try begging

Leon opened his eyes.The faint blue light of dawn seeped through the gap in the curtains, casting a soft glow on theceiling. As always, it was around the same time. And, as always, Ellie was sleeping horizontally inthe middle of the bed. Her head rested on her mother, while her legs sprawled onto her father.

 A noble's child doesn't sleep with their parents. From birth, they are raised in their own bed underthe care of a nanny. If his daughter had been raised like a typical noble child, Leon would have donethe same. As he gently pulled up the half-slipped sock from her tiny foot, he found himself lost insuch trivial thoughts. 

Leon closed his eyes again, but it wasn't to go back to sleep.Not long after, Ellie stirred, her small body rising slowly. With sleepy eyes, she gazed at him, andLeon, peeking through half-closed lids, watched her silently. 

It had been over a month since the three of them had started sleeping together in one bed. In thattime, Ellie had figured out that her father was a light sleeper and had made it her routine to wake him up first thing every morning. 

"Daddy." 

Soon, Ellie clung to him and kissed him. 

"Daddy, stop sleeping."

 Pretending to have just woken up, Leon opened his eyes groggily and asked in a hoarse voice, 

"Didyou sleep well?" 

Ellie nodded with a big yawn. 

"Are you thirsty?"

When she nodded again, he sat up and pulled a cord hanging from the bedside table. 

Somewhere inthe annex, a bell rang, and soon after, footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. Without aword, the maid, who had been bringing the same morning order for a month, brought Ellie herdrink: warm milk, in a baby bottle. 

Since returning after being kidnapped by rebel remnants, Ellie had begun acting like a baby. Leonhad become worried when his usually independent and fast-developing daughter suddenlyregressed. 

He consulted renowned psychologists across the kingdom. 

"It's called regression," they explained.

 It was a temporary response to psychological stress. ThoughEllie had appeared to endure the ordeal bravely, she had clearly been affected. Leon felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.At the same time, the psychologists' explanation that it was a way for her to seek her parents'attention and affection gave him some hope. 

That was something he could give her endlessly.

 "Ugh, Ellie's so frustrated!" 

Ellie, sitting on Leon's lap and drinking from the bottle, grumbled. 

Thetiny hole in the nipple was understandably frustrating for a child who would soon be three years old.

 "Open it."

 As always, Ellie removed the lid from the bottle and drank directly from it. At that point, there was no difference from drinking from a cup.

 "How about using a cup from tomorrow?"

 Leon suggested.

 "No."

 "What do you think your friends would say if they knew you were still drinking from a bottle like ababy?"

 "Benny doesn't need to know." 

Ellie squinted her eyes and looked at him through the tilted bottle,making it clear she didn't want her secret shared. Leon felt as if he were talking to himself whenEllie acted like this. 

"And Mommy said she doesn't want Ellie to grow up too fast."

Leon cast a disapproving glance at the woman still soundly asleep, who had indulged Ellie but lefthim to handle the spoiled child. 

"Close it again."

 After reattaching the nipple, Ellie, as she did every morning, pretended to feed her rabbit stuffedanimal with the bottle, then playfully brought it to her sleeping mother's mouth. 

"Mm..."

 Grace grimaced as a drop of milk fell on her face.

 "Is Mommy still sick today?" 

The day after rescuing Ellie, Grace had collapsed with a fever, likely from the release of all thetension. Covered in wounds and now battling a fever, she had been bedridden for days. Ever since,in Ellie's mind, her mother had become a baby that needed care. Every morning, she asked if Gracewas still sick and tried to feed her the bottle. 

"I'm not sick."

 "Then wake up." 

"..."

 "Wake up already!" 

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up..." 

"You're not up yet."

 "I've lifted my head off the pillow."

"How much?" 

"Just a little, like a hair." 

"Well, lift it two hairs more."

 Despite her regression, Ellie's speech had improved, both in pronunciation and vocabulary.However, her actions still showed signs of regression—carrying around a pacifier or asking to befed, things she hadn't done before. 

