It was when I was about to return home after finishing my business.
"Benefactor sister."
"Huh?"
"That..."
Suddenly, Rachel called out to me. I shifted my gaze toward where Rachel was pointing.
At the tip of her tiny finger was a dreamcatcher sold at a general store.
"What is that?"
"That's called a Dreamcatcher."
"Dream?"
Rachel tilted her head, and the hood slipped down slightly. I put her hat back on and said.
"It's like something that filters out nightmares."
"Nightmare..."
Rachel muttered quietly. Her once bright red eyes instantly sank. With her unchildlike face, I was reminded of the original novel.
After losing her only family, Red Riding Hood, who had killed all the wolves, could not easily fall asleep.
"Aaagh! Aaaah!"
Every time she tried to fall asleep, the apparition of her brother trapped in the whirlpool of fire cried out. It's painful, please, save me.
"Heook... Heook..."
In the end, she had to get back up again.
Every time she closed her eyes, the nightmare kept repeating. Even without sleeping or dreaming, the nightmare never ended.
Eyes as red and bloodshot as her cloak. The only thing that could fill an empty heart was revenge.
'Of course, it seems like there's quite a long time before the original work begins...'
I suddenly realized what kind of being was holding my hand.
The only time such a small and beloved being was able to escape that pain began after meeting my younger brother, Zion.
After meeting Zion, she realizes love and can sleep soundly.
The weight of pain this delicate girl would bear was unimaginably great. That's what family is all about.
Even I was struggling like this to protect my family.
They said that fate is something you create yourself. Of course, very, very little, it seems that the plan has gone off track...
Even when she was about to change her life plans, Rachel couldn't take her eyes off the dreamcatcher.
"Do you want it?"
Rachel's eyes widened at my question.
"Ah, no. Just..."
Rachel shook her head but kept glancing at the Dreamcatcher.
Her childlike appearance, which couldn't be hidden, brought smiles. I took Rachel to the general store.
"How much is this?"
I mimicked a rough voice and asked. The merchant, who was looking at me with a strange gaze, said to me, who was covering everything with a hat and mask.
"50 shillings."
"..."
I hesitated a bit because the price was higher than I expected.
"...Please give it to me."
But since I made quite a bit of money selling the brazier herbs, I thought I could afford to spend on this kind of luxury.
'Above all. I want to buy it for her.'
After paying, I took out the dreamcatcher Rachel had mentioned.
"Alright."
Rachel, who had been staring intently at the dreamcatcher I was offering, asked cautiously.
"...Can I take it?"
"Of course."
"..."
Rachel accepted the dreamcatcher with an overjoyed expression. I smiled slightly, bent my knees, and met Rachel's eyes.
"Now you'll only dream good dreams."
Rachel, who had been blinking her big eyes at my words, smiled softly.
"Thank you, benefactor sister."
No matter how much she tried to hide it with a hat. It was a smile that couldn't be hidden. I laughed along.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
And so, by chance, I became the guardian of the Red Riding Hood, the heroine who would kill me.
***
The northern region tends to have an early sunset. I walked through the forest, relying on the pouring moonlight.
In the distance, I saw a small cabin. When I opened the door, two round heads looked at me as if they had been waiting.
"Sister!"
"Sis!"
Ruby was playing by tying up Zion's hair here and there.
Ah. Ruby was another nickname we gave Rachel.
I couldn't pretend to know. Her name is Rachel.
Her eyes shone like rubies, and there was no name more fitting than this.
"Sis, you're here? Did you sell a lot today, too?"
Ruby crept over to me. I smiled and nodded.
The children did very well than I expected.
I was worried that Zion might show his ears and tail, but surprisingly, he seemed to be hiding them well. It was worth the great scare.
Ruby said excitedly.
"Isn't Zion's hair cute?"
"It's so cute. It suits you well, Zion."
I smiled and set down the heavy basket beside me.
The children's faces were pure and innocent, making me forget all my worries.
Thinking of the corrupt female lead made me feel like trash.
'That's a really good development. Since things have come to this, let's get along well.'
I said with a pleased smile.
"You're hungry, aren't you? I'll get dinner ready for you right away."
I rummaged through the heavy basket. Buying two dinner options at once was overwhelming.
But there was nothing I could do. Zion and Ruby were still young and didn't eat much, but their tastes were clearly different.
No. To be precise, their dispositions were different.
I recalled what happened a few days ago.
Zion was the type who was even more sensitive to the cold than I was. It was because he didn't have ice magic like I did.
So Zion mainly sought out hot food that was hot enough to burn. I felt the same way.
But that was the problem.
It was the third day, and it was the day we were heating up the stew.
I placed Ruby's share of food in front of her. Ruby was quietly staring at the stew placed in front of her.
"..."
For some reason, her expression was not good.
Isn't eating the same food for days straight?
I thought of the money I had left. Except for the money saved to buy .m status, it wasn't much.
But I didn't want to cook poor food for the children.
'No matter what, I was just too Indifferent.'
Tomorrow I'll make a different dish for her. What would suit Ruby's taste? After a brief pause, I finally spoke.
"Isn't it getting a bit boring? Eating the same food for several days"
"...What?"
Ruby looked at me with a surprised expression.
"I'm sorry. Tomorrow, I'll make you what you want to eat. What do you like? Is there any food you remember?"
Ruby shook her head vigorously. Although she was speaking of denial, her expression was clearly flustered. This was a characteristic of children who told lies.
"It's okay. You don't have to force yourself to eat it."
"Ugh. It's not unreasonable. It's true."
Ruby shook her head firmly and picked up her spoon.
Even after finishing her portion, Ruby boldly shouted for a little more.
Back then. I was clueless and just thought. 'You eat well!' and enjoyed it.
I sighed softly. Honestly, I was nothing short of a dummy.
As always, regret comes late. That evening, Ruby was in trouble.
"Ugh..."
Her small body was filled with intense heat. I had to hold Ruby's hand and keep the chill flowing all day long. It wasn't until we stayed up all night that the heat subsided.
I quickly identified the problem.
Even if she loses her memory, a dragon is a dragon. Despite being such a small child, the power of fire was immense.
To prevent further outbursts, the dragon, which gave another heart to its companion, is fed only hot food for days.
'If I'm going to do this, I don't need any original knowledge at all!'
I looked at Ruby, who had just fallen asleep, and blamed myself.
Since that day, I have prepared perfectly for both of them.
Zion is for hot food. Ruby for cold food. Additionally.
"Sister, hand."
"Yeah."
If they even held my hand, it would be even better. In the North, Ice magic was useless, but for Ruby, it seemed like a cure-all.
Even though eating with one hand held would be inconvenient, Ruby kept smiling. I was wondering what was so good about it.
I stroked Ruby's head and smiled contentedly.
"Eat a lot."
Then, with his lips pursed, Zion spoke with a sulky face.
"Sis, what about me?"
"Yeah. You eat a lot too, my little brother."
I smiled slightly and gently tapped Zion's soft cheek.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment