/
Well, seeing how I’d finally gotten the trust of the difficult nanny as soon as I had given up on planning, this wasn’t a bad start.
Riding on that positive note, I hurriedly rushed about preparing for Haniel to go to school. If I wanted her to get a perfect attendance award, more sick leaves than this would be hard.
“Haniel, you don’t have any more fever, right? You’re going to talk well and listen well, right?”
[B-but, it’sh gone! Ribbon ish gone!”
“Are you very upset?”
[Mommy gave it. Haniel’sh mommy gave it to Haniel.]
Sob.
As resigned as I may be about the world, I couldn’t help the way my heart broke seeing how sad my baby was about what she didn’t have.
“I’m sorry. Mommy will buy you one next time. If I can’t, then at least in the next world.”
[No, no! It’sh okay!]
[You two bring me right to tears, I can’t even watch this. Wait here.]
“Selene, where are you going?”
When I called Selene to a stop while she was suddenly stepping out of the villa, she puffed up her cheeks, like she was making an expression that said ‘how pathetic.’
[To tear through my nest, of course. If we twisted that and made a rope, we can at least make something like a ribbon.]
“Your nest? But it hasn’t been long since you made that!”
[What can I do. It’s not like I’ll be bringing this with me when I die, so it comes down to storing this up for use at times like this.]
“…..”
Sis, you’re so cool!
Destruction of your current property is the best!
Selene, as she waddled confidently away, couldn’t have been more reassuring a figure.
Haniel also lowered the wing that had been searching for her ribbon and sneakily raised her head.
“Selene, you’re so cool!”
[Nanny sho coo!]
[My goodness. How are you two going to live without me? I really can’t let my guard down.]
But though she had headed out with all the expectations of mother and daughter, Selene came to a stop as soon as she stepped out the door.
Don’t tell me she was regretting that decision now.
While I was planning on observing her further, she soon came back in in a hurry, dragging a huge basket with her.
[Ma, Madam! This is also all a part of your plan, right?]
***
“So. You sent it?”
“Yes. As you commanded, we left it in front of the door.”
“…and the response?”
From where he’d been wiping down his sword, Rashid raised his head discreetly at Tenon, who had returned. In the reflection in the clear surface of the sword, which was said to slice down the cores of evil itself, the red glint of his eyes was more vivid than ever.
“There was only one duck. It did not appear to be trying to grab it and run, so I let it go.”
“A duck? Not a swan?”
“While I am not completely sure, judging by the size it was a duck.”
“….well, that’s the same as that.”
More importantly, what was up with all these birds.
Every time he was close to becoming familiarized to one thing, something else would demand his attention, which automatically raised his irritation.
But his watching younger brothers seemed to be surprised at something entirely different,
‘I can’t believe elder brother just distinguished between a swan and a duck.’
***
Transcending plain indifference, he was a man that appeared to have no human emotions at times.
He differentiated between people based on whether their heads were still intact on their shoulders, so when it came to animals…
At most, he could probably recognize his own hunting dog and the swan the Queen Mother kept. But then again, there was a lot to be suspicious about in Rashid’s recent actions. This was true ever since he had come here, but there were even more dubious things from after he came back drenched from the lake.
His deeply thoughtful expression, the seemingly irritated depth in his eyes.
The sigh that was so heavy it seemed to sink itself, too.
“….hoo..”
And more than anything, it was the fact that he spent most of his time glued to the window like he was now.