If Leon viewed her objectively, it seemed she was behaving like a baby on purpose, hoping to gainattention and affection.Eventually, this phase would pass, just as Ellie had stopped talking about Nancy Wilkins. 

Leon and Grace had deliberately brought up the kidnapper repeatedly, knowing that lying andsaying it was all a dream wouldn't fool their sharp daughter. She would only learn to hide heremotional wounds that way, something they both had done when they were children, falling ill from the emotional burden. 

"Where did Nancy go? Did the police take her?"

 Ellie had asked. 

"Yes, she went to prison, where bad people go. She'll never come out again. Ellie is safe now." 

"And that's all because Ellie called the police."

 "That's right. Ellie was so brave." 

After receiving this praise, Ellie would beam proudly. Her initial anger toward Wilkins, who hadhurt her mother and tried to steal her, had been justified. But over time, that anger had begun tomorph. 

"Nancy made Mommy's hair brown because she didn't like that I look like her," Ellie had oncesaid, beginning to blame Wilkins for everything that displeased her.

"Nancy is bad! She deserves to be punished!" 

Leon couldn't disagree, but he also didn't want his daughter to be consumed by thoughts ofrevenge. 

"Ellie, Nancy said she was sorry. She asked Daddy to tell you."

 "...Really?"

 It wasn't entirely a lie; Wilkins had screamed something resembling an apology in her finalmoments.

 "She promised never to do anything bad again." 

"Really?" 

"Well, she won't be able to do it even if she wants to." 

Ellie's mentions of Nancy gradually faded until it was rare to hear the name anymore. 

"Mommy, stop being such a sleepyhead!"

 Ellie's relentless pestering finally made Grace open hereyes with a sigh. 

"Who does our Ellie take after to be so persistent?" 

"I take after Mommy."

 "..." 

Grace, still half-asleep, shot Leon a look. Clearly, Ellie took after him. Ignoring Grace's silentaccusation, Leon ruffled Ellie's hair and headed to the bathroom.

When he splashed cold water on his face and looked into the mirror, he saw a man smiling back athim—a man whose reflection, unlike before, was whole.After breakfast with the family, Leon headed to the dressing room. As he was tying his necktie, heheard the sound of small wheels rolling closer, followed by a familiar voice. 

"Daddy, where are you going?"

 He turned around to see Ellie peeking through the gap in the dressing room door. It seemed she hadalready finished getting ready, led by her mother to her own dressing room. 

"Ellie, you need to knock." 

Grace's voice came from outside the door, gently scolding their daughter. Ellie, realizing hermistake, knocked on the door and then entered, dragging behind her a toy horse almost as big as shewas. She had named the toy Jelly after receiving it as a late Christmas gift, and had been dragging itaround all day.

 "Where are you going? Can I come too?"

 "No, sweetie. Daddy's going to work."

 It was his first time returning to work in over a month. During that time, whenever somethingneeded his attention, he would briefly slip away while Ellie was asleep. But now that Ellie hadsettled down, it was time for him to return to the duties he had postponed. He would need more thanjust ten bodies to get everything done. 

As he put on his military jacket, Ellie, who had been quietly watching him, suddenly grabbed ontohis leg and started to pout. 

"No! Don't go! Play with me!"

 Leon looked down at her, gazing up at him with her big eyes, as if on the verge of tears. For amoment, he was overwhelmed by the impulse to just carry her around in his pocket wherever hewent. But today's destination was not a place where Ellie could follow.Leon picked Ellie up, holding her close. 

"Then how about Ellie works instead of Daddy?"

 "No."

 As soon as he asked, Ellie shook her head firmly. 

"A baby's job is to play." 

She had heard Grace say this to her whenever she tried to mess with the typewriter in the study.Grace would hand her a toy instead and say,

 "Playing is your job." 

Now, Ellie had learned how touse that phrase herself.Leon took the crown off Ellie's head and placed his military cap on her instead.

 "If you go to work for me, the soldiers might like you better." 

Of course, the commander would be horrified.

As she tilted the brim of the cap upwards and saw herself in the mirror, Ellie straightened her faceand raised her right hand to her temple in a salute. She had picked this up from watching Campbellsalute them every day. 

