Jane bent down to meet Joseph’s eye level.

Joseph barely managed to nod. He belatedly realized he should have answered verbally instead of just nodding. Joseph glanced at Jane.

Jane smiled brightly as if it didn’t matter and opened the door.

Joseph let out a sigh of relief.

“Welcome. You’re the first guest in my room.”

Following Jane’s lead, Joseph entered hesitantly.

Joseph looked around the room and was surprised.

Jane’s room was smaller and shabbier than his own. And unlike her bright personality, her room was dark.

“Since my little guest has arrived, should I ask for some snacks to be prepared? Joseph, do you like madeleines?”

Joseph answered with a small “Yes.”

Jane pulled a bell cord and Mary entered. Her eyes widened in surprise to see Joseph in Jane’s room, but she soon wore a kind smile.

“Mary, Joseph and I are going to have some refreshments. Could you prepare madeleines, warm milk, and tea?”

“Of course, miss. Shall I bring some honey as well?”

The warm milk was for Joseph, who might be nervous. Adding honey would make it even better.

Mary was truly wise.

“Thank you.”

After Mary left, Jane offered Joseph a seat. Joseph’s legs dangled in the air as he sat on the sofa.

Finding it cute, Jane watched silently, and Joseph quickly crossed his legs and fidgeted with his fingers.

“Ah, ah, I shouldn’t swing them, right? So-sorry.”

Joseph tucked his head between his shoulders like a turtle.

Jane’s heart ached. Joseph was overly conscious of others’ eyes. It was a characteristic not seen in children who grew up bright and cheerful.

What kind of life had Joseph lived until now?

After telling him it was okay, silence fell.

As she was looking for a topic of conversation, Mary brought the refreshments.

It was perfect timing.

Jane placed a white porcelain plate with blue flowers painted on it in front of Joseph. She handed him a small, cute silver fork.

Then she put the most colorful madeleine on Joseph’s plate and added honey to the milk.

Joseph watched the scene as if mesmerized. Even though she was just serving food, it was so graceful that he couldn’t help but stare.

“Joseph?”

Joseph snapped back to attention. Startled and flustered, Joseph accidentally spilled the cup. Hot milk soaked Joseph’s thighs. Not only that, but the sofa was also ruined.

Joseph jumped up. The milk that had run down his legs dripped onto the rug.

“Uh! Uh, uh, uh.”

Flustered, Joseph couldn’t even scream properly and just stammered.

“Joseph! Are you okay?”

Jane jumped up and approached Joseph. She pulled down her dress sleeve and wiped Joseph’s exposed legs.

“Joseph, is it very hot? We need to take off your pants to check the condition.”

Joseph nodded. Jane quickly removed his pants and pulled the bell cord.

“Yes, miss, you called… Young master!”

Mary was shocked to see the situation in the room.

“Mary, please prepare some ice water. And an ice pack. And could you call the doctor?”

Mary answered and ran out. Meanwhile, Jane removed Joseph’s pants and moved him to a clean sofa.

His white skin had turned red, but thankfully it wasn’t swollen. It was fortunate the milk wasn’t boiling hot.

Jane fanned him with her hand and looked up at Joseph.

“Does it hurt?”

“I-it’s fine.”

“Joseph, you’re so brave. I would have cried already.”

Jane smiled brightly. Joseph flinched at that smile.

Joseph had expected Jane to be angry. His mother would get angry if Joseph spilled even a drop of soup on the table. Her mouth spewing all sorts of curses looked like a dragon breathing fire.

But Jane not only didn’t get angry, she worried about him without even realizing her dress was stained with milk.

Why is she being so nice to me?

He was almost scared by her kindness.

“But Joseph.”

Is she finally going to get angry?

Jane’s voice calling him was low. Joseph was tense, but also relieved. It was the relief that came from a familiar situation.

Jane and Joseph’s eyes met.

“It’s good to be brave and not cry, but it’s even cooler to honestly say when it hurts. Only courageous people can do that.”

“Ah…”

Joseph’s mouth opened blankly.

“What kind of person do you want to be, Joseph? I’ll like whatever choice you make.”

A brave person or a courageous and cool person.

