Penelope’s face lit up with a bright smile.
She was about a third of the way through her potion regimen.
Though she had wanted to give up several times, she had no choice but to swallow the vile concoction with the resolve of eating bitter herbs.
‘The taste was so awful. I truly wanted to quit.’
Still, she no longer felt so nauseous that she was on the verge of vomiting, thanks to her body developing resistance to the toxins.
And now, the child who might be her heir had finally arrived.
Penelope felt a sense of reward, as if her hard work up to this point was being recognized.
“I’d like to go greet them,” she said.
“I’ll follow you,” replied the steward.
Together, Penelope and the steward headed to the castle lobby. Waiting there were the treasurer and other castle staff, all curious about the child who might become their young master.
“That must be the carriage,” Penelope said, spotting the vehicle parked at the entrance to the lobby.
Moments later, the carriage door opened, and a tall man stepped out. He was clearly a member of the Valkyrie Guild, as commissioned by the treasurer.
Soon after, a frail-looking child jumped down from the carriage.
The boy appeared to be around ten years old. His pale face and timid demeanor immediately caught everyone’s attention.
“Is that the child who might become the master’s heir?” one of the staff whispered.
“He looks so thin. I heard he grew up in an orphanage, so maybe he wasn’t fed properly.”
“Poor thing,” another murmured.
The boy, noticing the crowd of people staring at him, instantly hid behind the tall man’s back. He resembled a frightened, cornered animal, bristling with tension.
The Valkyrie Guild member spoke in a dry tone.
“Sain, come forward. I explained this to you already. My job was to bring you here. Now it’s time for us to part ways.”
“B-but...” Sain stammered in a frightened voice.
The man grabbed Sain by the shoulders and firmly pushed him forward. Though the push wasn’t particularly rough, the boy almost stumbled.
“This is where you’ll live from now on,” the man said flatly.
Without a second glance at the boy, the man turned to the treasurer.
“My task is complete. Please send the payment to the guild.”
“Thank you for your hard work,” the treasurer replied.
The man gave a slight bow, climbed back into the carriage without so much as a farewell to Sain, and shut the door.
As soon as the door closed, the carriage departed quickly, kicking up a cloud of dust from its wheels.
Sain watched the carriage leave with a bewildered expression.
At that moment, the steward approached Sain with a calm demeanor. The boy flinched and looked up at him nervously.
“So you’re Sain. It’s nice to meet you. I am the steward of this castle.”
“Uh... um... Karen said I’d be living here...”
“That’s correct. Now, let’s go meet the Lord. She’s the one who ordered for you to be brought here.”
Sain swallowed hard, his throat dry, and slowly nodded. It seemed Karen had explained the basics to him on the way here.
The boy followed the steward hesitantly toward Penelope.
Penelope looked at him carefully. Though he was scrawny, he had a delicate and charming appearance. His pale sky-blue eyes were clear and pure, his nose was straight and well-proportioned, and his hair was a rich dark brown.
Penelope smiled gently.
“Hello, Sain. It’s nice to meet you.”
“...”
“My name is Penelope. From today onward, I’ll be your patron. I look forward to getting to know you.”
She extended her hand toward him.
Sain stared blankly at her outstretched hand, as if he didn’t even understand that he was supposed to take it.
“Shall we shake hands?” Penelope wiggled her fingers, and Sain flinched before slowly reaching out his own hand. Finally, Penelope clasped his small, soft hand.
His hand was unbelievably tiny and delicate.
Raising an eyebrow, Penelope said, “You’ll need to grow up quickly. What kind of food do you like? Do you enjoy meat?”
“Uh, no! I mean... um...”
Sain fumbled with his words, then looked up at her with frightened eyes, his large sky-blue orbs glistening with unshed tears, as though he might cry at any moment.
Flustered, Penelope said hurriedly, “Uh, how about we go have a meal first? After that, we can enjoy a sweet dessert. What do you think?”
“....”
“Or if you prefer, we can start with a bath instead. How does that sound?”
Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.
