Chapter 19

19

"Seems like the ones who were only half-educated are rolling in, Father."

"I see."

Sharent Clow nodded in agreement with Deshar Clow.

At that moment, the butler, Kant, approached and bowed. The two men's gazes shifted to Kant.

"Your Grace, I have entrusted the young lady to the attending physician."

"Thank you. And select a maid with experience in childcare to take care of her exclusively."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Deshar Clow turned his head to look at Sharent Clow.

"You're not saying anything."

"It's better to assign a proper person rather than having it get messy."

"Then I'll take that as no objection."

"As you wish, Father."

Sharent Clow slightly bowed his head.

Deshar Clow nodded, and Kant led the way.

Deshar Clow followed Kant, and Sharent Clow trailed behind.

Deshar Clow's brow furrowed at the sound of footsteps following them.

"Why are you following?"

"I'm thinking."

"Thinking?"

"About what to do with this."

Sharent Clow said this with a relaxed expression.

After a brief exchange, the two arrived at the room assigned to the child.

Inside, the child was sleeping fitfully, her face showing signs of exhaustion.

A man in a white gown, who had been examining the child, straightened up.

His chestnut hair and purple eyes turned to the two Clows.

The presence of the two men together was extraordinary.

The man in the white gown lowered his eyes and spoke.

"Your Grace, Young Master, you have arrived."

Deshar waved his hand at the man who bowed.

"Enough with the formalities, Rino. Have you examined the child?"

"Yes."

"How is she doing?"

Rino hesitated to answer.

He, as the attending physician, knew very well who the child he was treating was. She was the illegitimate child of the Clow family, known for their strict pure-blood ideology.

He couldn't be sure if the question was to handle the situation quietly or to save her, and thus he wasn't sure if he should speak the truth.

"Speak frankly and without reservation."

Deshar Clow added, seemingly noticing Rino's hesitation.

"Compared to her peers, her development is delayed, and she appears to be severely malnourished, likely due to a lack of proper nutrition."

A deep furrow appeared on Deshar Clow's brow. He let out a low sigh, surprised by the news.

Rubbing his brow with his thumb, Deshar Clow listened as Rino continued.

"However, considering the situation described by the butler, she is in better health than expected."

Deshar Clow exhaled a low breath, a sigh of relief.

"Finding and hiding food on her own at this age... Honestly, it's almost a miracle or the work of a prodigy."

Rino was genuinely surprised when he first heard the story from Kant.

Aside from the child's poor condition, the fact that she had been left alone for over two weeks was shocking.

He knew that the Clow family excluded those who did not meet their standards, regardless of age.

It was remarkable that the child had survived in a situation where death was almost certain.

What surprised him the most was...

'These two are here.'

The fact that Deshar Clow and Sharent Clow, the two pillars of the Clow family, had come for an illegitimate child.

For Deshar Clow, it was understandable as she was his granddaughter, the child of his son.

However, Sharent Clow's visit was truly unexpected.

Having served as the Clow family's attending physician for nearly a decade, Rino knew well how poorly Sharent Clow got along with his only younger brother.

Even twenty years ago, when Rino was an intern under the previous attending physician, the two were not particularly close.

Deshar Clow officially had three children.

His eldest daughter, Syria Clow, his eldest son, Sharent Clow, and his youngest son, Varyan Clow.

What was certain was that the three siblings did not get along well.

"Due to malnutrition, she has several adverse symptoms, but with proper meals, she will recover quickly."

Deshar Clow nodded slightly at Rino's explanation.

Although he seemed reluctant to be there, he did not interrupt Rino.

"Additionally, her external injuries are also concerning..."

Rino immediately brought up the second issue.

In fact, the more pressing problem was Sheryna's injuries.

"Her knees seem to have hit the hard marble frequently, as there are bruises and some cracks in the bones."

"Cracks?"

"Has she complained of pain when crawling...?"

Rino asked cautiously, and Deshar Clow remained silent.

The passage of time was evident in the wrinkles on his forehead.

"For a while, it's best to avoid having her crawl. After that, it would be better to let her crawl on soft, cushioned surfaces."

However, the Clow family would not provide a carpet for the child, so Rino offered a practical solution.

"If that's difficult, it might be better to keep her in one place, prevent her from crawling as much as possible, and train her to walk instead."

"Rino Pashan."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Rino quickly stopped speaking and bowed.

Sharent Clow, standing behind Deshar Clow, remained silent, still wearing a smile.

The most terrifying was Sharent, not Deshar.

Deshar Clow would immediately show anger if something was wrong, but Sharent Clow would not.

He would quietly watch with a smile, even if someone crossed the line.

By the time the other person realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

There was no escape, and his grip was tight.

"That's not your concern. Come regularly to examine the child and submit reports. I believe Kant has already informed you about this."

"Yes, I have been informed."

"Ensure everything is done properly."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Rino bowed.

In the silence, he quickly left the room, sensing Deshar Clow's unspoken dismissal.

* * *

"-Tada!"

I finally gathered everything!

It took me a whole week and three days.

I wiped my forehead with my hand, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

I can't even begin to describe how much effort I put into sneaking out of the mansion to gather these materials.

The reason for all this hard work was that a resident maid had been assigned to my room, leaving me with no free time.

The biggest change was the new pacifier...

'Metal pacifier... Is this a joke?'

Did they really expect me to suck on this with my weak teeth?

It's so heavy that an infant can barely hold it, and it has a bitter taste. I decided to throw it away.

Even with the new pacifier, I still have to suck on this dirty wooden one, which is very sad.

At least the new maid hung the pacifier around my neck like a necklace, reducing the risk of losing it.

She must have had the same thought as me when she saw the metal pacifier and hung the wooden one around my neck.

Anyway, with a resident maid in my room, there are many eyes during the day, so I can only sneak out at night and quickly return.

Even then, the maid checks on me every few hours, so there are few opportunities.

It's incredibly difficult to stay awake, use my magic, and crawl.

Lately, I've been so restricted from crawling that I feel like I'm going crazy.

The maid panics and picks me up whenever I try to crawl.

Recently, they've added a thick cloth to my knees, which has reduced the pain.

Still, it hurts a bit every time I crawl, but it's not too bad.

"Ah."

I sighed deeply and plopped my bottom onto the floor.

Under the moonlight, I once again began weaving straw.

'When will I finish?'

It's not easy to weave straw with small infant hands, and the result isn't great.

I pushed my leg hair, which I had carefully plucked, into the straw.

I don't want to touch the rose thorns, but I have no choice.

I couldn't remove the thorns from the rose stems, so I pushed the entire stem into the straw.

It took me four hours to do all this.

"-Tada!"

Finally, I completed it.

Compared to what I usually make, this straw doll is quite poor, but it meets the basic requirements, so there shouldn't be a problem with the black magic.

The dried blood from when I pricked my finger is still on the rose, so I don't need to draw new blood. Even if I wanted to, it would be difficult with my bandaged hands.

'The doll is complete.'

Now, I just need to infuse it with the magic of the person I want to pay the price and burn it.

The problem is...

"Ugh!"

How to push the magic, which is only moving slightly, to the point where the black magic activates.

I hugged the straw doll tightly, got into position, and exerted my strength.

Lying down, I felt sleepiness overwhelming me.