For someone so small, her posture was surprisingly proper. She had a sharp mind, a sturdyphysique, and a bold spirit — all the makings of a fine soldier.But no matter what happened, Leon was determined that his daughter would never wear a soldier'suniform.He removed the cap from her head and placed it back on his own, gently putting the crown back onher head. 

Campbell, who had been waiting with the car at the front of the annex, found himself in a bit of apredicament. Ellie had run up to the car and climbed into the backseat before anyone could stop her.

 "I'm coming too," she said, sitting in the middle seat and clutching her stuffed bunny. 

"Bring Jelly too." 

She even gestured to the adults to go get the grey toy horse she had left at the front door. 

"Mommy, get in too."

 "Ellie, Daddy's going to work. Mommy and Ellie can't go." 

"Why not?" 

"Because you said you didn't want to do Daddy's work." 

Ellie continued to pout, and Leon and Grace gently tried to reason with her. Campbell, knowingtoday's schedule, was concerned that Ellie might actually insist on tagging along. The lieutenant,too, looked troubled, though he couldn't hide his amusement. 

"If you wait patiently, Daddy will come home quickly. Then we can go somewhere fun together." 

"Really?"

 In the end, the lieutenant's words convinced her, and Ellie got out of the car without any furtherfuss. 

"Have fun with Mommy," Leon said. 

"Hurry back. If you're late, I'll eat all the cloud cake, and I'll go to sleep first." 

"I'll be back soon. I'll be home before the sun sets." 

After exchanging goodbyes with Ellie, Leon turned to Grace. 

"The copies," Leon said. 

"They're almost done."

 "Can you have them ready by 3 PM?"

 "I think so."

 "Good. Take care." 

Unlike the warm farewell with Ellie, their exchange was brief and businesslike.

While Leon's relationship with his daughter was obviously close and affectionate, his interactionswith Grace seemed more like those of colleagues. To Campbell, who knew how Leon had riskedeverything over the past three years to pursue Grace, their detached demeanor was surprising. 

It was difficult for Campbell to comprehend what was happening, just as it had been hard to graspthe details of Major Winston's final operation.

 "Ellie, wave to Daddy. Say, 'Come home safe, Daddy.'"

 "Come home safe, Daddy!" 

Once Leon got into the car and closed the door, Grace and Ellie waved as the car began to move.Just as it seemed to pull away, Leon stared at Grace for a moment and then gave a short order to thedriver. The car came to a sudden stop. 

The rear window slowly rolled down, and Leon extended his hand out of the window. His fingersgently touched Grace's left hand, focusing on her pinky finger.His thumb softly caressed the tiny spot where a new fingernail was beginning to grow. The fresh,white nail had only just started to appear, smaller than a grain of rice, but Leon had noticed thechange.He even pulled her hand closer to him to inspect it. 

As she watched him, Grace felt a strange senseof déjà vu. The look of quiet excitement in Leon's eyes was the same as when he had once gazed ather bare body.Standing there in the early morning light, surrounded by many eyes, Grace felt like they weresharing a secret, something private and intimate. She gently pulled her hand away.At that moment, Leon withdrew his hand into the car and lowered his head. His warm lips lightly brushed against her fingertips, sending a tingling sensation through her chest.

 Grace flinchedslightly at the unexpected feeling.After a respectful kiss, Leon released her hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. It was a pure smile,not meant to provoke or tease.But why, then, was she feeling so stirred?Without a word, Leon raised the window and gave the driver an order. The car began to move again,this time without stopping.Grace stood still, watching as the car disappeared down the road. 

The tips of her fingers, where hislips had briefly touched, still tingled.Her heart felt the same. It tingled, as if new skin was growing over a wound. The sensation wasunfamiliar but strangely comforting. It had been a long time since she felt such warmth, and sherealized she missed the feeling more than she cared to admit. 

Turning back toward the house, Grace took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to be lost in herthoughts right now. There were matters to attend to, both personal and professional. As she walkedback to the house, she mentally prepared herself for the busy day ahead.

