Chapter 21

Elena kept her arm resting on her eyes, unable to let go, fearing tears would flow uncontrollably. She didn’t care that her clothes were getting wet.

As she stayed like that for a moment, the sound of the door opening made her quickly lower her arm and turn her head toward the door.

The nurse, who had gone to assist the doctor, entered carrying a medicine bowl and a teaspoon.

“Help me give the medicine.”

At her words, Felix rose from his seat and held Little One in his arms.

Little One lay limply against him.

Elena picked up a handkerchief from the table the nurse had gestured toward and wrapped it around Little One’s neck.

The nurse sat in front of them, scooped some medicine with the teaspoon, and brought it to Little One’s mouth. Little One spat it out, finding it bitter.

“No, Little One. You have to take this.”

Elena held Little One’s flailing arms.

“Even though I sweetened it, it must still taste bitter.” 

The nurse sighed and tried again, placing the medicine in Little One’s mouth.

She followed it with a spoonful of warm water. Yet, Little One spat out about half of what they had managed to feed.

“Ah…”

“Good job, Little One.”

The three of them, sweating profusely, focused on getting Little One to take the medicine.

But with all the struggling, Little One ended up consuming less than half of what the nurse had brought.

After taking the medicine, Little One lay back on the bed, showing no immediate signs of improvement.

Felix placed a magically cooled towel on Little One’s forehead to maintain a cool temperature.

“We’ve done everything we can.”

The nurse, wiping the sweat off her forehead, gathered the medicine bowl.

“May Saint Esna’s blessing be with us.”

Her words reflected her genuine concern for Little One, as her voice carried worry. Yet, to Elena, those words sounded irresponsibly distant.

“He’ll get better.”

A firm weight rested on Elena’s shoulder. Suddenly, she was pulled into a strong embrace.

When she finally regained her senses, she realized she was in Felix’s warm arms. He held her shoulders tightly.

“You’ve seen how healthy Little One is. He’ll fight through this.”

Yes, Little One was truly healthy. Every morning, he had his pretty golden-colored bowel movements, ate a lot, and played tirelessly, wandering around the room all day.

But no matter how healthy he was, Little One was still a baby. And babies typically didn’t endure such things well.

Unable to think of a reply, Elena shook her head, trying to push Felix away.

Yet, his arms around her shoulders only tightened.

“Trust me. Little One will be fine.”

He whispered softly in her ear, his voice trembling as much as hers.

“Don’t cry, Ellie.”

His words felt like a magical spell. Like the kind of magic that could make pink roses bloom even in the harshest winter.

Perhaps it was because of that. Just as he said, it felt as though Little One would miraculously wake up tomorrow morning, smiling brightly as usual, rolling around in bed.

Slowly, Elena nodded and leaned her forehead against his shoulder.

***

Felix had said that a fever couldn’t be resolved with magic.

Yet, he also insisted that he would somehow make Little One better, urging her not to worry.

It was a contradictory statement. Still, his low, reassuring voice carried a certain trustworthiness.

Elena wanted to believe him. At the same time, she earnestly prayed to the deity who must be watching over them.

‘Saint Esna. If sending Little One to me was your will, I will humbly accept it. Thanks to him, I was able to spend this Festival Day smiling instead of crying. So, please, help him return to his family as healthy as when he came to me.’

Was it the effect of the medicine, Felix’s words, or her prayers?

Little One, who had been suffering without any sign of improvement, finally began to show progress at dawn. His fever subsided, color returned to his pale face, and his breathing became more steady.

As the tension that had gripped her all night eased, exhaustion washed over Elena.

Instead of sitting on a chair, she slumped to the floor, resting her face on the edge of the bed.

Ignoring Felix’s suggestion to lie down on another bed, she gently stroked Little One’s damp hair.

Not only was she physically drained, but sleep was also overtaking her.

She tried to stifle her yawns and keep her eyes open, but it was futile. At some point, she lost consciousness.

***

When Elena opened her eyes again, it was morning. Unlike the previous night, when the wind had howled fiercely, the weather was bright and sunny for winter.

The sunlight streaming through the window was so dazzling that she squinted reflexively.

