Translator: Nox

Ch#63

Ibi was embarrassed.

“Wow! Look at her!”

“Her dad must have bought her everything. Lucky……”

“Daddy! I want that too!”

All the children passing by were looking at her with eyes full of envy.

It was understandable.

Right now, Ibi's hands were full of almost every kind of food sold at the festival.

Shiny fruit skewers dipped in sugar syrup, well-grilled sausages, fluffy cloud candies…….

One child saw what Ibi was holding and cried while begging their parents to buy them just as much.

Ibi, who was receiving such gazes from her peers for the first time in her life, felt nothing but embarrassed.

That wasn't the only reason she was embarrassed.

“Professor, I can walk……”

At her words, he shook his head.

“No, that's not allowed. What if I lose you again?”

“Still……”

Holding hands would be enough, but was it okay to be carried in one arm like this?

“But I'm heavy. If you keep carrying me like this, your arm will hurt, Professor.”

As she said this and tapped his arm with the hand holding the snack, pretending it hurt, Clois gave a wry smile.

“Even if I carry you all day, I don't think that'll happen.”

Though she had gained much weight and height since first arriving, Ibi was still small.

It was clear she needed to eat a lot more to catch up to her peers.

Seeing he had no intention of putting her down, Ibi glanced below.

‘It's high.’

She knew Professor Sian was tall, but being held like this made her feel like she was floating in the sky.

After reuniting at the Lost Child Shelter, Professor Sian had said he absolutely wouldn't lose her again.

She thought they'd hold hands from then on, but he immediately picked her up.

“If you're tired, we'll head straight back to Yeongjae Academy.”

To his worried question, Ibi shook her head.

The professor had come to find her again. Just that made the deep fear from before disappear again.

When Ibi said she wanted to see more of the festival, he started busily moving around the event grounds.

Wearing her small bag himself, he bought up everything Ibi even slightly showed interest in as they passed food stalls kids liked.

Then he handed them all to Ibi's hands.

Even if Ibi said she wouldn't eat or didn't need them, he was insistent.

In the end, Ibi gave up and took what was pushed into her hands.

‘If I don't eat it, he'll probably just throw it away.’

Throwing away food? That was absolutely unthinkable for Ibi.

So Ibi diligently munched on what he gave her.

Street food was delicious.

Especially the cloud candy that sank like cotton when touched melted in the mouth like snow.

‘It's really sweet like candy!’

Held in Clois's arms, Ibi enjoyed the festival to her heart's content.

Things blocked by crowds when walking holding his clothes were now visible.

“That must be the last event of the day.”

Still carrying Ibi in one arm, Clois went to the riverbank.

There, event staff were preparing kites to send into the sky.

Made of much lighter material than regular kites, they lit the tails on fire at the appointed time and flew up.

Dozens of flames flew into the sky at once, and people cheered and made wishes at the spectacular sight.

Ibi also gazed blankly at the sky.

She had seen something like this in Elam before.

Back then, she made wishes with friends from the Orphanage.

Eat candy, get new clothes, don't fight with friends…… They wished for whatever came to mind.

Ibi was the same.

Eat two potatoes tomorrow, pick up a pencil someone discarded at advanced school.

Wishing for such small but earnestly hoped things, when the last kites' lights flickered out, she quietly made her real wish in her heart.

‘I always wished to meet Mom and Dad.’

Why? Today, it felt like she didn't need to wish for that.

‘Maybe because I've received so much…….’

Feeling her eyes slowly closing, Ibi leaned her head against Clois.

She knew she shouldn't fall asleep like this. The professor would get tired, so she should get down and walk…….

‘It's warm.’

Like the Mana Stone she always hugged to sleep at night, feeling the best warmth, Ibi fell asleep in an instant.

“Oh dear.”

Wondering why it was so quiet, Clois readjusted the now-sleeping Ibi in his arms.

Making it more comfortable for her to lean, Ibi hugged his neck tightly.

‘Time to head back.’

Night had deepened. There was Yeongjae Academy's curfew, and it was time for children to sleep.

Not just Ibi; many parents were carrying or piggybacking sleeping children home.

Clois blended naturally among them and walked.

Heading toward the imperial palace, he noticed vendors packing up and saw one selling children's accessories.

Hair ties and hairpins, and charms shaped like animals or people for bracelets or necklaces.

Unknowingly, Clois stopped and looked at the stall.

Then the stall owner approached and said,

“Aigoo, your daughter must be tired, huh?”

“Ah……”

Not his daughter. Just a child who happened to cross paths with him.

A child who could never be his daughter…….

“Seems like it.”

Clois quietly replied, patting the sleeping child's back.

“Aigoo, if she were awake, she'd beg Daddy to buy everything and clean out my stall. She's so cute. Right?”

At the owner's words, Clois chuckled. The sycophancy wasn't unpleasant.

The owner picked up a red hairpin from the stall and held it to Ibi's hair, saying,

“How about buying this one? I'll give it to you cheap. She'll love it when she wakes up?”

Then the owner gathered various other pins and asked Clois,

“What's the little miss's eye color?”

“Green……”

“Then green would suit her too. Usually match the eye color. But blue's popular lately. Because of the new fairy tale heroine who always wears a blue dress, all girls want that color now. No girl in the capital lacks one.”

No wonder all the nearby kids had blue pins or ribbons in their hair.

Hearing it was the trend everyone had, Clois said to the owner,

“Give me that one.”

And looked at the other hairpins the owner was holding.

“And all of those too.”

* * *

Chirp chirp chirp.

Ibi opened her eyes to the birdsong outside the window.

“Mm……”

Eyes dazzled by sunlight, she closed them again and slowly blinked.

‘My room.’

The now-familiar fluffy mattress, soft blanket. And the scent of heavy wood.

And above all, seeing the Mana Stone glowing faintly beside her, Ibi realized she had woken up in her room.

“Yaaawn……”

As she yawned long and stretched to sit up, something touched her hand.

“What's this……?”

Rubbing her still sleepy eyes, the moment she saw what was in her hand.

“Gasp!”

Ibi jolted up in surprise. In her hand was the wooden Squirrel Doll.

She remembered what it was.

“I went out with the Professor……”

She woke up instantly. And yesterday's events came back clearly.

Went to see the seasonal festival with Professor Sian.

Saw candy shops, did fun draws, then lost the professor midway.

‘But he came to pick me up.’

From then on, carried around. Last memory was seeing the kites fly.

“He brought me all the way back here.”

Couldn't even thank him for letting her sightsee!

Plus, carrying her all the way back must have been heavy.

‘I need to go thank him quickly.’

Thinking that, as she tried to get out of bed, she saw something rolling around on the blanket.

“Huh……? What's all this?”

Ibi picked up the things on her blanket. Her eyes widened.

On the bed, piled up, were shiny hairpins and ribbons, and all sorts of other toys.