Leon opened his eyes.The faint blue light of dawn seeped through the gap in the curtains, casting a soft glow on theceiling. As always, it was around the same time. And, as always, Ellie was sleeping horizontally inthe middle of the bed. Her head rested on her mother, while her legs sprawled onto her father.

 A noble's child doesn't sleep with their parents. From birth, they are raised in their own bed underthe care of a nanny. If his daughter had been raised like a typical noble child, Leon would have donethe same. As he gently pulled up the half-slipped sock from her tiny foot, he found himself lost insuch trivial thoughts. 

Leon closed his eyes again, but it wasn't to go back to sleep.Not long after, Ellie stirred, her small body rising slowly. With sleepy eyes, she gazed at him, andLeon, peeking through half-closed lids, watched her silently. 

It had been over a month since the three of them had started sleeping together in one bed. In thattime, Ellie had figured out that her father was a light sleeper and had made it her routine to wake him up first thing every morning. 

"Daddy." 

Soon, Ellie clung to him and kissed him. 

"Daddy, stop sleeping."

 Pretending to have just woken up, Leon opened his eyes groggily and asked in a hoarse voice, 

"Didyou sleep well?" 

Ellie nodded with a big yawn. 

"Are you thirsty?"

When she nodded again, he sat up and pulled a cord hanging from the bedside table. 

Somewhere inthe annex, a bell rang, and soon after, footsteps could be heard descending the stairs. Without aword, the maid, who had been bringing the same morning order for a month, brought Ellie herdrink: warm milk, in a baby bottle. 

Since returning after being kidnapped by rebel remnants, Ellie had begun acting like a baby. Leonhad become worried when his usually independent and fast-developing daughter suddenlyregressed. 

He consulted renowned psychologists across the kingdom. 

"It's called regression," they explained.

 It was a temporary response to psychological stress. ThoughEllie had appeared to endure the ordeal bravely, she had clearly been affected. Leon felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.At the same time, the psychologists' explanation that it was a way for her to seek her parents'attention and affection gave him some hope. 

That was something he could give her endlessly.

 "Ugh, Ellie's so frustrated!" 

Ellie, sitting on Leon's lap and drinking from the bottle, grumbled. 

Thetiny hole in the nipple was understandably frustrating for a child who would soon be three years old.

 "Open it."

 As always, Ellie removed the lid from the bottle and drank directly from it. At that point, there was no difference from drinking from a cup.

 "How about using a cup from tomorrow?"

 Leon suggested.

 "No."

 "What do you think your friends would say if they knew you were still drinking from a bottle like ababy?"

 "Benny doesn't need to know." 

Ellie squinted her eyes and looked at him through the tilted bottle,making it clear she didn't want her secret shared. Leon felt as if he were talking to himself whenEllie acted like this. 

"And Mommy said she doesn't want Ellie to grow up too fast."

Leon cast a disapproving glance at the woman still soundly asleep, who had indulged Ellie but lefthim to handle the spoiled child. 

"Close it again."

 After reattaching the nipple, Ellie, as she did every morning, pretended to feed her rabbit stuffedanimal with the bottle, then playfully brought it to her sleeping mother's mouth. 

"Mm..."

 Grace grimaced as a drop of milk fell on her face.

 "Is Mommy still sick today?" 

The day after rescuing Ellie, Grace had collapsed with a fever, likely from the release of all thetension. Covered in wounds and now battling a fever, she had been bedridden for days. Ever since,in Ellie's mind, her mother had become a baby that needed care. Every morning, she asked if Gracewas still sick and tried to feed her the bottle. 

"I'm not sick."

 "Then wake up." 

"..."

 "Wake up already!" 

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up..." 

"You're not up yet."

 "I've lifted my head off the pillow."

"How much?" 

"Just a little, like a hair." 

"Well, lift it two hairs more."

 Despite her regression, Ellie's speech had improved, both in pronunciation and vocabulary.However, her actions still showed signs of regression—carrying around a pacifier or asking to befed, things she hadn't done before. 

