Aeli, who had been nodding unconsciously, opened her eyes wide in shock.

She knew from overhearing the servants’ conversations, but still, this……

‘Isn’t this too fast?’

It was said ‘at most three days’ yesterday, so there were only about two days left. So it wasn’t that strange for him to return now.

She knew that.

‘Even if he said he missed me yesterday, that—’

Mental preparation is necessary!

Aeli, who had been imagining kicking Lutis in the behind at every opportunity but still lacked the courage to see him directly, pulled at her hair.

Her long hair that reached down to her chest was just right to grasp in her hands.

−Where in the world is there someone who actually comes when called… and so quickly at that…

She was muttering quietly, forgetting that there was a child nearby.

As a questioning gaze and voice followed, Aeli barely held onto her fleeting consciousness and turned her head.

“……Father?”

“Um, yes……”

“He, here……?”

No sooner had Mari’s head nodded slowly than the child’s mouth gradually opened. Just like Aeli had done, a look of utter bewilderment flashed across her face, as if questioning whether what she had heard was correct.

Thud.

The warm, soft bread that had been held in the small hand until just now rolled onto the floor.

The child, her pupils trembling finely, seemed to have completely forgotten that she had been licking her lips as if hungry just seconds ago, and opened her mouth.

“Then can I… can I see Father?”

“……”

“Will he come to see me……?”

At the question gently posed in a tiny voice, Mari was at a loss for words. To be precise, so was Aeli.

Could she see Lutis?

……Well.

Since she had a 4-year gap, she couldn’t be certain due to not knowing the exact details. However…….

“……”

If she hadn’t been staring without even blinking, she might not have noticed the devastation that flashed across Mari’s face in an instant, allowing her to guess.

Ah, he won’t come.

Mari, who had become indescribable with grief and sorrow mixed together, gathered her expression surprisingly quickly.

Fortunately, the child, with her head bowed low and fiddling with her hands, didn’t notice this series of events. She only hastily added when the silence stretched longer than she had expected.

“Ah… No. It’s not that I really want to see Father!”

“……”

“I’m just curious because I’ve never really seen him properly. It’s really okay.”

“……”

“They say war is very dangerous, right? Is Father not hurt anywhere? All ten fingers and toes?”

“……Yes. I haven’t heard that he was injured.”

“Okay, that’s good then.”

Let’s eat now. The child nodded with a calm face and grasped her spoon.

However, Aeli didn’t believe those words at face value.

Mari probably felt not much different from her.

After all, they had both discovered the expectation that the child had failed to hide completely in her eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

Four days passed.

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, as expected, Lutis did not come to see the child. It made the worry upon hearing the news from Mari seem pointless.

The mansion, which had been bustling inside and out in preparation for the master’s return until just a few days ago, became surprisingly quiet.

Especially the separate building where the child stayed was quiet to an excessive degree.

“When you water the flowers~ The fairy comes to greet you~”

−……

“Ah, it’s cool! Feeling good, dancing swaying back and forth~”

Aeli watched the child watering the potted plant, sitting in the chair next to her. The child was humming some unknown lyrics while resting her chin on her arms propped on the desk.

It was impressive to see her legs swinging back and forth under the chair, as if she was in a good mood.

The lazy sunlight pouring in through the large window. The clear and bright sky sparkling as if in response. Even the cute birdsong heard just enough to be pleasant.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a quiet and peaceful moment.

But…….

−Hmm…….

Aeli, who had been looking at the child with eyes full of affection, let out a small sigh and said.

−Adi.

“Yes, Ria, what is it?”

−Are you not going out today either?

“Um…… I want to stay in the room.”

−……But it’s already been four nights. You’re not taking your daily walk, and you’re not reading the books you like either.

“But right now, I like the flowers more than that……”

What if they wither while I’m out? Saying that, the child fixed her gaze back on the potted plant, and Aeli let out a deep sigh.

This is definitely wrong.

‘At first, I thought it was just because she liked the flowers.’

Even so, isn’t this too excessive?

She thought it could happen for a day or two if she was in a good mood, but as it passed three days and approached four, she couldn’t help but worry.

A four-year-old who hasn’t taken a single step outside the room for four days and is only taking care of flowers.

Setting aside that insane concentration, the current situation of pouring all her time into the potted plant except for eating and sleeping times was very problematic.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I should have just kept my mouth shut.’

