Chapter 3…
Did I hear that wrong?
“Then what is this?”
But the current topic of conversation was toys, and there were too many things I couldn’t ask right now.
I had only just managed to calm her down by changing the subject to toys, after all.
Still, Artea ran away from home… She might be exaggerating because she’s a child, but… I need to check everything that seems suspicious.
A moment ago, when I asked whether she had really come here alone, she burst into tears.
Even now, I can still feel her uneven breathing.
Don’t rush. Ask her step by step, so she doesn’t get scared. Now isn’t the right time!
If she starts crying again, she might really close her heart to me.
I didn’t know the first thing about dealing with children, but I had at least learned something from earlier.
Besides, I wasn’t planning on sending her back to the Duke’s estate right away anyway.
I hadn’t even thought about contacting them before I understood the situation.
What if she had been abused or neglected? My head was already spinning with worries.
I suppressed my urge to press her for an answer and instead smiled softly.
I needed to make sure she knew that I didn’t dislike her.
“This is a magic wand that makes bubbles.”
“Bubbles?”
“Yep. If you press this button… ta-da!”
Pyo-rorong.
From the wand’s tip, a glowing bubble emerged, shining like a rainbow.
“Huh?”
At that moment, a look of pure wonder began to sparkle in Artea’s tearful eyes.
I pressed the button again, and dozens of bubbles shot out at once.
Brilliant spheres filled the air around her—it was like a world made of light.
“Wooooow!”
She gasped in awe, reaching out eagerly to touch them.
The moment her tiny fingers brushed a bubble, it vanished, but I quickly made more.
“More! Make more!”
Artea chased after the floating bubbles, running down the hallway with quick little steps.
As if she had never cried at all, her feet were as light as the bubbles drifting through the air.
“Then how about we play with even more bubbles?”
“Yeah! Yeah, yeah!”
The place I led Artea to next was the bathroom.
When we first met, I had been too flustered to notice—but she was filthy.
Her clothes were dusty, as if she had rolled across the floor, and sticky mud clung to her black shoes.
“What did you call these again?”
“Bubbles!”
“Aha! Bubbles, bubbles… This is amazing! Fun! More!”
Thankfully, my quick-witted servants had already prepared the bath.
When I dropped a pastel-colored bath bomb into the tub, Artea’s eyes lit up again in amazement.
“It’s like a rainbow world! It’s so pretty and cute and awesome! Auntie, you’re the greatest in the whole world!”
Looking up at me with eyes sparkling with joy and excitement, Artea grinned from ear to ear.
The effort had been worth it. I couldn’t help but chuckle, my expression softening.
“Are you a wizard, Auntie?”
Well, technically, yes—I’m a mage from the Magic Tower.
Strictly speaking, soap bubbles aren’t magic, but…
“This is a spell just for Artea.”
Artea spread her arms wide, smiling as if she owned the world.
“Do you like the bubbles?”
“Yeah! I love them so, so, so much!”
“You can make them too! Here, press this button.”
“Kyaaaah!”
Artea squealed with excitement, her voice sharp like a dolphin’s.
“I’ve never been this happy in my life!”
I almost burst out laughing and quickly turned my head away.
She’s only six years old—what does she know about “in her life”?
It was silly hearing such words from a little girl barely half an adult’s height.
But that silliness… somehow felt nice.
As tiny bubbles shimmered in the air, Artea looked genuinely happy, so I decided not to say anything.
I liked bubbles when I was little too. I’m glad she does as well.
I hadn’t expected the bubble wand to help so much with bath time.
Thanks to it, getting her into the bathroom was easy.
But that was only the beginning.
I still had to undress her, wash her properly, and get rid of whatever sticky mess was tangled in her hair.
“I’m a wizard too now!”
Luckily, the wand was the perfect size for her small hands.
While she happily made bubbles, I called in a head maid and a servant—both experienced with children.
“Alright, young lady, this way please.”
“No!”
Artea, who had been completely absorbed in the bubbles, suddenly lifted her chin defiantly.
“Don’t touch me!”
“But young miss, your hair is so dirty…”
“I’m not saying I won’t wash!”
She spoke firmly, lips pouting like a little chick’s beak.
“I want to wash with Auntie!”
