Chapter 16 (1/2)

When Lennox first saw Daphne, the child looked very sick. With a body full of wounds, she seemed to have difficulty walking, and his impression frowned upon seeing her skinny body.

With a sympathetic glance, Lennox thought even if she were from the slums, it wouldn’t be a body covered in wounds to such an extent. He felt sorry for the child who said she had come to make a deal.

It was evident that she had been abused somewhere, which drew his attention.

Nevertheless, it was eye-catching to see her explaining her situation assuredly without being overwhelmed, and his heart started to shake because of her words.

I should be relieved for that.

T/n: He is stating that for her confidence and boldness despite her weak body.

With her words, Ricarda’s report, which came at the right timing, quickly caught mother’s eyes. However, for some reason, mother tried not to accept the child easily.

A condition to pick flowers; to a child who looked as if she has never been outside the gate?

Lennox questioned his mother’s condition momentarily.

For a child who would even fall by a sudden storm, that must be a ridiculous condition.

‘No. I heard that she cleared the forest path awhile ago.’

It was not completely hopeless. I recalled that an institution in the capital city had bought some magical flowers to decorate the new path.

‘Mother seems to like that child. Does she want to test her?’

Even so, I was worried that it would be too harsh.

Outside the gates, she will be able to find flowers soon if she follows the cleanly well-organized path.

Still, the weather was cold outside, and the child’s condition was ridiculous, so Lennox wanted the child to give up. However, the child accepted the conditions without hesitation.

Though it would be scary, I thought she was quite brave to agree to go and pick flowers, saying she would meet mother’s demand.

However, contrary to the momentum, she did not know the way to the gate, and she was shivering in the cold, which made me unable to send the child alone.

Ricarda’s voice flowed, saying, ‘What the hell is wrong with you, brother?’.

But, Lennox ignored those words and searched for something that could warm the child’s body even a little.

The child didn’t give up, and although she was eventually lost, she wandered alone in the dark forest and finally found a red flower, with all the wounds on her body.

‘……’

When he saw the child, who seemed to stop breathing, naturally, a curse came out of his mouth.

Lennox unwittingly held the child in his arms, ran in the woods, and headed for the hidden mansion.

After learning that Lennox had returned home, Chloe and Ricarda also returned there and could not hide their shock at Daphne’s sight, who was dying.

“…how did this happen?”

“I think while looking for the flowers …she fell somewhere. She wandered through the forest.”

For some reason, his hands kept trembling while he was talking. Even though he had seen far more wounds than this child’s, Lennox could not stop his trembling hands.

Chloe hid her embarrassed eyes and calmly looked at Daphne’s condition. Her gaze turned to Daphne’s sore leg and then she saw all the wounds on her body, and at last, she looked at the red flower held in her hands.

It was only then that Chloe confronted how much pain the child had suffered from her conditions.

She couldn’t understand the past her who thought this child could handle that much.

‘I thought it was reasonable… why come now?’

Is it this way I regret it?

Why did she give her such an option, even though she knew that the child’s state wasn’t good?

It was as if I was possessed to do it.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made that delicate child go into the forest in the middle of the night.

However, even if I deny it with all my might, there occurred no miracle for the injured child to be fine.

Faced with that, Chloe closed her eyes tightly.

It’s the worst.

A sense of shame that was beyond description struck her.

Only then did Chloe remembered Daphne’s eyes.

Those eyes that were desperate to live.

It wasn’t until Daphne’s appearance reflected herself as a child that Chloe admitted to her incomprehensible cruel mistakes.

She breathed in a sigh and spoke words of regret.

“I’ve done something too harsh to this kid… Ricarda.”

“Yes, mother. Shall I treat her?”

“That’s a request.”

Eventually, with a sigh of regret that she couldn’t swallow, she gave her permission. After receiving permission, Ricarda quickly took Daphne to his vacancy and began treatment. From the bruises on the body to the swollen legs, It took almost a day to pour out mana before showing a slight improvement.

The treatment progress led to the completion of primary treatments such as splinting or bandaging.

When he was done with that, Ricarda got up from his seat exhausted.

“Strangely, it consumes so much mana. It seems like this child’s body rejects the mana.”

Ricarda shook his head, but he did not want to give up.

“I have to find a better way. The way to treat her efficiently.”

Seeing the child struggling to breathe, Chloe couldn’t resist the disgust at the regret that enveloped her. Even so, she couldn’t leave the child’s side.

Lennox, too, could not leave the child’s side because he remembered how energetic she was, unlike a child, even when she was shivering in the cold.

Even Ricarda, exhausted, fell asleep next to the child.

It was the day when the four people gathered together in that little room for the first time to become a family.

* * *

Daphne’s mouth began to leak a sobbing sound mixed with sorrow.

“Sa- save….”

“I don’t want to die…”

“I- I don’t want…!”

Daphne began to have nightmares.