Chapter 5

But unfortunately we didn’t have that much time.

After a while, someone visited our secret hideout.

Like a raptor before snatching up its prey with its claws, she said with her golden eyes twinkling.

“You were hiding in such a place like a mouse?”

It was Madam Mimosa—!

My small heart pounded and fell to the floor. It felt like all the blood was rushing out of my toes.

“Annette. It’s really disappointing.”

“…Madam.”

Madam Mimosa spoke coolly while holding a sharp whip.

“I trusted you because you were an exemplary student who never caused problems.”

Gulp.

My throat was dry because of the tension.

Panic seemed to come when the worst situation I had imagined in my head became a reality.

“……”

Sislin was also scared, and his breath quickened. Because he had already been severely punished by Madam Mimosa.

‘What should I do? We shouldn’t have been caught now.’

He hadn’t overcome his water trauma yet, and there was no way to naturally return to the Forest.

If things went on like this, he would get beaten…！

What would happen next was obvious.

Sislin, who barely opened his heart a little, would retreat into the cave again and the situation would get much worse.

Madam Mimosa looked around the hideout and hit the furniture with the end of the whip.

“You stole all the furniture here, too. Sislin… What a rude thing to do.”

Upon her cold gaze, I was surprised and shouted as I hid Sislin behind my back.

“It’s not Sislin’s fault. I did that!”

“Annette. I know you care about the Trees, but you shouldn’t embrace them unconditionally.”

“I’m telling you the truth, Madam. Trust me… please.”

“Sislin has already broken eight rules. I cannot forgive him.”

Ahhh… It increased by one because of me.

“At first, he complained that he didn’t want to wash and ran into the cave. Do you know how worried the teachers were? …How often did I emphasize the need to abide by the rules?”

In the Forest, severe corporal punishment followed a problem child.

“Get out of my way.”

Unsurprisingly, Madam Mimosa pushed me by the shoulder and swung a sharp whip towards Sislin.

Wheeik!

Ouch, that!

That whip must hurt a lot…!!!

At that moment, I hugged Sislin tightly, showing my back instead, and shouted.

“Sislin isn’t complaining, he is afraid of the water!”

Madam Mimosa’s rod stopped in mid-air for an instant. But still, the strict blonde seemed unwilling to forgive.

“Annette, whatever the reason, the fact that Sislin broke the rules doesn’t change.”

“…”

“If you don’t get out of the way, I will have no choice but to punish you together.”

As a young child, an adult with a sharp whip was too frightening.

However, I couldn’t back off.

Because of the trauma, Sislin was shaking like a dog that had been in the rain all day, and I could feel that trembling in my arms.

I was trembling and scared too… I held him tight and squeezed my eyes before opening it up and looked at her straight.

“I will take responsibility and fix him, Madam.”

“……”

“I’ll make him into a Sislin that washes well, doesn’t run away, and obeys the rules!”

I put in a condition.

“If I fail… I will also receive corporal punishment along with Sislin.”

Perhaps Madam Mimosa read my determination as her eyebrows rose sharply.

There was cold suspicion and a little interest in that expression.

“Sislin has always had trouble adapting to the Forest, is that possible?”

“Yes, Madam.”

I nodded with clear eyes.

“If he is being scolded now, he will be more afraid and hide. Madam knows.”

Suddenly, there was a slight crack in Madam Mimosa’s cold expression. She actually knew it too. That she would take a long time to solve it with corporal punishment.

“I’ll give you three days.”

‘3 days is too short…’

However, there did not appear to be any room for negotiation otherwise.

‘I’m going to make it work no matter what.’

I stopped worrying and nodded with determined eyes.

“Yes, Madam. I promise you.”

Only then did Madame Mimosa gather the whip. It was a relief.

“Clean up this room and bring Sislin back to the living room.”

Hehe, I succeeded in persuasion!

“But Annette will have to skip dinner for three days as a punishment for breaking the rules. As for Sislin…”

Madam Mimosa continued speaking after glancing at Sislin’s skinny limbs.

“I should replenish his nutrients quickly.”

“Yes, Madam!”

I had to starve, but I could bear it. If only the baby would be safe.

After hearing my clear reply, the madam finally went out of our hideout.

“Whew…”

My relaxed body drooped like a stuffed teddy bear.

At that moment, Sislin, who was in my arms, also raised his head quietly. The boy’s anxiety was etched in his red ruby-like eyes.

“Annette.”

I gently stroked the little head of his.

