Chapter 02…
“……”
“……”
“……”
Among the dumbfounded adults standing frozen in silence, only the child stood proudly with her chest puffed out.
A deep silence filled the lobby.
I was the first to regain my senses.
“W–what did you just say? Uh… Artea…?”
“Hmph!”
There was no need to ask, ‘You’re Artea, right?’
The child didn’t deny it—she only snorted in response.
Besides, she had just called me “Aunt.”
‘Am I dreaming right now? Or hallucinating?’
Wow. One day, my niece just… shows up out of nowhere.
Before even the thank-you card I had been hoping for.
‘I was thinking about Artea earlier, but still—what is this?’
She looked exactly like the niece I had imagined.
And yet, this sudden reunion… wasn’t touching at all.
“Is she your niece, ma’am?”
“Yes, she is.”
The child looked up at me with clear, bright eyes.
Just moments ago, I’d thought I’d never be able to face her.
Now, I could barely believe this was real.
I looked to the peacekeeper nearby, silently asking for an explanation.
“We found the child standing alone in the street,” he said. “It seemed dangerous, so we brought her here.”
“Artea was alone?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I looked around, but there was no nanny, no maid.
Sure, I was her aunt—if she wanted to see me, I guess she could have come.
But to show up so suddenly, without notice?
In either life, past or present, I had no experience dealing with children.
So I awkwardly spoke first.
“Artea. You didn’t come all by yourself, right? Where’s your nanny? Your maid? What about a guard knight? Did you get separated from them, or…?”
“Why are you looking for other people?”
Her voice turned sharp.
I could only answer inwardly.
‘Well, because I doubt a child could explain how she came all this way by herself.’
The duke’s mansion was far from here.
At least a full day’s ride by carriage.
And yet, she came that entire distance… alone? Without anyone stopping her?
I subtly signaled to the servants to find out how she had managed to get here.
‘If the mansion were nearby, or if she were fifteen or older, I wouldn’t be this flustered!’
I had thought I’d cry at the sight of my sister’s face on her,
but instead, I felt only shock and bewilderment.
Still… I had to do something.
‘Her cheeks are puffing up—she looks about ready to explode! Ugh, if I’d known she was coming, I would’ve at least prepared something kids like!’
Right. She’s a child, and I’m the adult.
So it’s on me to take the lead.
I cleared my throat a few times, softening my tone.
“Um, the Killiet Duchy is really far away, you know? When I didn’t see anyone with you and the peacekeepers said you were alone, I got worried, that’s all—”
“I did come alone.”
“…What?”
A brief silence.
I quickly dismissed the thought that crossed my mind and asked again, gently.
“So, wow, you mean after getting separated from the adults, you came here all by yourself following the peacekeepers?”
“That’s right!”
Her chin lifted proudly.
She was tiny, but the twitching corners of her mouth told me she was pleased with my reaction.
“Impressive, right? I snuck out without the adults knowing!”
“…Huh?”
My voice dropped again.
“You snuck out from the duke’s mansion? By yourself?”
What…?
“The nanny was always hovering around, so I thought I couldn’t do it, but I ran away! That’s what it’s called!”
“What?”
“You’re an adult and don’t even know what ‘running away’ means? I’m six and even I know!”
“It’s not that—”
“Running away means sneaking out of your house! Ahem! I use big words all the time, you see!”
Artea began to boast proudly, rambling about how clever she was and how many big words she knew.
Her story was all over the place, but one thing was perfectly clear.
‘Artea… ran away from home.’
That can’t be real.
My mind went blank, spiraling into chaos.
‘No one noticed the duke’s daughter sneaking out?’
A noble young lady is supposed to live under the strictest security and constant care.
Even for an ordinary child, traveling such a long distance alone is absurd—
and yet, the Killiet Duke’s daughter ran away, and no one noticed?
How little attention were they paying to her?
“Artea. Running away isn’t something to be proud of. Do you realize what you’ve done?”
Just yesterday, I’d heard about a whole village being destroyed by rampaging monsters.
Kidnappings, disappearances, all sorts of dangers filled my mind.
My voice, which I had tried to keep gentle, grew heavy.
“You were lucky nothing happened on the way here, but it was very dangerous. What if someone bad had tried to hurt you?”