If Leon viewed her objectively, it seemed she was behaving like a baby on purpose, hoping to gainattention and affection.Eventually, this phase would pass, just as Ellie had stopped talking about Nancy Wilkins. 

Leon and Grace had deliberately brought up the kidnapper repeatedly, knowing that lying andsaying it was all a dream wouldn't fool their sharp daughter. She would only learn to hide heremotional wounds that way, something they both had done when they were children, falling ill from the emotional burden. 

"Where did Nancy go? Did the police take her?"

 Ellie had asked. 

"Yes, she went to prison, where bad people go. She'll never come out again. Ellie is safe now." 

"And that's all because Ellie called the police."

 "That's right. Ellie was so brave." 

After receiving this praise, Ellie would beam proudly. Her initial anger toward Wilkins, who hadhurt her mother and tried to steal her, had been justified. But over time, that anger had begun tomorph. 

"Nancy made Mommy's hair brown because she didn't like that I look like her," Ellie had oncesaid, beginning to blame Wilkins for everything that displeased her.

"Nancy is bad! She deserves to be punished!" 

Leon couldn't disagree, but he also didn't want his daughter to be consumed by thoughts ofrevenge. 

"Ellie, Nancy said she was sorry. She asked Daddy to tell you."

 "...Really?"

 It wasn't entirely a lie; Wilkins had screamed something resembling an apology in her finalmoments.

 "She promised never to do anything bad again." 

"Really?" 

"Well, she won't be able to do it even if she wants to." 

Ellie's mentions of Nancy gradually faded until it was rare to hear the name anymore. 

"Mommy, stop being such a sleepyhead!"

 Ellie's relentless pestering finally made Grace open hereyes with a sigh. 

"Who does our Ellie take after to be so persistent?" 

"I take after Mommy."

 "..." 

Grace, still half-asleep, shot Leon a look. Clearly, Ellie took after him. Ignoring Grace's silentaccusation, Leon ruffled Ellie's hair and headed to the bathroom.

When he splashed cold water on his face and looked into the mirror, he saw a man smiling back athim—a man whose reflection, unlike before, was whole.After breakfast with the family, Leon headed to the dressing room. As he was tying his necktie, heheard the sound of small wheels rolling closer, followed by a familiar voice. 

"Daddy, where are you going?"

 He turned around to see Ellie peeking through the gap in the dressing room door. It seemed she hadalready finished getting ready, led by her mother to her own dressing room. 

"Ellie, you need to knock." 

Grace's voice came from outside the door, gently scolding their daughter. Ellie, realizing hermistake, knocked on the door and then entered, dragging behind her a toy horse almost as big as shewas. She had named the toy Jelly after receiving it as a late Christmas gift, and had been dragging itaround all day.

 "Where are you going? Can I come too?"

 "No, sweetie. Daddy's going to work."

 It was his first time returning to work in over a month. During that time, whenever somethingneeded his attention, he would briefly slip away while Ellie was asleep. But now that Ellie hadsettled down, it was time for him to return to the duties he had postponed. He would need more thanjust ten bodies to get everything done. 

As he put on his military jacket, Ellie, who had been quietly watching him, suddenly grabbed ontohis leg and started to pout. 

"No! Don't go! Play with me!"

 Leon looked down at her, gazing up at him with her big eyes, as if on the verge of tears. For amoment, he was overwhelmed by the impulse to just carry her around in his pocket wherever hewent. But today's destination was not a place where Ellie could follow.Leon picked Ellie up, holding her close. 

"Then how about Ellie works instead of Daddy?"

 "No."

 As soon as he asked, Ellie shook her head firmly. 

"A baby's job is to play." 

She had heard Grace say this to her whenever she tried to mess with the typewriter in the study.Grace would hand her a toy instead and say,

 "Playing is your job." 

Now, Ellie had learned how touse that phrase herself.Leon took the crown off Ellie's head and placed his military cap on her instead.

 "If you go to work for me, the soldiers might like you better." 

Of course, the commander would be horrified.

As she tilted the brim of the cap upwards and saw herself in the mirror, Ellie straightened her faceand raised her right hand to her temple in a salute. She had picked this up from watching Campbellsalute them every day. 

