The One Who Won't Be Abandoned - Chapter 6

A few days after catching the rabbit, Andre’s pit trap managed to catch a deer. This unexpected success meant the little rabbit’s life was spared a while longer. Thankfully, I had overslept that morning and missed the sight of the deer struggling in the pit.

By the time I saw it, Andre had already killed the deer on the spot. When I found him, he was crouched by the stream, partially butchering the carcass with a focused expression.

“Andre… You’re amazing!” I exclaimed, unable to hold back my excitement.

I felt a pang of guilt for the poor deer, now nothing more than meat, but I couldn’t help feeling thrilled at the prospect of finally having a proper meal of fresh meat.

Andre, his hands and clothes stained with blood, was washing them in the stream. His shirt was soaked, clinging to his skin as he awkwardly scratched his cheek, visibly embarrassed by my praise.

“You’re the best,” I added enthusiastically.

“It’s not a big deal,” he mumbled, his cheeks flushing red.

“Really, you’re incredible,” I said, doubling down on my compliments.

“Uh… thanks,” he stammered, growing more flustered with every word of praise.

After quickly cleaning himself, Andre announced he would head back to the cabin to change into dry clothes, leaving the roughly butchered deer meat behind.

I couldn’t help but peek into the basket of meat. The cuts were far from neat, the work of an inexperienced hand. But I didn’t care. The fact that we had meat at all was enough to make me giddy with excitement.

Beside the basket lay the torn and tattered deer hide. It was in such poor condition that I couldn’t help but click my tongue in disappointment. If the hide had been intact, we could’ve sold it in the village.

Still, I couldn’t fault Andre. For his first time butchering, he had done remarkably well, managing to separate the meat from the bones. His natural aptitude and effort made me feel oddly proud.

The thought of roasted meat filled me with anticipation. Eager to start cooking, I grabbed the basket of meat and headed to the cabin. The small fire pit in the yard was ready and waiting. I set the basket down beside it and went to fetch matches from inside the cabin.

But as I swung the door open, I was met with an unexpected sight.

“Wait, wait!” Andre yelped, his voice panicked.

There he stood, nearly naked, his upper body fully exposed, and wearing only his underclothes. He was in the middle of pulling on his pants, one leg already in while the other flailed in surprise. Losing his balance, he toppled backward with a thud, hurriedly scrambling to pull his pants up.

“Oh, sorry!” I blurted out, immediately shutting the door.

I stood there for a moment, flustered, before a nostalgic memory surfaced. When Andre was a toddler—three years old, perhaps—I had occasionally helped his nanny bathe him. Back then, my “help” consisted of little more than splashing around with him in the tub. He had been such a chubby, soft little thing, his baby cheeks and belly so endearing.

Now, that chubby baby had grown into a boy with the beginnings of a lean, muscular frame. He was still shorter than me, but his shoulders were broader, and his build was already sturdy. He was bound to grow even taller and stronger, no doubt inheriting his father’s imposing physique.

The thought of what Andre might look like as an adult—his potential strength and handsomeness—was hard to imagine, but one thing was certain: he would be someone no one could overlook.

“I’ve really raised him well,” I muttered to myself with a mix of pride and amusement.

It wasn’t hard to picture women across the empire lining up to meet Andre someday. With his looks, skills, and charisma, he was sure to succeed anywhere.

“Alright, enough of that,” I said, shaking off my daydreams.

Snapping back to the task at hand, I grabbed a bundle of firewood from the shed and stacked it near the fire pit. Returning to the cabin door, I suppressed a grin and cleared my throat loudly.

“Ahem! Can I come in now?” I called out, making sure to wait this time.

There was no verbal response, but after a moment, Andre opened the door himself. He avoided my gaze, his eyes darting nervously as though embarrassed to meet mine.

Pretending not to notice, I walked past him and headed straight for the matches, trying my best to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape.

* * *

Long strips of meat skewered onto wooden sticks sizzled over the open flames of the campfire. Smoke curled upward as the meat began to cook, and the rich aroma filled the air. Sitting beside me in silence, Andre stared into the fire. I glanced at him, gauging his mood before breaking the quiet.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never actually cooked meat myself,” I admitted, smiling sheepishly. “Back at the estate, the kitchen staff always did it for us. I’ve only ever eaten what the chef prepared. Oh, by the way, the way you handled the butchering—it was really impressive. Honestly, Andre, is there anything you can’t do?”

“Andre,” he corrected me.

“Huh?”

“Call me Andre,” he repeated firmly.

“Oh, right,” I said quickly. “It’s just… wow. I can’t believe I’m eating meat that Andre caught and butchered himself! It feels like I’m dreaming!”

