09. I Hope We Get Closer (2)
09. I Hope We Get Closer (2)
[Episode 09] - I Hope We Get Close (2)
"How is it? You're not scared anymore, right?"
As I smiled brightly and stroked the Princess's hair, the Princess—perhaps only then realizing she had slipped out from behind the tree—saw her beaming expression instantly crumple.
Crinkle.
'Oops.'
Seeing the Princess's scrunched-up face, I instinctively pulled my hand away from her hair. That crumpled expression of the Princess had a power that somehow made it feel like a warning far more terrifying than any threat.
Is it because of the colorful expressions of young children?
Watching the Princess, who had wrinkled her face up and was glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me, I raised both arms lightly as if declaring surrender, showing that I had no intention of touching her anymore.
"I'm sorry for petting you without asking. If you didn't like it, I won't do it again, so won't you forgive me?"
She didn't run away like before, but perhaps she still disliked me, as she just stood there, busy glaring at me. Her lips were pouted out, and her eyebrows were sharply arched.
It was the very picture of a typical young child when they are angry.
As expected, it seems one magic trick wasn't enough.
I took the flower that had been tucked behind the Princess's ear back out and placed it on my palm. As expected, perhaps a young child cannot overcome curiosity, as the Princess's sharply arched eyebrows settled down gently.
"Watch closely, I'll show you a different magic trick than before."
At some point, Ellie had also come over to the Princess's side, crouched down, and settled in. The two of them, eyes sparkling with curiosity, looked at the flower resting on my palm.
I don't know many magic tricks from my school days, but it seemed like it would be enough to satisfy the Princess and Ellie. I made a fist with the hand holding the flower, acted as if I were putting a lot of strength into it, and made my hand tremble.
"Alright, here I go? One- two-"
*
Trudge- trudge-
Vin Chaud was walking down the wide hallway of the royal castle with a listless gait. The place he was heading to was a secluded room in the castle where the King was holed up. Vin Chaud went there without fail once a day to check on His Majesty's condition.
And, one of Vin Chaud's daily routines was to replenish 'that thing' used inside the room while His Majesty was in seclusion. Vin Chaud let out a sigh and dismissed the knights guarding His Majesty's room.
Knock- knock-
"Your Majesty, it is Vin Chaud. The weather is truly wonderful today. The roses in the garden are in full bloom today; the garden is filled with the scent of roses."
Vin Chaud knew this conversation was meaningless, but he did not stop talking to him regardless. Vin Chaud began to speak in a calm voice about how the outside world was changing day by day.
"The Princess seems to be having a very hard time with her lessons. Even though it is the Marchioness who taught Her Majesty the Queen... it seems to be a bit too much for the young Princess."
The door did not open.
Vin Chaud knew that.
"Perhaps because she uses her head so much, she has been looking for sweets lately. The fact that she looks for candy first whenever she wants something sweet is exactly like Your Majesty. Hehe."
No sound could be heard from inside the door.
Vin Chaud bit his lower lip hard.
Along with the dissatisfaction toward His Majesty that piled up day by day, and the pitiful feeling that His Majesty must have been struggling too, Vin Chaud cooled his emotions today by biting his lip as well.
"Your Majesty, I will leave it in front of the door. Then, I pray that you remain well today as well."
Vin Chaud left 'that thing' in front of the door and headed to the end of the hallway as usual. Keeping enough distance so that his footsteps could not be heard from 'inside the room,' Vin Chaud stared blankly at the room where the King was in seclusion.
As he was staring blankly at that door, creeeak, the door opened just a tiny bit, and only a slender, thin arm slipped out of the room.
Who would think that arm belonged to an adult man?
At that sight, Vin Chaud felt joy that His Majesty was still alive, while simultaneously feeling as if his chest were burning in a hot fire.
The thin arm that had slipped out of the room snatched 'that thing' that had been in front of the door and pulled it back into the room, disappearing inside. Simultaneously with the sound of the door closing, the knights took their positions again as if it were a familiar occurrence.
It has already been two years.
During the two years that had passed, His Majesty had not stepped out of that room even once. Vin Chaud, who had looked after His Majesty since he was a prince, just found this situation incredibly sad now.
"Hoo..."
However, there was no time to be immersed in such sadness. Since His Majesty had let go of state affairs, it was none other than himself, the Chancellor, who had to govern in His Majesty's stead.
There was the Council of Elders, and there was Her Majesty the Second Queen, but...
The Council of Elders were no different from hyenas constantly eyeing His Majesty's power, and Her Majesty the Second Queen... although it seemed like the person had changed lately, she could not be completely trusted.
Exhausted by the endless tug-of-war for power with the Council of Elders, Vin Chaud hoped for His Majesty to return right now. Because he himself was getting old and sick from fighting here.
Vin Chaud swept back his receding hair and looked at his palm. The countless hairs pulled out due to stress seemed to represent his sorrow.
'At this rate, I'm really going to go bald...'
Vin Chaud, who had brushed off the hair scattered on his palm, began to walk down the hallway again. Recalling step-by-step what he had to do today, he headed toward his office.
Just as he was heading to his office, Vin Chaud noticed someone looking down from under a window at the end of the hallway. An elderly woman with white hair was looking out the window with sharp eyes.
"Marchioness Lorenzo?"
At Vin Chaud's call, the person called Marchioness Lorenzo turned her head to look at Vin Chaud. The elderly woman looked at Vin Chaud, bent her front leg slightly, and bowed her head. It was a greeting that still felt dignified.
"I greet Your Excellency, the Chancellor."
"Ah, as I always say, you don't have to greet me so formally, Marchioness."
"No, such etiquette is something that must be observed naturally, anytime, anywhere, even if no one is watching. Your Excellency."
Ahem.
Vin Chaud let out a cough at the words of Marchioness Lorenzo, who spoke firmly.
Although they had seen each other for a long time as time passed, she was still a difficult person to deal with. When he was young, Marchioness Lorenzo had been the guardian and educator of Her Majesty the First Queen, and he had the experience of serving by His Majesty's side.
'She is the Princess's education supervisor now, but...'
So naturally, they had frequent interactions as fellow 'educators,' but because of the way she guarded noble etiquette like an iron wall, she had been a person difficult to deal with since the old days.
As the conversation did not continue, Vin Chaud was about to say his farewells, thinking he would end the conversation there, when a noisy, chattering sound was heard from under the window, and Vin Chaud naturally looked toward that place as well.
"Haa."
It was a sight that left him speechless.
It was nice to see the Princess laughing and chatting in the garden, but seeing the person playing with the Princess, Vin Chaud could not help but doubt his own eyes.
"Haa, what kind of combination is that."
That Her Majesty the Second Queen was laughing and chatting, enjoying a conversation with the Princess? The Princess beside her also showed no signs of being afraid of Her Majesty the Second Queen.
Seeing the Princess laughing brightly as if she were truly having fun, Vin Chaud felt a sudden surge of emotion. How long had it been since he had seen the Princess like that?
And along with the surge of emotion, he also felt a bitter feeling.
'That is a sight that His Majesty should originally be showing. It is a sight that should be shown by her biological father, His Majesty, not her stepmother, the Second Queen.'
Vin Chaud, who let out a small sigh, spoke to Marchioness Lorenzo, who had been watching the scene beside him. Surely, Marchioness Lorenzo, who was in charge of the Princess's education, would also think of that scene fondly.
"Isn't it a truly heartwarming sight? I don't know how long it has been since I saw the Princess laughing like that."
However, contrary to Vin Chaud's expectation, Marchioness Lorenzo made a small clicking sound with her tongue while watching that heartwarming sight. The Marchioness, who valued etiquette so much, clicking her tongue in front of others?
"...No matter how well a parrot speaks, it is still a bird, and no matter how well a monkey mimics, it is nothing more than a beast. Even if a person acts wonderfully, if they lack the etiquette that a person should possess, how is that any different from a parrot or a monkey?"
"...Marchioness?"
"...I will take my leave now. As there is not much time left for the Princess's lesson."
With that as her final word, Marchioness Lorenzo turned her back and disappeared to the end of the hallway. Vin Chaud stared blankly at the figure of the Marchioness who had disappeared to the end of the hallway with his eyes wide open.
Who was that remark just now directed at?
Vin Chaud could quickly tell who the Marchioness's words were directed at. No, there would only be one person there who would hear those words. Vin Chaud stroked his beard and clicked his tongue.
'To think that the Marchioness would call the Second Queen a 'beast'.'
No matter how he thought about it, that remark was severe enough to fall under the crime of insulting royalty. It would not be strange if Vin Chaud immediately held the Marchioness accountable for the crime here.
However, Vin Chaud did not do so. Because he had sympathized with the Marchioness's words to some extent. Vin Chaud was a person who believed that people do not change easily.
They say that lately, Her Majesty the Second Queen has been treating the maids well, and the maids have come to follow Her Majesty the Second Queen well, but there existed numerous evil deeds that the Second Queen had committed in the past.
Do people change if they die and come back to life?
In the first place, he had never seen anyone who had died and come back to life other than the Second Queen, so he could not know. Vin Chaud listened to the Princess's laughter visible from the window and let out a long sigh.
"The Marchioness and the Queen will clash soon."
She was someone who was strict to the point of being excessive when it came to etiquette and education. Having seen the Princess, whom such a Marchioness was teaching, playing with the Queen, who had never once expressed etiquette to anyone.
Isn't it the heart of a parent who sees their own child playing with a neighborhood thug?
'From the Marchioness's perspective, it must be something that should absolutely not happen. Especially if she was the 'godmother' who was the guardian of Her Majesty the First Queen... she will inevitably obsess over the Princess.'
