Childcare Diaries

The Charant family closed their door and locked it.

As the Caveran family has fallen, Count Bent soon took his own life in prison. Meanwhile, as the former King had a lot of resentment against the current king, he said that it was like being tortured every day.

However, no one’s death or pain could be compensation for the Charant family. Innocent servants died, knights died, and someone loved by many in the Charant family was bedridden.

Kentrail received the land and property confiscated from the Caveran from the newly crowned King, and he was promised that he would grant one request. Regardless, it was all meaningless to Kentrail, who had no one to rejoice with.

The seasons changed quickly, and the leaves were falling.

Kentrail closed his eyes and held the skinny little hands that was bedridden.

“Marie…”

He buried his face in his hands.

“I thought you wouldn’t get hurt anymore. We have to take out the time capsule we buried together and go to the sea, but when will you come back to us?”

He asked, standing by her side every day.

The Charant family was living as if time had stopped, not recruiting new hires or recruiting knights. This world without Marie was like time stopped for them.

“Marie.”

This time, Brielle called her softly.

She was the one who was hit by the arrow instead of him. How fast she was at the time, even when she couldn’t ride a horse well. Now, he could go out of the mansion though the person he wanted to walk the street with was lying down.

“I’d rather lie down like this.”

Brielle was in unbearable pain that Marie was hurt because of him. Even if everyone said it was not his fault.

Meanwhile, Ellie stood beside her and took her steps. It was her first time outside after guarding her sister’s bed for several days. A chilly air enveloped the child. As she walked absently into the garden, she glanced at the few remaining leaves. It reminded her of the bookmark her sister had made for her.

“This is our Ellie’s.”

She was an older sister who was busy sharing without making anything of her own…

Ellie sat down under the tree in unbearable grief. The doctor said it was a miracle that Marie was breathing now. Still, she hoped that another miracle would come.

So the seasons changed once more.

* * *

“I’ll be back.”

Ellie grabbed her bag and greeted the butler.

“Have a good trip.”

He stroked the child’s hair. While Ellie had been going to school for a month, he could see that she struggled during the class she hadn’t caught up with the other kids.

“I’ll make you cocoa when you come back today.”

The chief maid sent Ellie off with a forced smile.

She was feeling down for a few days after Barry left for the academy, but after she went to school, the butler and chief maid said, “It’s good that she seems to have regained her vitality.”

Siege returned to his own estate. At this rate, he would have nothing to say, even if he was kicked out of his lordship though he seemed to be doing well in managing the territory. In the meantime, Brielle resumed his successor classes, and now he did not miss swordsmanship training.

Everything seemed to flow peacefully.

However, Ellie, who left the mansion with a smile, walked to school expressionless. Barry, who was training at the swordsmanship academy, also made people tongue-tied at his inhuman appearance. While training as the successor, Brielle occasionally closed his eyes tightly and held his trembling hands.

They were all heading to their future, as one person wrote in the time capsule, but they seemed to be broken somewhere.

Kentrail was sitting alone by the window, staring blankly out.

As it snowed, he explained the scenery outside to Marie, who was lying down. He also told her what had happened to Brielle and Ellie. The days of holding on, believing that she would wake up, continued.

“Which book should I read this time? Ah…”

Looking at the book that Brielle left behind, Kentrail stopped his eyes on one book. It was a book that had been put on as a play for him and Ellie.

“A story of a warrior… It’s been a long time.”

Opening the book, as he had done before, Kentrail began to play with Marie’s part empty.

* * *

“Oh, I can’t take my eyes off your beautiful face.”

The lines from the play that Kentrail had previously spoken to Marie resonated throughout the room.

“You wouldn’t know. The fact that I am changing because of you every day…”

His impression, as he had fallen asleep for a while, was crumpled as the voice broke the silence.

“Hehe, that’s all the contents of the book. Then I, too… There are times when it feels like it was a miracle that I’m alive after meeting you. And when I think of that person when I’m not there, I feel that I have to live somehow.”

Tears began to flow from Kentrail’s eyes as he uttered so.

“You know what? I liked whomever you were. I liked everything about you, but there was one thing I didn’t like… the fact that you couldn’t be without me, that you ended up broken like this.”

A cry escaped Kentrail’s mouth.

He was the one who hadn’t cried so loudly when he heard the news of his brother’s death. Meanwhile, the butler who came in was surprised. When he saw the person on the bed, he shed tears along with Kentrail.

