Please Save My Child

“Duke, Reina Boton ask permission to see you.”

Reyna Boton. Damian didn’t usually memorize all of his employees’ details, but he needed to know something about her, even if he didn’t want to. On a particularly cold winter day, his coat was wrapped tightly over a small child, and her flesh turned red from the cold. She was the woman who cried tears in front of the duchy and naively requested that only the purified child be rescued. Some women sobbed because they were terrified of cold winter nights, but she was the first woman to mourn for her child. At the moment, he had no intention of welcoming persons of uncertain standing, and he was extremely uncomfortable. 

Perhaps if Reina hadn’t looked like his wife at first glance, he would have urged them to get rid of her. Even now, Damian thinks she’s unusual. She was a woman with no resemblance. Perhaps it was because the girl she was carrying was the same age as his daughter, who had vanished, he remembered.

The Duke, remembering his absent wife and daughter, got Reina a maid job and made arrangements for her daughter to reside with her. A year later, the Duke finally located his daughter, Estelle, and chose someone suitable for his child. Reina was naturally the first person who came to mind. 

“Tell her to come in.”

The Duke of Winternight sat at his desk, setting down the quill he was holding. After a while, the door silently opened, and Reina entered.

“……There are forces attempting to kidnap Lady Estelle,” stated the maid with a confused sense that did not match her name, Reina.

“…Who are they trying to kidnap?”

The Duke hissed quietly at the mention of his precious daughter’s name. Reina’s face grew white at his intimidating presence, and she clutched her fists tightly together.

“It seems that the desperate tribes have finally appeared.”

The Duke rose from his seat, sneering at Reina’s condition. Reina spoke to the Duke while keeping her shivering body as still as possible. 

“I-I can help you catch the culprit.”

That was funny. Who is helping whom? Even so, the Duke put Reina in his blue eyes. And a moment of silence followed.

“Help?”

“…h. yes.”

Reina nodded and took out a small piece of paper from the pocket of her apron.

“Ah, this is a blackmail letter from the person who instigated me to kidnap the young lady.”

“…!”

The Duke extended his hand to Reina, who tucked the letter behind her.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m making a deal with you.”

At that moment, the Duke’s eyes welled up with rage. Reina, on the other hand, did not appear to accept what she had stated. The Duke kept his temper under control and inquired quietly.

“What do you want?”

He was imagining what she would ask for. Gold and silver treasures, land, houses, and all other material possessions. Everything the people who tortured the Duke of Winternight for finding a princess so far had requested. The statements that followed, however, caught the Duke off guard. 

“My child…”

“…”

“Please save my child.”

Reina’s tears fell in one drop as she barely finished her remarks. The sadness that had built up in her throat eventually slipped out. Reina continued speaking, gripping the blackmail letter hidden behind her as if it were a lifeline.

“Please, please save her… I will accept the punishment sweetly.”

Making such a contract was disloyal for an ordinary subject. Furthermore, Reina was a maid who treated Estelle like her own nanny. Trying to reach an agreement with the criminal who intended to kidnap the girl he cared about ‘It’s dreadful’. 

Reina thought she was a nasty person. The Duke said nothing and simply looked at Reina. The weird feel of the blackmail paper in her hand reminded her of the harsh reality. However, Reina made up her mind and reminded Bonita that she would be imprisoned alone.

“…The letter is said to contain a lot of information.”

“…”

She had no idea how far her comments would carry, but she had to see what he said. After all, the consequences of kidnapping Estelle were inevitable. 

“I… used to do odd jobs at a stationery workshop.”

When it comes to socialite season, the need for stationery increases. So, at that time, they used to hire temporary workers to help, although Reina had already worked as an assistant. Reina proceeded to tell ingenious tales based on her memories from that day. It was a fiction based on truth to some extent, but she never imagined she could deal with a situation to this degree. The Duke listened to Reina’s deductions.

“…So, is the stationery in question extremely rare?” 

“A. Yes.”

