Please Save My Child

Reina asked the butler, who directed his gaze on Bonita, who was looking about the room.

“…why was this room given to us?”

“His Excellency has prepared a small amount in return for saving the young lady.”

‘Eh…?’

What was there to criticize? The windows at the previous house where Bonita and she resided had cracks that allowed the wind to enter, but she couldn’t detect any flaws in the enormous windows in this room. Furthermore, the rug on the floor appeared to be a high-end product that cost much more than Reina and Bonita’s previous home. The polished bedside table, ivory canopy, and bed pillars were all decorated with artistic reliefs, the wallpaper was free of mold, and everything was brought together to make it a house rather than a room. The most surprising aspect was that the room was huge despite all of the furniture.

‘The employee’s accommodations were adequate.’

The room was also quiet, there was no mold, and it was a great spot to avoid the cold in the winter. Reina was at a loss for what to do with herself, and Bonita had never believed she would be offered such a nice suite. 

“Is this… a weakling?”

In the end, Reina could not stand it and whispered to the butler.

“Yes, the price of saving Lady Estelle’s life is not enough even if you give all of the family’s wealth.”

“…I see…”

In actuality, even if Reina had taken Estelle, she would have survived, but Reina felt she was fooling people for no purpose. The butler politely answered all of Reina’s cautious queries.

“The rest will be announced tomorrow morning at 11:00.”

“…The rest?”

As if this room wasn’t all there, Reina opened her mouth slightly.

“This is a gift prepared in a hurry.”

Following their chat, Reina and Bonita were left alone in the huge room. After a lengthy look around the room, the toddler gasped and approached Reina, hugging the width of her skirt. Reina did not say anything, but she calmed the youngster who was holding her and spoke a few things.

“…Do you like this room that much?”

The child jerked her head and yelled out. 

“Huh!”

“Really?”

“It’s great! Mom, let us take a bath together today. The bathtub here is rather large. It’s large enough for both of us!”

“Is that so?”

She may have been astonished that she had been taken so recently, but she had no idea that even at night she would fall from Ray’s or her own side. Today’s Bonita appeared to be in good health, and she expressed concern about Reina. Unaware of Reina’s quickness, the toddler seized her with her tiny hands and led her to the bathroom.

“Look at this, Mom.” Is it big?”

“I know.”

The ivory bathtub has a golden base.A room prepared quickly…?

Warm water flowed out as the toddler lifted the faucet’s handle. She didn’t dare to estimate how much money would be required to operate this massive estate using magic. Unlike Reina, who appreciated all of the furniture, Bonnie simply sprayed the warm water in her palms and splashed it in the water.

“Ah, clothes to change into.”

After washing, she needed to change her clothes. She appeared to have transferred her stuff from the original dorm, but she had no idea where they had put it.

‘In the closet?’

Reina, believing she had it in her closet, opened the white wardrobe with delicate embossing.

“…uh?”

Inside, Reina and Bonita’s clothes were nicely organized, along with the first acupuncture needles. A nice paper card was placed on top of it.

[I’m not sure if the garments will fit. Peter]

Unlike Reina, her penmanship was incredibly beautiful. Bonita hugged Reina from behind as she stared at the message. 

“…Bonnie?”

“…it’s full of water.”

“Already? It’s fast. Then let’s go wash up.”

“Huh.”

The warm water engulfed her entire body in comfort. A few years ago, such comfort and leisure were unthinkable. She couldn’t believe that all of this happened overnight because she chose a different option than the original. Bonita, who was playing in the water with a modest splash, asked Reina a question.

“…After we sleep for a few nights, shall we go back to our original room?”

“…”

The child rolled her eyes, as if she recognized that this was not their room.

“Does Bonnie hate this room?”

“Um, I don’t hate it. But.”

“But what?”

“But…”

Bonita hesitated before responding briefly.

“Because this kind of house is where only great people live.”

