Side story episode 6
Nife took me to the bedroom where he and Ruin were staying. Ruin greeted me with an apologetic expression, perhaps because Nife had been so loud about bringing me. Cookies and tea were even prepared on the bedroom table, which made me burst out laughing.
After we'd talked that far, I looked at Julian. He said nothing, but stared straight at me, barely blinking. He seemed like someone who hadn't missed a single moment of my story. My heart still trembled at Julian.
I lowered my eyes slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Then I bit my lower lip and hesitantly opened my mouth.
“I mean, there won’t be a second child.”
As soon as I said that, Julian's eyes darkened. Startled, I shrugged and covered the back of his hand with my palm. I could feel the chill in his hand. Julian hated it when I blamed myself and worried about my pregnancy.
When Julian opened his mouth with a determined expression, I lightly pressed my index and middle fingers to his lips.
"That's not what I was trying to say. You said before that it wouldn't matter if the successor were a member of the Earldom of Winsley. So I discussed that with the Winsleys."
“...I see.”
It felt strange to feel Julian's relieved breath on my fingertips, so I took my hand away and hid it behind my waist.
"Ruin asked why I was already worried about the succession, and told me to wait five more years. The doctor said there was nothing wrong, so why was I so anxious? Honestly, it was a hundred times harsher than your nagging, Julian. I wanted to cover my ears and run away."
As I grumbled, a small smile appeared on Julian's lips. Julian was quite fond of Ruin, and for this very reason. Ruin was the only person in the world who could nag me like this. I sighed deeply and continued.
"But if we still don't have a child after five years, they also said this: If any of our children have the potential to become Grand Dukes, and if they wish to go to Grand, we will train them to become successors. Of course, we firmly stated that the Grand Duke's title Duchy would only be inherited after the coming-of-age ceremony. If we ran away, it would be a disaster, right?"
“The little master of the Winsley family is very clever.”
“Do you agree with Ruin now? Do you want to run away?”
As I spoke to Julian, he threw me back, hugging me. I let out a small scream and fell onto the bed, as if into his arms. We lay on the fluffy blanket, facing each other. My eyes were wide, and Julian's were amused, a smile on his face.
“I always want to run away with you. To a place where we can be alone.”
I always talked to Julian about living with others. Little by little, Julian accepted this, paying attention to the servants and even the Grand Duke's territories, and even engaging in conversations with them. But he still insisted that as long as I was there, everything was fine. It wasn't until Silian's birth that the scope of his life expanded by just one space.
I lightly bit Julian's handsome nose and smiled bashfully. I thought I'd get a scolding from Julian.
But Julian, his red eyes wide, draped himself over mine. His long, large fingers slowly traced my earlobes. I swallowed hard and looked up at him.
“Julian...”
Anyone can see that this current is...
Knock knock.
Who on earth could possibly be knocking on the door at such a crucial moment? I cleared my throat, straightening my untidy clothes. Julian watched me, then turned outside and asked who it was.
"I'm truly sorry to bother you so late at night. I'm thr nanny. I have something to tell you."
Our Silian? Julian and I faced each other, then hurriedly opened the door. There stood Silian, sleepy-faced, holding her nanny's hand.
I took Silian's hand and crouched down in front of my son. I motioned for the nanny to step aside, and she bowed, stepped back, and disappeared into the hallway.
"Sillian, what's wrong? Were you scared of sleeping alone?"
“Mom, Silian is not a baby.”
Silian would say, "What nonsense is that?" Every time something like this happened, I could feel my child growing up.
“I’m sorry, Mom. Sometimes I’m scared of sleeping alone.”
“So you sleep with Dad every day?”
Well, that's a little different, but our son was still too young to know that.
“Yeah. So why did our son come?”
Silian spoke to me, barely opening her sleepy eyes.
“There is a tree fairy nearby.”
Are you talking about the Wood Fairy? I asked cautiously, taking Silian's hands in both at once.
“How do you know that?”
"They appeared in my dreams. They appeared before. They keep telling me they want to see me."
Wood fairies don't harm people, but they're still a type of monster. I didn't want to keep meeting them. I hesitated, then turned to Julian. He seemed to be asking me to help him oppose them. Silian then stamped his foot as if urging me to do so.
“It’s a really beautiful fairy. I want to show it to Mom and Dad.”
It was none other than Julian who responded to Silian's earnest words.
"Let's go."
“Julian.”
I called him out as if I was reprimanding him, but Julian shook his head as if telling me not to stop him.
"You've come such a long way, and you haven't had much time to play with Silian. With my wife and me, there's no way you wouldn't be afraid of monsters."
As he spoke, Julian lifted Silian into his arms. Julian looked at me as if to tell me to hurry. Silian's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and I knew there was no way I could defeat the two men I loved most in the world.
It didn't take long for me to realize that the wood fairy Silian was talking about wasn't a wood fairy.
