Chapter 38

By rank alone, Estelle was someone who lived above the clouds.

But she was far too young.

If this had been something Reina only read in writing, it would have been a hurdle meant to feel satisfying later. But to Reina, this world wasn’t just words on a page.

Reina wanted to help young Estelle suffer a little less.

Yet she couldn’t be sure what she, a mere maid, could actually do, or who would stand on her side if she ever faced Count Elbron directly.

The more she thought about it, the heavier Reina’s heart became.

In the silence, Bonita called out to her.

“Mom… I’m sleepy…”

“…It’s already this late. Boni, let’s sleep.”

“What about you, Mom?”

“I’ll wait for my lady and then sleep.”

“Then I’ll wait too…”

“No, it’s okay. You go to sleep first.”

Bonita mumbled that she would wait for Estelle, her eyes half closed.

Reina picked up the half asleep Bonita and laid her down on the bed.

Compared to before, Bonita had gotten much heavier since she’d been eating well.

‘A few more months and I won’t be able to lift her anymore.’

They had lived in poverty for so long that proper nutrition had been out of reach.

Seeing Bonita gradually grow chubbier like a child her age made Reina’s chest ache.

‘My lady should be happiest right now too.’

It wasn’t that Estelle was unhappy.

She would become happier than anyone else and receive the most noble love of all. But the process was far too harsh for a child to endure.

‘Before sleeping tonight, I need to ask her.’

Until now, Reina believed Estelle wouldn’t hide anything from her.

* * *

The moon was up, but clouds covered the sky, making the night feel bleak.

Reina stood in front of a door that still hadn’t opened at such a late hour.

‘Isn’t this too late?’

No one had come looking for Estelle, and Reina couldn’t knock without permission.

Minutes passed, maybe even hours.

Only after a long time did the door finally open, and after all the adults left, Estelle came out.

“Reina?”

Estelle looked tired, holding an armful of books, papers, and pens.

“A-Ah, my lady, I’ll carry them for you. Please give them to me.”

Reina sighed inwardly at the fact that no one else had helped carry Estelle’s things.

“N-No, it’s okay.”

“It’s too heavy and too much for you to carry.”

Reina bent slightly and looked up at Estelle.

In the faint, wavering light, Estelle couldn’t hide her hesitation.

Pretending not to notice, Reina swallowed the ache in her chest and lifted her head.

“I’ll carry them for you. It’s fine.”

Only after gently coaxing her several times did Reina manage to take the load.

Estelle looked thoroughly dejected, as if she’d heard something deeply discouraging.

“My lady, would you like to sleep in our room tonight?”

As they walked down the quiet corridor, Reina asked casually.

Estelle shook her head.

“…No. I’ll just sleep alone.”

The unexpected answer startled Reina.

Estelle had always been afraid to sleep alone.

Nights spent alone at the orphanage were familiar yet terrifying.

So whenever she had a chance to sleep with someone, she never turned it down.

‘She’s slept with His Grace before, and she’s stayed in our room plenty of times.’

Reina’s grip tightened.

“Are you not afraid of the night anymore?”

She asked softly.

“…Y-Yeah.”

The child was bad at lying.

‘She still seems afraid of sleeping alone.’

“I-I’m the only young lady of the Winternight duchy. I can’t be afraid of something like the night.”

Estelle muttered, frowning hard.

Reina only felt more sorry for her.

‘Has it already begun?’

Count Elbron had slowly begun to indoctrinate her, telling her how great the Winternight duchy was, how much of a blemish Estelle herself was within it, and how everyone saw her as an obstacle.

‘Even though everyone in this estate cares about her.’

Reina’s heart grew heavier.

‘Was it right for me to stay here? Maybe it would’ve been better if I’d just left.’

If Reina hadn’t stayed in the estate, Estelle might have spent more time with Damian.

Spending that much time together would’ve built trust.

‘Maybe then she could’ve endured this moment better.’

“Reina?”

They had reached Estelle’s door.

Estelle quietly called her name.

“I’m at my door now, so I can carry them myself.”

She reached out, asking for her things.

