Please Save My Child

“Ugh…”

The Duke collapsed below, expressionless, and trampled the groaning man. The tight room was covered in blood, but there wasn’t a single drop on him. He roughly cleaned the blood from his blade and questioned the knight behind him.

“Did you get the information?”

The Duke said with no passion in his voice. No, that toneless voice indicated rage. Even the knights who followed him were forced to reflexively recoil beneath the calm pressure.

“Yes, Lord. “I just revealed where the child is.”

“Okay.”

He kicked the falling mercenary beneath him with a hard stare.

“Then let’s clean up what’s left.” 

“Yes.”

He double-checked to ensure there was no blood on his body. If the infant was awake, he might be alarmed by the sight of blood.

“It might be a trap.”

One of the best knights spoke in a troubled tone.

“Yes.”

He arrived at the location Reina had directed him to, but he couldn’t see a shadow of a child. When the Duke discovered the mercenaries huddled in an old, tiny hut armed with lethal-looking weapons, he concluded they had no intention of returning Bonita in the first place. 

‘You’re evil.’

First and foremost, he did not consider kidnappers to be normal. However, it was unpleasant to play on the parents’ yearning to save their children. If he had been a regular Duke, he would have received it and processed it sufficiently to obtain the information.

‘This is not like me.’

However, when the Duke discovered that they intended to fool Reina, he failed to issue orders to the knights and attacked first.

“My lord, please calm down next time.”

“Are you ordering me now?”

“…This is a petition from loyal subjects.”

It took simply a few minutes. It simply took one person to subjugate all of the mercenaries in this mansion. 

‘As expected, the master of the sword.’

The knight commander gazed at the Duke, who exuded savage energy. He felt like a monster regardless of how much he served his king.

“How long will it take to go?”

“Four to thirty minutes.”

“If you hurry, you can do it in ten minutes, let’s go.” “Johnny.”

In other ways, it feels like a forced command. It took a lot of effort to reduce a thirty-minute horseback ride to ten minutes. Many knights were fatigued as they hurried to this location. However, the Duke did not slow down.

‘She should not have been wounded in the least.’ 

Otherwise, he would not be able to face Reina Boton. As he hurriedly drove away, he saw a small mansion.

“Is it a villa?”

“It appears to belong to Baron Testoa.”

“Testoa…”

If it was Baron Testoa, the Duke was also a person whom he had met very rarely.

“Did he have any reason to threaten you like this?”

Because the Duke’s family had many adversaries, he was keeping an eye on all the families who may become enemies. Testoa was a family that acquired the title twenty years ago. They did not align with either the imperial or aristocratic factions. They only had a plot of land with a large orchard, and he was not interested in politics at all.

‘Then I’ll purchase it from someone else.’

There was another rear behind the last one. Data was limited since Testoa had no significant exchanges with other nobility.

“For now, though, one name will be erased from the noble list.”

“You wouldn’t want to live while trying to touch Winternight.” 

The Duke looked at the lofty mansion with cold eyes. Compared to his size, the mansion, which would have been huge for a while, seemed strangely too shabby and small.

“Knights, go in.”

“Yes!”

* * *

“Reina……!!! The Knights are back!”

“In the garden, with Bonnie… Reina!”

Reina dashed out, barefoot, before she could complete his sentence. The voices of her buddies could be heard grabbing her. Her always-tidy pink hair was messed up by her hurried exit. Reina, who had constantly warned Bonita not to walk barefoot in case she got wounded, went barefoot over the icy floor without fear.

“Bonnie…!!!!”

It was a dark night, and a large group of knights had gathered. She could feel people staring at her, surprised by the abrupt female scream-like sound. Reina didn’t pause to meet their look, instead moving towards Bonita. Bonita was cradled in the Duke’s arms, wrapped in a big blanket. 

“Bon…”

“Uh, Mom.”

Reina forgot to greet the Duke and reached for her other cheek, staring at her shaking hand. She questioned whether it was a mirage or whether only the cold corpse had returned. She was quite terrified of it. However, the infant’s cheek was as soft and warm as when she had surreptitiously caressed her sleeping child the night before.

