Soon after Jane and Ian left, the coachman came in to ask for help.

He explained that while trying to reach the cabin Jane had mentioned before sundown, the carriage had fallen into a pit. The coachman looked utterly exhausted from his long walk.

Aiden willingly followed the coachman. He even went so far as to support the tired man in his arms. He was likely preparing to use some form of teleportation or flight magic.

Unexpectedly cradled in a princess carry, the coachman’s cheeks flushed as he looked up at Aiden.

Huh? Why are you blushing there?

Narrowing my eyes, I smiled slyly at the coachman.

Touch our Aiden….and I’ll personally show you what kind of company he belongs to, I thought with a smirk.

The coachman awkwardly averted his gaze after catching my eye.

Oh, running away?

After the coachman and Aiden had departed, only Jane’s parents and I remained at the small dining table.

A nervous gulp, unknown from whom, passed across the table. With that sound, a really mysterious and uncomfortable silence began.

In the stifling silence, distant laughter reached our ears. It was Jane’s siblings.

The three of us simultaneously turned to look toward Jane’s group.

They were seated on the carpet, surrounded by many dolls that were with Jane’s love and care.

Suddenly, I remembered the cursed doll I had made. Perhaps the cursed doll is still guarding my mother’s bedside…

Such was the magnitude of a mother’s love.

Ah, I miss my family.

Though I scoffed at their fussiness when we parted, barely two days had passed and I already missed them greatly.

It was ridiculous, but it wasn’t that bad. Foolishly.

Picturing my family’s faces, I turned back. Unlike me, Jane’s parents were still fixated on the group. It was likely their younger daughter’s reflection in Jane’s similarly expressive eyes.

“I see they look quite happy.”

I spoke while fiddling with the warm teacup. The previously lost-in-thought couple started and glanced my way.

Their surprised eyes briefly met mine before swiftly shifting toward their own cups.

“Yes… indeed. They do look very happy, our Jane.”

It was a voice filled with tender affection. Jane’s mother murmured almost to herself before she hesitantly raised her eyes to mine. Like she was going to make a significant decision, and then spoke more clearly.

“Excuse me….Lady.”

“Yes?”

“Is Jane… doing well at the Duke’s residence?”

The mother’s voice was courageous as she asked about her daughter. Her voice shook as did her body when she saw a nobleman for the first time.

Words she couldn’t bear to ask the daughter in front of her.

“Yes, she’s doing very well. In fact, Jane is so well that I miss her terribly whenever she’s not around.”

I responded firmly and sincerely.

A faint smile appeared on her tense face, and the cup clattered slightly in her trembling hand.

“Thank you. Thank you so much for taking such good care of our Jane… really, thank you. I always feel… somewhat guilty about Jane…”

Her voice trailed off, her gaze shifting from her teacup to the distance. I didn’t need to follow her eyes to know where she was looking.

“Jane always tried to help out at home, considering the age gap with her siblings. At that time, we needed the money to survive… and I was grateful that she matured early…”

Her somber tone was tinged with moisture, the voice that was a mix of affection and guilt and something else.

Similar emotions were buried deep in the cloudy gaze. Relief, affection, love, guilt, regret.

“Honey…”

The couple clasped each other’s hands. Jane’s father’s eyes also began to redden.

“Jane should have had a childhood, too. We, as her parents and as adults, should have carried the burdens that we instead placed on young Jane. We realized too late…. that she was forced to mature quickly because of the circumstances, not because she wanted it.”

Unable to hold back tears, the couple pressed their lips tightly shut and stayed quiet.

For a moment, no words were spoken. Because those stifling their cries could make no sound.

Only the distant, gleeful laughter echoed through the small house.

With my own eyes reddened, I turned away from the couple struggling to hold back their tears and looked back at Jane, who was still smiling brightly. Watching the children’s antics seemed to bring her pure joy. Her face radiated a light that made it hard to imagine she felt any guilt about her laughter.

Had young Jane been able to smile like this?

It occurred to me that Jane always seemed cheerful yet, at times, eerily composed. Like a happy young girl yet somehow more mature than adults.

