MDIHC 16

“Really? Who scolded you?”

I pretended to be nonchalant and popped a bite of food into my mouth with my fork. I continued the conversation as if it were just casual small talk.

“The maid who helps me change clothes…”

Unconsciously, I gripped my fork tightly. What?! Why is a maid scolding the daughter of a count? And if the child messes up her clothes, of course she might need to change! And besides—she’s a kid! How is she supposed to keep her clothes clean like an adult?

“Reaaally? I’m sooo curious. Who’s the maid that helps our Daniel get dressed? Do you know who it is?”

I asked Daniel with a forced smile.

“…”

But it looked like he couldn’t hold back his emotions. Daniel hunched his shoulders like a turtle and glanced nervously at me. Seeing him like that made my heart ache even more.

Just how much had they mistreated him for being so used to reading people’s moods like this? I swear, I’ll deal with them all!

“Oh, right! Daniel. Your room is a bit messy right now, huh?”

Even while shrinking into himself, Daniel gave a small nod.

“It’s because we’re trying to decorate it nicely for you, so can you hang in there a little longer?”

Daniel nodded again. This time, his eyes sparkled and his lips twitched as if he was trying to suppress a smile.

So cute!

“And Daniel, is there anything you want to learn?”

“Huh?”

Daniel looked at me as if he didn’t understand the question.

Well, of course—it’s probably hard for a six-year-old to say what subject they want to study. Maybe it’s best to expose him to a bit of everything first.

“You see, Daniel, I’m going to bring in a teacher to help you learn various things. But if anything feels too hard or tiring, you have to promise to tell me, okay? That way, I can figure out what’s best for you.”

“Studying?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What’s that?”

His eyes were innocent and full of curiosity. He clearly had no idea what I was talking about. And that innocence stabbed at my heart.

The problem wasn’t what subjects he liked or struggled with. The issue was that he didn’t even know what studying was.

“Studying means learning lots of different things. Like reading books, doing math, playing instruments, or even learning how to use a fork.”

“Do you think I can do that?”

He had been listening so intently, but suddenly his shoulders drooped, and he looked down.

“What are you talking about? Of course you can!”

“But…”

Daniel trailed off. He seemed like he wanted to say something but just stared at his half-eaten plate instead. I patiently waited for him to speak on his own.

“The Countess said… I’m a useless child.”

“…What?”

I was completely stunned by the harsh words that came out of Daniel’s mouth. And if it was the Countess, she’d been dead for two years now. That meant he’d heard it at least two years ago—when he was only four—and still remembered it.

“I know what ‘useless’ means. One time, I heard a maid say it about a broken broom. She said, ‘It’s useless now.’”

“Daniel, you’re not a useless child.”

“…”

He didn’t seem to believe me. And I knew that something that had dominated his self-worth for over two years wouldn’t disappear just because of one kind word.

“I can’t do anything…”

“What do you mean you can’t do anything! That’s not true!”

“Then what am I good at?”

Daniel looked at me with a gloomy face but a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“You’re cute!”

I proudly stated Daniel’s best trait.

“What’s good about being cute?”

Daniel asked, genuinely curious.

“Being cute is a strength.”

He tilted his head, clearly not quite understanding my explanation.

“Being cute is the best! When someone’s cute, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, like you want to do everything for them, it makes you happy, and just looking at them gives you energy!”

“…”

Wait, why does he look down again? Was my explanation that bad?

“Then I guess… I’m not cute.”

Daniel murmured with his head down.

“People always look annoyed when they see me, like they don’t want to be around me.”

Seeing Daniel say that with slumped shoulders made me want to burn this whole mansion to the ground. What the hell did they do to this child?!

“Okay, let’s make a bet.”

Finally, Daniel lifted his head slightly.

“I’m betting that you’ll be good at studying. You bet that you won’t be.”

“What do we bet?”

My neck? …No, I probably shouldn’t say something that extreme in front of a child. Wait. Is betting with a child even appropriate? Maybe this sends the wrong message. Should I take it back?

No! Look at his face right now! That little spark of hope that had gone out earlier—it’s coming back! If I crush it now, he’ll just retreat into his shell again!

“A forehead flick. Five times.”

I said it with all the seriousness in the world. Daniel’s eyes wavered at my words. Honestly, that response reassured me—if he flinched at just the idea of a flick on the forehead, it meant he hadn’t grown up being hit.

“O-okay!”

In the end, Daniel nodded.

“Great. Promise!”

I held out my pinky to him. But he just blinked, clearly not knowing what to do.

“This is how we make a promise. Here, bend your fingers like this…”

I took his tiny, adorable hand and folded all the fingers except the pinky and thumb. Then I linked his pinky with mine.

“Now we’ve made a promise! And now the stamp!”

I pressed my thumb firmly onto his little pinky.

That afternoon, Daniel and I made flower crowns and rings in the garden and had snacks together.

Using a major I never thought I’d put to use, I answered all his questions about the names of the plants, and he looked at me with eyes full of admiration, like I was some kind of genius.

Thanks to receiving Lord Winchester’s schedule, I knew he’d be home late today. So, without waiting for him, Daniel and I had a lovely dinner together.

Afterward, I gave him a warm bath, dried his hair, read him a story, and he quickly fell asleep.

As expected, not asleep at six.

Daniel finally fell asleep around 8 p.m. If he woke up at 6 a.m. like usual, he’d be getting about ten hours of sleep.

Lord Winchester entered the bedroom even later than that.

“You’re home?”

“…”

He gave a slight nod in response to my greeting but kept his eyes fixed on Daniel, who was sleeping in the bed.

“Oh, I’m in the middle of changing Daniel’s room.”

It wasn’t just “changing” it—I was completely overhauling it. But that’s what I told him. I guess I’ve gotten bolder since coming here.

“I figured it might be too chaotic for him to sleep there, so I let him sleep here.”

“There are guest rooms, aren’t there?”

Of course there were. In this huge mansion, how could there not be? But I wanted to sleep with Daniel! That was what really mattered.

And one more important thing…

This is so awkward!

I glanced at Lord Winchester and screamed internally. The first night, I was too tired to care. The second night, I fell asleep thanks to alcohol. But tonight—I was neither tired nor drunk.

Being alone in a room, in one bed, with Lord Winchester… I was just too mentally alert for this.

“Daniel isn’t a guest.”

I avoided his gaze and gently pulled the blanket up higher over Daniel. Tonight, he was the adorable little wall between me and Lord Winchester.

Even if he claimed to be “chaste,” I’d been around the block enough not to trust a man’s “I’ll just hold your hand.”

“Sometimes… this kind of thing is nice, isn’t it?”

I gave him a sweet, innocent smile, pretending I had no other thoughts in the world.

“…”

He said nothing, just continued to silently watch Daniel sleep.

D-did he see through me?

For a moment, I panicked, wondering if he had seen right through my little ploy.

But still! Spending the night in the same bed with a man I’ve barely met! Just the two of us! That’s way too awkward!

My smile was starting to twitch when Lord Winchester finally turned to look at me.