“Auntie isn’t very good at washing people…”
“That’s okay. If it’s not Auntie, I don’t want to. Auntie!”
I had never bathed a child in my life.
Especially not one as messy as Artea.
But while she played with the wand, I noticed she was still clutching that little stuffed cat tightly—she hadn’t let go of it even once.
“Alright then. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but let’s do our best together.”
“Okay!”
The head maid looked uneasy, but I nodded resolutely.
That flicker of unease that had crossed Artea’s face earlier still bothered me.
I don’t even like bathing myself, honestly…
“Heehee!”
Splash!
Each time she slapped the water, bubbles flew up into the air, making her giggle with delight.
“What’s this bubbly thing?”
“It’s a bath bomb. When it touches water, it melts and makes foam like this.”
It was a relief that she liked bubbles so much.
Even though I was slow and clumsy at washing her, Artea never complained or got fussy.
Whew, if she were any younger, this would’ve been impossible.
I gently ran my hand through her hair.
If she’d been in the same prickly mood as earlier, she never would’ve let me.
Fortunately, even as I untangled her messy hair, she just smiled contentedly.
She seems much calmer now.
She might have shown up out of nowhere, startling everyone and saying strange things like “raise me,” but in the end—she was just a child.
“Mmm…”
“Artea?”
Not long after her cheerful bath, she came out moving slower, quieter than before.
She didn’t seem upset, but…
I couldn’t help worrying, despite my best efforts to relax.
“It’s normal, milady,” said the head maid quietly. “Children often get sleepy and less talkative when they’re tired.”
“So she’s not sick, then.”
Thankfully, her words eased my mind.
I scratched my cheek and approached Artea. I was exhausted from doing things I’d never done before.
“Artea, aren’t you sleepy?”
“Mmm. I’m fine.”
Fine, my foot—you can barely keep your eyes open.
“Auntie, I want to stay with you.”
Her voice carried a hint of childish clinginess.
Maybe she was still uneasy around everyone except me.
That tiny hand clutching my sleeve, trying so hard to stay awake… how can I ignore that?
I gently took her small hand in mine first.
My back hurt a little from bending down to her height, but I didn’t mind.
“Auntie was just about to take a nap too.”
She must’ve been exhausted.
Even though she’d boldly declared she’d “run away,” she must’ve been nervous the whole time she came here.
For now, I should let her rest properly.
The sun was still up, but I drew the curtains shut and lay down beside her.
Sunlight was warm—but it wasn’t good for a child’s nap.
Wrapped snugly in a soft blanket, Artea’s small mouth hung slightly open.
“Auntie…”
Her eyelids fluttered open and closed.
Her violet eyes were filled with the reflection of me.
“Thank you for making bubbles for me… and for the wand… and for washing me…”
She must’ve been sleepy—why wasn’t she just falling asleep already?
Was she waiting for me to lie down beside her?
As I lay carefully next to her, I realized she wasn’t quite done speaking.
“And… and…”
But the next words came slowly. I thought she’d finally drifted off and gently stroked her hair.
She was quiet for a while before whispering faintly, face half-buried in the pillow.
“Thank you… for saying you liked me…”
The words were so soft, I almost missed them.
“……”
I felt I should say something—but my lips wouldn’t move right away.
Then, seeing her flushed ears and her tiny, fidgeting fingers, I found my courage.
“Mm. Auntie was happy that Artea came to visit too.”
I stayed there, guarding her peaceful rest until her breathing grew slow and steady.
Before long, she was sound asleep.
No wonder—traveling all the way here from the Duke’s estate must have been exhausting.
Erios Killiet.
Though I lay beside her, I didn’t sleep like I’d told her I would.
Yes, I was tired too—but as I watched that angelic, sleeping face, anger began to boil inside me.
That bastard said he’d raise her well, and yet she ran away?
I needed to know what was happening in the Killiet duchy—
whether they even knew Artea was missing,
what the atmosphere there was like,
how people talked about her,
and what information could be gathered about the Duke himself.
I scribbled furiously onto a memo pad on my desk:
What happened at the Killiet estate
Whether they know Artea is gone
The current situation there
Artea’s reputation
Information about Duke Killiet
Then, I conjured a small magical bird and sent it out the window with the message.
The first report would bring simple facts.
The second, detailed information.
