As I opened my eyes, the savory scent of corn filled the air.

“Mmm, mother……”

Bonita reached out her hand while rubbing her eyes in a daze, then felt her heart sink upon noticing the cold empty space beside her.

‘Maybe yesterday was just mother being in a good mood.’

It wasn’t uncommon for Aria to be capricious at times.

Of course, yesterday she had shown incomparably kind and affectionate gestures compared to her previous whims, but Bonita didn’t have very high expectations of her mother.

After all, shouldn’t she be grateful just for being raised?

A small, fragile child was an absolute weakling in this harsh world. One who desperately needed the protection of adults.

‘Don’t cling.’

Bonita resolved, pressing her small lips together, then slowly got down from the bed.

As her feet touched the wooden floor, a chill rose up. The house was cold without a fireplace.

“Oof.”

After neatly arranging the blanket with clumsy but tidy hands, Bonita pattered towards the door on her short legs.

Creak. As her small white hand turned the doorknob, the rusty door hinge made a squeaking sound. Bonita stretched her foot towards the kitchen as usual to prepare breakfast.

And her eyes met Aria’s in the kitchen.

Aria’s pupils trembled like dandelion seeds upon seeing Bonita in her nightgown. Various emotions crossed her blue eyes.

The most prominent among them were relief and joy.

Sensitive to changes in people’s emotions, Bonita quickly realized that Aria was extremely happy. However, she couldn’t understand the reason.

It wasn’t because she was a seven-year-old child. Even if you brought a twenty-year-old adult, they wouldn’t be able to logically explain why Aria had changed like this.

“Are you up, daughter?”

Aria’s voice trembled. At the choked-up tone, Bonita became slightly confused.

“…Yes. But, breakfast……”

Aria usually slept late because she worked until late at night.

So Bonita would always clean the house thoroughly for her mother who wouldn’t wake up until nearly noon, and then set a late breakfast with her tiny hands.

But for mother to wake up this early? Moreover, standing on tiptoes and leaning slightly to peek, she saw savory corn porridge simmering in the kitchen.

“Did you prepare this, Mother?”

“Hm? Of course I– Wait.”

Aria, who was about to answer casually, furrowed her brow as she read the context hidden in Bonita’s question.

“Daughter, have you been preparing meals by yourself all this time?”

At the suddenly frightening face, Bonita’s shoulders flinched.

Why would she ask such a question? Bonita, truly feeling as if her mother had become a different person, answered in a thoroughly cowed tone.

“Breakfast and dinner……”

“Oh heavens! How could such hard work be given to such a small child!”

“Pardon?”

Bonita’s eyes widened as she protested. Her small fists were tightly clenched.

“I, I’m already seven years old! I’m not small!”

“Oh, daughter……”

As she raised her head high in protest, Aria looked down at the child with a complex expression. After a brief confrontation, hands that were still beautiful despite their calluses cupped Bonita’s cheeks.

Gentle words settled down.

“Seven years old is still young.”

“But, but you said before that seven years old was plenty grown up…”

“I did? Oh, heavens. What a mad woman! Forget everything I said like that!”

“But–”

“Now, you must be hungry, so let’s eat first. We can talk about that issue a little later. Okay?”

“Uwaah?”

Whoosh.

Bonita’s two legs dangled as Aria lifted her up. Bonita let out a dazed exclamation at the unfamiliar sensation. Aria chuckled.

At the transmitted vibration, Bonita blinked quietly. In the blink of an eye, Aria had seated Bonita at the table.

“Wow!”

Bonita’s eyes grew as big as saucers upon discovering the freshly baked white bread. Moreover, beside it was not the usual flavorless oatmeal that felt like chewing paper, but sweet corn porridge.

“I wanted to prepare something better for the first meal, but the ingredients weren’t very good. So I hurried out early in the morning.”

At Aria’s words, Bonita shook her head vigorously.

She didn’t quite understand what was meant by ‘first meal’, but this was a luxurious breakfast only eaten on special days. Her mouth watered.

Bonita’s hand automatically reached for the utensils, then hesitated upon seeing Aria still standing.

“Aren’t you eating, Mother?”

“No, I’ll eat. It’s going to be a busy day today.”

A busy day?

‘Is she going to give me work to do?’

Bonita’s daily routine was monotonous.

She did housework, prepared breakfast for her mother, and when her mother left for work, she would either wait endlessly at home or go shopping.

Then she would prepare dinner in time for her return.

