Chapter 48

When Suleiman was shocked, Navia spoke brightly.

“That’s right, I am good at paying for my meals.”

What’s the way to win favor in places with financial difficulties?

It’d be none other than making money.

‘That’s easy.’

Navia had the qualities to be the perfect prisoner more than anyone else.

Suleiman was finally at a loss for words.

The child’s not just resolute and intelligent.

‘She’s brilliant.’

Whether that’s a modifier for an eight-year-old or not, Navia is most definitely skillful.

Like the seven-year-old Lark who suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

‘…a sense of longing.’

Looking the longing child, he helplessly choked.

“The price of food.”

It’s not even funny, but why did it feel like she’s really going to pay?

His slow beating heart tightened and fluctuated loudly.

‘Am I looking forward to it right now?’

At some point, he was immersed.

The Duke always seemed to be in the midst of death, and it covered the living with a dark shadow.

The past was faded, and the future was invisible. He lived with complacency in the present.

In fact, Suleiman himself was thinking that there would be no more change here.

With the thought of, “I’ll die here.”

In that situation, he could feel the dazzling glow that he missed from the girl who unexpectedly appeared in Eseled.

At the same time, he witnessed the reality he tried to ignore so far.

Captivity. Food cost. It was the worth Navia had set for herself.

The child wasn’t clever.

The child was on a brink.

Still, the idea that Navia is dangerous remained unchanged. But is that a reason to turn a blind eye on a child? Suleiman couldn’t answer that easily.

“What are you thinking of doing if you get out of here?”

Navia, standing still, laughed.

“Of course I have to run away.”

Suleiman saved his words for a moment.

The words running away sounded absurd, but when he thought about it, there was nothing else the girl could choose.

‘The world is crueler than ever to a child. A weak and powerless child without a guardian will be thoroughly excluded.’

Wouldn’t one be afraid to handle that alone?

Suleiman, somehow heartbroken, had these thoughts without realizing it.

It would be okay to ask for help or to be saved.

‘How difficult. How very difficult.’

He watched Navia, who thanked him for the towel while folding it and left with a cute greeting.

He suddenly came to the realization when he was about to tell her to leave the used towel.

There’s no one to clean it.

“……”

He approached Navia, who was trudging slowly, and picked her up.

“!”

“When do you think you’d make it up all those stairs? I will take you to your room.”

“I do not want to trouble you.”

“This is not a trouble. This is a natural action.”

It was awkward for Suleiman to take care of someone who was not his Lord, and it still felt hard, especially since the opponent was a child, but it felt quite good.

Would this be what it would feel like to have a granddaughter?

“I hope you will accept my help.”

When Suleiman said that, Navia nodded several times.

Certainly, as he said, it would have hurt to go up the stairs. It would also have been very slow.

So it should be okay to get this much help.

Navia found a reason and used it to hold onto Suleiman’s hem.

Navia looked at Suleiman’s reaction and found that he was quite favorable to her.

‘I haven’t told you anything that would benefit you yet, so why?’

Although she was stunned by the undeserved favor when her usefulness and value hadn’t been proved yet, it wasn’t bad.

No, speaking honestly, it was nice.

‘The people of Eseled are kind and good.’

Minerva, Margaret, and Suleiman.

She only saw three people, but they were all so kind and nice that she felt suspicious.

If goodwill’s such a common thing, why was there never such a thing in her own life?

“These clothes, you take it.”

Ah. There was one time.

‘Creed.’

No one knew what made Creed flow into here, but maybe thanks to growing up among these good people, he did her a pure favor for nothing?

Navia felt a little heavy in her chest for some reason.

‘Am I jealous of Creed?’

This warmth, this sweetness all belonged to Creed.

She’s stealing his nest only for a while.

She felt bitter envy to secretly taste a sweet dream that could not be hers.

‘I really seem like a bad child.’

Navia was accustomed to being treated as a child who stole other people’s things.

This was because she was always despised as a vicious child who always stole from Vivian and enjoyed luxuries that did not suit her.

Those were not of her own will. But this time, it was Navia’s choice.

Feeling like an actual rolling stone, Navia had to bite the tip of her tongue slightly.

“Oh, M-Miss!”

Navia looked up at the voice of Minerva, who was pacing in front of the door, calling her.

‘We’re already on the second floor.’

With her large bag in her hands, Minerva changed her glasses, and her eyes widened.

“Count? Why are you with the Miss…?”

“I had some work to do.”

Just in time, Margaret also appeared. In her hands, she held a tray full of sandwiches cut to eat and a tea pot.

“Good Morning, Miss Navia.”

Navia responded to the friendly greeting not too late.

“…Good Morning, Countess.”

“Hoho, just call me Margaret.”

‘How could I to someone of authority…’

Navia was flustered by Eseled, where aristocratic common sense did not exist.

Margaret soon saw Suleiman carrying Navia.

“Oh my, Suleiman. What an unexpected sight to see in the morning.”

From the teasing tone, Suleiman’s nose frowned and he turned away from the gently curved eyes.

“Well, it’s not that unexpected.”

Suleiman carefully let Navia down. Margaret looked down at the tray of sandwiches.

“If I knew there were so many people, I would have made more sandwiches.”

Navia’s gaze reached the sandwiched.

‘Um. It looks enough for everyone to have three.’

“A cup of tea is enough for me.”

As Suleiman spoke, he naturally opened Navia’s door but then stopped

“Ah. Now that it’s the little Lady’s room, I need permission. Will you invite me for breakfast?”

Margaret also joined his sly attitude.

“I did make a lot for all of us, so can we do that, Miss Navia?”

Minerva silently shifted her eyes, looking at Navia.

Navia’s eyes went wide when they asked to eat breakfast together.

For her, eating was work. It was something she had no choice but to do in order to reserve her physical strength.

But like this…

‘It’s like a family.’

Flustered, Navia spoke with her eyes to the ground.

“Of… course.”

Strangely, the moment she answered, her heart ached.

As expected, she seemed to be sick because she went around too much with an injured body.

While thinking so, Navia entered her bedroom together.

Sandwiches and tea pots were placed on the table for exactly four people.

Navia was standing to sit in the remaining chair after everyone sat down. But her body was lifted up again.

Suleiman had seated Navia in the chair where the window was visible.

“Since the weather is nice today, the little Lady should sit here.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you.”

Navia thanked him quickly.

Margaret and Suleiman, who read her embarrassment, took their seat with a happy smile, and called in Minerva.

“You can carry on with the treatment after the meal.”

“Yes, yes!”

It was a normal meal that couldn’t be called very aristocratic.

Navia picked up a sandwich with both hands and bit it. She felt the soft taste of the mashed potatoes and boiled eggs with mayonnaise.

‘It’s good.’

Next, Navia tasted a sandwich with plenty of jam and butter. It was also very good.

“It’s all very delicious… Miss Margaret.”

Margaret smiled happily when Navia added her name with a cautious look.

“Oh my, I can feel the reward from making it. Eat a lot.”

Yesterday’s soup was really good, but today’s meal was incomparably the best. It tasted sweeter than the cookies.

And, strangely enough, she had emptied the basket of cookies, so she should have been full with a single sandwich, but she had two.

That didn’t mean she was stuffed. Rather, she was able to finish the meal very pleasantly.

Navia carefully named this mood.

‘Is this happiness?’

Yes. She is very happy.

She is very happy to spend time, effort, or perhaps even more on such good people.