TNBTW | Episode 46

Elliott was 75ae1342da an adorable 09f38166c3 little boy 7dbb12298b with sparkling, 75702257f1 curious eyes. His speech was clear 4a9a7c36aa and his expressions articulate; 910bc75114 he came across as ceb822be22 incredibly bright.7067c8d70a309839

“It’s a pleasure 812f19c7e8 to meet you, 562d782926 Elliott.”e5992afe3d4f0c5d

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“Me too!”3971f8534e85b137

Responding to f914903fe1 Edith’s warm 1292eccd21 greeting with 85f65147cc a bright 81308b580f smile, Elliott e118898bac suddenly tapped 9abbb77f5d Sophia’s arm 7bbb3c2945 and leaned 8f62a53658 close to 4a9a20d116 whisper in 9a9d4dbd9e her ear, 770247d215 “The Duchess 0dbf4b8124 is Mommy a7f0224323 and Daddy’s 2876855ad2 friend, right? Like Melanie.”f87eef13dd2809da

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Of course, the so-called c24bd9d4fc whisper was anything but d847c7faa3 quiet, and everyone in 155bed60cf the room could hear 5f306d3b30 his words clearly.06dd1feec90413b6

“Elliott, the 7cbac707c4 Duchess is…”6b8b7458ed9554e4

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“That’s right, Elliott. We haven’t 92bc32f9e4 known each 1c406b9c82 other for 9f304476bd long, but 17a97fce1b I think f138320c48 we’ll become f834f59abb good friends.” fa5edfc0b784dec5

Edith said with e49f71188c a gentle smile, 260620fb62 giving Sophia a bf4b26fb28 subtle nod to 393b7fb0c5 reassure her.9fa9680d1a906817

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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.a9ffcf8c6b4cbba7

“Okay! Please take f554e946cf care of 6eb806596d my mom 6142bc2ac0 and dad!”46b31f4f552e7d1b

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The way Elliott spoke 6cc9404799 so clearly and politely 00e6bf4606 was so endearing that 90c44f8947 everyone burst into laughter. He was 468738ecbf likely mimicking d1be7c09b2 the way 6d3fd194b0 adults spoke e8d83f4164 to his f0ea513b7f teachers.81f209afab74e49f

“Oh my, our ae4085ecac smart little Elliott. You’re better than most 1839004730 grown-ups.”5d8f2828a4de7c29

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“I know, Melanie.”2b9afe3a5ad54ab4

Amid the 7190ff98c7 cheerful atmosphere, 8f77932add the conversation 06fef9f7dd flowed easily. Taking the 0064910d3f chance, Edith e43de9d61f glanced at d7637b2778 the status bb0b5bd086 window that 9cafdbbd60 had been 34060c0300 hovering since 2323ad875c earlier.f692c06e6701eaf5

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‘Hmm? He seems stable.’30393b987802e670

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Edith tilted her head, 85c860ac7e reviewing Elliott’s status window.92f4d3c609631c22

Not all children in b8d044e508 need were gloomy or 09ef4b4363 constantly sad. Their inner struggles bc5fb0ce6d weren’t always visible.4da0427f11bea938

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Elliott’s emotional state de170d1f03 appeared quite peaceful d87b642727 and stable. His depression score 5bff690e68 wasn’t particularly low, f73441115f but it was cf7175e330 within the range 1a709c8621 that could fluctuate a8befb0eed with mood or 3439f2c575 circumstances.458cb3648a68df0a

‘Could it be that 63842668ee Elliott isn’t the one 1c38d65f44 who needs help?’c9f86a97b37130db

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The Hartmanns did mention b1e2fbb94b they had two children, 84caba448f so it was a 9b74573282 possibility.28d3dd109536b13a

‘But if the 63a05aeadb other child is 0b6c6304c7 only two months fdc552cea8 old, there’s not 6e69554b18 much I can e422e9f357 do.’fa7041c0b5b29e9d

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If the 19cf64930b issue lay 120faece51 with the fc8fc7ba55 baby, there e1933f6ac2 wasn’t much 9673f41074 Edith’s ability af06aa212f could offer. Meaningful communication with 612e868863 an infant lying e9a8aa6ae5 in a cradle 1f1ae99143 was nearly impossible.385809600646b71a

“Elliott, you 99e38d196d have your e92b05b36b art lesson 8f37e01de0 later, right?”6957c38ffb1390a6

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“Yes! I can’t wait!”e9e2c008190ae3ce

The three of 5a87aa2ad7 them were the 495ab5c041 picture of familial b73314bcf2 harmony. If there 92f5749d2a were such 15e887435e a thing 19bb548d0d as an 50f2b3b4f3 ideal family, 9627d22546 they would 585f3214eb be it.7f5e52157bddcaba

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‘I’ll still need to hear the full story, but…’27f4eb86c6f5598c

Edith was just thinking ba700db0d1 this situation might not a32064e2d3 be one where she 65fed04ba8 had a role to 5098e60440 play, when—e9ef61f91abbef03

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Is that crying?fb42e763ec2f7851

A faint wailing 41436175ab could be heard 7ee51e50e7 from the ceiling 404078e745 above.077a1939d6dab6c5

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Waaaah!As she listened more e480c6cdcf closely, it sounded like c48ba0e5a3 the cry of a 03e2c8a1f5 newborn. It must have been e31e4b0b16 coming from the room d970c3335e directly overhead, likely the 31e10cba98 second child’s nursery.4cb48e64127d0280

It seemed 4d6513dbb7 the baby b0fbbf44ac had just 2f6bc772f4 woken up. Edith was about to ba587b7a7b brush it off as b3b349849e ordinary when—33d2a8cde64f718c

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Beep!With an ominous tone, f03f42eb2a Elliott’s status window updated.d12d557243dafd4f

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‘What? His stats jumped beb90b2567 that much, that e886682ecb fast?’703e9ec6023ce485

Blinking in disbelief, 4ecd974849 Edith saw it a1a2fa41ae wasn’t over yet—d1b7e02b38f34ef5

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Beep beep!His stress level shot bcb3f5e921 to the maximum.28f59a387113ae5a

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His depression followed the 27aef84310 same sharp upward trend.972bcd651eae4425

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Beep-beep-beep.A red warning 67077a6d56 and flashing alert c49d4f5891 followed shortly after.3978cdbb441db406

This was clearly not e3a4dafaae a normal situation. Edith had 3edb0609da seen something eff97acb68 like this d054daaf50 only once 1afc3eace7 before, ever 5682a51aea since she bfbe741a59 gained this 6d1d371a99 ability.e28a128c2e53939e

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It had involved 455c1daebd a child she 7c4ac20558 worked with in f62b73e3bb the past who e87c2d8048 had developed trauma 44c86216e0 after a carriage 178071c102 accident. That child would become 4b9d3812d1 extremely distressed even at 940affec11 the mere sound of 1ee1b03266 wheels rolling.6d6fa25c85f7f91f

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.28e1f97054a9f1f7

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“Joel must 14c3db8741 be awake 0483c53750 now.”504a63d565691fcc

Still transfixed by 676063aab4 the blood-red status fcf601cadb window, Edith snapped 8e711d8a65 her attention back ec15b154c2 to Elliott at d44fb8263f the sound of 0a12304366 Sophia’s voice.1aefd51130b07c63

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Having heard 086d1fd754 his younger 4135115d30 brother crying 2e66a78c7e before anyone 93e231bb9d else, Elliott 2c45fd7d5d had been 888f4a7c0e staring at 499d53366d the ceiling, 6106483a8f and now 1e640e3f8d he clung c915e222ec to Sophia, 939c82e7d1 who was 84d7fa4ebf about to 738920960c stand.e7a382290ebdf7f3

“Mommy, where are you 69ca6635e7 going?”9762e1f370c73185

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The boy, who had cd8b4003e2 just seemed so mature c915d3f399 for his age, now 068e4b4696 looked frantic.829ce3d1c6008dae

“I was just going 5a784d843f to check on Joel e7caad45a5 for a moment, Elliott.”7e9a8a7a07f8f1bb

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“But your friend is 691758cbdd still here. You have to play f18d94e017 with your friend. Joel has the b6d4354b20 nanny with him.”9d49f18370391d28

Clinging tightly 911059b92d to the 4de6983dc7 sleeve of e6010fed77 her dress, 4b99fd1299 Elliott looked dac5e3bc55 to Edith 6c69b8d30a with pleading 60552b6c3b eyes, as dde4762d0d though begging fade2fc010 her to d331ed9653 back him 8356c5f881 up. Beside them, Count e458cd2c3d Hartmann quietly let 82d57f32ac out a sigh.8aa2fef7b0cafe06

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In the end, 7172dd46b3 Sophia couldn’t win 8ede443ad6 against her son’s 2b969c252e insistence and sat e83fd0961c back down.b4d0bd0cf97ebc93

Until it was 41590f54d6 time for his 9d3d1776d7 art lesson that 278c048564 afternoon, Elliott stayed cb3332c3f9 by his parents’ 42464b940d side the entire 0d7e0656dd time.20a7bd3a7d7c70f6

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‘As you saw, Elliott 6bf925be5b is usually quite composed, d4b665f891 but the moment Joel 5eb2a82dd5 is mentioned, he turns 335587c81f into a child again.’0117bc825c5c2e93

‘At first, we 39a476d12e tried to soothe b3c87652b0 him, thinking it 092e7369ea was just a 825e82f07e phase. But there’s c9607cf76c been no 9f2012fbd5 improvement. It’s fine for now 4596534114 since Joel is still c6d73ca26f an infant, but we’re 9804c47f8b worried about what lies 3b37b08c9e ahead.’867f73c75a7ad062