Reina bent down and met her eyes.

As she handed them over, she whispered.

“Boni really likes you, my lady.”

“…”

“I really like you too.”

Estelle’s hands tightened around what she was holding.

In the darkness, her pink eyes flickered.

Looking into those eyes, Reina smiled gently and spoke.

“I always want you to be confident and happy, my lady.”

“…Okay.”

She didn’t know how much of that would get through, but still.

She wanted to say it.

Reina stood there quietly until Estelle went into her room and closed the door.

Even after the door shut, she lingered for a long while.

Only after the angle of the shadows shifted did she finally return to her own room.

* * *

“Mom?”

Just as Reina lay down, she heard Bonita’s sleepy voice.

“Boni, you weren’t asleep?”

“Mmm, I woke up.”

She said she woke up, but it was obvious she’d been fighting sleep while waiting.

Reina pulled Bonita into her arms and soothed her.

The child wriggled slightly, then asked.

“…What about Lady Estelle?”

“She said she can sleep alone in her room.”

“I still can’t sleep alone…”

Because it’s too scary when I’m alone, and it’s dark. It’s quiet, so I hear everything.

Bonita mumbled, half asleep.

“That’s right. When Mom was little, I was scared to sleep alone too.”

“You too, Mom?”

“Yeah. I slept with my mom.”

“Your mom means Grandma?”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of person was Grandma?”

Reina had never told Bonita about her parents.

She’d never seen her father, and her mother had abandoned her.

She didn’t want to tell Bonita that, so she chose not to say anything at all.

That was why Bonita couldn’t help but be curious whenever Reina mentioned her mother.

Even while sleepy, Bonita’s eyes sparkled.

Reina couldn’t bring herself to disappoint her.

“She was very beautiful.”

“Did she look like you, Mom?”

“No, not at all. She had beautiful blonde hair and eyes like spring buds.”

“Then you look like Grandpa?”

“Yeah. I look just like Grandpa.”

“Hehe.”

Bonita hugged Reina tightly and laughed for reasons only she understood.

‘Sometimes it’s hard to tell what a child is thinking.’

But as long as Bonita was happy, that was enough.

Thinking lightly, Reina hugged her and closed her eyes.

‘My lady…’

That Lady Estelle, who didn’t resemble Damian at all, would she really be okay?

All alone in this estate.

The child in her arms was warm, the bed and blankets were cozy, yet her heart felt lonely on that night.

* * *

“Beeeeep-!”

“Miss, that was dangerous! Where are you looking when you cross the street!”

Reina stared blankly ahead.

A world completely different from the one she’d known as Reina.

Neatly paved gray ground and people in unfamiliar clothes.

Silent metal beasts.

“Huh?”

And yet, the scene felt familiar.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Across the crosswalk, the traffic light glowed red.

“…This place is…”

Right. Reina knew everything.

This was the world she had lived in as Eugene.

But why now?

Had she returned?

Had everything she’d experienced been nothing more than a fleeting dream?

“Eugene!”

Unlike Reina, the hand she looked down at was healthy and full of color.

As someone called out Eugene’s name, her heart began to pound.

Excitement and longing surged, even though it was just a voice.

As if it were natural.

As if she were conditioned.

But she couldn’t remember his name.

As Reina turned her head to see who it was, someone grabbed her from the opposite side.

“Don’t.”

Warmth flowed from the hand gripping hers.

A voice so gentle it almost brought tears held her in place.

“Eugene, you have to return to your original world.”

“This world is my original…”

At that moment, the world around Reina shattered like broken glass.

In an instant, endless white space spread out, and a woman appeared before her, holding Eugene.

Her face wasn’t clear, but the warmth felt strangely familiar.

“You have to return to your original world. You can’t stay here.”

“Who are you?”

“Eugene, that world is on your side. If you choose to act, everything will eventually come true.”

Then a deafening roar, like a scream tearing the air apart, echoed.

As the woman gradually faded, she spoke to Reina, to Eugene.

“When you regain everything, you’ll learn the truth.”

In the next instant, a black curtain enveloped Reina, and her consciousness slipped away.