“You’re that happy about it?”

My flattery seemed to hit the mark. Andre’s previously tense expression softened, and his lips curled into a faint smile.

“Of course! I’m so happy. Andre, you’re amazing,” I said, beaming.

“I’ll take care of it,” Andre replied, taking the skewer from my hands.

He began slowly turning the meat over the fire, making sure it cooked evenly on all sides. Relieved of the heavy skewer, I rubbed my aching wrist and took the opportunity to study him.

Andre was at an age where he was growing quickly—always hungry, always in need of more food. Though he hadn’t been starving during our time in the mountains, our limited diet had taken a toll. His cheeks had grown hollow, giving him a gaunt appearance.

“Poor thing, you’ve lost so much weight,” I murmured, reaching out to touch his cheek.

Startled, Andre froze, but he didn’t pull away. I couldn’t help myself; his thin face made me feel a pang of sympathy.

“When the meat’s ready, you need to eat a lot, okay? We can’t store it for long anyway, so eat as much as you can while we have it.”

“Okay. You too,” Andre replied, his cheeks flushing slightly.

Maybe it was the excitement of finally eating fresh meat, or maybe it was the sudden attention, but his face turned a charming shade of pink. I smiled and gently patted his cheeks again, enjoying how warm and soft they felt.

When the meat was finally cooked, it was better than I had dared to imagine. The moment I bit into it, the savory juices burst in my mouth, and I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes.

“’Thum maiyo! (So good!)” I mumbled, my mouth full of meat.

Andre had worked hard to prepare the meal, and in a kind gesture, he let me have the first bites of the best-cooked pieces.

Still, as I ate, I noticed him sitting there, watching me with quiet satisfaction. I waved at him to eat, motioning toward the skewer with a grin.

“Go on, try it!”

At my encouragement, Andre finally picked up a different skewer and took a bite. His eyes widened slightly as he chewed, the flavor evidently meeting his approval. It was the first time in days that I had seen him so visibly content.

“…It’s good,” Andre said quietly, his voice soft but genuine.

“Right? Eat as much as you want,” I encouraged him, smiling warmly.

There was plenty of meat to go around. Though I would’ve liked to ration it and stretch it out over a few days, that wasn’t realistic. We didn’t have the cold cellars of the Kaiman Estate to preserve it, nor did we know how to make jerky from the leftovers.

Resigned to the situation, I focused on cooking as much as we could eat, skewering another piece of raw meat onto a stick and placing it over the fire. As I watched Andre chewing on a mouthful of meat across from me, I couldn’t help but feel a wave of fondness. He looked so content like a little bird finally getting its fill.

Satisfied and full after eating my share, I leaned back and let my body sink into the soft grass of the yard. The thick patch of greenery felt as plush as a mattress beneath me. A moment later, Andre stretched out and flopped onto the grass beside me, mimicking my pose.

The sky above us was tinged with warm hues of orange and pink, the sun beginning its slow descent. Though the days often felt dull and monotonous in the mountains, today was different. Today felt fulfilling, a rare sense of satisfaction lingering in the air.

I watched a blackbird glide gracefully across the vast sky before speaking.

“We’ll need to go back to the village soon. Before we run out of potatoes and jerky,” I said, breaking the silence.

It had been over a week since our last trip to the village. Despite rationing carefully, the amount of food we had been able to carry was always going to run out sooner rather than later.

Still staring up at the sky, Andre responded firmly, “We’ll go together.”

His tone was resolute, as if he already knew I had been considering going alone and was putting a stop to it preemptively.

“Alright. Together,” I agreed easily, not wanting to argue. I had long since realized there was no point in trying to dissuade Andre when he was this determined. His stubbornness was as immovable as a mountain.

We lay there for a long while, the remains of our meal forgotten for the moment. The scent of burning wood from the fire mixed with the faint aroma of leftover meat, carried on the cool evening breeze. It swept over us repeatedly, a calming rhythm that only added to the tranquil atmosphere.

For the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt peaceful.

* * *

Every morning, the first thing I did was greet the rabbit. Before bed, I would wish it a good night. Throughout the day, I checked on its little enclosure regularly. Perhaps because of this, the rabbit had grown so attached to me that it would hop onto my hand whenever I held it out. Overjoyed, I bragged about it to Andre for ages.

“Good morning! Oh, you’re so cute. Did I wake you up? Go back to sleep if you want,” I cooed, watching the rabbit rub its tiny front paws over its eyes as if wiping away sleep.

After spending a while admiring the adorable creature, I stepped outside the cabin. As usual, the spot beside me on the bed had been empty when I woke up. Andre, always an early riser, was out wandering the forest again.

