17... stay well(?)

To his question, she replied, "This person is going far away... I talked about it earlier, right? "

Nobody could hear what they were talking, but there was a look of pity on the eyes of those present, after all, in their eyes, this pair of siblings had just lost their mother, they were too pitiful!

But only the insiders knew that both of them didn't even know they had a mother and that she was already dead... well, Yuki was an exception, but that is something only she knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"Eh?", Aki was a bit sad, but to be true in the past few hours he finally found the warmth of a family so, he was not dependent on his fairy anymore....

Still, he felt a bit sad and this feeling was very strong... he felt like a very important part of his life was being taken away.

In the past, this person was his only light so, when he saw the face of the person up close, he couldn't control it, tears fell down and he started wailing out loud, but no one stopped him...

In the eyes of the people present, it was the farewell from a child to his mother, the onlookers even thought that it was the Duke and Young Miss who were abnormal, they still had no expression on their faces, in contrast to the wailing child, they looked very cold....

In between his wailing, in his incoherent speech, he said, " Fairy-san... Hic.... Stay well....hic... Bye-bye.... I..*sob*....*sob*.... I have Onee-chan with me now.... I'll be a good boy and... *sob*.. and be happy..... so... hic.. so, Fairy-san, I hope that you won't... Hic... You won't be sad anymore.... Please... Wuwuwu... Please become happy"

Yuki who heard this message finally felt a strange pain in her heart,.... this child was indeed too pitiful....

Their mother was not happy herself, but still, this child didn't deserve to be treated like that..., ironic, eh?

'The child who you neglected all because of his gender, is the only one who still hopes for you to be happy', Yuki snorted inside her mind.

Yuki saw the sobbing boy, she found herself, someone she wanted to protect...

This child should grow protected and pampered, he didn't need to know the unfairness of this world and the ugly truth.... She will protect his innocence, even if it's the last thing she does!

The child was too frail and thin, if she was a bit taller she would've liked to carry him, it was at times like this that children needed an adult to lean on, she was too small for this so, she finally relented and searched for their father, he could find that presence very easily, he was looking at her too.

As if reading her mind, he actually walked towards them, he still had his gaze at her, even he wasn't sure why but since the moment he had seen her, he couldn't help but think that this child was special, he knew that she was a Beta and a six years old to boot, but he couldn't help but feel that she was his equal, it was very absurd, but the Duke still found this unusual child who didn't even flinch at his presence and actually shrugged him off, a bit amusing....

He may not be a good father, but he had good eyes for people with potential and this child had exceeded his expectations...

Even at a time like this, she knew what she was capable of and had looked for him, both his expectations from her and his pride as an adult was kept, he didn't mind taking care of that small kid for her to feel gratitude towards him!

He took the wailing child into his arms, if not for his age considering his gender in case this child had lost control over his emotions at a later stage of life, it would be a bit dangerous....

He was still his child, he can still do this much for him.

They all saw the Duchess off together, Aki had also calmed down in his father's presence but instead of feeling better like this, he would rather be with his Onee-chan, it's not that he didn't like his father, just that he like his Onee-chan better!!

He squirmed a bit and softly called out, "Onee-chan! Onee-chan!", his voice was still a bit hoarse from crying.

The Duke let him down, he wouldn't do something he wasn't asked for.

Aki was finally let down and when he finally got to hold her hand, he felt relieved...

He felt the best beside his Onee-chan.

........

It was already evening when they got into the car to go back...

Everyone was still a bit exhausted, while Yuki and the Duke didn't show it on their face, Aki was already drowsing off.

"If you're feeling sleepy you can lie down", Yuki said to him.

This car belonged to the Strongest man on the Empire who happened to hold the seat of the Imperial General as well, this car had everything one could ask for, it was fitting to be the ride of the Duke of Winterdale.

Aki wanted to talk with his sister and was scared to sleep, he was afraid that when he opened his eyes, he will realise that everything that happened today was a dream, maybe it was because he saw Fairy-san after a while and she had left, but he felt really insecure, even his hold on her hand tightened.

Yuki felt his grip, before directly pulling him to her lap, "Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up"

Aki had developed a blind faith on her words so, once he heard her speak, his insecurity was washed away and all the exhaustion came down on him and he fell asleep in less than a minute.

The Ducal of Winterdale was in the North of the empire, the nights were still freezing here even if the Empire was in the South as a whole....

Yuki asked for a blanket to cover him, which was passed to her by the Duke who had been watching their interaction for a while now.

"Thank You, Duke", she said.

The Duke didn't try to correct her form of address, other were aware of what truly was the case, he wouldn't fake things as well, in this way, this pair of father and daughter were very similar, in any case, the Duke's intrest in her actually increased, she was really smart, she didn't expect anything from him, that is, she was aware of her surroundings without anyone telling her....

The Duke had thought to leave these kids here, but with her he didn't mind taking them to the capital... She can be cultivated, even without nepotism involved, this child was a gem!

He spoke to her, "You'll be following me to the capital", it was a statement, an order.

Yuki thought for a while, her prospects would widen in the capital and it wasn't like she could go against his wishes so, she simply gave him a nod.

......