Even though she was pleased by sweets one moment, then, she would comfort me with her mature embrace the next… Now I understand how those traits were formed.

A child who couldn’t be a child might keep a child’s heart tucked away.

That’s how they grew up.

Maybe Jane is, too.

“Jane… I’m sorry we can’t do more for her. Now that she can’t visit often… I know it’s shameless of us to ask, but please, Lady, continue to look after our Jane. If there are any shortcomings, they are ours to bear. Please don’t hold it against her. We beg of you, please.”

Please.

The deep lines of worry and the parents’ wrinkled faces appeared at the repeated pleas

Those lines must have hinted at the hardships of their lives.

Those two must have done their best. Raising three children while tirelessly working as common folk wouldn’t be easy.

Even in my past life, after finishing work and visiting Eunji in the hospital, I’d be utterly spent.

They must have felt some pride in Jane’s responsible appearance despite their exhaustion.

And so, they realized at some point. They felt something had gone wrong when they saw how much their child had grown. They realized their own foolishness and their shortcomings as parents.

It’s not that they didn’t love Jane, but they had imposed an adult’s burdens on a child, ….realizing their mistake only too late.

Yes, they realized a little too late.

Regret remained, but time had passed, and Jane had become an adult, now at an age where regrets are no longer useful.

So what about Jane?

Her parents carried guilt for the past…

But Jane, what about you?

Once again, a burst of loud laughter echoed from afar.

* * *

That night, we decided to stay at Jane’s.

There were no inns or hotels in this village, and it seemed wasteful to travel to another town for lodging, especially since night had fallen, and time was precious.

After all, this journey was a race against time. Because the flowering season was brief.

Partly for this reason, and to give Jane more time at home, we stayed. Given the short time Jane could visit, today and tomorrow might be our only chance.

I had suggested that Jane could stay home while we traveled, but she firmly shook her head, insisting that wherever I went, she must follow.

How cute.

Jane’s parents offered me the master bedroom. I tried to decline, but knowing how the persistence of a noble’s refusal can feel more oppressive the longer it lasts, I reluctantly accepted.

Presumably, Jane’s parents would sleep with the children in another room. Ian and Aiden would share a room.

This trip might just make those two get along better.

As I imagined Ian and Aiden cozily sharing a room, a soft knock came, and Jane entered the room.

The room was too small for the whole family, so Jane was to share it with me.

“Jane.”

“Yes?”

Even here, in her own home, Jane was preoccupied with attending to me.

She busily checked whether the bedding was comfortable, if the room was well-ventilated, and stopped at my call to come closer.

I reached out for Jane’s hand. Quick as ever, Jane extended her hand to mine, making it easier for me to grasp it.

Her hand was small in mine, smaller than my own.

Toughened by years of maid work, her fingertips were small and delicate, with knuckles protruding here and there due to the hard labor.

“I saw you playing with your siblings earlier.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. They’ve all grown so much, it really surprised me.”

Jane’s face had an unblemished smile. Her bright expression showed not a hint of lies. A hint of pride for her siblings momentarily colored her blushing cheeks.

“Did you send Priest Ian to play with us?”

“Yes. Kids that age love that sort of magical stuff.”

“Haha… What is that, miss? But they did enjoy it. And, between us, I found it quite fun, too, the whole light coming out of the hands thing.”

Jane spoke with a serious face. In the dimly lit room, holding hands, we both laughed together.

“While you were with the kids… I talked with your parents.”

“Oh? You did… Did my parents say anything inappropriate…?”

Jane’s face tensed more than before. Even now, she was always worried about her family. I watched her anxious expression and slowly shook my head.

“No, it was just a chat, nothing like that.”

It was only then Jane looked relieved. She murmured, “That’s good,” then blinked at me.

She must be curious. After all, what could her parents and I possibly have discussed without her?

“We talked about you.”

“…Me?”

Her eyes widened with curiosity and surprise. I shrugged slightly, because isn’t it always more interesting to delay telling news just a bit longer?

“Shall we turn off the lights and get some sleep?”

At that, Jane, who had been blinking curiously, chuckled.

That’s so like you, miss. She protested briefly.

__