Shielding her eyes with her palm, she scanned the bed.

If Little One’s condition had worsened, Felix or the doctor, who had checked on him periodically, would have caused an uproar. So, Little One must be fine.

Still, she couldn’t be at ease until she saw it with her own eyes.

“…Little One?”

Elena couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

At first, she thought she was still half-asleep and hallucinating. But even after rubbing her eyes and looking at the bed again, the sight remained the same.

The bed where Little One should have been was empty. A chill ran down her spine. Her heart pounded as if it would burst out of her chest.

‘He must be with Felix.’

She tried to think positively.

Over the past few days, whenever she woke up in the morning and didn’t find Little One by her side, he was always eating breakfast with Felix.

So, Little One must be having breakfast with Felix now that he was feeling better.

‘Yes, that must be it.’

Gathering strength in her trembling legs, she stood up and left the room.

She turned her head frantically, searching the rooms for Felix or the doctor.

She found Felix in what appeared to be the doctor’s office, talking to the weary-looking doctor.

The sound of the door opening abruptly drew their attention to her. Both looked surprised.

Felix, in particular, gasped as if he had seen a ghost and quickly approached her.

“Elena, what’s wrong? Did something happen to Little One?”

That single question shattered her belief that Little One was with Felix. She grabbed his arm roughly and shook him.

“Have you seen Little One?”

“What are you talking about? Little One is supposed to be with you…”

She couldn’t listen to him any further. One thing was clear. Little One wasn’t with Felix.

She ran back to the room where she had been. A sense of foreboding gripped her. Once again, she flung the door open.

“Little One?”

The cheerful response that always followed whenever she called out wasn’t there.

‘Maybe he’s just sleeping.’

Trying to convince herself, she approached the bed and lifted the blanket with both hands. It was empty.

The only thing left on the bed, as if to indicate Little One had been there, was a damp towel. The spot where his head had rested was wet.

Next, she moved to the table, pulled out the chair, and checked the empty space underneath.

Nothing.

She moved to the door and checked behind it.

Nothing.

She approached the coat rack, rummaged through the clothes, and checked the floor.

Nothing.

There was truly nothing.

‘If he’s not in this room, he must be in another room.’

Just as she was about to rush out of the room in a panic, Felix entered.

“What’s wrong?”

He seemed startled to see the empty bed. Elena grabbed his arm so tightly her hand turned white.

“Felix, Little One is gone.”

That one sentence was enough to explain everything. Felix quickly scanned the room again before turning and running out. Elena followed closely behind.

“Oh my! Is the baby’s fever back?”

The yawning nurse was startled by their grave expressions.

While a returning fever was indeed serious, Elena almost preferred that scenario at this moment.

“Have you seen Little One?”

Felix’s urgent question made the nurse tilt her head in confusion.

“Little One? Oh, the baby? Of course, I saw him when I checked on him at dawn…”

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening as she realized the true meaning behind Felix’s words.

“Wait, he’s not in the room?”

“No, he’s not.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Maybe he rolled off the bed in his sleep?”

The nurse looked at Elena with a bewildered expression. Elena shook her head firmly.

“I’ve searched the entire room, and he’s not there. I fell asleep from exhaustion, and when I woke up, he was gone.”

“I was in the room until dawn, and he was there. After the sun came up, I stepped out to talk to the doctor, and he must have disappeared during that time.”

“Wait here. I’ll check the windows and doors. I’ll also search the second floor, so stay on the first floor.”

The nurse pointed at the first-floor rooms before rushing toward the main entrance.

As Felix prepared to search other rooms, he stopped Elena.

“I’ll search the other rooms. You go back to the original room.”

“Alright.”

Nodding at him, Elena returned to the room. The room was just as it had been earlier, indirectly confirming Little One’s absence.

“Little One, where are you?”

Once again, no answer came. Elena thoroughly searched every nook and cranny of the room, from the bed to the smallest corners, hoping to find Little One curled up somewhere, sucking his fingers in sleep.

But no matter how desperately she called out, not even a babble could be heard.

She knelt and stood repeatedly, scouring the room until her knees ached, yet not a single strand of Little One’s hair could be found.

“He’s not here.”