Gu-goong, gu-woong!
The ground shook again.
It might be dangerous to stay here.
In the brief moment I hesitated whether to go out from under the desk and bring the child,
The child, sensing the danger, grabbed her skirt and came running towards me, dododo.
‘Good! Well done!’
Her speed was quite impressive.
Her appearance was quite adorable.
Now that I look at it, her attire is unusual.
‘Is she a noble?’
But there was no time to indulge in such impressions.
I quickly moved back to secure space for the child.
There was plenty of room.
The desk was big enough to protect both of us comfortably.
Among the people milling about, some saw us and hid under the desk, following our lead.
In moments of crisis, everyone seems to become united.
Ah, but of course, there were exceptions.
“Hey, where are you pushing!”
“Ouch! My foot, my foot! You bastard, don’t step on my foot!”
“What? Bastard? I’ve been holding back, but this is too much.”
“You stepped on my foot and you’re raising your voice!”
“When did I? When did I do that? Do you have proof?”
“Are you trying to start something with me? Huh?!”
Even in this situation, some people were arguing fiercely, while a mother who had lost her child was frantically looking around with a bewildered expression.
“My child, has anyone seen my child? Rachel, Rachel!”
Her voice was filled with the single-minded determination to find her child.
She reached out her hands, grabbing people indiscriminately and calling out her child’s name.
“Rachel! Has anyone seen Rachel?”
She collided with people here and there, getting hurt, but she was only focused on finding her child.
I couldn’t fully understand that feeling, but at that moment,
Woong—
A small aftershock caused the floor to ripple once more.
I put my hand on the floor to keep my balance.
‘Ah! This damn earthquake. Just stop!’
It was then.
A strange energy seemed to spread throughout my body, and then the shaking stopped.
‘Huh?’
Could it be?
I briefly lifted my palm and then shook my head.
‘Still, this is a bit.’
Did the vibration stop because of my ‘Silence’ attribute?
I wanted to quickly confirm if the reason the vibration stopped was because of my attribute, but I didn’t want to cause additional earthquakes because of it.
Then, the wailing sound was heard again.
“Rachel, where are you! Please! Please, Rachel!”
I can’t fully understand the feelings of a mother who has lost her child, but I couldn’t ignore her desperate cries any longer.
“Little one, is that you? Rachel?”
The child next to me raised her head and met my eyes.
They were ruby-red eyes.
Perfect for harboring jealousy and greed.
So you have to be careful or not keep them close at all.
That look…
‘It feels strangely familiar.’
Unlike before, when she was trembling with fear, her eyes now had strength.
It was as if she had nothing to fear anymore.
It seems she thinks this place is safe, right?
‘Of course, it’s also because I’m here, so she feels secure.’
Anyway, I was relieved that the child had found some stability.
And I was sure.
‘You, you’re not Rachel, are you?’
A child who has lost her mother wouldn’t be so calm, and even if she was, it could only be seen as deliberately avoiding her.
It was then.
The wailing sounds were heard in succession.
“Hic, Rachel!”
“Waaah! Mommy!”
“Rachel, where have you been? Do you know how long Mommy has been looking for you? I was so worried when you disappeared. Huhu! I’m sorry, Mommy’s sorry, Rachel.”
“Mommy, Waaah!!”
Over there, a tearful reunion between a little girl named Rachel and her mother took place.
Before I could even get an answer from the child in front of me, the situation seemed to be settled.
There were no more aftershocks.
Other than the books that had fallen to the floor, there didn’t seem to be any major damage.
And so the situation was resolved.
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
I went out from under the desk first and pulled the child out.
The child followed me well without complaint, and we were able to safely get out from under the desk.
“Are you okay?”
I checked to see if the child was hurt anywhere.
But the child just brushed off her dress a few times and then left.
Surprised by her cheeky behavior, I shouted.
“Hey, kid! Aren’t you going to say thank you?”
The child turned around with a sulky expression.
“Tch, who are you calling a kid? When did I ever ask you to save me?”
Wow!
What is this?
You have no manners at all, do you?
I can’t let her go like this.
“Hey!”
“What!”
I strode up to her and said,
“Hey, you have something on your skirt.”
At those words, the child looked down.
As if bowing in greeting.
But then she asked back with a puzzled expression.
“Where? I don’t see anything?”
Of course, you wouldn’t see anything.
I slightly raised one corner of my mouth and replied.
“That’s right, because there isn’t anything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That’s how you bow to someone you’re grateful to. Got it?”
“Ugh, that’s ridiculous. So you lied to me?”
The red eyes asking back became clearer.
“Lied? I’m just kindly teaching you, who has no manners at all.”
“What? Are you saying everything you want to say?”
The child seemed a little excited, putting her hands on her hips.
