“…Who are you?”

Noah asked in a trembling voice.

‘Ah, can he not see me?’

I picked up the lamp rolling on the ground and bent down. The lamp’s light clearly illuminated both my face and Noah’s.

“Noah.”

“Ah…?”

Noah stared at me with a dazed expression.

“La-Lady Calliphe? Why are you here…?”

“I came to get you.”

“To get me…?”

His eyes showed complete disbelief.

It must be even more unbelievable since it was Calliphe of all people.

I unconsciously withdrew my hand that was about to comfort the child and answered quietly.

“You’re the child I brought here.”

“……”

“I have to take responsibility.”

At that, Noah’s blank expression gradually began to crumble.

“Hic, sob. Waaahh.”

Noah hiccupped while letting out heart-wrenching sobs.

Not knowing how to comfort him, I watched for a moment before putting my hands under his armpits to help him stand.

“Hold on a bit. We’ll get out of here soon… ack.”

The child’s arms tightly wrapped around my neck.

When I tried to remove them as I was choking, he cried even harder and wrapped his legs around my body too.

He was completely stuck to me like a koala.

He must have been so scared that he forgot about keeping his distance.

With no choice, I supported Noah’s bottom and picked him up.

“Let’s go.”

Nod nod.

“But I can’t breathe, so could you let go a little?”

Shake shake.

“Want to let go just a tiny bit?”

Shake shake shake.

Instead, he clung even tighter, seemingly becoming more anxious.

Though I was choking, I felt sorry seeing how he clung so desperately to Calliphe, whom he’d been trying so hard to avoid.

“Alright, do as you want… let’s go.”

Finally surrendering, I patted Noah’s bottom.

* * *

As we emerged from the forest, the maid hurriedly approached.

“Young lady! Are you alright?”

I spoke while covering the sleeping Noah with the blanket the maid tried to wrap around us.

“Maid. You’ll need to do some cleanup work.”

“Ah, yes! Your wet clothes must be uncomfortable? I’ll prepare a bath for when you arrive. As for the child, I can…”

“Not cleanup for me.”

I avoided the maid’s reaching hands and commanded coldly.

“Find out who knew Noah went to the forest, and why they didn’t look for him. Question the servants and get me a clear report.”

“What? You’re going to handle this child’s matters personally…?”

“Of course I should.”

The maid, who had been stunned for a moment, hastily replied.

“Y-yes. I understand. Then shall I take the child to the servants’ quarters?”

“No. I’ll take care of him. He needs a warm bath right away.”

“You’ll do it yourself, young lady?”

Really, why does she keep making me repeat myself when I’m already tired?

When I glared at her, the maid jumped to respond.

“Ah, I understand! Leave it to me!”

After leaving the aftermath to the maid, I returned to the annex.

Not wanting to cause a commotion by calling more people, I personally removed Noah’s wet clothes and bathed him in warm water.

After such care, color returned to Noah’s cheeks with a healthy flush.

His hair, which had been gray with ash, regained its beautiful black color.

“But what happened to these hands?”

I opened up the child’s bandaged palms to look at them again.

I noticed while bathing him that Noah’s palms were blistered and raw, with blood seeping through where the skin had peeled off.

What on earth had he been doing in the forest?

‘I’ll have to ask when he wakes up.’

After gently stroking the child’s palm with my thumb, I got up from my seat. I was planning to have Noah stay in my annex now.

‘…I wonder if he’ll hate being with me?’

Remembering the -99 filial piety meter, I thought I should stay away for a while to let the child be comfortable alone.

“Sweet dreams, Noah.”

After Calliphe left.

“……”

Noah slowly opened his eyes.

The warmth from where Calliphe had touched his hand still lingered.

Noah tightly clenched his fist as if he was trying to hold onto the warmth that was quickly fading.

‘That’s the first time someone’s told me to have sweet dreams.’

A greeting he’d only seen in storybooks.

Just then, Noah spotted something familiar and bolted upright.

“Huh?”

The several drawings neatly arranged on the desk were definitely…

“My drawings…!”

They were the drawings of the Supreme Golden-Haired Fairy that he hadn’t been able to take when fleeing from the annex.

“Why are these here……”

He had given up on them, thinking they must have been thrown away by now.

Could it be that she had kept them to return them to their owner?

“……”

Noah hugged the drawings tightly.

His chest, which had been filled with terror until just moments ago, now felt warm and fluffy, like it was filled with soft feathers.

It was truly amazing.

* * *

Wandering through the forest yesterday seems to have left me tired too.

‘Ah well. Let’s rest properly today.’

If this were the modern world, I’d play games, but sadly there’s nothing like that here. With no choice, I headed to the library.

The library, decorated to my taste, was more like a book café.

I brought a book and sat on the sofa.

But before I could even open the first page, my mind wandered.

‘I wonder if Noah is resting well?’

He must be confused, having been suddenly moved to the annex overnight.

I had many things I wanted to ask Noah. But the most important question was this:

‘Who sent Noah to the forest?’

I was certain that person would be the trash who tormented Noah the most.

“I’ll have to ask when the mood is right… oh!”

I looked up absently and was startled.

Noah was peeking at me from the doorway, staring intently.

‘What, what is it?’

When our eyes met, Noah’s shoulders briefly tensed. But soon after, he began staring at me so blatantly it was almost shameless.

Thump―

‘What’s this about?’

I tried to just look at my book while internally breaking into a cold sweat.