“…Oh, Bonnie…”

To be honest, she preferred her current room to all of the houses she had previously lived in. It was sturdy enough to withstand even severe winds, and it lacked a dusty or musty odor. The bed was wide and comfy, and there was a rug on the floor, so I felt like I could run barefoot. The window was not broken or cracked, and the bathroom was large and had a faucet. If she could live in such a wonderful house, she wouldn’t have to walk outside to gather water even in the cold, and she wouldn’t have to wake up in terror when the wind blows loudly at dawn. On a cold day, she wouldn’t have to pull out all of her thick and thin garments and layer them on, pretending to be OK in front of her mother. The eight-year-old was well familiar with the outside world. She was also aware that they were forced to live in such a property due to their financial circumstances. Reina’s ability to estimate the cost of each item was insufficient, but she could tell that they were all quite expensive. Bonita was initially reluctant to return home.

Bonita said what she had in mind, and when she questioned Reina, she couldn’t say exactly how many days it was. She couldn’t be positive of the timeline because none of these things belonged to Reina in the first place. 

“What a great company Bonnie is.”

“…I?”

“Then.”

Reina gave a trusting smile and tapped Bonita’s nose with her finger.

“This is a prize prepared by the Duke for a brave child.”

“Am I brave?”

Bonnie touched the bridge of her nose, where her fingertips could still feel.

“I was scared by myself yesterday, but you endured it well.”

“…no! “I was not scared!”

Bonnie became surprised and leaned in closer Reina. The child talked loudly with a distressed expression.

“I am fine alone! And again and again! I wasn’t scared since I knew my mother would come.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I can eat and sleep well on my own, and also…

Bonita began telling Reina, folding her fingers one by one, about what she was doing well on her own. Reina stroked her strands through the child’s damp hair.

“Yes, our Bonnie is the bravest child in the Empire.”

Bonita’s face relaxed, as if relieved.

“It’s a gift the Duke has prepared for such a child.” 

* * *

Bonita, exhausted from soaking in the warm water for so long, lay down on the bed and promptly fell asleep. Reina stared out the window at the full moon, which shone brightly in her poorly lit apartment. Her hands were filled with items she had purchased for Bonita today. Reina leaned against the moonlight, sorting through her belongings one by one.

“…Ah, I didn’t eat all of this.”

Cold Crawler Donuts. She opened the crumpled envelope, fearing that the donuts inside had also been destroyed, but the donuts inside were just as she had purchased them. Everything she got for Bonita today was barely priced to match the vases in this room. Reina was confident that the vase would be worth considerably more. This was the only gift Reina could make for Bonita. Even at her best, she couldn’t match the Duke of Winternight’s hastily prepared present.

Reina planned to throw away the crawler donuts, but just in case, she placed the full envelope on her bedside table and slept down next to Bonita. Her eyes were squinting as the youngster arranged her bed, but when she wiped her between her brows, her expression softened. 

“Have a nice dream.”

* * *

Reina only awoke at 10 a.m. It was a significant oversleep for her, as she generally gets up at six a.m. to prepare for work. Embarrassed that she hadn’t been woken up by anyone, Reina, who had never woken up this late, roused herself in a hurry to find her conquest, only to discover that this was not the room she had been in.

“Wake up, Bonnie.” “I need to get ready.”

“…Yes.”

She claimed to have stepped through something at eleven a.m. She seemed to need to take Bonita with her, so Reina roused her wailing kid from her rest, cleaned her, and even changed her clothes. The infant slept so deeply that even after everything was over, she rubbed her eyes as if she hadn’t awoken. When the second hand pointed to 12, it was eleven o’clock, and someone opened the door with a leap. It’s customary for them to knock on the door before entering someone else’s room, but Reina couldn’t help but widen her eyes when she saw the person who opened the door discreetly.

“Come when you’re done.”

The Duke of Winternight owned this house.

“Now, wait a minute.”

Reina hastily comforted Bonita, which contradicted the thought that she should be kind to the Duke and wake Bonita, who was still sleeping. She was always a stately Bonita, but the youngster, who had trouble sleeping well, whined that she was hungry while resting on her hand.

“Bonnie, this…” Do you want some crawler donuts? Do you enjoy sweets in the morning? Huh?”

“Muggle…”

Reina, scared of offending him by having the Duke wait, quickly grabbed an envelope from her bedside table and inserted the tiny donut into Bonita’s mouth.

“Right, nice.”

Reina took the chewing Bonita into her arms, holding the donuts in both of her hands.

“Ready, everything… it’s done!”

Reina’s hair, contrary to what she had indicated, was rather disheveled. The Duke considered what to say about it but chose to go on.

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Translator Note: