Somehow, I ended up bringing the little one to the baron’s residence. I wrote a letter to Anna saying that the young lord was here and would return to the mansion when the rain stopped. I also added for her to bring a change of clothes.

The little one sat close to the fireplace, acting as if he had been here before.

“There’s no milk, so I brought warm water. I added a little honey, is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s good.”

The little one took the cup and smiled broadly, saying it was warm.

“This rain won’t stop easily.”

The raindrops grew heavier. At the same time, the cloudy sky brightened with a flash.

Rumble. Boom.

A bolt of lightning must have struck nearby, as the light disappeared and thunder sounded simultaneously.

I quickly drew the curtains and approached the child.

“It’s okay. I’m not scared at all because auntie is here.”

The little one answered preemptively, as if knowing what I was about to ask.

“Is that so?”

I was ready to hug him immediately if he was scared. But since he said he was fine, well.

‘It will take time for Anna to bring clothes from the duke’s mansion… But he can’t keep wearing wet clothes either.’

I pondered as I looked at him, still damp despite being near the fireplace. Then suddenly, I remembered the clothes that might be in the storage room.

“If you’re okay with it, I’ll get you some clothes I wore when I was young.”

The little one’s expression subtly hardened.

“…It’s not a dress, is it?”

For a brief moment, I imagined him in a dress.

The little one himself had a wild young predator vibe, so he’d probably look fierce rather than cute.

“It’s not a dress. Wait here for now.”

Saying that, I went up to the second floor alone. I found a box about the size of an arm in the storage room where unused items had somehow accumulated.

Inside were riding clothes suitable for a twelve or thirteen-year-old child. They’d be a bit big for the little one, but better than wearing wet clothes.

I grabbed the riding clothes and went down to the living room, where the little one was dozing off with his eyes closed, his head nodding this way and that. I gently touched his shoulder to wake him.

“You shouldn’t sleep like this. Change your clothes and then sleep.”

“Okay…”

The little one rubbed his eyes and took the riding clothes I brought. Then, slowly getting up, he asked.

“Where should I change?”

“Ah, change in my room.”

I opened the door to a room a little way down the hallway from the first-floor living room. The little one bowed his head in thanks and went in.

Not long after, the little one appeared wearing my riding clothes. The sleeves were long, covering half of his hands, and the fit was loose and baggy.

“Come here.”

At my words, the little one came closer. I rolled up the sleeves and pinned them. Feeling much more comfortable to move in, the child rotated his shoulders.

“What should we do now?”

The rain was still falling, and the sky was dark, a vague twilight made even darker by the cloudy weather.

Looking at the little one who still seemed sleepy, I said.

“When I was getting the riding clothes earlier, I saw some toys I used to play with when I was young in the second-floor storage.”

“Toys?”

“Yes. Should I bring them?”

“Yes! That would be great!”

The little one jumped up and down in excitement. I told him to stay by the fireplace as I went back up to the second floor.

* * *

It took a little time to find various things. When I returned to the living room, the little one was dozing off in the rocking chair in front of the fireplace. One arm was on the armrest, but the other arm couldn’t reach all the way and only his wrist was resting on it.

‘Pfft, his feet don’t even touch the ground.’

His short legs dangling in the air were so cute.

I quietly put down the toys and approached the little one. Then I carefully picked him up.

“Mmm…”

He seemed uncomfortable being held. I quickly carried him to my room and laid him on the bed. The cozy warmth had already warmed the room.

‘Good thing I turned it on beforehand.’

Seeing how sleepy the little one looked, I had lit the fireplace in the room just in case.

Once I put him down on the bed, he made a contented purring sound, his face completely relaxed.

‘I’ll have to wake him up around dinnertime.’

As I was about to tiptoe out on my heels.

“Don’t go…”

My steps came to an abrupt halt. I turned around to see the little one looking at me with sleepy eyes.

“It’s still raining.”

Along with the crackling sound of burning wood, the scent of the air still heavy with moisture tickled my heart.

“Stay… with me.”

The little one, completely taken by the sandman, mumbled with his eyes tightly shut. In the end, I climbed onto the bed. Lying on my side, looking at the child, I said.

“Alright. I’ll stay beside you.”

A faint smile appeared on the little one’s lips. I started a lullaby, patting his chest under the blanket like my mother used to do for me.

“On the beautiful hill, pink petals flutter.”

It’s the only thing I can do in this atmosphere.

Honestly, I only knew it from hearing it, I had never sung it out loud before.

It’s a bit embarrassing, but the little one seems to like it.

“My baby is sleeping, flower petals sway in the breeze.”

I tapped his chest in rhythm with the lullaby.

‘It feels strange.’

I kept seeing my late mother in my behavior towards the little one.

In my voice singing the lullaby, I heard my mother’s voice overlapping.

Countless indescribable emotions gathered and piled up.

Looking at the little one who had fallen completely asleep, I impulsively opened my mouth.

“Sometimes…”

I stopped patting.

“I’ll be a mother for you.”

The rain was gradually weakening.

I could hear Anna, who had returned from the duke’s mansion, calling for me in the living room.

* * *

As I came out of the room, I raised one finger to my lips. Understanding the meaning, Anna whispered in a very small voice.

“The butler said that the young lord is particularly lethargic on rainy days, so we shouldn’t force him to move and let him rest.”

She took out spare clothes for the little one to change into from a small leather bag and laid them out while continuing to speak.

“He said he’ll send a carriage tomorrow morning when the rain stops. And we can have breakfast however we want.”

“Is that so?”

I hesitated to wake the little one sleeping so soundly in my bed. Above all, I was worried because he had skipped dinner.

“Do we have enough ingredients to prepare breakfast tomorrow?”

“Yes, we do.”

There’s no choice. If he wakes up in the middle of the night, I’ll feed him something simple and put him back to sleep.

The next day.

In the end, the little one didn’t return to the mansion. He slept so well that we couldn’t move him anywhere, so we just let him sleep in my bed. It was just a small person sleeping together in a bed I always slept in alone, but I couldn’t get a wink of sleep all night.

The little one tossed and turned quite a bit. Every time the mattress wobbled, I woke up and had to pull him towards the inside so he wouldn’t fall off the bed.

After repeatedly falling asleep and waking up like that, I finally gave up on sleeping and watched over the little one sleeping all night. I thought about sleeping on the living room sofa, but I was anxious that he might fall off the bed and get hurt if I took my eyes off him.

Completely unaware of my anxious night, the little one who slept soundly for over ten hours was very energetic.

“Good morning!”

Unlike me, the child’s face was glowing. He washed his face with the warm water I had prepared in the basin, and neatly combed his hair on his own with capable hands. He also changed into the clothes Anna had brought yesterday all by himself.

Of course, at ten years old, he’s certainly old enough to do these things alone, but considering the little one’s social position, it would be understandable even if he didn’t wash himself or change clothes on his own.

He’s such a praiseworthy kid.

“Wow, did you prepare this, auntie?”

“Yes. Hurry and eat. You must be hungry.”

I served bread I bought early in the morning from the market, scrambled eggs, and milk that the little one likes for breakfast.

Although there were enough ingredients to cook properly, I couldn’t tell the child who had skipped dinner to wait while I cooked, so I prepared it hastily.

After the meal, just as the little one was putting the last piece of bread in his mouth.

At Anna’s words that the carriage had arrived, I went outside to see a magnificent carriage with the duke’s family crest emblazoned on it, and the coachman waiting for the little one.

The child who followed me outside drooped his shoulders when he saw the coachman. He knew it was time to leave.

As Anna handed over the half-dried clothes to the coachman, the little one mumbled.

“Auntie, thank you for staying with me.”

Seeing the little one standing upright and saying goodbye, putting aside his reluctance, made a corner of my heart ache. The aftereffects of last night were still lingering.

“Yes, go safely.”

“Um… can I come to Black Swan again?”

“Of course.”

We both smiled brightly at the same time.

As the coachman opened the door, the little one bravely climbed into the carriage. And before the door closed, he shouted.

“Next time we meet, don’t call me ‘little one,’ call me Rublion.”

“Next time we meet, don’t call me ‘auntie,’ call me ‘elder sister.'”

The little one pouted. I chuckled and said.

“Take care, Rublion.”

The coachman closed the door. While he was going to his seat, the little one opened the window and waved his hand, saying.

“You have to keep the promise you made to me last night!”

I was about to ask what he meant, but the carriage departed. As I quietly watched the duke’s carriage getting farther away, I swallowed my slightly disappointed feelings and concerned emotions and went back into the mansion.

I planned to take a short nap before going to Black Swan. Trusting Anna who said she would wake me up, I lay down on the bed. And as soon as I lay down, I fell asleep.