Don’t Remember Me

>Then he turned his head to his child and asked again.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Ah… No, not yet.”

Flitta looked at him with her eyes wide open, and then she shook her head.

“I was going to eat with Rosé in my room.
But father called me here…”

Was the question of her father that surprising? Since Flitta was terrified of the former Queen and the Duchess, she answered her father with a flushed expression, cheeks dyed red, as if she was not scared at all.

“Come and sit down.”

Haven pointed to the seat next to him.
Isabella and the Duchess’s eyes widened.
But he looked back at the butler casually and continued.

“Bring the child’s meal.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The butler bowed his head in reply, then hurried to find the chef.
Flitta rolled her eyes, not knowing what to do, then she glanced back.
Rosé was standing behind the child, and when their eyes met, she smiled.

Flitta’s face lit up as if her heart had been put to rest by that smile.
The child took a deep breath and she moved to the seat next to her father.
Then Haven pulled a chair for the child to sit down with a nonchalant expression.

“… Nice to see you two.
When did you become so close?”

Isabella, who had been watching the scene quietly, forcefully smiled and spoke to him in a kind voice.
She turned her gaze to Flitta, who had just sat in her seat.

“I want to get to know Flitta too.
You didn’t even invite me.
That’s so bad.
Isn’t that right, Flitta?”

Isabella smiled lightly and said playfully.
Then she turned her words to Flitta.
The child was watching the chef’s dish being placed in front of her, and she blinked in embarrassment when her name was suddenly called.

“… Uh, I, I.”

The child’s pale green eyes quivered with an uneasy feeling.
Flitta blinked her eyes quickly, then turned around behind her and reached out for her hand.

“Ro, Rosé…”

The voice crying and calling out to Rosé was pitiful.
The moment Rosé was about to approach Flitta in response to the call, the Duchess’ sharp rebuke poured out.

“What an immature fool in a meal!”

“…!”

Hiccup.

Flitta hiccupped due to surprise hearing the Duchess yell.
The Duchess glared at Flitta and the child covered her mouth with both of her hands, trying to preventing her hiccups but it was not that easy.

“This is why she is such of from a lowly life…”

Click.

The Duchess clicked her tongue again and spoke in a cynical tone as the glass fell to the floor.
It was Haven’s wine glass that had dropped to the floor.

“Ah! I will clean it up right now.”

The butler saw the shattered glass and hurriedly opened his mouth.
Haven looked at the maids diligently following the butler’s order, then looked away.

A woman comforting a child who kept hiccups in surprise caught his eye.
Even in the midst of everyone panicking and not knowing what to do, she seemed to be focusing only on Flitta.

“Rosé.”

He called her in her low voice.
Rosé patted Flitta to soothe her and raised her eyes to the sound of the voice calling her.
His blue eyes, unable to fathom what he was feeling inside, looked straight at her.

“Take the child and go back to her room.”

“… Yes.”

Rosé hesitated for a moment, but soon answered meekly.
She thought it was a good thing for Flitta.
That she doesn’t have to listen to the cruel words with their mocking gazes.

“Princess, let’s go to your room…”

“Who wants to go back now? Sit down right this instant!”

The Duchess’s voice boomed.
Flitta took Rose’s hand and rose from her seat, but she was so startled by the voice that she slumped back into her chair.

“Hngg…”

A cry escaped from Flitta’s lips.
The fear she had barely endured over and over again burst out as if she couldn’t do it any longer.

“Princess.”

Rosé held the crying Flitta tightly in her arms.
She could feel Flitta trembling.

“We will go return to your room, Princess.”

“Hiccup, hiccup.”

Flitta sniffled and nodded while being hugged by Rosé.
Then she stretched out her arms and hugged her neck.
It meant hugging Rosé.
Rosé held the child who was acting childishly towards me.

“Let’s go.”

In the meantime, Rosé greeted Haven with Flitta in her arms.

Haven glanced at the child in Rosé’s arms for a moment, then nodded at her.
Rosé bowed her head again and turned her body to go out.

“Who dares go outside now?!”

At that moment, the Duchess raised her voice.

“How on earth do you educate employees? Haven, you’re not even doing anything but watching…”

“That’s it, Auntie.”

Haven pressed his fingers between his brows and raised his gaze at her.
The duchess trembled at the sharp gaze, and then she opened her mouth again.

“What do you mean by ‘That’s it’?”

“This is the limit where I can tolerate the rudeness of you, Aunt, no, Duchess Ferrante.”