“Thank you, thank you.”

“Oh, Mom…”

Unknowingly, Bonita, who had been transferred from the Duke into her arms, continued to apologize to Reina in a frantic manner. 

“I-I’m sorry… I said I would only be in my room today… The knights looked so cool practicing… so…”

“Bonnie.”

Bonita hastily apologized, but she couldn’t continue because Reina interrupted her. Now that it was all over, she could see what else was frightening in her frightened child’s eyes.

“…Mom, so… I am.”

“Are you okay?”

“…uh?”

“You weren’t scared? You weren’t hurt?”

Bonita, who hadn’t expected to be asked such a question, blinked her big eyes and nodded her head. Reina was then able to show her smile. It was funny how she raised the corners of her mouth with her tears stained.

“Thank you for being alive. Thank you for coming back to your mother…”

* * *

It was a couple days following the incident. Bonita sat on the bed, calmer than expected, watching Reina get ready to go out. It was a scene she saw every morning, but there was one difference: Reina was wearing ordinary clothing today.

“Mom, aren’t you going to work today?”

“Huh.”

The duchy’s consideration resulted in Reina receiving ten thousand days of rest. The girl appeared joyful during her unexpected getaway with her mother, but she had a perplexed expression on her face.

“Today, Bonnie and Mom will go downtown, eat delicious food, eat dessert~ and buy clothes.”

“Clothes? What clothes?”

“The clothes to wear before the birth of a star, after that day it will be very cold.”

“Then there’s a light green dress.”

“…”

The toddler averted her sight as Reina stared at Bonita shouting out. Reina explained, sitting nervously close to Bonita.

“Bonnie, what if… If Bonnie doesn’t grow much next year and doesn’t need to buy a dress, won’t you buy it?”

Bonita considered Reina’s question for a time before nodding her head.

“Yes, but Mom has so many things she wants to do with Bonita next year. I’d like to attend the spring festival, visit the beach village in the fall, and celebrate the birth of a star together in the winter. But if you always wear the same light green dress, I doubt I’ll recall that day.” 

“I just have to remember it for you!”

Reina shook her head.

“It was enjoyable the day you wore a light green outfit. Even if I mention that, since Bonita always wears a light green dress, won’t it be confusing what day it is?”

“…” “As the seasons I spend with you change, Bonnie, mom wants to see you grow up in various ways.”

Bonita finally nodded, as Reina’s remarks seemed plausible. Reina grinned cheerfully and, in case she caught a cold wind, tightened Bonita’s collar.

“Today, let’s eat lots of Bonita’s favorite foods and watch something entertaining. Okay?”

“…”

As Reina took Bonita’s hand and exited their lodgings, a man with a weapon waited for them. 

“Reina.”

“Oh, I wish you a good day today.”

“…Sir Dean!”

Dean, a knight Bonita knew well, grinned brightly and greeted her.

“Anyway, it is risky to go out right now. “I will accompany you.”

“I’m relieved that Sir Dean escorted me.”

Dean smiled at Bonita, held her infant in his arms, and nodded to Reina.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Raina was grateful to Dean for allowing her to practice today, except for the Knights practice. Despite the fact that she had entrusted her escort to Bonita and her confidant, she was glad she had gone so far.

“Does Sir Dean like anything?”

“…yes?”

“Favorite meal or item. I can’t afford anything very expensive, but I’d like to present something as a gesture of thanks.” 

“…”

After thinking for a while, Dean made eye contact with Bonita, who was staring at him, and said with a smile.

“Honey bread is my favorite.”

“Oh.”

Reina said she was slightly surprised.

“Did you know that Sir Dean was a descendant of an aristocratic family?”

“Yes, but I don’t have much wealth, and the third person has virtually no title.”

Still, he must have never encountered honey bread easily, but when she saw Dean saying that honey bread was his favorite, a smile leaked out.

Translator Note: