* * *
I turned my attention back to Sia, pulling off his socks and taking out a handkerchief to carefully wipe his legs and feet.
As I cleaned him up, I asked,
“Sha, did something happen? The knights didn’t mention anything.”
At my quiet question, Sia rolled his eyes around in thought before meeting my gaze.
“Vivis.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you a bad person?”
“You mean Vivis, not ‘you.’ And… are you asking about me?”
“Yeah. I mean Vivis.”
The question came out of nowhere.
I thought about what could have prompted it and lowered my gaze slightly.
At that moment, I recalled Haen’s warning—how I had many enemies.
Someone had gotten to him.
The realization made me let out a faint sigh.
Was it sooner than expected?
Or later than I thought?
I wasn’t sure.
Brushing the remaining dirt off his knees, I looked up.
“Who said I was a bad person?”
My voice was calmer than I expected.
Sia, nodding lightly as if it wasn’t a big deal, clearly hadn’t given the question much thought, and that alone was enough to ease my mind.
Tossing the soiled handkerchief into the trash, I gently stroked his cheek with the back of my hand.
“Who told you that?”
“I dunno. Some fat old man with a belly this big, stuffed full of greed. He said Vivi is a bastard. Oh, and he even bought a holy relic just to see me. That means he came looking for me on purpose. Ugh, gross! Vivi, go beat him up. Adults who go after kids without a guardian deserve to get wrecked. Calling him a bastard is putting it lightly—tear him to shreds!”
For someone who claimed not to know, his description was oddly detailed.
His words and expression left no doubt—the man had left a bad impression on him.
‘If he was carrying a holy relic, that means he has money. Probably one of the elders.’
As I mulled over possible suspects, I belatedly realized that Sia had just called someone a bastard and let out a soft chuckle.
“You bastard… No matter what, I wouldn’t have called you that. Anyway, so that’s what happened. Hmm, Sia, what do you think? Do I seem like a bastard to you?”
Sia remained silent at the question, which was asked with a faint smile.
His long eyelashes, curling delicately at the ends, fluttered slightly.
When we first met, he hated even the slightest glance from me.
Now, he was comfortable with this kind of closeness.
I wasn’t sure if I should be happy about it or upset.
It was good that a child who once feared people had grown attached to someone.
But the fact that that ‘someone’ happened to be me… was a little disappointing.
Now that Sia was no longer averse to people, Master should hurry up and find him a family.
As I glanced at Master with that thought in mind, Sia finally spoke.
“No. But you’re the perfect idiot to get taken advantage of by real bastards.”
Sia looked at me with an expression so pure that I could hardly believe he had just said that.
His unexpected response left me stunned, my mouth hanging open.
He tilted his chin up as if daring me to say he was wrong.
Doubting my own ears, I turned to check Master’s reaction.
A short distance away, Master was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.
That reaction was proof enough that I had heard correctly.
If this weren’t about me, I probably would’ve laughed just as hard. Instead, I let out a deep sigh.
“…Haah, Sia…”
“What!”
“Can you try speaking a little more nicely?”
“As long as I look good, who cares about words?”
“No, if you don’t speak nicely, you won’t look good either.”
“That’s nonsense. You don’t remember, do you? You’re the one who called me pretty first, Vivi.”
“You only ever remember things like that.”
I muttered helplessly, burying my face in my palm.
Raising a child really wasn’t easy.
✽ ✽ ✽
I had found a chair that suited his height, but Sia still insisted on sitting by my feet while reading his book.
After a while, he called out to me.
“Vivi. Vivi.”
When I didn’t answer immediately, he grabbed the hem of my pants, tugging impatiently.
I patted his back lightly, signaling him to wait, then set my papers aside.
Lifting him off the floor, I placed him on my desk.
“I’m listening. Go ahead.”
I slid his half-removed shoe back onto his foot.
Sia, who had been sitting quietly as I tended to him, flipped through his book before suddenly pushing it toward me.
Curious, I glanced down.
It was about camping.
Tilting my head slightly, I read the passage he pointed to and looked back at him.
“Camping?”
“Let’s go.”
“Out of nowhere?”
“When have I ever said anything after thinking deeply about it?”
His shameless response made him seem like a cunning little kitten.
I wasn’t sure if it was because he had let his guard down, but his true personality was starting to show.
His bluish-gray eyes sparkled as he bounced his feet.
Anyone could see how excited he was.
“Sha, seriously…”
“What? Anyway, let’s go. Vivi, you should take a break sometimes too.”
