Linia Took in a Child - Chapter 1: The Child (4)

“It must have hurt to pick them up. Thank you, Ruin. You’re such a kind and wonderful child.”

Ruin didn’t resist her affectionate embrace. Strangely, he didn’t find it unpleasant. Her soft chest pressed gently against his cheek, and the faint rhythm of her heartbeat resonated in his ears. For a moment, he stayed still in her arms, then slowly tilted his head up to look at her face.

“But soon, we won’t be able to stay together,” he said in a slightly forlorn voice. He watched her expression carefully as he spoke.

“They said I have to leave… because you’re sick.”

“Did Bessie tell you that they’d send you away?”

Ruin nodded, then added in a sullen voice, “I want to stay here.” If that blind woman were to contact someone about finding a place to send him, it could complicate things for him significantly.

“Bessie can be strict when it comes to matters involving me,” Linia explained gently. “But she won’t send you anywhere without my permission. I promise.”

“Really?”

“I promise,” Linia repeated, her voice firm yet kind. “I won’t suddenly send you away. Will you trust me?”

As Linia gazed into his clear eyes, her reflection mirrored in them, Ruin silently abandoned his earlier thoughts about how to deal with her. Instead, he gave a small nod, twice, to show his agreement.

Linia then used her sacred power to heal his injured hands. Holding his now perfectly healed hands, she smiled and resumed stomping on the laundry.

“You have to press down firmly like this,” she instructed.

The frothy bubbles rising in the water clung to their legs, and the scent of soap lingered between them. Although splashes of water dampened the hem of her skirt, Linia didn’t seem to mind—she was thoroughly enjoying this moment.

“What do you think? It’s more fun than it looks, isn’t it?”

“Miss…?”

Just then, a voice rang out from a distance—it was Bessie. Emerging from the mansion after hearing their laughter echoing from behind the house, she froze when the splashing sounds reached her ears. Her expression quickly hardened.

“Surely, you’re not doing laundry, are you, Miss Linia?”

Linia tried to explain that Ruin was helping her and that it wasn’t too tiring, but it was no use. Bessie’s sharp scolding began in earnest, leaving Linia no choice but to endure it with a sheepish smile

Sophie gently brushed through Linia’s fine golden hair, each stroke smooth and deliberate. Linia, seated quietly in front of the mirror, had her eyes closed, a serene expression on her face.

“You look like you’re in a good mood, Miss Linia,” Sophie said, noticing the soft smile playing on her lips.

Linia’s long lashes lifted, revealing her bright green eyes, still sparkling with contentment. With the same gentle smile, she replied, “Ruin told me he wants to stay here. It’s such a simple thing to say, but it made me happy all day.”

“Are we talking about that boy again?” Sophie muttered, her tone laced with mild exasperation.

Lately, it seemed Linia couldn’t stop talking about the boy. Sophie couldn’t understand why Linia was so attached to him. The child never responded to her questions or even bothered to make small talk. Initially, Sophie thought he was just shy, but every time their eyes met, the boy didn’t look away—he would simply stare at her intently.

Far from finding it endearing, Sophie thought it was unsettling. The boy wasn’t adorable to her; he was strange. Yet to Linia, he was nothing short of precious, and she doted on him endlessly.

“If only my health allowed it, I’d take him into town,” Linia said wistfully. “He’s at the age where he should be running around and playing with other children.”

“I don’t know about that,” Sophie replied with a snort. “That boy acts like an old man. I doubt he’d ever run around like a normal child.”

Linia chuckled softly at Sophie’s comment, then let her smile fade into a thoughtful expression.

“Lately, I’ve been wondering,” Linia began, her voice quiet. “What if I’d been born with a normal body?”

Sophie paused and looked ahead at the reflection of Linia’s face in the mirror. Beneath her lowered lashes was a faint shadow that hinted at her inner sadness.

“If I could have gotten married, at least, I wouldn’t be living here in this place… I wouldn’t have dragged you and Bessie into it either,” Linia said, her tone tinged with guilt.

