It was a sight that could awe anyone. The capital we entered was truly magnificent—a place so different from where we had come from. Tall buildings stood proudly in every direction, each one more impressive than the last. But what caught my attention the most wasn't the architecture—it was my son's excited face. His eyes sparkled with wonder and delight. He looked absolutely adorable.
"Listen, everyone," Madame announced, "you may explore the capital after we arrive at the lodging. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Madame," we all replied in unison.
Soon after, we reached the lodging house Madame had reserved for us. Once we unpacked our belongings, I decided to explore the city with my son.
"Dane, are you tired?" I asked as I watched him neatly arrange the bedding. He shook his head and slid our luggage under the bed.
"No, Mother. Why?"
"Well, I was thinking of taking a little tour around the capital. Would you like to come with me?"
"Of course!" he answered with a bright smile.
Without wasting any time, we headed outside.
"Mother, look over there!" Dane exclaimed, pointing excitedly at a shop. It was a boutique displaying elegant dresses. The designs were quite unique—not overly elaborate, yet graceful and refined. They didn't look stuffy or uncomfortable at all.
Unconsciously, I placed my hand on the shop window and stared, captivated.
"Mother?"
"Hm? What is it?" I glanced down at him.
He simply smiled, took my hand gently, and to my surprise, kissed the back of it.
Even at such a young age, my son had an undeniable charm. I could only imagine how much more captivating he would become as he grew older.
"Someday, I'll buy you beautiful clothes like those and watch you wear them proudly. I'll find a good job and earn money," he said, looking at me with such hopeful eyes.
The boy in the original story was weighed down by sorrow, described in the book as a child devoid of emotion—one who would eventually become a villain. But the boy standing before me now was nothing like that. He was full of warmth and light.
I crouched down and gently caressed his cheek.
"Then Mama will wait for that day," I said softly. "But even if I never have those fancy things, as long as I have you, I need nothing else."
We smiled at each other, then continued walking, leaving the store behind.
We visited many stalls, tasted all sorts of street food, and even had our portrait sketched—free of charge, by some stroke of luck. The drawing was beautiful: Dane and me, sitting side by side, smiling.
Overall, it had been a wonderful day.
By the time afternoon arrived, we were preparing to head back to our inn when I noticed a small figure in a narrow alley. It was a child—not a beggar, judging by the elegant outdoor dress she wore. She was crouched down, her head buried in her knees.
"Dane, I think that little girl is lost."
"Then we should help her," he said without hesitation.
We approached her gently. She must have sensed us coming, because she slowly looked up. Her eyes were swollen, and her face streaked with tears. She had clearly been crying.
"Hic… please don't hurt me… I just want to go home," she whimpered between sobs.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," I said in a calm, soothing voice. "We won't hurt you. We just want to help. It's not safe for a child like you to be alone in a place like this. From the look of you, I'd say you're from a noble family, aren't you?"
"Really…?" she sniffled.
"Just listen to my mother," Dane chimed in confidently. "She's kind and always helps people. You can trust her."
When the girl looked at him, something changed in her eyes—they lit up, sparkling with awe.
"You're quite cute," she said shyly, wiping away the last of her tears before standing up slowly.
My son is really cute. With those looks, he's bound to have all the girls' attention when he grows up. He has the Duke's blood, after all.
I gently dusted off her dress and held out my hand.
"We should go to the center of the plaza. There's a fountain there. If someone you know passes by, they might recognize you and take you home."
She nodded and took my hand as we slowly walked toward the fountain.
"Here we are," I said as we arrived. "Let's sit here for a while." I sat down on the wide stone edge of the fountain, and the two children joined me.
"Umm… what should we do now? I know this plan might work, but not everyone pays close attention to their surroundings," I said.
"You're really smart. What's your name?" I asked.
"Emelda," she replied softly.
"Don't worry, Emelda," Dane said as he looked at me with a knowing glance. "We'll definitely get people's attention—right, Mother?"
I smiled, understanding exactly what he meant. "How?" Emelda asked, curious.
"Mother."
"I know," I said, reaching into my clothes and pulling something out.
"A flute?" she asked, clearly confused. "I thought commoners didn't know how to play music."
