Please Save My Child

A lovely, sunny little house.

“Mom!”

The girl with pink hair and bright eyes dashed out carrying the flowers she had chosen for her mother. They said the infant had no father, and instead of blaming the man who left, they pointed fingers at the mother who was parenting the child.

“That woman had a child before she got married, right?”

“She looks innocent, but she’s not a good woman.”

Even though several people were whispering, she did not flee. The youngster was obviously the result of love. She was pleased that the child’s father, whatever he was, had left with a promise to return. She fiddled with the pendants on the necklaces that I and my child wore. A man was departing and gave her a token.

The child brought her a wildflower whose name she didn’t recognize and placed it in the chipped mug. Her mother then touched her child’s head, and the child saw her move as an implied promise.

She began her career as a children’s teacher. Because it was a small village, her income was limited, but the children followed her and the people even fed her. But when she, an unmarried woman, gave birth to a kid without her husband, she became an unfaithful woman, was unable to teach the children, and was forced to leave the village.

With her stomach empty, she moved from country to village, scarcely settling down after giving birth to her child, but she had no spouse and couldn’t shake the stigma of being a woman who only had one child. Nevertheless, the lady attempted to adore the child. She tried, tried, and did everything she could to adore her child. When the child was fourteen years old, she returned with a lovely wildflower as the sun sank. When the scarlet light flooded the small house, she was a youngster who always prepared supper with her mother, and that was the moment she cherished the most. 

“Mom, I’m here!”

The child had discovered many beautiful flowers today, and she entered her home with great excitement. But it was her mother, with her enormous suitcase, who faced the toddler.

“…?”

The woman called ‘Mom’ stared at the youngster, who was smaller and thinner than her.

“Reina, I tried to love you.”

“But I simply couldn’t do that. Nonetheless, I raised you for 14 years, so you will mature properly. “Just two more years until I’m an adult.”

The toddler glanced at her mother, who was repeating something, but she had no idea what she meant. Until yesterday, she smiled and went to bed with her. Only after the mother had left the house did the child realize what was going on and grab her.

“Um, Mom! I apologize! Mom! Do not go! I will do my best! Huh? Do I eat a lot? Does it cost money because of me? I’ll be working a lot, too! I will seek for a job starting tomorrow! Huh?”

She couldn’t stand to hold her hand. She was terrified he’d shake her hand away as soon as she took it. So Reyna could only grab her mother’s collar. But she couldn’t hang on too tightly for fear of damaging her precious clothing.

“What should I do, Mom?” Huh? I will do everything you wish… If you’re merely angry, can you tell me why? Huh?”

Her eyes grew hot, and tears spilled down. But the woman’s voice, captured by her child, indicated that her actions were steadfast.

“It’s just that I can’t love you.”

“…”

Her hand, rough from her daily job, pulled away from the eager child’s hand.

“You don’t look like me. “You look like that guy.”

“…mom.”

“Your hair color, your eyes, your whole appearance. How can I love you when the more you develop, the more you look like that person?

These were her final words to her child. It doesn’t mean she liked her or was sorry, but rather that she couldn’t love her since she resembled her father.

The youngster stood for a while, and finally returned to the little cottage when the sun had set and her mother’s shadow was no longer visible. An vacant house, shabby flowers, and a toothed cup with nothing inside. And it wasn’t until she noticed her necklace on the table that she started crying.

‘Yes, I’m genuinely alone now. In this vast universe, there is so much I don’t know, and I’m alone.

The youngster burst into sobs at the tremendous fear and loneliness that enveloped her. That day, the youngster learnt to cry silently. Reina Borden was that sort of child, and she became that kind of adult. The jewelry around her neck and her last name, Borton, were the only reminders of her mother she had. 

* * *

Eugene eventually entered Reina’s body. She was imbued with her past, and she encounters recollections of Reina on a daily basis. All of her memories came back to haunt her, even if they were blurred. Eugene’s memories were hazy, but her memories of Reina were distinct. As a result, Reina began to wonder if ‘Eugene’ was a delusion. But there were times when she was convinced she wasn’t the real Reina. The example was ‘blueberry’.

