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THIS IS NOT MY NOVEL, MY ONLY PURPOSE IS TO SHARE THIS NOVEL!

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL NOVEL, THE AUTHOR, AND THE TRANSLATOR.

ORIGINAL AUTHOR/S: Moon Sihyun & 문시현

How did this happen?

I melted helplessly under the burning gaze of his red eyes.

“…. Miss Aria Bertin.”

A fascinating low tone tickled my ears.

The suffocating heated atmosphere grew even stronger as he approached me.

I couldn’t stand the growing heat and turned my head, but his seductive red eyes continued to follow me and did not let me go.

“Look at me.”

A long, graceful finger lightly stroked my jaw.

I swallowed my breath.

It was rare for him to come into physical contact from the beginning.

“Well, if you do this…”

“No? I’m just following the agreement between us.”

Lips that were neither thin nor thick drew into a curve.

“And how many times do I have to say? Call my name at times like this. I think it’s time for you to fully understand…”

I could hear a man’s soft voice, then my vision suddenly shifted. The next thing I knew, my face was buried into a broad, hard chest.

Ba-dump.

The sound of a heart beating vibrated all the way to my chin.

It took me a while before I realized that the sound was mine.

“Aria.”

I closed my eyes tightly as I felt his hot breath tickling me.

It felt like my stomach was tightening as the hope that this situation would end and the hope that it lasted a little longer collided.

“Ah!”

I let out a moan as I felt a stinging pain in the back of my neck.

He had never been this rough.

“Y-your Grace…”

“Shh.”

While I shut my mouth tightly as instructed, a soft touch soothed the area where I had felt pain a while ago.

“Ha…”

A strange sound came out of my mouth.

He grinned and grabbed my cheeks, kissing me.

Instinctively, a lump of flesh invaded through my open lips.

Ah.

I fell into the illusion of being swallowed up like this.

His strong tongue penetrated and explored the softest areas, giving me no room to regain reason even for a moment.

Losing even the slightest bit of self-control, I pressed my body into his arms, feeling a warmth that was close to heat.

…When he finally pulled himself away from me.

No matter how many times I experienced it, my vision was blurred red with strange excitement.

I managed to catch my breath.

This man was good at setting boundaries, so today would definitely end here.

And he would leave the room without looking back.

Because he and I were not lovers.

Our relationship was only to solve the consequences whenever he used black magic.

That’s all.

So to him, maybe I’m…

‘I’m just a commoner who’s somehow indebted to him, I guess.’

Hiccups came out when I opened my mouth.

“Your Grace, are you okay?”

There was silence.

My mind automatically became restless.

Usually, this was the time he would completely escape the side effects of black magic, regain his composure, offer a brief thank-you, and then leave.

But there was only silence.

It wasn’t a good sign.

“No.”

I took a deep breath.

Perhaps his condition was worse than I thought.

I heard he had been overworked lately… Was it to the extent that even a passionate kiss couldn’t resolve it properly?

I took the courage to step closer to him.

His body stiffened.

“…What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to give you a hug.”

I answered honestly.

“This works best.”

I didn’t do it well because I was shy, but the calming effect was better when I approached him first.

I mustered up the courage to wrap my arms around his chest and hug him tightly.

The sound of his irregularly fast heartbeat was heard.

I had regained my composure, so this time it would be his.

Every time I gently patted his back through his thin shirt, I felt his firm muscles tense under my touch.

Soon after, he regained stability. I quietly stepped away and looked at him.

His face, which had been expressionless until a moment ago, was red up to his ears.

“Your Grace?”

I called him carefully.

“Are you okay now?”

“Thanks to you.”

I received a gentle answer.

“That’s a relief.”

I smiled and waited for him to leave, but he only stared at me tenderly without saying anything.

I licked my lips.

We had done this several times already, sharing sympathy with him and alleviating the side effects of black magic — but he had never shown such a reaction before.

‘Let’s not worry about it.’

I made up my mind.

I couldn’t afford to be bothered by his sudden whim.

Because I had a child to take care of.

“I… gotta go. I promised Elodie that I’ll read her a fairy tale before she goes to bed.”

His eyes hardened.

“You’re going already?”

“Yes.”

I answered briefly.

“…I wish I could stay a little longer.”

He shook his head slightly and approached me.

The distance was quite burdensome, there was only a step or two between us to begin with.

I unconsciously took a step back, but then he also took a step closer.

Our silent chase ended when my back hit the hard wall.

Then I heard a thud — he placed his hands on the wall and posed to look down at me.

Naturally, I stammered as I was engulfed in his shadow.

“N-now what…”

“Aria.”

A dangerous voice tickled my ears.

“I don’t know why it saddens me so much.”

“…What— what are you talking about?”

My voice trembled on its own.

“I really don’t know.”

A long, hard finger stroked my cheek.

“I thought I’ve already expressed my feelings many times.”

“…”

I was silent.

Only a fool would not know what this man, Theodore Vanice, was talking about.

“Are you pretending not to know or are you just dense?”

The soft and courteous voice gradually turned into a threatening whisper.

“Are you testing my patience?”

I swallowed my dry saliva.

Now I had no choice but to admit it.

I’d been trying to deny it all this time, but Theodore Vanice had fallen in love with me.

He was a handsome and wealthy duke, so he was a groom who would welcome any woman with open arms.

If I hadn’t known his true self, I might’ve been moved and even shed tears.

If it weren’t for the crazy guy who tried to kill me for kidnapping his daughter just a year ago!

* * *

I didn’t intend to raise a child at first.

The world was too busy to take care of my body.

It had already been seven years since I became an extra in a novel that I enjoyed reading.

After working hard, I settled down and saved money.

This meant that all I had to do was enjoy my life.

That’s it.

Because I was working hard, I stayed up late at a village festival I had never been to.

I didn’t go with anyone but just walking around carrying a snack and a glass of alcohol felt like a change of pace after a long time.

Maybe it was because I was immersed in the festive mood.

On my way home, I didn’t notice the black shadow wandering around.

I was staggering and walking down a dark alley.

Someone grabbed me with brute force.

Naturally, I tried to scream, but someone quickly covered my mouth with a handkerchief.

A gloomy voice came from right next to my face.

“You’d better be quiet if you don’t want to get hurt.”

“Oh— oomph, ha…!”

I struggled hard, but it was useless since I was already trapped in a leather bag.

Soon darkness came, and I lost consciousness in an instant.

How long has it been?

As I woke up trembling, something like a wet towel touched my forehead.

“M-Miss.”

Then, a small, cute voice called me.

I blinked.

A dark room slowly entered my view.

I was positive that this wasn’t my room.

The rough blanket and gray-colored walls looked more like a prison than a home.

“Miss!”

I turned my head in the direction where I heard the voice.

A little girl with gloomy gray hair, red eyes, and a scruffy look was looking at me.

She might be about 6 years old.

It was hard to tell her age because she was skinny, but she looked about that tall.

“I’m glad you woke up.”

The child’s big eyes welled up with tears.

“Wait— you…”

My eyes widened.

It was because I remembered who the child was.

[I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Give me a penny. Merciful lady and gentleman. Please give me a penny…]

The child who had been begging since a week ago in the street where the café I ran was located.

The child who ate in a hurry as if she was full of hunger every time I put bread in the basket instead of money.

And the child who always looked around.

“Did you get caught too?”

“…No.”

She shook her head.

“I live here.”

“You live here?”

I frowned.

A dirty, musty, dark room without even a window.

It was not a room for a child to live in.

“Well, that…”

She bowed her head.

“We need to get out, miss…”

I bit my lip.

“If I don’t go, what will happen?”

“You’ll be taken far away.”

“…Far away.”

My blood ran cold.

Human trafficking was prohibited under imperial law.

However, in small kingdoms across the empire’s borders, it hadn’t been properly followed.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t have become a victim, too.

“Hurry up.”

The little girl urged me.

I barely got up from my seat.

My legs were shaking, but I had to run away from here immediately.

She moved uneasily, pulling my hand.

Her skinny body and twig-like legs were pitiful to see.

Where the hell is this child’s guardian?

Even if they sold people through human trafficking, they should feel sorry for their child.

After quickly exiting the small locked room, we ran through a hallway filled with all sorts of junk.

She found her way easily as if she was used to this kind of work.

“What about the others?”

“Everybody’s asleep. They’re drunk.”

The girl kept her mouth shut without explaining.

I decided not to ask.

The only thing that matters now was the fact that we had to escape quickly.

“Am I the only one who got caught?”

“Yes.”

She nodded with an uneasy expression.

“There’s been a rumor going around these days… Everyone was careful, there was no one but you, miss.”

Come to think of it, there seemed to have been rumors that young women were going missing one by one in a nearby village.

I just couldn’t afford to care because I was busy making a living.

The little girl guided me through the dark passage.

It was so narrow and dirty that hardly anyone could pass through.

We were midway out of the passage before the long-awaited fresh air finally greeted us.

I smiled at her — but then froze.

It was because I could see more and more clearly how shabby the little girl looked under the bright moonlight.

“Well, I’ll get going now.”

She timidly bowed her head.

“Hurry and go home. They’re not going to catch the one who escaped again… Don’t worry, miss.”

I stopped talking.

That’s not what I’m worried about, sweetheart.

What I’m worried about is you.

If they find out that you let me run away, what punishment will you get?

I thought about it for a moment and opened my mouth.

“Are your parents down there, too?”

“…I don’t have any.”

The child answered with a little bit of hesitation.

“I don’t have a mom or a dad.”

“Then?”

“I live with my uncles and aunts.”

I bit my lip.

Obviously, they must be human traffickers.

“What’s your name?”

If I knew her name, I would be able to ask some friendly guards to look after her.

To my dismay, the little girl stuttered as she struggled to answer properly.

“T-t-that… I don’t have a name.”

“What?”

I doubted my ears.

Even if you don’t raise a child with love, you have to at least give them a name…

“That, just…Everyone just calls me this and that…”

“…”

I closed my eyes tightly and opened them.

“Let me ask you this, do you want to keep living with them?”

The little girl’s face, which was already pale, became even paler.

“I-I don’t want to go to an orphanage — it’s a really scary place! I heard that they give you nothing to eat and make you work until you die. So, miss, please…”

“No, I’m not taking you to an orphanage. Well… If you don’t mind.”

I took a deep breath.

“Would you like to go to my house?”

It was then.

The sound of horses rumbled nearby.

As soon as I hid myself in the bushes, loud voices rang everywhere.

“Search thoroughly! You must not miss a single rat.”

Huh?

It was not a mischievous tone that human traffickers might use, it was a disciplined and well-rounded one.

As soon as they got a little closer I was sure — a guard’s unique footsteps, commands, familiar uniforms…

‘It’s the guards!’

In the meantime, the taxes I had paid with tears passed through my head.

Thank God, This is the result of hard compliance with civil duties…

“Help me!”

I ran out of the bushes.

“I was caught by human traffickers a while ago but I escaped. I’ll show you the passage to the hideout.”

“How can I believe that?”

One of the guards rolled his eyes.

“Maybe you’re on the same side!”

“…”

I was taken aback by the sudden attack.

“Miss Aria?”

Suddenly, I heard a gawky voice.

‘What…’

Ian, the captain, walked toward me through the guards.

He became a captain in his late twenties and was popular with the village maidens because of his good looks and outstanding skills.

Well, to me, he was just a regular customer who I was grateful for.

He hurriedly approached me and looked at every nook and cranny of my body.