I had told him countless times to stop, fearing he might encounter a wild boar or, worse, a bear. But the adventurous boy never listened.

I headed to the stream, scooping up cold water to drink and splashing it on my face. The chill of the water cleared my groggy mind, and I dried my face hastily with my sleeve before returning to the cabin.

Andre was there when I arrived, standing outside after finishing his morning walk.

“Let’s eat the wild raspberries we picked yesterday for breakfast,” I said cheerfully.

“Yeah… sure,” he replied, but something about him was off. His head was lowered, and he avoided my gaze.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest. “What’s wrong?” I asked cautiously.

“Well… um…” Andre began hesitantly, only to cut himself off, clearly struggling to find the words.

That was all I needed to see. My fear was confirmed.

“You went and hurt yourself, didn’t you?!” I exclaimed, my voice rising.

Andre flinched, but he didn’t attempt to dodge the scolding—or the light smack I gave his back in frustration.

“I told you to stop wandering around like that! What if you’d broken something? We don’t have medicine, and there’s no way to bring a doctor up here! What were you thinking?!”

Andre stood there quietly, taking my scolding without complaint. In truth, he couldn’t exactly escape—it turned out he had climbed onto a boulder in the forest, slipped, and sprained his ankle.

“If the bone had broken, what would we have done?!” I continued, my voice trembling with anger and worry.

“I’m sorry,” Andre said softly, his head hanging low.

His apology, so sincere and filled with regret, took the fight out of me almost instantly. My anger gave way to an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

“Let me see your ankle,” I said, my tone calmer now.

Andre obediently rolled up his pant leg, revealing a slightly swollen, reddened ankle. Thankfully, it didn’t seem too severe, but the way he limped as he walked showed that it was still painful.

I helped him over to a wooden chair and eased him into it. Suppressing the urge to scold him again, I pushed a plate of raspberries toward him on the table.

“Here, eat. It’s a relief you’re not more seriously hurt…”

“I’m sorry,” Andre said again, his voice even smaller.

“If you’re sorry, promise me you won’t do anything reckless like that again. Why did you even climb up that boulder in the first place?”

My sharp tone seemed to make him retreat further into himself, his shoulders hunched with guilt. Seeing him like that made me feel bad for pushing so hard, so I took a deep breath to calm myself.

“Promise me you’ll stay away from dangerous places,” I said firmly but gently.

“I promise,” Andre said, nodding earnestly.

“If you come back hurt again, I’ll break your legs myself,” I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

“What?”

“Promise me.”

“…Okay. I promise.”

“Now, eat your raspberries.”

Andre picked up a single raspberry and began chewing on it ever so slowly, clearly lacking any appetite. Watching him, I sighed, wondering what I was going to do with this stubborn boy.

Andre’s deep sense of disappointment wasn’t just because I had scolded him. Today was the day we had planned to go down to the village to buy more supplies.

“I’ll go to the village by myself,” I said firmly.

“What?”

Andre froze mid-bite, his eyes widening in disbelief. The half-eaten raspberry hovered in his hand as he stared at me.

“There’s no way you can hike the mountain with that ankle. I’ll go alone.”

“It’ll be fine by tomorrow,” Andre insisted, his voice almost pleading. “I swear!”

“Ha! Tomorrow? At best, you won’t even be walking properly for a few days.”

“No, really, it’ll—”

“Enough,” I interrupted. “We’ve only got four potatoes left. After we eat today, they’re gone. I have to go to the village today, no matter what.”

Tears welled up in Andre’s eyes, and for a moment, I faltered. Seeing the hurt in his expression made me feel guilty, but I couldn’t let my emotions sway my decision.

“I’ll be back soon,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “I can’t carry much on my own anyway, so it’ll be a quick trip. Next time, we’ll go together. I promise, okay?”

Andre didn’t respond. He sat there, silent and brooding, his gaze fixed on the floor.

“You’ll stay here and rest while I’m gone, right? Please? Just take it easy and let your ankle heal,” I said gently, trying to coax him out of his silence.

Still, no answer.

“Andre,” I said, my tone firmer this time. “Answer me.”

To drive the point home, I put on my best stern face, one I knew he wouldn’t dare argue with.

“Fine,” he muttered at last, his voice thick with resignation. “But… come back quickly, okay? And don’t rush and trip or anything. Be careful.”

Relieved that he had finally agreed, I nodded. “I’ll be careful,” I promised.

With his reluctant blessing, I started preparing for my trip to the village, leaving Andre behind with the hope that he’d stay put and rest as he promised.

* * *