Just before leaving, Ayla whispered to me with a worried expression.

She said that the child was unable to speak and only mumbled the entire time she was with her.

The child was hiding in my arms. She never once looked back at Jade’s gaze.

I came out after getting a definite answer from him that he would visit tomorrow.

The child in the carriage relaxed, nodded off drowsily, and eventually fell asleep.

“Oh my, Lady Blanche must have been very tired. I’ll take her to the bedroom.”

“Would you please?”

As we entered Earl Boston’s residence, Mary carefully took the sleeping child from my arms.

“My lady. I’ve left the report from the estate in the study. I asked Aaron, and he said to contact him through the communication orb if you find it too difficult.”

“…I see.”

At Mary’s words informing me of the report from the estate, I entered the study.

‘For now, I don’t even know who Aaron is, so it feels a bit awkward to contact him out of the blue…’

I intended to try handling it on my own first. Suddenly hearing the child’s crying from outside, I rushed out.

“Lady Blanche, the young lady is in the study now. She didn’t leave you behind.”

The child was wandering the hallway with Mary, looking for me.

“Blanche?”

When I beckoned to the child, she came running in an instant.

“Blanche, why are you crying? Hm?”

“Shu Shu was eating macarons with mama in a dream, but mama disappeared, and when I opened my eyes, mama was really gone…!”

Tears fell in multiple streams from the child’s eyes, and she eventually burst into loud sobs.

‘She must have been startled when she couldn’t see me.’

“Why did you leave Shu Shu behind first…! Mama, I hate you…”

The child seemed upset and hit me lightly with her small hands.

“Mama, hic, don’t go anywhere. Stay by Shu Shu’s side.”

The child, who had been hiccuping from crying so much, held onto my hand and wouldn’t let go.

With no other choice, I took the child back to the study.

The child lay on her stomach on the carpet. Even when Mary suggested going out to eat macarons, she kept shaking her head.

I sent Mary out and asked the child.

“Blanche, what are you going to do?”

“Shu Shu is going to draw. Mama, you work.”

“O-okay.”

At her resolute voice, I bit my lip and shifted my gaze to the report.

With my memories gone, it was difficult to understand the contents of the report, so I let out a sigh.

“Mama.”

“…Yes?”

“Are you angry? Because Shu Shu cried earlier and bothered you?”

“Angry?”

The child raised her eyebrows and said.

“Mama, you were frowning. It’s not… because of Shu Shu, is it?”

I was taken aback. I was surprised to see the child crying earlier, but I definitely wasn’t angry.

I wasn’t bothered either. After comforting her briefly, she quickly stopped crying and quietly drew pictures beside me.

The reason I frowned was because the contents of the report were difficult. I didn’t say anything in particular to the child.

Yet she thought the reason for my bad mood was her fault.

‘She seems particularly sensitive to others’ emotions.’

Every time I saw the child glancing at me and reading my expression, I was reminded of my past life.

She resembled me from my days at the orphanage.

Always watching others’ reactions, being cautious, and not knowing what to do.

“No, that’s not it. I… lost my memories, remember?”

I tried my best to explain at the child’s eye level.

“That’s right…”

“Yes, I have to work, but it’s difficult because I don’t have my memories. It’s definitely not because of you. Understand?”

The sulking child picked up her crayons again after I emphasized it a few more times.

‘I should be careful even about sighing in front of the child.’

The child suddenly clapped her hands, got up, and scurried over to my side.

“Mama. Ask Uncle Aaron.”

“Aaron?”

The nodding child took out a communication orb from the drawer.

As she fiddled with it this way and that, a blue light began to flicker from the orb.

-My lady?

Soon, an unfamiliar man’s voice sounded from the orb. The representative of the trading company, was it?

Hearing his voice, he seemed younger than I had thought.

“…Ah. Um, hello.”

I wondered how I should respond.

‘It’s already awkward, so I wasn’t planning to contact him right away…’

I awkwardly greeted the communication orb.

“Hello?”

-I heard the explanation from Mary. That you lost your memories.

“Ah, yes. That’s what happened…”

The child stared intently at the communication orb, chewing on her lips. Then she bent her head and kicked her feet.

‘She seems upset that she wants to speak but can’t.’

After a moment’s hesitation, I looked at the child and silently mouthed.

