Don't Remember Me - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

“Hhnng. Oh? There’s another one here and it’s a teddy bear! Wow, this one is a puppy! … Aww. I am missing Hayang now that I saw this puppy.”

Although excited, Flitta’s mood shifted quickly upon seeing the puppy, longing for Hayang. When the Dunfer was discovered, Hayang was also isolated to prevent the illness spreading.

“Once you feel better, we can bring Hayang then.”

“What if Hayang forgets me by then?”

Flitta sadly pouted and Rosé reassuringly consoled her.

“Your Highness, Hayang will never forget about you. Will you forget Hayang then?”

“Never, I will never forget Hayang since we’re friends!”

“And the same goes for Hayang. To Hayang, you are her friend too.”

“Hhngg…”

Flitta thought about Rosé’s words and tightly hugged the puppy doll in her hands.

“Until then, this one is my friend. No, all of them are my friends.”

“Your Highness, those are just old cloth dolls. Besides, they’re not even finished.”

“It’s okay. I want them all to be my friends.”

Flitta disapproved, gathered all of the cloth dolls and pulled them into her embrace. Rosé was a little flustered, debating whether to soothe the child or not.

“I’ve moved all the dolls you used to play with here with us, Princess. So please hand those over.”

“No! I like these dolls more! Didn’t you make them for me?”

“…!”

Rosé’s eyes widened at Flitta’s insistence to keep the dolls which made her a little teary. However, she composed herself and forced a smile with a nod.

“… That’s right, Your Highness. I made them for you.”

“See? I knew it all along.”

Flitta picked up the cloth dolls and stood up. Her eyes curved into crescent shapes, clearly pleased by Rosé’s admission.

“Your Highness, you promised that you’d rest after seeing them. So, let’s sleep for now.” 

“Alright! But what about you, Rosé?”

“I will sleep once I am done with organizing our stuff.”

“Here?”

“Of course, right here.”

With Rosé’s reassurance, Flitta nodded and headed for the bed. She snuggled under the blankets, playing with the cloth dolls and had a wide grin on her face.

“I like this.”

“What do you like?”

“Just being with you alone, Rosé. Just the two of us. Without the nanny to see us and like when I traveled with Dad last time.”

“……”

“Rosé is right, this feels like a picnic. Cough. Just like a picnic.”

Even as Flitta coughed in between her cheerful laughter, Rosé smiled gently and carefully wrapped the child snugly in the blanket, then turned away to continue organizing the bag.

Tears suddenly streamed down her face, leaving stains on the clothes she had taken on.

It wasn’t a lie that the dolls were made for the child. They had indeed been crafted with thoughts of her in mind.

Before coming to the capital, or rather, before receiving her that she had a terminal diagnosis, she only had Flitta while making the cloth dolls.

But since she would never be able to hand them over, and because the dolls were made from scraps of cloth, it appeared less meaningful than other things she could have. Thus, Rosé had left them unfinished and tucked away somewhere.

And as if they were her precious memories, she brought them with her among her clothes.

‘… If I had known I’d give them like this, I should have at least finished them.’

She wiped her tears and resumed her job.

What was so special about dolls made of cheap cloth? Because Flitta was still happily playing with them. Rosé watched Flitta and turned to survey the room.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like there was any immediate need for cleaning. Since it was the princess’s residence, the staff had ensured everything was spotless beforehand.

‘So, what should I do first?’

It was still too early to prepare dinner. Since it was her first day in the annex, there was no laundry to do…

She chuckled. It felt strange and awkward to be enjoying a moment of leisure amid all this.

“Cough!”

At that moment, Flitta, playing with the dolls, coughed. Rosé quickly turned to her.

“Does your throat hurt, Your Highness?”

“Uh-huh, a little… Cough!”

Each time the child coughed, her handkerchief shook as she covered her mouth. Rosé looked at Flitta with concern before speaking again.

“Would you like some warm cocoa?”

“Cocoa? … Hm, sure.”

Flitta perked up at the mention of cocoa and nodded at Rosé.

“Just a moment, Your Highness. I’ll prepare it with some dessert.”

Remembering it was time for a snack, Rosé hurried to get the dessert ready.

* * *

“Ah… Thank goodness.”

Rosé opened the oven with a nervous expression and then beamed with joy. The strudel, filled with the fragrant aroma of apples, was perfectly golden brown.

“I was worried I’d fail since it’s my first time.”

Supporting her arm with a splint, she carefully removed the tray with her other hand. Since she had to lift it with one hand and support the bottom with her arm, her stance looked a bit precarious. But thankfully, there was no mishap of dropping the tray.

After carefully placing it on the table, Rosé sighed in relief. A satisfied smile followed her sigh. The pastry, with thinly sliced baked apples layered inside, looked absolutely delicious.

“Now, let’s spread some syrup on top…”

Thud.

“Ah!”

A sound came from behind her, followed by Flitta’s startled exclamation.

Rosé quickly turned to see Flitta standing near the kitchen door, picking up a cloth doll. When their eyes met, Flitta smiled sheepishly.

“Hey, Rosé.”

“Your Highness! What are you doing here…?”

“I was bored being all alone.”

Flitta giggled again and cautiously asked, “Can I come in?”

“Um… Yes, Your Highness.”

After quickly checking for any potentially dangerous items in the kitchen, Rosé confirmed it was safe and answered with a smile. She wanted to give the child the chance to move freely, away from the expectations of behaving like a proper princess.

“Wow… Oh? What’s that smell?”

Even though she was covering her nose with a handkerchief, the sweet scent of apples was unavoidable. The freshly baked strudel would have filled the kitchen with its delicious aroma.

“Huh? What is it? Did Rosé make something?”

Flitta leaned over the table, trying to see the strudel, but her short stature made it hard for her to get a good view. Rosé chuckled at Flitta’s efforts and pulled over a chair that had been set aside.

“Would you like to sit here, Your Highness?”

Because of her injured arm, Rosé couldn’t lift Flitta directly into the chair. Seeing Rosé’s apologetic expression, Flitta quickly nodded and clambered onto the seat. The rabbit cloth doll in her hands went up onto the table too.

“I can do it myself, Rosé. Don’t worry.”

Sensing Rosé’s worries, Flitta cheerfully spoke. She glanced at the strudel on the table and widened her eyes.

“Wow, did you bake this, Rosé?”

“Yes. It’s my first time baking properly, so I’m not sure how it’ll taste.”

When she lived in a small village near the border, she had never known about such luxurious desserts. It was only after coming to the ducal estate that she had seen and learned about them.

“It looks really delicious! Can I eat…?”

“Ah, not yet, Your Highness. We need to spread the syrup and dust it with powdered sugar first.”

Rosé interrupted Flitta as she explained. The child, who had been reaching for the strudel, widened her eyes and asked,

“Syrup? Powdered sugar?”

“Yes. First, you use this brush to evenly apply the syrup, and then you sprinkle the powdered sugar on top like snow… Wait, Your Highness?”

“Can I do it? Can I try it, Rosé?”

Rosé, about to continue her explanation, paused at the sight of Flitta’s sparkling eyes. The child, looking completely unwell, raised her hand eagerly and made a heartfelt request.

But it was such an unexpected request that Rosé couldn’t help but ask back, somewhat dazed.

“You want to try? With spreading syrup…?”

“Yes! I want to spread the syrup and sprinkle the powdered sugar!”

Flitta nodded vigorously at Rosé’s words. However, she hesitated to respond easily. Flitta was excited so when she saw Rosé’s expression, she lowered her head and spoke in sadness,

“… Is that not okay? Okay, I understand. I was just curious…”

“Not at all.”

Seeing Flitta watching her for approval finally snapped Rosé back to reality, and she spoke up.

“Why wouldn’t it be okay? We’re just the two of us here, and it feels like we’re on a picnic.”

“Right? Exactly! We’re on a picnic!”

Flitta chimed in brightly, caught up in Rosé’s enthusiasm. Rosé looked at the child quietly who seemed much brighter than when they were in the ducal estate’s main building, even if her complexion wasn’t great due to her illness.

It felt as if this moment reflected a typical five-year-old’s spirit—a child peeking into the kitchen while her mother cooked, just like in any ordinary household…

“Alright then, I’ll leave it to you, Your Highness.”

Rosé placed the bowl of syrup and the small brush in Flitta’s hands. After setting her cloth doll down on the table, Flitta eagerly accepted the bowl and brush, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Make it look nice, okay? In the meantime, I’ll clean up a bit.”

“Okay! Don’t worry. I’ll do a great job.”

She patted her chest with her palm as if to reassure Rosé. Then she squatted on the chair and dipped the brush deeply into the syrup.

The sweet scent of apples filled the kitchen even more. It was a cooking moment with her young daughter that Rosé had never experienced before.