Linia Took in a Child - Chapter 1: The Child (3)

Though he could forcibly extract her magic if needed, her sacred power—the divine force granted only to those chosen by the gods—was beyond his reach.

“Keeping her alive would be far more useful…”

With her around, no injury would pose a problem; she could heal him quickly no matter how dire the situation. The issue, however, was whether she would willingly help him once she discovered his true identity.

He could continue pretending to be a child, but there was no guarantee that she would show the same kindness to a child who had killed the people she cared about. Edwin—or rather, Ruin—was still undecided whether taking the woman with him would be a benefit or a liability.

Moreover, the last thing he wanted was another imperial investigation, spurred by the disappearance of a woman like her. For now, he was postponing any action until he could make a clear decision about her fate.

“The witch turned the beautiful princess into a frog,” Linia continued reading. “And then, she trapped the princess inside a tiny bottle. When the knights arrived, the witch flew far away into the sky on her broomstick.”

The accompanying illustration showed a witch soaring through the air on a broomstick. Just as Linia was about to turn the page, Ruin spoke up.

“What would you do if it were you, Linia?”

Linia looked down at the child beside her. His round eyes gazed up at her, wide with innocent curiosity. It seemed he was asking what she would do if she were in the princess’s place.

“Well… I guess I’d start by trying to talk to the witch. I’d want to know what she wanted from me.”

“What if you couldn’t speak?”

“That’s true. If I were a frog, I wouldn’t be able to talk, would I? That would make things a lot harder.”

His persistence, driven by the story, was endearing. Linia raised her hand and affectionately ruffled his silver-gray hair.

“I don’t think the witch would turn the princess into a frog without a reason. I believe people don’t become villains without some cause.”

“There are people who hurt others for no reason,” he replied quietly, his tone calm as her hand continued to stroke his hair.

Linia paused, unsure how to respond to such a stark statement. Slowly, she withdrew her hand.

“…You’re right,” she admitted softly. “There are certainly people like that—truly evil individuals.”

Perhaps it was the trauma of his past, enough to drive him to lose his memory, that made the child speak in a way far too mature for his age. Linia found herself empathizing with him. On any other day, she might not have thought much of his words, but now, they struck her deeply.

The person who had abused him for so long must have been exactly the kind of evil he was describing.

“And you’re right again,” she continued. “We shouldn’t try to understand or justify people like that. Those who cause pain to others shouldn’t be forgiven for any reason.”

Ruin lowered his gaze as he listened to her calm yet firm words. She was the polar opposite of him—a person who abhorred evil and dedicated herself to what was morally right and just. She was the kind of person who would rather end her own life than follow someone like him.

Quietly, he discarded his earlier plan of cutting out her tongue and taking her by force. As Linia read the next part of the story, her voice gentle and engaging, Ruin fell into deep thought, contemplating what course of action would serve him best.

* * *

Despite Bessie’s repeated advice not to overexert herself, Linia spent most of her time caring for the child. When she wasn’t tending to him, she talked to Bessie about him—how he seemed to have opened up more than the day before, how quickly he was learning to read, and so on.

She never failed to mention just how beautiful the child was. She would go on about his striking black-tinged eyes, his enchanting silver-gray hair, and his soft, pink cheeks. Linia had described him so often that Bessie felt she could vividly picture every detail of the boy’s appearance, even though she was blind.

The kind-hearted young lady didn’t stop there. One day, she even gave the child a name—“Ruin.” She’d spent two days thinking of the perfect name and then beamed as she explained the choice to Bessie.

Bessie had been unable to say anything in response. How could she tell Linia not to grow too attached when it was clear how much the boy meant to her? Still, she knew they couldn’t keep him forever. This place wasn’t a suitable environment to raise a child, and there was always the worry that Linia’s health might worsen at any moment.

And, as was often the case with misfortune, it struck without warning.

