05. Differences in Position
It was an afternoon with heavy snow. The children, having played happily among themselves, were taking a long nap.
For the first time in a while, warm sunlight was shining down. Taking advantage of the moment the sun rose, I cleared the snow piled up in front of the cabin. After roughly brushing off the snow from my shoulders, I returned inside.
"Hmm..."
Rachel, tossing and turning in her sleep, placed her legs on Zion's stomach.
"Ugh!"
Zion let out a short groan and hugged Rachel's legs like a body pillow. The warmth emanating from Rachel's body seemed quite warm.
Looking at the incredibly lovely children, I got up from my seat and started preparing to make lunch.
As always, Zion had warm food, and Rachel had moderately lukewarm food.
I put on an apron to cook and checked the remaining ingredients.
I thought I had bought plenty, but I ran out in no time.
If I could somehow scrape together enough money, I might be able to eat dinner, but then tomorrow would be the problem.
'I guess I have no choice. I need to hurry back before the kids wake up.'
I took off the apron I was wearing again and got ready to go out.
As always, I had my hair tied back in a ponytail and pulled the hood of my cloak down low. It was time to check my condition after covering my face with a mask.
"..."
I turned my head at the gaze I felt. The children, who had been squinting, flinched.
Rachel quickly closed her eyes, but Zion, whose movements became sluggish when flustered, remained frozen in place and stared blankly at me.
"...Ruby, we’ve been caught."
Zion leaned his stiff body toward Rachel and whispered softly. His gaze remained fixed on me.
"Tsk," a small click of the tongue was heard. Not long after, Rachel quietly lifted her head and smiled broadly.
"Good morning, sister."
“It’s afternoon now.”
"Yeah, then have a good afternoon."
Rachel rubbed her eyes with a nonchalant smile, without even blinking. She even yawned while winking.
She looked incredibly lovely, but I did not stop looking at her with suspicion.
"You two tried to sneak in again."
“Uh, not at all.”
"How did you know?"
A completely opposite answer came back. Rachel's face, full of cuteness, twitched for a moment.
My clueless younger sibling is really honest.
I put on a stern face and placed my hands on my hips. Then Rachel quickly clung to my waist.
"I was just curious where you were going."
"Don't lie. You were trying to follow me."
"Uh-huh, you don't trust me, sister?"
Rachel looked up at me with sparkling eyes. Seeing those two glittering eyes, my heart wavered.
It was impossible to overcome Rachel's charms.
However, I had to say a sharp word. I had to tell them if they still hadn't given up on the idea of sneaking out...!
"Ah. My hand..."
"..."
"Here, the fire is..."
"Hold on tight. If you let go, sparks will fly."
I suddenly became an ice shuttle.
Suppressing my devastated feelings, I hugged Rachel tightly. Rachel let out a small laugh and rubbed her face against my chest.
"By the way, sis, where were you planning to go?"
"There's nothing good for you guys to eat, so I'm going to buy some."
"..."
Then Rachel peeked her head up and looked up at me.
"I want to go along too."
"You too?"
"Yes."
Rachel said that, her eyes shining.
What if something happens again?
I was about to firmly say no, but it suddenly occurred to me that the children had been stuck in this house for too long.
'I indeed kept them out to protect them, but it's still not a good thing.'
Rachel was one thing, but Zion was the bigger problem. Even now that he is ten years old, Zion has not been able to properly venture outside.
Actually, being pointed at by wolves for being half-breeds wasn't scary, since we only had to be in danger a few times with frozen apples.
The real reason was different.
The reason we hid deeper in the forest.
"I'm going to kill all the wolves. I'll tear them limb from limb and scatter their pieces over my brother's grave."
"Zion, you are prettiest when you are under me."
It was to avoid the heroine of the bleak novel, Red Riding Hood.
But what about now?
I quietly lowered my head and looked at the child clinging to me.
Rachel was rubbing her face against me affectionately. Rachel's warm skin touched my palm.
'Far from avoiding me, she likes me too much.'
Is there really a need to live in hiding in such a cramped space?
As I fell into deep thought, the children's eyes lit up. They seemed to think I was worrying about going out. The look in their eyes as they gazed at me was filled with pity.
I continued my thoughts, undeterred by the children's gaze.
'It's about time her memories returned. Besides, seeing how well she hugs Noelier, it doesn't seem like it's completely awkward.'
I glanced at the bundle of gold coins in the corner of the room.
It was money that Noelier had personally handed me, filled with a heart of apology. The sight of it being so substantial made me feel inexplicably full.
Buying a castle with that money, then moving to the human territory. And living pretending to be human.
Since Zion was born, my goal was only one.
'But I forced too much on Zion.'
I looked down at Zion, who had approached my side before I knew it.
The fact that Zion couldn't even go outside or make proper friends because of me struck me as a renewed sense of guilt.
'Right, let's show him around his former hometown before he leaves for the human world.'
It's not like I'm letting the two of them go out alone, so it should be fine as long as we're together.
Having finished thinking, I nodded. The children's faces lit up with joy.
"But you must wear a cape. And make sure to wear a hat."
"All right!"
"Yes!"
The children quickly started getting ready to go out.
Zion, who would normally have whined that the water was too cold, did not stop washing his face even though his hands were trembling.
"I can heat up the water for you..."
"The fan is okay...!"
Zion finished washing his face, stammering. Rachel, standing beside him, spoke with a sour expression.
"My lips have turned blue..."
"Oh. Good heavens. It's naturally blue!"
"..."
I let out a small sigh as I looked at my seriously stupid younger brother.
***
"You must never take off your hat."
At my earnest plea, the children kept nodding their heads.
"And try not to leave my side if possible."
"Yes."
"Huh!"
As expected, he’s good at answering questions. I chuckled and entered the square with the children. The square was still noisy.
Thick piles of blackened snow were stacked high, and a cool breeze was always blowing. However, only the voices of the people were full of life.
"Wow....!"
Zion's eyes widened. He had followed Rachel around, but this was likely the first time he was properly looking around.
He seemed even more excited because I was with Rachel.
"Ruby, look at that!"
"Hey. Wait a minute...! Don't pull!"
With the sound of bickering, the children ran off somewhere.
I told you not to go far!
I quickly followed the children.
The place where the children stopped was an ordinary general store. In other words, in the children's eyes, it was like a treasure trove filled with the most interesting things in the world.
"Ruby, Ruby, this place is amazing. Isn't it?"
“Well, I see.”
Rachel nodded with a coy expression. However, judging by the way her red eyes were darting about, it seemed that Rachel also found this place quite fascinating.
“Let’s go there too!”
"It's a hassle..."
Rachel pretended to be reluctant and followed Zion's hand. It seemed she would likely not leave this place for a while.
'Okay. In this spare moment...'
I hurriedly headed to the fruit store across the street. As I bought a few apples and put them in the basket, a sense of relief welled up deep within my chest.
'This is it.'
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no weapon better than an apple.
I returned to the general store after purchasing the remaining amount of fruit. The children were busily rolling their eyes and touching this and that.
Shall I take a look around for a bit too?
I took in the books in a corner of the general store. Among them, one of the few books containing a description of the human area caught my eye.
'Should I buy it in advance for later?'
It was when I had picked up about three books. A red book shelved far away caught my keen radar.
'No, that is...!'
My wolf instincts flashed. I quickly looked around.
...There was no one.
I quickly picked it up. I was pretending to be unaffected, but the hand holding the book trembled slightly. This red mark.
I definitely knew this. That thing I had read countless times in my past life. In other words, simply put, it was an obscene book.
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