Chapter: 03
For some reason, I suddenly felt my face growing hot, so I hurriedly stammered out a denial.
“…Huh? I’m not pretty at all. That’s strange.”
“You are.”
“You really have no problem saying things like that.”
Even the most ordinary line sounded like flirting when it came from an obsessive male lead. And he was only eleven!
Of course, the Anette I had possessed was incredibly pretty.
Golden hair that shimmered like honey,
and fresh light-green eyes like newly sprouted leaves in spring.
But it didn’t seem like Sisrein had meant that she was simply beautiful.
Rather…
The way he said it…
It sounded unbelievably gentle.
Gentle enough to make my heart itch.
“Ahem!”
Embarrassed for no reason, I cleared my throat and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll go get medicine for your leg!”
Well, technically I was going to steal it.
To think this child would turn me—a model student known as the best-behaved kid in the Forest—into a thief.
He’s cute, so I’ll let it slide.
Still, for a first attempt, I seemed to have an incredible talent for stealing.
Without anyone noticing, I successfully sneaked into the infirmary and stole a healing potion.
Rubbing my nose smugly, I grinned to myself.
Maybe my awakened ability is swiping things.
Of course, if Madam Mimosa caught me, I’d be reduced to dust.
Madam Mimosa was the woman in charge of the entire Forest.
Normally she was kind, but whenever one of the “trees” violated the rules, she became terrifyingly strict.
She was even ruthless enough to set traps just to catch Sisrein.
Well, she had probably decided it was better than leaving him in the cave to die.
Still, not just anyone would set traps for a child.
She definitely wasn’t an ordinary person.
Keeping my body as low as possible, I scurried through the hallway like a hamster stealing seeds.
“Sisrein, I got it!”
Kneeling in front of the waiting boy, I uncorked the potion without hesitation and poured it over his ankle.
Then something incredible happened.
Fresh flesh rapidly regenerated before my eyes, covering the exposed bone, and the wound disappeared without leaving a single trace.
“Wow…!”
Thank goodness… In the original story, he missed the chance to receive treatment and ended up limping.
He wasn’t healed until much later, after being restored to the imperial family and treated by priests.
But by then, he had already suffered countless wounds throughout his childhood because of his injured leg.
Now Sisrein wouldn’t have to go through that anymore…
Seeing the little boy in front of me safe filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction.
Smiling, I asked,
“It really doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”
“Yeah.”
Sisrein nodded calmly, though he looked a little overwhelmed.
“It really doesn’t hurt.”
Watching him somehow made me feel full inside, and a smile naturally spread across my face.
Perfect.
I clasped both of his hands tightly.
“Sisrein, you can’t keep living in that cave forever, can you?”
Originally, I’d planned to wait until I could observe Madam Mimosa and move him somewhere safer later…
But after everything that happened today, I couldn’t leave him alone in danger anymore.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“…”
I smiled brightly as I waved the blanket.
Quietly, like sneaking cats, we stepped into the hallway.
Sisrein had the white blanket draped over his entire body like a ghost and followed while holding my hand.
“It’s stuffy.”
“…Shh! Just bear with it a little longer.”
Being out this late at night was already against the rules.
If we’re caught, we’re both dead.
Especially Sisrein.
He had already broken more than seven school rules.
Strict Madam Mimosa would undoubtedly discipline him mercilessly with a cane.
He only just started opening his heart…
If that happened now, there’d be no coming back.
He might never leave the cave again.
The traps had already become useless because of me.
Next time…
She’d probably use something even more frightening.
Something cruel that hadn’t even existed in the original story.
Ugh… I don’t even want to imagine it!
We absolutely couldn’t get caught.
Just then, Sisrein suddenly stopped walking.
I tugged at his hand and whispered urgently,
“What is it? Let’s hurry.”
Then—
A voice so cold it made every hair on my body stand on end pierced us from behind.
“You two. Where do you think you’re sneaking off to like little rats in the middle of the night?”
“…!!!”
My heart nearly exploded.
Breaking into a cold sweat, I slowly turned around.
At the end of the dark hallway stood Madam Mimosa.
She held a sharp switch in one hand and a lantern that burned like the flames of hell.
“Anette.”
She slowly approached our frozen bodies, raising the lantern first toward me, then toward Sisrein, who was wrapped like a ghost in the blanket.
Golden eyes beneath her vivid reddish-blonde hair looked down at us coldly.
I instinctively swallowed.
“Anette. I’m surprised. A model student like you should know very well that wandering around at this hour violates the rules.”
“Good evening, Madam.”
I somehow managed to greet her normally.
“Who is this child?”
Running the switch across her palm, Madam Mimosa slowly looked Sisrein up and down.
Then she gently lifted the edge of the blanket with the tip of the cane.
At that very moment, I threw my arms around Sisrein and shouted,
“It’s Henri!”
Henri was a nine-year-old child who lived in the Forest and was terrified of ghosts.
“Henri needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but he couldn’t go because he was scared of ghosts. So I’m accompanying him.”
“…”
“If he dresses up just like a ghost, then the ghosts will think he’s one of them and leave him alone. Right, Henri?”
Smiling sweetly at Sisrein, I spoke.
“…”
Still wrapped in the blanket, Sisrein slowly nodded.
Please let this work.
Putting on the innocent face of a well-behaved honor student, I smiled at Madam Mimosa.
For a long moment, she stared at me silently, her sharp eyes trying to determine whether I was lying.
