IFHWPML - Chapter 6
"Heuk... heuk..."
Laphel swallowed his sobs, his cheeks puffed up like marshmallows.
Werazel had dressed Laphel in comfortable pants and a t-shirt, throwing away the ragged clothes he had been wearing.
During his bath, Laphel had cried so much that Werazel thought her eardrums would burst.
"Laphel, I'm sorry. But you needed a bath."
"NO BATH! NO BATH!"
Laphel turned his small face away from Werazel, his puffy eyes ignoring her.
Then his black hair swayed softly.
Werazel had given Lapel a bath herself, afraid that Lapel might feel uneasy with a stranger. But it took 10 minutes just to wash her properly.
After untangling her hair and washing her body, an hour had passed.
Laphel looked beautiful once he was cleaned up. His face was already fully formed, despite her young age of five.
his slender and soft black hair, intense red eyes, and white skin were enchanting.
Her round nose and fair skin made her already handsome face shine even brighter.
"This is why he'll be the male lead."
Werazel was looking forward to Laphel's future. It was easy to imagine how many women would secretly admire him.
But then again, Laphel's only love interest would be the female lead.
"Laphel, I'm sorry. I won't do that again."
Werazel blew on her cheeks, and Lapel, who was puffing them up, quietly turned her head.
"No water... "
"Yes, yes. Laphel doesn't like water. I'm sorry I won't do it anymore."
Laphel's mood quickly improved with Werazel's affectionate voice. She ran over to her and hugged her tightly.
Werazel picked him up, and Laphel, who had just taken a bath, smelled like a baby.
"Why don't you like water...?"
Werazel brushed Laphel's back and asked, "Can I ask you why you're afraid of water?"
"Aaa... no water..."
"What's wrong?"
"Kkorureureuk, hekhek I'm scared."
Laphel made sounds as if vividly describing a situation of being immersed in water.
"Raphael, have you ever fallen in water?"
"Water bad! Don't want it! I'm scared!"
Laphel wriggled in Werazel's arms, refusing strongly to talk about water anymore.
"Sorry. I won't mention water again."
As Werazel's small and delicate body trembled, he could no longer force the issue.
'I wonder if something happened that made him afraid of water?'
She couldn't seem to recall anything.
She was worried that Laphel's fear of water wouldn't disappear quickly.
"...."
Werazel, who had been lost in thought about the child, bit his lip.
She shouldn't be too concerned. After all, the duke's household would take care of Raphael.
She just needed to bring Raphael to the duke, who was searching for his nephew, and receive his reward.
That would be the end of his and Raphael's relationship.
So it was best not to get too close.
"Miss, I brought soup."
"Come in."
At the sound of the servant's voice outside the door, Werazel sat Raphael on the bed and soon the servant entered with a small table.
That was the kids' table Werazel used to use when she was young. Her affectionate parents kept the items she used as memories.
At Werazel's request, the servant retrieved the table from the warehouse and placed a warm bowl of soup on the small makeshift table.
"It's okay to eat it right away because the temperature is suitable."
"Okay. Thank you."
"Yes, please let me know if you need anything else."
Werazel handed the spoon on the table to Laphel.
"Can you eat it with a spoon?"
Even if it was necessary to give Laphel something to eat, even if it was to fill in the nutritional deficiencies and give him medicine from the doctor.
The soup contained finely chopped carrots and broccoli.
It had been cooked thoroughly, so it had a watery texture, and there would be no problem digesting it.
"...Carrot."
Laphel swallowed his saliva as he looked at the soup in front of him, but then put down the spoon quietly when he saw something orange floating in it.
"Do you not like carrots?"
"Ung..."
Laphel twisted his face and pushed the plate in front of him with his small hands. He seemed to dislike the sight of carrots.
But his thin stomach growled loudly.
He had been starving for so long that his stomach must be hungry, but even now, he was picky about what he ate.
Lizelle silently clapped her hands at the truly amazing mental strength.
"But you have to eat soup to get healthy, right?"
Laphel looked at Werazel briefly, rolling his eyes a little, wondering if she was angry with him.
Werazel still had a faint smile on her face. Her face looked so affectionate that Raphel was relieved.
"Laphel, if you want to go out and play, you have to eat the soup and get healthy, okay?"
She didn't scold or force Laphel to eat the carrots.
Forcing someone to eat food they dislike would only cause them to reject it and create a negative memory. Werazel was careful not to leave any trauma on Laphel.
"So, should we eat it only three times?"
"Three...?"
"Yeah. Just three times. Can we feed Laphel now?"
Laphel clenched her fists and moved his small mouth.
"Laphel can do it!"
It was a response born out of not wanting to disappoint Werazel.
His fierce expression on his young face was cute, and Werazel petted Laphel's cheek.
"Okay, ah!"
"Ah..."
She fed Laphel the first bite, starting small.
Laphel closed her eyes tightly and moved her mouth a few times before swallowing.
"How is it? There are two more left, can Laphel do it?"
The taste wasn't as bad as he thought, and Laphel nodded his head.
If she ate all three, Werazel would be happy and praise him.
Excited to see that, Laphel opened her mouth again, like a baby bird begging its mother for food.
Werazel decided to give her a spoonful of soup.
Laphel was surprised by the larger portion but couldn't give up now, with only one more to go.
His small mouth worked tirelessly.
His cheeks puffed out while she ate the soup, and Werazel laughed, finding the sight admirable.
If she had a younger sibling, would it feel like this?
It felt like she had just drunk a freshly made sweet cocoa, with a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest.
"Okay, the last one."
By the end, the soup bowl was more than half empty.
The plan to feed him soup was a success.
"You did great. Really."
Werazel praised Laphel generously and quickly decided to give his medicine, the last hurdle.
"Laphel, can you eat this too?"
She spooned the medicine prescribed by the doctor in front of Laphel.
Laphel was staring at the pink liquid with a curious expression, but instinctively clenched her teeth shut.
"Hmm? This is really sweet and delicious."
"...."
Laphel felt conflicted but remained silent. She had no choice but to resort to her last resort. The method her mother used when she was a picky eater as a child.
"It's an airplane. Whooosh."
Lizelle moved her spoon in a dazzling manner, and the spoon flew gracefully in curves through the air.
"What's an airplane?"
Oh right, there are no airplanes in this world. Realizing her mistake too late, Lizelle made an excuse.
"It's like magic that lets you fly in the sky."
"Fly in the sky? I can fly in the sky too?"
"Yeah. If Laphel eats without being picky, she can fly in the sky someday too."
At that, Laphel blinked her eyes and moved her head in various directions, following Lizelle's hand movements.
The sight reminded Lizelle of a cat moving its head quickly to catch a fishing rod, and she silently chuckled to herself.
"The plane is landing. Laphel, ah!"
The spoon that had been flying back and forth suddenly stopped in front of Laphel's mouth, making her open it without realizing it.
Werazel took advantage of the opportunity and quickly put the medicine into Lapel's mouth.
"Well done, Laphel!"
Werazel poured out compliments to Laphel with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Hehehe."
Although she had taken the medicine by mistake, a refreshing summer-like smile appeared on Laphel's face.
Laphel wished this moment could last forever.
Werazel smile, touch, and praise towards her were all so good.
The faint image of her parents in Laphel's lost memories was long forgotten.