Chapter 004
“Ivan, why are you always lying there? I cleaned the floor, but the bed would be more comfortable for you.”
“I’m not sleeping on the bed.”
Ivan, his stomach full of the meat he had eaten until he was satisfied, spread his blanket randomly on the floor and lay down on it.
The woman sat by the bedside, watching him quietly, then suddenly picked up a pillow and came down to lie beside him.
She had looked exhausted since mealtime, rubbing her eyes heavily, then she yawned and blew out the candle.
“Are you going to sleep here?”
“Yes, Ivan. Aren’t you cold? Should I get you something to cover yourself with?”
Ivan shook his head quietly and looked at the woman lying next to him. The sound of her faint breathing increased slightly.
Is she really mad? Despite everything, she didn’t seem like a deranged person. She didn’t carry flowers or talk to the air.
The woman with the green roof knew nothing but wandering the streets, but this one cleaned and cooked perfectly.
“Mom.”
“… Yes?”
She answered in a faint voice that betrayed her sleepiness.
“Are you sleepy?”
The woman suddenly opened her eyes.
“Why, Ivan? Can’t you sleep?”
She reached out to stroke his head gently, her cool hand passing over his forehead with a pleasant sensation.
“Tomorrow we will go to the bathhouse to wash. You need to sleep now.”
“What will we eat tomorrow? And when will I be able to eat what we ate today again? I mean the pork.”
Ivan had never tasted food like that before.
Even the candy Inn gave him and the sweet bread he ate after being beaten were not better than the pork he had today.
“Was it delicious?”
“Yes, very delicious.”
Eating roasted pork with rice wrapped in vegetables was like a fantasy.
Despite his stomach being full, the thought of the meat made him wish he had eaten more.
“We will eat it again soon, and tomorrow I will prepare something delicious for you as well. I brought a lot of ingredients.”
The woman wiped Ivan’s eyes with a sly smile.
“So, sleep now.”
Ivan opened his eyes again and looked at the woman who had closed her eyes to sleep.
Did she live in the capital?
Suddenly she had appeared; perhaps her family was searching for her eagerly.
If they reach here, maybe they will take her with them?
In that case…
His heart beat fast, and a feeling of anxiety throbbed in his chest.
“Mom.”
“…”
“Mom.”
Ivan shook the woman’s shoulder after a long silence without an answer.
“Yes?”
“… How long will you stay here?”
“What?”
“How long will you stay by my side?”
She reached out to stroke his face gently, then continued in a weak but firm voice.
“As long as you call me Mom, I will stay by your side.”
“… What do you mean by that?”
Ivan watched the woman as she continued massaging his back. After a while, her movement became slower, until it stopped completely.
The sound of her steady and comfortable breathing continued to increase Ivan’s sense of security.
He was never afraid of the dark. He was used to sleeping alone in the house.
But now, he felt an unbearable anxiety, so he shook her again to wake her up.
“I can’t sleep.”
“… Yes.”
“Really, I can’t sleep, Mom.”
It seems this woman truly considers him her son. She says ‘your mom’ to him and makes him feel secure.
Would she leave if she discovered later that all this was just a trick?
The woman was kind and a bit foolish, but firm.
If the lie were exposed, she would leave the place without hesitation, just as she did when she chased the ‘bear’.
“… Do you want me to tell you an interesting story?”
The woman whispered in a low, drawn-out voice, hugging Ivan in her arms.
“A long time ago, when tigers used to smoke, it was said that a Dragon King lived in the depths of the sea.”
The woman began the tale quietly.
Ivan would nudge her to bring back the weakening voice; the tale would stop each time, then continue when he shook her again, the events getting mixed up and the narration becoming strange.
When the story reached the point where the turtle took the rabbit to the depths of the sea, Ivan stopped shaking her.
‘Ivan, your mom is back.’
‘As long as I am your mother, I won’t go anywhere.’
He clung tighter to the warmth of the woman’s embrace.
* * *
She woke up after her sleep following dinner to the hardness of the floor that made her back ache.
“Ah.”
The sound of my breath hitching in pain mingled with Ivan’s faint breathing.
It didn’t seem that the child was in pain from sleeping on the hard floor.
I looked at the softer mattress, then turned to the window.
The room was a bit dark, as if the sun had not risen long ago.
After a full day of cleaning and chaos, I felt pain in my body, and my eyes were heavy with sleepiness. I wanted to sleep beside him, but I remembered the dishes piled up since yesterday evening.
Unfortunately, I had to wash them before breakfast.
“I must get up.”
If I were alone, I wouldn’t have cared about breakfast, but with Ivan’s presence, not a single meal can be missed.
Ivan is small and thin; he cannot be allowed to skip food.
I promised myself to be a good guardian to him, so how much time has passed since then?
I carefully stepped out of the house so as not to wake him.
Behind the house, there was a small well, used by the residents for laundry and cleaning dishes.
At this early hour, there was no one, so the place was empty.
I washed the dishes with salt quickly, after learning the method from others who were washing here yesterday.
It was difficult to remove the pork fat, but after three wipes, the dishes were no longer shiny or greasy.
“Ah, it’s finally over.”
I stretched my body after leaning over, and felt pain in my back. Despite a long time passing, there was no one else at the well.
“Am I the only one who delayed washing the dishes from dinner?”
I felt a little satisfaction at seeing the clean dishes, but it faded quickly.
“How diligent they are!”
I raised my head to see the quiet houses, which looked as if their people were still asleep.
The buildings around the well resembled our house—huddled together, without decorations, their doors rusted.
It was clear it was a poor area, and most of the houses seemed empty.
Despite my busy tour yesterday from the well to the market, I didn’t see anyone who knew me.
“Are there few people living here? So many houses, so few residents.”
I haven’t been able to find out my name in this world, and no one has called me by my name.
Ivan only calls me ‘Mom’.
With all these harsh conditions, I focused my sight on the lined-up doors.
“… Alright, I will put in the effort first.”
After long thought, I decided to be more active.
From all the data, it seems I am just a minor character in this world.
I am not particularly beautiful, and perhaps no poor woman caring for her child would be a main character.
In contrast, Ivan looks as if he is a main character, with large sparkling eyes, a turned-up nose, and perfectly shaped red lips.
If the color of his hair and eyes didn’t match mine, I would have doubted we were of the same blood.
If this world is indeed the world of the novel, then Ivan is undoubtedly the main character.
The sound of a sudden cat’s cry doubled the intensity of my attention.
The empty street echoed the cats’ cries, adding a strange and frightening atmosphere to the place.
The nighttime atmosphere was completely different from the daytime, where the city seemed friendly amidst the people; now, silence prevailed.
I listened to the continuous sound of the cats and felt a chill, so I stood up carrying the dishes quickly.
