Lionette placed a hand on the child’s shoulder and patted it to calm them down. The soft texture of the clothing suggested this was a child from a noble family. Which meant there should have been people nearby, and yet there was no telling how the child had ended up separated from their guardian.

“Do you remember your parents’ names?”

The child shook their head with wary eyes. Lionette hesitated, thinking anything she said would make her seem suspicious. Keeping your guard up around strangers is a good habit, but…… this makes it impossible to help. It was quite a dilemma.

“It’s probably a child from the Schmehart count family.”

Dante, who had been standing quietly to the side, added in a mild tone.

“The hair color gives it away. The features take after the count as well.”

The Schmehart count family…… weren’t they the couple with chestnut hair? Lionette quickly dug through her memory for the impression the couple had left at the wedding reception. It didn’t come to her clearly, but Dante’s eye for these things was sharp, so he was probably right.

And as though to confirm Dante’s words, the child’s eyes were darting around. Then the child started crying again, seemingly overcome with longing for family the moment the name was mentioned.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry…… do you want some chocolate? Hmm?”

Lionette quickly pressed a piece of chocolate into the child’s hand. The child accepted it quietly and stopped crying.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Lionette wondered how she was going to get this child back to the count family. The lakeside was wide, and there was no way of knowing where the count family had set up.

Staying put was probably the right call for now. First and foremost, it seemed best to keep the child from wandering off somewhere else. And even if she tried to take the child somewhere, a child this wary would likely burst into tears.

“I’ll stay with you until your parents come.”

Saying that, Lionette dropped down onto the grass. The child hesitated, then seemed to decide that Lionette and Dante meant no harm, and slowly came over and sat down on the cloth.

“What’s your name?”

“Jamie…….”

“Jamie, do you like being read to?”

Jamie nodded. Lionette naturally reached for a book to read aloud, then realized that everything she had brought was far too difficult for a child, dense with text.

Instead, Lionette patted Jamie’s shoulder and began telling a story from memory. It was the fairy tale she had read most as a child. She wasn’t much of a talker, but she had a knack for talking about things she loved, and the story flowed along smoothly.

“……So what do you think happened?”

Jamie furrowed their brow, thinking hard about where the fairy had gone. Deep in thought about something. Such a small child, and already capable of making that face. Lionette smiled softly. So little and so cute. That was the feeling that came over her.

When she revealed the ending, that the fairy had found the jewel beyond the hill and saved the princess’s life, Jamie clapped. Clap, clap. Lionette felt oddly embarrassed and covered her smile with her hand.

In the meantime, Dante had sent someone to look for the Schmehart count family. He said the lakeside was too wide to find them quickly, and that she could leave Jamie with the maid they had brought along, but Lionette declined. It wasn’t particularly tiring, and the child was so well-behaved she wanted to keep them close.

“Young master!”

Fortunately, right as the story ended, a voice rang out desperately calling for the young master. That young master was probably Jamie.

The man who introduced himself as a servant of the Schmehart count family expressed his gratitude. But since he carried nothing to identify his household, Lionette hesitated over whether it was safe to hand the child over, and the man turned his head and called out.

“I’ve found the young master!”

A commotion rose from not far away. People came running from a distance. Among them were the count and countess.

“Jamie!”

Jamie finally relaxed at the sight of the count and countess and burst into tears of relief in the countess’s arms. The countess held Jamie close and shed tears of her own.

Count Schmehart was the one who collected himself and approached Dante and Lionette. He was visibly flustered to discover that the couple who had been looking after his son was none other than Duke and Duchess Siegfried.

“I don’t know how to begin to repay you…….”

“Please, think nothing of it. The child was so well-behaved, it was no trouble at all.”

Lionette waved her hands and firmly turned down the count’s offer to compensate them. The countess, belatedly setting Jamie down, prompted the child to say hello.

“Jamie, you must greet the duchess.”

The child bowed, with no idea who had helped them. “Thank youuu.” The small voice was adorable. A smile spread across Lionette’s face on its own.

“We’ll take our leave then, Your Grace.”

“Of course, safe travels.”

Lionette waved to Jamie, and the child waved back from the count’s arms. So cute……. Lionette murmured. The count family walking away with the child in their arms looked wonderfully warm.

Lionette found herself imagining, for a moment, a child born between her and Dante. A child with Dante’s face would be impossible not to love. They could go on picnics together like that count family, spend days off together.

That would make things even happier. Lionette thought so and turned her head.

“Shall we head back to our spot now?”

Dante’s face, saying that, was the same as always. He would have no idea what was going through her mind.

Lionette smiled, took Dante’s hand, and walked back toward the shade of the tree where they had spread out the cloth earlier.

Settling under the tree, a maid brought over the picnic basket. Lionette took it and adjusted the hat she had brought. The sun was at its highest, and a gentle breeze drifted through. The warm sunlight tickled their cheeks.

Lionette slowly unpacked the picnic basket. A baguette, Havarti cheese, ham, butter, white wine, a butter knife and fork, and plates came out one after another.

They were somehow hungry, so they ate the bread and cheese. So this is how draining it is to look after a child. Lionette realized it anew and chewed her bread thoughtfully. Dante quietly reached over and lightly brushed the bread crumbs from her cheek.

After finishing and clearing everything away, she took out a book. She pulled out a hardcover, and Dante leaned over with curiosity.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that one before.”

“It’s one I just started. Would you like to hear about it?”

“What kind of book is it?”

Lionette thought for a moment.

“Night and Summer and Trees” was a mystery romance novel she had recently started. The protagonist was the head of an information guild, and the story followed her searching for the person who had killed her younger sister, only to become entangled with a suspicious man.

From the context, the suspicious man was being portrayed in a way that suggested he was the one who had killed her sister, but Lionette was certain the man was not the culprit.

“Why were you so certain? By your account, the circumstantial evidence points clearly to him.”

“Because this author isn’t someone who writes villains as good people. She doesn’t make readers grow attached to the antagonist. That’s been true of all her previous works.”

“Ah. You’re quite analytical, Lionette.”

“Don’t tease me. I thought about it seriously.”

Dante laughed and pulled Lionette into his arms. Lionette cleared her throat and continued her explanation.