Please Save My Child

It was a cold winter with snowstorms.

 

Sophia still remembered that day. Strangely enough, her memories of that day remained vivid. She had a star birthday, but that was the year she did not find her one and only precious princess. So she spent that year secretly gathering together to eat cookies or share cake. Sophia was a maid who worked for Count Embron’s family for just two years, and she received a letter of recommendation before arriving at the duchy. She didn’t last very long, but few maids were as diligent in their work as Sophia. Moreover, thanks to her friendly nature, she kept a pretty good distance from everyone.

 

“It seems like this winter is especially cold.”

 

“I know.”

 

Today again, Sophia had a fruitless conversation with Becky, her colleague next to her. Since work was done for today, she went back to her dorm and went to sleep. She flirted with me to stop by her kitchen on the way back and secretly get some snacks. It must have been around then.

 

“I guess the master has returned.”

 

A black carriage was visible like a dot in the hazy landscape caused by a severe blizzard. The head butler, the head maid, and several servants went out to meet the carriage. Normally, the coachman would have opened the carriage door and got out very slowly. Sophia remembered and remembered her movements that seemed to embody her unique composure and her arrogance. But the duke that day, Damian, was quite different. Before the coachman could open the door, he opened it violently and quickly got out of the carriage.

 

“Can you hear what I’m saying?”

 

“No.”

 

And he seemed to be giving orders to the owner of the house, but of course she didn’t listen.

 

“Who’s getting off now?”

 

“Who?”

 

“It’s so small you can’t see it.”

 

Unlike Damian, the small, staggering figure was hard to see. She seemed to be holding something, but she wasn’t even sure what it was.

 

“Has he found the princess?”

 

Becky, who was next to Sophia, asked. Sophia’s eyes also sparkled slightly.

 

“Is that so?”

 

Damian often went out to look for his daughter. She heard that he didn’t go out to look for his daughter this time, but wasn’t it said that people usually find what they desperately want in unexpected places?

 

“It would be nice if you were a princess. I’ve never seen you before.”

 

Then maybe this bloody mansion would get a little better.

 

Sophia added.

 

“I hope she looks a lot like master.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I thought white hair and pink eyes would be a bit creepy.”

 

“But…”

 

Becky also gave a small affirmation. The two looked out the window for a while and then walked towards their dorm.

 

* * *

 

“My name is Reina Borton.”

 

The next day, a vague-looking woman was holding a sleeping child in the employee’s quarters. Sophia could definitely say that she had never seen someone with such a blurry face in her life.

 

‘She was completely skinny.’

 

And she looked pitiful. A child with pink hair who looked exactly like the woman. A woman who introduced herself as Reina said.

 

“Oh, my husband passed away in an accident a few years ago.”

 

The child sleeping in the woman’s arms was shaking. She was very careful with her hands as a woman cared for her child. It was natural for her to turn everyone’s attention to her child. She was the same age as the princess who had gone missing. She was “a mother and daughter who were so poor they couldn’t even afford to call a doctor.”

 

“The child suffered from a fever during this cold winter.”

 

“She couldn’t eat much, so he’s much smaller and thinner than her peers.”

 

“On the day of the blizzard, the woman came all the way to save the child.”

 

The woman was enough to arouse people’s sympathy. The woman explained that her name was Reina Borton. The mother and daughter’s accommodations were assigned to a room in the far corner. Sofia, who served as her guide, saw Reina looking around her room for a while.

 

“Is there something wrong?”

 

“Oh, no. That’s not it…”

 

The woman shook her head when asked if there was a problem. Her ears seemed to turn slightly red.

 

“I thought it was warm even though it was the corner room.”

 

“…?”

 

“It’s a shame, but the house I lived in before had no heating at all.”

 

“You didn’t use the magic stone?”

 

“Magic stones are expensive, so I can’t use them anytime.”

 

Sofia’s eyes contained Reina. The woman’s eyes twinkled.

 

‘Were we so poor that we couldn’t even buy magic stones?’

 

Poor. The more you know, the more pitiful she became.

 

“But I’m glad I can get a job here, Bonnie… because it allows me to raise my daughter more safely.”

 

“I see. Just wait a moment.” Sophia brought a round can from her room. Inside were a few leftover Star’s Birth cookies.

 

She handed the can to Reina.

 

“When the child wakes up, let’s eat together.”

 

“Oh, no, it’s okay.”

 

Raina was startled and refused what Sophia gave her. However, Sofia inevitably gave the can to Reina.

 

“It’s not very sweet, so anyone can eat it. Share it with your daughter.”

 

Reina’s ears turned red and her expression became embarrassed. But she didn’t seem to hate it. She seemed impressed.

 

Reina was the one most impressed by the cookie even though she didn’t have a few herself.