Silian took us to a small lake within the Heira Estate. I'd never heard of wood fairies appearing there, so I stepped forward, feeling a sense of wonder. Then, Julian, holding Silian in his arms, approached the water's edge.
Clank.
The water surface was thin and rippled, and the clear sound of water droplets hitting each other could be heard.
Clank. Clank.
I raised my head, following the sound, and my breath caught in my throat. A beautiful horse with a white mane stood in the middle of the lake, slowly approaching us. A bluish fin sprouted from its back, like the lake at night.
“...Kelpie!”
When I made a sharp noise, the Kelpie stopped in its tracks, as if on guard. That horse wasn't a wood fairy, but more of a water fairy. Unlike wood fairies, it didn't live in trees, but in water.
But it seemed Silian had mistaken them, as they both shared a fondness for damp wood. And the fact that that small misunderstanding had put Silian in danger horrified me. I snuggled close to Julian, shielding him with one arm.
“Go back quietly. Kelpies are creatures that harm people.”
Julian nodded, looking at my serious face. But Silian waved her hand with a look of confusion.
"No! That fairy is a good fairy! She talks to me in my dreams every day. She said she really wanted to meet me."
“Kelpies are beautiful, but they are not good creatures.”
That was the moment I made that decision. The Kelpie hissed and took two more steps closer. I unfolded a magic circle beneath my feet, ready to attack the Kelpie at any moment. The Kelpie was no ordinary monster, so if I maxed out my magic, it would undoubtedly flee in fear.
But the Kelpie didn't do that. It hesitated for a moment, then wept pitifully again before taking three more steps. Silian pointed at the Kelpie with a tearful face.
"She's a truly kind fairy. Please trust me. Don't attack her."
Silian noticed my sharp surge of magical power and was at a loss. Still, I couldn't withdraw it. The moment the Kelpie lunged at me, I decided to attack.
But the Kelpie approached slowly this time, even lowering itself as if to prove its innocence. When it was right in front of us, it knelt on all fours on the lakeshore, its head bowed. Silian patted Julian's arm and begged him to come down.
I was so surprised by the Kelpie's gentle, almost obedient demeanor that I couldn't stop it. Silian, who had left Julian's embrace, slowly stroked the Kelpie's mane.
But nothing happened. The Kelpie's soft mane simply swung back and then returned to its original position.
Kelpie rolled her blue eyes at Silian. Silian, in turn, looked into Kelpie's eyes, and in that moment, I realized a strange current flowed between the two creatures. It was a life force, different from magic.
Nife took me to the bedroom where he and Ruin were staying. Ruin greeted me with an apologetic expression, perhaps because Nife had been so loud about bringing me. Cookies and tea were even prepared on the bedroom table, which made me burst out laughing.
After we'd talked that far, I looked at Julian. He said nothing, but stared straight at me, barely blinking. He seemed like someone who hadn't missed a single moment of my story. My heart still trembled at Julian.
I lowered my eyes slightly and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Then I bit my lower lip and hesitantly opened my mouth.
“I mean, there won’t be a second child.”
As soon as I said that, Julian's eyes darkened. Startled, I shrugged and covered the back of his hand with my palm. I could feel the chill in his hand. Julian hated it when I blamed myself and worried about my pregnancy.
When Julian opened his mouth with a determined expression, I lightly pressed my index and middle fingers to his lips.
"That's not what I was trying to say. You said before that it wouldn't matter if the successor were a member of the Earldom of Winsley. So I discussed that with the Winsleys."
“...I see.”
It felt strange to feel Julian's relieved breath on my fingertips, so I took my hand away and hid it behind my waist.
"Ruin asked why I was already worried about the succession, and told me to wait five more years. The doctor said there was nothing wrong, so why was I so anxious? Honestly, it was a hundred times harsher than your nagging, Julian. I wanted to cover my ears and run away."
As I grumbled, a small smile appeared on Julian's lips. Julian was quite fond of Ruin, and for this very reason. Ruin was the only person in the world who could nag me like this. I sighed deeply and continued.
"But if we still don't have a child after five years, they also said this: If any of our children have the potential to become Grand Dukes, and if they wish to go to Grand, we will train them to become successors. Of course, we firmly stated that the Grand Duke's title Duchy would only be inherited after the coming-of-age ceremony. If we ran away, it would be a disaster, right?"
“The little master of the Winsley family is very clever.”
“Do you agree with Ruin now? Do you want to run away?”
As I spoke to Julian, he threw me back, hugging me. I let out a small scream and fell onto the bed, as if into his arms. We lay on the fluffy blanket, facing each other. My eyes were wide, and Julian's were amused, a smile on his face.
“I always want to run away with you. To a place where we can be alone.”
I always talked to Julian about living with others. Little by little, Julian accepted this, paying attention to the servants and even the Grand Duke's territories, and even engaging in conversations with them. But he still insisted that as long as I was there, everything was fine. It wasn't until Silian's birth that the scope of his life expanded by just one space.
