LVSMLA 06

Chapter 06

Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep. As soon as we returned, Elsie—who had been startled and rushed over to break up our fight—gave us some ointment. I applied the ointment to Callisto’s hand and wrapped it carefully with clean cloth. The child mumbled in a sulky voice.

“Thanks….”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

“Geez, seriously. I said thanks!”

“Is that how you show gratitude?”

Just as we started bickering again, Elsie pulled us apart. Her sighing face looked extremely tired.

Both Callisto and I fell silent, glancing at her nervously.

“Young master, Sir Callisto. Please stop fighting… Dinner is ready. The count is out at the moment, so the two of you will be dining alone.”

While I had been squabbling with Callisto, it had already become dinner time. I had asked for something specific on the menu today. I turned to Elsie and asked to confirm.

“You prepared what I asked for, right?”

“Yes. Mrs. Jones prepared it deliciously. Shall we go downstairs?”

“Alright. Callisto, let’s go.”

I held out my hand to Callisto, who was sitting on the bed. The bed was too high for the child to climb down from alone. Callisto pursed his lips and glanced at me for a long time.

I urged him.

“Hurry up. Today’s menu is really good. Aren’t you hungry?”

“…I am.”

“Then grab my hand. If it hurts too much, I can carry you.”

“I told you it doesn’t hurt!”

Grumbling, Callisto reluctantly took my hand with the one that wasn’t bandaged.

Still, his attitude had improved a lot compared to before. I smiled to myself as I helped him down from the bed.

* * *

When we arrived at the dining room, Callisto and I sat side by side and waited for the meal. Footmen carried dishes in one by one.

Even in difficult circumstances, it seemed Callisto’s nanny had never forgotten that he was a prince and had taught him many things. Callisto sat upright with dignity, as if noble dining etiquette had already been ingrained in him.

The problem arose when the serving began.

When the footmen served the dishes, each person would take a portion before beginning to eat. As usual, I took some food first. Then the footman turned to Callisto.

The moment he bent slightly and presented the plate beside Callisto—

Callisto’s eyes widened.

His small shoulders trembled as if shocked. Then suddenly he lunged forward and grabbed the food with both hands.

The footman gasped.

I also stopped moving my fork and knife and stared at Callisto in surprise.

Callisto didn’t seem to notice our stares.

He frantically grabbed food with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth. His movements were desperate and hurried.

That was when I noticed his thin wrist.

The child’s cheeks were gaunt and pale, his jawline sharp—far too thin for a child.

Then I remembered reading about this scene in the original novel.

Callisto’s nanny had died two years ago. Since then, the child had wandered alone through the slums. Going hungry had been common, and he hadn’t had a proper roof over his head to rest under.

Only after arriving at the count’s estate had Callisto eaten a proper meal for the first time in years.

When I read that part in the novel, I had felt sorry for him too. I had wondered how much a child must have suffered to grab food with his bare hands the moment he saw it, stuffing it into his mouth until his hollow cheeks puffed out.

But reading it as words on a page and seeing the child in front of me were completely different things.

It hurt my heart far more than when I had read it as a story.

Only then did it truly sink in that Callisto wasn’t just a protagonist in a novel.

He was a real child, alive and breathing.

After silently watching him for a moment, I raised my hand and called the footman.

“…Andrew. We’ll take care of the meal ourselves, so you don’t need to attend us. Everyone may leave.”

“Yes, young master.”

The moment Callisto heard my voice, his frantic movements stopped.

The footmen who had been serving quietly withdrew, leaving only Callisto and me in the dining room.

Callisto stiffened. He couldn’t even lift his head.

His ears, cheeks, and the back of his neck had all turned bright red.

Callisto wasn’t an uneducated child.

He knew his identity. One day he intended to return to the imperial palace, be recognized as a prince, and clear the injustice done to his mother and nanny.

Because of that, even though he was young, he had strong pride and self-respect.

But he had lived too long begging and starving.

So when he saw the lavish food of the count’s household, he had lost his reason for a moment.

He must have felt ashamed that someone had seen him like that.

Tears gathered in the corners of the child’s eyes as he kept his head lowered.

I pulled the plate of lamb steak from the center of the table.

Callisto’s gaze followed my hands as I quietly cut the meat.

His face was still red, tears hanging in his eyes, and I saw him swallow hard.

But he didn’t say a word asking for food.

I could guess why.