I shouldn’t have brought up the idea of bringing a potted plant into the room.

Aeli, who had vowed to get the child out of the room today no matter what, coaxed in a gentle voice.

−How about we just take one lap around the mansion? And then we can go to Mari and get some candy.

“But that’s only one a day. They say if you eat too much honey, your stomach will melt.”

−……Huh?

“If you eat too much candy, your tongue hurts. So Mari said it might melt all the way down to your stomach……”

Aeli, who had been feeling a sense of duty over this, let out a dumbfounded sound at the unexpected answer.

As she blinked in confusion, suddenly a certain scene flashed through her mind.

[Ah. Miss, do you remember that time?] [What?] [You know, when we were young, the young master, you, and I secretly ate Luna candy in the middle of the night and got caught.] [……Yes, that happened.] [At that time, my mother scared us saying we were in big trouble now, that our stomachs would all melt away because we ate so much.] [That’s right……]

At the time, we thought it was real and cried our eyes out, terrified.

We even hugged each other saying goodbye and thanking each other for everything, and in the end, we gathered in one room saying we should die together and even wrote a will properly.

‘The content was about transferring the ownership of the treasure in the box under the bed to mother, probably.’

The treasure was just pretty buttons or chocolates we had saved to eat later, though.

Then the nanny came with a small bottle and spoon, saying this was the antidote and she would give it to us if we promised never to eat snacks secretly again. In the end, the nanny got the promise from the three of us and fed us a spoonful of liquid from the bottle each.

Later, we found out that the identity of that liquid was actually the ‘Cavity Prevention Strong Water’ developed by father.

[I suddenly remembered that yesterday and asked about it. Why they lied back then.] [And?] [Well, they said we were eating so many sweets like baby bears dipping our hands in honey jars, so it was obvious it wasn’t good for our health, and they deliberately scared us.] [……] [I heard the Count and Countess agreed too.] [……Could you go to the chef and tell him I’ll eat only desserts for the next week?]

Aeli thought.

‘Mari…… You’ve put that memory to good use.’

Seeing the child believing Mari’s words as if they were absolute truth, she found herself nodding involuntarily.

Why did you have to take after me in this too.

Aeli, who had been staring at the child, opened her mouth.

−If Adi brushes his teeth diligently, one should be fine. It’s better to restrain yourself since eating too much isn’t good for your body, but.

“Restrain?”

−Um…… avoid, no…… Well. You have to hold back even if you want to eat more.

“Gasp.”

Then can I eat one more without getting sick? the child asked. Aeli nodded quickly.

−Of course.

Considering the future, luring with snacks might not be the best choice, but… she couldn’t keep the child in the room forever, so this was the best option for now.

The child, rolling his eyes, slowly got up from his seat. Then, with quite a solemn expression, he opened his mouth.

“……Let’s go eat.”

As soon as the child’s mouth opened, Aeli swiftly led the small figure out of the room.

It was a quick movement, lest he change his mind.

That was good up to that point.

−…….

“……?”

−……Shall we leave that behind?

Aeli spoke quietly to the child who was trying to move while tucking the flower pot under his arm.

The small mouth that was about to argue opened and closed a few times at Aeli’s firm attitude.

“But this is!”

−Hmm?

“Th-this is……!”

−…….

“……”

In the end, unable to find the right words, the tiny mouth closed tight like a clam.

Watching the child walk back, put the flower pot back on the desk, and come out, Aeli nodded slightly.

He seemed a bit sulky, but! She didn’t want to have a battle of wills with her four-year-old child at her age!

……Still, after coaxing him somehow, she couldn’t let him keep his gaze fixed on the flower pot even outside the room.

It was an achievement made after a long time in exchange for her conscience, but Aeli, who didn’t feel too bad, thought.

‘At this rate, even Lutis might be forgiven if he kneels down and fasts while apologizing until Adi forgives him.’

That’s just a saying, and she had no actual intention of doing so, but anyway.

‘There are two days left until the birthday…… Let’s just hold on until then.’

Who knows, maybe after having one birthday party, he might lessen his obsession with the flower pot.

It was something she found out when she secretly followed Mari at night, who seemed to be planning something behind the child’s back for the past few days.

From the party magic tools carefully enshrined in one corner of the room to the cake design memo that seemed to be in the midst of planning.

The meaning of those was clear.

‘But how did she get the magic tools?’

……Has the cost of living changed a lot in 4 years?