The soft feeling surrounding my body was very strange to me.
As soon as I felt strange, the consciousness that had been lying far away slowly began to rise, and I opened my eyes.
“I slept well.”
Even though everyone said to sleep comfortably until late, perhaps because of my habit at the nursery, my eyes naturally opened at 8 a.m in the morning.
I blinked, looking at the white ceiling.
‘Is it because I cried and slept yesterday…’
I think my eyes are a little puffy. I rubbed my eyes and looked down at the blanket that covered my legs.
The soft, warm blanket, not the rough old one, touched my skin, and it seemed to inform me that this situation was not a dream.
“…it’s not a dream.”
Yes, it was really not a dream.
An unfamiliar ceiling, soft bedding, and the light that came in through the window.
I realized that I had finally come out of the crummy nursery, which I used to take for granted after learning that I was in the novel.
I scratched my itchy mouth and tried to pull the corners of my mouth gently. The trembling corners of my mouth were utterly awkward as if it was trying to prove that I barely laughed.
Nevertheless, I was happy, and I liked my situation where I could laugh.
Feeling a new environment, I stretched out my arms, and soon I heard the bird’s sound from outside. The chirping sound of birds was different from the loud noise that I often heard in the nursery, so without realizing, I thought I wanted to see it.
‘No, before that, isn’t this underground?’
I thought the merchant’s group base was underground, what do you mean by the sound of birds?
The curiosity toward the bird turned into a curiosity about the place I was staying.
Even though I have a memory of being an adult, was it because it was a child’s body?
Forgetting that I was injured, I stepped out of my bed to solve my curiosity. And at the same time, I fell to the floor with a loud noise. Obviously, the foot I stepped on with didn’t have any strength, and as soon as I fell, it reminded me that I was injured.
“Ahhh.”
I must have hit my arm when I fell, so my elbow was throbbing.
‘It hasn’t even been a long since I got hurt.’
Are you going to be satisfied after making your whole body covered in wounds, Daphne?
I had no choice but to sigh, blaming myself. Before anyone saw it, I grabbed the bed and tried to climb up. At that moment, I heard a sudden noise of someone rushing, and then, the door suddenly opened with a quick knock.
“Daphne!”
Perhaps he heard the sound when I fell, Lennox hurried into the room with his green hair waving.
“Are you okay?”
Then he reached out his hand carefully to me.
I wonder if it was because of the time spent in the nursery, his hands overlapped with someone’s hand trying to harass me, so at that moment, I closed my eyes tightly and crouched down.
‘Ah.’
There was a moment of silence, and I felt some bad atmosphere. My face turned red when I realized that I was scared and crouched like a habit.
“Well, I… I’m sorry…”
Lennox has been kind to me since the first time I met him, but with my actions a while ago, he may be feeling bad.
As a habit, I looked at his eyes and said that I did something wrong. Upon hearing my words, Lennox’s expression hardened.
“…you did nothing wrong.”
Lennox, who settled his expression so quick, felt as if it was my illusion that he had been stiff a while ago. He smiled softly and hugged me.
“I was surprised to hear the loud noises so I ran quickly. I scared you, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”
You didn’t do anything wrong.
Strangely, I didn’t hate the way he apologized, but I couldn’t bring up any words.
‘It’s strange and still strange.’
It was now quite clear that the soft bed was not the only thing that’s strange to me.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
Now that I can finally answer, I nodded and spoke as if I had waited.
Perhaps genuinely surprised, Lennox put his hand on his chest and sighed with relief, so the atmosphere felt strange again.
“You must have been surprised by the sudden fall.”
Then, he smiled softly as if that could be possible. He seemed to think that I fell down while sleeping.
Looking at the hands that covered my body with a blanket and with a friendly smile as yesterday, I tilted my head.
“It happened when I forgot that I hurt my leg like a fool and tried to get out of bed.”
“That’s possible when you’re half asleep.”
Saying not to call myself fool for such reason, Lennox put a soft towel in a bowl of water he had brought.
And he wiped my face with a moist towel.
“I, I can do it!”
“You seem to have hit your arm as you fell over. Leave this to me.”
When else did he see my arms moving awkwardly?
I had no choice but to nod quietly because I felt I had lied for no reason.
A hot towel swept my face.
As it got warm from face to toe, even though I just woke up, I fell asleep feeling tired. When I began to doze off, Lennox burst into a small laugh and laid me down carefully.
“I guess your eyes are a little swollen from lack of sleep. I’ll steam it, so take a rest. When you get up again, let’s have breakfast together.”
A soft voice flowed down my ear like a lullaby, and I nodded unconsciously and slowly fell asleep.
