Winfred emerged from the shop and motioned for his attendants and escort knights to stay as far away as possible. They still looked bewildered, but they followed him at a distance, following him as ordered.
Thanks to that, Winfred and Aila, sitting side by side on a bench in a square with a small fountain, were able to talk in a comfortable atmosphere.
As it happened, the only people nearby were Winfred's escorts.
“I told you that ring was too big for me.”
“But if it fits you in the right size now, it won’t be able to fit when you grow up. That’s too bad.”
When Aila grumbled in a frustrated voice, Winfred snorted, "Huh," in frustration. It was a truly adorable thought.
“...How do you know how thick my fingers will get? They might not be that different from how they are now, or they might be so thick that it doesn’t fit.”
"Ah."
When she pointed out the blind spot, Winfred sighed as if he hadn't thought of it.
“Well, then just fix it.”
“Me too.”
When Winfred spoke as if everything had been resolved, she burst out laughing in disbelief.
Even though more than half a year had passed, Aila and Winfred felt as if they had just met yesterday.
Winfred, who had been looking at his fingers, fidgeting with his head down as if he had something to say, bit his lip once and then raised his head to look at her.
“...I kept my promise to you. I told your parents that you said you would definitely come back.”
And at his words, Aila stared blankly into his yellow eyes.
Has he solved the riddle she posed? Is Winfred's answer truly the right one?
“Who are my parents?”
When she asked him tentatively, Winfred swallowed hard and spoke in a small voice, barely audible to her ears.
“Duke Roderick Allan Weishaffen, and Duchess Ophelia Hailing Weishaffen.”
“...”
It was a perfect answer, without any frills.
“Is that right? Did I convey this message to the right people?”
“Yeah, thank you.”
He asked with an anxious voice, as if worried that he might have given the wrong answer and passed Aila's message on to the wrong people, and she thanked him with an embarrassed expression.
At Aila's words, Winfred, relieved that he had properly carried out his mission, chuckled with a slightly melted expression, then asked cautiously as if something had suddenly occurred to him.
“How did you end up... so far away? Why did you end up separated from your parents?”
“...I was too young to remember.”
She wished she could answer Winfred's questions with certainty. But there were too many uncertainties. Why had she been raised by Byron, her enemy? Why had she come to believe he was her biological father?
When Aila grimaced in pain, Winfred's expression turned sullen, as if he thought he had made a mistake.
“...Are you close with my parents?”
Aila, who was looking at the scene, asked this.
Rather, it was because Winfred might know more about her parents than she did, and might be able to provide information about what had happened between them and Byron, and what had happened to Ayla.
Even though she lived with her parents for two years, she didn't really know anything.
She didn't know that they were her biological parents, so she wasn't particularly curious, and Roderick and Ophelia kept their distance because they thought Aila was still awkward around them.
“Yeah. Your father taught me swordsmanship.”
Winfred proudly answered her question.
Of course, he only learned it briefly when he was very young and quickly gave up because it didn't suit his aptitude, but it was true that he became close with the couple because of that connection, so he didn't bother to tell them the embarrassing fact.
“I see. Then... do you happen to know anything about what happened when I disappeared? Even just a little bit.”
“...Hmm.”
He was lost in thought for a moment.
In fact, Winfred was so young that he didn't remember much, but fortunately, he was able to answer her questions. This was because he had done some research after learning that this Aila was that Aila.
Of course, it was so long ago, and he was worried that other people might find it suspicious, so he didn't delve too deeply into it.
Winfred, after taking a moment to collect his thoughts, opened his mouth.
“I don’t know the details either. I think the nanny took the baby while the Duke and Duchess were away on urgent business.”
"...I see."
Was that nanny bribed by Byron, and was she taken away from her parents and brought to Byron?
As she was thinking this, Winfred opened his mouth, taking notice.
“But... your father seemed to suspect that Byron, my uncle, might be behind it. But...”
He trailed off.
All the clues proved that the suspicion was true.
It was none other than Aila who told him that Byron was behind the person who tried to assassinate him.
But Winfred was afraid that what he said would turn out to be true.
What made Aila so heartbroken was that it was his own blood.
Even though he was his uncle, whom he had never seen since he was very young.
He was so scared that Aila would hate him.
“...That’s right.”
And she so cruelly showed him the painful truth.
'Then, really... the person who hurt Aila was my uncle.'
Winfred asked, trying to hold back the tears that were about to fall.
“So, you are... with my uncle?”
"...Yes."
Aila stared blankly at Winfred, who had a sad expression on his face.
If the only Prince was entrusted with her father's swordsmanship training, then the relationship between the imperial family and the Duke of Weishaffen must not be bad, so... it would be okay to tell Winfred the secret, she thought.
She took a deep breath.
"He intends to use me to get revenge on my father. He raised me, brainwashing me into thinking I was his biological daughter. He intended to use me as a blade to kill my father. Of course, he doesn't know... that I know this truth."