The cold gaze from those golden eyes felt like arrows piercing the back of my head.
Thankfully…
She lowered the switch.
The blanket fluttered back down, covering Sisrein’s ankles once again.
“Next time, make sure he uses the restroom before bedtime.”
“Yes! I’ll make sure to take good care of him, Madam.”
Only after hearing my earnest promise did Madam Mimosa finally turn around and leave.
Not until she had completely disappeared did all the strength drain from my body.
“Haaa…”
I almost died.
If I hadn’t prepared an excuse beforehand and made Sisrein wear that blanket, we’d have been in serious trouble.
She believed me because of my model student image.
Suddenly, I found myself wondering what Madam Mimosa’s reaction would be if she ever discovered that not only had I stolen a healing potion, but I’d also smuggled Sisrein out.
It wasn’t something I wanted to imagine for very long.
“You’ll stay here for the time being.”
I brought Sisrein to an unused room in the mansion.
It had originally been a bedroom, but as the number of children decreased, it had become vacant.
Inside were the bedding I’d prepared in advance, along with food that could last a while—dried meat, dried fruit, bread, and other supplies.
“…This is…”
“Your room, Sisrein. No one comes in here.”
I lit the candles.
It wasn’t proper lighting, but it created a cozy atmosphere.
“I’ll bring you new clothes tomorrow too.”
How handsome he’d look in clean clothes.
He was already adorable even covered in dirt.
I’d love to return him to the Forest immediately.
Then he wouldn’t have to hide anymore.
He could have proper meals, a real bed, and make friends.
But it’s still impossible.
The reason was…
His trauma of water.
Sisrein was terrified of water.
Because of the horrific abuse he’d suffered where he’d lived before—things so terrible I couldn’t even bring myself to describe them—he had developed such intense fear that he couldn’t even wash properly.
If someone filled a basin with water, he became convinced someone would force his head underwater.
But Madam Mimosa would never understand such pitiful circumstances.
She’d simply say it violated the rules and beat him harshly.
That’s exactly what happened countless times in the original story.
So before he could rejoin the Forest, I had to prepare him.
Though… I’m still thinking about how to help him overcome his fear of water.
While I was lost in thought, Sisrein quietly looked around the room before asking,
“You prepared all of this?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Why?
What kind of question was that?
“Why are you being nice to someone dirty, Anette?”
He genuinely couldn’t understand.
As though no one had ever shown him kindness in his entire life.
Seeing the shadow that darkened his crimson eyes made my chest ache.
“No one’s ever…”
“…”
“…been kind to me before.”
His tiny murmur came a moment too late, making my heart sink.
It felt as though I had glimpsed a fragment of the hellish world he had lived in under Mephisto’s Curse.
Smiling gently, I stroked his head.
“From now on, only good things will happen.”
“…”
His crimson eyes trembled quietly.
Like a bare branch touched by a warm spring breeze.
“You should get some sleep. I need to head back too. If I’m gone too long, people will get suspicious.”
As I walked toward the door, I suddenly remembered something and turned around.
“Oh, right! Tomorrow I’ll introduce you to someone really important.”
I smiled brightly.
Left alone, Sisrein quietly placed his hand on the bed where Anette had been sitting.
With his fingertips, he traced the warmth she had left behind.
It was the first time in his life.
The first time anyone had shown him kindness.
The first time anyone had been gentle with him.
It felt as though a single tiny star had appeared in the dark, lonely universe where no one had ever existed.
Just one star.
Yet it was dazzlingly bright.
Whenever Anette—with her honey-colored hair—smiled at him like warm spring sunshine,
Sisrein found himself wanting to become the wonderful person she believed he could be.
“From now on, only good things will happen.”
Those gentle whispers…
That thoughtful touch.
That smile.
Everything about the girl remained imprinted on his lonely heart like a clear fingerprint.
Lowering his long eyelashes, the boy softly whispered her name with his reddened lips.
“…Anette.”
For some reason,
her name left a sweetness lingering on the tip of his tongue whenever he spoke it.
I woke up early the next morning.
Today was the day Heinri would return to the Forest after completing two weeks of “socialization training.”
After dinner, I secretly slipped away and spent all my time cleaning up Sisrein before Heinri arrived.
That picky little demon chihuahua absolutely could not look at Sisrein and say something like, “You’re dirty.”
That would raise all kinds of future shackles and doom flags.
First impressions are everything.
I couldn’t wash him with water, but I could help him brush his teeth, carefully wipe him down with a damp cloth, and comb his hair.
…Good grief. Just doing that already makes him smell nice?!
Sniff, sniff.
I buried my nose against Sisrein and inhaled dramatically.
“No way. This is definitely the obsessive male lead buff.”
“…What’s an obsessive male lead?”
At Sisrein’s innocent question, I hurriedly answered,
“It’s nothing.”
Then I handed him his new clothes.
After changing into them, Sisrein looked like a fluffy baby beast.
Ugh… my heart.
Now there was absolutely, absolutely no way anyone could call him “dirty.”
A little later…
Heinri’s eyes suspiciously swept over Sisrein.
Brimming with confidence, I introduced him.
“He’s our new friend! Say hello, Heinri.”
Heh.
Not dirty anymore, right?
“…”
With his usual arrogant expression, Heinri slowly looked Sisrein over.
Then his gaze suddenly stopped.
On the hands Sisrein and I were tightly holding.
A moment later, Heinri frowned deeply and muttered,
“Disgusting. F***.”
…I think we’re doomed.
