Chapter 11

Reina kept her eyes on Bonita as she wandered around the room, then asked the butler.

“…Why was this room given to us?”

“His Grace prepared it as a small token of gratitude for saving the young lady.”

‘A small token…?’

How was this small in any way? The window in the house where she’d lived with Bonita before had cracks, letting cold air seep in nonstop. But here, not a single crack could be found in the size of the room or its windows. Even the rug laid across the floor looked like a luxury item that could’ve bought out all the furniture from their old home.

The glossy wall murals, the ivory colored canopy bed with ornate reliefs carved into its pillars, and the wallpaper woven with intricate patterns made of twisted thread instead of gold.

The most shocking part was that even with all this furniture inside, the room still felt spacious.

‘Even the servants’ quarters were more than good enough.’

That room hadn’t been noisy, had no mold, and was warm enough that winter cold wasn’t a concern at all.

Being given a room so extravagant that she’d never even imagined in her life, Reina didn’t feel pure joy. She just didn’t know what to do.

“Is this really… small?”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Reina asked in a whisper.

“Yes. Compared to the value of saving Lady Estelle’s life, even offering the entire family fortune wouldn’t be enough.”

“…I see…”

In truth, even if Reina had kidnapped Estelle, Estelle would’ve survived. That made Reina feel like she’d deceived everyone for nothing.

The butler answered all of Reina’s careful questions kindly.

“I’ll guide you through the rest tomorrow at eleven in the morning.”

“…The rest?”

So this room wasn’t everything. Reina’s lips parted slightly.

“This was a gift prepared in haste.”

With that, the conversation ended, leaving Reina and Bonita alone in the wide room.

The child explored for a long while, then plopped herself down onto a large pillow and claimed it as her spot.

“…”

Reina gently patted the child clinging to her and spoke softly.

“…Do you like this room that much?”

The child snapped her head up and shouted.

“Yeah!”

“Really?”

“I love it! Mom, let’s bathe together today. The bathtub here is really huge. Even if we both get in, there’ll still be space!”

“Should we?”

She’d just been kidnapped recently and must’ve been frightened. She hadn’t even left Reina’s side at night.

But Bonita seemed too okay today, and that worried Reina instead.

Unaware of Reina’s thoughts, the child grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the bathroom.

“Mom, look at this. It’s really big, right?”

“It is.”

The ivory bathtub stood on a base made of gold.

‘A room prepared in haste…’

When the child turned the faucet, warm water poured out endlessly.

Thanks to all the magic woven into the estate, water supply wasn’t something one even needed to worry about here.

While Reina instinctively assessed the value of everything around her, Bonita simply laughed, scooping up warm water with her palms and splashing it around.

‘I’ll need clothes to change into.’

After bathing, they’d need fresh clothes. Their belongings from the old quarters seemed to have been moved, but she had no idea where.

‘A wardrobe?’

Reina opened the pristine white wardrobe, its surface carved with delicate reliefs.

“…Huh?”

Inside were the clothes Reina and Bonita had been wearing until now, neatly arranged. Alongside them were outfits she’d never seen before.

On top of the clothes lay a refined paper card.

[I wasn’t sure if the clothes would fit. Peter]

Unlike Reina’s own handwriting, it was very neat and elegant. As she stared at it quietly, Bonita suddenly hugged her from behind.

“…Boni?”

“…The water’s full.”

“Already? That was fast. Then shall we wash up?”

“Yeah.”

The warm water wrapped comfortably around their bodies. It was a level of comfort and leisure she couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.

That all of this had been given overnight, simply because of different choices, felt unreal.

Bonita played gently with the water, making small splashing sounds, then glanced at Reina and asked.

“…After a few nights, are we going back to our old house?”

“…”

The child seemed to realize this house wasn’t truly theirs and rolled her eyes anxiously.

“Do you not like this room, Boni?”

“…N-No, I like it.”

“Then why?”

“But…”

Bonita hesitated, unsure if she should say it, then answered softly.

“Only amazing people live in houses like this.”

“…Oh, Boni…”

Honestly, compared to where they’d lived before, this room was the best place Bonita had ever stayed.

It was sturdy enough not to shake even when the wind blew. It didn’t smell like dust or mold.

The bed was wide and soft. A rug covered the floor so it felt okay to step on barefoot.