Joseph wanted to be the latter. No, Joseph wanted to be both.

What should I do to become that?

Joseph’s little head worked hard. Joseph soon found the answer.

“It, it, s-stings and it’s h-hot and, and, it hurts.”

Joseph said without crying. Trying to be brave in his own way.

Jane patted Joseph’s head gently.

Her touch conveyed that he did very well.

It hurt, but it felt good. The fact that it could hurt yet feel good at the same time was very strange to Joseph.

Joseph wanted to feel this unfamiliar emotion every day, every moment. No, he wished this moment could last forever.

But unfortunately, Mary interrupted.

“Miss, here’s the ice water and ice pack! And the doctor said he’ll arrive in 30 minutes.”

Jane dipped a handkerchief in the ice water.

“It’s going to be cold, Joseph.”

Before he could prepare, cold water dripped onto Joseph’s thighs.

Joseph gripped the sofa tightly.

Jane repeated the process. When Joseph became somewhat accustomed to the freezing sensation, he opened his eyes and looked at Jane.

Unlike his thighs that were red from the heat, Jane’s fingertips were red from the cold.

“That’s enough, it’s fine now…”

Joseph whispered, and Jane’s hand stopped as she quickly understood.

“Was it too cold?”

“No… that’s not it…”

Joseph pointed his index finger. He tried to point at Jane’s fingers, but failed as Jane moved.

Joseph’s finger fell limply. Then he saw the mess on the rug.

Joseph’s face turned pale.

“The rug… th-the rug, the expensive rug…”

“We need to clean up the rug. Right?”

Joseph hiccupped.

Everything in the Hastings household was expensive. Joseph knew this information he shouldn’t have known because of his birth mother.

It was advice she had given, supposedly for Joseph’s benefit. Along with telling him to avoid causing trouble as much as possible and stick to them like a leech.

But now he had ruined an expensive item. Was this the kind of trouble his mother meant? Would he be kicked out now?

Joseph’s eyes shook, losing focus. His breathing became irregular.

“Joseph, Joseph!”

Jane called out to Joseph, but it didn’t reach his ears.

If he was kicked out, where would he go? His mother said she’d kill herself if he came looking for her. Would that make him a murderer?

It was too scary and cold. But that coldness was brief. Soon, a warm presence enveloped Joseph completely.

“Joseph, you don’t need to worry about the rug. You only need to worry about yourself.”

The source of warmth was Jane. Joseph opened his mouth blankly. His trembling gradually subsided.

“I-I won’t be kicked out?”

“No, this is your home. No one can kick you out. I won’t let them.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m your…”

Jane paused briefly and stroked the small back of his head. She was to be Joseph’s new mother. That was the problem.

Stepmother.

Whether in fairy tales or rumors, the image of a stepmother was negative.

Moreover, Joseph’s condition wasn’t good. Perhaps because he was scolded by Mrs. Themis and even got burned, the child looked very unstable.

Jane pondered and completed her answer.

“Because we’re friends.”

“Friends?”

Joseph, who had been squirming in Jane’s arms, gently pushed her shoulder and raised his head.

“Yes, friends.”

“Can we be friends?”

“Is there any reason we can’t be friends?”

Joseph tried to find an answer by rolling his big eyes around, but soon failed. His small head moved side to side.

“I like you, Joseph. What about you?”

“I, I like you too!”

Joseph answered hastily. His response was so quick that it almost overlapped with Jane’s last words, making them hard to understand.

“Then we’re friends. Let’s start as friends.”

A mother is precious to everyone. Jane had no intention of forcibly asking Joseph to give up that place for her.

She didn’t know about Joseph’s mother, which made her feel this way even more.

So she planned to start as friends and wait until Joseph truly accepted her.

Friends, Joseph murmured softly, his eyes wavering. Not with anxiety, but with joy.

Joseph smiled. It was a smile befitting his age.

Afterwards, Joseph received treatment in Jane’s room and returned to his own room with Mary.

It was after making a promise to see each other again.

* * *

The next day, Jane’s debutante ball was decided.

“It’s a ball hosted by Countess Carelina, miss.”

It was a ball hosted by a family befitting the Hastings’ status, as Mrs. Themis had mentioned.