WCMP 11

chapter 11

Amon did not wake up until nightfall.

Although I was concerned, I thought it best to leave him be since the child had stayed up for two nights and would naturally wake on his own.

Still, just in case he woke early and felt hungry, I instructed the servants assigned to Amon, Rick and Edgar, to prepare some simple soup and bread when he woke, then went to bed.

When I woke in the morning, still half asleep, I mumbled to Sebani, asking when Amon had woken up.

A moment later, Edgar came to my room.

“Master is still sleeping, miss.”

“…He’s still asleep?”

“Yes. I didn’t go in because there was no sign of him moving, and the call bell hasn’t rung… he doesn’t seem to be awake yet.”

That fully woke me up.

Even if he hadn’t slept well… checking the time roughly, nearly 23 hours had passed. That was also a problem in its own right.

Why so extreme?

“I’ll go check on him.”

I got up and staggered toward his room, my mind in a whirl.

‘He stayed up for two nights straight and now sleeps an entire day… isn’t that too much?’

Or maybe children normally do this, sleeping excessively when they’ve been deprived, and I just didn’t know? Or should I have shown him to the physician after all?

Worried that he might actually be ill, I resolved to call the doctor immediately if he didn’t wake, then quietly entered without knocking and cautiously looked inside.

Amon lay still without moving.

To brighten the room, still dark despite morning, I gathered and tied the curtains and opened the windows for ventilation.

When I used to oversleep, my father would always open the windows like this before waking me so that cold air would come in.

Then he would wake me gently so I wouldn’t be startled…

‘Now it’s just a memory I’d rather not dwell on.’

Remembering that, I approached the bed and placed my hand over the child’s.

Amon’s eyelids twitched, and his covered eyes moved.

His complexion looked fine, and his hands were warm.

Seeing him improved, I felt a wave of relief.

A faint smile escaped me from the comfort.

And in response to my smile, Amon’s hand gave a small reaction.

Even beneath his closed eyelids, I could see his eyes moving freely.

‘This kid… so he’s awake after all.’

But why was he still lying there?

I stroked Amon’s forehead as he continued to move only his eyes beneath closed lids.

“Time to get up. Why are you still lying down? You’re not planning to sleep more, are you?”

Let’s have breakfast together today. Eating alone yesterday felt empty. People are funny—before, I ate alone fine, but yesterday without you, it didn’t taste as good.

Amon cautiously lifted his eyelids and met the gaze of his sister looking down at him.

‘I thought it was all a dream…’

It wasn’t.

Only when Amon looked directly into his sister’s eyes could he accept that everything he had thought a dream was real.

She looked at him and smiled faintly.

“Nunaa….”

“Oh, I told you to call me sister. Yesterday too, you keep calling me nunaa.”

Even though it was a scolding, her voice still held a smile.

Tapping Amon’s nose with the hand that had been stroking his head, she reminded him that he was allowed to call her “sister.”

“You slept a full day. Aren’t you hungry? Any stiffness anywhere?”

“Yes… um, no. I’m fine.”

Perhaps because he had never stayed lying down or slept this long, speaking felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he reflexively answered that he was fine.

“Here, drink some water. Once you wake up, we’ll go down and have some simple soup.”

Pouring water into a glass by his bedside, Rieli handed it to Amon and called the servants in a slightly louder voice to prepare washing water.

Even while dipping his hands in the wash, Amon’s mind was on his sister.

‘She’s waiting, and I’m just calmly washing up…’

Feeling guilty, he quickly washed his face and turned toward where his sister sat.

Rieli sat by the window in a chair, her golden hair shining brightly in the sunlight.

Amon looked at her eyes and then lowered his own, comparing them with his reflection in the water.

Even though both were the same violet color, hers felt completely different to him: gentle and kind.

Snapping back to reality, he quickly stood up.

His past casual behavior, thinking everything was a dream, flashed in his mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Even if his sister had said to relax, he had been far too loose.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s nothing, don’t be. I waited because I wanted to.”

Rieli rose from the chair and walked toward Amon, speaking softly.

“And like I said before, you don’t have to be so formal with me. Of course, if it’s more comfortable, you don’t have to force yourself, but still, we’re family.”

Even if difficult now, she hoped someday the child would be comfortable around her.

“…Yes, if that’s what you wish, I will.”

Hearing the word family from Rieli filled Amon with satisfaction he could barely contain.

He did not want to show any flaws to his sister.

Just looking foolish, unable to distinguish dream from reality, had been enough. He could not allow any more disgrace.

He wanted to fulfill everything his sister expected of him perfectly, so that she would glance at him, smile at him, even once more.

‘It would be more satisfying than any luxury I could enjoy now.’

Seeing Amon nod resolutely, saying he would do as she wished, Rieli panicked slightly.

“No! I don’t mean you have to because I wish it. I just want you to treat me comfortably.”

‘What my sister wishes is what I wish.’

Amon thought this but outwardly agreed with Rieli.

“Yes. I’ll do that, sister. Let’s go eat now.”

“…Yes, let’s go.”

Watching his sister walk in front of him, adjusting her pace for him, Amon struggled even more to hide his smile.

Sometimes, reality can be better than a dream, he realized.

Even after staying up just two nights, his kind sister was very concerned about him.

At the dining room, she put her own meal aside, constantly checking that he was eating soup properly, even handing him fruit herself.

Her attention followed him throughout the meal. Amon was delighted by the long-awaited attention from his sister.

It was the first time he had felt such overwhelming emotion.

He even dared to hope that she might look at his shabby self with loving eyes.

Through this, Amon learned one thing:

If he looked unwell, his sister would worry, and worry meant attention.

But because he continued to receive her care daily, that realization soon faded into memory.

Rieli arranged for clothes, hats, and shoes for Amon.

She also replaced all the furniture in his room to match his size.

With the help of the head maid, she summoned respected tutors from the capital.

Amon now began proper education instead of learning alone from books.

His schedule included lessons to improve his stamina, which was low compared to other children his age.

In those lessons, Amon was found to have poor stamina but extraordinary athletic ability.

Rieli was not surprised, as she had known this from the start, along with the fact that he would become the only disciple of Duke Arban Canellwell, a future war hero.

Casually, she patted Amon’s head and said:

“Amon, they say you have outstanding athletic ability. Won’t you become the strongest knight in the empire someday?”

Indeed, he would.

Others might call it proud, but Rieli spoke boldly.

In his mid-teens, Amon would become the empire’s top swordsman. Starting training now, he would surely exceed even that.

However, Rieli’s casual remark was interpreted differently in Amon’s mind.

Amon reacted sensitively and quickly to her praise.

‘My sister wants me to become the empire’s strongest knight.’

He resolved to follow all lessons faithfully, especially improving his strength quickly.

Even practicing with a wooden sword became a mental obsession.

To control Amon’s overzealous training, the knight-teacher Rodrick had to sweat.

Amon was young and small, so overexertion would have harmful effects.

But Amon acted as if his life depended only on wielding a sword.

Rodrick, initially pleased by the child’s voluntary effort, soon realized the reality and was shocked.