Chapter 69

“So you thought showing them would be getting in Mom’s way?”

“…Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because Mom’s busy every day. That’s why.”

“Then should Mom stop being busy?”

“I don’t want that.”

“Why not?”

She felt the tension ease from the child’s arms. Eyes shaped just like Reina’s, but in a completely different color, looked straight at her.

“Because Mom does it since I said it was cool. But I don’t want Mom to stop just because I say she shouldn’t.”

“Then should I keep going?”

“Yeah, keep going.”

“Then will Boni show Mom all the drawings you made today?”

“…”

Bonita couldn’t answer.

“You don’t want to show them?”

“…The drawings are weird.”

“That’s not what the duke said. He said our Boni is really good with her hands.”

“The duke did?”

“Yeah. Maybe you take after Mom. Our daughter’s very skillful.”

At Reina’s gentle voice, Bonita’s face scrunched up tight. It was a reflex to hold back her embarrassment.

“Can’t you just show me a little? I heard you brought them every time. Where did you hide them anyway? I’ve never even seen a corner of the paper once.”

At the soft coaxing, Bonita finally gave in.

“…I-I’ll just show a little.”

“Okay.”

“Only the best one…”

When Reina set her down, Bonita wriggled under the bed.

Since Reina couldn’t follow her in, she crouched in front of the bed and peeked through the gap.

Bonita reached under the carpet beneath the bed, rummaged around, and pulled out several sheets of drawing paper.

Reina couldn’t help but admire her daughter’s talent for hiding things.

‘No wonder I never knew.’

Bonita wriggled back out from under the bed.

A small clump of dust was stuck in her hair. Reina smiled as she brushed it off.

“What will my daughter grow up to be.”

“No need to wonder. I’m going to be a knight.”

“The strongest knight?”

“A knight who protects everyone.”

After saying that, Bonita held the drawings out to Reina.

Her ears were bright red with embarrassment.

“And it’s okay if knights are kind of… bad at drawing.”

“Hehe.”

Reina took the drawings Bonita handed her. Maybe because they’d been tucked away, the corners were a little crumpled.

Before they knew it, the two of them were sitting side by side on the floor, leaning against the bed.

“This is the rose vines in the indoor garden?”

“Yeah. I saw ants under here. This is an ant.”

“Then what’s this drawing?”

“The pancakes the chef made. He said it was time for dinner, so he made them small.”

That’s why I didn’t leave any dinner that day.

Bonita added quietly.

Bonita had drawn a lot of pictures. She’d said she’d only show the best ones, but once her mom started looking, she got excited and brought out every sheet.

Some were scenes Reina had seen with her, but most of them were things she didn’t know.

“This is the horse the duke showed me.”

“He showed you a horse too?”

“Yeah. He said when I become a great knight later, I can have my own horse.”

Judging by the pitch black shape, it had to be the horse Damian rode that day.

“And this is the sword the captain showed me last time, and…”

Through the drawings, Reina could see what Bonita had experienced while she wasn’t around.

“It’s strange. She brought the drawings every time.”

“She brought them?”

“Yes. All the ones she drew in the office. Except for one.”

What kind of heart Bonita had when she drew them and brought them.

And what kind of heart she had when she hid them.

Reina understood.

She reached out, wrapped an arm around the child’s shoulders, and pulled her close.

“This is a problem. Boni draws so well that everyone’s going to tell my daughter to be a painter, even though she’s supposed to become a knight.”

Bonita flopped into Reina’s arms and wiggled her fingers, rolling her eyes around.

“I draw well?”

“Yeah, really well. So next time, can you show them to me without hiding them?”

Reina naturally took Bonita’s hand. Inside her large, callused palm was a small, tender hand.

She gently squeezed the warm, soft fingers.

“…Mom’s really busy. Does that make Boni lonely?”

“I was the one who said it was cool first.”

“Even so.”

Bonita rolled her eyes, then leaned fully against Reina and muttered,

“A little… but Mom’s my mom, so it’s okay.”

