When Jaina told them they could eat, Tama climbed onto the chair, pulled the plate of biscuits closer, and began to eat.

Although there was no one there to take the food away, she instinctively wrapped one arm protectively around the plate, as though guarding it from being snatched at any moment.

Jaina quietly summoned a servant and instructed them to bring more tea and biscuits for the child.

The servant hesitated, then replied that Shar had strictly forbidden them from giving Tama any sweets.

Jaina calmly replied that she would take responsibility. Then she ordered not only biscuits, but also cakes and puddings — all the sweet desserts that Tama had probably never had the chance to taste before.

“I wonder why His Highness forbade giving you sweets…”

After sending the servant away, she murmured to herself, still puzzled. Amelie spoke cautiously.

“I’ve heard that Tama is a beastkin and must not lose that wild nature.”

“Wild nature?”

“Yes. I was told that while Tama may eat human food, the diet should consist mainly of meat and fish, carefully balanced between raw and cooked.”

Jaina’s eyebrows knitted instantly at that.

Tama looked no older than eight. Proper growth requires a balanced diet of meat, vegetables and sweets in moderation.

And raw food?

For a child whose immune system was still developing and whose digestion was weaker than an adult’s, raw food should be avoided.

‘Common sense that applies to humans shouldn’t suddenly stop applying just because someone is half-beast.’

Jaina let out a quiet sigh. The thought that Tama had never experienced the simple joy of tasting sweets, like most children her age, stirred a deep ache of pity within her.

At the sound of her sigh, Tama suddenly lifted his small head.

Having already finished the biscuits on the plate, the child’s wary eyes swept over Jaina and the others once again, full of caution and reserve.

Just then, a servant approached the table, pushing a tray piled high with sweets.

Startled, Tama quickly shifted and hid at Jaina’s side. With Amelie standing guard behind her, there was nowhere else for her to go, so she pressed close to Jaina instead.

Jaina offered a gentle, reassuring smile.

“It’s all right. They’ve brought food for you.”

“……”

Tama’s gaze followed the desserts as the servant began placing them on the table.

Slices of cake in various flavors, biscuits, chocolates, puddings and every other sweet imaginable soon covered the surface.

At the sight of them, Tama’s eyes widened and he took a step forward. Although he seemed unable to speak, he mouthed the word ‘wow’, his eyes shining brightly.

Jaina poured the milk she had brought for Tama into a cup and said gently,

“It’s all yours. Sit down and take your time eating.”

Tama looked at her. His lips moved as though he was trying to say something, but no sound came out.

Puzzled, Jaina’s gaze dropped and she caught sight of the chain. Instinctively, she reached towards it.

Tama immediately recoiled, baring his small teeth and growling low in warning.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to hurt you—this.”

Jaina tapped her own neck lightly with her finger, then pointed to the chain hanging around Tama’s.

“Is this why your voice won’t come out?”

“……”

“May I touch it for a moment?”

Tama blinked his large eyes once, then twice, before glancing back and forth between the food on the table and Jaina. He then abruptly thrust his small neck forward.

It seemed that Tama simply wanted Jaina to finish quickly so that he could have the cake.

Jaina smiled faintly at his transparent eagerness. Carefully, she placed her hand on the chain around Tama’s neck.

‘As I thought.’

A powerful magical energy pulsed from it.

Realizing that the chain itself was suppressing Tama’s voice, Jaina channeled her holy power into it. As holy purification erases all magic and spells, it did not take long for the mana imbued within the chain to dissipate.

“Try speaking now.”

“……”

“Your voice should come back.”

“…Really? Ah.”

Tama’s eyes widened.

When the sound finally emerged, he was startled, his shoulders jerking in shock. Judging by his reaction, the voice had probably been sealed away for a long time.

“Amelie, could you cut this off for me?”

Now that the mana had disappeared, Jaina wanted to remove the chain completely. However, it had been tied too tightly for her to undo by hand.

At her request, Amelie immediately stepped forward and drew her sword.

Startled, Tama let out another low growl, but Amelie did not even flinch. Without hesitating, she swung her blade cleanly towards the chain around Tama’s neck.

Both Tama and Jaina widened their eyes in alarm.

The next instant, the chain split neatly in two and clattered to the ground.

Jaina quickly turned to examine Tama’s neck.

Fortunately, there wasn’t even the faintest scratch.

