Chapter 12

“…Did you buy that Cruller donut separately?”

“Huh? Oh, the Cruller donut? Yes, I bought it when I went out yesterday.”

The duke’s eyes kept shifting between the bag holding the Cruller donut in Reina’s hand and Bonita sitting calmly in her arms.

Though his gaze wandered elsewhere, his brisk steps, clearly trying to hide impatience, made it seem like he wasn’t entirely pleased with the situation.

“The child…”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t the child heavy?”

“…Ah.”

Bonita was eight years old. She hadn’t grown very tall due to not eating properly over the past eight years, but she also wasn’t so small that Reina struggled to carry her.

Reina shook her head with a smile.

“I usually draw a lot of water, so it’s okay. About two buckets?”

“…”

Seeing the duke’s expression suddenly turn grave, as if she’d said something wrong, Reina murmured quietly.

“Two buckets of water…”

“…?”

Wondering if she’d misspoken, Reina looked at the duke, but he said nothing. As a servant, speaking without permission when the master fell silent wasn’t allowed, so she chose to hold her tongue.

“Is he angry?”

Is he upset because I made him wait?

No, more importantly, why is the duke guiding us himself? Why? Reina’s thoughts raced. It wasn’t easy to immediately grasp the meaning behind such a special situation.

As Reina kept pondering why the duke was personally escorting them,

‘Two buckets of water…’

Damian pondered those two buckets. What was so wrong about that? Damian Winternight had been born into a cradle of dazzling gold. He’d never experienced a life that pressed down on the ankles, whether physically or emotionally.

Aside from missions, he’d never lived anywhere but a comfortable estate. All he could do was vaguely imagine a life beyond that.

Not one bucket, but two.

If the buckets Reina mentioned were several times larger than the ones maids carried around for mopping, his expression would’ve grown far darker.

But thankfully, Reina didn’t add further explanation.

At times, it seemed best not to pry further. The duke closed his mouth. He’d carried Estelle several times before, and she’d never felt particularly heavy.

‘And Bonita had been carried by Reina Botn.’

Did children have some kind of trick to being easy to hold? With that awkward thought, the duke’s face soured slightly.

Both of them wore serious expressions, lost in weighty thoughts that only led to headaches. Meanwhile, Bonita, chewing on her donut in Reina’s arms, remained perfectly at ease.

“I spent a long time thinking about what would be best.”

“…Yes?”

“The reward.”

“…Ah, yes, th-thank you…?”

Reina hugged Bonita tighter, her eyes darting uneasily.

She didn’t believe she’d done anything worthy of a reward, so the word itself made her anxious.

“There was talk of offering one billion Theon.”

“…?”

One billion Theon wasn’t the name of some metal. Reina, who’d never even held one Theon in her life, let out a sharp breath.

The way the rich and nobles thought was beyond the comprehension of a poor commoner like her.

“But I judged that giving you that much money right now would actually be dangerous.”

“…I see…”

“So I’ll help you gain the strength to protect money first.”

The duke abruptly opened the large glass doors ahead and stepped outside.

Reina glanced at the attendants standing by the door, then followed only after seeing the duke gesture for her to come.

“…Gasp.”

Only then did Reina truly understand that the phrase ‘so shocked you can’t even breathe’ wasn’t an exaggeration.

In the duke’s vast garden, every servant stood in perfect order. Reina had never seen a sight like this, not even in her dreams, and she had no idea how to react.

But she seemed to be the only one shocked. Bonita, who might’ve reacted with her, was still half asleep.

A maid who’d followed behind gently took Bonita into her arms. Bonita clung tightly with her short arms, clearly not wanting to leave Reina.

Now holding only the bag with the single Cruller donut, Reina hesitated.

“Let’s go.”

The duke spoke calmly.

“You saved Estelle, and I’ll give a fitting reward.”

“…”

“The people standing below will understand this through you. That there are many traitors, and that those who remain loyal until the end are rewarded.”

“Ah…”

At that moment, Reina recalled the novel’s plot.

‘Back then, was it meant to show what would happen if I harmed Estelle even a little by dying?

Should I be happy about this, or dislike it?

