Chapter 13

That night, Reni used a protective charm to conceal the house.

The couple decided to set aside time to talk about the promissory note that had returned to them.

At the four-person dining table, there were three chairs. As usual, the couple sat facing each other and drank the water they had poured into their glasses. Then, they sighed.

“What do you think this means?”

“I think... Reni did something.”

“Yeah.”

The husband’s question was met with a serious response from his wife.

The topic of their conversation, of course, was about the returned promissory note. The two promissory notes placed on the dining table had troubled the couple for years.

And yet, they had returned so easily.

...By the hands of their three-year-old daughter.

“When one of the villagers ran to my hunting grounds and told me that someone unknown had entered our house, my heart nearly stopped. I was relieved when I managed to drive them away, but when I realized Reni was gone, I felt like I couldn’t breathe...”

“I felt the same. I had definitely hidden her in the closet, but there was only this paper in the closet.”

The couple recalled the moment they opened the closet where Reni was supposed to be.

She was nowhere to be seen. They called out to her, but she didn’t come out.

Thinking that Reni might have hidden in a safer place, they searched the entire house, but found no trace of her.

When they searched the closet again, what came out was a grand piece of paper that didn’t belong in their house. On it, the words were written awkwardly—

“‘Leave it to me’...”

“This phrase... Reni uses it sometimes. Ever since we started living together, whenever I was a bit troubled, she would say, ‘Leave it to Reni,’ and always solve the problem... So I immediately knew she was doing something, but I never thought she would bring back the promissory notes...”

The couple’s eyes were filled with complex emotions as they looked at the two promissory notes that Reni had retrieved.

“I’ve been trying to hide the fact that I’m here and that Reni is here...”

“I would be in trouble if these promissory notes were made public. That’s why I’ve been paying the money as demanded, but I should have thought more about it...”

The couple had discussed whether they should take action against the exorbitant debt collection. However, they couldn’t choose a method that might put the young Reni in danger.

They knew it was a passive approach, but they thought that if they paid the money and got it over with, it would be the best solution. That’s how they had lived until now—

“That moment has come...”

“Yeah. Reni didn’t miss her chance. ...She chose her own path.”

“...Yes.”

The couple nodded to each other and had a bittersweet smile.

“I’m really glad Reni was the one who was born.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“I think we wouldn’t have been able to get through this without Reni.”

“Reni is the best daughter.”

Words they always repeated.

Over and over again.

“Reni is a genius.”

“Yeah, a genius.”

The couple’s feelings grew stronger. And at the same time—

“We can’t keep it hidden from her.”

“I was hoping we could wait until she was a bit older...”

As a family. In this village.

Just three years. They had been pursued by debt and hadn’t been able to spend much time together as a family.

But those were precious days for the couple.

“When I found Reni today, she was playing in the dirt in front of the house, just like always.”

“Come to think of it, she had dirt on her cheeks.”

“I was so worried, but when I picked her up, she looked at me with a curious face, like ‘What’s wrong?’”

“...I can picture it. Reni is always so confident, saying ‘It’s okay.’”

“And then she handed over the promissory note with a ‘Here you go...’”

“She smiled and said, ‘I found it on the ground...’”

“There’s no way the promissory note was on the ground.”

“Reni is so confident, but that’s what makes her cute.”

“Yeah.”

Thinking about their precious daughter, they couldn’t help but smile.

That’s why—

“I’ll try to contact her. I’m sure she will protect Reni.”

“Yeah... Yeah... Thank you.”