The windows were spotless, without a single crack. The bathroom was this big, and it even had a faucet.

If they could keep living in a place like this, Mom wouldn’t have to go out drawing water even in winter. She wouldn’t have to shiver awake inside when the wind howled at dawn.

On cold days, Mom wouldn’t have to pile every thick and thin piece of clothing on her. She wouldn’t have to smile and pretend everything was fine.

At eight years old, Bonita understood the world well. She knew they lived the way they did because they were poor.

She couldn’t judge the price of each item like Reina could, but she knew they were all incredibly expensive. Bonita didn’t want to go back to their old home.

When Bonita asked with those feelings in her heart, Reina didn’t know what the right answer was.

None of this belonged to Reina in the first place, so she couldn’t promise how long it would last.

“Our Boni is an amazing person.”

“…Me?”

“Of course.”

Reina smiled reassuringly and tapped the bridge of Bonita’s nose with her finger.

“It’s a reward the duke prepared for a brave child.”

“I’m brave?”

Bonita rubbed the spot on her nose where Reina had touched her.

“You were scared yesterday, but you endured it all on your own.”

“…No! I wasn’t scared!”

Bonita jolted and leaned closer, speaking loudly with the same face she’d worn during visitation the day before.

“I was totally fine by myself! And, and! I knew Mom would come, so I wasn’t scared at all!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I ate well by myself, slept well too… and…”

Bonita began counting on her fingers, listing all the things she’d done well on her own.

Reina gently brushed the child’s wet hair with her fingers.

“That’s right. Our Boni is the bravest child in this whole estate.”

Only then did Bonita’s expression finally relax.

“And that’s why the duke prepared this gift for you.”

* * *

After soaking for a long time, Bonita grew drowsy. Reina laid her down on the bed, then stood by the window of the relocated room and looked outside.

Her arms were full of the things she’d bought for Bonita that day. Without a word, Reina began arranging them one by one.

“…Ah, we didn’t eat this.”

The Cruller donut had gone cold.

Worried it might’ve been crushed, she opened the crumpled bag. Fortunately, the donut inside was intact.

“…”

Everything Reina had bought for Bonita that day probably cost about the same as one vase in this room.

And she had no doubt that the vase was worth far more.

This was all Reina could prepare for Bonita. Even with all her sincerity, it didn’t come close to half of the gift the duke had hastily arranged.

Just in case the donut might get squashed, Reina set the bag on the bedside table, then lay down next to Bonita.

The child frowned slightly, tossing in her sleep. When Reina gently rubbed between her brows, her expression eased.

“Have sweet dreams.”

* * *

Reina didn’t wake up until nearly ten in the morning. For someone who usually got up at six to prepare for work, it was an outrageous oversleep. Panicked that no one had woken her and flustered by sleeping in so late, Reina hurriedly put on her uniform, only then realizing this wasn’t the room she’d been staying in before.

“Boni, wake up. We need to get ready.”

“…Mm.”

They’d said something would be shown to them at eleven. It seemed like Bonita needed to come too, so Reina roused the half asleep child, washed her, and changed her clothes.

Bonita must’ve slept deeply, because even after all that, she rubbed her eyes groggily.

Exactly as the second hand pointed to twelve and it became eleven on the dot, someone suddenly flung the door open. Normally, knocking before entering someone else’s room was basic courtesy. When Reina looked to see who’d entered without a sound, her eyes widened.

“If you’re done preparing, let’s go.”

It was the Duke of Winternight, the master of this estate.

“J-Just a moment.”

Thoughts of needing to show proper respect to the duke and needing to wake Bonita fully collided. Reina hurriedly tried to soothe the child.

Bonita was usually composed, but half buried in sleep, she leaned into Reina’s touch and whined that she was hungry.

“Boni, oh no… do you want a Cruller donut at least? Is something sweet too much for the morning? Hm?”

“I wanna eat…”

Afraid of annoying the duke by making him wait, Reina quickly grabbed the bag from the bedside table and fed the donut to Bonita.

“Good girl.”

Holding Bonita in her arms, Reina watched her chew happily with both hands wrapped around the donut.

“W-We’re… we’re ready!”

“…”

Despite her words, Reina’s hair was a bit of a mess. The duke considered saying something, then decided to let it go.