CHAPTER 25
“…!”
It was a simple question for Ayla, but her face lit up with joy.
This is the difference between getting a test graded and raising your hand to speak in front of others.
I turned to Aslan and said,
“Aslan, now you understand, right? It’s not saga—it’s sagwa (apple).”
I smiled as I neatly wrote the word on the board.
Aslan puffed out his cheeks in frustration.
“Ugh! I’ll get the next one right!”
“Alright, alright. Next question! What’s this one?”
Aslan dove into the blocks with even more determination, and Ayla also became noticeably more active.
Aslan was faster again.
“Aslan! Tree!”
“Aslan, correct!”
“Yay!”
Looks like all the vocabulary practice I drilled into him before Ayla arrived has paid off—he’s getting the simple words now.
And I’m not just saying this because he’s my kid, but Aslan really is smart.
Aslan jumped up in joy, while Ayla slumped slightly, as if thinking, “I knew that one…”
I continued drawing cards and asking questions. For the easier words, quick-handed Aslan usually answered first, while for the harder ones, clever Ayla took the lead.
“Aslan! Cloud!”
“A-Ayla… Rainbow!”
By the time we reached the last card, Ayla’s voice had grown noticeably more confident compared to the start.
‘She may not like competition, but sometimes it’s the perfect way to boost a shy child’s confidence.’
Even at the kids’ café, kids who barely mumbled would suddenly shout answers when snacks like chocolate were on the line.
When we finally finished the last card, an hour had already passed.
“Alright, class is over for today!”
“Already? Let’s do more, Mom!”
“Hup—What do we say in the classroom? Call me teacher! Even if we wanted to continue, there are no more cards.”
I waved my empty hands to show them we were really done, and both kids slumped with disappointed pouts.
Ayla seemed to have had fun too.
“Don’t be sad. I’ve got more fun lessons coming.”
“…!”
Both kids brightened up at once.
Just then, a loud gurgle echoed through the study room.
Aslan stayed relaxed, but Ayla blushed furiously and held her stomach with both hands.
“S-sorry!”
“Mom, I’m hungry! Let’s eat!”
It was amazing how completely different their reactions were.
Adorable, really.
Aslan is cute on his own, but with Ayla in the mix, it’s double the happiness.
Since it was about lunchtime, I made a suggestion.
“No need to apologize. That’s just a natural sound. Why don’t we eat lunch before our second lesson?”
“Yay, Mom!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ayla quietly rose and even pushed in her chair, while Aslan shot out of his seat like he’d been waiting for the chance.
Seriously, these two couldn’t be more different.
Unable to hide my amusement, I took both their hands and headed to the dining room.
“Let’s eat!”
“Thank you for the meal.”
We arrived at the dining room and began lunch.
Even during meals, I couldn’t take my eyes off the kids—especially Aslan.
“Hey, hey! Aslan! You’re spilling everything!”
“Slurp.”
“Don’t eat off the table!”
I was practically exhausted just trying to keep up with Aslan.
Thankfully, Ayla was the picture of grace.
As expected, even her table manners were flawless.
But then, I noticed something strange.
‘That’s odd—wasn’t she hungry just a moment ago?’
She was using her fork diligently, but something about her looked uncomfortable.
During the puzzle game earlier, she had started off timid but eventually got excited. Now, it was like she was worried about something again.
Could it be… she doesn’t like our food?
‘No way. Gray’s cooking is amazing.’
Even though he used to be a knight, Gray could cook as well as a royal chef.
I asked Ayla,
“Ayla, do you not like the food?”
“N-no! It’s delicious, ma’am.”
She quickly brightened her face and replied.
But it was clearly a forced smile.
I spoke gently, concerned.
“If you don’t like it, you can say so. You don’t have to eat it if it’s not to your taste.”
“I-it’s not that…”
Ayla kept insisting she was fine, but barely ate and kept watching me anxiously.
I wasn’t expecting one class to magically fix her shyness, but I hadn’t thought it would return this quickly either.
‘I know my face isn’t exactly popular with kids…’
Children love pretty faces, but Minerva’s features—while beautiful—were a bit intense.
Even if I tried smiling sweetly, I couldn’t help my naturally sharp features.
