Please Save My Child

“Still…”

Estelle cried when she realized she had brought up the wrong subject.

“I’m sorry… I hate you…”

The mother and daughter were embarrassed to see Estelle, and they immediately began to cry. Reina and Bonita hastily approached Estelle, who was instantly in tears, and began to console her. After calming her down for a while, the actual child occasionally hugged Bonita and Reina. The child feared being despised, despite the fact that she possessed the ability to crush anyone. She was terrified at the thought that the two of them, who had nothing, might abandon her.

After comforting Estelle, who had been sobbing for quite some time, Bonita returned. 

“You know… Bonita.”

“Yes?”

“Can I call you Bonnie too?”

“…yes! It’s okay, it’s okay!”

Bonita, who had tightly gripped Reina’s hand before leaving her room, blushed when Estelle requested her to attend. Estelle jumped for delight because she didn’t expect Bonita to agree.

“That’s right, we’re friends!”

“A… Yes?! Ha, but the lady is in this house…”

Bonita knew Estelle was a girl from an aristocratic family far above her, so she paled as she wondered if she could be friends with this person. But as she tried to deny Bonita was her friend, she watched Estelle’s eyes turn back to those of a sorrowful dog. 

“Chi, that’s right buddy!”

“Yes! Friends!”

In the end, Bonita couldn’t deny her, thus she became friends with the sole Ducal princess who believed in the empire. Estelle handed Bonita what she was holding in her palm, her eyes gleaming again.

“This is a friendship bracelet made between friends, and the kids often did it where I lived.”

“It’s pretty…”

It was a little bracelet with colorful gemstones entwined. Estelle grinned shyly.

“Originally, it was a string bracelet… I asked the other maids, and they felt it would be wonderful to add something sparkling.”

When the maids encountered Estelle, who was surprised to see a jewel, she lied and said it was merely an heirloom stone, which Estelle immediately believed. Bonita seems to believe Estelle’s explanation as well. 

Only Reina could estimate the vast value of that bracelet.

“Bonnie, let’s go now.”

“Huh!”

“My lady, thank you for giving me such a precious gift. Cover yourself with a blanket today and sleep.”

“Yeah, I’ll see Reina tomorrow too.”

Reina considered herself fortunate to be capable of concealing her emotions. Because if she hadn’t, she’d have grown into an unattractive adult with all of her current emotions. Estelle handed Bonita a bracelet that was several times more expensive than the pale green dress she was wearing.

* * *

It was an average day, just like any other. She assisted Estelle with meals and spent time playing with her. The weather was pleasant, not overly cold. Reina imagined that if the days were this pleasant even on vacations, she’d be able to spend meaningful time with Bonita. 

“Reina, I’m going to play alone today, so go first!”

“What?”

“Hurry!”

Estelle pushed hard on the hesitant Reina. Even still, she insisted on playing with the other maids. She asked whether it was too much.

Even as a toddler, she could see Reina was preoccupied with other concerns. She was left alone in the corridor, and owing to Estelle’s thoughtfulness, Reina, who was standing there, left work first and went to the dorm, where Bonita was waiting.

The room was a little small for the two of them, but it was the nicest home Reina and Bonita had ever lived in. Bonita spent the majority of her time at the dorm while Reina was working. 

She occasionally visited the Templars, but she said in the morning that she would not be going today. She felt apprehensive as she opened the door and entered due to the weird silence and stillness.

“…eh?”

Reina cried out to Bonita as she opened the door, but she didn’t respond. Bonita was not present, even after she had opened all of the doors. As she looked around, bewildered, she discovered a white packet of letters on the bed.

Her heart beat with anxiety as soon as she found it, as if she knew what was in the letter. When she ripped open the envelope, there was a brief note scribbled on it. 

[If you want to save your daughter, kidnap Estelle Winternight.]

The deadline was tonight, and Bonita was even threatened with death if this information was made public.

“Oh, my God…”

Reina sat down on the place. Knowing Bonita was kidnapped, Reina covered her white face with her hands.

“Miss…”

Bonita survived solely by kidnapping Estelle Winternight. Reina let out a hard breath as she realized that while many people could help Estelle, she was the only one who could save her daughter. The location mentioned in the letter wasn’t too distant, but it wasn’t exactly a leisurely stroll. 

“This, Bonita for now…”

First, she needed to save her daughter. After then, if the information was leaked to the ducal family, wouldn’t Estelle be safe? Could it be that? Reina was in agonizing pain and had ringing tinnitus as she cleared her cluttered head. The agony felt familiar. That anguish she experienced four years ago, when she became Reina.

“Ugh…”

Reina recalled specific types, phrases, and scenes. Estelle, who was begging, accidently met the Duke of Winternight and became the princess duchy. and…

‘What is this…?’

Reina, Estelle’s kindly maid. 

[“Do you have any last words?”

The Duke’s eyes shone with menacing light. The maid with pink hair begged him for her life, her ragged face buried on the floor.

“Master, please show mercy. My daughter was abducted, and I couldn’t stop it.”

“If I forgive you now, I will have to forgive the next time the same thing happens.”

Regardless of how terrible the maid pled for her life, the Duke’s expression remained unchanged. The sword he was wielding stabbed her mercilessly. Estelle saw the Duke’s nasty side, which she was unaware of. ]

“What is this?”

And Reina, the maid who was punished for kidnapping Estelle, was she. This world was fictional. And Reina was the first person that made Estelle feel loved by her father. Every parent wanted to provide something wonderful to their loved ones. At least Reina did. The notion of a parent remained the same, but what they desired and could do differed. Reina had little money and wanted to do anything, but she couldn’t afford it. So Bonita grew up without much to appreciate.

She considered herself a poor guardian. But Bonita also adored Reina. She pondered who had said her parents had unconditional love. Looking at Bonita, she assumed that unconditional love is the emotion that a kid expresses to her parents.

“Bonnie…”

It was just terrible. Reina felt bad about her circumstances. Reina could only do one thing for Bonita now: kidnap Estelle to save her own daughter. There was only one option.

It was really jingling. Estelle’s chance to prove her father’s love for the first time is as follows. Reina simply wanted to save Bonita.

“Obviously, in the novel…”

How did it appear in the novel? It was hazy, and what came to her mind appeared to be dizzy Reina’s inner thoughts. In the novel, Reina pleaded the Duke’s forgiveness for doing it for her daughter, but he punished her, saying that if she valued her own children, the rest should as well. 

First and foremost, the Duke was such a man. A parent who would do everything for his daughter but would never forgive anyone who attempted to hurt her.

Reina died like that, and she had no idea what had happened to Bonita. However, Bonita’s conclusion could not have been nice because she was simply the daughter of an extra. Such was the love of those who have nothing.

Reina cherished Bonita, her darling kid, but she was not part of this empire. It wasn’t like Estelle’s life, where every action was documented, adored, and noticed. It was not the duchy’s riches, nor was it spring or a star. It was just Reina’s treasure, spring, and stars.

Reina struggled to her feet, straining her weak legs. She had no time to waste. During her struggles, time passed like a grain of sand in her hand. When the time ran out, even her only possession would go.

She was the only one who lost her calm when she needed to make a decision. Reina hurried into the mansion’s main building, clutching the blackmail card. Reina’s knowledge of the novel’s contents was limited, which was fortunate for her. And in that section, it was revealed who initiated this work.

At this level, she would have the value to trade with the Duke of Winternight. No matter how much this empire’s monsters, scoundrels, and cold-blooded people are called, if she gave them this much information, wouldn’t they save her daughter?

Translator Note: