***
It took about an hour for Cardien to return.
During that time, Livia tried to have a conversation with the child, but she only shook her head, hiding behind Vincent’s back.
Interestingly, it didn’t seem to bother Vincent. He didn’t appear to be afraid or uncomfortable around the child either.
Was there some kind of connection between them?
While pondering this, Livia heard some commotion outside.
After telling the children to wait, she went outside and saw Cardien standing near the shack.
She immediately rushed over to him and reflexively checked his side first.
“But, where’s the child?”
Surely, he didn’t really leave them somewhere?
Even though Cardien was described as a villain, without blood or tears, there was no way that…….
“I left it behind.”
“……!!”
“You seem to be thinking the worst, judging by your expression, Tutor.”
“Your Grace!”
No, this person!
‘You almost gave me a heart attack!’
As Livia glared at him with resentment, he casually shrugged his shoulders and spoke lightly.
“I left them with the doctor. It seems to be acute pneumonia.”
“Acute pneumonia?”
Isn’t that dangerous?
Livia had heard that even adults can be in danger from acute pneumonia, let alone such a young child…
Come to think of it, when she held them briefly, even though they were bundled up in layers of cloth, she could feel a hot fever radiating from them.
“If they receive treatment, will they be okay?”
“The doctors say tonight is the critical period for them.”
“The critical period…”
Those are the words Livia disliked the most.
How many times had she come across that “critical period” in her past life?
However, in the end, the outcome she faced was death.
“…….”
She felt even more depressed after recalling her previous life, but suddenly Livia heard Cardien’s nonchalant voice.
“You don’t have to worry.”
“……?”
She raised her head, wondering what he was saying out of the blue, but Cardien wasn’t looking at her. He stood there with his arms crossed, gazing off into the distance.
“Since all the nearby doctors were busy, I left them at Mercedes’s hospital for now.”
“Ah…….”
Comprehending his words half a beat too late, Livia looked at him with trembling eyes.
~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~
The Mercedes affiliated hospital is one of the largest hospitals in the capital.
Of course, the doctors there were carefully selected, and the level of treatment was top-notch.
As such, it is difficult to get an appointment at the Mercedes affiliated hospital.
‘Except for the Duke of Mercedes.’
That goes without saying.
She never thought Cardien would go to such lengths.
As Livia looked at him with sparkling eyes, it seemed to bother him; Cardien furrowed his brow.
‘By the way…….’
Although the hospital situation was resolved, there was still a real problem.
“What are we going to do with her?”
Livia looked back at Cardien when his words fell on her ears.
“Your Grace, have you learned to read minds or something?”
He looked at her with a face that said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
No, it felt like he had been reading her thoughts since earlier.
‘Well, I did have something in mind, but…’
Livia was cautious because it could easily become a matter of overstepping boundaries.
Having caught a glimpse of her like that already, Cardien spoke with an indifferent face.
“Not very tutor-like.”
“……Huh?”
“Just say it.”
“…….”
Well, there was no point in hesitating when she would eventually say it anyway. What difference would it make?
Livia gathered her resolve and spoke to him.
“…What if we send them to the Mercedes Subsidiary Orphanage…?”
“To the Mercedes Subsidiary Orphanage?”
He couldn’t help but let out a hint of laughter at the end of his sentence.
The problem was, that laugh wasn’t a positive one.
Livia knew as well. How reckless of a request she had made.
‘Because not all orphanages are the same.’
To educate talented children, to nurture their talents, to be adopted into good households.
That’s the purpose of the Mercedes Subsidiary Orphanage
It also means the children raised there end up owing a debt to the Duke of Mercedes.
In other words, even if ordinary children wanted to enter that orphanage, they couldn’t. Moreover, most of the children in that orphanage were illegitimate children of nobles.
Asking to put a child from a poor neighborhood into such an orphanage was honestly an unreasonable request.
But…….
“Master Vincent…… is not afraid of that child.”
“…….”
At her words, Cardien turned towards Livia once more. His eyes clearly focused on her.
“He’s not afraid?”
She nodded.
“In case you didn’t know, Vincent…… suffers from agoraphobia, and even rejects the Academy because of it…….”
(T/N: It means something like “fear of public places”. However, agoraphobia also describes the fear of crowds or long unaccompanied journeys. In these situations, those affected fear that they might panic and not be able to get help.)