As I was wondering what to do—
Aslan suddenly stabbed a big piece of meat from his plate and held it out to Ayla.
“Ayla, Gray’s cooking is really good! Try this!”
“W-wait a sec—!”
The sudden closeness made Ayla recoil instinctively.
But Aslan was determined to feed her, so he pushed the fork at her again.
“Just once~! Just try it once, please?”
“A-Aslan, I can eat on my own…”
“But you haven’t been eating!”
Aslan flailed his arms dramatically as he whined.
I had a bad feeling. I got up just in time to say—
“Stop—Aslan, wait!”
Thud! Splash!
“Ah…!”
“Gasp…”
Just as I feared, Aslan dropped the fork.
The meat, drenched in rich sauce, bounced off Ayla’s chest and lap before hitting the floor.
If only that were all.
In the chaos, Aslan also knocked over a bowl of soup—straight onto Ayla’s knee.
Her lovely sky-blue dress was ruined.
I’m screwed.
Ayla winced, clearly in pain from the bowl hitting her leg.
I rushed to her side.
“Ayla, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”
I checked her expression carefully.
It hadn’t fallen from a great height, but maybe the bowl was heavy? Or maybe the soup was still hot?
Despite the pain, Ayla forced a smile.
“I’m alright, ma’am.”
“You’re not alright—you got hit by a bowl!”
“I’m more worried about the dress…”
Ayla looked down at her ruined dress.
It was a fine sky-blue garment, likely something rare in the countryside. Her sorrowful expression showed how much she valued it.
I hadn’t noticed the dress until now.
Now it was soaked in soup, oil, and sauce—completely ruined.
I tried wiping it with a napkin, but the stains had already soaked deep into the fabric.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Ayla.”
“No, really, I’m fine.”
Her words didn’t match her face.
She looked like she might cry at any moment.
Seeing this, even Aslan finally apologized—something he rarely did.
“S-sorry, Ayla…”
His shoulders drooped in guilt. Honestly, even if Ayla got mad, she’d have every right.
The bowl hit her leg, and her favorite dress was destroyed—and yet, Ayla smiled faintly and comforted Aslan.
“I’m okay, Aslan.”
“But still…”
I’d never seen Aslan this remorseful.
Reprimanding him could wait.
I took Ayla’s hand.
“Let’s go upstairs for a bit so I can check if you’re hurt.”
“I’ll go too, Mom!”
Aslan got up to follow, but Ayla looked almost horrified and quickly shook her head.
“I-it’s really fine! Just give me a change of clothes and I’ll take care of it…”
“Come on, you looked like you were really hurt earlier! If we don’t treat it properly, it might scar!”
“I-I really am fine…”
I couldn’t let her go off alone when she might’ve gotten hurt because of my child.
I practically dragged Ayla up to my room.
She couldn’t resist an adult’s strength, but she clearly felt embarrassed about undressing. She kept trying to escape.
“M-ma’am, I’m really okay. Just let me change—”
Her face was red as a tomato.
I had forgotten that, unlike Aslan who had no shame about stripping in front of me, Ayla was very modest.
Feeling guilty, I let go of her hand.
“Sorry, Ayla. That made you uncomfortable. I’ll just undo the back buttons for you and then leave. You can’t take that dress off by yourself, right?”
Still tense from embarrassment, Ayla paused, then nodded reluctantly.
“Th-then… please, ma’am.”
Good. I was thinking I’d need to call a maid, but she seemed more comfortable with me.
I asked Aslan,
“Aslan, could you lend Ayla some of your clothes?”
“Yep! I’ll get my favorite one!”
Aslan ran off to his wardrobe.
Meanwhile, I carefully began undoing the buttons and ribbons at the back of Ayla’s dress.
Then I saw it.
‘…?’
A faint red horizontal line across her back—almost faded, but still there.
I instinctively leaned in to get a closer look.
But then—
“M-ma’am!”
Startled, Ayla spun around.
Because the buttons and ribbons were undone, the dress slipped to the floor, revealing her white underdress.
“Ah…”
Ayla quickly raised her arms to cover herself.
In doing so, her bare arms came into full view—and there, too, I saw multiple line-shaped marks.
Those marks…
Whip marks?