Bessie and Sophie were preparing dinner, chatting casually as they worked. From the living room, they could hear Linia playing with the boy. While the child barely spoke a word to anyone else, he seemed to respond to Linia in his small voice, and their faint laughter occasionally drifted into the kitchen.

It was a peaceful afternoon—until a sharp crashing sound shattered the quiet.

“I’ll go check!”

Sophie quickly dried her wet hands on her apron and rushed to the living room. There, she found Linia collapsed on the floor, clutching her chest. Around her, shards of broken glass were scattered, creating a dangerous scene. Sophie quickly turned to call back to Bessie.

“Stay where you are! Don’t come in!”

Navigating carefully around the glass, Sophie made her way to Linia’s side.

“…Miss Linia, hold on. Just hold on,” Sophie said as she gently wrapped her arms around Linia’s trembling shoulders.

But Linia’s upper body kept drooping lower and lower. Her knees and feet, pressed against the shards of glass, began to bleed, staining the floor with small drops of red. Yet Linia seemed entirely unaware of it, her focus consumed by the sharp, searing pain in her chest.

“Aah… ugh…”

The pain was unbearable, an intense, crushing agony that left her unable to feel anything else. She bit her lip, suppressing the scream that threatened to burst out, and forced herself to search for the boy through her blurred vision.

In the haze of her tears, she saw a small figure standing a short distance away. She couldn’t make out his expression, but his rigid posture suggested he was frozen in shock.

‘It’s okay.’

Linia mouthed the words, trying to reassure him even as the pain continued to escalate. She was used to enduring such suffering, but this time it was different. The pain only grew stronger, sharper, as if a blade were twisting deep into her heart.

“Ugh… ahh…”

She bowed her head, her face contorted with pain. The sensation of something stabbing her heart became so overwhelming that it felt as though her chest was being crushed.

Linia gritted her teeth and fought to endure, but suddenly, her vision began to darken. The edges of her sight turned black, and she felt herself slipping away.

“Miss Linia!”

Sophie caught her collapsing body just in time, holding her tightly. Panic-stricken, Sophie turned to the boy, her voice urgent as she cried out to him.

“Clean up the glass. Quickly!”

Despite Sophie’s urgent cry, Ruin stood motionless, staring down at the fallen woman. Her pale face made her look as though she were already dead. The lower part of her white dress was gradually turning red, soaked with blood that was pooling beneath her.

His gaze lingered on the blood trickling down her ankle before he finally moved closer. Crouching down, he began to pick up the shattered pieces of glass.

Once most of the glass had been cleared, Sophie called for Bessie. Together, the two women carefully carried Linia to her room. Sophie removed the shards embedded in her flesh and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Once the blood flow had ceased, Sophie left the room to clean up.

Bessie stayed by Linia’s side. Even in her unconscious state, Linia occasionally let out groans of pain, her body still tormented. After a while, her breathing evened out, and Bessie finally left the room, assured that Linia was resting more peacefully.

The mansion was steeped in silence, a heavy stillness filling every corner. Bessie headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water. She reached for the spot where the water jug was always kept, her hands feeling around until she found it. As she began to pour herself a glass, she heard faint footsteps behind her.

“Sophie?”

“Why did she collapse?”

“…So it’s you.”

The young voice came from the kitchen doorway. Bessie resumed her task, pouring water and taking a slow sip. The child didn’t leave; his presence lingered, the faint sound of his breathing confirming he was still there.

Bessie sighed softly. It seemed the boy wouldn’t go anywhere until he got an explanation about Linia’s condition.

She hadn’t intended to tell him the truth. There was no benefit in letting the boy know about Linia’s illness, and Linia herself had asked them to keep it from him.

But he saw it all happen. Perhaps honesty is better now.

With that thought, Bessie turned toward where she knew the boy was standing.

“Miss Linia isn’t well. She’s been having sudden episodes like this for some time now,” Bessie said gently.

