Chapter 120
When the nanny entered the room, when she spoke calmly without changing her expression as if she knew nothing of her crime, and when she was dragged away unconscious.
Sierre’s eyes, which had been staring without blinking, began to tremble for the first time.
Something churned inside the child, but unable to express it properly, the warmth that started at their fingertips turned into a fever. Einar, who had returned after dealing with the nanny, immediately noticed the child’s condition.
“We’ll need fever medicine.”
Einar’s large palm covered not only Sierre’s forehead but half of their eyes and bridge of the nose as well.
With the scent of cool breeze, his touch met the heated forehead without hesitation, causing Sierre’s fever to rise even higher.
As the child’s tiny face turned bright red, Riina and Einar exchanged glances, sharing the same bitter smile before quickly erasing it.
For a while, they covered Sierre’s forehead and gently stroked the child’s small fidgeting hands.
By the time the air—filled with that emptiness and bitterness, slight anger and deep hollowness that remains after cutting someone out of your life like carving flesh—had softened and lightened…
Einar spoke as if making a joke.
“The fever isn’t going down. Should I visit the royal physician? If it gets worse, the child will become seriously ill.”
To this, Sierre shook their head while nibbling their lips.
“It won’t get worse.”
The child fumbled to remove Einar’s hand with the hand not held by Riina.
Then, looking toward a corner of the room, Sierre added:
“It’s because I didn’t take that medicine.”
Reaching toward Sierre, who was smiling faintly, Einar roughly tousled the child’s hair.
“Now that you’ll be healthy, think about what you want to do. People usually like to make a priority list and cross things off one by one.”
Of course, for him, it didn’t matter what he prioritized.
Whatever he wanted would come true anyway.
However, he remembered what someone he once met outside the imperial palace had said.
He deliberately omitted that it was a list the person had made after receiving their death date.
“Things I want to do…”
Sierre murmured softly before quickly falling into contemplation.
Until now, there had never been ‘things I want to do.’
The child had only wished for each moment to be a little less painful than the last.
Every day, every moment, Sierre hadn’t been depressed, despairing, or sad thinking about death.
But, as everyone had said since birth, the child believed they wouldn’t live long and would die soon.
Because of this, ‘tomorrow,’ ‘the future,’ or ‘things to do someday’ were concepts Sierre deliberately avoided thinking about.
And now, for the first time, the future had opened up to count things to do one by one and actually do them.
Sierre looked at Einar and Riina in turn, recalling their recent outing together.
What had the child thought when crossing that open field without obstacles?
Yes. Sierre had thought about wanting to run.
Wanting to run until their chest filled and breath caught in their throat.
Afterward, the child wanted to laugh until their stomach hurt and talk until their voice grew hoarse with the people beside them.
And, and…
Everything that came to mind, all of it…
Sierre couldn’t hold back and blurted out:
“Could we go out together again? An outing, I mean… an ex…cursion?”
The child looked up at Einar with wide eyes, and he took the child’s empty hand.
Holding the small, warm hand heated with fever, Einar smiled.
“Let’s go a bit farther this time.”
“Shall we pick mushrooms again?”
“If that’s what you want.”
At his straightforward answer, Sierre wanted to say more words that tickled up to the tip of their throat.
The child swallowed with a gulp and turned toward Riina.
“To…together.”
The hesitant voice was so small that the latter part wasn’t even audible, but Riina gladly nodded.
“Of course. Let’s go together. Whenever you want. Wherever you want to go.”
At the kindness pouring out so naturally, Sierre’s face turned bright red with embarrassment rather than fever.
Finally, unable to endure it, the child pulled their hands free and covered their face, unable to look up for a while.
How much time passed like that?
Sierre’s eyes peeked through the gaps between fingers, and then the hands slowly lowered.
Soon after, Sierre tentatively extended small hands toward Riina and Einar again.
Riina didn’t hesitate to firmly grasp that small hand, still flushed with embarrassment, and simultaneously, the tiny hand slipped into Einar’s as well.