Should I be afraid…?’

Hiding her troubled expression, Reina looked out at the scene the duke was facing.

“From now on, there will be no place in this estate that Reina Botn cannot enter. Only those bearing the name Winternight and their direct subordinates may issue her commands.”

Reina was shocked once when she realized the duke knew her name, and shocked again when she heard the proclamation.

She wasn’t the only one. The elites waiting nearby exchanged startled looks.

“Among the knights, one will be assigned to protect Reina Botn…”

She couldn’t properly hear the rest. Fear washed over her too suddenly. All she could do was force strength into her trembling legs.

‘So that room wasn’t the end of it…’

When she came back to herself, she was standing indoors, holding Bonita’s hand tightly. Bonita had fully woken up.

“…Gasp!”

“Mom?”

Just as Reina was about to sigh in relief, thinking it had all been a dream, she noticed the duke beside her and realized it wasn’t.

“…Aren’t you pleased?”

The duke asked.

“Ah, it’s an honor.”

She wasn’t pleased. To others, it would look like an overwhelming blessing.

Following the duke’s lead, Reina and Bonita moved elsewhere again. Reina vaguely realized she was being guided through the estate like a visiting noble.

‘How many people ever experience something like this?’

Though the duke was escorting them, he’d never actually guided anyone before and lacked finesse. When he strode ahead, telling them to follow, the distance between them gradually widened.

“…Boni, do your legs hurt?”

“No, I’m fine…”

Reina might’ve been able to keep up, but Bonita was still young and small. Reina looked down at her anxiously, but Bonita shook her head.

Though they spoke quietly, the duke heard them and stopped, turning around.

“…Ah!”

“…!”

Then the duke easily lifted Bonita into his arms. Bonita let out a small startled cry.

“…She’s light.”

She was a bit heavier than Estelle, but Bonita was still quite light. As he held her, the duke thought, this is about two buckets of water.

“M-Master?”

Holding Bonita, the duke looked at her face, then at Reina. The two faces resembled each other so closely it was like they’d been stamped from the same mold.

‘She doesn’t resemble her father.’

Judging by Bonita’s eye color, which was completely different from Reina’s, she must’ve taken after her father in that regard. Everything else was undeniably Reina.

The duke stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do. It wasn’t intentional. He simply realized he was doing something even he couldn’t quite understand.

“…She looked uncomfortable.”

“I-I’ll carry her.”

“You’ve been holding her all this time. Aren’t your arms tired?”

Reina wanted to say that receiving such consideration from him was too much, but the words stopped at her throat.

In the duke’s arms, Bonita’s face grew pale and stiff.

Seeing that, the duke frowned, purely out of concern.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“I-I’m fine, hehe. It’s not uncomfortable!”

Whatever the duke’s intention, to a child who’d just woken up, the situation was frightening. Bonita covered her mouth with both hands, trying to muffle any sound.

“…”

Whenever he held Estelle, she’d always stiffen like this too.

“…Could it be that I’m holding her wrong?”

“What?”

It was something one would never expect to hear from the duke.

“Ah, no, um…”

Reina knew from the novel that the duke adored his daughter deeply.

Still, she hadn’t known what kind of father he was in practice.

She thought his face was more than handsome enough to win over children, but she couldn’t say that out loud.

Carefully, Reina demonstrated with her arms.

“L-Like this… support her from the side and hold where she needs it…”

“…I see.”

Following Reina’s calm explanation, the duke adjusted how he held Bonita.

Still nervous, but noticeably more comfortable, Bonita let out a small breath.

“…Phew.”

“Is this better now?”

Reina hesitated again, unsure how to respond to that question. She chose silence. The duke, who’d been standing still, began walking again.

“You’ve arrived?”

The knights guarding the door saluted when they saw the duke. They looked slightly surprised to see a child in his arms.

“Yes.”

“This is…?”

“Open the door.”

“Yes.”

Reina had been here a few times while working.

When the knights opened the door, a long table laden with food came into view.

“Let’s eat together.”

“Eek.”

This time, the startled sound came from Reina.

Damian Winternight thought that even their startled noises sounded exactly the same as yesterday.