“Are you hurt, Miss Aria?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“This kid…”

“We were captured together.”

I lied without even breathing. It’s not good to let him know that she’s a kid who was abused by criminals.

“I think she was caught while begging on the street.”

“Is that so?”

Ian nodded.

“Okay, let me know where the passage is. There won’t be any disappointing cases anymore if you help us catch them.”

I hurriedly informed him of the location. As soon as I finished, Ian thanked me and ran into the aisle with his men.

I did what I had to do.

It was time to focus on this terrified little girl in my arms.

I built a fireplace right away once we got home.

“Hey.”

The little girl turned her head and looked up from her crouched position.

My heart ached as I saw the conflicting feelings of hope and anxiety clash in the child’s eyes.

“First of all, you will need a name.”

She gave me a bewildered look.

“Do I need something like that?”

“Of course.”

I said firmly.

“Everyone should have a name. Let’s see…”

I tried to think of a suitable name, but I couldn’t come up with any.

“Hey, is there a name you wanted to have?”

“Not really.”

She shook her head.

“You can just call me anything.”

“You can’t be called anything, it’s a name… Aha!”

I exclaimed a little.

I came up with an idea that would help her!

“How about this? I’ll give you a lot of names and you can pick your favorite among them.”

As soon as the girl nodded, I began to say whatever girl’s names came to mind.

“Catherine, Johanna, Rosemary, Elodie, Serena, Marianne, Pearl…”

She smacked her lips as if she wanted to say something.

“Is there anything you like?”

“…Elodie.”

“Elodie?”

“Yes.”

She nodded eagerly.

Such a powerful expression of opinion that I had never seen before.

“It’s a pretty name. It matches you well.”

I smiled at Elodie.

“Elodie, come this way. We should wash first.”

“Wash… Huh?”

“Why? You don’t like it?”

Elodie shook her head.

“Well, I’ve only washed my face.”

She knew what a bath was, but she had never done it properly.

“It’s okay. At Elodie’s age, it’s only natural for someone to wash you. But it’s not like you don’t want me washing your face, right?”

Fortunately, Elodie nodded and approached me.

I helped Elodie undress and let her soak in a bathtub full of warm water.

Luckily, she had no major injuries except for several old scars.

For a moment, my heart pounded as I thought there was a bruise on her calf, but when I looked closely, it was just a large star-shaped birthmark.

One side of my chest felt numb.

Even without medical knowledge, I could tell that Elodie was severely malnourished.

But who am I?

Aren’t I the owner of the best café around here?

I quickly vowed to make Elodie gain weight.

“Elodie, can you tilt your head this way? I’ll wash your hair.”

Her gray, dusty hair leaned towards me.

I washed Elodie’s hair as carefully as possible.

‘…?’

I blinked my eyes.

Her hair color changed completely after washing it with high-quality soap.

What I saw just now was not dark grayish hair…

‘She has silver hair?’

As soon as I stopped my hand, Elodie asked in an uneasy voice.

“Did I do something wrong?”

I got over it in a hurry.

“I was just surprised because I didn’t know you had silver hair. You are so pretty.”

“Pretty? My hair?”

I nodded my head vigorously.

This time, It was Elodie’s turn to be surprised.

“Well, the old boss said it was weird, so I had to dye my hair black when I was younger…”

“You dyed your hair?”

I frowned.

That’s weird…

They don’t want to feed you, but they made you use expensive hair dye?

“It’s okay. I think the guards caught him earlier.”

“…He died. A long time ago.”

Well, he died well.

I swallowed what I wanted to say then helped Elodie wipe her body with a towel and dry her hair.

“Are you hungry?”

“…Yes.”

I hesitated to give cookies and warm milk to Elodie, who changed into a long linen shirt instead of rags.

‘I have to wash myself, too.’

But how could I ignore a child who’s chasing me with a desperate gaze while her mouth was full of cookies?

“…You know.”

While contemplating, Elodie’s faint voice came out.

