CBOM 32

chapter 32

“Master, what would you like to do?”

“…I want to smile too. I want to move around freely…”

In the previous chapter, Grace hadn’t come down here, so they had never met before. If nothing had changed, Reto would have continued living like this.

It wasn’t that he had no purpose at all, but Grace stared at Reto intently for a moment before suddenly scooping him up.

“W-what are you doing!”

Reto struggled, trying to get away from Grace’s hands, but he was only a seven-year-old child.

Grace’s strength was remarkable; even an adult male would have trouble resisting her, so there was no way Reto could fight back.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

“Let me go! I want to stay here…!”

“Yes, yes. Go outside and think about whether you really want to stay.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“You said you want to be free and smile. Then we need to leave this place first.”

At the mention of leaving, Reto’s body trembled.

“…No, please let me go…”

He seemed terrified of what would happen if Sophie found out.

But Grace ignored him, opened the door, and stepped out.

“I-I said let me go…!”

He resisted a little, but it was weak, probably because abuse had left him exhausted.

Grace gently soothed Reto.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Looking around like a sneaky cat, Grace walked lightly toward the room where Ribuanu was.

Reto seemed to resist at first, but Grace’s firmness gradually subdued him, and he finally relaxed completely, stretching his body limply.

As they neared Ribuanu’s room, Essi, who seemed to have been waiting, spotted Grace and ran over—but stopped when she saw Reto cradled in Grace’s arms.

“Grace! Master… hmm?”

It seemed that Ribuanu had been looking for him while they were gone for a moment.

“Why? Was Master looking for me?”

“Uh, but Master Reto…?”

“Yeah. We met by chance.”

“By chance? You barged in without permission, didn’t you…!”

Grace shrugged and ignored the remark, then asked Essi:

“Where is Master?”

“Here.”

Turning around, they saw Reto leaning against the doorway, holding a book, with a somewhat crooked expression.

“So, what’s with him just standing there like a piece of luggage?”

“Eh? Master…?”

Calling him luggage, even though Reto hadn’t done anything, already carried hostility.

“Uh? That’s blood… Grace, that’s your blood!”

At that moment, Essi shouted in surprise.

“Blood?”

She pointed to his shoulder, and looking closer, there was a dark stain that seemed to have come from Reto.

Ribuanu’s previously disapproving expression instantly turned pale.

He sprang up and checked Grace’s shoulder, quickly realizing that the blood came from Reto.

“What… happened?”

Ribuanu’s expression shifted through various emotions in an instant.

Reto, uncomfortable with the attention, buried his face into Grace’s shoulder, unsure what to do.

“He… he was brought here because he was badly hurt.”

“…We need to treat him.”

Ribuanu, who couldn’t ignore an injured child, spoke in a slightly subdued tone.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’ll get the first-aid kit!”

Quick-witted Essi went to get the medicine, and Ribuanu sighed, motioning:

“We can’t treat him here.”

“Right.”

“Come inside.”

“Yes. But Master, are you angry?”

“…No.”

“Oh, good. I thought you were mad at me.”

Hearing Grace speak while walking slowly, Ribuanu chuckled.

“How could I be mad at you?”

“Why not? If you’re angry, you show it. And last time, when I collapsed, you were angry.”

“That…! I wasn’t angry…!”

He had been scared.

Afraid of being left alone again.

“If you weren’t angry, then what was it?”

Grace blinked innocently, pretending not to know.

“…As long as it’s nothing like that, I don’t raise my voice. And I really wasn’t angry back then.”

Ribuanu cut her off, thinking it was absurd.

“Why do you think that way?”

“…More importantly, where did you find him?”

“In Master Reto’s bedroom.”

“Hmm…?”

Ribuanu frowned slightly, thinking he might have fallen and gotten hurt—but it seemed unlikely. Falling in a bedroom couldn’t have caused that much bleeding.

Perhaps because he had also experienced precarious situations, Ribuanu was perceptive in such matters.

He seemed to have roughly figured out what happened but couldn’t ask directly in front of Reto, so he kept quiet.

Just then, Essi returned with the medicine, and Ribuanu tried to remove Reto from Grace’s arms, where he clung like a cicada.

Well, he tried.

Reto stretched out like spider silk and refused to let go of Grace’s neck.

Ribuanu laughed at the absurdity.

One person pulling, the child holding on, and Grace unintentionally looking ridiculous as well.

Grace adjusted her steps awkwardly to match Reto’s height and moved toward Ribuanu.

Seeing Grace struggling, she softly said:

“We need to apply medicine, so you’ll have to let go of his neck.”

Finally, Reto peeked at Grace, then glanced at Ribuanu hesitantly.

It seemed he was uncomfortable because Ribuanu was present.

Ribuanu read the look and gave a very perplexed expression.

“Who barged into someone else’s bedroom and now tells me to leave?”

Hearing that, Reto tightened his hold on Grace’s neck.

“Master Reto, if you keep holding on like that, we can’t apply the medicine.”

“Right. Please let go quickly.”

Even Essi joined in, coaxing Reto gently.

Reto loosened his grip slightly, and Ribuanu swiftly removed him from Grace’s arms, seating him firmly on his bed.

Reto struggled briefly but then sat obediently, looking up at Ribuanu in a dazed expression.

“What are you staring at?”

With a rather sharp response, Reto lowered his eyes cautiously.

“Why are you being like that to him?”

Grace scolded gently. Ribuanu, feigning innocence, ignored her and carefully reached out to Reto.

“…We need to apply the medicine, so I’ll take off some of your clothes.”

Reto had previously worn fancy clothes, but now they were worn and fragile, likely to tear with slight movement.

Grace carefully removed his clothes, revealing the full extent of his injuries.

Essi, already weak-hearted, covered her mouth in shock, while Ribuanu, who normally didn’t like Reto, froze in disbelief.

“Where… how did this happen…?”

Reto shrank and tried to cover himself again.

“The medicine isn’t applied yet.”

Grace blocked his attempt and gently applied the medicine to each red, injured area.

The injuries seemed recent, not from frequent punishment.

She bandaged the bleeding spots. Despite the pain, Reto didn’t make a sound, biting his lips with a pale face.

“All done.”

After applying the medicine, Grace dressed him in pajamas she had prepared from extra fabric, as his old clothes were too worn.

They were made for Ribuanu’s size, so a little large for a seven-year-old, and had to be fixed with elastic.

“Thank you…”

Reto, who had been cautious the entire time, spoke with a slightly softened tone.

He kept glancing around, unsure how to phrase his words.

Then…

Gurgle—

Reto’s stomach growled loudly.

Clutching his stomach in shock, he shook his head as if it wasn’t him, but his noisy stomach growled again.

Blushing bright red, unable to hide the rising heat, Reto bowed his head, prompting Ribuanu to chuckle.

“Looks like you’re hungry.”

“I’ll bring some soup.”

Grace rose to her feet, but Reto hurriedly grabbed her sleeve, seemingly asking her not to go.

Then Essi laughed lightly, saying she’d go instead, and rose.

Unlike before, Reto stayed calm this time, not resisting Grace.

Soon, Essi brought a warm bowl of soup, and Reto finished it in no time.

“…Th-thank you.”

Not a large amount, but he seemed full and slightly drowsy, standing to express his gratitude again.

Reto’s eyes rolled slightly.

After a brief, awkward silence, he fidgeted with his fingers and cautiously spoke:

“Then… I should… go now.”

He seemed about to return to where he had been, trying to climb off the bed.

Ribuanu stopped him.