“I’ll always be just Boni’s mom, you know.”

“Yeah. So even if I’m lonely, it’s okay.”

Reina blinked slowly at the child’s last words.

In her mind surfaced a memory that didn’t quite feel like her own. Maybe it belonged to the old Reina.

Always terribly lonely. Always alone.

Waiting for someone who would never come.

That moment of waiting.

Even someone much bigger than Bonita felt painfully small compared to that loneliness.

Today, Reina realized something anew.

“I don’t want Boni to ever feel lonely.”

The reason she’d started all of this, the reason she kept moving forward, the reason she lived so busily.

“Whenever you feel lonely, I want you to tell Mom.”

It was all because she didn’t want this small child to grow up with the same future as her.

And because to achieve what she wanted, there was no time to waste comparing herself to others and tearing herself down.

* * *

After a long time of soothing and talking,

The Botn mother and daughter spent a ticklish, gentle time together and took a bath for the first time in a while.

Bonita must have loved it, because she had no intention of leaving the tub. She stayed in the warm water until she was dizzy, only then climbing out.

As Bonita sat obediently under Reina’s care, she lifted her head.

“Mom, Mom. Are you all done with work today?”

“Yeah, all done.”

“Then are we sleeping together today?”

“Yeah. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, and Mom will sleep too.”

Happy about that, the child grinned for a while, then asked softly,

“Then I have a favor…”

“What is it?”

“Can you read me a fairy tale?”

Reina stopped the towel she was using to gently dry the child’s wet hair.

“I-I mean, I can read by myself, but… still.”

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“Of course. But there aren’t any new fairy tale books, so…”

Reina paused to think. Boni would be happy with anything Reina read, but she wanted to give her something new if possible.

“…Should we go borrow one from the library?”

“Is that okay?”

Reina glanced at the clock. It wasn’t particularly early or late.

“That should be fine.”

‘We got a lot more books for young children when Lady Estelle arrived.’

Thinking she could just borrow one or two, Reina nodded.

“Let’s dry your hair completely, then go pick a book.”

“Can I choose?”

“You pick what you want to read.”

“Hehe.”

Bonita’s legs, not reaching the floor, swung back and forth. She was clearly excited.

After drying their hair completely, they were dressed more comfortably than usual.

It was a slightly early evening, but they were already preparing to rest, wearing pajamas with shawls over them.

In a good mood, Bonita hummed to herself.

‘Even walking down an empty hallway, it’s not chilly at all.’

That was all thanks to magical tools.

Even in an empty corridor, the fact that the magical tools worked safely without overloading or misfiring showed the power of the Winternight ducal house.

Reina felt the impressive nature of magical tools anew, something she hadn’t noticed before she began studying.

‘If it’s okay, I should borrow something for myself too.’

Wondering if it was strange to be interested in magical tools without having magic, she reached the library in no time.

“I’ll open the door.”

Bonita let go of Reina’s hand and hurried ahead to open it.

“Huh?”

She stared inside with wide eyes.

“Boni, what is it?”

“Mom. The duke and her ladyship are inside.”

“The duke and her ladyship?”

Startled, Reina stepped up beside Bonita and looked inside.

Damian and Estelle looked just as surprised to see the Botn mother and daughter.

“Reina.”

Estelle was the first to call out.

“Did you come to pick a fairy tale too?”

“Yeah. Dad said he’d read me a book before bed.”

Estelle smiled and pointed at Damian.

Reina smiled back.

“Are you the same, Reina Botn?”

Damian asked.

“Yes. Boni asked me to read to her.”

“So it’s the same situation.”

“Did her ladyship ask you to read to her?”

“Yes.”

“That sounds nice.”

As Reina said that with a smile, Damian cleared his throat.

“…It does.”

Though his face was blank, his ears were red, and the corners of his mouth were twitching.

It was easy to tell how happy he’d been when Estelle asked him.