Aila spoke calmly, but Winfred couldn't bear the pain in his chest as he listened. Eventually, his yellow eyes, which had been holding back, became clouded, and tears welled up.
How can people be so cruel?
The fact that his blood was mixed with his uncle's could not have felt so terrible.
“...Don’t cry, Winfred. Why are you crying?”
She didn't tell him because she wanted to make him cry.
Aila looked embarrassed and was at a loss as to what to do.
Then, Winfred opened his mouth in a tearful voice.
“I’m sorry, my uncle did that to you...”
"...That's not you. Winfred, you didn't choose to be his nephew. It's not something you should apologize for."
She said, wiping the tears from Winfred's eyes with her sleeve.
“Then you don’t hate me?”
“...Then. Why would I hate you? You’re my only friend.”
It really was like that.
In her past life, where she only knew her father, and in this life, with only one thought in mind: to take revenge on him.
Winfred was the first and only friend she ever had.
"Thank you."
Thank you for not hating me, for not resenting me for being Byron's nephew.
Winfred expressed his sincere gratitude.
“...What are you thankful for?”
Aila, who felt a little embarrassed by Winfred's sincerity, spoke in a pretendedly cool manner.
After that, a brief silence fell between them. It wasn't an uncomfortable, awkward silence, but a quietness that felt comfortable, even without saying a word.
And, Winfred took advantage of the silence to move his hand towards Aila's hand, who was sitting next to him.
It was a struggle that came from the thought, 'Isn't it okay for friends to hold hands?'
But then, as if suddenly reminded of something, Aila jumped up.
"Do you know if something's going on with my mother? Well, I secretly read her letter. It said something about her doing something... and how my father liked it. Byron tore it up, so I didn't see the rest."
“Yes? Uh, so...”
When Aila suddenly got up, he flinched, wondering if she had caught him in his trick. Then, he blushed in embarrassment.
And he thought deeply about what Aila had said.
“What exactly did the letter say?”
"That is..."
Aila recounted what she had read, just as she remembered it. And upon hearing her story, Winfred quickly understood what the mysterious letter meant.
The Duchess's pregnancy and childbirth. He thought it might be one of those two things.
But whether he could tell Aila that was a separate issue. Would it be okay for him, a third party, to tell her that her parents, who had separated over ten years ago, had given birth to a younger sibling?
And he was worried that the news might hurt her.
He had sometimes felt so lonely as an only child that he wished he had a sibling, but he knew that not all children are blessed from the start with a sibling.
Thanks to that, Winfred and Aila, sitting side by side on a bench in a square with a small fountain, were able to talk in a comfortable atmosphere.
As it happened, the only people nearby were Winfred's escorts.
“I told you that ring was too big for me.”
“But if it fits you in the right size now, it won’t be able to fit when you grow up. That’s too bad.”
When Aila grumbled in a frustrated voice, Winfred snorted, "Huh," in frustration. It was a truly adorable thought.
“...How do you know how thick my fingers will get? They might not be that different from how they are now, or they might be so thick that it doesn’t fit.”
"Ah."
When she pointed out the blind spot, Winfred sighed as if he hadn't thought of it.
“Well, then just fix it.”
“Me too.”
When Winfred spoke as if everything had been resolved, she burst out laughing in disbelief.
Even though more than half a year had passed, Aila and Winfred felt as if they had just met yesterday.
Winfred, who had been looking at his fingers, fidgeting with his head down as if he had something to say, bit his lip once and then raised his head to look at her.
“...I kept my promise to you. I told your parents that you said you would definitely come back.”
And at his words, Aila stared blankly into his yellow eyes.
Has he solved the riddle she posed? Is Winfred's answer truly the right one?
“Who are my parents?”
When she asked him tentatively, Winfred swallowed hard and spoke in a small voice, barely audible to her ears.
“Duke Roderick Allan Weishaffen, and Duchess Ophelia Hailing Weishaffen.”
“...”
It was a perfect answer, without any frills.
“Is that right? Did I convey this message to the right people?”
“Yeah, thank you.”
He asked with an anxious voice, as if worried that he might have given the wrong answer and passed Aila's message on to the wrong people, and she thanked him with an embarrassed expression.
At Aila's words, Winfred, relieved that he had properly carried out his mission, chuckled with a slightly melted expression, then asked cautiously as if something had suddenly occurred to him.
“How did you end up... so far away? Why did you end up separated from your parents?”
“...I was too young to remember.”
She wished she could answer Winfred's questions with certainty. But there were too many uncertainties. Why had she been raised by Byron, her enemy? Why had she come to believe he was her biological father?
When Aila grimaced in pain, Winfred's expression turned sullen, as if he thought he had made a mistake.
“...Are you close with my parents?”
Aila, who was looking at the scene, asked this.
Rather, it was because Winfred might know more about her parents than she did, and might be able to provide information about what had happened between them and Byron, and what had happened to Ayla.