“Please don’t say that, Miss Linia. We’re here because we chose to be,” Sophie replied quickly.

She understood why Linia felt this way—why she blamed herself for their circumstances. Sophie knew Linia had long carried the burden of being different. Saintesses chosen by the gods didn’t menstruate; they were born unable to bear children.

“You didn’t ask to be chosen by the gods, did you?” Sophie continued firmly. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s the baron for neglecting you and forcing you to live in a place like this.”

To Sophie, Linia was someone who deserved the gods’ love. She had once been celebrated as the most blessed and beautiful of the thirteen saintesses.

But everything changed when Linia’s mysterious illness began. The agonizing chest pains had forced her to leave the temple as though she’d been cast out. Even her family treated her as an unwanted burden. Her life in the secluded forest wasn’t so much for recovery as it was a quiet exile.

Yet despite it all, Linia never blamed her family or her illness. Instead, she thought of others—always putting Bessie and Sophie’s well-being ahead of her own.

After all, it was Linia who had saved Sophie when she had nowhere else to go. Sophie would never forget the day Linia offered her a hand.

At the time, Sophie was a new maid in the Crensia baron’s household. As an orphan with neither family nor connections, securing stable employment had been nearly impossible. Sophie had spent all her savings bribing the head maid to secure her position as the lowest-ranking maid.

But the work was grueling, far worse than she had been told, and the pay was miserably low. Sophie had believed the head maid’s claim that she would earn back her investment in two months, but it didn’t take long for her to realize she’d been deceived.

Sophie had once confronted the head maid, demanding to quit and asking for her money back. However, the head maid brazenly denied ever receiving any payment and, along with the other maids, began to harass Sophie even more cruelly.

Eventually, Sophie resorted to stealing small amounts of valuables from the other maids. She planned to gather enough money as quickly as possible to escape the household.

Her plan didn’t last long. The day she was caught stealing, Sophie was dragged to a secluded corner of the estate and severely beaten. While enduring a barrage of slurs like “thieving orphan” and “worthless brat,” she never repented for her actions. She only resented the world that had forced her into such a situation.

Just when Sophie thought she might actually die from the beating, someone found her: Miss Linia.

Linia used her sacred power to heal Sophie’s injuries and personally took care of her for several days. But that wasn’t all. After hearing Sophie’s story, Linia confronted the head maid, retrieved Sophie’s money, and returned it to her.

From that day forward, Linia kept Sophie close, ensuring she wouldn’t face any further mistreatment. Despite Sophie being young, inexperienced, and of little use, Linia welcomed her with open arms.

Sophie abandoned her plans to leave the baron’s household. The warmth and kindness she had felt from Linia were unlike anything she had experienced before, and she didn’t want to lose it.

“…I don’t want anything except for you to regain your health, Miss Linia,” Sophie said resolutely, setting down the brush. “No matter where you are, I’ll stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

Linia smiled softly at Sophie’s heartfelt words. She was grateful but also felt a pang of guilt. Sophie and Bessie had always stood by her, and Linia knew she had nothing to offer them in return but her thanks.

“Thank you, Sophie. I can’t tell you how much comfort it gives me to have you and Bessie by my side.”

“Miss Linia…”

Sophie’s face crumpled slightly, like a child on the verge of tears, and she threw herself into Linia’s arms. Linia gently patted Sophie’s back, soothing her as if indulging a younger sibling’s moment of vulnerability.

After a while, Sophie pulled back and stood up. Linia picked up the brush Sophie had set down earlier.

“Now it’s my turn. Let me brush your hair. Sit down.”

Sophie obediently sat in front of her, and Linia began brushing her curly, reddish-orange hair with practiced care. She braided Sophie’s hair into two neat plaits, and Sophie beamed, clearly pleased with the result.

The candle on the small dish had burned almost all the way down. Sophie picked up the dish and walked toward the door.

“Goodnight, Miss Linia. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Sophie. You have sweet dreams too.”

Sophie smiled at Linia’s warm voice as she left the room. She was heading toward the staircase to go to her room on the first floor when she suddenly stopped.