“F-food... I’d like food,” Sain stammered, his voice trembling.
Sain managed to answer in a small, timid voice. His stomach was too empty for him to refuse Penelope’s offer.
‘I thought the Lord would be an old man,’ Sain thought, feeling slightly puzzled.
The Lord standing before him looked younger than the teachers he had lived with at the orphanage. She also seemed cheerful and kind.
That this person was the owner of such a massive castle was hard for Sain to believe.
Penelope smiled warmly. “Then it’s decided. Let’s go.”
As she gently tugged on his arm, Sain found himself following her without resistance.
The two of them walked side by side through the hall and up the stairs. Penelope slowed her pace to match his smaller strides.
When they reached the drawing room, Sain’s mouth dropped open, and his cheeks flushed a deep red.
“It’s... warm,” he murmured in disbelief.
The room was spacious and clean, filled with a comfortable warmth. Sunlight streaming through the windows added a peaceful glow to the space.
For some reason, Sain already liked it here.
‘His face says everything he’s thinking,’ Penelope observed, watching the boy closely.
According to the Valkyrie Guild’s report, Sain’s father was a distant relative of Baron Halo and had worked as a mercenary to make a living. Unfortunately, he had been killed by a monster during a mission.
The villagers, not knowing what to do with the boy left behind, had sent Sain to the orphanage, where he had lived for nearly six months.
‘They said he was twelve, but he looks younger than I expected.’
Penelope thought about all the things she would need to do to take care of him, starting with feeding him properly and helping him gain weight.
“Let’s take off your coat and wash your hands first,” Penelope said.
“Let us handle that, my lady,” Giselle interjected. The other maids, filled with curiosity about the boy, were also watching him closely. Their attention made Sain shrink back again.
“How about you go with the maids to wash your hands? After that, we’ll eat together,” Penelope suggested gently.
“Uh... okay,” Sain replied, glancing up at her with hesitant eyes before nodding. He looked so endearing that even the maids couldn’t help but smile.
Sain followed the maids to remove his coat and wash his hands. Afterward, he joined Penelope at the dining table, where a special meal prepared by the chef awaited them.
“Don’t you like the food?” Penelope asked when she noticed his hesitation.
“N-no, it’s not that,” Sain stammered, his eyes darting to the steaming dishes in front of him. He looked as if he couldn’t believe he was allowed to eat any of it, his expression full of nervous uncertainty.
“It’s fine. Eat whatever you like,” Penelope encouraged him.
At first, Sain continued to glance around cautiously, watching both Penelope and the maids. But after tasting a piece of golden, crispy meat pie, his eyes lit up like shining stars.
He stuffed the large pie into his mouth, chewing eagerly. One by one, the dishes in front of him disappeared as if by magic. Each time Sain took a bite, the maids could barely contain their delighted squeals.
After a hearty lunch and dessert, Penelope showed Sain to his new room, which was located not far from her own.
“This will be your room from now on. If you ever feel lonely, you can come visit me in my room,” she said warmly.
“...” Sain blinked, as if struggling to believe what he was seeing.
The room was outfitted with a new bed, desk, wardrobe, and a bookshelf filled with books. There was also a small corner stocked with toys, stuffed animals, and a wooden sword. The steward and the maids had worked together to prepare the space diligently.
“You can use anything in this room however you like,” Penelope continued. “The clothes in the wardrobe are yours as well. Though I’m not sure if they’ll fit perfectly—those were chosen by the steward.”
Sain nodded quietly in response. Penelope noticed he seemed to instinctively nod every time she finished speaking.
She rubbed the back of her neck and said, “You’ve had a long journey to get here, so why don’t you take a nap? After you wake up, just ring that bell over there, and the maids will come to you. Does that sound good?”
“...Yes,” Sain replied softly.
To Penelope, he looked like a timid little squirrel, and she decided it was best to give him some space for now.
Sain stepped into the room, glancing back at her uncertainly. Penelope gave him a warm smile and waved.
“Sleep well,” she said gently.