âHuh? You donât have a mother?â
Only then did the childâs voice show embarrassment. His face lost that insolent look, and he started fidgeting, glancing at me awkwardly and quickly looking away.
But since he realized that he made a slip of the tongue, doesnât this mean that heâs no longer a total jerk?
Just so you know, I was totally fine without my mother.
Yes, it was a shame that she died just after I was born. I never got to experience the care of a birth mother. But that also meant that she was a complete stranger to me. What kind of affection could I have had towards her when I hadnât even seen her face?
Even if I did know her, I wouldâve been comforted by the thought that my mother would be reborn somewhere else and living well as a baby.
Everyone dies and is born again. Just like me now.
âYes, my mother died giving birth to me.â
âUhh⦠Mmmm. Right.â
The little boy stuttered at my nonchalant response. He, who had been so rude and full of himself till now, began to look at me differently.
The sudden change in his attitude confused me, but then I remembered that this little boy had also lost his mother when he was young. Currently, there were only two living members in the ducal family; the Grand Duke and the little one in front of me.
Youâre being so cautious because you became aware that I donât have a mother, right? Do you think that itâs a wound to others just because youâre hurting? What if it really doesnât matter to me that my mother isnât here?
But I didnât explain all this and let him misunderstand. I just wanted to get out of here.
âMe tooâ¦â
I didnât understand what he meant and looked at him questioningly. He whispered in a grave voice as if he was telling a big secret.
âI donât have a mother either.â
He looked so sad after saying this. Where is that arrogant kid from a while ago? The person in front of me is just a vulnerable little boy.
I immediately regretted my words and struggled to find a way to comfort him. I was so immature! I shouldâve kept in mind that he was just a kid and not spoken so carelessly.
Not everyone remembers their past life like me. An eight-year-old child with no mother must be so lonely. Unless it was an unusual situation like mine, he couldnât help but miss his motherâs affection.
He seemed to be a mean child, so I wanted to be far away from him, but I donât like him being so downcast. No matter how evil he is, heâs still just a kid.
âItâs okay, itâs okay.â
I went to his side and patted his back with my small hand. I donât know whether it was any comfort to him, but the boy did look a little embarrassed.
Gosh, this is awkward! But itâll only turn more uncomfortable if I stop now, so I pretended to be oblivious and continued patting.
âItâs okay, itâs okay.â
âWh-what are you doing? No, forget it. Iâm fine even if you donât worry.â
He grabbed my hand and snapped. The weak little boy, so lonely without his mother, completely disappeared.
Sigh. He had seemed a bit more his age while looking depressed, but now he is back to being his arrogant self. I made a mistake. I shouldâve known that that crappy personality wouldnât disappear so quickly.
I tried to pull my hand away, but the kid held on with greater strength. When I met his eyes inquiringly, he asked brusquely.
âYou, what was your name again?â
Somehow, it felt ominous. But I couldnât not answer since he was asking, so I did.
âItâs Arendine Aide.â
âIâm Kirsec Rheinfont.â
I knew even before you told me! Thatâs why I tried to run away!
Well, I still wanted to run away, but he seemed to be waiting for something. So I reluctantly opened my mouth.
â⦠Kirsec Rheinfont.â
Kirsecâs mouth tipped up when I said his name aloud.
My eyes widened. But he immediately hardened his expression and, reaching out, pressed down hard on my head. He forced down my head, and I wrapped my hands over it in pain. He was having fun, playing with my head like before.