A miracle had arrived.

The butler closed the door and buried his face in the wall so as not to disturb the two of them. As everyone who saw the butler realized that Marie had woken up, they started to cry as well.

“The people of the mansion, they all look like crybabies.”

While Marie whispered, Kentrail opened his mouth as he cleared his throat.

“You made everyone cry.”

As He raised his head, Marie was also full of tears.

“I missed you, Count.”

“Me, too…”

He hugged her. Like someone afraid that this moment might be a dream, he hugged her tightly.

“I’m pretty sure you are, seeing as you still don’t call me Kentrail properly.”

“So do I. I think the Count missed me all the time I lay down with my eyes closed.”

“Me, too. How much I missed seeing you open your eyes… only for you to wake up so late.”

“So, you don’t love me anymore?”

“What are you talking about now to the person who tried to follow you if you didn’t wake up?”

Hearing his words, Marie came out of his arms and grabbed his face.

“I beg your pardon? You shouldn’t say things like that.”

“Then, why have you been lying down all this time?”

Words of dissatisfaction escaped his lips, even though he knew that all of this was not her intention. Then, feeling a deja vu, he smiled.

So did Marie.

“I love you.”

Kentrail whispered.

“I love you, too.”

As she whispered back, their faces touched.

* * *

Marie, Brielle, Ellie, Barry, and Kentrail—these five people stood in front of a huge sea.

“Is this the sea?”

Brielle opened his mouth in disbelief.

“You mean whales live here?”

At the same time, Ellie was also staring at the sea with her eyes wide open.

“Yes, right. I promised. To see the sea.”

Marie smiled and gazed at Ellie and Brielle.

When was the last time they looked at the clouds and imagined a whale, but they were already this big? When she thought of the pain, she didn’t want to go back to those days, although when she thinks of the children’s childhood, she missed it.

“Will you stay like that?”

Having said that, Kentrail went first to the sea and dipped his hand in it. After seeing that scene, Brielle got excited and went to his side.

And he was about to dip his hand in the sea…

“Oh, how cold!”

Kentrail splashed the seawater into Brielle’s face. The huffing Brielle put the water in his own hands and started splashing it at his uncle.

“Ellie, help me quickly.”

However, he called Ellie because he was not strong enough. Excited, Ellie took off the new shoes she had bought and ran to the sea before they attacked Kentrail, just like in the garden one day.

“Barry, why don’t you come in too?”

Marie asked, looking at Barry standing silently next to her.

“I’m okay.”

Barry refused, though that was only for a while. It was because Brielle and Ellie, who sneaked up behind him, pushed him towards the sea.

After that, the war of the three began…

Kentrail, who was all wet from playing with Brielle and Ellie, came and stood next to Marie.

“I’ll give you a towel.”

Then, he asked while wiping himself dry with the towel she handed him.

“You know we still have a lot to do, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Did you say you have to open the time capsule?”

Marie glared at him at those words.

“You already opened it first.”

“What? When did I?”

She didn’t believe him. It was because it was very clear because of what she wrote down on the old time capsule where the children were allowed to walk into their own future, even as she lay down.

“How petty.”

Marie said to him with a disgruntled look.

“I’ll show you mine later.”

“Then, tell me now. What did you write down?”

At those words, Kentrail’s face turned red.

“Uh, why can’t you talk? Huh?”

“…It’s a secret now.”

When he couldn’t speak, Marie sighed. He looked like Ellie.

At the same time, Kentrail recalled the contents of the time capsule he had seen. And he kissed her lightly on the lips.

[ Brielle — Has your swordsmanship improved a lot? How is your height? And… Are you being helpful to uncle? Of course, Marie is always by your side, right? Everyone is happy with no one getting hurt, right? ]

[ Berry — For me in the future… is it right to write like this? I believe that you will make good use of the precious opportunity given by the Count so that you will not be a nuisance to sister. And… you must have a girlfriend, right? I believe this, too. ]

[ Ellie — Hi? I am the Ellie of the past. Now, I am living a very happy life. Sister is always by my side, and life with the Young Master is so much fun. I have a dream these days… My dream is to take care of little friends like sister. It’s still a secret except for sister and the Count. I’m ashamed. I believe that you in the future will be smiling like me. Then, I’ll see you later. ]

[ Marie — I hope everyone is living the future properly. ]

[ Kentrail — I hope she will be with you on the road you are walking on. ]