Before I could react, she pushed the crown into my hands.
"Friend," she said.
I held it carefully.
Seris watched my face, curious. Then, without warning, she leaned forward and hugged tightly.
Her little arms squeezed around .
I didn’t move.
All of my focus was on the crown.
’I need this Mana Stone.’
To her, it was just a toy.
To , it was strength.
She giggled and pulled back, then grabbed another toy from the chest.
"Play with this too," she said, waving a block at .
I didn’t answer. I only pretended to glance at it, but my mind kept circling back to the crown.
How could I keep it without anyone noticing?
For their family, it was nothing. A plated toy, not even worth ntioning.
But if I clung to it when they left, soone would definitely try to take it back.
And of course, that mont ca.
When it was ti to leave, Marianne stood and picked Seris up.
The little girl waved at , smiling wide. "Bye-bye friend."
"Say goodbye properly," Marianne said gently.
"Bye-bye!" Seris chirped again, waving harder.
The nursemaid walked over to collect the toys. Her hand reached toward the crown still in my grasp.
"Little master, may I take this back?" she asked politely.
I clutched it tighter, refusing to let go.
The servant hesitated, glancing at Marianne.
"Ah, the crown. Seris insists on bringing it everywhere. I’m surprised she shared it," Marianne said with a chuckle.
My mother noticed the way my tiny hands were locked around it.
"Oh, he seems to like it as well," she said softly, her eyes lighting up.
"Lord of Shadows, do sothing! You cannot let go of the mana stone!" Yuna encouraged from the side.
Her words confird I was not mistaken. It was real gold.
’Do I really need to cry for this?’
I wasn’t proud of the thought, but I was running out of ti.
If I cried, maybe they’d let keep it to avoid making a scene.
After all, it was just a toy in their eyes.
But still—
’Dammit. How many tis do I have to sacrifice my dignity in this life?’
Being breastfed, crying so that soone changed my dirt diapers, and now this. My dignity was in pieces already.
The servant didn’t back off, gently tugging at the crown.
I didn’t let go.
Right when I was preparing to bawl like a real baby, Seris’s soft voice rang.
"Friend keeps crown!"
Everyone froze.
Even I turned to look at her, surprised.
Marianne blinked, then laughed. "Oh my, Seris. Are you sharing your toy?"
Seris nodded.
Her face was unusually serious, like she was making so royal decree.
Marianne smiled, then gave a small nod to the servant. The servant hesitated, then stepped back.
"It was a good idea to bring Seris here. It’s the first ti she’s opened up this much," Marianne said, turning to my mother.
"Maybe it’s because they’re similar in age," my mother, Lyra, replied, glancing down at with a warm smile. "Seris is giving you a gift. Shouldn’t you give her one too?"
I doubted she expected to understand her words.
But I nodded.
I reached for the small pendant around my neck. The amber stone caught the light as I tugged on the string.
Then I clumsily waved it toward Seris.
"Gugu," I muttered.
Her eyes widened a little. She looked at the pendant, then at .
Both mothers froze.
"Did he just... give her the pendant?" Marianne tilted her head.
My mother looked just as confused. "It almost looked like he understood us..."
"I think he did!" Marianne leaned down and kissed my cheek. "What a smart little boy."
I tried to defend against the rain of kisses, but I was weak and helpless.
Defeated, I gave the pendant to Seris.
She accepted it with both hands like it was a treasure. Hugging it to her chest, she grinned.
My mother chuckled. "Co again."
"I will," Marianne answered. "It’s clear Seris likes his company. It’ll be good for her to spend ti with friends instead of just toys."
So Seris wasn’t used to people her age either. That worked in my favor.
After they left, my mother carried back toward my room. The golden crown was still in her hand.
She glanced at it, then at .
"It’s not nice to take toys from others," she said softly.
I stayed quiet, pretending I didn’t understand.
Her fingers brushed my cheek as she sighed. "But if Seris gave it to you, I suppose it’s fine."
I curled my hand around the crown tighter, making sure she saw how much I liked it.
"Alright, you can keep it for now. But don’t get used to taking things from friends," she said with a small laugh.
Yuna hopped down from the pillow and landed beside .
"Lord of Shadows, this is really gold. I can feel the mana inside. You finally have a mana stone," she whispered excitedly,
Mother tucked into the crib, pulling the blanket up to my chin.
She sat nearby for a while, humming quietly.
Normally she would have played with , maybe tickled my hands or tried to make laugh.
But not today.
I forced my eyelids down, faking sleep.
Her humming went on for a few more minutes.
Then she sighed, seeing ignoring her. She stood up, and walked to the door.
The latch clicked softly as it closed behind her.
The room went silent.
My eyes opened instantly.
The golden crown sat on a low shelf.
’Ti to do alchemy, and pull the mana out of that gold-plated crown.’
I rolled onto my side and edged toward the crib’s railing.
My fingers gripped the wood, and with a small push I slid over the side.
I landed on the floor with a dull thud.
It hurt, but not too badly. My Strength and Dexterity had grown enough that small falls were manageable now.
I crawled across the floor and reached the shelf.
My hand grabbed the crown, and I dragged it down with .
It clattered against the wood, then scraped as I pulled it to the center of the room.
Yuna flew around . Her small form glowed faintly.
"Lord of Shadows, it is ti to extract mana from the mana stone!"
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