〈002〉
“Hasn’t the Atley Count family already gone through several private tutors? Wasn’t this the fifth one?”
“No, it’s already the sixth. And apparently, this time the tutor had to quit because they broke their leg.”
“Oh my goodness! Don’t tell me the one who broke it was…”
“Yes. The eldest son!”
“My goodness!”
My goodness!
As an unknown noblewoman gasped in shock, I, too, couldn’t help but open my mouth in disbelief. A scoundrel in the making, rotten from the start. Daniel was just a child, and my ex-husband must have been a child at that time too. And yet he had already broken his tutor’s leg? What a brute!
Poor Daniel.
Thinking about how Daniel would end up marrying that brute and suffer made my heart ache. And that misery was still more than ten years away.
Is he being neglected right now?
Since the Earl of Winchester was currently single, there was no wicked stepmother to fill the role of abuser yet. Which meant Daniel was likely being neglected by his indifferent father.
Could Daniel be on the second floor?
I glanced toward the stairs leading to the second floor. Today, only the Camellia Hall and a few rooms on the first floor were open to guests. The second floor was roped off to prevent entry, but no one was guarding it.
Should I just sneak up there?
When I first came here, I had only hoped to see Daniel from afar. But after hearing about that scoundrel ex-husband’s behavior, I felt even more sympathy for Daniel. I wanted to see him even more now.
I wanted to encourage him. To tell him that even though things are hard now, a happy ending was waiting for him one day.
So, I quietly began making my way upstairs. The party was in full swing, and no one cared where a baron’s daughter wandered off to.
Thanks to my unremarkable presence, I made it to the second-floor staircase without being noticed. At the fork in the corridor, I paused.
Which room is Daniel’s?
At Baron Formotz’s house, my room was located mid-way down the right corridor on the second floor. But I had four siblings, plus a married older brother and his child all living together. Daniel, being an only child, might have a different room arrangement.
Given their relationship, maybe they live on opposite ends of the house…
His father had always been indifferent toward him. So maybe their rooms were on opposite ends as well. As I looked around, I saw a faint light coming from a dark hallway to the right.
I tiptoed toward it and noticed the door slightly ajar, with light spilling through the crack.
“…I wonder?”
As I peeked in, wondering if this was the place, I heard a voice from inside. My ears instinctively perked up.
“There must be lots of delicious food, and everyone’s dancing happily, right?”
It was the clear voice of a young girl. And in this mansion, there was only one girl.
“Shall we dance too, Tosoon? Hmmm~ hmm hmm~ hmm~”
Along with the hum of a tune came the sound of thumping feet and rustling fabric.
Ahhh! So cute!
Just imagining Daniel dancing alone with her doll made me inwardly scream from the cuteness.
My sweet little baby Daniel! Gaaah! She must be so adorable!
Afraid I might actually scream, I clenched my trembling fists and covered my mouth.
“I can’t, Tosoon. I don’t have the strength. I feel dizzy.”
“…?”
“Everyone was too busy today, so no one gave me anything to eat. I’m so hungry I can’t move.”
What? Are they all insane?! No matter how busy they are, how could they forget to feed a child?!
I saw red. I immediately removed my hand from my mouth and knocked on the door without hesitation.
“Y-yes?”
A small, startled voice answered. Her tone implied she didn’t expect anyone to come looking for her. It tugged at my heart.
I’d felt that way too once — that no one wanted me, that no one would come looking.
“May I come in?”
“…Yes.”
She hesitated at the unfamiliar voice but eventually gave permission. I carefully opened the door so I wouldn’t startle her, and saw a large room unfold before me.
As expected of a noble mansion, the spacious room was decorated with antique furniture — a huge bed, multiple wardrobes, an old and large desk, intricately carved candlesticks.
And between all that stood a small child.
Dressed in a plain dress that didn’t match the heavy curtains on the windows, her body was too thin for the weight of the furniture, too small for the large bed. She didn’t match this room at all.
What kind of room is this for a child? You’d think it belonged to a seventy-year-old grandfather. And who would believe she’s the daughter of a count looking at that dress?
“Hello, Daniel?”
I suppressed the rising anger and smiled gently.
“Who… are you?”
Daniel looked up at me with fearful eyes.
“I’m Neary. I’m a guest at your home today.”
I crouched to her eye level, and her frightened expression softened a little.
“This house is really lovely! Thank you for having me.”
“I didn’t invite you…”
She trailed off, shyly looking away as if embarrassed to be thanked for something she didn’t do, hugging her stuffed bunny tightly.
“But it’s still your house, isn’t it?”
“…”
She said nothing, refusing to meet my eyes. As if this place wasn’t her home at all.
“Oh! Do you like cookies?”
At the word “cookies,” Daniel immediately lifted her head. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“I happen to have some with me. Would you like one?”
I opened my handbag and took out a cookie I had wrapped earlier in a handkerchief — one of the child-friendly treats from the downstairs buffet.
I wondered if a noble girl like Daniel would even care for such simple things, but I’d brought it thinking a kid is still a kid.
“…”
She seemed conflicted. She looked at me, then at the cookie, repeating that motion. Her expression said she was dying to eat it, but her wariness of me kept her from moving.
She looked like a hungry stray kitten, too afraid to approach the food because of the human nearby.
“If you don’t want it, that’s okay. You can eat it later. I’ll just leave it here.”
Guessing she wouldn’t eat while I was here, I gently placed the cookie-wrapped handkerchief in front of her and stepped back.
This really did feel like feeding a stray cat.
“I’ll be going now, Daniel.”
“Sniff… okay?”
She replied while staring at the cookie. I really needed to leave quickly.
“Someday, a good day will come.”
I said this because I knew Daniel’s future. Things were hard and painful now, but good days would come.
“If I become a good girl?”
She asked with clear eyes.
“No. You don’t have to be a good girl.”
I shook my head. I knew that many of Daniel’s hardships came from her being too good. I wished she’d been a little less nice — that she wouldn’t endure everything quietly.
“You’re precious, Daniel. That’s why you’ll be happy.”
* * *
As I stepped out to let Daniel eat her cookie, the dark corridor greeted me. Thankfully, the staircase I had come from was lit by the light from downstairs, so I wouldn’t lose my way.
Good! Mission complete!
Just a few steps and I’d be at the stairs. I’d go back down and pretend like nothing happened. No one would know I’d been up here.
“No. We can’t move the troops from Sturryhill. It may look small, but it’s a key strategic point.”
Suddenly, a door in the opposite hallway burst open, and I heard a blunt, firm male voice.
I need to hide!
Panicking, I looked around. I grabbed the handle of the nearest door, praying it would open — but it wouldn’t budge. I scanned my surroundings, but the next room was too far and there was no place to hide in the middle of the corridor.
“So what we can do right now is look for nearby mercenaries who can join up quickly, or send a small detachment from nearby garrisons.”
What do I do?!
The voice was getting closer. I instinctively stepped back, only to find the wall right behind me. I frantically rolled my eyes as I heard two sets of footsteps coming my way.
I had nowhere to hide.
What do I do?!
I clasped my mouth shut and squeezed my eyes closed.