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“Of course. What is it?”

Elodie seemed to have no courage at all, clutching a mug of warm milk and bowing her head.

After a while,

What came out of the child’s mouth was beyond all my expectations.

“Miss, are you my mother?”

I didn’t answer for a moment and only licked my lips.

Elodie wouldn’t really think I was her real mother.

She wasn’t raised in an environment where she could grow up so innocent.

However, because of the hope seen in that one soft word, my heart ached by itself.

‘How much would she have missed her mother to say something like this?’

I swallowed my dry saliva.

I didn’t want to hurt the girl’s heart, but I couldn’t instill false hope.

“…Elodie.”

I carefully called Elodie — the name of the girl who saved my life just a few hours ago.

“I’m not your mother, but I’m not ‘miss’ either, so call me Aria.”

“…Aria?”

“Yes.”

I nodded my head.

“My name is Aria Bertin.”

“Aria…”

Elodie kept mumbling it in her mouth as if something bad would happen if she gets it wrong.

I deliberately pretended not to know and talked to her.

“You must be very tired.”

“It’s okay.”

Elodie gave all of her strength to keep her eyes wide open.

“I can hold it!”

“No, you have to sleep.”

The clock hand was already pointing past midnight.

It was too late for a child to stay awake.

I thought for a moment if there was a place to put Elodie to sleep.

‘…I can’t help it.’

I lived alone in this house, there could be no such thing as an extra blanket.

We had no choice but to sleep together in the same bed.

I took Elodie’s hand and took her to the bedroom.

As for the bed, I got the biggest and best one — it was big enough for two adults to sleep.

It wouldn’t be difficult to sleep with at least one child.

Elodie lied down in the bed without hesitation.

I was worried that she might have trouble sleeping, but fortunately, her eyes were already half-closed as I lied down beside her. Probably because she was very tired today.

I patted the blanket to shape it, and then put the pre-boiled water-filled compress under it.

Although she had already fallen into a light sleep, Elodie’s eyes snapped wide open in surprise.

“What is it?”

“It’s a compress. Isn’t it warm?”

I smiled brightly.

“This is a compress…?”

Elodie hugged the compress and muttered in amazement.

“You can’t hold it like that. You could get burned.”

I took the hot compress from Elodie’s hand and placed it on her feet.

“It’s warm.”

“Isn’t it hot?”

Elodie shook her head.

“I’m glad. Now let’s go back to sleep, okay?”

Elodie nodded her head slightly and then closed her eyes.

I waited for Elodie’s breathing to be even before I left the bedroom.

‘…Phew.’

The whole bathroom was a mess.

I frowned as I picked up her clothes that were scattered on the floor.

It wasn’t something she could wear — it wasn’t stitched properly and was torn in parts as she grew up.

‘…Tomorrow, as soon as the morning comes, I’ll go buy clothes for Elodie.’

* * *

“Can I come in here?”

Elodie looked up at the signboard of the children’s clothing store and held my hand nervously.

As if I would miss Elodie’s hand on my side.

“Of course you can.”

I replied firmly.

“We’re here to buy you clothes. If not for you, why else would we go in?”

“…It’s so clean and pretty.”

“Well, I think you’re clean and pretty, too.”’

“Really?”

Elodie’s eyes widened as she looked up at me.

My heart ached by surprise because it seemed like she had never heard such a compliment before.

“Of course.”

I nodded my head and opened the store door with all my might.

“Welcome!”

Immediately, a bright voice burst out from the inside.

The clerk ran towards Elodie when she found her, eyes widening in surprise.

No matter how clean she was, she had no choice but to come out wearing her ragged clothes, so she seemed to recognize Elodie.

“Oh my, this child…”

I cut off the clerk’s words.

“Her name’s Elodie, she came to live with me. Elodie, you should say hi.”

“H-hello…”

Elodie stuttered but certainly said hello.

“That’s a pretty name, Elodie.”