Even though she lived with her parents for two years, she didn't really know anything.
She didn't know that they were her biological parents, so she wasn't particularly curious, and Roderick and Ophelia kept their distance because they thought Aila was still awkward around them.
“Yeah. Your father taught me swordsmanship.”
Winfred proudly answered her question.
Of course, he only learned it briefly when he was very young and quickly gave up because it didn't suit his aptitude, but it was true that he became close with the couple because of that connection, so he didn't bother to tell them the embarrassing fact.
“I see. Then... do you happen to know anything about what happened when I disappeared? Even just a little bit.”
“...Hmm.”
He was lost in thought for a moment.
In fact, Winfred was so young that he didn't remember much, but fortunately, he was able to answer her questions. This was because he had done some research after learning that this Aila was that Aila.
Of course, it was so long ago, and he was worried that other people might find it suspicious, so he didn't delve too deeply into it.
Winfred, after taking a moment to collect his thoughts, opened his mouth.
“I don’t know the details either. I think the nanny took the baby while the Duke and Duchess were away on urgent business.”
"...I see."
Was that nanny bribed by Byron, and was she taken away from her parents and brought to Byron?
As she was thinking this, Winfred opened his mouth, taking notice.
“But... your father seemed to suspect that Byron, my uncle, might be behind it. But...”
He trailed off.
All the clues proved that the suspicion was true.
It was none other than Aila who told him that Byron was behind the person who tried to assassinate him.
But Winfred was afraid that what he said would turn out to be true.
What made Aila so heartbroken was that it was his own blood.
Even though he was his uncle, whom he had never seen since he was very young.
He was so scared that Aila would hate him.
“...That’s right.”
And she so cruelly showed him the painful truth.
'Then, really... the person who hurt Aila was my uncle.'
Winfred asked, trying to hold back the tears that were about to fall.
“So, you are... with my uncle?”
"...Yes."
Aila stared blankly at Winfred, who had a sad expression on his face.
If the only Prince was entrusted with her father's swordsmanship training, then the relationship between the imperial family and the Duke of Weishaffen must not be bad, so... it would be okay to tell Winfred the secret, she thought.
She took a deep breath.
"He intends to use me to get revenge on my father. He raised me, brainwashing me into thinking I was his biological daughter. He intended to use me as a blade to kill my father. Of course, he doesn't know... that I know this truth."
Aila spoke calmly, but Winfred couldn't bear the pain in his chest as he listened. Eventually, his yellow eyes, which had been holding back, became clouded, and tears welled up.
How can people be so cruel?
The fact that his blood was mixed with his uncle's could not have felt so terrible.
“...Don’t cry, Winfred. Why are you crying?”
She didn't tell him because she wanted to make him cry.
Aila looked embarrassed and was at a loss as to what to do.
Then, Winfred opened his mouth in a tearful voice.
“I’m sorry, my uncle did that to you...”
"...That's not you. Winfred, you didn't choose to be his nephew. It's not something you should apologize for."
She said, wiping the tears from Winfred's eyes with her sleeve.
“Then you don’t hate me?”
“...Then. Why would I hate you? You’re my only friend.”
It really was like that.
In her past life, where she only knew her father, and in this life, with only one thought in mind: to take revenge on him.
Winfred was the first and only friend she ever had.
"Thank you."
Thank you for not hating me, for not resenting me for being Byron's nephew.
Winfred expressed his sincere gratitude.
“...What are you thankful for?”
Aila, who felt a little embarrassed by Winfred's sincerity, spoke in a pretendedly cool manner.
After that, a brief silence fell between them. It wasn't an uncomfortable, awkward silence, but a quietness that felt comfortable, even without saying a word.
And, Winfred took advantage of the silence to move his hand towards Aila's hand, who was sitting next to him.
It was a struggle that came from the thought, 'Isn't it okay for friends to hold hands?'
But then, as if suddenly reminded of something, Aila jumped up.
"Do you know if something's going on with my mother? Well, I secretly read her letter. It said something about her doing something... and how my father liked it. Byron tore it up, so I didn't see the rest."
“Yes? Uh, so...”
When Aila suddenly got up, he flinched, wondering if she had caught him in his trick. Then, he blushed in embarrassment.
And he thought deeply about what Aila had said.
“What exactly did the letter say?”
"That is..."
Aila recounted what she had read, just as she remembered it. And upon hearing her story, Winfred quickly understood what the mysterious letter meant.
The Duchess's pregnancy and childbirth. He thought it might be one of those two things.
But whether he could tell Aila that was a separate issue. Would it be okay for him, a third party, to tell her that her parents, who had separated over ten years ago, had given birth to a younger sibling?
And he was worried that the news might hurt her.
He had sometimes felt so lonely as an only child that he wished he had a sibling, but he knew that not all children are blessed from the start with a sibling.
Comments
Post a Comment