A bitter taste formed in Livia’s mouth.
Honestly, even now, she hesitated. She wondered if she should be telling Cardien this.
Maybe this was a weakness that Vincent wanted to hide.
But.
‘Because you’re his father.’
Livia had to view this as a meeting between a parent and a home tutor. She looked at him and continued.
“It seems that he’s been bullied a lot by his peers at the academy, both behind his back and outright…….”
Livia’s words choked up as she bit her lower lip.
These were the parts that she had only skimmed over when she read the book, but since Vincent had become an important presence in her life, recounting his suffering felt like thorns had gotten lodged in her throat.
“Even past home tutors, they all pretended to scold and discipline Vincent. It wasn’t because Vincent had a bad attitude in class, but because those people were in the wrong.”
Although she didn’t want to blame the duke, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of resentment in her eyes.
She wondered, if Cardien had been more interested in Vincent, would it have hurt the child less?
‘Well…….’
Livia reminded herself that Cardien also wasn’t in a situation where he could afford to care about someone else.
‘Being unable to die and living in a living hell, that was you.’
Unable to blame anyone for the unfortunate situation, it made Livia even more uncomfortable.
“Vincent will return to the academy someday.”
And perhaps that would be the end of her lessons with him.
“But before that, if we can diminish his fear of peers even a little through that child, it will be easier for him to adapt when he goes back to the academy.”
Of course, the nobles at the academy and that girl are different, so it wasn’t clear how effective it would be.
“Above all…….”
“…….”
“I wish Vincent had friends his own age…….”
This may be her personal desire.
Forcing him to make friends without any thought wouldn’t be right, but Livia knew better than anyone how lonely it is to die alone.
Vincent had her, Winston, and perhaps Cardien, but that didn’t mean their presence could fill the role of a friend.
That place had to be filled by someone else.
What Livia wished for was for that girl to become that presence.
She weakly smiled towards Cardien.
“It is, of course, your decision, Your Grace .”
Having said everything she wanted to say, Livia had no regrets.
She waited quietly for his response.
For a while, Cardien didn’t say anything, and finally, he just uttered a single sentence.
“Do as you wish, Tutor.”
***
The newly assembled group made it out of Zone 4 before it was too late.
They took the pink-haired girl to the Mercedes affiliated hospital where the sick child was admitted.
The enormity of the hospital intimidated the girl, but as soon as she spotted the small child lying on the bed, she rushed over to them.
“Take it easy until you feel better,” Livia said gently.
The Mercedes affiliated hospital had the basic setup of one room per person, allowing the child to feel comfortable without having to worry about others.
It had a bathroom and a makeshift bed, so there were no inconveniences in daily life.
“As for the hospital expenses, don’t worry about them. A wonderful noble took care of it.”
Livia added, pointing at Cardien. He seemed displeased and quickly turned his head.
Nevertheless, it seemed that the girl had become somewhat more at ease. The child looked at Livia without rebelling or showing fear like before.
~ Translations by Lurelia | Editing by Valpal | Read only at moonlightnovels.com ~
“When your younger sibling gets better, you’ll go to the orphanage together. Of course, it’s not a scary place at all, and it’s even better than here. You’ll be able to live comfortably.”
“Uhh……”
The child’s eyes trembled at the unfamiliarly kind words. Soon, the child nodded slightly.
As Livia was about to finish their farewell and leave, the child unexpectedly ran towards her.
Quickly, the child pulled on her sleeve and handed her something.
As she saw what it was, Livia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Ahh…….”
It was one of the wildflowers that the child had been selling.
Among the trampled wildflowers, it was the only one that had survived unscathed.
As she placed it in Livia’s hand, she bowed her small pink head in gratitude.
Afterward, the child turned her body towards Vincent.
“Uaau…..”
The girl’s eyes glistened, and she bowed deeply, even towards Vincent.
Livia watched the child quietly, and soon Vincent smiled widely and responded.
“Bye.”
Then Vincent rushed towards Livia with excitement.
She patted Vincent’s head once before the tw0 of them left the hospital.
By the time they left the hospital, the sky was completely dark.
‘It’s been a long day…….’
A sudden wave of fatigue swept over Livia, which she had forgotten about in all the chaos.
‘I can’t wait to get home and rest…….’
As she thought about it and started to walk, it happened.
Shooaaah-
An ominous sound pierced through her ears.
