"This child must be starving."
Standing nearby, Ina watched as Theresia devoured the food, then picked up a piece of rice cake to taste. The familiar flavor was as delicious as ever.
"Um... Sister Ina, has Little Theresia completely recovered? There won't be any lingering aftereffects, right?"
Oleg watched Theresia scarfing down her food, lowering his voice as he asked Ina with cautious concern.
Ina frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Well... she might have some trouble speaking, but you don't need to worry too much. Just make sure you keep your mouth shut!"
"Trouble speaking? Doesn't that mean she's becoming a mu—"
Oleg blurted out, but suddenly noticing that Theresia was staring right at him, he quickly changed his tune.
"Hey! How can you eat pastries without milk? Wait right here, Little Theresia, your big brother will go buy you some milk to drink!"
With that, he turned and bolted out the door.
"Did he forget to tell you his name? He's Oleg, and he has a grandfather we all call Grandpa Augustus. This is their home."
"Don't let Oleg's rough-around-the-edges manner fool you; he treats everyone so well. I still remember when I first came to this village..."
Ina shared many stories with Theresia about her early days—such as first meeting Oleg, how he helped her find a shop to establish her business, her experiences as a seamstress, and the various kinds of customers she encountered.
It seemed this young woman was quite fond of Oleg. Theresia noticed that Ina's eyes lit up whenever she talked about him.
Ah, if only one could find a girl whose eyes were always filled with you.
Theresia swallowed the pastry in her mouth and tried to make a sound, but her throat felt as though it were blocked by something, letting out only a raspy, muffled wheeze.
"If you want to say something, just write it down. I'll get you a pen and notebook in a moment."
Clang!
"Come on... Little... Theresia! Fresh milk!"
Oleg leaned against the doorway, completely out of breath, and placed the milk on the table.
"What are you up to now, slow down! Drink up first, Little Theresia, I'm going to help him go rest for a bit."
Scolding Oleg while supporting his panting frame, Ina walked him into the room.
Watching their interaction, a ripple stirred in Theresia's heart.
There was definitely something between those two!
Theresia silently took it all in, then picked up the cup of milk and drained it in one go.
Huh? The milk was actually still warm; could this really be fresh milk milked just moments ago?
"Look at you, all worn out. Don't you still have to go help out this afternoon? If you collapse now, what's your grandfather going to do?"
Inside the room, Oleg lay comfortably on the bed. Ina sat by the bedside, holding a fan and continuously fanning him.
"I just wanted to check on Little Theresia..." Oleg chuckled foolishly from the bed.
After a long moment, Oleg let out a heavy sigh.
"When I was selling pastries this morning, I noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces in the village, mostly children. I figure their situations must be just like Little Theresia's—for various reasons, they had to escape here all alone, without the protection of parents, and finally made it to this village by pure luck."
"So what? Are you planning to play the big hero and give away everything in the shop for free?"
"Will you listen to yourself, Sister Ina? I'm not some kind of church; where would I get spare money? I have to feed my own family first before I have time to look after others. Besides, I'm still saving up to marry you!"
Oleg grinned cheekily at Ina, wearing an expression that just screamed mischief.
Hearing Oleg's words, Ina's face flushed red instantly. She struck Oleg lightly with her fan and scolded playfully, "Honestly, who'd want to marry you?"
A trace of unnoticeable joy lingered in her voice.
Oleg gave a chuckle, seeming quite satisfied with Ina's reaction, and said earnestly, "I'm serious, you know. Once I save up enough money, I'm definitely going to marry you. And when we have a child, they'll be just as pretty as Little Theresia."
"Look at you, all pleased with yourself."
Though Ina said that, her heart was filled with sweetness.
She turned her head, wanting to hide the joy in her heart, only to suddenly find Theresia staring right at the two of them.
"Oh, Little Theresia. When did you come in? Have you finished the pastries?"
Ina asked, looking somewhat surprised.
When did Theresia come in? That was a good question.
Was it when they were talking about all the homeless children in the village just like her, or when they were dreaming about the future and planning to have a pretty child just like her?
"Is there any work you need me to do? I'm very capable!" Theresia wrote on the paper with her pen.
To live in the human world, the first step was to integrate into daily life, and finding a job for herself was the best choice.
With Theresia's current appearance and height, making a living in the human world on her own would be difficult. Just the fact that she was a little mute with a poker face—who would ever want her?
Unless it wasn't a proper job, that was.
"How about this, Little Theresia? You can come work at my family's pastry shop, room and board included. I'll have Grandpa pay you a slightly higher wage—that's right, I'm playing favorites!"
Oleg looked at the little girl holding up the notebook, a wave of happiness washing over him.
"Thank you! I will work hard!"
Then, she raised her head, directing that youthful and innocent face toward Oleg, and forced a stiff smile.
Though the smile wasn't natural at all, it made Oleg burst into laughter.
"Pfft! What a cute little kid. Well then, welcome our new employee, Miss Theresia! Next, I'll have to trouble Miss Ina to prepare a suitable work uniform for our lovely Younger Sister here, how about that?" Oleg turned to look at Ina beside him and said with a smile.
"Alright, alright, I know. I'll definitely bring it over tomorrow. I really have to go now; if I don't leave, it'll really be too late. I'll drop by again around sunset, and you'll have to let Little Theresia serve me then."
As she spoke, Ina began packing her things. She really had stayed here a bit too long, and after all, she had her own work to do.
"Well, it's about time. Let's go. Little Theresia, it shouldn't be too busy this afternoon, so you can practice a bit. Grandpa is definitely going to like you, our new employee!"
Oleg got up, took down the white apron hanging behind the door, and led Theresia as they prepared to head over to his family's pastry shop.