11. Hannah and I

Father and his friends seemed to be deepening their friendship or something, but toddlers have their own work to do. If there's grass, I pull it. If there's dirt, I dig. If there's a bug, I chase it.

"Whoa, were we really like this when we were one year old?"

"I wouldn't know. But I have a feeling Lia is a little different from other babies."

Clutching a handful of pulled grass, I looked at my brother and his friend and let out a little laugh. They just don't get it. These boys really don't get it.

"Nee-nee, du-th is vewy impwowchant. And gwas, if I touch it, I know!"

My brother's friend stared at me, his eyes wide as he listened to me speak.

"Impwowchant? Hmm? You mean dirt is important? And you know it's important because you touch the grass?"

Exactly, I thought, nodding seriously. When you're little, it's vital to touch everything to make sure it's real. And it's certainly not because, after being reincarnated as a small child, I found dirt, grass, and bugs to be incredibly fascinating.

My brother's friend crouched down and peered into my eyes.

"Hey, I'm Gilbert. Lia, Gilbert."

"Jiww?"

"So close! Fine, just call me Gil. Gil."

"Giww."

"Yes!"

Gilbert vigorously ruffled my hair. My head was wobbling, wobbling all over the place.

"Now, just a moment, I never said you could call her Lia."

"Sorry, sorry."

"Of course. She is your precious little sister, after all."

I found it so funny that I couldn't help but call out to my brother.

"Big bwo-ther! Big bwo-ther!"

"What is it, Lia?"

My brother picked me up. These people try to scoop me up every chance they get. I can't let my guard down.

"Nyo, waak!"

"Just for a little bit. Just a tiny bit."

Goodness. When the academy was on break like this, Gil had started coming over to play in addition to my brother.

It happened when I was one year and three months old. Spring had already arrived. One night, I woke up at the sound of a door being softly opened. Oh, how unusual. Lately, Father had been coming by at night much less frequently.

While I was still a bit groggy, Hannah slipped quietly into the room.

"Hannah!"

"Shh! Lady Lilia, it's nighttime, so let's use our small voices, okay?"

“'Kay!”

Hannah quickly changed me into fresh clothes and then pulled out the warm poncho with the hat I used to wear in winter and slipped it on me. It has two big pockets, and it's my favorite.

“Hannah, sweepy time? Why pyut on cwoths?”

“So you don't get cold. It's still chilly at night, you know?”

With that, she scooped me up along with my coat and gave me a gentle pat on the back. Feeling safe with the usual Hannah, my eyes began to drift shut.

“Lady Lilia, you should be sleeping.”

I had a feeling I shouldn't be sleeping, but I was no match for late-night drowsiness, and I drifted off into a deep sleep.

Then, Hannah stepped out into the hallway without making a sound, checked both ways, and hurried out from the service entrance. Since Lilia turned one, guards had been hired for the main gate and the back gate of the Marquis estate. However, on such a vast property, there were actually plenty of ways to slip out. Hannah had already scouted them out in advance.

No one noticed us. Holding Lilia tight, Hannah crossed the Marquis estate's wide backyard, half-emerged through a gap in the hedge, and paused to check both ways. Then, despite the late hour, a carriage approached slowly. The carriage kept moving, but a man jumped out from the front and hurried toward them.

“And the infant?”

"She's here."

"Alright, get in."

"No, I was only told to hand the young lady over here..."

"Stop your whining! If you make a scene here, you'll be arrested too. Just get in, now!"

With that, the man shoved Hannah—who was still clutching Lilia tight—into the carriage that had pulled up right beside them.

Carrying the trembling Hannah and the man, the carriage moved on as if it had never stopped, heading toward the town's entertainment district. Despite it being nearly midnight, the district was still bustling with people drinking and heading to the brothels.

The carriage pulled over somewhere discreetly, and the man dragged the still-clueless Hannah out and into the back entrance of a tavern.

"U-um, but our agreement..."

"Shut up."

He spoke coldly to the desperate Hannah, and then—

"Have you prepared the heavy coats for the women? And is the Raag Dragon ready?"

He demanded of the man at the liquor shop.

"Yeah, two of 'em. One's in a crate. But you takin' that little lady with you too? Huh? What, you got a baby with you? That's gonna be tough for a long trip."

"The parent is ill. I want to show them my wife and child while they're still somewhat well. The other one is a proper riding dragon, right?"

"Of course. But I can't say a Raag Dragon makes for a smooth ride. I know you're in a hurry, but handle 'em with care."

"Understood."

Before Hannah could even wrap her head around what was happening, she was bundled into a heavy coat, hoisted onto a dragon meant for high-speed travel, and suddenly found herself swaying in the pitch-black darkness outside the Royal Capital alongside Lilia. Fortunately, Lilia was sleeping soundly despite the jolting.

"But he said I was only supposed to hand the young lady over to someone else..."

Hannah's murmur vanished into the night.