Although her mother had appeared to be on the verge of death at any moment, she remained bedridden for a further two years.

Was it because of Eldan’s obsessive desire to keep her alive? Or was she simply holding on to see her daughter truly “leave”?

Reina couldn’t say for sure.

‘Whatever the reason, the fact remains—I never actually left.’

Maybe her mother could finally rest once Reina escaped.

Lost in that bitter thought as she gazed out the window, the child sitting across from her tapped her knee, demanding attention.

“Buy me some sweets from Raymon’s shop.”

Reina let out a soft laugh.

“I was already planning to, even if you didn’t ask. I told you to stay home.”

“I’ll go back and finish studying once we get home.”

“Sigh.”

She sighed, but she wasn’t truly annoyed.

When Zephion saw her getting ready to go out today, he had insisted on coming along and climbed into the carriage. She hadn’t been able to stop him.

Reina gazed quietly at the child sitting across from her.

Even when he was younger, he seemed to grow taller by the day—and that hadn’t changed.

‘Maybe it’s just because he’s still young.’

Although he wasn’t growing as quickly as before, she would occasionally notice that his eye level had changed again.

“So why are you going out, Reina?”

“For work.”

“What kind of work?”

“It’s not something a kid needs to know.”

At that, Zephion frowned.

“I’m seventeen now, you know.”

“Still only seventeen?”

She teased, and the boy made a sulky face. Even though his build had grown to rival that of a grown man, his behavior was still unmistakably childlike.

“You always treat me like a kid, but I’m about to be an adult!”

“You’ll always be a kid.”

“Well, to you maybe!”

Zephion raised his voice in frustration.

Reina had been listening absentmindedly, but suddenly realized something—his voice was different from how she remembered it. Her eyes widened as she murmured.

“Your voice… it’s changed.”

“You just noticed?”

The boy said, looking shocked.

“You’re not paying attention to me at all, are you?”

That made her feel a little guilty. But the truth was, Zephion was growing every single day. One day she’d look up and realize just how much he had changed.

How could she possibly notice every little thing as it happened?

“I see you every day—how am I supposed to notice?”

“Exactly because you see me every day, you should notice!”

“Then do you know what changes happen to me every day?”

“Of course I do!”

“Oh really? Like what?”

Reina asked, smiling slightly. What could change about her? She was already an adult, living the same dull days over and over again.

Zephion, who had been pouting like a typical child, suddenly went quiet—his face stiffening just a bit.

“I know.”

“Know what?”

“…That I can tell what happened just by looking at your face the next day.”

His voice sank low, carrying a weight that seemed to reverberate through the air. It sent a slight chill down her spine. With her eyes closed, she might’ve mistaken it for a grown man’s voice.

“What exactly are you saying, Pipi?”

‘A man,’ she thought—and immediately frowned at herself. What was she thinking, calling a child that? Zephion had always been a child. Even if he became an adult, in her mind, he would always be frozen in the happier days of the past.

She studied his face, trying to understand what he was really trying to say. Then, he bit his lip hard and abruptly turned his head to the side.

“I’m not as young as you think. I know everything I need to know.”

Reina laughed at that—but the sound faded awkwardly as a thought crossed her mind.

‘Does he mean… he knows what happens at night?’

Only then did it hit her—he was at an age where that sort of awareness was natural. Just as he’d said, he wasn’t as young as she imagined him to be.

Maybe she should be grateful he’d chosen to say it in such a roundabout way.

She ran her fingers slowly along the curved handle of her cane, lost in thought.

She had no idea how to talk about something like this—with a child.

‘How much does he really know?’

That Yuta sometimes comes into her room? What kind of s*x they have?

Her mind was a tangled mess. Silence filled the carriage.

After some hesitation, Reina chose to feign ignorance and abruptly changed the subject with forced cheer.

“Pipi, since we’re out, if there’s anything you want, I’ll buy it for you.”

Zephion stared at her quietly. She couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze.

‘What even is this feeling?’

It was probably something close to what a parent would feel if their child had figured out the details of their s*x life. Not exactly wrong… but—

‘No, it is wrong.’

A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

Her relationship with Kaelid had been wrong from the start. There was no blood between them, but they were siblings in name.

What siblings on earth shared that kind of relationship?

His possessiveness and obsession—so casually displayed—were far from normal.

And Yuta was no different. They weren’t lovers. There were no feelings exchanged. Just bodies, entangled. Whatever it was between them, it couldn’t be called a healthy relationship.

In a way, she was no different from a pr*stitute—offering her body and receiving what she needed from Yuta in return.

It wasn’t anything material, but the exchange was real nonetheless.

“Are you going to keep calling me Pipi forever?”

“You’ll always be Pipi to me.”

Reina gripped her cane tightly.

“Even when you’re an adult, I’ll still be ten years older than you.”

At that, the boy scowled openly.

“Well, we can’t help that. Time passes the same for both of us.”

“Exactly. That’s why you’ll always be Pipi.”

“I wish ten years would pass in one.”

“Then I’d be ten years older too.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

She shrugged lightly.

“You want to be the same age as me?”

“If we were the same age, maybe you wouldn’t treat me like a kid.”

“It’s too late. Even if we were the same age now, you’d still be Pipi to me.”

“That’s not how it’ll go.”

Zephion replied, his voice low. Reina let out a quiet laugh.

“No matter what you say, the fact that you’re younger than me won’t change.”

“…That fact makes me angry.”

He muttered through clenched teeth and turned his gaze to the window. Until the carriage reached its destination, he kept his eyes fixed outside, never once looking back at her.

From the driver’s seat, Yuta knocked on the small window.

“Lady Reina, we’ve arrived.”

“Alright.”

Yuta jumped down and opened the door. Reina stood, leaning on her cane. But unlike usual, Zephion didn’t offer his arm to help her. He only glanced at her briefly, making no move to assist.

‘Is he sulking?’

“Pipi, when I’m done here, let’s stop by Raymon’s shop.”

“…”

“We can visit some other places too. I’ll buy you a present.”

“Do you think that’s why I’m acting like this—because I want a present?”

“Don’t need one?”

Zephion opened his mouth, then shut it tight. Moments like that reminded her he was still a kid. Smothering a laugh, Reina stepped down from the carriage.

“It might take a while. Wait quietly in the carriage.”

“I’m not a child, you know.”

“All right, Pipi.”

When she used the nickname again, his eyebrow flicked. Chuckling, she headed into the merchant house.

The combined cost of supporting the princess and restoring Baltgar Castle meant she could no longer cover expenses by skimming a little off the books; she’d come to sell some of her jewels.

Of course, she couldn’t sell them as they were. Kaelid might not remember every gift he’d given her, but if anything that had passed through House Berend resurfaced on the market, he’d immediately think of Reina.

‘What a shame.’

Ideally, she would have sold them intact, but all the stones had to be removed and recut. She could have had each piece remade and sold them herself, but there were more than two items, so she decided to sell the entire collection to a large trading firm. Even after paying their commission, this was the least troublesome option.

“Would you care for some tea?”

Asked the woman across from her with a pleasant smile. In one corner, an appraiser was busy examining the gems.

“Yes, please.”

At Reina’s snap, a maid entered and served the tea, the gentle aroma filling the room.

“You’d fetch a much better price if you sold them as they are.”

“I know.”

“And the reason you’re hiding—”

“Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t ask?”

“You’re right. My mistake.”