Chapter 42

My daughter became so brave I hugged Selene and sobbing hysterically.

As Selene joined me, the pool of tears grew out of control.

Haniel, who was hugging us, looked at us in bewilderment. She put herself between us and reached her head out.

[Stop! D, don’t cry! You kan’t cry!]

***

[Madam, are our decisions too impromptu?]

“What do you suggest we should do now?”

I told off Selene, frustrated, as she was hanging around at the villa’s entrance.

Although I agree with those words from before, looking at how upbeat Haniel was, I could not bring myself to take those words back.

Just for today, the admissions ceremony was her everything.

[Mommyy!]

“Come here. You should put on your ribbon.”

I took out the ribbon, which I had packed while we were preparing to move.

It would be great if it were a red ribbon.

Emotions overwhelmed after I tied the ribbon on her head while feeling regretful about the less- fitting ribbon.

“Ah…”

My heart, hold on!

Selene, too, rushing and reminding us that we were late, was overwhelmed by Haniel’s cuteness.

The pearls on a pig’s neck, no. The ribbon on a white cygnet’s neck would look different depending on who tied it.

Regardless of how many new students Lady Melleo had admitted, I was sure that Haniel would definitely be the most outstanding student of all.

[How regrettable. We put in so much effort today, but it’s our last day too.]

“We can’t help it. But, thankfully, we are still sending her to the ceremony.”

[Madam, will you arrive later, then?]

“Yeah, you guys should go ahead. I’ll follow behind you after finishing up all the packing.”

Although the night escape was decided at the last minute, our plan had to be done meticulously. It was not easy to bring a baby along while moving lakes into other territories.

Had we escaped without plans, we would have been caught without even lasting a day outside.

I had carefully gone through the map, double-checked the routes and even our packed bags throughout the night.

On top of that, the schedule must not be too overwhelming for young Haniel.

Albeit it might be dangerous, the best strategy was to escape during the day instead of at night, carrying her in my arms.

“Who would think of escaping during the day? Since there’s the admissions ceremony today, all the animals in the vicinity will come, and we’ll take advantage of the crowd and slowly escape from the back.”

[I got it, Madam. Let’s meet at the reeds where the new students gather.]

“Okay. I’ll move all our bags over to the entrance of the lake in advance.”

It felt uncomfortable walking through the Winter Palace to escape the lake, but it was better than walking through the main annex.

I would not be cutting through the Winter Palace, but rather through a sidewalk like the last time.

‘Great.’

The timing would be perfect, hiding the bags there in advance and then carrying her on my back and escaping after Haniel was done with her admissions ceremony!

[Mommy, why aren’t you goin wit us?]

“No, mommy will be going. Haniel is just going with nanny first.”

[B, but…]

Haniel was jumping around excitedly earlier, but she was now depressed. It was common for babies to have mood swings, but I got flustered as a novice mother.

“Why? Are you nervous? Mommy must go.”

[Haniel waited for mommy for bery bery long. R, really bery long.]

“…”

[Twin brother said that mommy will come if I listen to him well, but didn’t. So Haniel came to lake to look for mommy.]

Like that!

Whimpering, Haniel spread her wings, expressing her reluctance to leave me. Her anxiety for waiting for others was so evident that it made my heart wrench once more.

As I was about to speak after remaining silent for a while, Haniel’s bright eyes sank.

[Is mommy angry? Because you don’t lik Haniel waiting?]

“No. Mommy knows.”

How could I not know as a mother?

I put down the baggage in my hands and knelt down before her.

It was rare to have someone who knew the deep and empty meaning behind that word, wait.

I’ll come for you. I’ll be back soon.

If you stay here quietly, I’ll soon…

“Mommy will never make a promise I can’t fulfill. So I might be late, but I will definitely show up.”

[Really?]

“Yeah. You see that sun?”

I looked at the frightened Haniel directly and pointed at the sun in the sky above the lake. It was still daylight, so the east sun shone into her clear pink eyes.

[M, my eyes hurt.]

“It’s blinding, not pain.”

How could I go anywhere else without you?