Chapter 16 (2/2)

Seeing Daphne crying for her life, Ricarda, who complained about his tiredness couldn’t leave her side. He appeared to be in deep thought with his sunken eyes because of the continuous rejuvenation magic.

Lennox earnestly whispered as if he was casting a spell that it was okay and that he would not let her die.

Ricarda didn’t leave her side, saying he would develop a magic trick to expel nightmares.

“Mom… don’t die…”

When Daphne found her mother in a nightmare, Chloe put off all her work and stepped forward, holding Daphne in her arms and patting her back.

The patting and soft whispering did not stop until Daphne stopped crying, expelled the fear of her dreams, and fell asleep comfortably.

Was it because of Chloe’s voice and stable pat, or did regular heartbeats stabilize her?

Fortunately, Daphne was able to escape from her nightmare and fall asleep.

* * *

Daphne woke up.

Lennox abandoned what he had been doing to Ricarda’s joyful voice and ran into Daphne’s room.

Chloe, who had been quietly working, ran as soon as she heard the news, with a fountain pen in her hand and arrived in the room.

She remembered the face of Daphne, who looked at her hair color with her round eyes and said that her mother had taken her hair color for her.

‘How can a child go through such a thing and say a sweet thing?’

Her appearance saddened Chloe even more.

Lennox thought Daphne was a smart child who could find her path to future.

Boo hooo-

However, as he overheard Daphne’s crying alone in the room, Lennox realized he was wrong.

While he went to the kitchen and returned with porridge and medicines to eat on a tray, Daphne was crying as if she was trying to shake off her sadness away.

It was not until she was left alone that she felt relieved and burst into tears.

Lennox, looking down at the hot porridge, decided to stand still and wait until the cry was over.

And beside him, Ricarda also sat down and listened to the cry.

Chloe also stopped trying to put the cigarette to the pipe with hesitation and quietly put it in her pocket again.

“I guess she’s finally relieved.”

At Lennox’s words, Ricarda nodded.

“She’s still a child.”

“Yesterday, she said she’s seven years old.”

“A 7-year-old kid is hiding like that and crying out of breath?”

At Ricarda’s question, Chloe put a sad smile around her mouth.

“If you look at that child, you can learn about the environment in which she grew up. Daphne….”

She must have been living in a more severe environment than we imagined.

At first glance, Daphne’s words may not have been exaggerated.

When Chloe said that it would have been worse than that, Ricarda’s expression was full of worry.

“Are you going to take that child as a successor?”

In response to Lennox’s question, Chloe spoke firmly without changing her expression.

“Of course, since Daphne risked her life and kept the conditions, so I have to keep the promise too.”

Chloe smiled bitterly as she looked down the glass jar in her hand.

Although the conditions I brought out must have been challenging, Daphne fulfilled the requirements adequately. And above all, that poor child risked her life to bring me a present.

No matter how cold she was, she instinctively felt that she would not let go of this child who was already engraved in her heart.

“And I really like Daphne. Did you see those eyes? It was like looking at my childhood.”

Chloe laughed deliberately to turn on the grave situation.

“I think she’ll do things smartly like me.”

“Brother and I don’t know when mother was young.”

Behind Chloe’s proud voice, Ricarda’s grunting voice came out.

Lennox smiled as he watched the two, who naturally began to quarrel.

Less than a week has passed since she arrived, but Daphne was already seeping into the lives of the three.

* * *

The first time we spent together,

Lennox’s affection has poisoned Daphne.

After hearing Daphne’s words not to be friendly, Lennox regretted leaving quietly.

‘I was like a hedgehog. Phew, I didn’t want to leave like that.’

Daphne must have been nervous, but I couldn’t say anything like a fool.

‘You’re a fool.’

Well, it’s only been a few days since we met. Daphne has lived in a harsh place until now; that’s why it must have been hard for her to believe us.

‘So I should have answered her quickly.’

Lennox blamed himself for not answering quickly and tried to ask Daphne for permission to let him treat her well the next day.

‘But why the hell I’m getting busy suddenly?’

Lennox managed to calm down his irritation that came with the feeling of being tangled with work.

But when he barely got back from work, Daphne who was already asleep was still suffering from her nightmares.

‘I’m sorry, Daphne. You said you didn’t like this, but I’ll excuse myself.’

When Daphne’s appearance was not stable despite the patting, Lennox overcame his exhausted body and hugged Daphne.

And he patted her back regularly, humming lowly the lullaby he had once heard.

The lullaby continued until her harsh breathing calmed down.