Acting on instinct, she moved slowly and carefully. Then she paused.

‘Why don’t I just wake him?’

But, for some reason, she didn’t want to.

“Zephion.”

She reached out and gently touched his shoulder. His peaceful, sleeping face came into view — soft and innocent, as though he knew nothing of the world’s corruption.

Her hand stopped.

His little body rose and fell with each quiet breath, and he made soft sniffing sounds in his sleep.

Rather than shaking him awake, Reina slowly swept back the tousled strands of hair stuck to his forehead. Her fingers moved gently and carefully, smoothing them away.

Unlike before, his warm body heat now gently reached her fingertips. Reina stroked his soft hair a few more times. Half-asleep, Zephion stirred and leaned his head into her hand, as if asking for more.

She said nothing, simply resting her palm lightly on top of his round head, quietly gazing at his sleeping face.

Countless thoughts flitted through her mind, scattering and vanishing like smoke. Biting her lip, Reina pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her cheek on them.

Still half-asleep, Zephion smiled faintly at the warmth of her touch. He clutched her hand tightly and pressed his cheek against her palm as though hugging a beloved toy.

“… I’m sorry.”

The words slipped out slowly after a long silence.

Because of her selfishness, this child had been saved and raised, and would eventually be used.

Zephion’s life had been chaotic ever since the death of the former Marquis and Marchioness. Those around him had used, discarded and abused him time and time again. Reina, who now controlled his life, was no different. Her actions mirrored theirs.

In order to destroy House Berend, she had taken him in, raised him and manipulated him, planning to use him as a weapon.

At first, he thought nothing of it. Just another tool, like the many people she had used and cast aside. Controlling a child to get what she wanted had seemed like a simple task.

However, after living with him, she realised that it was not as easy as she had thought.

Zephion toddling after her and calling “Reina, Reina!” was impossibly endearing. Yet, whenever she imagined the day he would come to hate her, a dull sadness pressed against her chest.

His sunny chatter lulled her into a brief sense of peace, but the realisation that her heart was softening jolted her awake again.

“There’s no changing it.”

The arrow had already been released — it was impossible to retrieve it. All she could do was pray that it would fly straight.

The warmth of his cheek against her palm was soothing. Using her free hand, she tugged the blanket up and tucked it lightly around his small body.

If only he didn’t cling to her so much, perhaps her feelings wouldn’t be such a tangled mess. A wry smile touched her lips.

‘I haven’t done anything for him, so why do I feel this way?’

The maids had handled everything, and tutors had guided him in every subject. Even so, Zephion followed only her. Was it the powerful impression she’d made when they first met at the Baltgar estate? Or was it because he had stabbed her, leaving her crippled and making an indelible mark on his heart?

A chilling thought struck her: one day, her damaged leg might become a shackle that binds him. Even if he came to resent or loathe her, would he hesitate because of the guilt he felt about what he had done?

‘I hope it doesn’t come to that.’

Reina slowly tried to pull her tingling hand away, but the child grumbled softly and gripped her fingers tighter. If she pulled too hard, she might wake him, so she hesitated instead, wriggling her hand slightly. That was when she heard the door creak open.

Her entire body tensed instinctively.

‘Kaelid?’

If he saw her lying here with Zephion, he would undoubtedly display that same ugly jealousy again.

She truly couldn’t understand it. After all, Zephion was only ten — far too young to think about women like that. What on earth was Kaelid so wary of?

‘How old was I when I first met him?’

Kaelid, a few years her senior, had whispered forbidden things in her ear. She had known instinctively that they were wrong the moment he told her never to tell anyone about them.

Looking back, she realised that she had really been quite young. Perhaps that was why she believed that Zephion was capable of doing such things, too.

It was a twisted but strangely convincing rationale.

Cautiously, Reina turned her head, and relief washed over her as she saw Rose enter the room.

Sensing the quiet atmosphere, the maid tiptoed over without a sound.

“Rose.”

“Zephion’s asleep.”

“Yeah.”

“He wanted to watch over you until the end, but I suppose he’s still just a child. He’s fast asleep, like a little kitten.”

Rose chuckled under her breath.

“Should I call someone to carry him out?”

“Yes, that’s probably best.”

“I’ll go and get them right away.”

Though they kept their voices low, the room was so still that the sound must have carried. Zephion stirred, his shoulders twitching, and slowly opened his drowsy eyes. He blinked around, trying to remember where he was, and broke into a sleepy smile when he saw Reina.

