Immediately after the butler’s statement, Ellie’s eyes widened, and she froze in place.
It seemed that the sudden news hadn’t only caught her off guard. The child, who was just staring up at him while holding the doorknob, prompted the butler to hastily add more.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, most of the staff in the annex have had to leave. It seems it wouldn’t be suitable for the young master to stay here any longer—”
“But I’ve always been alone anyway?”
“…Well,”
“I had Marie with me.”
“……”
Would it really matter if the staff, who were hardly around anyway, disappeared? The child’s gaze, staring blankly at the butler, seemed to say just that.
The butler was well aware that this was the genuine feeling of an innocent child without a hint of malice, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t flustered.
The butler briefly faltered, trying not to show it, and then replied.
“Even if that’s not the reason… The Duke has returned, so I believe there’s ample reason for you to move to the main house.”
“…Daddy said I could go too?”
“He’s specifically ordered to bring you back.”
The child’s grip on the doorknob tightened, turning the tips of his fingers white. He seemed unable to respond easily.
That was understandable. Just a few days ago, he had been crying and screaming because the flowerpot he cherished had broken, thinking that his father wouldn’t come to see him.
Ellie, who remembered his sulking face after waiting for Rutus until late on his birthday, only to not see even a strand of his hair, didn’t know how to react.
‘Why now…?’
Her eyes, unable to hide her confusion, narrowed slightly.
The child, who had been sneaking glances at Ellie to gauge her reaction, jumped right after seeing her expression.
“I-I don’t need to go!”
The child, with a pale face, shook his head in refusal, startling the butler, who asked again.
“…Yes?”
“I just want to stay here… I won’t go!”
The child, unable to decide what to do, kept glancing at where Ellie was.
He probably wanted to run over immediately but was too restrained by the butler to do so.
Just as his teary eyes started to quiver, Ellie pursed her lips and then cleared her throat before speaking.
-Adi, it’s okay if you want to go.
“But!”
“Young master?”
“N-No… I mean…”
Realizing he had shouted, the child lowered his gaze, remembering the butler in front of him.
…She wasn’t trying to give him a hint; she genuinely meant he could do as he wished.
Seeing the child’s dejected expression as he failed to say another word, Ellie realized she had said something wrong.
She moved a little closer to the child and spoke.
-Adi, do you want to see your daddy?
“….”
His beautiful violet eyes sparkled momentarily.
Although the child was clearly flustered, Ellie could sense a hint of affirmation in his reaction, so she continued.
-You weren’t frowning because you didn’t want to leave the annex, you were just a bit surprised. If you were afraid of Mommy’s expression, you don’t have to be.
“….”
-If you go to the main house, your room will be much bigger and more comfortable than where you are now. The meals will also be tastier…
You’ll also be able to freely walk around outside.
When she said that, the child, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his head, and Ellie smiled faintly.
Going to the main house also meant being able to go outside the annex.
‘I’m not sure why he’s kept him inside all this time, but…’
But since his order had already been reversed, the chances of him confining the child to the estate upon returning to the main house were slim.
Though she couldn’t be certain… but she expected that to be the case.
Watching the child, who was visibly agitated, Ellie added the final touch.
-Don’t you want to go outside?
“I can… go outside?”
-Yup.
“….”
-You’ll be able to see and touch the flowers and trees in the garden. And as you bask in the sunlight, a cool breeze might blow by.
Mommy wants Adi to experience all those things. As Ellie spoke, the child hesitated and then turned his gaze to the butler, observing him carefully.
It wasn’t long before the butler responded. He seemed to think the child’s previous statement was a question directed at him.
“I’ll need to confirm the details once more, but yes.”
“….”
“His Grace didn’t mention any restrictions on going in and out.”
-You heard that, right?
“Y-Yeah…”
-Sweetheart, wouldn’t you like to go for a walk with Mommy?
I could even teach you how to make a flower crown. She spoke temptingly.
Surely, such sweet talk would work on a child who had always been curious about and longed for the outside world.
Even though the child had once gone outside and climbed onto the roof to find me, that brief outing did not make a significant difference.
The child, swallowing nervously, slowly opened his mouth with a strained voice.
His movements were extremely cautious.
“…Marie is coming with me too?”
“Yes. I instructed her to be ready to move as soon as the Young Master permits.”
“Then…”
“…”
“…Then I’ll go.”
As soon as the short syllable was spoken, the butler quickly packed his belongings and guided the child, along with Marie, to the main house.
Although the speed was described as fast, it was essentially no different from immediately descending the stairs.
“Am I just going like this?”
“The items in the annex are not suitable for the Young Master, so His Grace asked to come right away.”
After all, the packed belongings were merely a few sheets of paper with the child’s bucket list on them and a ribbon that had gotten dirty when the flowerpot broke, which Marie had washed.
For reference, the remaining ribbon was neatly tied in the child’s hair at the back of his head.
Marie, who was carefully observing the child’s hair, asked.
“Young Master, did I tie your hair this morning?”
“No?”
“…Oh my, so you tied it yourself?”
Marie, with an astonished face, praised the child, marveling at how a five-year-old could be so skilled with their hands.
From the child’s response, she was certain that even if they searched the entire continent, they wouldn’t find anyone as versatile as the young master.
“…Huh?”
