PSML 11

Chapter 11

If someone asked me to name the most terrible moments of my life, I would choose two: the deaths of my brother and sister-in-law, and Dioana’s disappearance.

The day Dioana vanished, I howled in despair, overwhelmed by the helplessness and fear that I might lose her too.

To explain that day in more detail—it was not long after we had held the funeral for my brother and sister-in-law.

Maybe about a week had passed.

Even though Dioana didn’t fully understand the concept of death, she seemed to instinctively know that her mom and dad would no longer hold her the way they used to. For a while, she would cry herself into a fever every night.

The child, sobbing as if her heart would give out, couldn’t sleep properly for days, plagued by nightmares. When night came, everyone in the castle had to be on high alert, watching over her as she tried to sleep.

Of course, I couldn’t sleep peacefully on my own, leaving my niece like that. So I spent those nights sleeping in Dioana’s room, caring for her as she whimpered and tossed in her sleep.

The nanny, the maids—everyone helped me. But that didn’t mean raising a child became any easier.

I had never raised a child before, didn’t know what being a parent meant, and everything felt like a blur.

I shouldn’t have, but at one point, I resented my brother and sister-in-law for leaving only Dioana behind and going off.

At the time, I didn’t know that raising a child required such sacrifice.

If I had known, I would have set the rules of this world I created differently—made it so that “childcare is easy” or even “childcare level: maxed out.”

Anyway, that day too, I barely managed to put a crying Dioana to sleep.

I hadn’t had proper rest in days, so as I gently patted the small child’s back, I eventually fell asleep like I’d passed out.

Maybe the stress had built up for too long—that night, I had a nightmare.

I don’t even remember what the dream was about, but it was enough that I didn’t notice Dioana slipping out.

Usually, I would’ve woken up the moment she shifted even slightly in her sleep.

The strange thing was that no one noticed when Dioana got out of bed, went out to the balcony, tied some cloths together, climbed down to the first floor, and then wandered into the forest.

When I woke up from the nightmare, I saw the cold, empty spot where she had been, and rain pouring in through the wide-open balcony doors—and my heart sank.

From dawn until daybreak, every single person in House Steren scoured not just the castle but also the surrounding forest, calling out for her over and over for hours.

Even with torches, the pouring rain extinguished the flames immediately. The wind raged with the storm, as if preparing to swallow Dioana whole.

Tiny footprints in the muddy ground led into the forest.

We sent hunting dogs and all our men to search, but the child was nowhere to be found.

My robe, hastily thrown over my nightclothes, was soaked through.

With rain like this… if she went near the river…

The thought alone was unbearable. I shook my head and, despite everyone’s protests, ran toward the river.

“Your Grace, going to the river is suicidal. Please let us go instead—just stay here.”

“How can I stay put when Dioana is still missing? Let me go. I’ll search this area—you go that way.”

Then, I heard it. A child’s cry.

At first, I thought it was just the wind blowing between the trees. But when I listened again—it was definitely Dioana’s voice.

The moment I heard it, I ran as fast as I could.

My boots came off in the mud, and I ran barefoot. Twigs and branches scratched at my face and body. It was foolish, reckless even.

I was the Archduke, tasked with defending the border. For all I knew, it could’ve been a trap to assassinate me, and I was running straight into it unarmed.

But what choice did I have? Dioana was calling for me from that direction.

So I ran—and I found her there.

She was soaked from head to toe, coughing and sobbing uncontrollably, dressed in unfamiliar clothes.

“Auntie! Waaah!”

“Dioana! It’s okay, it’s okay. Auntie’s here. You’re safe now. Oh God… what happened to you…?”

I hugged her tightly and patted her to calm her down. I didn’t care that I was covered in mud, soaked to the bone.

Jeremy and the nanny soon arrived and covered Dioana—who had fallen asleep in my arms—with a blanket. She had no injuries and was returned to me safe and sound.

She did suffer from a high fever for a while afterward, but thankfully, it didn’t turn into pneumonia—just a minor cold.

A few days later, as I tucked a thermometer under her arm, I asked,

“Dioana, can you tell Auntie why you went out to the balcony? Why you went into the forest? I’m not scolding you—I just want to understand.”

“Um… I don’t really remember. When I came to, I was already in the forest. I was scared and wanted to come back to Auntie, but it was so dark. So I cried a lot. Then it started raining, like, really hard.”

Her words were shocking.

“So I ran more. Then I got thirsty, so I went near the river. But then the water was like—bam! It covered me. I called for you while choking. It hurt my nose and I couldn’t open my eyes. It was so cold. But then someone grabbed me and pulled me out. A really pretty person.”

“A pretty person?”

“Yeah. But it was a boy. Anyway, he asked if I was okay, and when I said I was cold, he gave me his coat. He said he’d go get help and told me to wait right there. But I was scared, so I cried. Then, bam! Auntie came!”

“What did the boy look like?”

“You wouldn’t know even if I told you. Because he’s my guardian angel! I asked if he was my guardian angel and he said yes. And then he said we have to keep it a secret. He said I shouldn’t tell anyone… Oh no, I broke my promise.”

“…He told you to keep it secret?”

“Yeah. It’s a secret now. So stop asking, Auntie. What if my guardian angel leaves?”

“Alright, I won’t ask anymore.”

After that, we increased security around the estate. We searched the nearby forest, trying to identify the mysterious man who had saved Dioana.

Part of it was to reward him, but we also feared Dioana had been involved in something dangerous.

It didn’t make sense. Dioana had always been a deep sleeper. Even if she suddenly developed sleepwalking, how could a four-year-old tie bedsheets together and climb down from the balcony? Wake up in the forest without realizing?

It was absurd.

Someone had to be targeting her. But we never found the one who saved her—or lured her into the woods.

“—You’re saying Puppy was the guardian angel who saved Dio back then?”

“Yeah! I wasn’t gonna say it, but I had to. I’m sure! Puppy remembered me too!”

So you can’t kill Puppy. He’s my guardian angel! He’s my Puppy now! If you hurt him, I’ll be really mad! You’ll get cursed!

I was speechless at Dioana’s bold declaration.

…That man was the one who saved Dioana that day?

Then he’s been near the estate for nearly three years? And yet he managed to stay hidden all this time? My soldiers don’t even let a mouse escape—how did they not catch him once?

And now, he gets caught because he falls off the wall? The same man who hid like a ghost for three years?

…Was he caught on purpose?

With that thought, I slowly rose from my seat.

Dioana, noticing my serious expression, clutched my sleeve and pleaded,

“Auntie, please don’t kill Puppy. He’s a good person. Okay?”

“Dioana… that’s for me to decide.”

“Don’t kill him…”

“I won’t—if he really is a good person. I hope you understand Auntie’s position too. If he truly is your guardian angel, like you said, I’ll let him stay here.”