“…Good grief, what are you doing there?”

A small figure stood in the dark hallway—it was the boy, Ruin. She had no idea how long he had been there, but it seemed he was about to go into Linia’s room.

“Miss Linia is asleep. Go back to your room.”

The boy didn’t respond. He just stared at her silently, which irritated Sophie further. Just as she opened her mouth to say something else, the boy began walking. Before she could stop him, Ruin opened Linia’s door and slipped inside.

“What the…”

Sophie’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. She sighed, annoyed. What an absolutely unadorable child.

From inside the room, she could hear Linia’s warm voice calling, “Ruin?”

Sophie shook her head, resigned, and turned to head downstairs. As she descended, she couldn’t help but think again how much she disliked that boy.

*

It was the first time Ruin had come to her room on his own. The bed was too narrow for two people to lie down, but Linia willingly made room next to her.

Leaning against the headboard, she told him a fairy tale she knew. Ruin, who had been quietly listening to her story, closed his eyes at some point. Linia considered waking him but instead gently brushed and tidied the bangs of the sleeping child. She thought to herself that since the pain had appeared last night, tonight might pass without incident.

After extinguishing the candle, Linia carefully covered the small body with the blanket and laid down beside him, closing her eyes. The faint touch of the child’s body against hers was warm. Feeling at peace, Linia drifted off to sleep.

It was the deep of night when everyone was asleep.

“Ugh…”

Deep in her slumber, Linia unconsciously let out a faint groan. That soft sound woke Ruin.

He turned his gaze to the woman who had fallen asleep facing him. Even in the darkness, her pale face looked almost ghostly. Her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she were feeling pain even in her sleep.

Ruin stared at her lips, which occasionally let out quiet moans. They were the lips that always whispered kind words to him. As if bewitched, he reached out his hand.

The tiny fingers of the child lightly touched her lower lip. Slowly, Ruin moved his fingers across, tracing along the surface of her lips. It felt as if sweet red nectar might spill onto his fingertips at any moment.

“…Ugh.”

Once again, a faint groan escaped through her lips. Ruin felt the warm breath that moistened his fingertips. At that moment, a shiver ran down his spine.

“Haha…”

A small laughter burst out of his lips. His eyes were filled with desire that was not childish. He quickly withdrew the magic that had been suppressing his entire body. Then he took off his clothes and dropped them under the bed.

He shifted his body, and the blanket covering the two figures on the narrow bed slid down, pooling at the edge.

As his slender frame broadened, the taut muscles etched into his back became visible under the dim light, carving a stark contrast against his once-frail silhouette. The transformation left a towering, imposing figure hovering above her.

Edwin gazed down at the sleeping Linia, his piercing eyes softening as his large hand moved. Gently, he brushed her smooth cheek with his palm, the warmth of his touch causing her to let out a faint, involuntary murmur.

Edwin’s heated gaze lingered on the woman lying beneath him. Her defenseless face, peaceful in sleep, and the curves faintly visible beneath her thin clothing captured his full attention. His eyes roamed over her, absorbing every detail as though committing her to memory.

Lowering his head, his short, silvery-gray hair swept downward, strands settling softly against her forehead.

Their lips met, and as they overlapped, his damp, sharp tongue slipped through the gap of her slightly parted mouth. His tongue explored her gently at first, then more insistently, seeking hers until they entwined.

“Mm… ah…”

As his tongue pressed and moved against hers, suppressed moans continued to escape faintly from her lips. Completely unaware in her deep slumber, she became the object of his mocking indulgence, and he delved even deeper into her mouth, exploring her thoroughly.

After savoring her for what felt like an eternity, he finally pulled away, their lips parting with a soft, damp sound. Linia exhaled a wet, uneven breath, her chest rising and falling as if chasing his retreating warmth.

He couldn’t deny it anymore—the woman before him had consumed his thoughts, filling him with unrelenting desire day after day.

Now that he had returned to his true form, the ache in his lower body was sharper, more pronounced, and impossible to ignore.