She didn’t realize Reina was sensitive to blueberries. Because she had no recall of it. If she were Reina, she would have known. Reina owns this body. She came to her senses, but her eyes did not open fully.

“…”

It was a prolonged nightmare. As she lifted her scarcely heavy eyelids to catch her dizzying spirit, she noticed her fuzzy face. Where was she? She couldn’t even judge anything so easy. Reina was haunted by her most terrible childhood memories, and just before she fell, she couldn’t recall where she was, who she was with, what she was doing, or what she was talking about. She simply prayed that the spot where she was lying was the modest house from her childhood, and that everything about being abandoned by her mother was a dream. She felt like someone was watching her. Reena hoped it was her mom.

“O, of…”

“I was wrong…”

She wishes she had been born a little more like her mother. Instead of pink hair, she should have been born with beautiful blonde hair like her mom. Instead of being born with blazing yellow eyes, she would have had green eyes like summer grass, just like her mother. Reina’s mother may not have loved her from the minute she was born, but she did love her from the moment Reina first saw her.

She spit out those terrible words and went, yet she still couldn’t hate her mother. On the contrary, she occasionally had the nagging suspicion that if she had been more like her mother, she would have been abandoned. She needed to figure out what she had done wrong or she would go insane from her misery.

She was newly born. That’s it.

A huge hand paused and calmed her. Her movements were sloppy, but she couldn’t explain why she felt so at ease with them.

“…You didn’t do anything wrong.”

The voice was low and icy, unlike the one Reina recalled from her mother. Nonetheless, Reina was nearly moved to tears when she was told that she had done nothing wrong. Reina had never been told she wasn’t at blame by any grownups she had met. 

“…Sir?”

Her throat was locked and she couldn’t call her properly, but the Duke, the owner of those big hands, heard Reina calling him.

“Okay.”

“…what…”

Apparently, the Duke and lady spoke alone in the office. The Duke, concerned that Reina had not eaten well, offered light tea meal. Then… She suddenly felt pain all over her body and started to suffocate. The Duke’s voice could be heard anxiously calling for someone. Following that, she appeared to lose her memory.

“Sometimes there are people who don’t like certain foods.”

“I heard it was because she ate blueberries, but you never knew that?”

Reina listened to the Duke’s voice bothering her, as if he were constantly reprimanding her. She then slowly sat up, raising her upper body.

“…I wasn’t sure because I didn’t have time to try it. Sorry.”

Eugene hasn’t eaten blueberries since she became Reina. It wasn’t like raspberries, which she occasionally found in the highlands, and she never considered eating foods containing blueberries. However, the Duke’s complexion paled, possibly because he misinterpreted these comments.

“I’m not asking for an apology…that’s all.” It’s finished…

“…?”

The Duke, who had been through a lot while Reina was down, appeared thin. The chair should be tiny. Reina directed her sight to the chair he was seated in. The small, round chair that hardly supported his massive body was sad, and wasn’t the Duke uncomfortable? She had a thinking like this.

The man remained silent for a long time before opening his mouth.

“…I thought someone was trying to kill you.”

“Me?”

If someone was aiming to kill there, wouldn’t they generally target the Duke? Reina, who thought it was a bloody but sensible thought, looked bewildered.

“Yes.”

He understood Reina’s perplexed expression. In fact, if she hadn’t become so enmeshed, she would not have had such a strong fear for her life. So the Duke began explaining. 

“…We have not yet found the exact person behind Estelle’s kidnapping.”

If he knew who it was, he could simply keep that individual in check. But he hadn’t a clue yet. It could have happened in a matter of days, but after spending so much money and effort into the Duke’s family, it seemed weird that they couldn’t locate even the smallest indication.

“And, regardless, everyone in this mansion knows you didn’t follow their commands, or rather their threats. Soon, the entire empire will know. In other words, you will be the benefactor of this duchy.”

“Is it that far?”

“Yes. “You saved the only heir to the Winternight Dukedom.”

Actually, it signified more than merely a successor, but the Duke chose not to include that explanation.

“You are the number one benefactor of this duchy.”

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Translator Note: