Chapter 16

Elena resigned herself to the inevitable and let Little One play with his heavy diaper still on, silently hoping he would stay calm until Felix returned.  

But peace didn’t last long.  

“Uuuuu…”  

Little One, who had been playing happily, lay face down on the bed and began to whimper.  

It was as if he had read Elena’s earlier thoughts about expressing dissatisfaction verbally; now, he wouldn’t stop babbling at her.  

Even when she picked him up, he refused. When she offered him food, he rejected it. It was obvious the issue was his diaper.  

She had a sinking feeling that she would have to clean him up and change his diaper herself.  

“Why do I feel even more envious today?”  

If only she had been born with magical talent like Felix, she could’ve solved this problem with a flick of her hand.  

With a sigh, she retrieved a spare diaper she had bought just in case—unused until now, thanks to Felix’s magic—and sat on the floor.  

When she laid Little One down and pulled off his pants, the smell hit her even harder, making her wrinkle her nose without thinking.  

“Kyaa-haaa!”  

Little One burst into laughter, forgetting his tears, as if her grimace was the funniest thing in the world.  

“You think this is funny?”  

Annoyed by his reaction, she held the smelly pants near his nose. Little One scrunched up his face and shook his head vigorously.  

“This is yours. It’s your smell.”  

She waved the pants gently near his face, and this time, he kicked his legs in protest.  

That’s when she regretted teasing him.  

“Sorry for teasing you, but please stay still. The smell is getting worse!”  

He had eaten a lot of sweet potatoes and cheese yesterday, making the odor particularly offensive.  

Unable to endure it any longer, she pinched her nose shut. Little One’s delighted laughter echoed behind her.  

“Kyaa-ha!”  

“Don’t laugh. I feel like crying.”  

“Kyaa-haa!”  

She stared at the smug Little One, wanting to give him a light flick on the forehead, but she took a deep breath and untied the diaper.  

And there it was: golden proof of Little One’s health—so golden she couldn’t bring herself to describe it aloud.  

On top of that, Little One had wiggled his bottom so much after finishing his business that the golden evidence was smeared all over him.  

‘Stay focused.’  

Forcing herself to regain composure, she picked up Little One and carried him to the bathroom.  

“No squirming until we’re done, okay? I’m serious this time, Little One.”  

“Ubb.”  

But Little One, clearly not understanding her, stuck his fingers in his mouth and kicked his feet.  

“Stay still.”  

Knowing it wouldn’t work, she gave him another stern warning before setting him down on the bathroom floor.  

It seemed Felix had anticipated this situation. He had prepared water at the perfect temperature in a large basin beside the bathtub.  

“Kyaa-ha!”  

“Where do you think you’re going?”  

As Elena tested the water’s temperature, she saw Little One crawling determinedly toward the door.  

The sight of his chubby golden-streaked bottom almost made her lose focus again, but she steeled herself and carried the escaping Little One back.  

“Behave yourself.”  

“Bwaa!”  

Little One squirmed throughout the bath, leaving Elena drenched even though she wasn’t the one being washed.  

“Nyaa.”  

Despite causing such a fuss during the bath, Little One grinned lazily as Elena dried him off with a towel, contentedly sucking on a block.  

She laid him down again and dressed him in a clean diaper and fresh clothes.  

Careful not to let him catch a cold in the chilly weather, she gently dried his damp hair with a towel.  

“If Felix were here, this would’ve been done in no time…”  

“Mwaa.”  

She hadn’t realized how much she relied on Felix until he wasn’t there.  

Afterward, she ate a simple breakfast of bread and soup Felix had left prepared, fed Little One, and passed the time as best as she could.  

Felix returned around noon.  

“Pack your things.”  

The moment he entered, he spoke without giving her a chance to ask where he had been.  

“Why are we packing all of a sudden?”  

“We’re going back to the Academy.”  

He was out of breath, as if he had rushed back. Little One, who had been sitting in her arms, crawled eagerly toward a large stuffed toy Felix had brought.  

“There are still two days left until the Festival ends. Why are we leaving now?”  

Normally, Elena wouldn’t have minded returning early.  

After several days of enjoying the Festival, the quiet of the academy sounded like a good idea.  

But they had a problem.  

“What about Little One?”  

“We’ll take him with us.”  

“And his parents? Are we not going to find them?”  

“I already told you. If they haven’t shown up by now, it means they’re not looking for him. It’ll be better to seek help from Professor Deros.”  

She knew he was right. That was why they had come to the village in the first place—because Professor Deros, who could help, wasn’t at the academy.  

“But even if we go back now, Professor Deros won’t be there. Wouldn’t it be better to stay here and keep asking the local authorities?”  

“I’ll check with the authorities every day. Just pack your things.”  

Without waiting for her reply, Felix began packing his bag with books and clothes.  

His actions made it clear that he had already decided to leave and had no intention of listening to her opinion.  

‘Wasn’t our argument yesterday about him not considering my thoughts?’  

The details were different, but the root cause was the same: Felix’s disregard for her feelings.  

He had apologized and promised to change, yet here he was, acting unilaterally again.  

“What’s the reason?”  

“There’s no particular reason. The accommodations are uncomfortable.”  

“No, there’s something else.”  

Her firm tone made Felix, who had been crouching to pick up a block Little One had dropped, straighten up and look at her.  

‘So there is another reason.’  

Elena crossed her arms, signaling that she wouldn’t let this go.  

“Fine. I’ll pack. Let’s go back to the academy. But first, I need to know the reason you’re not telling me.”  

“Can’t we just leave without discussing it?”  

“No. I don’t think we can.”  

Felix let out a long sigh and closed the trunk he had finished packing.  

“Anguis.”  

Why was that name coming up now?

Elena stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.  

“The man we caught yesterday… he escaped.”  

“What?”  

Felix’s calm tone contrasted with Elena’s rising voice.  

“He had some help. The city is in chaos as they try to catch him. And…”  

As Elena stood frozen, trembling slightly, Felix began packing her belongings as well.  

“He might hold a grudge against you or Little One and try to harm you. That’s why we’re leaving. At least the academy is safe.”  

Felix’s concern for her and Little One was evident, but she couldn’t shake her unease.  

Logically, she should’ve been the most worried about herself, but for some reason, she was more concerned about Felix.  

“Alright. Let’s go back.”  

Even as she looked into Felix’s living eyes, the image of his lifeless gray ones from her dream lingered in her mind.  

***

They quickly packed their things and left the inn, heading straight for the academy by carriage.  

Little One, drowsy from his afternoon nap, dozed off in Elena’s arms. She and Felix sat across from each other in silence.  

“Felix.”  

Breaking the quiet, Elena called his name. Felix, who had been staring out the window with a thoughtful expression, turned to her.  

“About Anguis… that man. Why do you think he came here?”  

“What kind of question is that?”  

Felix frowned as if she had asked something absurd.  

His expression made her hesitate, but she couldn’t stop herself. It wasn’t idle curiosity; she was genuinely puzzled.  

“Isn’t it strange? The Croyan County isn’t exactly easy to access from the capital or other major cities. That’s why I stayed at the academy during the Festival instead of going home. So why would he come all the way here?”  

“To hide, obviously.”  

Felix responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but Elena couldn’t accept that explanation.  

“It doesn’t make sense to hide here. Think about it. The Croyan County might be remote compared to other territories, but because of Verka Academy, there’s a lot of foot traffic. That means more guards and people who could recognize him. He was caught quickly yesterday, thanks to you and your magic. Wouldn’t it have been harder to find him in another territory?”  

This time, Felix listened to her carefully.  

Sitting upright with his legs crossed despite the carriage’s motion, he rested his arms on his chest and seemed to ponder her words.  

“It’s strange, but it’s not your concern. Leave it to the guards.”  

“Is that so?”  

“Yes. For now, just focus on Little One.”  

He was right. Elena gently patted Little One’s back as he twitched in his sleep.  

If even a teenage girl with no knowledge of knights or rebellions found it odd, the guards must have already noticed and begun investigating.  

Just as Felix said, it wasn’t something she needed to worry about.  

She glanced at Little One, who slept peacefully with an angelic expression, then lifted her head.  

Felix was staring out the window again, his expression serious.