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Is this a Child-Rearing Story? Chapter : 08
“Mm-hmm. Okay.”
She said she understood, but Mielra didn’t look like she had any intention of actually doing so.
‘I’m worried she’s going to get an upset stomach like that.’
In the end, Istin poured some fruit juice from a transparent glass jug into a cup.
Mielra took the cup that Titi handed her and tilted her head.
“What is this? It doesn’t look like water…”
“It’s juice. It’s made by squeezing fruit. Try it.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you!”
Mielra quickly took the cup and gulped the juice down. Her eyes went wide again.
“Oh my god, it’s incredibly sweet!”
“Of course. I added honey.”
“Ho, honey?”
Am I really allowed to eat something so precious?
Suddenly, Mielra remembered how a few months ago she had found a beehive by chance and gone closer—only to be brutally attacked by bees.
‘My eyes swelled up so badly I could barely open them, and it hurt and stung so much.’
Because of her swollen face from the stings, the local kids had teased her for a while.
But that unpleasant memory quickly faded away.
Because the feast laid out in front of Mielra was simply too extravagant. Just tasting a bit of everything would probably fill her stomach quickly.
For a moment, Mielra wondered if she had been invited to a banquet in heaven.
“Um, Titi.”
After finishing her meal to her satisfaction, Mielra cautiously spoke while glancing at him.
“What is it?”
“There’s a lot of food left… can I take it with me?”
Istin was dumbfounded by the unexpected question.
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“I just… I wanted to eat it at home too. Is that not okay?”
“Haa… do whatever you want.”
He couldn’t bring himself to refuse her pleading expression. Even while sighing, Istin felt uneasy.
‘When I saw her house earlier, there wasn’t even a magical cold storage room.’
Of course there wasn’t. It was a crumbling shack.
‘So even if she takes the food, it’ll just spoil anyway.’
Istin’s imagination kept running.
Mielra sadly looking at spoiled food.
Mielra eating it anyway because she couldn’t bear to waste it.
Mielra eventually getting sick from it.
‘No, this won’t do.’
He quickly changed his mind.
“Wait—don’t take the leftovers.”
“Ah… okay. I guess I shouldn’t have asked. Sorry.”
Mielra quickly lowered her head in embarrassment. Istin slowly shook his head while looking at her.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not scolding you. I’m just worried you might get sick. Instead, I’ll invite you again tomorrow. That should solve it, right?”
“What?”
Mielra’s eyes widened in shock, as if she hadn’t expected that.
Istin spoke again clearly and slowly.
“Let’s eat together again tomorrow. Here.”
“I-is that really okay?”
“Of course. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow afternoon.”
At his words, Mielra looked worried and muttered softly,
“If you come alone again, you might collapse… are you sure it’s okay?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll come with my butler and knights this time.”
Even then, Istin couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh at how much she worried about him.
The Next Day
‘That bread from yesterday was so soft and delicious…’
Mielra was chewing on a rough rye bread for her morning-lunch.
Normally she would have devoured it in an instant, but the memory of yesterday’s warm feast kept coming back to her, making it hard to swallow.
She took a sip of water drawn from the well and thought,
‘But it’s okay. Titi said he’d invite me again today.’
Mielra trusted Titi’s promise without question. Even though the adults in the village—and even other children her age—often changed their words, Titi felt different.
Because there was something reliable in that small boy’s eyes. Just like her mother once had.
“Hey, Mielra.”
At that moment, two children her age approached her.
One was Maria, the daughter of the grocery store, and the other was Jerome, the miller’s son who often hung around Maria.
Seeing them approach together, Mielra quickly hid her rye bread behind her back.
“Wow, you don’t smell bad today. Did you wash in the river like five times?”
Jerome pretended to hold his nose from afar, then lowered his hand in surprise and tilted his head.
“I-I didn’t…”
Mielra stammered. She doubted they would believe the truth anyway.
Maria’s expression suddenly changed as she examined Mielra closely.
“Now that I think about it, you’re wearing clothes I’ve never seen before. What’s that?”
It was the dress Mielra had received from the head maid at the villa where Titi worked.
It was so soft compared to her usual rags that she never wanted to take it off. Even though wearing it every day would clearly ruin it quickly.
“Yeah. There’s no way trash like you could wear something that nice.”
“Strange. Where did you even get that?”
Suspicion quickly filled both Maria and Jerome’s faces. They reached a conclusion.
“I know! Mielra, you stole that clothes, didn’t you?”
“N-no! I didn’t steal it! I would never!”
Mielra shouted in panic. Jerome grabbed her sleeve roughly as if trying to tear it off.
“Come on, tell the truth. We’ll tell the adults! How could someone like you get something that nice, huh?”
“I didn’t steal it! It was a gift! Let go!”
Mielra shouted desperately, afraid her clothes would rip.
But no one believed her. Maria scoffed.
“Ridiculous. Who would give you something that valuable?”
“From… from the villa over the hill…”
Normally, she would have burst into tears or run away by now.
But not this time. Because this dress wasn’t stolen—it was a gift from her wonderful new friend.
“What are you saying? We can’t hear you! Speak louder!”
Even though they could hear her, Jerome deliberately mocked her.
Mielra’s eyes sharpened.
“This was a gift after I was invited to the villa over the hill! I didn’t steal it!”
“What? Don’t make nonsense. That villa belongs to important nobles.”
“Yeah. There’s no way someone like you would be invited there.”
Jerome and Maria snapped at her together.
“No, I really—!”
“Enough. I’m done listening to your lies. I’m going home to tell my mom. Haha!”
Jerome pretended to whisper as if telling on her, laughing mockingly. Maria added loudly,
“Good! I’ll tell my dad too and spread it around the village! I’ll tell everyone what a lying thief you are, Mielra!”
But then—
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Mielra, are you okay?”
A small figure suddenly stepped forward from behind, his voice full of anger.
Titi? How is he here?
Startled by the familiar voice, Mielra looked up—and met Istin’s eyes directly. Behind him stood the same knight and butler she had seen at the villa yesterday.
But strangely, instead of relief, she felt more embarrassed.
‘I didn’t want Titi to see me being bullied…’
She couldn’t lift her head.
She didn’t know what expression Titi was making right now.
What if he thought she was pathetic for being looked down on by other kids?
“Who’s this little kid… huh?”
Jerome, who had assumed he was just a child because of his voice, suddenly froze in shock.
“S-Seriously… that person is—?!”