The clerk smiled broadly.

“What are you looking for?”

I took out my notebook from my pocket.

It was a habit I learned after going through various trials and errors to jot down the items I needed before shopping.

“First of all, I need five pairs of underwear that fit my child. I want five pairs of socks, too.”

I quickly read what’s written down in the notebook.

“Also… I need pajamas, three comfortable dresses, formal dresses… Oh, I need a winter coat, too.”

The clerk’s smile grew even bigger.

“You’ve come to the right place! We just got new clothes for the little lady.”

The clerk roughly measured Elodie’s size with her eyes and guided us to a stand with the right sizes.

I glanced at the price tag. No matter how good the business is lately, even if you have extra money, you can’t waste it.

Fortunately, I couldn’t see many expensive clothes.

This was enough to allow Elodie to smile and pay for whatever clothes she chose.

I smiled at her.

“Elodie, do you like anything? What do you want to try on first?”

“… W-well…”

I blinked my eyes.

Elodie looked nervous since she entered the store a while ago, but now she looked particularly tired.

To the point where she couldn’t even speak properly.

“Are you sick? Do you want to rest at home?”

“N-no.”

Elodie shook her head.

“T-that…”

Elodie’s eyes flickered anxiously across the clothes.

‘…Ah.’

I groaned at the sudden realization.

It wasn’t that hard to figure out what her eyes were looking at.

She was looking at the price tag.

She was trying to choose the cheapest one, but she seemed embarrassed because both of them were more expensive than she thought.

I spoke to Elodie in a stern voice.

“Elodie, if you don’t tell me what you like, I have no choice but to buy all the clothes here.”

“What?”

Elodie’s eyes widened.

“You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“…I’m going to grow up soon, the clothes are going to get smaller, so it’s such a waste… You shouldn’t spend so much on someone like me.”

I closed my eyes and opened them.

I wanted to run to the prison where the traffickers would’ve been held by now and kick them at least at their vital points — but it was not the time.

I bent my knees and made eye contact with Elodie.

“Elodie, let me tell you one thing, I don’t waste any money buying your clothes — no, I’m dying to spend it.”

Her answer didn’t come right away.

I could feel my heart pounding. It was only after a heavy silence that Elodie slowly opened her mouth.

“…Really?”

I took a deep breath.

It was because her voice was filled with a sense of skepticism that a child of that age should never have.

I bent my knees to look at Elodie and then answered firmly.

“Then, would I lie?”

Elodie looked like she had a lot to say but just nodded her head instead.

The problem was that she still seemed to have no intention of choosing clothes.

So I decided to choose one myself.

Lovely sky blue dress that goes well with Elodie’s silver hair, purple dress that goes well with her low chromatic red eyes, warm winter coat, etc…

Fortunately, Elodie didn’t seem to dislike the clothes I picked out.

It was rather the opposite.

Because she couldn’t take her eyes off the clothes in my hands.

I bought clothes one by one for fun…

“I went a little over the budget.”

Elodie’s clothes were already in her hands.

It didn’t matter.

I saved a considerable amount of money because I had no place to spend it while living alone.

At times like this, spending a little wouldn’t make me go bankrupt.

After finally buying all the clothes, I left the store with a bunch of beautifully wrapped boxes in my hand.

Elodie was dressed in rags when she entered the store, but when she left, she was wearing a pretty light blue dress and her coat.

Elodie kept fiddling with the coat curiously.

“It’s very warm.”

“Is it hot?”

“Nope.”

Elodie held her coat tight.

She seemed to be worried that someone would steal it away from her.

“No matter how pretty it is, you should take it off when it’s hot. Or else you’ll get a heat rash. Okay, Elodie?”

Elodie nodded her head with a bashful smile.

While we walked a little, we arrived at a café not far from the clothing store.

The café, decorated with a small brick house, was compact and simple.

As I approached the café, I could see the black letters on the simple wooden signboard.

Yes, it was the café I ran.