“I haven’t said everything yet, can I say some more?”
“Wh-what?”
“Tsk, tsk, if you grow up like this, you’re going to be in big trouble. You’ll have personality problems.”
Actually, I knew from under the desk.
Who this child is.
‘You were this bold even when you were young.’
And then you acted like a modest lady in front of people, which was quite cute.
I wondered how you could act so well.
Maya Fissherd Iron.
That was this child’s full name.
As I savored her past that only I knew, I felt strangely happy.
“Who are you to point that out? Do you know who I am?”
I didn’t even blink an eye at the child’s defiance.
I just thought she was cute.
“Do I need to know that?”
“What, you really!”
The child’s face gradually turned red.
“Calm down. You’re going to turn into a carrot?”
“Ugh, I hate carrots the most! What nonsense are you talking about!”
I know, you hate carrots.
That’s why I said it.
“Little one, being picky is bad.”
“What does it matter if I’m picky or not! And I told you not to call me little one, didn’t I?”
The child’s red face became even darker.
‘Oh? Is she really going to explode?’
I barely managed to hold back the laughter that was about to burst out at the absurd imagination.
I was glad to meet her like this, but since she wasn’t someone, I was that interested in, I decided to leave appropriately.
“Then, goodbye!”
This time, I turned around first.
There was a smile on my face that I couldn’t quite hide.
I heard her shouting something behind me several times, but I ignored it completely.
In the meantime, the blocked library entrance was opened.
‘This is fun.’
It was more interesting than I thought.
I thought I knew most of the game’s situation, but the order of events and the development were different or slightly changed.
‘But the big picture seems to be the same.’
For example, the fact that the child will later become Maya Fissherd Iron, whom I will meet again, and the fact that the maid Anne’s decorating skills still haven’t improved as much as I thought.
Just knowing the events and characters that will happen soon made me feel secure.
Even though it’s a game, this is also a world.
‘I won’t be seeing Maya for a while.’
Because…
Originally, she was a rival who appeared when I became close to one of the male lead candidates in the original story.
Since I know the general story, I didn’t need to create a rivalry with Maya.
Moreover, this time the target is definitely different.
‘I feel like a headache has disappeared.’
Could it be because of that?
Suddenly, the headache I got in the library seemed to fade away.
But the problem didn’t end there.
The earthquake blocked the shortest route home.
Unfortunately, the path where carriages passed was also blocked, so I had no choice but to take a detour on foot.
‘Damn it, my luck is terrible, terrible!’
A strange old woman came to ruin the start of the day, and now this is happening one after another.
‘What a dog’s life.’
Sweat started to form on my forehead.
Then I started to self-hypnotize myself, saying that this was also a way to improve my physical strength.
‘It’s okay. Well, I’ll just get some muscles in my legs.’
After walking for a while, sweating profusely, I decided to take a break on that path.
A large tree stood alone at the edge.
There was a simple chair under it.
It seemed that someone had prepared it for people to rest as they came and went.
‘That’s good.’
When I got closer, there were chairs in front and behind the tree.
I went around to the back, where people couldn’t see me, and sat down.
I didn’t want to run into anyone right now.
That’s because I must look a mess, covered in sweat.
It’s already annoying to have my hair stuck to my forehead, let alone worry about other people’s eyes.
Ugh, just thinking about it makes me tired.
‘Let’s just cool off and go.’
I sat down on the chair and dabbed my forehead with a handkerchief.
That wasn’t enough, so I fanned myself with my hand.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew, scattering my hair.
When the sweat had dried a little, I finally had time to look around.
‘Wow!’
The colorful mountains beyond came into view.
When I lowered my gaze a little, I saw quite a few tall, uneven grasses.
The colorful wildflowers fluttered in the wind.
The combined appearance of nature was quite beautiful.
‘There’s no other romance like this.’
Even the sound of the stream flowing under my chin was fantastic.
How long has it been since I felt this relaxed?
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
Then, I heard people’s voices.
“Shall we take a break here for a while?”
“Let’s do that. Let’s quench our thirst too.”
Two people with bundles of luggage sat down in front of the tree.
‘Why now?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I was so engrossed in the gift of nature that I felt like they were disturbing me.
It wasn’t a seat I paid for, so I couldn’t force them to leave.
‘I have to be careful.’
I sat in a place that wasn’t noticeable on purpose, but I tried not to make a sound.
If people knew that the daughter of Baron Cleo, who runs a large trading company, was here in this state, who knows what kind of rumors would spread.
Rumors without feet tend to grow as they roll around.
In addition, rumors without form were also likely to be stained.
‘It’s better to avoid it than to tarnish my father’s reputation.’
I was about to decide to stay still like a dead mouse and get up when the people left.
“Did you hear that news?”