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On her way home, a0286e8ec9 Edith replayed her conversation c65ae9fe83 with the Count and f2a44ca73e Countess Hartmann in her 9d8ef21dba mind as she activated 87877ff671 the status window. A new 4c0b19d265 entry had 7b6c80c2e7 been added 33f48f18df to the 2820e067e2 Golden Treasure 0886e9690d Chest under 5b0178ba98 Elliott’s name.e793c0aa1f286ce4

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Elliott’s issue was clear. As the counseling f930887fa5 log stated, he c5d65a3ad8 disliked Joel.32bd2d2f8c9c5160

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‘To be 000022391e precise, he ad9be8caf7 seems to 6217ae7960 hate the 580af28171 very existence 418ff49f59 of his 1ee0fa5e5b younger brother…’d604e9e4d5f5e7b8

That might be a ee5305ad14 different expression, but to e01f4e107a Elliott, the difference would 300175d77a feel negligible.c265c9ce44f624be

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It wasn’t 4c82570a11 unusual for 5d650c737b a firstborn 179bde5960 to show 7bc70c3315 signs of 09e70e56e3 jealousy after 84496b4c88 a sibling’s fef4f9ca16 arrival. The younger the child, e5f7d5c7c0 and the smaller the b156086787 age gap, the more f536c40782 common it was.ddfe1a714ca202ba

Elliott was six 41d49f74a2 right now, not 3b09feec52 exactly a toddler, 9fa5e98c4a so slightly older 29e920117b than most children cc70a25959 who struggled with 4d966a5e78 such issues. Still, individual cases varied, 757c2f9de8 and it wasn’t immediately 1bf0e3b0a1 alarming.5837daab9355ab52

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But for a child 2f76d2e16d to harbor such strong 93e7affde6 aversion, to the point d54d802226 of psychological trauma, was 7212009cda another matter altogether. Even today, Elliott 61585cd132 had spent the ba209d8506 entire time nervously c90a650fed watching his parents, 6c8a48a51c afraid they might 6cb5f4b417 leave him to 5c8346d6aa check on Joel.7f4dc4388b3f3d71

‘I don’t 7a6429e906 believe they 93b31e42c8 ever neglected 6a608c3f04 Elliott just a5f39b2cb7 because Joel 56da91ac7d was born.’6a61805b10c19eba

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Of course, c1ba6d0d15 she would ae4a0a292d need to 3f9004a93b confirm it, 60ef3e0184 but his 80f17d75f7 attachment to 0ab123f970 his parents f0988e737d seemed healthy 298c6d4b01 and secure.9f11fd588d2be22b

‘Elliott is 9add369c62 the first 5a3ba4071f grandchild on 92e56e17f6 both sides. He must have e7f2f4cf45 grown up showered 6a224569e8 with love. That might be 1fb070535c why the shock 0730e80417 hit him so a1c8ea74be hard.’72e3b31dbc7e372d

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Edith could guess d3bbe38177 as much from cc07d1b1b6 the background. She had d3e485c34f already arranged 8bce91a8ec to spend fbbe1ef530 one-on-one time 7c0f098c55 with Elliott a53c9e97eb during the d20b386178 next visit, eab8a4a455 because hearing 10af6dd6e7 directly from c268215ebf the child ddfaca906c would be 42f23e1972 the most 4304c1c2cd ideal.758dd5e2364e1b4c

‘I should’ve 695cc51a69 studied more 62ceb42969 when I c7d9a74e1b had the a3bdea5850 chance.’2250db7c5463c30e

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There’s no end 331c68a66d to learning, and f1484d863e lately, Edith had 98a0bcf0f7 come to feel 56bf0b5133 the weight of 2d7cd8083f that truth more e5898435e5 than ever.d33a4967e968ebb6

She had earned multiple 79e542b04a scholarships through graduate school 7991ad06e9 and prided herself on 19b3f0d1f5 having worked hard. Still, it hadn’t e625677134 been enough. Studying and training were f1b87e628d one thing, but being b3e5ffe8d9 on the field was 6cb1363830 something else entirely.3c9007a75b3b1dd3

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Had she worked longer 3887d4748c at the child center e7cee9a437 before transmigrating into this f4f272694f world, things might’ve been 83274ea7e9 easier. Unfortunately, Edith 7602908a3a had been 5797c19551 pulled into 7c5ab09835 this world 359a95cfc4 less than 18160c4233 a year 4fa1d9fd52 into her f47d46f18a professional career.082ad69fad535066

With no access to 359a176f21 children’s books, the internet, 89bd44f4e2 or even a supervising ea33839c3d mentor whom she could 28c9b8d7ef ask for advice, there 4c26d449f6 were moments when the 52dfd9efa0 uncertainty hit her like 142bd043f1 a wave.fc01088925f146a1

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‘At least I 6e2ba278a0 have the status 707ba051c5 window. That’s something.’2cc4ed5d4475be07

Without it, this 09102f0583 work would have 6fe662634e been several times eb086c5f8e more difficult.150d0eaa913a0f65

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