 

“I have a favor to ask you instead.”

 

“A favor?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sophia really liked this kind of person.

 

“Please call me Sofia from now on. I’ll call you Reina too.”

 

“So, I’m asking you to be my friend. Can I talk to you comfortably?”

 

The poor person felt very comfortable. She liked people who liked her and envied her, even if they were just a little bit kind to her. To be more specific, she liked someone who made her feel like she was great just by being around her. Who doesn’t like feeling like they’ve become a great person? It was the best specialness that Sophia, who was born into a humble commoner family and lived as an ordinary maid, could possess.

 

‘How can she be so pitiful?’

 

She never thought she would meet someone as pitiful as Reina. The greatest luck in her life would have been that she happened to be noticed by the duke and was given the opportunity to work there. Sofia gave Reina the gentle smile she gave everyone.

 

* * *

 

“Sophia, I sorted all the curtains I took out of the warehouse.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

It wasn’t a bad feeling to receive great envy for just a little favor. She didn’t know about Reina herself, but she was currently the center of attention among the residents of the mansion. She was a woman who entered the mansion in the cold winter, hugging only her daughter. She was the woman taken in by the cold-hearted Duke of Winternight. The people knew that Sofia was close to Reina and when they had any questions about Reina, they came to ask her. And the conclusion of all the stories was, ‘Reina Borton is such a pitiful person.’ It came down to the question, “How could someone’s life be so miserable even if Sofia didn’t tell her story?”

 

‘Poor.’

 

Sofia looked at Rayna, who was smiling slightly in front of her. From the time she first arrived at the mansion, she had calloused hands. Sophia, who was looking down at her hands, opened her mouth.

 

“I’m going to the gym to run an errand. Do you want to come with me?”

 

Then she held up a basket that she could barely lift with both hands. 

 

“I’m going to give them snacks, but I have to carry another basket this size. It’s really heavy.”

 

“Where is the rest of the basket?”

 

“There. I’ll introduce you to the knights on the way.”

 

Reina, holding the basket near her, opened her eyes wide at Sophia’s words.

 

“Do I need to be introduced?”

 

“Yes. If we want to work together in the future, it’s good to know. If I don’t know who you are, I might do something wrong and get caught?”

 

“Ah, maybe so.”

 

Reina nodded her head, thinking that at this scale, she might have someone hiding.

 

“Because I’m close with the knights. I’m sure Raina will become friendly with you soon.”

 

“I hope so. Unlike Sophia, I’m not very sociable.”

 

Reina added that she wouldn’t have been able to get to know each other like this if Sofia hadn’t approached her that day. She was innocent enough to not even suspect Sophia’s true intentions.

 

‘Stupid…’

 

Did she not know that she was pitied, or did she enjoy being pitied? If she went to the knighthood today, there would be more people who sympathize with her. This was the reason why Reina didn’t have many close friends. Because they felt sorry for her. There were people who treated her well, people who looked at Bonnie and reminded them of a young lady who might still be alive, and who treated her with friendliness, but there was no one who was willing to be her friend. Being her friend meant being equal, for they had no desire to be on the same level as the poor woman.

 

“I’m sorry it’s so cold.”

 

“No, I’m glad it helped Sophia.”

 

She arrived at the training center, feeling the cold winter wind, and it was filled with heat. She was sparring with a sword, wearing only thin clothes that made it difficult to recognize that it was the middle of winter.

 

“Wow…”

 

Reina gave a small exclamation.

 

“Isn’t that amazing? The Winter Knights probably have the most Auror manifestations.”

 

“I think I’m going to faint just standing there.”

 

The tingling waves of her sword could be felt throughout her body. As she was shivering not from the cold but from the sword, the knight commander spotted the two maids and stopped the sparring. Sofia and Reina went to the knights who had a short break and gave them a sandwich each. Reina thought it was somehow cute how her big men often lined up.

 

“…uh?”

 

Amidst the small noise of people gathered together, a confused voice came out.

 

“W, why are you here? No, I mean since when?”

 

Sophia, who handed the sandwich to the knight, and the knight who received it. The people who were unwrapping the packaging and the drivers who were waiting in line all stopped and looked at one place. A person with warm light brown hair and a kinder face was looking at Reina with a rare expression of embarrassment.

 

“Who are you?”

 

Reina just looked confused.

 

“…Uh, um…”

 

The knight was about to say something, but when he realized that her attention had been drawn, he rolled his eyes at her.

 

“Is the kid okay? Now?”

 

Reina blinked her eyes a couple of times in response to the knight’s question, then raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

 

“Thanks for your concern. The fever has gone away and she is fine now.”

 

He was about to say something to Reina’s answer, but he shook his head. And he laughed just as well.

 

“…thank god.”

 

It was from this time that something went awry.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: