After a while, someone visited our secret hideout.
Like a raptor before snatching up its prey with its claws, she said with her golden eyes twinkling.
“You were hiding in such a place like a mouse?”
It was Madam Mimosa—!
My small heart pounded and fell to the floor. It felt like all the blood was rushing out of my toes.
“Annette. It’s really disappointing.”
“…Madam.”
Madam Mimosa spoke coolly while holding a sharp whip.
“I trusted you because you were an exemplary student who never caused problems.”
Gulp.
My throat was dry because of the tension.
Panic seemed to come when the worst situation I had imagined in my head became a reality.
“……”
Sislin was also scared, and his breath quickened. Because he had already been severely punished by Madam Mimosa.
‘What should I do? We shouldn’t have been caught now.’
He hadn’t overcome his water trauma yet, and there was no way to naturally return to the Forest.
If things went on like this, he would get beaten…!
What would happen next was obvious.
Sislin, who barely opened his heart a little, would retreat into the cave again and the situation would get much worse.
Madam Mimosa looked around the hideout and hit the furniture with the end of the whip.
“You stole all the furniture here, too. Sislin… What a rude thing to do.”
Upon her cold gaze, I was surprised and shouted as I hid Sislin behind my back.
“It’s not Sislin’s fault. I did that!”
“Annette. I know you care about the Trees, but you shouldn’t embrace them unconditionally.”
“I’m telling you the truth, Madam. Trust me… please.”
“Sislin has already broken eight rules. I cannot forgive him.”
Ahhh… It increased by one because of me.
“At first, he complained that he didn’t want to wash and ran into the cave. Do you know how worried the teachers were? …How often did I emphasize the need to abide by the rules?”
In the Forest, severe corporal punishment followed a problem child.
“Get out of my way.”
Unsurprisingly, Madam Mimosa pushed me by the shoulder and swung a sharp whip towards Sislin.
Wheeik!
Ouch, that!
That whip must hurt a lot…!!!
At that moment, I hugged Sislin tightly, showing my back instead, and shouted.
“Sislin isn’t complaining, he is afraid of the water!”
Madam Mimosa’s rod stopped in mid-air for an instant. But still, the strict blonde seemed unwilling to forgive.
“Annette, whatever the reason, the fact that Sislin broke the rules doesn’t change.”
“…”
“If you don’t get out of the way, I will have no choice but to punish you together.”
As a young child, an adult with a sharp whip was too frightening.
However, I couldn’t back off.
Because of the trauma, Sislin was shaking like a dog that had been in the rain all day, and I could feel that trembling in my arms.
I was trembling and scared too… I held him tight and squeezed my eyes before opening it up and looked at her straight.
“I will take responsibility and fix him, Madam.”
“……”
“I’ll make him into a Sislin that washes well, doesn’t run away, and obeys the rules!”
I put in a condition.
“If I fail… I will also receive corporal punishment along with Sislin.”
Perhaps Madam Mimosa read my determination as her eyebrows rose sharply.
There was cold suspicion and a little interest in that expression.
“Sislin has always had trouble adapting to the Forest, is that possible?”
“Yes, Madam.”
I nodded with clear eyes.
“If he is being scolded now, he will be more afraid and hide. Madam knows.”
Suddenly, there was a slight crack in Madam Mimosa’s cold expression. She actually knew it too. That she would take a long time to solve it with corporal punishment.
“I’ll give you three days.”
‘3 days is too short…’
However, there did not appear to be any room for negotiation otherwise.
‘I’m going to make it work no matter what.’
I stopped worrying and nodded with determined eyes.
“Yes, Madam. I promise you.”
Only then did Madame Mimosa gather the whip. It was a relief.
“Clean up this room and bring Sislin back to the living room.”
Hehe, I succeeded in persuasion!
“But Annette will have to skip dinner for three days as a punishment for breaking the rules. As for Sislin…”
Madam Mimosa continued speaking after glancing at Sislin’s skinny limbs.
“I should replenish his nutrients quickly.”
“Yes, Madam!”
I had to starve, but I could bear it. If only the baby would be safe.
After hearing my clear reply, the madam finally went out of our hideout.
“Whew…”
My relaxed body drooped like a stuffed teddy bear.
At that moment, Sislin, who was in my arms, also raised his head quietly. The boy’s anxiety was etched in his red ruby-like eyes.
“Annette.”
I gently stroked the little head of his.
“Don’t worry. It’ll turn out okay. Sislin.”
And I smiled softly.
* * *
I stayed with Sislin for a while as he was anxious, and then went down to the living room.