Chapter 52
“Annie, shall we play today? Shall I read you a story? What would you like?”
Under her hat, Annie’s eyes shifted, and her small lips moved.
“Daddy.”.
Thomas lifted his head briefly, sighing at that answer.
“Sigh… as expected. This won’t do.”
Feeling weak-hearted, Thomas tried to lift his daughter. At that moment, Felice gently lifted Annie’s straw hat. Annie blinked wide-eyed, surprised, and looked up at Felice.
“Oh! Miss lifted Annie’s hat. I’m sorry, but it’s wonderful to see your face. Our Annie is so pretty and cute.”
Felice smiled warmly and waved her hand in front of Annie’s face. Initially startled, Annie gradually met Felice’s gaze. Observing the child, Felice sensed Annie might soon speak.
But Thomas shook his head, thinking Annie might be shy.
“It’s alright, Miss Felice. Thank you for taking care of her. I’ll handle the work myself.”
At that moment, Annie moved her lips.
“What story will you read, Miss?”
Thomas looked at Felice in surprise, and she smiled softly, reaching out to Annie.
“Well, shall we choose together which one to read?”
Annie took Felice’s hand. Thomas’s mouth dropped in astonishment as Felice shrugged lightly and waved to Annie.
“Tell your Dad you’ll do well, Annie.”
“…Daddy, I’ll do well. I’ll play with Miss Felice.”
So Annie held Felice’s hand and wandered off.
* * *
“…Annie!”
Expecting a quiet storytime, Felice was surprised when Annie, after quickly loosening up, began to jump about instead of sitting still.
It quickly became clear that Annie had more stamina than any child Felice had cared for before.
“Annie, no!”
The six-year-old dashed through the mansion at lightning speed. All the staff, including the butler, seemed accustomed to this spectacle.
Felice followed closely, worried that Annie might get hurt. Recalling the first part of the storybook she had read, Annie ran up a step and shouted:
“Follow me!”
Wielding a stick she had somehow found, Annie chose not the princess from the story but a hero—and appointed Felice as her loyal knight.
Felice, now her faithful knight, darted around the mansion alongside Annie.
“Polite knights don’t run through the mansion, Annie.”
Felice scolded gently, though Annie didn’t hear.
Annie raced past the first floor and up the stairs. Felice followed. Reaching the third floor, Annie laughed joyfully as she sprinted down the empty hallway.
“Annie! You can’t go up to the third floor without permission!”
Felice called from behind, startled, but the child had already rounded the corner.
Peeking cautiously from the third floor, Felice touched her forehead. Thankfully, Claude wasn’t in the mansion.
Felice called softly.
“Annie? Come out here, Annie. You can’t go up to the third floor recklessly, alright?”
But Annie didn’t respond, hiding further.
Sighing, Felice walked down the corridor and stopped at one open door. All the others were closed.
She slowly opened it.
“…Annie? Are you here?”
Entering, Felice found a pile of items haphazardly covered with a white sheet. She called Annie’s name as she looked among the fabrics.
Then she heard the soft sound of little footsteps and giggles—it seemed Annie was hiding nearby.
“…Annie.”
Felice followed the sound and called out again. Annie ran off once more, and the white sheet slipped aside with a swoosh.
“Ah…!”
As Felice bent to pick up the fallen cloth, Annie dashed out of the room, laughing.
Felice quickly lifted the sheet to cover the items again.
“Uh…?”
Through the glass display, she noticed a familiar sword lying there.
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