finds Bonita’s body hot as a fireball.

“Bonnie…! My God, what is this! My God.”

Reina’s heart raced and sank. When she took off all of her clothes, she couldn’t wrap herself up, so she removed her coat, held her, and started seeking a place to treat her child. That night was very snowy, and people were as chilly as the weather. Every private house refused to open the door no matter how many times Reina knocked, and the lawmakers realized she was a single mother with no money and did not treat her well. The same is true for the temple she went to with her hopes. After the priest said that it would be difficult to bestow blessings without paying cash to express her faith, Reina watched in vain as the doors to the temple were closed.

Reina looked down at her child, who was barely breathing in her arms.

“Mom…”

Excited by her fever, Bonita called out to Reina helplessly like her drool.

“Bonnie, it’s okay… you’ll be fine.”

Was she actually okay? Reina’s dread was a vicious whisper deep within her heart. It sounded like she was about to cry. Her child, enthralled by her heat, grasped Reina’s garments and muttered to her not to leave her.

Reina hugged Bonita once more.

“Why would I abandon you?”

The only one who supported her as she awoke in this world. Her heart broke every time she whispered, “This little child should not be abandoned.” Her eyes became heated. But she couldn’t stay motionless. It was simple for her to cry, but it didn’t help. Reina sighed, holding back tears as she gazed up. Then she noticed a lovely mansion before her.

It was the owner of this territory, the Duchy of Winternight. Reina knew that many people were whispering that the Duke of Winternight was crazy or that he was a villain. But she had already been rejected by God.

‘It’s to save Bonnie.’

She could have stepped through hell’s gates and seized the demon’s hand to save this precious infant. She clutched her legs and limped to the ballroom, which was shaky due to her many trips to and from the house. Her entire body was so cold from the storm that it seemed like her razor blades were stabbing her bones, and the soles of her feet were so sore that she had lost all sensation. In the meantime, she clutched the infant securely in her arms, wondering if any more of her icy wind would reach Bonita, if even one of her snowflakes would touch her.

“Help!!!”

Reina exclaimed urgently as she arrived at the palace’s main gate. The gatekeepers looked at Reina, puzzled. Reina begged with dreadful tears.

“Please, please save my child…”

When the gatekeepers noticed the woman cradling a sick infant, they murmured to each other before stopping chatting.

“It didn’t matter, but…”

As the gatekeepers attempted to remove Reina, a pitch-black carriage stopped in front of them. After a brief quiet, the door opened and a low voice was heard.

“What’s going on?”

“Go, Duke!”

He was the type of man who could handle the hard winter cold. His jet-black hair is beautifully groomed, and his eyes are a cool azure like the winter sky. The uncanny beauty and soulless expression made him feel like winter. His frigid gaze shifted to the gatekeepers, who stared at Reina stiffly.

Reina hugged Bonita firmly and knelt down before the Duke of Winternight.

“Oh, Duke…”

“…”

Reina was prepared to slam her head on the ground if she didn’t have a child in her arms. Reina’s face was marked by despair and misery, in contrast to the Duke of Winternight’s serene and cool demeanor.

“Please save this child.”

When Reina spat out a single word mixed with all those emotions, the Duke’s eyebrows furrowed in a dream.

“Whatever happens to me, please save this child.”

That was the first meeting between Reina Boton and Damien Winternight.

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Translator Note: