Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

When Yukina was brought back, Yuko was pacing anxiously in the corridor.

She had only gone to the front yard to help deliver something when she returned to find that her mistress was gone.

"Miss! Where have you gone?"

Yuko's voice faltered when she saw Yukina being carried back by a middle-aged maid.

Yukina was barefoot, the hem of her light pink kimono was covered in dust, and there were still tear stains on her face.

She clutched the small handkerchief tightly in her hand, her eyes lowered, refusing to look at anyone.

The middle-aged maid put Yukina down and gave Yuko a cold glance: "Yuko, please be more careful in the future and don't let Miss Yukina go to the young master's room again."

After saying that, she turned and left, her steps hurried.

Yuko froze on the spot, her face turning pale.

Young Master? Miss actually went to the Young Master's courtyard?

Without thinking twice, she quickly knelt down and hugged Xue Nai tightly. The child's little hands were icy cold, and her body was still trembling slightly.

"Miss, it's so windy outside, how could you run out barefoot? What if you catch a cold..."

Yuko's voice was filled with lingering fear, but even more so with heartache.

She touched Yukina's face and gently wiped away the tear stains with her sleeve. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Who bullied you, Miss?"

Yukina buried her face in Yuko's shoulder, her small hands gripping Yuko's clothes tightly, but she didn't say a word.

Yuko carried her back to the room, placed her on the quilted bed, and then brought a warm towel to wipe her feet.

Yuki's feet were scratched by the gravel, leaving several small red marks, which Yuko carefully wiped away.

"Why did you go to the young master's courtyard, Miss?" Yuko asked softly, her hands still moving. "That...is not a place for you, Miss."

Yukina curled up her legs, burying her face in her knees, revealing only her plum-red eyes. Her voice was muffled and nasal: "Because... today is Father's birthday."

Yuko paused in her movements.

"I want to tell him... Happy Birthday." Yukina's voice trailed off. "I want to see him..."

Yuko felt a pang of sadness.

She put down the cloth, gently pulled Xue Nai into her arms, and patted her back.

Yukina stayed quiet in her arms for a while, then suddenly looked up at her with red eyes: "Yuko-neechan is lying."

"Huh?"

"Yuko-neechan said Father is a gentle man." Yukina's lips trembled slightly, and tears began to well up in her eyes again. "But Father... Father told me to get out... He... He even knocked away the flowers I gave him..."

She finally couldn't hold back and started sobbing.

It wasn't a loud wail, but rather a soft sob, a suppressed cry of grievance that was heartbreaking to hear.

Yuko hugged her tightly, unsure of what to say for a moment.

Of course she knew what kind of person the young master was.

Cold, gloomy, and never giving anyone a friendly look.

Those gentle words were nothing more than fairy tales she made up to comfort the children.

"Miss..." Yuko tried to explain, "Young Master is just... just feeling really unwell. Sick people are always in a bad mood, right? Just like when you're not feeling well, you don't want to talk or talk to anyone..."

"But I didn't tell anyone to get out!" Yukina interrupted her, her voice full of grievance. "And I've never knocked away anything anyone gave me..."

She cried even harder, her little shoulders trembling: "Does Father...do he not like me? Because I'm always sick and always a burden to others, so he doesn't want to see me."

"No! Absolutely not!" Yuko hurriedly denied, frantically wiping away her tears.

"How could the young master not like the young lady? She's his daughter! Besides..."

As she spoke, she realized that her words were weak and powerless.

But Yukina's crying gradually subsided.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her magenta eyes were still wet, but the tears had stopped.

"actually……"

She said softly, her voice still a little choked up, "My father doesn't hate me that much, does he?"

Yuko was taken aback.

Yukina lowered her head and looked at the small handkerchief she was clutching in her palm, inside which was the hydrangea that had been knocked down.

She gently opened the handkerchief and carefully arranged the scattered petals.

"He asked me to leave... but he didn't actually push me away."

As she recalled, her voice gradually calmed down, "When I hugged him, he didn't push me away."

Yuko's eyes widened in surprise.

The young lady hugged the young master? And the young master didn't push her away?

This is incredible.

"possible……"

Xue Nai continued, as if trying to convince herself, "It's probably because the flowers I picked weren't fresh enough. They were wilted and didn't look good. That's why Father was unhappy."

She looked up at Yuko, her tears turning into a smile: "Next time, I'll pick the freshest and prettiest flowers for Father. He'll definitely like them."

Yuko felt incredibly soft-hearted seeing how hard she tried to comfort herself.

"And..." Xue Nai's eyes lit up with pride, "Father is the most handsome person in the world, and his eyes are just like mine."

Yuko gently hugged Yukina and whispered, "Yes, Master's eyes... are as beautiful as Miss's eyes."

Children's emotions come and go quickly.

Yukina finally realized she'd been crying for so long. A blush crept across her face, and she awkwardly changed the subject: "Yuko-neechan, did you hear anything interesting when you went to help out in the front yard today?"

Yuko then remembered.

She released Yukina, composed herself, and smiled, "Speaking of which, there really is something."

"What is it?"

"A doctor came to the front yard today." Yuko lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret. "I heard he came from a very far place, and his medical skills are exceptionally high. It's said there's no patient he can't cure. The madam personally received him and said she absolutely had to ask this doctor to treat the young master."

Yukina's eyes widened suddenly.

"Can that doctor... really cure my father's illness?"

"That's what everyone says," Yuko nodded. "If it could really cure the young master..."

She stopped there.

She originally wanted to say that if the young master could really be cured, wouldn't there be hope for the young lady's illness as well?

But she didn't dare say it.

I was afraid of giving the child too much hope, but I was also afraid that she would be even more upset when her hopes were dashed.

Yukina didn't think that much; her mind was filled with Yuko's words, "There is no patient he can't cure."

If Father gets better...

If Father no longer lay in the dimly lit room all day...

If my father stops coughing up blood and stops feeling pain...

So, would he then go out of the room and look at the flowers in the yard?

Would you smile at her, hold her hand, and take her out to play, just like Yuko-neechan said?

The thought made Yukina's heart pound. She grasped Yuko's hand, her magenta eyes shining with an unprecedented light.

When will that doctor see my father?

"It should be in the next few days," Yuko said. "Madam takes this very seriously."

"That's wonderful..." Yukina murmured, a sweet smile spreading across her face. "When Father gets better, I'll pick the prettiest flowers for him. And then...and then I'll tell him again that I'm Yukina, and I'm his daughter."

As she spoke, she lay back down in the bedding, pulling the blanket up to her chin, revealing only her bright, plum-red eyes.

"Yuko-neechan, I'm going to sleep now." Her voice became cheerful. "I want to fall asleep quickly, so tomorrow will come soon. Tomorrow I'll go to the yard and find the prettiest flower to give to Father when he recovers."

Yuko looked at her expectant expression and felt a mix of emotions.

She gently patted Yukina's back and hummed the lullaby that Mrs. Seri used to sing.

Yukina closed her eyes, a smile still playing on her lips.

In her dream, her father stood in the sunlit courtyard, with the same plum-red eyes as hers, smiling gently at her and reaching out his hand.

"Yukina, come here."

She ran over and threw herself into that warm and firm embrace.