TMKWPL CH 15

Chapter 15

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Gillie's Niece

“Everything’s been taken care of. You may board the carriage now.”

The Lewin’s coachman’s voice brought her back to reality. Ignoring the piercing stares of the young noble ladies, Lucia boarded the carriage without even offering a farewell. Whether it was discourteous or not, she didn’t care. All the way up the hill, with no time to spare for anything else, she thought about Airen’s intentions.

No matter how much she checked her collar, there was no blood on it.

What does he mean by wanting to get close to me?

After the emperor died, the Crown Prince who inherited the throne died young only three years later. He hadn’t even reached forty. And aside from a brief stint as his escort, she’d never even properly exchanged words with him. But after her regression, he was saying he had watched her every day and was now suspicious of the child's existence.

After sending the carriage away, she looked at the area around the barracks. The palace was visible, and just as Airen had said, the Crown Prince's palace was the closest building.

If he used a telescope, he might not be able to see the barracks, but like he said, the training ground definitely is visible. So, it’s true that he was watching me every day.

The Crown Prince had clearly said it was a secret. She wasn't sure if she could trust him, but his words sounded like he would keep the secret until he revealed what he wanted.

Neigh. Hiiiing!!

A strange, neighing cry suddenly came from inside the dormitory and Lucia quickly went inside.

“…S-Save me, Commander…!” 

Vernon lay sprawled on the floor with strange scribbles all over his face, and a child with two red ponytails was perched on his back, looking domineering.

“Animals aren't supposed to talk!! Get up and run like I told you to!”

“Hee-hee-hee-haw!”

Vernon’s tearful imitation matched the sound she’d heard earlier.  It was just Vernon.  The child, with bright red twin braids tied into round knots, was pleased with Vernon’s mournful cries and smacked his pale sky-blue hair repeatedly.

“Vernon, who is this child?”

“Then who’s that lady?”

The child, asked with her eyes blinking brightly.

Smack!

“Ouch!”

“Ivonne. That’s no way to talk to the Commander”

Gilliana rushed out of the kitchen and smacked the child on the head with a ladle after hearing Lucia’s voice.

“Why did you hit me?! I'm going to tell Mom!!”

“What did you say, you brat~!”

Despite Gilliana's monstrous temper, the child, who looked exactly like her, didn't show the slightest sign of backing down. It seems this situation was very familiar to her.

“What's going on? And who is this child?”

“Oh, Commander. Well, uh, this is my niece, Ivonne! There’s a big event at home, and we suddenly needed extra hands… My sister kept insisting I bring her, so, uh…”

Gilliana, who usually spoke so casually, now hunched her shoulders and looked up at Lucia as if asking for permission. Her family ran a catering and merchant business, often taking leave for major events when extra help was needed. It seemed today was one of those days.

She was probably acting so cautiously because she knew Lucia disliked having outsiders in the barracks, but Lucia had given up on that long ago. The knights didn't notice that she had let go of such concerns  since the day they decided to join her.

“Where's Nia?”

“Nia's not here!”

At Ivonne’s  confident answer, Lucia looked around and there, Nia was hiding under a tablecloth.

...Are they playing hide-and-seek?

Just that morning, Nia had woken up looking for a rag like a little maid. She didn't know why Nia desperately wanted to go back to the orphanage, but she had come back early to stop her. But, the child was unexpectedly playing happily with a child her own age.

“Then, I'll go up...”

She was about to leave, pretending not to see Nia hiding.

“...I-I'm here! I'm here!”

“Yay!! I found her! Ivonne found her! Hahaha!”

Nia ran out and clung to Lucia's leg, while Ivonne hugged Nia and shouted excitedly. Nia was on the brink of crying, and Ivonne was stamping her feet, unable to contain her victory. Even in this chaotic situation, Lucia froze, just as she had that morning with the child. It wasn't that she disliked the warmth of the child clinging to her, it was more that she didn't know how to respond to the child's active approach.

“...Hic. Don’t go...! Ye-yet...”

The child was shocked that Lucia had pretended not to see her and refused to let go of her leg.

“Auntie. Auntie Gillie. So, who is that lady? She's pretty but she looks angry. Why isn't she saying anything?”

The child's bluntness seemed to be a family trait.

“I'm... Lucia. I'm this child's mother.”

Unaccustomed to dealing with children, Lucia introduced herself with as much warmth as she could muster. But what she got in return was a face full of suspicion.

“Huh? Liar! You’re not an auntie? My mom’s an auntie! She’s this big and really huge…!!”

Ivonne puffed out her small arms, enthusiastically describing her own mother. Gilliana gave a wry smile and whispered into Ivonne's ear.

“Ivonne, be quiet. If you say one more word, your mom, Auntie Julie, might come with a stick.”

“Eek! Auntie Gillie. Ivonne didn't say anything.”

The child, who seemed like she wouldn't listen, closed her eyes and pretended to zip her mouth shut. Was it perhaps of experience? It seemed this kind of thing happened often.

“My name is Ivonne Berna. The second child of the Baron of Berna family. Nice to meet you.”

“Yes, it's nice to meet you.”

Even though she was a young lady from a noble family, she certainly knew how to introduce herself. In the meantime, Ivonne turned to Nia, whose tears had finally stopped.

“Nia only has eyes for her mum, right?”

Nia wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded.

“...Nia wikes Lusha.”