“Reina… Are you all better now?”

“Mhm. I’m all better.”

“That’s a relief…”

Mumbling the words like a sigh, Zephion let out a long yawn.

“Come on, Zephion. It’s time to get down. The young lady still needs her rest.”

At Rose’s gentle prompting, Zephion began to climb down from the bed. However, he suddenly turned around, reached out and pressed his hand to Reina’s forehead.

A quiet laugh slipped from her lips.

“It doesn’t feel like you have a fever anymore.”

He said, adopting the air of a young doctor. Then, with a light hop, he jumped off the mattress. The sight was so endearing that even Rose had to hide a smile.

“Zephion, you should head out now, I’ll take care of the young lady from here.”

However, instead of leaving, the boy hovered at the bedside, pacing in small circles.

“If you need anything — anything at all — just ask.”

“There’s nothing.”

Reina answered firmly. From now on, Rose would look after her, leaving Zephion with no tasks at all.

“But you still have to rest, and—”

His chatter picked up again, clearly stalling for time. Reina’s mind flicked back to what she’d murmured in a half-delirious state before falling asleep.

“Pipi.”

Zephion’s eyes went wide. ‘Just like a startled bird.’

Reina thought. He’d been chirping away nonstop, and now his head snapped up exactly like a fluffed-up fledgling.

“I’m not Pipi.”

“You’re chirping again—‘chirp, chirp, chirp’—and I can’t get any peace.”

His cheeks puffed out, the boy’s best attempt at indignation.

“‘Zephion’ doesn’t fit nearly as well as ‘Pipi.’ You’re always perched beside me, chattering on.”

“Reina is… Reina is…”

He repeated her name a few times, then fell silent, clearly unable to think of an appropriate nickname for her.

Rose, who had been listening with thinly veiled amusement, chimed in.

“Pipi, huh? That’s cute, Zephion.”

“I’m not cute! I’m ten!”

“You’re cute because you’re ten.”

“That’s right, Pipi. Ten-year-olds are adorable.”

“Reina!”

The boy trembled and his face turned bright red. Clearly, he couldn’t bear to be treated like a child. Yet he knew he was one. His lips parted as if he were about to protest, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, he bowed his head in quiet defeat.

“Pipi, it’s time for you to go now. I really need to rest.”

“Only for today. You can only call me Pipi.”

“I don’t think so.”

Her laughter made him pout even harder.

“All right, Zephion. Off you go now. I need to get changed.”

Rose added, stepping in. At that, Zephion finally gave up. He didn’t argue about the nickname anymore; instead, he slowly shuffled out of the room.

As Rose wiped Reina’s sticky skin with a damp towel, she smiled and said.

“You must really care about Zephion, my lady.”

“Does it look that way?”

“Yes, it’s the first time I’ve seen you give anyone a nickname.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m just keeping him around, that’s all. It’s not because I care.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line after the words left her mouth. Rose, sensing the finality in her tone, wisely dropped the subject.

‘Care, huh? Me?’

A bitter smile tugged at Reina’s lips. She knew the truth: she had come to care for him. But she didn’t want to admit it. Admitting it would only make the future that much more unbearable.

Without another word, she closed her eyes.

***

Time passed quickly. The princess, who had once spent her days in hiding and could barely look after herself, had grown powerful enough to establish her own ‘faction’. For years, she hadn’t even attempted to make direct contact. Yet now, after reportedly gathering people to her side with surprising aggressiveness, the woman she had secretly supported all this time was trying to meet her face-to-face.

“Was it really necessary?”

Reina asked herself that question again. But no matter how she looked at it, the answer was always the same: it wasn’t worth the risk.

Thinking back to Zephion seeing her off earlier, the only thing that came to mind was stopping by the pastry shop on the way home.

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t meet like this again.”

The woman sitting opposite her let out a sigh. She rarely left the house, but she had gone to the trouble of evading prying eyes this time because the princess, whom she had supported for years, had insisted on speaking to her directly.

‘And yet, there wasn’t even much to say.’

They had claimed it was absolutely necessary to meet, so Reina had wondered if the princess herself might appear. But seated opposite her was a representative she had never seen before.

After all, the princess couldn’t just show her face near the capital without facing the consequences. Reina understood that.

Still, the whole situation was getting on her nerves.