On days when Aria didn’t return until past midnight, she would eat both portions of dinner by herself and go to sleep.

However, there were occasional days when Aria would take Bonita to her workplace, when she needed the child’s help.

For instance, when she needed someone to hold things while sewing, and so on.

‘I’ll be able to be with Mother all day long!’

Bonita’s mood improved and she swung her short legs back and forth on the chair.

Meanwhile, Aria sat down and picked up her utensils.

“Let’s eat, daughter.”

“Yes, Mother!”

As Bonita exclaimed with a flushed expression, Aria’s lips twitched. She seemed to want to say something.

“Mother?”

“Um, you know.”

“Yes?”

“Instead of Mother… No, never mind. Hurry and eat. Before it gets cold.”

“Yes!”

Slurp.

Bonita scooped up a large spoonful of corn porridge and put it in her mouth. The savory and sweet taste of corn soup filled her mouth. Bonita’s happy gaze turned to the white bread.

It was freshly baked bread, golden brown and soft, not hardened at all.

With an excited heart, Bonita picked up the bread and carefully tore it. The surprisingly soft bread split silently.

“!”

Bonita’s eyes widened in surprise as she dipped the bread in the soup and ate it. What followed happened in an instant.

Aria, who had been cutting her bread with a knife, stopped eating and gazed fondly at Bonita who was gobbling up the bread.

‘Luke used to say that just watching me eat made him feel full.’

Her husband’s words, which she hadn’t understood well at the time, now struck her heart deeply.

It pained her that she had only now found such happiness. Aria bit the inside of her cheek hard at the bitter past that came to mind.

While her daughter had been living alone in this old, cramped house, preparing her own meals, she and her husband had…

“Thank you for the meal.”

The cute voice brought Aria back from the dark past to the warm present.

“Was it not enough? You can have more if you’d like.”

Bonita shook her head. In fact, she had already eaten more than usual and felt like her stomach might burst.

After examining Bonita’s face and confirming that the child was genuinely satisfied, Aria clapped her hands and said,

“Well then… Let’s go out now!”

“Yes!”

* * *

“Um… Mother?”

“What is it, daughter?”

Encouraged by the gentle response, Bonita grabbed Aria’s skirt and asked,

“Is this where we’re going to work today?”

Bonita’s question was reasonable.

Aria, who had naturally expected to take her to the factory, had rummaged through the closet at home,

“This is ridiculous! There’s not a single decent outfit to put on her!”

or,

“Damn, how can there be so many clothes just for herself? What an insensitive woman!”

Then she had grabbed Bonita’s hand and called for a carriage.

“To Champs-Élysées Street, please!”

Bonita was worried whether her mother actually had money to pay for the carriage fare, but she didn’t dare voice such thoughts for fear of angering her by being disrespectful.

But now she had to ask.

“This is a street that sells expensive clothes…”

Aria was dazzlingly beautiful, but otherwise unremarkable. Of course, she wouldn’t have any special skills, and while she might do simple labor in a factory, she wasn’t the type who could work in such a high-end shop.

Therefore, in the ‘cool’ and ‘rational’ judgment of seven-year-old Bonita, it seemed that Aria hadn’t come here to work, but to buy something.

Of course, there was no way her mother would buy her anything from this street selling expensive clothes, so it must be to buy something for herself.

‘I have to stop her!’

It hadn’t even been a month since she nearly lost all their money to gambling. Bonita looked up at her mother with determined eyes.

Completely unaware of Bonita’s inner thoughts, Aria smiled brightly.

“You’re right, Bonita. We’ve come to buy clothes for you now.”

“What?!”

Bonita, who had been intent on stopping her mother, rose about 3cm into the air. The child who had jumped in surprise stamped her feet and cried out.

“No, you can’t!”

“Hm? Why not?”

“I already have three sets of outdoor clothes!”

“You only have three sets.”

As if she had no intention of listening to whatever Bonita had to say from the start, Aria simply picked up the child.

“Put me down…!”

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“Well, not really.”

Bonita mumbled, nestled in Aria’s arms.

Her legs had been aching after walking for quite a while since getting off the carriage.

Moreover, unlike before when Aria used to carelessly grab Bonita by the scruff of her neck, she now held the child firmly, carefully considering how to carry her comfortably.

Rather, Aria’s embrace, which smelled of freshly baked bread, was warm and cozy.

In the end, Bonita snuggled into Aria’s arms. As she did so, she began to worry seriously.

‘Mother… Could it be that she hit her head?’