IFAHWIPUTML Chapter 4

"It's physical exhaustion plus malnutrition."

The physician who finished examining Raphaleon glared at Verasielle as he spoke. His expression clearly accused her—what were you doing while the child got this bad?

Malnutrition in this day and age. And a child from a baron's household, no less.

The physician clicked his tongue inwardly, muttering to himself that the world was going to hell.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Verasielle asked, her gaze fixed on Raphaleon lying in bed.

The child breathing raggedly with his thin eyelids closed looked sick to anyone.

His lips were deathly pale and trembling faintly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, running down his clear skin.

"I'll prescribe medicine, but feeding him well and letting him rest properly is most important."

Verasielle received the small medicine bottle the physician handed her. The medicine containing thin liquid was red like strawberry syrup.

"Make sure he eats three proper meals a day, and give him one spoonful after each meal."

Verasielle nodded in response.

The physician packed his examination instruments into his bag.

Since arriving here for this house call, the woman who couldn't take her eyes off the child for even a moment, fidgeting anxiously, seemed to care deeply about the child.

Yet the child had malnutrition. How much had she starved and neglected him...

Indeed, you can't judge people by appearances alone. Detestable woman.

The physician thought he'd learned something new about people and left the room.

If she'd looked at the physician's expression even once, Verasielle would have immediately realized what he was thinking and corrected him.

But with all her attention focused on Raphaleon, she didn't notice.

So she could only belatedly discover the strange rumors circulating later.

"Veras. Who is that child?"

After the physician left, Baroness Prozier entered Verasielle's room and asked hesitantly.

"A child who lost his parents and collapsed... I couldn't just ignore him."

According to Verasielle's original plan, she should have gone straight to the ducal house upon finding Raphaleon, but she'd brought him home because the child's recovery came first.

Baroness Rosalie had been shocked to see her daughter appear with her dress torn up to her knees, hair disheveled, and carrying a child.

She'd even worried whether her daughter had somehow secretly had a child without her knowledge.

Rosalie could finally breathe easy at Verasielle's answer.

Thank goodness it wasn't what she'd feared.

"I see. Is the child okay?"

"Yes. They said if he eats and rests well, he'll recover quickly."

Verasielle spoke while removing the black strands of hair stuck to Raphaleon's cheeks with sweat.

"Mo... mmy."

Just then, a small groaning sound flowed from his moving lips.

His voice was hoarse, but she could vaguely tell he was looking for his mother.

But no matter how desperately he called for his parents, the child's parents had already died in an accident.

Verasielle let out a small sigh at the complexity of it all.

Even deliberately trying not to pity him, she couldn't help but feel compassion.

The child resembled her past self. Just as she'd desperately needed a touch filled with interest and affection back then, Raphaleon needed it too.

"I've made soup, so give it to the child if he wakes up."

"Yes, thank you."

Rosalie patted Verasielle's shoulder reassuringly and left the room.

Verasielle changed the wet cloth on Raphaleon's forehead to a fresh one, caring for him devotedly.

Still, the physician must have been skilled—Raphaleon's burning temperature was gradually returning to normal.

"You'll meet your family soon."

She spoke while carefully tucking the blanket up to his neck in case he got cold.

Not his parents, but his uncle at least.

Duke Chayston, portrayed in the novel as doting on his nephew, would surely cherish Raphaleon.

"So you need to get better quickly so we can go see your uncle."

Verasielle placed her hand on the child's small chest, patting it gently. Pat, pat. So he wouldn't have bad dreams.

Before she knew it, her priority had become the child. She could think about the reward after Raphaleon recovered—it wouldn't be too late.

How much time had passed?

When the sun hanging high in the sky was slowly setting,

"Mmm..."

Raphaleon lifted his eyelids with difficulty.

As his thin eyelids blinked, his blurry vision gradually returned to clarity.

After blinking several times, an unfamiliar space he'd never seen before came into focus in his bewildered eyes.

Raphaleon carefully rolled his eyes around, looking at his surroundings.

"Are you okay?"

When a worried voice came from right beside him, Raphaleon's head turned to the side.

Then he saw the woman from earlier sitting next to him. A surge of emotion welled up to Raphaleon's throat.

"Your fever seems to have gone down a lot. Thank goodness."

Verasielle placed her hand on Raphaleon's forehead to check his temperature.