Linia’s once-vibrant health had started to deteriorate two years ago. A mysterious illness had plagued her with unpredictable chest pain that left her incapacitated.

“I don’t know the exact name of her condition. All we know is that it causes severe pain in her heart.”

The pain usually lasted for about an hour. Linia would always retreat to her room, enduring it alone until it passed before coming back out as if nothing had happened. But this was the first time she had collapsed like this.

“Perhaps it’s because she’s been overexerting herself these past few days, taking care of you,” Bessie added, her tone neutral.

She wasn’t trying to blame the boy. Rather, she wanted him to understand the reality: Linia’s health was fragile, and keeping him here indefinitely wasn’t an option.

“If her condition worsens, we’ll have no choice but to send you somewhere else.”

They couldn’t cure Linia’s illness, but at the very least, they had to ensure it didn’t worsen. Bessie spoke calmly, trying to gauge the child’s reaction from the silence that followed.

“But if you leave, Miss Linia will be heartbroken. She truly cares about you…”

The boy didn’t respond. But Bessie could sense that he was still standing there, quietly taking in every word.

With a sigh, Bessie turned her back to him.

“I hope what I said doesn’t upset you too much. Now, go upstairs and get some rest.”

Still, there was no reply.

*

At dawn, Linia finally woke up. She let out a deep sigh as she glanced at the bloodstained sheets and her injured legs. The image of Sophie and Bessie tirelessly taking care of her the night before immediately came to mind, filling her with guilt.

Linia reached down and placed her hands over her legs. As a soft light radiated from her fingertips, the cuts on her skin began to slowly heal. Once she was done, she changed into clean clothes and gathered the bloodied sheets and her soiled dress to wash them.

Behind the mansion was a large laundry tub. Linia poured water into it and created suds with a bar of soap before hitching up her skirt. She stepped into the tub and began gently stomping on the laundry with her bare feet.

The forest in the early morning was breathtakingly beautiful. Linia always loved this time of day—the cool, fresh air invigorated her as she worked. She was lost in the rhythm of her movements when she heard someone approaching. Turning her head, she spotted a small boy watching her from a short distance away.

“Ruin!”

Linia called his name with delight. The boy, looking very much like an eager puppy, quickly trotted over to her. The morning sunlight illuminated his pale cheeks and slightly tousled hair, making him look even more endearing.

Linia reached out and tidied Ruin’s hair. He stood quietly, letting her fuss over him, and the sight brought a natural smile to her lips.

“You must have been really scared yesterday. I’m sorry for frightening you,” she said gently.

Ruin shook his head lightly as if to say it was fine. Linia withdrew her hand from his soft hair and suggested that he go back inside to rest. But Ruin, clearly fascinated, stayed put, watching her intently.

His curiosity made her laugh softly. She continued to work, moving her feet in the soapy water. Her skirt, pulled up slightly to avoid getting wet, revealed smooth, pale legs.

“Would you like to join me?” she asked, noticing how his gaze lingered on her legs as she stomped on the laundry. Holding her skirt with one hand, Linia extended her other hand to him.

Ruin took her hand and carefully stepped into the tub.

“Be careful not to slip,” Linia said, tightening her grip on his hand to steady him.

However, as she held his hand more firmly, Ruin winced, and Linia quickly loosened her grip.

“Sorry, did I squeeze too hard?”

She gently ran her fingers over his small hand, but something felt off. Looking closer, Linia carefully opened his hand and froze.

Thin lines of blood were seeping from his skin. His fingers were covered in tiny cuts, likely from sharp edges.

“Oh no… How did this happen?”

“I picked up the glass so you wouldn’t get hurt,” Ruin replied calmly.

Linia’s heart ached as she remembered the moment she had dropped the plate in pain, the sound of it shattering echoing through the room. The thought of Ruin carefully picking up each shard with his bare hands to protect her made her chest tighten with emotion.

Linia knelt slightly and wrapped the boy in a warm hug, holding him close.