“……”
“……”
The child, having fallen quite heavily, almost flat on the ground, struggled to get up. Normally, when someone falls, they instinctively use their hands to brace themselves, but the child, intent on protecting the flower in his hands, kept his arms raised and ended up tumbling down.
It was a situation where it wouldn’t have been surprising if the child had cried out in pain, but instead, he lay there silently, not making a sound.
Startled, Ellie hurried over to help the child up but hesitated and looked around.
‘……If I go and help him up, it might be too obvious.’
Moreover, the Knight Commander, who was supposed to check on the child, stood awkwardly in place, exchanging glances with Rutus.
The look in his eyes clearly suggested that since the child had fallen while running after Rutus, Rutus should be the one to help him up, if he had any conscience.
Considering that the Knight Commander had been punished months ago for offering Rutus some well-meant advice…
‘This time, he might really end up unable to use one of his limbs?’
Remembering the Knight Commander’s gaunt face when he came out of confinement, Ellie worried for a moment but then shook her head.
As far as Ellie knew, the Knight Commander was loyal to the ducal family but wasn’t someone who would risk his life carelessly.
He must have something to rely on, which explained he was reacting that way.
– Something to rely on…
……He must, right? Ellie looked back and forth between Ruthis and the knight commander with anxious eyes, pondering.
Perhaps the Knight Commander anticipated that the moment he approached the child, Rutus would leave without a second thought.
While Ellie was cautious, not wanting to make anything seem unusual, she also hesitated to intervene too quickly.
Rutus was still watching the child, who lay on the ground, unsure of what to do.
“Hah…”
With a deep frown, Rutus sighed and slowly began to move.
“Oh, oh…”
Seeing a shadow cast over him, the child, who had his face buried in the ground, slowly lifted his head, his round eyes widening in surprise.
Bending down, Rutus carefully helped the child to his feet, quickly assessing his condition from head to toe.
“Your knees and elbows are scraped. Your chin…”
“……”
“……I’ll call a priest to get you treated.”
As Rutus checked the child’s wounds, he discovered a scrape under the chin and spoke in a firm tone.
The child, thinking Rutus didn’t care about him, became sullen…
‘……’
What on earth am I supposed to do with this?
Ellie, knowing that this was exactly how Rutus acted when he was nervous, could only be exasperated.
Who in the world calls for a priest, spending thousands of gold, just for a few scrapes?
Even though Rutus had once called a priest for a cold, this situation was different.
It wasn’t an emergency that required immediate attention. Even though the fall had been noisy, with proper care and some ointment, the wound would heal within a week.
‘No matter how wealthy you are, this is just, hemm…’
Ellie sighed, worried that if things continued like this, the child’s sense of money might become skewed.
“This…”
The child, who had been silent and hesitant until now, suddenly grabbed Rutus’s arm and handed him something.
It was the flower he had clumsily protected even while falling.
“……”
“You don’t need to call a priest, but…”
“……”
“If you take this… Can you…treat me…?”
Daddy…The child who had been hesitating with their mouth open, finally managing to utter a sound.
Rutus stood frozen in place for a long moment, then slowly reached out a hand. It was to receive the flower the child had offered.
After holding the flower for a moment, Rutus blinked and turned his gaze toward the child.
Perhaps simply overjoyed that his father hadn’t run away and had accepted the flower, the child’s cheeks flushed as he smiled brightly.
“Hee…”
“……”
-……
A flower, with no roots and perfectly intact, and a child, dirty and scraped but smiling as if nothing had happened.
After witnessing this scene, how many parents would be able to turn away heartlessly?
Ellie was certain that neither she nor her husband were such parents.
“……If you keep walking, your wounds will reopen.”
“Oh, oh…!”
In the end, Rutus would have no choice but to do what the child wanted.
It was exactly as Ellie had predicted.
* * *
“Although there’s a slight trace of blood, it’s just a minor bruise. As long as you apply the ointment properly, it should be fine.”
“……”
“A-And, although the possibility is slim, the wound might worsen if it’s irritated, so please be careful not to touch the affected area, young master.”
The attending physician continued giving various instructions: don’t pick at the scab, as it could leave a scar; if the wound aches at night, take this medicine; change the gauze on the face daily, but be careful not to let water touch it.
The child, cradled in Rutus’s arms while receiving treatment from the attending physician, nodded as he listened to all the cautions.
