We're in a Contract Marriage, But I've Imprinted - Chapter 196
Diers’s hand got scratched against the thorns but finally managed to tear off a petal. Delighted with the result, he was about to turn around to show Nanny, but a large and beautiful butterfly fluttered by gracefully.
The butterfly shimmered like gold, and as it flapped its large wings, it almost seemed as if golden dust was scattering with each movement. It was a sight so mesmerizing, even an adult would be fooled.
For Diers, with his eyes like his father’s, the butterfly was a bright, irresistible sight that he couldn’t miss.
With a purple rose petal tightly gripped in one hand, Diers began to chase the butterfly, his little legs scrambling to keep up. The butterfly danced freely around the garden, perching on flowers, letting Diers catch up before flying off again, teasing him.
As he grew closer, the butterfly landed softly on a rock, fluttering its wings slowly. Diers, moving cautiously and quietly, threw himself toward the golden butterfly, managing to catch it with the hand holding the flower petal.
“Wow, wow!”
Spinning his small and cute body around in triumph to show the nanny his accomplishment, Diers was struck by the unfamiliar surroundings. Large trees and dense greenery filled his purple eyes.
“Oh…”
No matter how much he turned his head, the nanny was nowhere to be found. And when he noticed no one else was around either, Diers started walking anxiously, calling out softly.
“Naaannnny…”
He called out in a small, sad voice, but no one responded in the forest. Left alone, Diers’ options were limited, but he bravely walked on, fighting back tears as the darkness began to settle.
“Waah, Mommy!”
But no one nearby heard the child’s cries.
* * *
“What did you say?”
Ian’s voice was low and haunting, while he was soaked with tears and sweat. The nanny who came with the news stumbled in shock, unable to stop her hiccuping.
“I’m, hick, sorr, hick, sorry.”
“What were you doing, that you didn’t notice Dia was missing?!”
Crash!
In a fit of rage, Ian threw anything in his path, disregarding all manners and decorum. The nanny, startled, collapsed to the floor, feeling something brush past her face.
At that moment, Ian, who had been reaching for his sword, realized it was no time for that. He needed to find Diers. He rushed out with disheveled clothes, starting his search from the mansion’s garden and continuing through the grounds.
All the mansion staff, holding lanterns, scattered to help him. Only the nanny remained, helpless and sitting where she had fallen.
“Dia! Where are you?”
With no rational thought left, Ian desperately searched every corner, with his mind frantic. He checked everywhere, from the stables to the warehouse, but with no sign of the child, his legs began to shake uncontrollably.
When he realized that the child had disappeared, the guilt hit him like a tidal wave. Even though he searched the entire mansion, there was no sign of Diers, so he thought of the back mountain connected to the garden.
Even though he thought it was unlikely that such a small child would wander up there, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility.
What if the child wasn’t alone and had been kidnapped by someone? Was he even fit to be a parent? No, was he even qualified to be a head of the household?
As all these negative thoughts consumed his mind, a bright light suddenly appeared in the air.
There, he saw Melissa, holding a disheveled Diers. Out of breath and frantic, Ian rushed up the path leading to the back mountain and threw his arms around both Melissa and Diers.
And then, he broke down crying. He sobbed uncontrollably.
“Huuuh, Dia, uhh, Mel…”
* * *
“What’s wrong, Mel?”
I felt a vibration in my arms while working with Lucia and quickly jumped to my feet. The object I hurriedly took out was a small amethyst, shaped like a pebble.
From the carriage accident to Adella, who was born without the pheromones of her biological parents, the anxiety I had been carrying after everything that happened was only natural.
Just in case, I had given Diers a pair of matching amethysts like this one. I told him that if he ever needed me, he should hold it and call out for ‘Mom.’
The fact that the amethyst was vibrating now meant that, for whatever reason, the child was calling out for me.
“I’m sorry, Tower Master. I need to ask a favor with Della.”
“What’s going on? You look pale…”
Before Lucia could finish her sentence, I immediately used teleportation magic to follow Diers’ call.
In that brief moment, I hoped that Diers had pressed it because he wanted to see me. I wished he’d say it was just a prank, but when I arrived, it wasn’t at the mansion or the garden.
Instead, Diers was sitting by a rock, crying in the back mountain connected to the mansion—an area I had once gotten lost in myself.
“Dia!”
“Huwee, Mom?”
“Oh my goodness, why are you here all alone?”
Today, Diers seemed even smaller than usual, and I hurried to help him up. As I checked to see if he was hurt, he suddenly threw himself into my arms.
“Mom!”
I quickly hugged the crying child, trying to comfort him.
“It’s okay, Mom’s here now.”
“Waaah!”
“Shh, our Dia is very brave. You remembered what Mom asked you, didn’t you? I’m so proud of you.”
“Huuh, weally?”
“Of course. You must’ve been so scared that you forgot the stone I gave you. But you didn’t forget to call for Mom, which means you were very brave.”
“Hehe.”
As the child stopped crying and smiled up at me, my heart slowly calmed.
“But why were you here alone?”
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