That if she had something she wanted to say, I would relay it for her.

The child rolled her eyes and then mumbled.

I relayed those words exactly to the man in the orb, Aaron.

“Aaron.”

-Yes, please speak, my lady.

“Blanche says she misses you a lot.”

Aaron was silent for a moment, then made a sound of clearing his throat.

-…Ahem. Please tell her I miss her too. You said you’d come to Lekah around winter, right?

It seems I had said I would go before losing my memories. To be honest, I didn’t particularly want to go right now.

It would be awkward to see unfamiliar people in a situation where I had no memories.

But seeing Blanche’s face clearly looking forward to going to Lekah, my heart softened.

‘Well, there’s still time until winter, so I don’t need to say no right away.’

“That’s right. See you then.”

-By the way, why did you contact me?

“Ah, I was looking at the documents and there were parts I found difficult to handle. I’m sorry.”

-It’s fine. It must be challenging in your current state. I’ll have the estate reports sent to Lekah for the time being.

I felt bad for causing trouble.

Seeming to notice this, Aaron continued speaking.

-My lady. I’ve been bored with little to do staying alone in Lekah. This works out well, actually. Please don’t worry too much.

I was very grateful to Aaron for trying to ease my concerns.

-Blanche.

“…”

-Blanche? Why is this little prankster so quiet? My lady, wasn’t Blanche with you?

Seeing the child unable to speak despite Aaron’s familiar call, I made a decision.

‘The young lady tends to be afraid of adults, so if she spends time with peers, she’ll likely open up.’

‘I hear they’re bringing children to this tea party, including my niece’s daughter. Most of them are around the young lady’s age.’

To take the child to the tea party where my sorority classmates were gathered.

Of course, meeting them in my current state of memory loss was risky.

Even if I hadn’t attended before, it was better to know some information about the sorority before going.

“Aaron. Do you know anything about Diane’s sorority classmates? Like if there are any bad relationships or such?”

-Sorority classmates?

Aaron thought for a moment before speaking.

-It’s a sorority formed by people who have been friends with Lady Diane since childhood, so there shouldn’t be any particular issues. Are you thinking of attending the gathering?

“I am. I want to let Blanche meet children her own age.”

Aaron agreed it was a good idea.

I discussed a few situations related to the estate with him before ending the communication.

Grumble.

A cute sound came from the child’s stomach.

“Blanche, are you hungry?”

“Nooo. Just a little.”

The child twisted her hands shyly.

‘I’ve dealt with the report, so we should go eat now.’

I took the child to the dining room, carrying the reply I had written to Viscountess Ler saying I would attend the tea party.

I handed the reply to Mary as she was bringing out the food.

“Mary. Could you send this to the Ler viscounty?”

“Yes, of course. My lady. Please eat before the food gets cold.”

Mary put the reply in her pocket and looked after me, then stared at the child in shock.

“Oh, my lady.”

“What is it?”

The child seemed very hungry and was eagerly eating the potage.

“Lady Blanche is eating the carrots in the potage.”

“…So?”

“Oh my, Lady Blanche really hates carrots. She wouldn’t eat them even when you told her to. But now she’s eating them on her own.”

Looking closely, the child was holding her breath and forcing herself to swallow the carrots.

‘It doesn’t seem like she’s come to like carrots…’

Then she gulped down water, trying not to taste the carrots. Somehow, it looked pitiful.

‘If she dislikes carrots that much, she doesn’t have to eat them at all.’

The child glanced at me, then squeezed her eyes shut and put a carrot in her mouth.

‘Did my original self not allow picky eating?’

It seemed like she was trying to show that she had eaten all the carrots without leaving any.

“Blanche. If you don’t want to eat the carrots, you don’t have to.”

The child shook her head and continued eating the potage with her spoon.

I quietly asked Mary.

“Mary. Did I not allow picky eating?”

“Well, when Lady Blanche said she wouldn’t eat carrots, you did say she should eat them. But you didn’t force her. Rather, even though you knew Lady Blanche was trying to avoid eating them in various ways, you smiled and let it slide…”

Thinking about what happened in the study earlier and being told that the child originally spoke casually to me, I realized.

‘Indeed, eating the carrots without being picky like usual, and all that…’

The child was desperate.

To make a good impression on me.

To avoid being disliked at all costs.