Vin Chaud let out a deep sigh at the situation that was giving him a headache. If the Marchioness and the Second Queen were to clash, what should he do? Whose side should he take, for heaven's sake?
Watching the Princess, who was wearing a flower crown woven from flowers on her head and enjoying herself under the window, Vin Chaud smiled bitterly.
Because this whole situation was a problem that would be solved if His Majesty just came out of the room.
*
There was just one thing I overlooked while playing with the Princess.
"Are there no more? Is it over now?"
"Haa, huff... Princess... couldn't we rest for a little bit..?"
Stamina.
There existed something unbridgeable between the stamina of a young child and that of an adult. I had shown all the magic tricks I learned in my school days, and since I had nothing left to show, I even showed her finger magic.
The Princess began to run toward Ellie's side as if it were boring. It was me who had played with her until I was exhausted and collapsed, so seeing her go to Ellie's side as if she were bored now made me feel a bit bitter.
In the end, exhausted, I leaned my back against a tree and looked up at the sky, limp and blank. As I was looking up at the sky blankly like that, Ainsel shouted from under the tree as if cheering me on.
I naturally turned my gaze toward the tree where the voice had come from.
-The Princess says she wants to play! Give it a little more effort!
"Just a little... rest..."
There, the small mirror earring was standing with its back against a pebble. On top of the mirror earring's head, a very small flower crown that a finger could fit into was placed.
Around the time I had made the flower crowns for the Princess and Ellie, it had grumbled slightly as if asking why there wasn't one for itself, so I made a very small flower crown and placed it on Ainsel's head.
It was a visual of a flower placed on a very small mirror, but Ainsel seemed to like it quite a bit. Leaving Ainsel's nagging behind for a moment, I sat blankly and watched the Princess playing with Ellie.
It was nice to see them wearing the flower crowns I had made for them, braiding each other's hair, and making rings with the remaining flowers. At this rate, she wouldn't be scared of me or anything like that.
Now, I just had to avoid topics like funerals or things of that nature so that the Princess wouldn't feel trauma. I closed my eyes as the sleepiness washed over me, listening to the sound of Ellie and the Princess chatting happily.
Just when I thought—would it be okay to take a nap?
Rustle- rustle-
I heard the sound of someone walking toward this place, stepping on the grass of the garden. At that sound, I peeked open just one eye to check who was approaching this place.
An elderly woman with white hair tinged with a pale gray color was walking toward this place with long, striding footsteps. For some reason, she was frowning deeply, as if she were extremely angry.
'That person is...'
"Princess. So you were here."
The elderly woman looked down at the Princess playing in the garden with a cold gaze and let out a terribly long sigh. The long sigh, as if telling me to listen, made my irritation rise for some reason.
The Princess seemed surprised to see the elderly woman and swallowed a hiccup with a hic- sound. At the elderly woman's single word, the Princess's face, which had brightened to the fullest, began to darken again.
"Let us return. It is time to start the lesson."
"Ah, not yet... there is still time until the evening lesson..."
"Princess-"
The elderly woman, who had cut off the Princess's words, called the Princess and let out a long sigh. As if there was no need to listen any further, the elderly woman said firmly.
"Have I not always told you? To become a wonderful person like Her Majesty the Queen, you must possess the vision to see people."
The elderly woman who said that was looking exactly at me. Not as if she were speaking to the Princess, but as if she were speaking while looking at me. I noticed what she meant by saying that and frowned.
'So, you're warning me not to get close to the Princess, right? Right now?'
I knew who that woman was.
Because she was an NPC who appeared as an 'educator' in the game. I knew that she had been the guardian of the First Queen, and I also knew that she had been the 'godmother' of the First Queen.
"Marchioness Lorenzo."
I stood up slowly and approached the front of the Marchioness. We were so close that our noses were almost touching, but neither the Marchioness nor I increased the distance. Because this was a battle of pride for each other.
'Pale white hair and orange eyes. And a gaze as venomous as Vivian's.'
As expected, it is the Marchioness Lorenzo I know.
I crossed my arms, tilted my head, and looked down at the Marchioness. Perhaps she didn't like that appearance, as the Marchioness's eyes sharpened.
Whether she did or not, I looked down at the Marchioness and gave a smirk. I didn't know because I wasn't looking in a mirror, but it was definitely a 'villainess'-like laugh just like the original Vivian.
The Marchioness tilted her head as if she didn't like it and greeted me.
"...I greet Her Majesty the Second Queen."
...I had raised the Princess over 300 times, and except for one time, I had never had the Princess educated by the Marchioness.
The reason was exactly that.
"What is an old woman of the Council of Elders doing appearing in front of me? No, would it be better to say it like this?"
Because a Princess who received education from the Marchioness for a long time was guaranteed a straight path to a 'bad ending.'
All because of the Marchioness's twisted greed.
"What brings the First Queen's dog here?"