“Mel, you’re my master. With my master here, where do you expect me to go?”

His darkened eyes glistened with moisture.

Rory, who used to be a round and adorable little boy, had matured a bit—perhaps because he was losing some of his baby fat.

Even so, he was only eight years old. Yet, the seriousness in his gaze could disarm anyone.

“This is my home, wherever you are.”

Especially when he said things like that.

“How many times do I have to tell you? You’re not a slave; you’re the young duke of the Valliet family! I’m not your master anymore. I’m just the daughter of a Count.”

He bit his lip and shook his head, denying every word I said.

“Mel.”

The voice that escaped his lips, reddened from being bitten, was filled with such tenderness.

“D-don’t make that face. You’re just a kid.”

“Huh? What kind of face am I making…?”

Rory touched his cheeks, confused.

In the past, I would have described it as the face of a child who just had their candy stolen. But now, Rory looked as though he had lost an entire kingdom.

“Mel, you’re younger than me.”

He pouted and muttered softly under his breath.

At that moment, I couldn’t help but let out a faint smile, feeling as though I had reclaimed the adorable Rory I knew.

Watching Rory grow taller and more mature day by day was undoubtedly a joy.

Children are always pure, warm, and full of energy.

Every time he learned or discovered something new, he seemed to shine a little brighter.

A happy childhood so different from the bleak original story.

Seeing these positive changes filled me with pride.

But sometimes, when I sensed that something unseen was also changing, an unease would creep into my heart.

“Rory.”

“Yes.”

I swallowed hard and asked quietly.

“Do you like me?”

The wind carried my words away.

Leaves scattered down from above.

Whether he heard me or not, Rory simply stared down at me for a long time.

Maybe he didn’t hear. I thought it was better that way.

If he said yes, then what?

What would I even do?

At that moment, Rory gently plucked a leaf from my hair.

The soft touch of his hand brushing against my hair tickled.

His tightly closed lips parted slightly.

“Yes.”

“!”

It wasn’t an answer that came easily.

His trembling silver eyelashes showed how nervous he was.

His darting eyes hesitated before sneaking a glance at me, only to quickly lower again.

As if he didn’t want to be caught, his cheeks and ears turned red like a ripe tomato.

“I see. I like you too, Rory.”

Instead of answering sincerely, I grinned brightly and chattered away like an innocent child.

“I like Ann, and I like Sprout, and I like Brussel, and I like strawberry cake, and, um…”

For the first time in a while, I acted like the six-year-old I appeared to be.

Like a clueless little kid.

I grabbed hold of the awkwardness that was threatening to surface on my face, shoved it into a deep corner of my heart, and locked it away tightly.

[Just love me, little one.]

There was a time I had whispered that to myself, like a spell.

But now that the situation had actually arrived, I could only feel overwhelmed.

I love the kind and adorable little Rory Valliet, but this isn’t the kind of love he wants from me.

Still, I didn’t want to hurt the child by making it obvious.

Children are fickle and fall in love quickly.

Unlike the original story where he was trapped until he was 19, the current Rory will have plenty of chances to meet girls his age once he returns home.

Girls who are pure, fresh, and beautiful, just like him.

Then I’ll simply fade away as a memory.

“My stomach’s already empty. Let’s make some snacks when we get to the village.”

I naturally changed the subject.

Rory seemed to have something to say but ended up sulking and staring at his toes.

I turned my head slightly.

But Sprout wasn’t there.

Just a moment ago, he was right next to us, watching a snail.

“Sprout! Where are you?”

I was deeply worried that the oversized fairy boy might have gotten himself into trouble again.

I focused all my senses on my sense of smell.

But the scent of fairies was so similar to the fresh smell of the forest that it was hard to distinguish.

“Mel. Over here.”

When I followed Rory’s voice, I found a narrow path between the bushes.

There were footprints in a small patch of mud.

“I’ll lead the way. It might be dangerous.”

Not long after we entered the path, a small pit appeared.

The pit had stairs leading down, and it was dark and eerie inside.

“Maybe… he went in here?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

Rory shook his head, seemingly exasperated.

Sprout’s personality was so unpredictable and reckless that this wasn’t the first time he had done something dangerous or absurd.

“Mel, stay here. I’ll go in and check.”

“Let’s go together, Rory.”

I grabbed the hem of Rory’s clothes as he stepped onto the stairs.

But Rory gently removed my hand and held it firmly, smiling softly, as though to reassure me.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“What if I run into a wild boar while I’m alone?”

I wasn’t scared at all, but I pretended to tremble like a weakling.

I couldn’t let the child go down into the ominous staircase alone, not knowing what might be down there.

“Then stay close behind me, okay?”

“Okay. Don’t worry.”

We slowly descended the stairs.

At first, we couldn’t see anything, but as our eyes adjusted to the darkness, the interior gradually became visible.

At the bottom of the long staircase was a wide space surrounded by walls covered in faintly glowing purple minerals.

In the middle of the space, Sprout was lying on the ground.

“Sprout!”

Startled, I rushed over to him.

But then…

“Grrr… snore….”

I thought he had fainted, but he was sound asleep.

I slapped Sprout’s cheek to wake him up.

“Get up already!”

“Hmm? Merchen? Rory?”

Sprout blinked blankly and groggily sat up, scratching his messy hair with a sleepy grin.

“Sorry, sorry. It was so comfortable in here that I just… fell asleep.”

“Ugh! As long as you’re not hurt, it’s fine.”

Relieved, I turned my attention to the walls emitting their mysterious glow.

Up close, the large and small crystals looked almost alive.

Depending on the angle, the light shimmered and shifted.

“But… who made this place? It’s so beautiful.”

I reached out and touched the rough surface.

Ping!

The wall reacted, instantly turning golden.

My hand felt unbearably hot, like it had been burned.

Startled, I pulled my hand away, and my vision blurred before everything went black.

“Mel!”

I heard Rory’s urgent voice and felt his hands supporting my back as I lost consciousness.