...?

Lucia was surprised to hear the child's true feelings for the first time. But before she could react.

“Lushaaa? But you said she was your mom? She's not your mom?”

As if remembering something belatedly, Nia shook her head vigorously. She had just remembered her promise to Lucia.

“Then why don't you call her mum instead of her name?”

Oh, no.

Nia's eyes were shaking, and the eyes of the other knights watching were sparkling. Lucia had expected a day like this would come, but she never thought it would be from such a young child's question.

...

Nia still didn't call her Mum, that was why Lucia had tried not to let others in. But since even the other knights hadn't said anything, Lucia had also stopped worrying about it.

“Huh? Huh? Why? Why don't you call her that? Ivonne's curious. Is it okay if Ivonne calls her mom by her name too? Aunt Gillie?”

Gilliana's flustered reaction made it suspicious that the other knights hadn't questioned it either. But right now, the impudent little girl’s question was more urgent.

“...It won't come out. What do I do.”

The child placed her small, chubby hand on her chest, and golden tears formed in her big eyes and fell.

“...It hurts in here, so I can't speak. I'm sorry. I'm sorry...”

There are children who can't openly express their love for the things they cherish. Little Nia had lived almost her entire life in an orphanage, where children who didn't have anything would take or have their things taken away whenever something new or noticeable appeared. The pillow, toothbrush, and toys the child was now using. In this place, everything was a good thing that she had to keep to herself and hide her feelings for.

The child, who was so used to hiding, would only be happy with them when she was alone, but she hadn't learned how to share that happiness with others. To Nia, the word Mum was the most precious word, one she couldn't even say to the kind-hearted Mia. It was hard for her to say that word, which was difficult to even say when she was alone, in front of people.

But in front of the crying Nia, Ivonne's eyes widened. The child looked incredibly angry.

“What? It hurts? Does she hit you if you call her Mum? Hey, Lady! No, Nia's Mum! That's mean!”

Ivonne's small body was trembling, as if she was about to charge at Lucia.

“...No!”

Nia stood in front of Lucia with her small body, as if to protect her from Ivonne. It was the first time Lucia had heard Nia's voice so loud. As the atmosphere became awkward, Gilliana, who couldn't stand it any longer, grabbed Ivonne by the scruff of her neck.

“You wild boar! Ivonne. Listen. Nia is saying that she likes her mum so much that her heart flutters when she says Mum. Do you understand?!”

...Huh? Because she likes me? 

Lucia was once again surprised by Gilliana's words. She looked at Vernon and Gilliana for confirmation, and they looked back at her, placed their hands on their chests, and nodded with pious expressions.

I thought she couldn’t call me ‘Mum’ because I hadn’t done anything motherly to her. 

But those watching this mother and child knew better. No matter the situation, the person Nia’s eyes always sought was Lucia.

“Hmm. Okay. Phew, but that’s tough, Nia. Of course, I like my mum, but... not that much. You know, when my mum gets angry, she's like the orcs in my picture books...”

“Haaah, Ivonne. Imagine your mum is here. Yeah? Your temples wouldn't survive, would they?”

“...Yes! Ivonne didn't say anything!”

Ivonne quickly put her hands up to guard her head and nodded so hard that her pigtails shook.

• ───────── ☽༓☾ ───────── •

In the small front yard of the barracks, wild flowers bloomed vibrantly under the sunlight. Pushing aside the soft flowers, Nia and Ivonne laid out a small mat and played with a tiny tea set, pretending to drink dirt. 

“Madam, you said this tea grew in the Gorneu region, right?”

“Y-yes...!”

“Uh-oh, that's not right. You have to lift your pinky finger, like this.”

“...Yes!”

Ivonne wiggled her pinkie just as she said and pretended to drink, then roughly scattered the dirt from her teacup around. Nia, watching her, carefully brushed the remaining dirt from her cup. Ivonne, as if she was having fun, laughed heartily, then flopped down on the mat and rubbed herself against the warm sunlight satisfied.

“Nia! I think your house is the best! My mum doesn't buy toys like this. Can I bring Cézar with me next time?”

When Ivonne asked Nia, Nia looked at Lucia in the distance as if seeking permission. When Ivonne had yelled, Lucia seemed to have understood, as she vaguely waved her hand.

“Oh. I thought your mum was like a rock, but she's pretty cool sometimes, isn't she?”

“A rock...?”

“A person who is stiff. Anyway, that's good. Then when Cézar comes, we'll build a secret base with those things over there.”

Ivonne eyed the small house set that was placed near the barracks. That was another one of the gifts from Leon. Nia blinked her eyes as she watched Ivonne excited and clenching her fist.

“…Laughing together. Eating well. Having many friends.”

This was the way to become normal, as Heath had said. To Nia, Ivonne was exactly what Heath had described. For a long while, she silently watched Ivonne’s expressive face, feeling a sadness tinged with envy.

Just then, Ivonne suddenly leaned in close to Nia’s face.

“Huh, this won't do.”

“...”

“Nia always does everything I say.”

At Ivonne's casual remark, Nia's face quickly darkened. And deep inside her small head, as if a situation she’d always feared had finally become real, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.

“Why do you do everything I tell you to? It's not even fun to bully you”

In other words, the very words she used to hear from kids at the orphanage had come from Ivonne’s mouth.

Chapter 14

Chapter List

Chapter 16