“First, let’s take a close look at the situation you’re in, auntie.”

The little one spread out the memo pad on the table. Then, pulling out a pen from somewhere unknown, he started writing with his tiny hand.

“You owe me a debt, auntie.”

“…Huh?”

“Ah, should I say it’s more like a harmful act than a debt?”

Either way, isn’t that word too harsh? It’s not the kind of word that should come out of a ten-year-old’s mouth.

“Anyway, it’s a similar situation, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

The little one raised the corners of his mouth high. It gave me chills because while his mouth was smiling, his eyes weren’t.

“In exchange for me not telling the Duke about the pink diamond being held as collateral, you’ll have to do a job for me at Black Swan.”

“What kind of job?”

“Find someone to be a mother.”

The little one’s expression became subtly gloomy.

“By mother… do you mean someone to be your mother?”

“Yes. I need a mother. Someone to sing lullabies at night, have tea with, and go on picnics together.”

For a moment, I felt a sharp pain in one side of my chest.

I knew from experience that his mind was exceptional, but he was still a child after all.

“Little one, I can find someone to be your mother, but if I do that, the person I find would have to become the Duke’s wife.”

“If I don’t bring someone, will the Duke live alone forever?”

Tid knew about the scandal. I couldn’t be sure if the rumors were true, but if they were, the Duke would continue to love and miss the woman who left him to become the Crown Princess, raising her child alone for the rest of his life…

‘What a mess, really!’

The child in front of me is not to blame. It’s all the adults’ fault.

“Would you like to see this?”

The little one took out a crumpled note from his vest pocket and handed it to me.

“Drawing pictures, solving puzzles, staying up all night talking and falling asleep?”

There were quite a few other things written down as well.

“Those are things I want to do when I have a mother.”

…What should I do with this young master?

“The Duke often leaves home for territory inspections. So I’ve asked the maid to sing lullabies and sleep with me…”

The little one’s expression noticeably worsened.

“But at some point, that maid started crossing the line as if she had become my mother.”

What happened after that? No, if I keep listening, it might turn into a scary story.

“So she was fired. Apparently, she went into the Duke’s bedroom at night under the pretext of telling him about me.”

“…You must have been very disappointed.”

“So, since you’ve done something wrong too, I thought maybe you could take on the task of finding my mother.”

“Alright, I’ll try to find one.”

“…Really?”

The little one’s eyes widened at my ready agreement. Then he twitched his cheeks as if trying to hold back a smile.

“I can find mother candidates that meet your conditions. I can also arrange meetings. But becoming close with them and persuading the Duke about the mother candidates is not something I can do. I need to make that clear.”

The little one abruptly stood up from his seat. Then he came striding towards me.

“Thank you so much, auntie!”

His small arms wrapped around my neck in a tight hug. I gently patted his back with one arm.

A body temperature slightly higher than mine.

A smaller build than what meets the eye.

‘He’s a lonely child.’

That was my impression upon being hugged by the little one for the first time.

* * *

I even went as far as drawing up a contract, thinking of it as a kind of request. It was only today that I learned the little one’s name.

‘Rublion Artenbach.’

It was a name that suited him well. Playful enough, yet with a sense of weight to it.

I was overcome with a strange feeling as I watched the little one carefully eating the cake Anna had bought, trying not to spill any.

The color of the terrible loneliness I felt right after my mother passed away was visible in the little one.

[Schmidt, you’ve got cream on your dress again.]

I, who had a big sweet tooth, often ate while getting cream on my clothes.

[It’s punishment time, Schmidt.]

I used to dodge my mother’s hand as she tried to dab cream on my nose.

Her large, white, and warm hand.

[Kyahaha.] [Gotcha, you cute little one.]

Whenever I failed to avoid the punishment, without fail, a tickle attack would come. My mother, who smiled more brilliantly than the dazzling sunlight with the happiest face at those times.

[Mama loves Schmidt the most.] [I love Mama the most too!] [More than Papa?] [Yes! But let’s keep it a secret from Papa!]

My mother’s voice, whispering in my ear that she loved me, is still vivid.

It feels like just yesterday that we lay on the grass together, looking up at the sky.

And just like that, my mother, who was my pillar and my everything, collapsed from an unknown heart attack. Without even time to prepare for a farewell.

‘Back then, even Father wasn’t in his right mind.’

Shocked by the loss of the woman he loved, Father lived on drugs and alcohol. All I could do as a young child was to hug my mother’s portrait and cry, or search for traces of her at Black Swan.

Black Swan was a truly precious place for me. A place where my mother’s desk was, where her favorite paintings were.

Father, my only family, who grew up drinking the poison of loneliness.

That was the reason I couldn’t let go of Father, even when he had gambled away our fortune and been swindled until not a penny was left.