Despite my confusion, I was still a mage from the Tower.
Mages are proud and stubborn by nature—masters of logic and rhetoric.
Arguing others into silence was practically my specialty.
“Leaving the adults behind and coming out alone is nothing to brag about!”
“Uu… uuuh…”
But my eloquence didn’t shine this time.
“Artea?”
I had overlooked one crucial fact:
my opponent wasn’t a stubborn mage—she was a six-year-old child.
I had never once argued with someone like that before.
“Uwaaaah!”
Instead of admitting defeat, she burst into loud, snotty tears.
‘Where did that proud little girl from earlier go? Why is she crying all of a sudden?!’
Her confidence evaporated, and I was left flailing before a crying child.
“Um, hey—”
“Waaah!”
Her wailing only grew louder.
In the end, I froze completely and began blurting apologies.
“I’m sorry, Auntie’s sorry!”
Today will go down in history.
Never in my life have I been defeated so utterly and so quickly….
***
“I—I hate you! Uwaaaah!”
“Artea, I only said that because I was worried about you! I don’t hate you!”
“Liar!”
“The world’s dangerous! There are bad adults out there! I was just scared something might’ve happened to you!”
I kept apologizing, coaxing her gently, patting her tiny shoulders, repeating over and over that I didn’t hate her.
At last, my effort seemed to show results.
“If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t have asked so many questions, right?”
“Sniff…”
Thankfully, it seemed to work a little—
Artea hadn’t stopped crying yet, but she finally lifted her head.
That’s when I noticed it.
‘Huh?’
Earlier, she’d come suddenly, hiding something behind her back.
Now, through her tears, I saw it clearly.
“I’m not a thoughtless dummy!”
It was a tattered, purple stuffed cat—hugged so tightly it was falling apart.
A very familiar toy.
“This—this is what Auntie sent me! You said it would protect me!”
Right. I had written that on the card that came with the doll.
“You look like a little kitten, Artea—cute and dainty, just like your mom!
Bellona. A cat suits you too!”
When Artea was just a baby,
even before her features were fully defined, her slightly upturned eyes had reminded me of my sister’s.
So when I made the stuffed cat, I used violet thread for the eyes—
the same color we all shared.
‘I did enchant it for protection, but still…’
Her lovely purple eyes were now filled with tears of indignation.
She couldn’t express herself well, but her gaze said clearly:
“I didn’t come here without thinking.”
“Since I have Nyanya, I wasn’t scared at all. I don’t need any adults!”
“I see…”
And finally, I realized my mistake.
After years apart—after losing her parents in an accident, no less—
she had finally come to see her aunt, and I’d scolded her right away.
Of course she cried.
‘I should’ve greeted her properly first, listened to her, then told her not to do it again.’
I’d never been close to any children.
I’d certainly never raised one.
This was entirely my fault.
I’d just been… too on edge.
“I’m really sorry for raising my voice earlier.”
“Hic…”
“But Artea, please remember—
I didn’t say those things because I hate you. I said them because I care about you.”
I knelt down to meet her eyes directly.
“Hello, Artea. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Hmph.”
“My name is Bellona Sortis. And yes, I’m your aunt.”
I didn’t mean to scare you.
It’s just… I’ve always wanted to see you.
“I’ve missed you, Artea. I’ve thought about you so many times.”
“……”
“Here, look.”
I took her small hand and led her into my workshop.
It was cluttered with unfinished magical tools and sketches.
“Just like when I sent you that kitten doll, I was making another birthday present for you.”
Artea’s eyes widened as she looked at the table.
I smiled softly.
“Just a moment ago, I was working on it—while thinking about you.”
“……”
“Artea, do you know how to read yet?”
I gently guided her hand toward the desk, where my notes lay—
sketches, designs, and scribbled thoughts about her.
Would Artea like this?
I wish I could ask her in person.
How tall is she now? I want to size it just right…
By then, her tears had stopped completely.
“If I’d known you were coming, Auntie would’ve prepared delicious food and fun toys for you. Next time, I promise I will. So can you forgive me, just this once?”
“’Kay… I forgi’e you.”
Relief washed over me—
until I heard her whisper under her breath.
“…I’m glad. I thought Auntie hated me too…”
Wait—what did she just say?