“Don’t worry. It’ll turn out okay. Sislin.”

And I smiled softly.

* * *

I stayed with Sislin for a while as he was anxious, and then went down to the living room.

‘I don’t know if that is actually better.’

When he returned to the Forest, he would be able to sleep and eat delicious food.

First of all, I was fortunate enough to pass today without being beaten.

The problem was to help Sislin overcome his water trauma within the tight time frame of 3 days…

‘Let’s study some methods.’

I was sure he could overcome it.

Good! Let’s cheer up!

I was filled with positive energy and opened the living room door.

The children, who were lying on the small beds one by one, smiled broadly at me and waved their short arms.

“Annette!”

“Sister! Sister, hey~”

“It’s a little bit cold today. Achoo!”

Julien, who had fluffy blond hair and big eyes as blue as a lake, sneezed, and snot came out.

“Huh? It’s because you left the windows open. Guys, you’re going to catch a cold. Let’s close the windows!”

“Yes!”

The children answered brightly and closed the windows hard.

I rubbed my nose. I felt like I had become an undisputed ruler. Hmm, as expected, being 12 years old is thrilling, it’s the best.

I wiped Julien’s runny nose and went to Heinrich’s bed.

“…”

Heinrich sat facing the wall. With a sullen look on his face.

It was something he did when he was upset about something.

Heuk, cute little boy!

“Heinrich.”

“…”

“Where did our kind Heinrich go?”

I looked for Heinrich pretending not to see him, even though he was clearly in front of me.

I could see Heinrich cheeks shaking like soft bean cakes.

Then he opened his mouth sullenly.

“I heard you were punished and had to skip dinner? …I don’t care if I eat that or not.”

When someone was being punished, the content was posted on the bulletin board, and it seemed that he had read it already.

There was soft bread in the place Heinrich pointed to.

Kkeuk–

Seeing the bread made me very, very hungry. It felt like it melted in your mouth when I took a big bite.

I spoke with wonky pronunciation, my cheeks full of bread.

“It’s so delicious, Heinrich.”

“…If I knew you’d like it, I would threaten to kill the guy in charge of the bread and rip more from him.”

“Ah. You can’t do such a bad thing!”

“Let me sleep. Sleepy. ”

When I tried to scold him, Heinrich quickly changed his attitude and whined.

I ate the bread bit by bit and covered Heinrich with a blanket up to his chest as he laid on the bed.

Then I patted his chest.

Like a cat basking in its owner’s touch, Heinrich’s purple eyes quickly became docile.

At times like this, he was such an angel.

My heart became soft like pudding for a while, and I asked a question that was on my mind the whole time.

“Heinrich, be honest with me. The room with Sislin, did you say it…? That hideout, you and I. Only we knew about Sislin.”

“What? It can’t be!”

Heinrich’s eyes rose like a naughty cat.

“But Sister hates bad kids so much?”

What I clearly saw in the hallway of the hideout was the shadow of a child. If it was not Heinrich, then who came?

‘Who the hell is that?’

I looked around the living room with suspicious eyes. However, it could not be determined which child it would have been.

…There was no kid who didn’t like me.

Would it continue to interfere with future plans?

I had to fix Sislin’s water trauma as soon as possible, return him to the Forest, and help him get along with Heinrich.

All were essential for a happy future for my favorite, Heinrich, and Sislin, who became precious to me.

So, the future was important.

Even if there was someone trying to interfere, I could never stop.

‘They had bad first impressions, but because of the nature of the children, if they play together often, they will get to know each other.’

Of course, Heinrich was more jealous than I expected, but there was a way.

I said while poking Heinrich’s shoulder with my index finger.

“Heinrich, I like Heinrich the best. You know that, right?”

It was the ‘Mom gave birth to a younger brother, but still loves you’ operation!

As I smiled with clear eyes, Heinrich’s cheeks instantly turned red like plums.

“…!”

Heinrich, whose grumpy eyes became soft, closed his eyes.

“Hmph.”

Then he said sternly.

“Of course.”

I should have listened to his following words, but I couldn’t hear it well because he was lying down.

“I like you the best too.”

The whisper was so small and affectionate.

“…So you can’t be taken by anyone.”

* * *

The next day.

I created something in the morning and ran to the place where Sislin was.

This was what I prepared for overcoming his water trauma.

“Voila!”

It was a pink bar with a circle at the end.

Sislin asked as he stared blankly at the rod.

“Annette… What is that?”