Chapter 3

I didn’t answer for a moment, my lips could only itch at her question.

Elodie wouldn’t really think I was her biological mother. Because she wasn’t raised in an environment where she could grow up to be so naïve. However because of the hope that leaked from those small, delicate words, my heart ached by itself.

‘How much has she missed her mother to say something like this? ‘

I swallowed dry saliva.

I didn’t want to hurt the child’s heart, but I also couldn’t give false hope.

“……Elodie.”

I carefully called her name. The name of the child who saved my life just a few hours ago.

“I am not your mother. But I’m also not a Madam. So call me Ariah.”

“……Ariah?”

“Yes.”

I nodded my head.

“My name is Ariah Bertin.”

“Ariah…….”

Elodie continued to mumble my name in her mouth, as if something bad would happen if she got it wrong. I deliberately pretended not to know and spoke to her.

“You must be very tired.”

“It’s okay.”

Elodie gave her eyes all the strength she could and opened them wide.

“I can stay awake!”

“No, you have to sleep.”

The hands of the clock were pointing way past midnight. It was too late for a little child to stay awake. I thought for a moment if there was a place where I could put her to sleep.

‘……I can’t help it.’

This is the house where I live alone. There is no such thing as extra blankets or beds. We can only sleep together in the same bed.

I held Elodie’s hand and took her to my bedroom.

As for the bed, I bought the biggest and best one, so it was big enough for two adults to sleep. There was no problem with sleeping with at least one little child.

Elodie quietly laid down on the bed. I was worried that she might have trouble sleeping, but luckily, she seemed to have been very tired because of her hard day, and as soon as she lay down, her eyes were half closed.

After patting the bedding to shape it, I put hot water inside a hot-water bottle and placed it under the blanket.

Elodie, who had fallen into a light sleep, widened her eyes as if startled.

“W-what?”

“Hot-water bottle. Isn’t it warm?”

I laughed softly.

“This is Hot-water bottle……?”

Elodie hugged the bottle and muttered in wonder.

“You can’t hold it like that. You could get burned.”

I took the hot-water bottle from Elodie’s hand and placed it around her feet.

“It’s warm.”

“Isn’t it hot?”

Elodie shook her head.

“I’m glad. Now let’s go back to sleep. Okay?”

The child slightly nodded her head and closed her eyes. I waited for Elodie’s breathing to sound evenly and then left the bedroom.

‘……Phew.’

The whole bathroom was a mess.

I picked up Elodie’s clothes that were lying on the floor, and frowned. It wasn’t something she could wear anymore because it wasn’t stitched properly and was torn in parts as the child grew up.

‘……Tomorrow, as soon as the morning comes, I’m going to go buy Elodie’s clothes right away.’

* * *

“Can I come in here?”

Elody looked up at the signboard of a children’s clothing store and held my hand in anxiety. Afraid from losing her from my side, I held it back.

“Of course.”

I answered with strength.

“We came here to buy your clothes. If not Elodie, who will go inside?”

“……It’s so clean and pretty.”

“Hmm. In my opinion, Elodie is also clean and pretty, right?”

“Really?”

She opened her eyes wide and looked up at me. It was as if she had heard such a compliment for the first time, my chest tightened at her surprised appearance.

“Of course.”

I nodded my head loudly and opened the shop door with all my might.

“Welcome!”

Immediately, a bright voice erupted from within.

The clerk’s eyes widened when he saw Elodie entering the store at a slow pace. He seemed to recognize her because Elodie had to come out wearing her old clothes, and no matter how clean it was, they were rags.

“Oh my, this kid……”

I stopped the clerk from finishing his words.

“She is called Elodie, who came to live with me. Elodie, can you say hello?”

“H-hello…….”

She stuttered a greeting, but she said a clear hello.

“It’s a pretty name, Elodie.”

The clerk smiled broadly.

“What are you looking for?”

I took the notebook out of my pocket.

It was a habit I learned after going through various trials and errors to record the items I needed before shopping.

“First of all, I need five sets of underwear that fit the child well. I will have five pairs of socks, too.”

I quickly read the notebook.

“In addition……pajamas, three easy-to-wear dresses and formal dresses……oh, I need a winter coat too.”

The clerk’s smile grew even bigger.

“You have come to the right place! New clothes for little girls have just arrived.”

The clerk roughly estimated Elodie’s dimensions, and guided us to a stand with the right size. I glanced at the price tag. No matter how good the business is lately, even if I have extra money, it’s not good to waste it blindly.

Fortunately, there were not many expensive clothes to be seen. This was enough to allow Elody to smile and pay for whatever clothes she chose.

I smiled at the child.

“Elodie, do you have any favorite clothes? What would you like to wear first?”

“……T-That…….”

I blinked my eyes.

She had expressed her nervousness from the moment she walked into her store, but Elodie looked particularly troubled now. The child couldn’t even speak properly.

“Are you sick? Do you want to go home and rest?”

“……Oh no.”

Elodie shook her head.

“T-that…….”

Her eyes flickered anxiously across the clothes.

‘……Ah.’

At the sudden realization, I groaned inwardly. It wasn’t that hard to figure out what her gaze was looking at.

Elodie was looking at the price tags.

She tried to choose the cheapest one, but she seemed to be perplexed as they were more expensive than she thought.

I said in a harsh voice to Elodie.

“Elodie, if you don’t tell me what you like, I’ll have to buy all the clothes here.”

“What?”

Her eyes widened.

“You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“……I’m going to grow up quickly, and my clothes will be small, so it’s going to be a waste. You can’t use…that much for things like me.”

I closed my eyes and opened them.

The urge to run to the prison where the traffickers would be held by now and kick them all in the most vital places came over me, but that was not the time.

Bending my knees, I made eye contact with Elodie.

“Elodie, let me tell you one thing. I don’t waste any money I use to buy your clothes. I’m dying to spend it.”

The answer was not immediately heard. Elodie slowly opened her mouth only after a moment of silence that was so heavy that I could feel her heart pounding.

“……Really?”

I took a deep breath.

It was because her voice was filled with a sense of skepticism that a child of her age would never have. I bent myself further to make better eye contact with her, and answered with certainty in my voice.

“Of course. Would I lie?”

Elodie looked like she had a lot to say, but nodded her head. The problem was that she still didn’t seem to have any idea what to wear.

So I decided to pick some for her.

A lovely sky blue dress that goes well with her silver hair, a purple dress that goes well with her bright red eyes, and a warm winter coat…….

Fortunately, Elodie didn’t seem to dislike the clothes I picked out. It was rather the opposite. She couldn’t take her eyes off the clothes in my hands.

I bought her clothes one by one while having fun…….

‘I’m a little over the budget.’

Suddenly, both hands were full of Elodie’s clothes, but it didn’t matter. I had saved up a lot of money because I had been living alone and had nowhere to spend.

In this case, spending a little will not make me go bankrupt.

Finally, having bought all the clothes we needed, I came out of the store with a bunch of beautifully wrapped boxes in my hand. Elodie, who wore rags when going inside, left the store wearing a pretty light-blue dress and a coat.

Elodie kept fiddling with the coat as in curiously.

“It’s very warm.”

“Is it too hot?”

“No.”

Elodie pulled the coat tight. She looked like she was afraid that someone might steal it.

“No matter how hot it is, you have to take it off. Otherwise, you’ll get sweaty. Okay, Elodie?”

She smiled bashfully and nodded her head.

After a short walk we arrived at a cafe not far from the clothing store. The cafe, decorated like a small brick house, was small and simple. As I approached the cafe, black letters on a simple wooden signboard were visible.

<Cafe Ariah>

Yes, it is the cafe I run.