Chapter 5
I brought some water and carefully cleaned Baron’s hand. Then I put his index finger in my mouth and sucked on it.
“Hic?!”
Startled, Baron let out a small scream. I stepped outside and rinsed my mouth with water.
When I came back, his face was as red as a ripe tomato.
‘Well, he was born a noble, so this must be a culture shock. But in the countryside, we sometimes handle things like this.’
His purple eyes were shaking wildly. He looked truly shocked, which made me feel a little awkward.
“I sucked on it first, so maybe the thorn came out.”
“Huh?”
“I was trying to remove the thorn. Does it still hurt?”
Baron stared at the finger I had rinsed for him, then shook his head.
“N-no. I think it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
“That’s good.”
Relieved, I patted his shoulder.
“If it starts hurting, tell me. We’ll go to the clinic.”
“O-okay.”
He nodded.
“And don’t ever do something like that again.”
“It’s really fine—ah!”
“I’m not fine.”
Baron made a surprised sound when I poked his forehead with my finger.
“You’re a kid. You don’t need to work. Don’t worry about what adults think. Just play well, eat well, and sleep well. Got it?”
He stared at me.
“You have to answer, Baron, you little kid.”
“I told you not to call me little kid.”
Pouting, he nodded.
“Okay.”
“Good.”
I stopped scolding him and rolled up my sleeves. Then I put the sea snails we had gathered onto the stove.
They cooked quickly.
When they were done, I gently rolled them into a basket and placed it on the table. Baron came and sat across from me.
“I just crack these open and eat them, right?”
He held out his small hands as if he was about to open them himself, so I quickly stopped him.
“No, they’re hot. Stay still. They haven’t been fully cleaned yet, so if you eat them like that, they’ll be gritty. And you have to remove the salivary gland too, or your stomach might hurt.”
I skillfully took the snails apart and cleaned them. The tools weren’t great, but the snails were big, so I managed to keep only the good meat.
They looked like normal sea snails, but just in case they were a different kind, I took a bite first.
“Hmm.”
It tasted just like I knew—savory and chewy. Perfectly cooked.
“Alright. Let’s eat.”
I pushed most of the snail meat toward Baron.
“Y-you’re giving me this much?”
I smiled as I put my portion in my mouth.
“Kids need to eat a lot. And you were hungry, weren’t you?”
Baron stared at me, then pushed half of his portion back toward me.
“This is too much. You’re much bigger than me, so you should eat more. You must’ve been really hungry too.”
I pushed it back in front of him.
“No, I cooked a lot. I can clean more if I want. I’m an adult, so I’m fine. The kid eats first.”
“I’m really okay.”
“Hey. I told you to eat.”
When I put more firmness in my voice, he reluctantly nodded.
One bite, two bites. His mouth moved like a baby rabbit, chewing slowly. It was very cute.
‘You eat so well.’
Watching him made my nose sting a little.
Sometimes he seemed arrogant, but Baron was kind by nature.
Even though he was born a noble and still young, he thought about others and tried to give up his share.
Maybe he was used to being careful because he lost his parents early. Even so, he was mature and admirable.
…
After we finished eating, I made Baron rinse his mouth with clean seawater.
“It might feel uncomfortable, but bear with it. Tomorrow I’ll sell the snails and buy you a toothbrush.”
Baron kept his lips pressed together for a moment, then nodded.
“Sit here.”
If he brushed his teeth, he should wash his face too. I scooped up water with my hands and washed his face.
“Mmph?”
“Stay still. Let’s wash up and sleep.”
The sound of splashing water filled the small house. After carefully cleaning his small face, I pinched his nose.
“Okay, blow your nose.”
“Huh?”
He looked confused.
“Put strength into your nose and blow. Like this—hmph!”
“W-wait!”
Baron jumped up. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and looked completely shocked.
“What do you think I am?!”
“Don’t you have a runny nose? And dust must’ve built up inside.”
“T-that’s impossible!”
He stepped back, looking deeply embarrassed. Seeing how ashamed he seemed, I just nodded.
“What’s wrong with a kid having a runny nose? Fine, forget it.”
While he stood there covering his nose and watching me carefully, I finished washing up too.
Then I heard the sound of waves outside. The tide must have come in.
I went outside, brought in some seawater, and poured it into the biggest wooden tub we had. It was a temporary tank to clean the remaining snails. I placed the rest inside.
If I cleaned them like this overnight, breakfast would be easy.
“Whew, finally done for the day! Let’s sleep.”
I laid Baron down on the bed and lay beside him. It was time to rest.
The bed was old, and it creaked every time we moved.
Still, the blanket smelled fresh from the sun since I had washed and dried it earlier.
“It might be uncomfortable sharing for a while, but bear with it. I’ll earn money and buy you your own bed.”
Baron moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, then nodded.
I slid my arm under his head and pulled him into a hug.
Pat, pat.
“Go to sleep now.”
His body was stiff, like he was nervous.
Most kids would snuggle in comfortably, but maybe he wasn’t used to this.
“Has no adult ever put you to sleep like this?”
“Huh? Uh…”
“If it’s uncomfortable, I can stop.”
As I kept patting him, he finally relaxed and snuggled into my arms, closing his eyes.
“No, keep doing it. It feels nice.”
He didn’t quite touch me, only holding the edge of my clothes at my side. But the corners of his lips were slightly lifted.
‘That’s right. A child should be like this.’
He was so cute. What if I had left him at the orphanage?
Just imagining him wearing the same expressions as the children there made my chest tighten.
I was glad I didn’t leave him behind.
“Have a good dream, Baron.”
“You too… noona.”
Seeing his peaceful face made me feel peaceful too.
I closed my eyes. The exhaustion finally caught up to me.
That night, while Hayley slept deeply, a small figure stood about a hundred meters away from the old cabin.
“Ignis Fatus.”
As soon as the quiet words fell, a sphere of white light appeared in the air.
It was the strange light Baron had claimed was a flashing firefly when Hayley asked about it.
About the size of an adult man’s fist, the Ignis Fatus was a type of spirit known for shining very brightly.
As the sphere glowed, the surroundings lit up, revealing the small figure’s face.
It was Baron.
But unlike during the day, his eyes were no longer purple—they were red.
Even though red is a warm color, his gaze felt cold. The childish atmosphere he showed in front of Hayley was completely gone.
Baron looked at the glowing sphere with the attitude of someone who ruled the world.
Earlier, when darkness had just fallen, Baron had summoned the Ignis Fatus.
So that Hayley would not lose her way and could return home safely.
He had worried she might be startled by the strange light, but she needed a clear marker to guide her back.
He had also called his other subordinates to roughly clean the house. Since Hayley tried to help him, he thought he should repay her to some extent.
When Hayley returned, using the light as a guide, she had indeed looked puzzled.
But Baron had used the excuse of a flashing firefly to hide the true identity of the Ignis Fatus.
When he asked if she wanted him to catch and tame it for her, her eyes had flickered and the corner of her lips had twitched. To Baron, that meant the Ignis Fatus would be very useful to her.
Remembering her expression, a small laugh escaped his lips.
‘Well, at night it’s brighter than a lantern. It’s useful in many ways.’
Soon, Baron gave an order to the Ignis Fatus.
“Listen carefully. From now on, you are a flashing firefly.