Jaina marveled at Amelie’s skill in cutting through solid metal with such precision without leaving a mark on the delicate skin beneath.

“…Can I?”

At that moment, Tama looked at Jaina and asked cautiously.

“Hmm?”

“Can I eat now?”

“Ah, of course. Go ahead.”

Jaina nodded and gestured towards the table. Tama returned to his seat and began stuffing food into his small mouth without restraint.

“So you’re a boy.”

It was only when she heard his voice that Jaina realized Tama was a boy. When she took him north, she decided to cut his tangled, unkempt black hair.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen Tama this gentle.”

“Exactly. I can hardly believe this is the same Tama we’ve known.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince would be shocked if he saw this.”

The knights standing guard a short distance away each murmured in astonishment.

Jaina listened absently, watching Tama eagerly push sweet after sweet into his mouth.

‘First, I should give him a proper name.’

She suddenly remembered a name she had once considered giving to a child with Cadel. Perhaps she should give it to Tama instead.

From what she had seen, Shar had never bothered to name him, despite treating him as though he were a pet. Unable to endure his frequent outbursts, Shar had probably kept him locked away in a dark storage room from the outset.

The chain around his neck had most likely been put there for one reason: to silence him when he cried too loudly.

‘No wonder he ended up dying like that.’

Jaina remembered Tama from her previous life. He had grown weaker by the day within the palace until he had finally become a cold corpse.

This time, she would never allow that to happen again.

“Tama. May I give you a name that belongs to you alone?”

“……”

“If you don’t like it, you can say so. Or… do you not want a name at all? I won’t force you if you don’t.”

“Name…?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

Tama tilted his head slightly to one side, his face plainly showing confusion.

This gesture was so endearing that Jaina couldn’t help but smile. She held her smile for a moment as she looked at him.

“Jedel.”

“…Jedel.”

Tama repeated the name Jaina had spoken softly.

“Don’t you like it?”

At her question, he shook his head at once.

“Then I’ll call you Jedel from now on.”

Tama looked at her for a moment, then nodded slightly before turning his attention back to the cake. It felt unexpected — almost surreal — that the name she had once intended for a child with Cadel had now been given to Tama.

However, as she would never have a child with Cadel, it seemed fitting to give the name to Tama, who she intended to keep by her side for the rest of her life.

She had agonized over that name for a long time. Ultimately, she created it by combining one syllable from her own name and one from Cadel’s. Back then, as she formed those letters in her mind, she had harbored such bright, tender dreams. There had been so much hope in them.

She found a quiet sense of comfort in the fact that the name could still be used in some way.

Of course, she had no intention of giving it the same meaning it once held.

‘That has nothing to do with him. This child simply needs a name—and it would be a waste to leave unused the name I once struggled so hard to choose.’

Jaina watched as the boy eagerly devoured cake, milk, and chocolate without pause.

“You were here?”

Some time later, Shar appeared.

The moment he received word that Tama had escaped, he left his office at once. If Tama were to disappear again after he had agreed to hand her over to Jaina, it would put him in an awkward position. He immediately ordered the servants to search for the child and began looking for him himself.

Soon, he heard that Tama was with Jaina, who had instructed the servants to bring him sweets.

At the mention of sweets, his brows briefly furrowed. However, since he would no longer be raising the child, he decided it was no longer his concern. With that thought, Shar made his way to the garden.

There, he was met with an astonishing sight.

The Tama who had previously rampaged and acted like a wild delinquent in his presence was now sitting quietly in front of Jaina, calmly eating.

Although sweets had captured the child’s attention, it was still strange. Beastkin did not lower their guard so easily in front of someone they instinctively distrusted.

‘That looks almost…’

Tama wasn’t just relaxed; he looked completely at ease, as though Jaina were his own mother.

Shar let out a hollow laugh as he watched Tama sit in the large chair with his legs dangling above the ground, swinging idly as he ate.

Seeing this new side to the boy he had paid a hefty sum for was both oddly disappointing and strangely fascinating.

“Grand Duchess.”

As Shar approached, Jaina rose from her seat to greet him properly.

Tama, who had been eating cake, should have run away at the sight of him. However, contrary to expectation, he remained at Jaina’s side, baring his teeth and growling at Shar.

‘Well, this is something.’

Even seeing it with his own eyes, Shar could hardly believe it. A faint, incredulous laugh escaped him.