The Maid With a Child

Chapter 18

Adieu, Devil

 

Rakalt scoffed at Adelen’s naive belief that as long as he had his family, everything would be happy.

“Thanks to them escaping after even putting all the guards around them to sleep, the mission was a success.”

“H-How could they…?”

“Not everyone works with a strong sense of duty that would make them risk their lives. In fact, that’s more normal.”

To Rakalt, Adelen’s behavior of sacrificing herself for others was abnormal.

“That’s normal…”

Adelen muttered anxiously.

No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t feel normal. Her common sense kept clashing with her master’s.

She admitted that she did have a tendency to obsess over family harmony and happiness. But she felt that her master went too far in denying those things.

“Was your nanny like that…?”

“My nanny was.”

Rakalt recalled memories that he hadn’t thought of in a long time.

They were memories he considered mundane and didn’t need to revisit.

“There was no reason for her to abandon me.”

“…That’s quite fortunate.”

“It was fortunate. If the same situation had happened, she would’ve handed me over to make money, not run away.”

“…Pardon?”

“She was someone who would murmur every day as if praying that she’d only work as much as she was paid.”

“What? Saying that in front of a child…”

Adelen felt stunned, as if she’d been struck on the head.

She had thought he grew up enjoying only the best.

The best nanny, the best education, the best attention, the best love.

But to think that kind of nanny was by his side?

“She probably did that because I was a child. In front of adults, she acted as if she would sacrifice her life.”

“Why didn’t you tell your parents?”

“Why bother? She did her job well. She worked exactly as much as she was paid. Isn’t that enough?”

The fact that she said such things openly as an employee was problematic, but as a child, he didn’t realize that was an issue.

And she fulfilled just as much of her role as needed. There was no reason to replace her since there was no inconvenience.

“Most of my time was spent with tutors anyway. The nanny wasn’t all that important.”

“Oh, I see, with the tutors and… your parents… So you didn’t need to be with the nanny?”

Rakalt smirked at Adelen’s desperate attempt to interpret it in a harmonious light. Was this ‘cozy’ family life she kept talking about so important?

But the truth was the truth.

“No. My parents were busy with their own work. I only saw them on the day we had dinner together, which was once a week.”

At his indifferent voice, Adelen became even more unsettled.

Seeing her reaction, Rakalt chuckled once more.

How dare a mere maid try to sympathize with him.

Perhaps because her only dream was to have a family, Adelen would lose her composure and become persistent whenever stories of childhood or family came up.

“Then, what did you do as a child?”

Even now, she dared to dig into his past.

But it happened to be a moment when he needed a break.

Meetings involving General Kias always gave him a headache and never concluded.

Idle chatter was perfect for clearing his mind. So Rakalt, with a generous heart, answered her pointless question sincerely.

“I ate, slept, studied, and trained.”

“Playing…?”

“If it’s playing like the crown prince… I don’t recall ever doing so.”

Adelen furrowed her brow without realizing it.

It was a thought that a mere maid should not have, but she felt sorry for her master as a child.

What could a child possibly know to live burdened by duties? …That’s why he became someone with neither blood nor tears. Though, in reality, he wasn’t someone without feelings.

The exaggerated reputation came from the fact that he was constantly out on the battlefield.

Master, who would behead someone when provoked and throw punches when irritated. While it was true he had done such things, he didn’t do so to just anyone, anytime.

On the contrary, he was considerate enough to notice a subtle pain in her wrist that she hadn’t even realized herself.

If the stories among the servants were true, he would’ve said, “That useless, weak wrist of yours—I’ll chop it off for you!” and followed through.

So, while he might have seemed emotionally detached and lacked expression, he wasn’t a bloodthirsty killer through and through.

Realizing that allowed Adelen to feel a hint of sympathy for her master.

“Weren’t… you ever tired?”

Rakalt pondered for a moment.

Well. Was he? Sometimes he was, but he didn’t think of it as hardship. It was something he was expected to handle as the heir of Sigelion.

“I consider it a necessary process.”

“…”

“If I hadn’t undergone that training, I wouldn’t be carrying Sigelion as I am now.”

Rakalt never thought any part of his past was a mistake.

“Just as you push yourself to your limits caring for the crown prince, cutting back on sleep and exerting all your strength, I lived a life fitting for my position.”

“Yes…”

“So, you don’t need to pity or feel indebted for the crown prince’s life.”

Adelen lifted her eyes. It seemed like he was stating things plainly, but it felt comforting.

…Could he really have intended to comfort her?

“Come to think of it, from Teplan’s point of view, it would be more advantageous to raise him spoiled like a common child.”

…Maybe not.

“So don’t overexert yourself raising him. Try not to get too attached.”

“Can I really do that…?”

“You have to try.”

Trying was something she had never failed at.

If it didn’t work, a maid’s life was about trying until it did.

But even with this strict order from her master, she wasn’t confident.

“Awoo?”

How could she not grow attached to something so adorable?

Even now, raising him was exhausting, yet he looked endearing.

How much more, more, more would he be cherished when he grew a bit older and did even cuter things? The baby, who was already unfairly beautiful.

The thought of making an effort not to adore this lovely baby and not getting attached…

…She didn’t want to try.

 

Of course, there were things that worked with effort and things that didn’t.

Affection wasn’t something that could be given or withheld at will.

Even when seeing a cat passing by, people would grieve when it stopped appearing after forming an attachment.

Let alone a baby she held and raised in her own arms.

And one day, the decisive moment came.

“Awoo! Uuh! Ah!”

“Yes, yes… Just a bit… just a bit…”

Just when she thought he was finally starting to sleep through the night, there would be nights when he suddenly woke up crying or wanted to play. Last night was one of those nights.

It would have been manageable if it was brief, but somehow, he had endless energy and kept playing until the master woke up.

To keep the noise down, Adelen had to use her body more, and by morning, she was utterly spent.

The baby climbed up her body and bounced around wanting to play, but Adelen could only let out a few breathless sounds without opening her eyes.

And then it happened.

“Adieu! Adieuu!”

“Yes, yes… Lullaby…”

Adelen was patting the baby’s back to help him sleep when her eyes suddenly widened.

“?! What did you just say?”

“Awoo?”

“No, not ‘awoo,’ but ‘Adieu’? Did you just call my name?”

Adelen’s heart raced.

She had thought that one day he would start talking, but she never imagined it would be her name.

The first word spoken in this world wasn’t ‘mama’ or ‘papa,’ but ‘Adelen.’

The first word from the younger children at the orphanage was usually ‘mama.’ The first term they used to call someone was ‘Miss Adelen.’

Back then, it was just a matter-of-fact thing, but the idea of someone’s first word being her name brought an unexpected sense of resonance.

It was a warmth spreading throughout the world.

She wanted to hear it just one more time.

“Did you really call me? You said Adelen, right?”

“Adieu!”

“!”

This time, the pronunciation came out clearly.

Adelen’s eyes opened wide with a mixture of surprise and emotion.

It was definitely ‘Adelen.’

It was the moment when her existence was clearly engraved in the baby’s world.