I swallowed back the retort that he just wanted to go for himself and simply smiled.
Absentmindedly, I stroked his soft, pale pink hair, lost in thought.
Sia had only recently turned ten.
At that age, staying inside all the time would be frustrating.
If possible, I wanted to take him outside too.
But I wasn’t sure if Haen would allow it.
Lowering my gaze in thought, I gently brushed my fingers along Sia’s delicate chin.
“Stop petting me like a cat.”
“You like it, though.”
“When did I ever?”
Even with his drowsy-looking eyes, Sia instinctively denied it.
It was a reflex—like a doll that, when poked, automatically says, ‘I love you.’
I chuckled and teased, “You’re literally purring right now.”
“…Hmph.”
Even as he scowled, I could hear the soft rumbling from his lips.
I laughed and said, “I’ll ask, but Sia, there’s a high chance it won’t happen.”
“Too much work?”
“Yeah… If it doesn’t work out, I can send someone else with you. Would that be okay?”
“If you can’t go, then forget it.”
His face instantly fell with disinterest at the suggestion.
I blinked in surprise, and he just shrugged.
“I said I wanted to go with you, not that I wanted to go camping.”
“But staying indoors all the time must be boring. Wouldn’t it be nice to go out with someone else too?”
He shook his head firmly at my reasoning.
Then, without another word, he hopped off my desk, returned to his spot by my feet, and resumed reading.
I stared at the small, round crown of his pink head for a moment before turning my attention back to my papers.
‘…I should go see Haen later.’
Haen had been away frequently due to matters concerning the branch family.
He had only returned to the castle a few days ago.
Rubbing my forehead, I thought about how he’d probably say no, but it was worth asking anyway.
Even though I was still set on sending Sia back to his family, I couldn’t deny that I had grown attached too.
If we could go, somewhere by the sea might be nice.
Absentmindedly tapping my pen against the paper, I chuckled at the warmth spreading from the spot where Sia leaned against me.
I had never understood before, but now I finally got why people kept cats and dogs.
Ignoring Master’s grumbles about how I was getting lost in my own world again, I doodled a little cat on the white paper.
A round head, two slightly rounded triangles on top, and there it was—a cat.
I laughed at how much it resembled Sia.
Just as I was about to get back to work, I asked Master to send a message to Haen.
Surprisingly, Haen replied within thirty minutes, saying we could meet right away.
I had expected to wait at least an hour or two.
He even offered to come to my office, but since I’d have to send Sia and Master away for that, I told him I’d go to him instead.
When I arrived at his office, Haen, dressed more casually than usual, greeted me.
It was as if he had already known I’d come.
As our eyes met, he gave a faint smile.
Without putting down the documents in his hands, he spoke first.
“Sit wherever you want, Vivi. So, what brings you to me?”
“I’d rather stand. It’s nothing big—just a favor I’d like to ask.”
Ever since I had finally recovered enough to walk without a wheelchair, I had been making full use of my legs.
At my words, Haen gave a small nod as if to say, ‘Suit yourself.’
But at the mention of a ‘favor,’ his expression turned curious.
Tilting his head slightly, he studied me.
I could practically hear him thinking, ‘You have something to ask of me?’
I had never once asked for anything before, so his reaction made sense.
“…You always follow orders without complaint and never ask for anything. Now I’m really curious. I just hope it’s something I can grant. Go ahead, Vivi.”
His words, which might have sounded condescending in the past, didn’t bother me anymore. I
nstead, I was simply satisfied that he hadn’t refused outright.
“I want to go outside for a bit. Not for long—just two days.”
At my calm words, Haen’s gentle smile stiffened.
His expression seemed to be weighing my intentions, wondering why I wanted to go outside.
His eyes flickered as if assessing something, and then, as if he had figured it out, he let out a quiet sigh and furrowed his brows.
“It’s because of that kid, isn’t it? The slave.”
“He’s been freed.”
“Right, the freed slave who became a commoner.”
His indifferent response made me bristle for a moment, but I didn’t let it show.
I knew all too well that Haen deliberately used such words to provoke me.
Seeing me stay silent, he smirked as if he had lost interest and whispered in his usual gentle manner.
“You really think that’s possible, Vivi? I’m sure I told you from the start… You’re not allowed to leave the Duke’s castle. I didn’t pull you out of a prison to give you freedom. I simply changed your cage. You’re still a criminal, Vivisian—my friend.”
He smiled as if he were telling me to wake up, his face unnecessarily kind.
* * *