For someone so small, her posture was surprisingly proper. She had a sharp mind, a sturdyphysique, and a bold spirit — all the makings of a fine soldier.But no matter what happened, Leon was determined that his daughter would never wear a soldier'suniform.He removed the cap from her head and placed it back on his own, gently putting the crown back onher head. 

Campbell, who had been waiting with the car at the front of the annex, found himself in a bit of apredicament. Ellie had run up to the car and climbed into the backseat before anyone could stop her.

 "I'm coming too," she said, sitting in the middle seat and clutching her stuffed bunny. 

"Bring Jelly too." 

She even gestured to the adults to go get the grey toy horse she had left at the front door. 

"Mommy, get in too."

 "Ellie, Daddy's going to work. Mommy and Ellie can't go." 

"Why not?" 

"Because you said you didn't want to do Daddy's work." 

Ellie continued to pout, and Leon and Grace gently tried to reason with her. Campbell, knowingtoday's schedule, was concerned that Ellie might actually insist on tagging along. The lieutenant,too, looked troubled, though he couldn't hide his amusement. 

"If you wait patiently, Daddy will come home quickly. Then we can go somewhere fun together." 

"Really?"

 In the end, the lieutenant's words convinced her, and Ellie got out of the car without any furtherfuss. 

"Have fun with Mommy," Leon said. 

"Hurry back. If you're late, I'll eat all the cloud cake, and I'll go to sleep first." 

"I'll be back soon. I'll be home before the sun sets." 

After exchanging goodbyes with Ellie, Leon turned to Grace. 

"The copies," Leon said. 

"They're almost done."

 "Can you have them ready by 3 PM?"

 "I think so."

 "Good. Take care." 

Unlike the warm farewell with Ellie, their exchange was brief and businesslike.

While Leon's relationship with his daughter was obviously close and affectionate, his interactionswith Grace seemed more like those of colleagues. To Campbell, who knew how Leon had riskedeverything over the past three years to pursue Grace, their detached demeanor was surprising. 

It was difficult for Campbell to comprehend what was happening, just as it had been hard to graspthe details of Major Winston's final operation.

 "Ellie, wave to Daddy. Say, 'Come home safe, Daddy.'"

 "Come home safe, Daddy!" 

Once Leon got into the car and closed the door, Grace and Ellie waved as the car began to move.Just as it seemed to pull away, Leon stared at Grace for a moment and then gave a short order to thedriver. The car came to a sudden stop. 

The rear window slowly rolled down, and Leon extended his hand out of the window. His fingersgently touched Grace's left hand, focusing on her pinky finger.His thumb softly caressed the tiny spot where a new fingernail was beginning to grow. The fresh,white nail had only just started to appear, smaller than a grain of rice, but Leon had noticed thechange.He even pulled her hand closer to him to inspect it. 

As she watched him, Grace felt a strange senseof déjà vu. The look of quiet excitement in Leon's eyes was the same as when he had once gazed ather bare body.Standing there in the early morning light, surrounded by many eyes, Grace felt like they weresharing a secret, something private and intimate. She gently pulled her hand away.At that moment, Leon withdrew his hand into the car and lowered his head. His warm lips lightly brushed against her fingertips, sending a tingling sensation through her chest.

 Grace flinchedslightly at the unexpected feeling.After a respectful kiss, Leon released her hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. It was a pure smile,not meant to provoke or tease.But why, then, was she feeling so stirred?Without a word, Leon raised the window and gave the driver an order. The car began to move again,this time without stopping.Grace stood still, watching as the car disappeared down the road. 

The tips of her fingers, where hislips had briefly touched, still tingled.Her heart felt the same. It tingled, as if new skin was growing over a wound. The sensation wasunfamiliar but strangely comforting. It had been a long time since she felt such warmth, and sherealized she missed the feeling more than she cared to admit. 

Turning back toward the house, Grace took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to be lost in herthoughts right now. There were matters to attend to, both personal and professional. As she walkedback to the house, she mentally prepared herself for the busy day ahead.