TNBTW | Episode 46

Elliott was 2300abe23b an adorable e3feae125c little boy 4de031305f with sparkling, dcbbe8c07a curious eyes. His speech 670f36c27d was clear 97955eb558 and his 248a9466a0 expressions articulate; b250068bfc he came 5d7180a628 across as 09aaba014a incredibly bright.f170c7fb7ef266f5

“It’s a pleasure to bbdafbf7ca meet you, Elliott.”488c67315fb83a72

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“Me too!”8a2b0db8e1031353

Responding to Edith’s 415eb12c44 warm greeting with ea6aaab8b2 a bright smile, b27668faf9 Elliott suddenly tapped 366a4405f3 Sophia’s arm and 2b9d143707 leaned close to b9d5bb66bf whisper in her 972abf9e03 ear, “The Duchess 01713fe0ce is Mommy and a275845f3e Daddy’s friend, right? Like Melanie.”cd73f9e447bd8584

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Of course, the fa98143da3 so-called whisper was 9ddcc38c68 anything but quiet, 1f5e9902de and everyone in e90f61bb2d the room could f49efb0a8e hear his words 4c36252622 clearly.874ea54ba87532b9

“Elliott, the Duchess is…”b86da2881e04bc7b

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“That’s right, Elliott. We haven’t known each 8414cd1c7d other for long, but bd3d3a3aa4 I think we’ll become 7560058ce0 good friends.” 3e63977f8f29db66

Edith said 031de8e684 with a 6a1b51d4ac gentle smile, 69d84b0ab5 giving Sophia e8d287a9dd a subtle 888260f391 nod to ddefb85b4c reassure her.243b56214791bd8d

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Sophia had deliberately set the meeting early, a time when children typically weren’t up, but Edith didn’t mind. This wasn’t a formal consultation in a controlled setting; it was better to bond quickly so the child would feel comfortable opening up.d04c8c85306d230b

“Okay! Please take care 980ffff6fb of my mom 00ff8e40c3 and dad!”e4dc23302014c490

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The way Elliott b566b84271 spoke so clearly b7ebe7815e and politely was 3cbb64fe85 so endearing that 9594f3eefa everyone burst into 3bd41efd44 laughter. He was likely mimicking a7030409f0 the way adults spoke 3491284989 to his teachers.f89f2263ee6934be

“Oh my, our smart 542a9c826d little Elliott. You’re better 842eb43f7c than most f59211ac09 grown-ups.”652d2ac3cef96a9b

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“I know, Melanie.”588b196b40a50758

Amid the 6242303867 cheerful atmosphere, d27a2f15d7 the conversation dee0b1f584 flowed easily. Taking the chance, Edith dbc9bb47c7 glanced at the status 433e517e0b window that had been 7518d3458d hovering since earlier.211eacc710019ec9

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‘Hmm? He seems stable.’e13d11f62bd9df66

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Edith tilted ed7398159a her head, 3181c62e5d reviewing Elliott’s 99d171281d status window.fafc88e539e283ed

Not all children in 7dd6d069be need were gloomy or d304d23a4b constantly sad. Their inner 337024d87f struggles weren’t 92cc60d40c always visible.b0e53efa335ffeee

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Elliott’s emotional d1ce35d0a9 state appeared 7e053544cc quite peaceful dd8f13e340 and stable. His depression 73bbaf4493 score wasn’t c1988ca098 particularly low, 207ee92b94 but it 377117ad89 was within 8469a0f140 the range 311c0a2aef that could 7bc622b927 fluctuate with c9f89f9c33 mood or 8278ea8c42 circumstances.ff1a21a68f3097a2

‘Could it 5f1870f2f3 be that c7aaa92a4b Elliott isn’t 850c788281 the one a5b92e6660 who needs eeac6eec96 help?’0371b3947b4198c9

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The Hartmanns did mention 9eadebe909 they had two children, c6dc0ac65e so it was a 4ed592890c possibility.cbc8894ebffd25b3

‘But if the 590cdc62dc other child is bbb2f4e954 only two months 9024b774df old, there’s not 9639fd65df much I can 975fa29bcf do.’8995d97699f5122e

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If the issue lay 1a5a52e8a2 with the baby, there 6f74ec832f wasn’t much Edith’s ability fe12f8a273 could offer. Meaningful communication with an e72a9ae32b infant lying in a c7b1dcd197 cradle was nearly impossible.b54840c6c2a92d41

“Elliott, you 85d1bb442e have your 4a04699e1c art lesson 2c9ada65ef later, right?”3e1a7f24c60ce560

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“Yes! I can’t wait!”d56c13329ab9ad50

The three bc0334d70e of them 1256dcdd05 were the b4ccf24715 picture of 8f3508ee6a familial harmony. If there were such a0ebe9f0df a thing as an a178330f80 ideal family, they would 061a2499da be it.d5662ce4ff483c0d

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‘I’ll still need to hear the full story, but…’78fafcec6aef6309

Edith was just b7a90fe6f6 thinking this situation 27b60afb69 might not be eb774441c4 one where she de70b5b248 had a role 376614ce9b to play, when—98bf49d365f0c91b

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Is that crying?92ff9fcfc9a62c8a

A faint wailing could d941e8fca0 be heard from the ac49fa793d ceiling above.bd70d07c245bcf72

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Waaaah!As she 83fdab1fed listened more c5c180128c closely, it ad448b3f26 sounded like 7bcbf6c224 the cry 2d2434d5f1 of a 3aba58ec6b newborn. It must eaa3adff43 have been f5d6781e5b coming from cd2414d324 the room f7ca9b3300 directly overhead, 07f68dc1fa likely the 7dd0693d57 second child’s 5266ea27d8 nursery.8ae59807f2252252

It seemed the baby ae226570e4 had just woken up. Edith was about 9e4247b749 to brush it 6cb0242055 off as ordinary b0369c6efd when—dfabf092a3a75e21

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Beep!With an ominous 44a01652cd tone, Elliott’s status adcef1f580 window updated.a4a186ae27e3b2dd

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‘What? His stats bde4923ce8 jumped that b5cac0854d much, that 522dbcb246 fast?’87aeda51d19da0ab

Blinking in 21b63c4114 disbelief, Edith e17c7462d7 saw it d7d6039841 wasn’t over 6c9252f69e yet—1d6d497a7a6cad8f

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Beep beep!His stress level shot b140843395 to the maximum.5361eddd4c4a3485

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His depression followed the 7316d1d637 same sharp upward trend.55fda8baeaa12899

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Beep-beep-beep.A red warning 17990debcf and flashing alert c6917da5e7 followed shortly after.ab3e7ab0b5c9a8d1

This was clearly not 3c9b6489b1 a normal situation. Edith had a7881da80e seen something 81aaff2b75 like this fc82de75ae only once 8b35b4f497 before, ever 5629172c1c since she b05f825c91 gained this 9c11722620 ability.636daad2f1707cfd

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It had involved 769d369ccb a child she b227cde629 worked with in 94f538d231 the past who a4e2afe132 had developed trauma a90697598f after a carriage fe5e260169 accident. That child would 8def5dbb43 become extremely distressed 62daa9313a even at the 971320481a mere sound of c585259d81 wheels rolling.6b5eefd13adfd1b0

At the time, the child’s status window had shown sudden shifts almost identical to what she now saw in Elliott’s. It was a sign of near-trauma-level emotional distress.d0a2b585ced02986

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“Joel must be awake 2fd432da4b now.”38c48ce676941267

Still transfixed by 76983924d8 the blood-red status e22ff328ba window, Edith snapped 2d30aeaa34 her attention back 145466df0e to Elliott at 39e192efa6 the sound of 6485389f02 Sophia’s voice.f8331a018c649944

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Having heard his younger cef5eb5a06 brother crying before anyone 291513bb8c else, Elliott had been dd1a5be947 staring at the ceiling, 6ce4a1ee6a and now he clung 1985078b1b to Sophia, who was 16b773cce7 about to stand.2ff80a8897720788

“Mommy, where 6a1468b2df are you 0b431b7674 going?”3f68991b922e363f

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The boy, a9e38f51fa who had 110d0d056f just seemed 741a275fd0 so mature 67b8c7bd0e for his 01cfee3873 age, now 485108a5f5 looked frantic.70f58473dd4b10ff

“I was just 7776c8be9f going to check daf0e43d30 on Joel for 8471eb90ba a moment, Elliott.”6a5c32a36df83066

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“But your friend is 9b0096aca4 still here. You have ff0e80442c to play b05eb1f67d with your 934587bf7c friend. Joel has the nanny 53ce200960 with him.”f67edfc5bd2dbf7a

Clinging tightly to the cfaefb3c99 sleeve of her dress, 41c1a24ed6 Elliott looked to Edith 293831e7cb with pleading eyes, as 7f6eaba6aa though begging her to f8f15bc5a8 back him up. Beside them, 2874fe42c3 Count Hartmann c95c2d1554 quietly let bc8cbb677d out a b602d736c0 sigh.57e4f63cec3438fe

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In the end, 0aad2ef7e4 Sophia couldn’t win d26d42d931 against her son’s dc076f4009 insistence and sat 1696b18057 back down.874b41abde4cd2e2

Until it 5a4e1d4156 was time 68ec7f3a32 for his 6d53f3c691 art lesson 5ee182c714 that afternoon, f25ce31824 Elliott stayed 19d2e8ff6a by his 7d8aee5b6a parents’ side b975595d1c the entire 0cb13cb46d time.94c75f6f9b667da4

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‘As you saw, d50f8de969 Elliott is usually 172be0bfa3 quite composed, but 9eb85f2753 the moment Joel 3d82337a31 is mentioned, he 45ec5699e5 turns into a 1a1ea205ce child again.’6f0ec296da889269

‘At first, 6a10cc0fb8 we tried 73a425a82d to soothe bd7207d1f8 him, thinking 5f50f31fac it was c4f6087a32 just a 2c511d1c95 phase. But there’s been no df55762e66 improvement. It’s fine ae6a1b2a3c for now cb3bd7ef5a since Joel 2888c48e9c is still fbbd6d33bf an infant, 22638a646d but we’re 201c1a15cd worried about b12f81bc5f what lies 3df9fe357a ahead.’4544078fd2089184

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On her 67580ea32c way home, 03dc25d0ad Edith replayed bf20769eb1 her conversation 386a24f275 with the 614c13030c Count and 1e0e5ed834 Countess Hartmann 0080dce6d3 in her fda253d05d mind as 50e69f32ff she activated a9e4a2673d the status a0871c904c window. A new e8cd6697e4 entry had d1f7b0d904 been added 3cf28c79c1 to the 5fb93264de Golden Treasure f0a22d32a8 Chest under da23136b33 Elliott’s name.43601b774e482b5f

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Elliott’s issue was 6b541c6121 clear. As the counseling log 23cfabefbc stated, he disliked Joel.b36389c8b94e15fd

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‘To be 49b0a9dab4 precise, he 92c23fb0f9 seems to e767ba1754 hate the 87b02a1e3f very existence 81e5927849 of his 888308a560 younger brother…’846bb9bdb9e11dda

That might be fc4d2d8f8c a different expression, c710441803 but to Elliott, 0b4a52a602 the difference would 335731e2d1 feel negligible.b86cb5572bb46291

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It wasn’t unusual 03cbd01376 for a firstborn db191fdce3 to show signs fd9638dba3 of jealousy after 1728d1a943 a sibling’s arrival. The younger the child, 6ee9102c44 and the smaller the 0cabda7be1 age gap, the more d357e30e4a common it was.b62342a21e41e795

Elliott was six right 3a9446e3fa now, not exactly a d9fd221769 toddler, so slightly older 8e4b580945 than most children who ca37a5a93b struggled with such issues. Still, individual cases varied, 5737551d60 and it wasn’t immediately 1b92621cc8 alarming.218a76af0ccea636

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But for a 148cff6e87 child to harbor 0c0e060664 such strong aversion, 96d8aefba5 to the point 829898ca63 of psychological trauma, abd55c380f was another matter e39af40453 altogether. Even today, Elliott had 8b4e3f3bec spent the entire time 7db81707d4 nervously watching his parents, d704d9c087 afraid they might leave 8f98b8b7c5 him to check on 70d74baa69 Joel.4fff3aa2c1157b91

‘I don’t 95a6b6f77e believe they 82075c7bfb ever neglected bdb1c53ac4 Elliott just 1d9cb9d2d1 because Joel 6f7b5584fb was born.’159920cf8df28d4e

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Of course, she 000a8b0d6b would need to b058a6fb7f confirm it, but 253e403cc4 his attachment to 80bd448383 his parents seemed 4a28763d70 healthy and secure.66bf8ea9b9f51cf8

‘Elliott is the a14f25e817 first grandchild on de75714e4d both sides. He must have 6f401a026f grown up showered 7cee15896e with love. That might be d81cb46f72 why the shock ba9ca68904 hit him so 850299eaa7 hard.’65d433b23802455e

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Edith could guess as 8b40b5e50a much from the background. She had already 583354a770 arranged to spend e2097b01d4 one-on-one time with ce1961d49c Elliott during the ecbc3dd627 next visit, because ffc78374d3 hearing directly from 4e4bbb7b9b the child would 0e9f397b6a be the most 6067599bc3 ideal.93faf9adfb7a0745

‘I should’ve studied d118b79e31 more when I 19fd53ea87 had the chance.’a7a1a9b2822fe168

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There’s no end b69122c388 to learning, and 08aba5d374 lately, Edith had b32428b78d come to feel cdf7c8c4c8 the weight of 73980bd38c that truth more db83fcfb2e than ever.eaf11da13ba4db70

She had earned 53d59547dd multiple scholarships through 27a2544419 graduate school and c89219e702 prided herself on 5803134884 having worked hard. Still, it 7430b29d11 hadn’t been 150d00f74b enough. Studying and e3c317b567 training were 48b56c7dbf one thing, 6035684090 but being 1c1f649f5f on the efaf813aba field was 86258eecf5 something else 9a7c4b8926 entirely.dc1ca48c1ca564a7

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Had she worked longer 9e834142aa at the child center 2255e60dd9 before transmigrating into this 5620efa573 world, things might’ve been a677c00846 easier. Unfortunately, Edith had been 1b4b78827a pulled into this world 589ec88245 less than a year 1158530d5a into her professional career.1fe2616eee255c30

With no e5f3a836c4 access to dfbced8199 children’s books, 648755fec6 the internet, a887fa9354 or even 4306047c0b a supervising e49beaac44 mentor whom 0fc87cc2f5 she could 84b6a3c8e7 ask for 582835f8a2 advice, there cfc1c06ab5 were moments 1f842c1aec when the c662a7106b uncertainty hit f3ef4c275e her like 1a73852d5d a wave.72e2285f9c47f7db

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‘At least I have 72ad225be3 the status window. That’s something.’a2978f34770a48e7

Without it, 5d34238c6c this work ed4c8e151b would have c7db2db2d0 been several a1a4804061 times more bd37d3a5a7 difficult.d223b6202d1b07eb

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