Ellie tilted her head, noticing something different about the attending physician this time.
‘This person looks older.’
…Was the previous one an apprentice?
Wondering why the previous attending physician was nowhere to be seen, Ellie glanced around, then froze.
“……”
-Is that a person or a statue…?
The child, who had become oddly certain after being picked up by Rutus, clung to him, refusing to be let down. Consequently, Rutus sat there stiffly, with the child on his lap.
Watching Rutus, who was unable to refuse and simply stared down at the child as he was being treated…
-Feeling good?
The child met Ellie’s eyes over Rutus’s shoulder. Ellie smiled and asked.
The child responded by enthusiastically blinking his eyes, as if to say that his mother had been right.
‘This could have been resolved so much sooner…’
Watching the child happily rubbing his cheek against Rutus’s shoulder, Ellie closed her eyes, feeling a twinge of regret for the time they had wasted, unsure of what to do.
She was aware that she hadn’t handled things well herself.
But knowing that her own death had been a catalyst for this situation, she couldn’t really criticize anyone too harshly…
-……
Even so, Ellie couldn’t help but feel conflicted about Rutus, and she rubbed the back of her neck in frustration.
“It’s all done. Please follow the instructions I’ve given, and although you came to my study today… tomorrow, I’ll bring the gauze and bandages to the young master’s room.”
Ellie was lost in her thoughts, arms crossed, pacing in circles, when the attending physician finished the treatment and handed a bottle of medicine to the Knight Commander, who was standing next to Rutus and the child.
Marie was not present, and there were no maids around to take the medicine, so the Knight Commander had to do it.
“Oh, oh…”
With the treatment done, it was naturally time to return to the room.
Realizing that there was no longer any excuse to stay close to Rutus, the child slumped his shoulders and hung his head, looking pitiful.
As soon as the attending physician finished speaking, Rutus removed the hand that had been supporting the child’s back, as if preparing to leave.
It was clear that he intended to pass the child, who was sitting on his lap, to the Knight Commander.
Cling.
“……”
“Ah… no, um, uh…”
The child, instinctively clinging to Rutus’s clothes, was startled and darted his eyes around in confusion.
Just when a brief moment of silence had fallen.
Knock, knock.
“Young master, the garden tea table has been prepared.”
A maid spoke after knocking on the door of the attending physician’s study.
“……!”
Come to think of it, the child had told Marie that he wanted to have his afternoon snack outside as part of his plan to get back at the Knight Commander.
Realizing what the child was thinking as his face lit up, Ellie turned her head.
The child, who had been half-passed over to the Knight Commander and was now dangling from his arms, wiggled his feet in the air and glared sharply.
Rutus’s eyes flickered under the intense gaze that suddenly fell on him.
“……”
“Sn… snack…”
“……Go and eat.”
“It… it’ll taste better if you come with me.”
“……”
“Marie said they’re going to give me chocolate cake today…”
“……”
“With grape juice, sweetened with honey, and ice in it, too…”
Ellie held back a smile, pressing her lips together, as the child earnestly tried to entice Rutus in his own way. The child was dead serious.
Rutus, who had been silent under the child’s intense gaze, replied softly.
“I’ve been away from the estate for too long, and I need to catch up on paperwork. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to enjoy the snack alone…”
It was just for a moment. The Knight Commander, who had been watching quietly, suddenly handed the child back to Rutus and spoke.
“It’s true that you have some work left, but thanks to your relentless efforts over the past few months, you can afford to skip a day.”
“How would you know that? You’re not my aide.”
“Since the aide is in the duchy, and you’ve restricted the vassals’ access, I’ve had to fill in.”
“……”
“The Montero family is also one of Ratcliffe’s vassals, so I’ve learned a thing or two since childhood.”
“So why are you doing things I didn’t ask you to—”
Rutus raised his voice, clearly irritated, but then fell silent when the child in his arms squirmed and shifted his position.
Apparently, he realized it wasn’t appropriate to be so forceful in front of the child.
Sensing that the situation was turning in his favor, the child chimed in.
“I, I… I can share my cake…”
“……”
“Not all of it… but half…”
“……”
“Um, maybe half of that half…?”
TL/N: LMAO.
“I don’t have a habit of taking children’s snacks.”
“……! P-Please don’t go… I can even give you grape juice…!”
And so it happened.
A Sword Master was utterly defeated by a five-year-old child.
* * * *
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