10.
When I returned to the castle, Andrea was the first to come out and greet me. Andrea ran out and stood in front of her, smiling brightly at the sight of Rosny returning as he was.
“Roro!”
However, Rozny flinched unconsciously at the sight of him raising his hand in joy. Because I had been exposed to violence for a long time, my body reacted instinctively.
Andrea, who was still young, did not notice her reaction. A hand that was quite firm for a child stroked Rosny’s head. Rose Nie, who was nervous for a moment, eventually relaxed.
“… … young master.”
“Let’s go in first. “You must have been surprised in many ways, so it would be best to let him rest for now.”
The Duke, who was standing behind him, hugged Rosny with one arm. Rosny, who had unknowingly sat on the duke’s arm, was startled and struggled. Every time I moved, my legs swayed in the air.
Andrea, who had not paid attention to whether her father was out of sight, belatedly shouted out.
“father! You should hug her with both arms like a princess! It’s not even a baby, what is it!? Give it to me! “I want to carry you!”
“10 years is too early.”
The father and son bickered and said nonsense. Rosny, caught between them, didn’t know what to do, so he held the Duke’s shoulder and trembled with anxiety. He was afraid that he would fall every time he shook.
But contrary to worries, the duke’s arms were very strong. The feel of the body touching his leg felt like a piece of wood, or rather like cast iron.
“If someone bothers you from now on, tell them everything.”
“… … yes?”
“Children are supposed to be protected by adults.”
“… … .”
“I will protect you.”
Suddenly, the tears I had been holding back came pouring out. The tears I’ve probably endured my whole life.
It’s only been one day since I arrived in the new world.
Only one day had passed, but Rosny’s world had completely changed.
＊＊＊
“Uh, over there… … .”
Andrea immediately came to Rozny, who returned to his room. This time she was with the Duchess.
“yes. young master.”
“Hey, you know… … .”
He suddenly appeared and hesitated as if he was about to say something.
Rosny waited patiently without urging.
“that… … Sorry.”
Rosny, who had been listening quietly, opened her eyes wide as she did not know what was being said. Why are you apologizing to me?
“yes?”
“Then I pushed him away… … . I even screamed… … .”
That time? Rozny, who was still wondering what was going on, barely came up with something. He had the pleasure of telling what happened on the first day he came here.
‘I don’t need a playmate!’
‘You look like a girl!’
He shouted, etc. and then pushed away.
From Rosny’s point of view, it was something for which there was no need to apologize, but it bothered Andrea. She pushed away a small, delicate girl like that.
“young master… … .”
I do not know what to say. This was something I had never thought of before.
A warm world that we could never even imagine.
So much has changed. I can’t express it all just by saying that things have changed. Is this something like the beginning of heaven and earth?
The noble master treats me well as if I were his brother, and even apologizes for nothing. Is that all he is? The lady was extremely kind, and although it was still very difficult, the duke was also a good person.
“okay. “You can become a great older brother only if you know how to apologize like that.”
The Duchess, who noticed that Rosny was on the verge of tears, quickly brightened the mood by praising the heartwarming scene. Andrea’s mouth was immediately placed on her ear, as if wondering when the last time she had been sobbing was.
“Ahem! “I will become a great brother just like you!”
Andrea was never going to be the ‘older brother’, but the Duchess just smiled and said it was great.
“Okay then. Now, shall we have some time just for the girls?”
The Duchess rolled up her sleeves and said that she could not be relieved by dull men, and that she had to take care of the girl herself. Andrea was kicked out without making a sound.
The first thing was brushing.
The Duchess applied diluted holy water to Rosny’s scalp. If you do this, your hair will grow faster.
My hair was still short, but it seemed like it would soon fall below my shoulders. Soon, you will be able to see gorgeous cream-colored curly hair flowing down to your back. The Duchess’ eyes sparkled with anticipation as she imagined how lovely it would be.
In fact, applying holy water to the scalp or hair to care for the hair was a luxury that even most noble families could not afford, but her touch in applying holy water was generous.
If I had a daughter, this was something I wanted to do for myself. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t do it because I only have two sons.
“It’s a really pretty color. “It will get longer soon.”
“thanks… … do.”
Rosny blushed, slightly stiff from nervousness. He was in a good mood even though he didn’t know what to do with his body.
Grumbling. Saruk.
It was my first time having someone comb my hair.
