Episode 27 – English Translation
After arriving in the drawing room, Louisa brought out some tea.
Once everyone else had left, Id asked in a slightly nervous voice:
“Um, what is this about?”
I hesitated, unsure of how to begin.
I was worried that I might be misunderstood as the one who abused Ayla, and I also felt cautious about informing a parent that their child was being mistreated.
So, I started with a small question.
“Who usually teaches Ayla at home?”
I waited anxiously for Id’s response.
I was testing him a little—if he spoke well of the tutor, suspicion could fall on me.
Although Id looked slightly puzzled, he replied:
“In a countryside like this, it’s rare to find such an excellent teacher. They also take care of Ayla while I’m away.”
“So… they live in, then? A live-in tutor?”
“Yes. Ayla has so many things she wants to learn, it just ended up that way.”
That answer confirmed it for me.
Id didn’t suspect the tutor of abusing Ayla at all.
In fact, he didn’t even know she was being abused.
I needed to tell him quickly.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Id asked anxiously:
“Did Ayla… perhaps not keep up with your lessons?”
“…What?”
What is he talking about?
Why ask that out of the blue?
When I looked at him in disbelief, Id hurried to explain:
“I thought maybe you were asking because Ayla was lacking in some way, and you were wondering about the kind of education she’s had…”
His voice trailed off.
I felt a rush of blood to my head.
He has no idea what’s happening to his child, and yet he’s talking about her level?
My mouth moved before I realized it, and sharp words came out.
“Do you not care about your child?”
Id’s face immediately stiffened, then twisted in offense at my pointed question.
“What are you implying?”
“Exactly what I said. Do you even care about Ayla?”
This time, I didn’t bother to keep a calm expression like I do in front of the children.
If anything, I got more upset.
Perhaps stung by my words and tone, Id glared back and replied firmly:
“I’m a single parent like you, and I do my best to care for her.”
“Ha, care?”
I let out a bitter laugh, and his expression turned sour with displeasure.
What, is he offended now?
I wiped the expression off my face and asked:
“Then how come you didn’t know your child had bruises?”
At my question, Id’s face slowly filled with shock.
He blinked rapidly, as if he couldn’t trust his own ears, then finally asked:
“…What?”
“You say you care for her, so why didn’t you know she had bruises? Or… don’t tell me you knew and pretended not to?”
I said, half-mocking.
But he still seemed too shocked to comprehend and asked again:
“Bruises? What are you talking about, madam?”
So he really didn’t know.
And yet he claimed to care.
I sighed, and he, growing more desperate, pleaded:
“Please, tell me. What kind of bruises?”
Honestly, I felt angry at him.
But his devastated expression made me soften.
If someone told me Aslan had been beaten, I’d probably look just like that.
How could he have known, when the child was hiding it?
I’d mocked him in my frustration earlier, but that face melted my anger.
I took a deep breath and spoke:
“There were marks from a cane. On her back, arms, and thighs.”
“…!”
“Aslan spilled soup on Ayla’s clothes. When I helped her change, I found them. Ayla must’ve been trying to hide them, because she cried the moment I saw.”
“That can’t be…”
Though I was already sure Id wasn’t the one who hurt her, I asked just in case:
“You didn’t cause those marks yourself, did you, Lord Mente?”
“I swear I didn’t!”
He shot to his feet in protest.
That was enough of an answer.
His blue eyes trembled violently.
He sank back down and muttered:
“Why… Why would this happen…? No one in my house…”
He clutched his head, utterly bewildered.
He couldn’t even begin to piece things together, though the conclusion was already obvious to me.
Well, sometimes an outsider can see what insiders can’t.
It’s not easy to suspect those you live and work with.
Especially in a remote area like this, where new people rarely come and go.
Bracing for possible suspicion, I said:
“I suspect the tutor and the maid.”
“The tutor and… the maid?”
“Yes. The tutor could easily hit her under the guise of education. And the maid surely must’ve seen the cane marks when helping Ayla but didn’t report them to you.”
As expected, Id trusted them more than me.
“I personally selected them after careful consideration. They wouldn’t…”
“I understand how you feel. But still, you need to question it—even just once.”
To be honest, I thought it was a small victory that he wasn’t accusing me.
I felt a bit relieved, so I added cautiously:
“And Lord Mente… I think there might be a problem with you as well.”
“Me?”
He looked like the idea had never even crossed his mind.
I nodded.
“Why do you think Ayla didn’t tell you she was being hit? Isn’t it because she didn’t feel safe enough to trust you?”
“Ah…”
Id let out a long sigh.
He seemed to realize something, too.
He rubbed his face several times in frustration, then suddenly bowed his head to me.
“Thank you for telling me. If not for you, I might never have known.”
I shook my head.
To be honest, I hadn’t suspected abuse either—I just thought Ayla seemed a bit down.
If not for Aslan, I wouldn’t have known.
“Thank Aslan. If he hadn’t spilled the soup, I wouldn’t have found out either.”
No sooner had I spoken than a loud clatter came from outside, and Aslan flung open the drawing room door.
“Moooom!”
“Ah, Aslan?”
I told him to stay with Ayla! Why is he here?
But then I saw Ayla standing behind him.
“Ayla woke up. And she said she’s ready to go now that Mr. Id’s here.”
“Really?”
I glanced over at Ayla.
She met my gaze briefly, then quickly looked away.
She’s probably uncomfortable because of earlier…
I shouldn’t have pushed her so hard. I’d let my emotions get the better of me.
I walked over, knelt down to her eye level, and said:
“Ayla, I’m sorry for pushing you earlier.”
“L-Lady?”
She looked startled, clearly not expecting me to apologize.
I gently took her hand and asked:
“You were scared, weren’t you?”
“N-No. It’s okay.”
She shook her head.
But the way she looked at me—making eye contact this time—told me she’d forgiven me.
After I apologized, Id approached Ayla.
“Ayla.”
“Father…”
I stepped aside.
The next moment, Id pulled Ayla into a tight embrace.
“F-Father?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“…”
Tears began to well up in Ayla’s eyes.
Id asked again in a pained voice:
“Why didn’t you say anything? Didn’t I tell you to always come to me if someone mistreated you?”
“Well… Because Deborah and Sasha were people you hired… I thought they were acting on your wishes…”
Big teardrops rolled down Ayla’s cheeks, soaking Id’s shoulder.
Seeing his arms tighten around her, I could tell Id was hurting too.
I spoke up on his behalf:
“Ayla. If someone treats you unfairly, you have to tell an adult.”
But Ayla looked confused, her lips trembling.
“But… what if I did something to deserve being punished?”
Just as I was about to yell “What do you mean by that?!”, Aslan—who’d been quiet until now—suddenly stepped in.
“Who bullied Ayla?!”
“Aslan…”
Now that I thought about it, this really wasn’t something he should be hearing.
I reached out to lead him away, but before I could, he turned to Ayla with a furious expression and said:
“That’s not okay. Bullying is a bad thing. And if someone bullies cute kids like us, they’re the worst villain ever! They should be punished!”
