# 6
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“He's my baby.”
Elinor replied quickly.
Until now, she has never spoken definitively about her relationship with the child to anyone.
Even when Sophie asked her, she evaded appropriate responses that left others free to imagine.
But now was not the time to be complacent.
Elinor knew intuitively what Matthias intended to do with the child.
'He definitely wants to use the child as a hostage to find Charles.'
Whether he used humanitarian means or resorted to threats.
There were countless ways to use the baby.
There was no thought that these roads would be safe for her nephew.
Worse still, if Charlotte does not respond to the end, it is very likely that Matthias will resort to extreme methods.
Just as he was in his role as a cruel villain in the original story.
“It is my child that I gave birth to.”
From the moment she and her nephew escaped from the Count's palace, Elinor was determined to protect him and raise him safely.
Therefore, she vowed to reunite him with his mother, Charlotte.
Because being abandoned by his real mother was enough experience for her in her previous life.
Eleanor stepped forward forcefully.
“Since I have been famous since my academy days, I believe that His Highness the Duke can easily deduce why I am raising my child alone in such a small village.”
“Well, the information I received was completely different.”
“Not all information is correct. This assumption is offensive, Sir Duke.”
“Haha, so a baby you haven’t chosen yet is supposed to be yours?”
Matthias smiled cheerfully.
He seemed to overhear her entire conversation with Sophie.
Elinor felt embarrassed to reveal it to her, so she bit the inside of her mouth.
“Yes, that might be so. As the innkeeper said, perhaps you should wait for the baby’s father to choose a name for him.”
“Or maybe he's waiting for his mother to choose a name for him?”
“Your Highness the Duke...!”
“Oh!”
When Elinor unintentionally raised her voice, the terrified child began to cry.
“Oh, oh!”
“Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry.”
Elinor quickly tried to calm him down.
But the baby's crying did not stop easily.
Mathias raised the corner of his mouth sarcastically.
“You seem busy, I'll leave you now.”
Elinor stared at him.
"I plan to stay here for a while. I hope we get along well, sweetheart."
Matthias laughed sarcastically and left the room without hesitation.
* * *
After an hour of calming down, the baby who had been crying a lot finally calmed down.
Elinor, with the sleeping child on her lap, paced about the room anxiously.
"What do I do?"
Of all people, she should have fallen into the hands of Matthias, the main villain.
His obsession was terrifying.
Matthias was even more obsessed with Charlotte than the hero.
So, even the sweet and kind Charlotte didn't meet him in the end.
“Should I ask for the Magic Tower’s help again?”
Elinor shook her head after thinking.
No matter how good her relationship with the Magic Tower was, she couldn't take advantage of their generosity.
If you ask for further assistance here, the Magic Tower will demand payment.
For example, a lifetime contract with them…
Elinor was a natural lover of research.
The Magic Tower, which always paid generously for her inventions, was an ideal business partner.
But that doesn't mean she wants to be tied to one place all her life.
Although she wants to protect her nephew, it doesn't mean sacrificing her entire life.
“Moreover, there is no guarantee that the villain will not chase me if I run away somewhere else.”
She thought she had taken every precaution, but he found her in this village only two months later.
That was the power of the Information Guild that Matthias possessed.
Next time, it might be faster.
No, it certainly will be so.
Most importantly, he now maintains a polite behavior, but if he puts the child in front of him, he may kidnap him without hesitation next time.
“If the child is kidnapped, I will have no way to get him back.”
This is not a question of money.
Elinor is none other than the child's aunt.
If his grandparents or parents were not looking for him, what could an aunt do who is demanding his return...
“No.”
Elinor shook her head violently.
“Charlotte is different from my mother. I trust the heroine.”
Of course, Charlotte wouldn't give up on her baby.
“I must think wiy.”
To find a solution that does not harm neither the child nor herf.
* * *
Fortunately for Elinor, it seemed that Matthias had no intention of doing anything to her or the baby today.
He did not visit her room again after their confrontation at dawn.
Is he trying to give her time to think?
This was a welcome thing for Elinor, but she had not yet made any decision.
“Hoo.”
Elinor sighed as she looked out the window into the dark outside.
“Merely holding on is not a solution...”
Matthias, the main villain, certainly did not come to this rural village alone.
As an evil duke, he likely brought guards with him hiding in the shadows.
“How long will the Duke be patient?”
She was feeling anxious.
As if he might open the door at any moment and take the child by force.
If you leave the area even for a moment, the child may disappear without a trace.
Elinor pulled up a chair and sat next to the baby's bed.
The baby was sleeping peacefully.
“You didn't cry much today.”
Are you trying to give me time to think?
Usually, the baby would cry at any time.
Since Elinor had no experience in raising children, she did not know why he was crying.
Unlike modern society that is full of information, there were no proper parenting books here.
Therefore, Elinor relied a lot on Sophie's help.
On a day like this, when she was locked in her room to avoid the Duke, she was grateful that the baby wasn't crying.
“I hope your mother comes back soon.”
Elinor murmured as she leaned against the crib.
“You must meet your mother soon, and even the Duke will listen to Charles, or at least pretend to.”
Come to think of it, the Crown Prince probably wouldn't stay quiet either.
Is the Crown Prince looking for Charles somewhere like the Duke?
In the original story, since the hero was the crown prince, there wasn't much noise.
The Duke was the only competitor, he was defeated by the Crown Prince, and Holy Knight Alexis didn't have the nerve to challenge him in the first place.
However, for some reason, Charlotte chose the Holy Knight, the weaker one.
It didn't seem like the other powerful people would accept their defeat calmly.
“Maybe your father will change.”
Elinor joked, touching the baby's cheek.
At that moment I felt something strange.
“Baby?”
Elinor rose suddenly.
She touched the baby's cheek again.
His cheek was hot as if it were heated by fire.
So was his forehead when I quickly checked it.
His arms and torso were also full of heat.
Even considering that children have a higher temperature than adults, the heat was dangerously intense.
"Sophie! Sophie!"
Elinor rushed in fright, carrying the child, and opened the door.
She ran down the stairs noisily and shouted loudly.
"Sophie! Help me!"
“What's going on?”
Sophie came out of the kitchen, carrying a ladle.
said Elinor quickly.
“The child has a fever.”
"What?"
“He's so hot. He's never had a fever this bad before…!”
“Let me see.”
Sophie put down the ladle and approached Elinor.
When she placed her hand on the child's forehead, she was shocked.
"His body is like fire! How long has he been like this?"
“No, I don't know. Four hours ago when I fed him, there was no problem...”
“Let me see.”
Suddenly, Matthias appears and snatches the baby from Elinor.