Then Noah hesitated for a moment before quickly grabbing a book and sitting in the spot furthest from me, diagonally across.

When I pretended not to notice and left him alone, a system window appeared.

[‘Noah’s’ filial piety has increased by 2.]

Oh. So pretending not to care was the right answer?

Noah was intensely staring at a thick foreign book. He was even holding it upside down.

Again, when I pretended not to notice, I felt his glancing gaze.

Then.

“……”

Scoot scoot.

Noah, who had been at the edge of the sofa, shifted his bottom toward the center. He got a little closer to me.

“……”

He paused his advance to check my reaction. Then scoot scoot forward again.

Finally, Noah let out a satisfied little huff and stopped moving.

Though it was an ambiguous distance, neither close nor far from me, it was much closer than where he started.

Only then did I understand Noah’s intention.

‘I see. You want to sit here?’

This single-person sofa did look the warmest and most comfortable. The color was pretty too, so it would naturally appeal to children.

When I stood up, the child’s head followed. I left the library without looking directly at him.

‘Good. That was a natural way to give up my seat.’

I felt proud, like I’d finally acted like a proper adult.

But then I heard small pat-pat sounds behind me.

‘What’s this cute sound? Was there a puppy in the annex?’

When I turned around reflexively, Noah, who had been following right behind me, stopped with a start. What I thought was puppy footsteps was actually the sound of Noah’s bare feet hitting the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“…!?”

Caught by me, Noah ran away like a stray cat.

But Noah’s gaze continued to follow me.

When I walked through the corridor.

“……”

When I strolled in the garden.

“……”

Even now during tea time.

‘Why is he surveilling me?’

He keeps up his suspicious tailing even though he knows he’s been caught.

‘And the filial piety keeps increasing even though I’m not doing anything.’

[‘Noah’s’ filial piety has increased by 3.]

[‘Noah’s’ filial piety has increased by 5.]

……

The filial piety that refused to increase in the game is rising so easily now. Is it because it’s in the negative?

‘Wait. Seeing how he keeps following me… could it be he wants to be by my side?’

When I looked at Noah poorly hidden behind a flower pot, a servant misinterpreted my gaze and quickly moved to grab him.

“You brat! Why are you following the young lady around?”

“N-no.”

Noah nimbly dodged the servant’s hand. Looking around for somewhere to hide, Noah paused when he saw me. Then he cautiously approached my direction.

His eyes were tense, as if testing something.

“…Are you trying to hide behind me?”

“…Is that not okay?”

Noah looked up at me with round, dewy eyes. He looked just like a pitiful puppy.

The moment I saw that face, my mouth moved on its own.

“Totally okay.”

I gasped without meaning to.

I cleared my throat with an “ahem” for belated composure control and gestured to the seat beside me.

“Sit here.”

A moment later, warm milk tea and a large strawberry shortcake were placed in front of Noah as he sat down.

The bright red strawberry on top of the white cream had a thin coating of sugar that gave it a sweet shine.

Gulp.

Noah, who had been staring blankly at the cake, looked at me as if asking for permission. I nodded.

“Try it.”

Only then did Noah cut a small piece of cake with his fork and put it in his mouth.

Nom.

“…!”

Noah’s green eyes grew as big as saucers.

Like he was experiencing a shocking taste revolution, he stared at the cake with a dazed ‘How can something taste like this?’ expression.

I quietly covered my mouth with my teacup. I had to. My lips were twitching uncontrollably.

‘I must be crazy. He’s like a squirrel…!’

I’d already sent many sweet breads anonymously, but could it still be this new to him?

Nom. Nom.

The cake around the strawberry gradually disappeared. Finally, Noah carefully regarded the last remaining strawberry.

‘In the game too, he always saved the strawberry for last.’

Perhaps due to his unfortunate past, Noah was particularly obsessive about things he cherished.

The filial piety would drop by half if the caregiver stole and ate the strawberry.

‘Right now, his filial piety toward me is…’

[Current Filial Piety: -30]

Wow, it’s increased tremendously?

The forest incident must have had a big impact.

‘Though it’s still in the negative.’

So I absolutely shouldn’t steal and eat it, just leave it be.

That’s what I was thinking when.

“He-here.”

“Huh?”

Noah held out a fork with the strawberry speared on it, gripping it with both hands.

Both his hands and the fork were trembling slightly.

“I want to share. Together.”

“…With me?”

Noah nodded and blushed shyly.

“Thank you… for not throwing away my drawings.”

“Drawings? Ah.”

I quickly realized which drawings Noah meant. The yellow butterfly drawings, right.

At first I was going to throw them away, but they seemed to have been drawn with such effort that I thought he might come looking for them.

So I had kept them in the guest room briefly, but to think they were Noah’s work.

“…Well, if that’s what this is about.”

I fought down my embarrassment and accepted the strawberry with my mouth.

As if he hadn’t really expected me to accept it, Noah couldn’t hide his joy.

The sugar-coated strawberry was sweet.

“It’s delicious. Thank you.”

“Yes!”

Just as I expected another filial piety increase.

[‘Noah’s’ filial piety cannot increase further.]

What? It ends here even though it’s still negative?

‘But in the hidden route quest, it definitely said to raise the filial piety to 0.’

That means there must be some condition. Like removing whatever factor is blocking the filial piety increase.

As I pondered this, my eyes fell on Noah’s bandaged hands.

“Noah.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you go to the forest? And what happened to your hands?”