For fear of becoming truly lonely.

For fear of being left all alone.

‘Enough with the old memories!’

I forcefully lifted my mood that was trying to sink. I moved my stiffened facial muscles and got up from my seat to approach the sofa.

“Well then, shall we hear about the conditions you want?”

I wiped the cream from the corners of the little one’s mouth with a tissue and opened the request form.

The little one, with his cheeks full of cake, mumbled for a moment before swallowing and answering.

I diligently sorted through candidates that met the conditions, which were outrageous but not entirely impossible. After telling the little one to wait for a moment, I went to the storage room to gather the nobility register and newspaper clippings about the bourgeoisie.

When I opened the door and entered, the little one was leaning his head against the back of the sofa with his eyes closed. For a moment, I was startled, thinking he might be sick, but then I heard a soft snoring sound. He had fallen asleep.

I placed the clippings and register on the desk as quietly as possible. Then I searched for the cleanest blanket I could find and spread it out on the sofa.

I gently pushed the little one to lie on his side. His expression became much more peaceful.

Anna came in to deliver the list of guests with appointments for tomorrow.

I put a finger to my lips and said,

“Let’s talk outside.”

* * *

About 5 minutes from the port, on the sea.

There was a boat that Askal had launched. Inside, he removed the gag from the mouth of the captured swindler.

“I’m, I’m sorry… I’ve committed a mortal sin! Please, just spare my life!”

The swindler was terrified.

“I had no idea people would actually borrow money from the bank! I swear!”

Askal just stared at him. The problem must have been his extraordinary intimidating presence.

As Askal fiddled with his gloves, the swindler cried out in terror.

“Eek! Please…”

The swindler trembled all over and banged his head on the floor. With each thud, his forehead was stained with blood.

“You’re noisy.”

At his single word, the swindler froze like ice. He remained with his forehead on the floor, not saying a word.

“Your Excellency, we’ve found it.”

A man in a pitch-black suit appeared, carrying a large wooden box. Inside were gold bars and bundles of bills that had been deliberately exchanged.

“The investor list?”

“It’s inside the box.”

Askal unfolded the list that had been hastily made for show. It was pathetic how many people had fallen for such a shoddy scam that could have been seen through with just a little thought.

He strode over to the swindler and grabbed him by the hair. Then he spoke into his ear.

“I never let anyone who touches what’s mine go unpunished.”

“Du-Duke. Pl… please spare me!”

Askal took off his gloves, which were slightly stained with blood at the ends, and handed them to the man in the black suit. Then he put on new gloves. His familiar actions were chillingly cold.

“Tie him to a barrel and throw him in.”

“How much should we fill it?”

To the man in the black suit who asked routinely, he replied indifferently.

“Full. If he’s lucky, he’ll survive.”

* * *

After finishing his daily routine and returning to the mansion, Askal patted the head of Rublion, who appeared with bright eyes.

“Duke, do you have time now?”

“Why.”

“I have something serious to talk about.”

“Wash up first.”

Rublion trotted after him as he walked down the corridor with heavy steps.

“Do you remember the auntie we saw this morning?”

“…”

“What was your first impression? Honestly, she’s not pretty, but I’m curious about what you think.”

“After I wash.”

“You can tell me this much before washing, can’t you?”

Askal, who had been walking quickly down the corridor, suddenly stopped. As a result, Rublion, who had been following behind, bumped his head against Askal’s waist.

“By auntie, you mean the one with pink hair?”

He knew from experience that when Rublion was this persistent, it was better to resolve it quickly and get him off his back.

“Yes, what do you think? Tell me honestly.”

Askal recalled the small-framed woman whose emotions were all too visible.

“You want me to be honest?”

“Yes!”

He let out a big sigh and said,

“She’s not my type.”

Rublion, who had been hoping for a positive answer, grabbed Askal’s hand with a disappointed expression and said,

“Then what should we do? How can we make the auntie become your type?”

Askal answered while smoothing Rublion’s disheveled hair with his hand.

“Stop that game. The mother-finding game.”

“It’s not a game. I’m trying to get what I want.”

Rublion stood at attention with his fists clenched. Askal quietly gazed into the eyes of the boy looking up at him seriously.

“So please take me seriously, Duke.”

Askal lowered himself to match Rublion’s eye level.

And asked in the gentlest way possible.

“You asked how that woman could become my type, right?”

“Yes!”

“She needs to grow a bit more.”

“What? What needs to grow?”

“That’s a secret.”

Rublion’s forehead wrinkled deeply at the enigmatic answer. But it only made him look trivial and cute.

Rublion stared intently at Askal’s back as he disappeared down the end of the corridor. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he said,

“I’ll have to ask auntie tomorrow.”