It had gone down significantly from when she'd first touched him, and unlike before, he was breathing regularly—he seemed to have recovered quite a bit.

"Mommy..."

Raphaleon wiggled his small fingers and grabbed Verasielle's collar.

He wanted to feel that warm embrace again. That embrace like a soft, fluffy cotton blanket.

"Raphaleon. I'm not your mother."

Verasielle said firmly.

Like a newborn duckling imprinting the first life it sees as its mother, Raphaleon, who'd lost his memories, seemed to be doing the same.

But what wasn't true wasn't true. She absolutely could not become Raphaleon's mother.

"Waaah! Mommy...!"

When rejected by Verasielle, tears of hurt feelings poured from Raphaleon's eyes.

Transparent tears like thick dewdrops ran down his cheeks and fell onto the sheets. Drip, drip.

Seeing those tears, Verasielle's heart stung with regret and guilt for not just going along with it, but what wasn't true wasn't true.

Steeling herself, she spoke to Raphaleon with a stern expression.

"Stop crying, Raphaleon."

"Waaaaah!"

But the child wouldn't stop crying just because of a few words.

Verasielle bent down to match Raphaleon's eye level. Then with a firm expression, she waited for Raphaleon to stop crying.

Raphaleon stretched out his small, thin arms, whining to be held, but she shook her head and ignored him.

She'd always been particularly weak with children, and wanted to hold and comfort him, but she firmly suppressed her twitching hands.

"Hic... Sniff."

The wailing that had filled the room gradually subsided.

Raphaleon swallowed his lingering sobs and looked at Verasielle with tear-filled eyes.

"Come here, Raphaleon."

Only then did Verasielle stretch out both arms and lift Raphaleon up.

"Sob..."

As if he'd been waiting, Raphaleon buried his face in Verasielle's shoulder and let out his tears.

"Raphaleon, it's okay. Don't cry."

Verasielle gently patted the back of Raphaleon, who was wrapped around her neck. Her shoulder became thoroughly soaked with Raphaleon's tears.

"Hic... I'm Raphaleon?"

Raphaleon hugged Verasielle very tightly, not wanting to lose the warm embrace he could feel again.

Indeed, it was a comforting embrace like a soft cotton blanket.

"Yes. Your name is Raphaleon Halos."

Verasielle walked around the room, swaying with Raphaleon in her arms.

"Where are my mommy and daddy?"

At the pointed question, Verasielle fell silent for a moment.

She pondered and pondered again about the best way to explain it to the child.

"You'll be able to meet your family soon. They're very, very good people."

In the end, she chose to speak ambiguously.

She judged it would be better for him to hear the news about his parents from the duke, who was family, rather than from her.

All she, an outsider, could do was return him to his family's embrace.

"Family?"

"Yes, family. They're waiting just for Raphaleon to come."

They must be waiting desperately.

He'd tried to find his nephew by any means necessary. So she had to take him to the duke as soon as possible.

"Aren't you my family?"

Raphaleon raised his head and stared intently at Verasielle. Question marks filled his red eyes, which had already stopped crying.

"No. I'm just Verasielle."

"Vera... selle?"

"Yes. Verasielle."

"Yeah. Veraselle."

Raphaleon seemed to like Verasielle's name—he moved his small lips, muttering her name.

Dimples appeared in his clear cheeks as he smiled. She smiled too at the sight.

Having his young, clear voice call her name wasn't bad at all.

Actually, it was cute.

When she patted his head, pleased that he understood so well, a dull feeling circled in her hand.

Come to think of it, he was still in his filthy state. They'd rushed to get treatment as soon as bringing him home, with no time to wash him.

Raphaleon's hair was tangled with dust clinging to it, and his face had black ash-like stuff smeared here and there.

"Raphaleon. Let's go do something fun."

He seemed to have recovered some energy, so she needed to give him a bath.

He hadn't fully recovered yet, but leaving him in this dirty state would only worsen his illness.

At her rather solemn voice, Raphaleon's eyes sparkled.

"Something fun?"

"Yes. Something fun. Let's go quickly."

"Something fun! Something fun!"

Raphaleon excitedly swung his legs in Verasielle's arms.

Raphaleon didn't know yet. That pitiful tears would pour out again.

A few minutes later, having belatedly realized that the "fun thing" was a bath, Raphaleon's crying echoed loudly throughout the bathroom.

"Waaaah, I don't wanna!"