***
The moment the delicious smell stimulated my sense of smell, I suddenly woke up.
Even though I opened my eyes, it’s dark, now am I also blind? So was it all a dream? I thought for a moment.
But after a moment, it also occurred to me belatedly that Lennox said he would apply a hot towel to my eyes.
‘Come to think of it, I cried out loud yesterday.’
I cried and cried like that, so it wouldn’t be hard for my eyes to get swollen.
‘How funny did my face look?’
Sighing out of shame for no reason, I removed the towel that covered my eyes. Only then did I see the bright light coming in again and the clock beyond it. I had no choice but to hiccup when I saw the clock bar running toward eleven o’clock.
Hiccup.
‘I can’t believe I slept for nearly three hours, because of a lack of sleep.’
Was I someone who sleeps a lot?
In amazement, I was continuously hiccuping, and suddenly I felt something coming from behind.
“Whoa-!”
“Ahcyak!”
A light pink hair appeared before my eyes.
He appeared behind me as if he had intended to frighten me, and as soon as I shouted in surprise, Ricarda laughed playfully as if it met his expectations.
“Good morning, Daphne.”
“…ha.”
And then I heard Chloe’s sigh. I moved my head a little and looked at Chloe behind me. As soon as she felt my gaze, Chloe smiled, as if she never sighed.
“Did you sleep well, baby?”
I nodded, soothing my astonishment at the formal morning greeting.
“Good morning. So…..”
What should I call Chloe?
When I couldn’t control my expression and was embarrassed, Ricarda in front of me burst into laughter.
It was a laugh as if he was looking at his cute sister, so I almost stared at him without realizing it, but Chloe was faster to step up and hit him on the head.
“You’re very good at surprising your sister and even laughing at her, aren’t you?”
“No, I was just trying to stop her hiccups so I surprised her. I laughed because she is so cute, but my mother doesn’t even know how I feel and Ricarda is upset!”
The sight of a grown boy forlorn act, to be honest, looked gross. As if Chloe felt the same as me, she frowned a little and soon turned her gaze away.
“It’s ugly to watch, Rica.”
Lennox, who suddenly appeared, spoke out as if to calm the situation. But it was counterproductive, and Ricarda pretended to be upset without losing.
“For our youngest, too, is your brother ugly? Your brother just wanted to stop your hiccupping, and laughed because you are so cute.”
“….”
What kind of answer is right?
If I am honest, I think I would look hateful, and to tell a lie, my conscience stops me from doing it.
I looked at Lennox to ask for help but then he avoided looking at me. This time I cast my eyes at Chloe and she also avoided my gaze.
Even though they could see I was clearly embarrassed, Chloe and Lennox just looked at us like they were having fun, and didn’t step forward to stop Ricarda.
What should I do?
“Sniffle, sniffle. Your brother is so sad. Even for our youngest, brother is ugly? Don’t you want to see me?”
“Do you… want an honest answer, or do you want a pretty word, even if it’s a lie?”
In the end, all I could do was ask questions and give him an option.
Everyone who listened to me opened their eyes wide as if they were surprised.
“?”
When everyone suddenly made the same face, I rolled my eyes, not knowing what to say.
Chloe burst into laughter.
“Oh, well. As expected of my daughter. It’s the same with asking questions in a difficult situation.”
Fortunately, the mood did not seem to be ruined when she smiled as if she liked it.
When Chloe smiled satisfactorily, Ricarda began to laugh, saying, I was really like Chloe, and Lennox watched us as if he were having fun.
“Please call me Mother comfortably from now on. Now that the baby is awake, shall we go eat?”
I nodded, saying I understood and was ready to go eat.
“Ah, but how am I going?”
I don’t think I can see the wheelchair anywhere, nor the crutches.
“I was hoping we could help you out first until your legs get healed. Will it be okay?”
“I think it’s going to take a while to get the wheelchair to fit you, and crutches will be hard to handle with your body, so that won’t do either.”
At Lennox’s exhortation and Ricarda’s firm words, I looked at Chloe, no, mother, and nodded.
“Wouldn’t that… bother you? I’m sure, I’ll be heavy.”
“Come on, you’re totally light if brother can carry you in his back.”
Our brother is so weak.
When Ricarda shrugged, Lennox’s cold gaze seemed to be directed towards Ricarda’s side.
Then, when I made eye contact, Lennox smiled again as if he had never done so, and reached out his hands to me.
“If you don’t mind, can I hold you?”
He’s tall and well built to be called someone weak. I stared at his wide embrace and slowly opened my arms. That way, I could comfortably be held in Lennox’s arms.
It was only later that I found out that a wheelchair was already ready for me to ride.