Chapter 5 (2/2)
“I, I don’t want to go home.” Emilie said while in tears.
“Ah, uh, cry… crying? You’re crying?”
Dylan stammered in embarrassment. Emilie, looking resentful at Dylan, buried her face in Victoire’s arms.
“Don’t send me home. Please?”
Emilie, who had always been hanging on awkwardly even when hugging, was held in Victoire’s arms. Embarrassed, Victoire soon patted Emilie on the back naturally.
“I understand. I’ll have to have a conversation with that bad guy. Can you be with Mrs. Marian for a moment?”
Victoire handed Emilie over to Marian. Marian walked away from the two men while holding Emilie in her arms.
“Miss, please don’t worry. His Grace will do whatever you want.” said Marian, wiping away Emilie’s tears.
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why is Count Daughtry doing what I want? How come?”
“That’s…”
Marian looked back helplessly.
There, Victoire and Dylan were arguing about something. When Emilie also looked at the place, Marian hurriedly covered the two men.
“It’s because His Grace, the Count, does charity work for young children. He’s the one who saves children in crisis.”
“…..”
It was an excuse hard to believe. No matter how young Emilie looked, she was still 12 years old. In addition, the mental age is an adult.
‘But I’ll have to pretend that I believe it.’
It was unlikely that Marian would answer anyway. It wasn’t even clear how far she knew as an employee. Anyway, the most important thing right now was not to be returned to the Cabezo.
“I clearly told you! No!”
From a distance, Dylan’s yell was heard. It was an angry voice that made Marian look back in surprise. Emilie, too, saw Dylan turn around and walk away through the narrow space.
Dylan walked away in a fit of anger.
‘What’s making him so angry?’
Emilie’s eyes followed Dylan’s figure. But that didn’t last long.
Victoire came up to say:
“Emilie, you won’t be going back to where you used to live.”
Emilie’s head, which had been complicated with every word, was filled with happiness.
Dylan’s angry face, his agitated voice, was forgotten like a lie and she felt at ease.
Emilie was so happy that she couldn’t answer. But with her expression alone, Victoire could read Emilie’s thoughts.
“Your Grace, I’ll take the lady back to her room.”
“No. I’ll take her there myself.”
“Yes?”
Victoire extended his arm to Marian. He meant he would hold Emilie.
‘I know you have to win this child’s heart, but I can’t believe His Grace would be doing this.’
Marian tilted her head as she handed Emilie over to Victoire.
He was an awkward master to the child. He was even awkward with his son, Dylan. But he had to do this to win Emilie’s heart. Her master’s efforts were remarkable.
But Marian’s thoughts and Victoire’s thoughts were different.
‘You’re not leaning like you did before.’
Victoire looked down at Emilie’s round head and body, which he hugged awkwardly, to keep her from falling.
When Emilie burst into tears and hugged him, Victoire felt great.
A child’s warm body temperature, her small presence while hanging on to him, and a heart that was surprisingly small but beating sharply.
It was only for a while, but it was still vivid. It felt sweet like someone poured sugar into his mouth.
‘I wish you would hug me like that again.’
It left a bad taste.
***
Since then, Victoire and Damon have not appeared before Emilie’s eyes for more than a week.
They left their mansion to settle the ‘very important thing’ that Emilie was not told.
Before he left, Damon said:
“I’ll be back with father for a few days because of something important, so get along with Dylan.”
‘Getting along with Dylan. As expected, it’s impossible.’
Sometimes, every time I bump into Dylan,
“Piss off.”
“Get out of this house right now.”
We just had a quarrel. I couldn’t get along with such a person after all.
‘I’m so tired.’
Emilie laid on the soft bed.
All I did today was play with dolls, complete puzzles, eat snacks, take a bath, and take a walk, but I was so tired.
‘I’m so tired because I can’t figure out what these people are up to.’
Count Daughtry will not be safe if he was found to be keeping the princess at his own home.
What’s the point of keeping Emilie up to that risk?
Marian smiled sweetly at Emilie, but sometimes she looked at her with a cold gaze.
Emilie guessed Victoire or Damon wouldn’t be so different from her.
Anyway, Emilie was eating and sleeping well in this house and gaining weight little by little. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sparkling. It hadn’t been a few weeks but she was changing from when she was Princess Cabezo to a different one.
‘I shouldn’t get used to this place. I have to run away one day.’
Emilie looked towards the balcony.
<Don’t go out the balcony. It’s dangerous.>
Suddenly I remembered what Dylan said.
‘You always say piss off then curse and worry.’
Emilie bounced as she went out to the balcony. She looked from above the balcony and measured the height down to the ground.
‘Hmm, I’ll make a rope out of the curtains and throw it down then it’ll reach the ground. I can climb down with it and run away.’
Emilie grinned and turned around.
“Hik!”
And then her eyes met Dylan, who was looking at her with a scary expression.