The child, who had slightly opened his mouth in surprise, asked back blankly.
Unconsciously, he touched his tied-up hair.
In reality, the child had indeed tied the knot himself, but it was Ellie who had held the hair so it could be tied together.
-Adi tied his hair so well that Marie seems happy.
“That…”
Though it wasn’t incorrect that the child had tied it himself, Ellie shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the child, who was looking up at her.
When they reached the entrance to the annex, which the child had never properly crossed before, the child stopped abruptly.
-…Adi?
“……”
Seeing that the child was unable to take a step, Ellie crouched down to meet his eye level.
She gently held the child’s hand, offering comfort while being careful not to be too noticeable to others.
Flinch.
A faint reaction came from the child.
It was so subtle that it would have gone unnoticed unless one was paying close attention, but Ellie didn’t mind.
– It seems like the weather is very nice today. Can you see the sky?
“…Yeah.”
– The duchy and Mason’s territory tend to have relatively clear days, but the capital city rarely has such days.
Today, since it’s the first time Adi is properly going outside, it seems the sun is also in a good mood. At Ellie’s words, the child blinked quickly.
Seeing the slow rise of a flush on the child’s white, pale cheeks, Ellie spoke.
– If we get a chance later, should we visit the Mason territory together? We can meet Adi’s uncle, grandfather, and grandmother there. They are all people who cherish and love you very much.
TL/N: IDK WHY BUT I DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA…
“……”
– So, for now, let’s go see Daddy first. Mommy will scold Daddy upset as much as Adi was upset.
Ellie spoke in a deliberately playful tone and gave a mischievous smile.
When she curved her eyes into half-moons and pulled up the corners of her mouth, she felt the child’s gaze fix on her cheek.
‘Come to think of it, he probably didn’t know I have the same dimple.’
If she had smiled before, it was never as wide as this, so he might not have noticed.
Even when the portrait was painted, the artist didn’t draw the dimple because she hadn’t smiled that broadly.
– How is it?
“……”
Beaming.
When asked again, the child finally smiled brightly and tightened the grip of the hand held by Ellie.
It was the moment when they had finally taken a step outside of the cage.
* * *
-……
But still, isn’t this really too much?
Ellie, with a twisted expression, recalled the events of the past few months.
[The room that the young master will use has not been tidied up yet, so this is the room where you will be staying temporarily for now.]
[Oh…?]
[Also, I instructed the maids to bring clothing, so you can choose from what they bring and change into that…]
[……]
[Due to time constraints, we couldn’t make custom clothing. We selected the best quality ready-made clothing available on the market.]
[……Ehm?]
[Although the quality might be somewhat lacking for the Young Master’s wear, please bear with it for a few days. The tailor and the owner of the tailor shop will visit this afternoon to take detailed measurements and make new clothes.]
[Ehhm?]
At that time, the child’s expression of not understanding what was being said, with big blinking eyes, was quite cute.
Although recalling the child’s cute expression slightly improved Ellie’s mood, she still frowned and tapped her neck with her finger, still dissatisfied with the situation.
‘Living conditions… it’s fine.’
Except for the first few days, the clothes were properly fitted, and the food was much better compared to the meager diet in the annex.
Not only did they make sure the child ate three meals a day, but they also set snack times in the morning and afternoon, including desserts, so the child had grown taller.
He had gained weight and looked much better.
‘It’s no wonder they had to call the tailor for new orders before two months had even passed since the last fitting.’
In other words, it wasn’t bad.
Strictly speaking, it was just back to normal, but the attitude of the main house staff was exceptionally polite, possibly due to having heard about the annex.
That was all well and good, but…
“Mommy, Mommy!”
It was when Ellie was looking down the window, basking in the sunlight in one corner of the spacious room.
After Marie left following the meal, the child ran over quickly, and Ellie, uncrossing her arms, spoke.
– Hmm, Adi, what is it?
“Are we going out again today?”
– Well… it’s a bit early right now, so how about we have a snack later and then go out after a little rest?
“Okay! Marie said that later, for the afternoon snack, they’ll give me pudding, and after lunch, I’ll get chocolate cake!”
– Really? Adi must be lucky.
“Hehe….”
When Ellie clapped her hands, saying how lucky the child was, the child giggled and hugged her. Maybe because he had been moving around a lot, he had become noticeably brighter.
Although he could only move around within the Duke’s estate, with the garden being the farthest he could go, the child seemed satisfied with that.
So, to summarize, the overall living conditions were fine.
But if there was a problem…
‘Why on earth has it been over two months and he hasn’t changed the room yet?!’
There’s a perfectly suitable room available!
Ellie clenched her jaw and trembled her lips in frustration.
Even if it hadn’t been used for a long time, is it reasonable for it to take more than two months to be prepared? Because of this, the child was still staying in a guest room.
That was the first problem.
-……
Ellie turned her head and scanned the area below the window she had been looking down at until just now.
“Mommy?”
The child followed Ellie’s gaze out the window.
‘That, That again…!’
The figure of the person who had been talking with the knight commander just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.
Looking at the empty space where Sir Montero had been left alone, Ellie eventually grabbed the back of her neck.
Rutus was avoiding the child.
That was the second problem.
TL/N: FINALLY, WE ARE GONNA SEE SON×DAD AWKWARD YET CUTE MOMENTS.
* * * *
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