Strangely, I fell asleep easily. I shouldn’t doze off in front of my wife, but my eyes kept closing and my body began to shake. Cozily wrapped in the warm afternoon sunlight, Rozny dozed off at the border between dreams and reality.
The Duchess slightly unbuttoned the sleeping child’s dress and applied holy water to his body. She called her doctor and received treatment, but to erase her old scars, she had to consistently apply holy water every day.
“… … .”
Upon closer inspection, the child’s wounds were much more serious than they appeared at first glance. Her hands trembled at her horror.
I flinch.
Even though I touched him very carefully for fear of hurting him, the child moved his body as if he had woken up. I woke up to the tingling feeling of something touching her.
“It’s going to hurt a little bit. Is that okay?”
“yes. are you okay.”
The child only twitched slightly and did not make a loud noise. The Duchess was so heartbroken by that.
“If it hurts, you can say it hurts.”
“… … sorry.”
“No, I didn’t mean that… … .”
“I’m so sorry for not being able to tell you from the beginning and hiding it… … .”
The Duchess immediately understood what the child was trying to say. First, it was to apologize for not being honest about her gender.
“It’s not your fault.”
“B-but… … .”
“Everything that happens to children is the adults’ fault.”
I was speechless.
“Did you have a hard time hiding that you were a girl?”
I never thought someone would ask me this. In Ronnie’s worried mind, assuming that her gender would be revealed one day, this development was something she had never imagined.
“… … “I was scared.”
Relying on that warmth, Rozny confessed her long-held feelings to someone for the first time. I was so scared. He said everyone thought he was a boy, but at some point he realized that wasn’t the case. However, because he thought he should not be caught, he could not tell anyone and was alone in fear every day.
“How… … Such a young child… … .”
The Duchess gently hugged the child’s back. She patted her gently, unable to hug her tightly for fear of hurting her scarred body.
“… … .”
It’s really strange. There seems to be some kind of magic in those comforting hands. Rozny was surprised at how quickly his mind calmed down.
“Thank you, hehe.”
The Duchess consoled her for a while longer as Rosny complained about her nose. Then she suddenly asked as if she was curious.
“however… … “How did you end up being known as a boy?”
He looked so pretty, but I couldn’t understand how people could mistake him for a boy. No matter how messy it was, it was by no means a face that could be mistaken for a boy.
“that is… … “I think it’s probably been like that since I was first entrusted with it.”
In fact, it was the fault of someone who left Rozny in charge. He entrusted the child to the director and directly said that it was a boy.
Of course, Rosny did not directly remember what happened at that time. But by chance he had heard the director speak. They say that the girl who abandoned that guy was very beautiful. He wished it had been a girl who looked exactly like him, but he had the misfortune of leaving a boy behind.
Rosny assumed that it was because his biological mother had first told him that the child was a boy that it had always been that way. Of course, it was pure luck that the lie wasn’t discovered until she grew up.
“I see.”
“… … yes.”
“So it’s really not your fault.”
“… … .”
That means you didn’t do anything wrong.
Those words, which I had heard for the first time here, were unfamiliar yet strangely exciting.
‘At the orphanage, I was always told that I was a bad child… … .’
The angel-like lady who spoke those words to me for the first time in my life.
Rosny couldn’t help but love this beautiful angel. In order not to be hated by this person of hers, she vowed again and again, with her eyes tightly closed, that she would be a really good child so that she could continue to receive this warm affection.
＊＊＊
It was a sunny morning again today. A bright morning sun filled the high-ceilinged dining room of the duke castle. The chandelier sparkling in natural light added even more light to the beautiful space.
“Good morning.”
Everyone gathered as the Duchess came in last. Instead of receiving meals in her bedroom, she made sure to come down to the dining room and have breakfast with her family.
Today there are four in total, including Rosny.
Growling.
Although it was our first meal together, Rosie was so hungry that she didn’t even have the nerve to be nervous.
Yesterday, after finishing my bath, I became unbearably tired and fell asleep with a cup of milk tea. When I opened my eyes, it was already morning, and since I had skipped dinner, it was natural that I was feeling very hungry.
Grumble.
Rozny’s face turned red as the ship kept making noises. The Duchess smiled as if she was cute and ordered her meal to be served immediately.
Rozny saw the magic of a feast being prepared one after another in the blink of an eye.