I stabbed a small piece of the finely cut lamb steak with my fork and held it out near Callisto’s mouth.

His eyes widened.

His eyes were still wet, but I pretended not to notice.

Instead, I called him casually.

“Here. Say ‘ah.’”

“…Why?”

Callisto’s voice was low and hoarse.

He tried to act calm, but it was obvious he was flustered. Raising his brows slightly, he glared at me with a defiant look.

But to me, that face looked a little sad.

“What do you mean why? Your hand hurts. You can’t eat by yourself right now.”

“Ah….”

Callisto flinched and looked down at his left hand.

White cloth wrapped around the small hand I had bandaged earlier.

It wasn’t impossible for him to hold a fork, but cutting meat would be difficult. Besides, the count’s forks and knives were made of heavy silver—too heavy for a small child.

“Looks like they haven’t prepared a child’s fork yet. I’ll cut it for you today. Just for today, alright?”

Callisto’s red, plump lips stuck out in a sulk.

His mood seemed a little better now. He looked like he wanted to insist that he could do it himself because he wasn’t a baby.

Callisto hesitated before speaking.

“I can do—”

“Try it, baby. Mrs. Jones, the best cook in our house, made it. It’s really delicious.”

The main dish was the lamb steak I had specifically asked Mrs. Jones to prepare.

I cut off Callisto’s protest and gently pushed the piece of lamb into his mouth.

He looked displeased at first, but as he chewed the steak, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Good, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Callisto nodded slightly.

I glanced at him and smiled inwardly.

The original novel had contained all sorts of detailed information about Callisto.

One of them was his favorite food.

Even after he was recognized as the Second Prince and entered the imperial palace, there were several scenes where Callisto was shown cutting lamb steak.

Just as I expected, he seemed to like it.

That made me happy.

Callisto remained quiet.

I had expected something like “I’ll do it myself, so get away from me, you devil!” But instead he obediently opened his mouth.

His soft lips opened like a baby bird’s as he accepted each bite of meat.

It was cute—but also heartbreaking.

He ate so quickly that it seemed like he swallowed without even chewing properly.

In the original novel, there had also been a scene where Etienne and Callisto ate lamb steak together.

Callisto loved the dish then too.

But after that first time, he never got to eat it again.

Because Etienne never allowed it to appear on the table again.

When Etienne realized Callisto liked the dish, he grabbed the plate of steak Callisto was eating and threw it onto the floor.

Then he mocked him, saying that since he was a dog living off the count’s household, he should lick it up like a dog.

‘What kind of person does that to a child over food? How could Etienne be that cruel at such a young age?’

Callisto had probably already seen that scene in his dreams of the future.

That must be why earlier he couldn’t bring himself to ask me for the meat.

Thinking about it gave me a headache.

But this entire situation had been caused by me.

When Author H first wrote that scene, she had worried that it might be too harsh.

But I had applauded it, saying the character needed strong, dramatic “spicy drama” to work.

‘I should’ve restrained myself.’

Regretting spilled water wouldn’t change anything.

Back then, I had never imagined that I would possess Etienne’s body, or that Callisto would know the future of the original story.

I sighed as I continued cutting the steak and feeding him.

Then Callisto stared at me.

I had been lost in thoughts about the novel and only noticed his gaze a moment later.

“What? Want something else? Oh right, you should eat some salad too.”

I didn’t like leafy vegetables either, but children needed balanced nutrition.

I quickly reached for the salad plate.

But Callisto shook his head.

“No. I’m full now. I don’t want any more.”

“Huh?”

That didn’t make sense.

Callisto was a growing child, and in the original story his appetite was described as large.

That was why Etienne had often tormented him using food.

Was he refusing because he was afraid I would bully him?

Thinking about Etienne again made me sigh.

“Callisto. You can eat as much as you want. I really won’t bully you. I promise.”

“That’s not it….”

Callisto hesitated awkwardly.

I was a little surprised, since I had only seen him glare and snap at me before. So I waited silently.

After hesitating for a long time, he puffed out his cheeks and muttered quietly.

“What am I, a pig?”

“What?”

A pig?

The child was skinny like a stray kitten—what was he talking about?

I frowned in confusion.

Then Callisto muttered in a tiny voice.

“You fed me the whole time, so you didn’t eat anything… You should eat too. It’s really good.”

The tips of the child’s ears and his puffed cheeks turned even redder than before.