I lightly bit Julian's handsome nose and smiled bashfully. I thought I'd get a scolding from Julian.
But Julian, his red eyes wide, draped himself over mine. His long, large fingers slowly traced my earlobes. I swallowed hard and looked up at him.
“Julian...”
Anyone can see that this current is...
Knock knock.
Who on earth could possibly be knocking on the door at such a crucial moment? I cleared my throat, straightening my untidy clothes. Julian watched me, then turned outside and asked who it was.
"I'm truly sorry to bother you so late at night. I'm thr nanny. I have something to tell you."
Our Silian? Julian and I faced each other, then hurriedly opened the door. There stood Silian, sleepy-faced, holding her nanny's hand.
I took Silian's hand and crouched down in front of my son. I motioned for the nanny to step aside, and she bowed, stepped back, and disappeared into the hallway.
"Sillian, what's wrong? Were you scared of sleeping alone?"
“Mom, Silian is not a baby.”
Silian would say, "What nonsense is that?" Every time something like this happened, I could feel my child growing up.
“I’m sorry, Mom. Sometimes I’m scared of sleeping alone.”
“So you sleep with Dad every day?”
Well, that's a little different, but our son was still too young to know that.
“Yeah. So why did our son come?”
Silian spoke to me, barely opening her sleepy eyes.
“There is a tree fairy nearby.”
Are you talking about the Wood Fairy? I asked cautiously, taking Silian's hands in both at once.
“How do you know that?”
"They appeared in my dreams. They appeared before. They keep telling me they want to see me."
Wood fairies don't harm people, but they're still a type of monster. I didn't want to keep meeting them. I hesitated, then turned to Julian. He seemed to be asking me to help him oppose them. Silian then stamped his foot as if urging me to do so.
“It’s a really beautiful fairy. I want to show it to Mom and Dad.”
It was none other than Julian who responded to Silian's earnest words.
"Let's go."
“Julian.”
I called him out as if I was reprimanding him, but Julian shook his head as if telling me not to stop him.
"You've come such a long way, and you haven't had much time to play with Silian. With my wife and me, there's no way you wouldn't be afraid of monsters."
As he spoke, Julian lifted Silian into his arms. Julian looked at me as if to tell me to hurry. Silian's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and I knew there was no way I could defeat the two men I loved most in the world.
***
It didn't take long for me to realize that the wood fairy Silian was talking about wasn't a wood fairy.
Silian took us to a small lake within the Heira Estate. I'd never heard of wood fairies appearing there, so I stepped forward, feeling a sense of wonder. Then, Julian, holding Silian in his arms, approached the water's edge.
Clank.
The water surface was thin and rippled, and the clear sound of water droplets hitting each other could be heard.
Clank. Clank.
I raised my head, following the sound, and my breath caught in my throat. A beautiful horse with a white mane stood in the middle of the lake, slowly approaching us. A bluish fin sprouted from its back, like the lake at night.
“...Kelpie!”
When I made a sharp noise, the Kelpie stopped in its tracks, as if on guard. That horse wasn't a wood fairy, but more of a water fairy. Unlike wood fairies, it didn't live in trees, but in water.
But it seemed Silian had mistaken them, as they both shared a fondness for damp wood. And the fact that that small misunderstanding had put Silian in danger horrified me. I snuggled close to Julian, shielding him with one arm.
“Go back quietly. Kelpies are creatures that harm people.”
Julian nodded, looking at my serious face. But Silian waved her hand with a look of confusion.
"No! That fairy is a good fairy! She talks to me in my dreams every day. She said she really wanted to meet me."
“Kelpies are beautiful, but they are not good creatures.”
That was the moment I made that decision. The Kelpie hissed and took two more steps closer. I unfolded a magic circle beneath my feet, ready to attack the Kelpie at any moment. The Kelpie was no ordinary monster, so if I maxed out my magic, it would undoubtedly flee in fear.
But the Kelpie didn't do that. It hesitated for a moment, then wept pitifully again before taking three more steps. Silian pointed at the Kelpie with a tearful face.
"She's a truly kind fairy. Please trust me. Don't attack her."
Silian noticed my sharp surge of magical power and was at a loss. Still, I couldn't withdraw it. The moment the Kelpie lunged at me, I decided to attack.
But the Kelpie approached slowly this time, even lowering itself as if to prove its innocence. When it was right in front of us, it knelt on all fours on the lakeshore, its head bowed. Silian patted Julian's arm and begged him to come down.
I was so surprised by the Kelpie's gentle, almost obedient demeanor that I couldn't stop it. Silian, who had left Julian's embrace, slowly stroked the Kelpie's mane.
But nothing happened. The Kelpie's soft mane simply swung back and then returned to its original position.
Kelpie rolled her blue eyes at Silian. Silian, in turn, looked into Kelpie's eyes, and in that moment, I realized a strange current flowed between the two creatures. It was a life force, different from magic.
Comments
Post a Comment