Each upper section had a slightly different composition for letter paper. There were some aspects, such as the faint touch and fragrance, that purchasers could not understand unless they paid close attention. You might discover the merchants who distribute it and eliminate letter workshops. Following that, it would be simple to sort the list of acquired families. Reina trembled as she watched the Duke, who did not respond for a long time.

Isn’t that bad?

So, who would believe Reina’s words? Rather, he might believe Reina was setting a trap. Reina chewed her lips fiercely. The massive man stared at Reina for a long time before opening his words. 

“…When trading,”

“…”

“When making a deal, you shouldn’t give away what you have first.

“…”

“And…”

The Duke frowned at her again, not trying to scare her. He opened his mouth for a while and muttered a small murmur.

“…What kind of person do I look like?”

“…?”

Reina had no idea what that meant, but she couldn’t ask because the Duke had already turned away. With wide, fast steps, he tugged the seolleong line in the office’s corner. There were two types of strings: black and red, and he pulled the red one. And she realized immediately what that line meant. As soon as the Duke of Winternight pulled the rope, the knight commander in uniform emerged from the door behind him.

“Did you call, sir?”

“Yes.”

In an unexpected moment, she gazed at the two of them. The knight commander cast a sideways glance at Reina before bowing again to the Duke of Winternight.

“That maid… Reina Boton’s child has been kidnapped as a hostage.” 

“…”

“Estelle was the kidnapper’s first target, thus that is my responsibility. They sent a blackmail letter, so find out where they are hiding…”

“Lord, master!”

He forgot about Reina and interrupted the Duke’s statement.

“Why?”

Despite this, the duke responded without reprimand.

“The place of the transaction is written on this blackmail card.”

Reina delivered the letter to the Duke with quivering hands. The Duke approached Reina with a broad stride, rather than looking at her motions.

“Reina Boton.”

“…eh.”

“I think I’ve said it before, but when you make a deal, you shouldn’t give away what you have first.”

The Duke had already received the letter she held.

“What if all of this was a lie? Now that I’ve got the letter, what if I don’t fulfill my part?”

Reina, understanding the Duke’s words, opened her eyes wide. No matter how urgent it was, the important thing was to hide it tightly.

“…o.”

“Knight Commander, prepare to go to the place written on this letter of intimidation.”

“All right.”

The Duke handed over the letter to the knight commander. Even if Reina didn’t hand it over in the first place, she could have done it enough to extort her.

“There might be a spy inside, so only the elite can guess.”

“At your command.”

It wasn’t until the Knight Commander greeted him once again and left the office that Reina collapsed and sat down on the spot.

“…”

What was this situation just now? Reina put her hand to the mouth of her beating heart.

“God, thank you… thank you…”

Why was it so difficult to spit out those five simple letters? Why was her vision hazy? Why was her heart so full, yet her neck hurt so much? The office carpet was stained brown in places owing to bursting tears. Her pink hair, which was usually neat, was a jumbled mess. Her always-kind smile was interwoven with lingering fear, a little relief, and tears. She finally saw hope.

The Duke of Winternight watched Reina cry for a long before picking her up and placing her on the couch in his office. 

He said, handing her his handkerchief.

“All parents have the same heart for their children. As much as I value my daughter, I will not treat your child carelessly.”

“…yes.”

“Boton, you must have been thinking a lot while carrying that blackmail.”

He sat across from her, and the Duke narrowed his brows, recalling his heated first meeting with Reina. The handkerchief that the Duke gave her was already soaked. That small body burst into sobs as if it were not even tired. In the meanwhile, surprisingly, no one cried. The Duke left Reina’s room, leaving her in his office to grieve in privacy.

It felt weird to be so courteous of a simple employee. The Duke determined that it was because Reina was Estelle’s favorite, and she was a miserable person who couldn’t go to save her daughter for Estelle’s sake. After some thought, the Duke opened his mouth. 

“I’m in trouble…”

This kidnapping incident made the Duke realize what he was missing. When Estelle wasn’t there, he had to protect his own life, but now he had to protect Estelle as well. And protecting Estelle was not only her body, but also her mind. There were a lot of people around his little daughter who cared about her. And each of them had their own precious person.

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