[“Mooommy?”]

The only thing that’s not enough for an infant is just a single person.

Haniel, who knew this feeling very well from his previous palace life, stood up and waddled around.

[“Mooommy, are you dere?”]

What to do!

Normally, mom would sprint over and say “Our princess, did you sleep well?” but now she’s nowhere to be seen!

No signs of her, not even her scent!

After realizing this place wasn’t the house she and her mother lived in, Haniel began tearing up.

[“Moooom, sniffle, ‘anny!”]

“…Mmm. Back to sleep, dear.”

[“Nanny? Naaanny? Haniewsh nanny?”]

After finding Selene outside the cradle, Haniel stopped sniffling. The nanny was here!

It’d be alright if the nanny was here. All fine.

Relieved, Haniel flapped her wings and hopped out of the cradle.

[“…..”]

She slipped and fell on the velvet sofa, but she dusted herself without crying. She went over to the nanny to wake her up, but no matter how much she prodded her, the nanny showed no signs of waking.

Was she dead? What should I do?

Scared, Haniel began poking Selene with her wings, which caused Selene to flap her wings hard in response.

“Mmm….go back to sleep, dear….Now….”

[“Yesh, but..”]

It was morning right now.

Chirping in confusion, Haniel ended up diving under Selene’s wings for comfort. After all, Mommy always did this to her every time she slept!

Since Selene told her to go to sleep, she was going to try, but since sleep kept eluding her she got into her favorite position for sleep.

Underneath the blueish-green wings, a baby bird’s body kept twitching in anxiety.

Yes, Selene’s wings were warm, but they were different from the black swan mother’s. Mommy’s wings were more cushy and warm and….

[“Ith’sh haniew’sh mommy.”]

There really was no other explanation.

They were different because she was a mother, but also because she was my mommy.

Hmmph!

Haniel dragged herself from Selene’s wings. She prodded Selene again but the nanny still showed no signs of movement.

“Mmmn, I didn’t catch a wink of sleep until now…please let me be….”

[“Hic”]

As Selene just covered her head with her wing in utter rejection, Haniel stepped back in surprise. She remembered the words of her mother, who said that she shouldn’t bother the nanny too much.

[“Nanny dangeroush!”]

Reasserting her mother’s words in her head, Haniel began waddling around once more.

This place was so weird to her. Then again, Haniel had never gone on a proper outing before, so she had no idea what a carriage was.

[“Mommy noth here!”]

That was the one thing Haniel was sure of.

Feeling anxious, Haniel hopped down the stairs.

[“Hm? Mommy?]

Tap tap.

Haniel swung her head up towards the tapping sound on the window.

Normally only mother would come and visit, but unfortunately it wasn’t her.

Drop drop.

[“….Thath’sh rain. I wnow rain!”]

Look!

Haniel kept chirping at her nanny to come look, but Selene’s snoring grew even louder.

Yes, that wasn’t mother, but Haniel still knew what that was!

Instead of being scared by the sudden rain, Haniel was glad it came, as if meeting an old friend for the first time in a while. She began hopping around in a circle and whistling.

Even when she was stuck in her royal chambers, there was always someone that came and visited her every time it rained.

“Long time no see, our princess Haniel!”

Loam oppa!

Last time it rained, Loam came to visit me as well.

Unlike His Majesty oppa, Loam knew her name very well. Above all, Loam was the only one out of the oppas that held her high in the air on his two hands.

[“….Buth he’sh noth Mommy.”]

I wanna see Mommy!

No matter what she thought, it all ended up being about her mother.

‘I miss her so much, what do I do?’

As Haniel thought of that, the comforting rain began to feel a bit scary.

“It was raining like this when her Majesty passed away as well.”

“Shh! Shut it! If his Majesty catches wind of you saying that, you won’t live to see tomorrow!”

Drop, drop.

At that time, Haniel was simply closing her eyes and enjoyed the rhythmic tapping of the rain droplets when the two palace servants stared at her and whispered to each other.

What were they saying?

Surprise! Haniel opened her eyes, but everyone got frightened and ran away.

And now in the present, that sad, lonely feeling from back then began seeping into Haniel’s mind. She began flapping her wings.

[I, I need tho go geth Mommy!]

The black swan mother would always be lost in thought and suddenly say her plans out loud even if no one asked.

Haniel remembered that very well, so she did the exact same thing:

[“Haniel will go and find Mommy!”]

After making a plan, courage began building up in her heart.

Because Mommy always came to get her every day; Because I felt so happy when she came to get me; Because the most beautiful mother in the entirety of Lake School always arrives first to embrace me –

Step!

Haniel hopped down from the last step. She turned around to invite the nanny to come with her, but because the stairs were so high, Selene was nowhere to be seen. What she saw, however, was the pouring rain that was ever so close to her at this moment.

[“Mommy! Waith for me!”]