With warmth shared from both sides filling their hands, Sierre’s face bloomed with a smile.
The child smiled shyly and then blinked slowly.
The two adults, wearing the same expression but now with fond smiles instead of bitter ones, exchanged glances as they noticed Sierre’s head wobbling.
“If you’re sleepy, rest your eyes for a moment.”
Riina’s soft fingertips gently brushed Sierre’s drooping eyelashes.
“Not… sleepy.”
Sierre shook their head but could barely keep their eyes open.
The decision had been quick, and the execution even quicker, causing too much emotional turmoil in a short time.
Consuming emotional energy, even without moving the body at all, is terribly exhausting.
But Sierre stubbornly kept their eyes wide open.
Not knowing exactly what they wanted, the child didn’t want to miss this moment.
Gathering Sierre’s hands in both of hers, Riina whispered:
“I’ll stay by your side.”
Like sunshine hidden behind curtains, her warm voice settled on Sierre’s forehead. The words “until you fall asleep” were missing, but the tension drained from the child’s hands.
When Sierre’s drowsy eyes turned to Einar, he nodded as well.
Then Einar opened his mouth, but couldn’t utter a word.
Riina’s hand had settled lightly but firmly over his lips.
She gestured with her eyes toward Sierre, and Einar’s eyes curved into crescents as he followed her gaze.
Despite the child’s stubborn protests, Sierre had quickly fallen into a gentle sleep.
Soon after, the small, thin hands went limp, but neither Riina nor Einar let go first.
By the time they were about to leave the room where Sierre slept, the sun was shining directly overhead.
The door was already closed, but the two didn’t immediately leave, lingering in place.
Then Riina leaned her head against the door and listened.
Watching her, Einar smiled and asked:
“Can you hear the breathing?”
“No, I can’t. Can you, Einar?”
“I can. The child is in deep sleep. The breathing is shallow and steady.”
Only then did Riina straighten her back from the door and take a step forward.
On her second step, Einar gently caught her hand, and she stopped and turned her head.
“Are you going back now?”
“I should.”
At her answer that came without a moment’s hesitation, Einar lowered the corner of his eyebrow and instinctively pulled slightly on Riina’s hand, which he was still holding.
“Your answer came too quickly.”
Einar was about to open his mouth, expecting her to immediately respond with “The task is done, so I should go back,” but he slowly closed it.
Because the answer he’d anticipated didn’t come.
And moreover…
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
At his words, which sounded somewhat dazed, Riina raised her free hand to touch the corner of her eye.
“Like what?”
As her long eyelashes, long enough to cast shadows, fluttered once gracefully, Einar was at a loss for words.
He didn’t know what to say.
What should he say, really?
Those clear blue eyes, without a speck of impurity, held him completely.
But she had always been like that.
Why did it feel different now?
It was the intuition of someone who had taken another into their heart, and also Einar’s terrifyingly sharp instinct.
Something had changed between them.
Yet Einar couldn’t readily be certain.
After all, he hadn’t done anything to change their relationship.
He had only been unable to see her for a short while, but during that time, what had happened to Riina…
“No, rather.”
Einar’s true feelings escaped his lips helplessly.
Yes, more important than that was the fact that Riina was by his side at this moment.
“Rather?”
As Riina tilted her head in confusion, her hanging hair rippled like waves, and the faint scent of roses seemed to rise from the tips of her red hair that held a hint of moisture, making their clasped hands tingle.
Einar couldn’t take his eyes off Riina, staring at her intently before moving the hand that held hers with extreme caution.
Soon their fingers slowly intertwined, but Riina didn’t pull away.
Unlike his, her slender fingers were lukewarm from being held for so long, and the touch of her smooth fingernails was enough to send a chill through him.
It was completely different from when they had held Sierre’s hand just minutes ago.
Ah, yes. Completely different.
And so, rather belatedly, Einar realized.