"Don't underestimate my mother. She's a genius—she knows everything!" Dane declared proudly, his head nodding with enthusiasm. Emelda still looked a little puzzled.
"Well, a traveling musician taught me when I was a child," I said, though it was a lie. I couldn't exactly tell them I was a professional musician in my past life. Emelda seemed satisfied and waited for me to play.
"Dane, you know what to do."
"Yes, Mother," he answered promptly. He stood, straightened his clothes, and offered his hand to Emelda.
"What's this?" she asked, taken aback.
"We're going to dance."
"What?!" Her confusion only grew.
"Emelda, just trust us," Dane said with a reassuring smile. At his words, Emelda broke into a small smile and took his hand.
"Then… take the lead."
I raised the flute to my lips and began to play.
Flute music
The melody was cheerful and lighthearted—a tune I composed myself. Dane clapped along to the rhythm, leading the dance, and Emelda gradually followed. Though it wasn't a waltz, the synchronized movements had a charm of their own. In my past life, this dance was called the pasodoble. I had taught Dane the basics when he used to listen to my flute playing.
***
"How I wish someone would dance to this," I had once said.
"Dance?" he asked.
"Yes, a song like this should be accompanied by dancing."
"Really? Then… do you know how?"
"Just the basics."
"Then teach me, Mother."
I hadn't expected him to want to learn, but he did—and now here he was, dancing confidently. Emelda turned out to be a fast learner, too. Watching them brought me joy. I soon noticed that people had begun to gather around, drawn by the music and the children's dance. It was working. The more attention we drew, the greater the chance someone would recognize her.
"Milady!!"
A voice rang out, and we turned to see a young woman running toward us, out of breath and sweating.
"Milady, I finally found you! I was about to report you missing to the knights when I saw the crowd. I was so worried. Please don't do that again," she said as she tried to calm herself.
"Annie, I'm sorry. I promise to be more careful next time," Emelda replied, lowering her head.
"Oh no, please don't bow, Milady. I'm just your maid," Annie said, waving her hands nervously.
"No, Annie. If you hadn't found me, you'd be in serious trouble. I don't want to lose someone like you," Emelda said with tear-filled eyes. She tried hard not to cry.
Dane looked up at me and smiled, relieved.
"Um… ma'am?" Annie turned to me. "Thank you for looking after Miss Emelda. You deserve a reward for what you've done—"
"No need."
"We refuse."
Dane and I spoke in unison. The two girls looked surprised.
I simply smiled and stepped beside Dane, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm just glad we found her in time."
"But ma'am—" Annie began, but I gently interrupted.
"If you want to reward us, let it be this—let Miss Emelda grow up to be a kind and brave young lady who inspires others. Can you do that?" I asked, crouching down to look Emelda in the eye.
"Yes, definitely," she replied, her voice firm.
After that, we parted ways.
"Mother, today was really fun, don't you think?" Dane asked as we walked side by side.
"Yes," I said, smiling warmly.
---
Later…
"Your Highness," Emelda greeted as she entered the grand lounge. Two men were seated inside.
"How was your little trip, my dear niece?" asked the man with golden hair and a charming smile.
"It was fine, Your Highness—even though I did get into a little trouble," she said as she sat beside him.
"What? Trouble? Did someone hurt you?" the man with jet-black hair and a calm, serious face asked.
"Well, I got separated from Annie. But please don't punish her—it was my fault. And don't worry, no one hurt me. In fact, I was helped by a kind woman and her son. Even though I'm a noble, they treated me warmly. I even learned a new dance—it was fun. She played the flute for us."
"How talented—for a commoner," the blond man remarked. "Did you reward them?"
"I tried, but they refused."
"That's rare. Most commoners would gladly accept a noble's reward," the dark-haired man said.
"But they were different. She said that the only reward she wanted was for me to grow up nicely and inspire others."
"What a lovely sentiment," the blond man mused. "I'm curious now. Who is this woman who helped my niece? What's her name?"
"Oh… I forgot to ask. But I remember her son's name—she called him Dane. It was easy to remember."
"What did he look like?" the blond man asked with interest.
"Well… he was really handsome and cute, and…" Emelda trailed off, slowly turning her eyes toward the black-haired man.
He raised a brow, puzzled. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Because… he looked exactly like you, Your Excellency."
"What?"