116. At That Time, Vivian Was (1)
116. At That Time, Vivian Was (1)
[Episode 116] - At That Moment, Vivian (1)
Time goes back to three months before Titania graduates from the academy.
Back to the day Vivian leaves the royal castle.
"Long time no see, Vivian."
"Long time no see, Fran."
I smiled and looked at Fran, who had popped out of the closet. How is she exactly the same as the last time I saw her? Fran looked completely unchanged since then.
Silver hair that looked like it had been finely drawn and crafted from silver, and blue eyes as clear as a crisp autumn sky. Her short stature and the maid outfit that exuded stubbornness. Truly, Fran was still the same.
"You're an artificial human, so you don't age?"
"Didn't you know? Artificial humans are naturally immortal."
"What? Really?"
Is it because she's an artificial human that she doesn't age or die? Is this the artificial human Frankenstein? As I stared at Fran, completely taken aback, Fran elegantly and naturally raised her arm—
And held up two fingers in a V-sign towards me.
"It's a Fran Joke."
"...You really haven't changed."
As I let out a dry laugh, finding it absurd, Fran lifted the corners of her mouth slightly. Then, Fran turned her head to scan the room and tilted her head as she asked me.
"Come to think of it, why are you alone? I don't see Princess Titania or Ainsel."
"Ah, that's..."
I pulled out a chair nearby and offered Fran a seat. Once Fran sat down, I sat facing her, resting my chin on my hand, and fell into thought for a moment. I had to summarize everything that had happened so far.
"A lot has happened while you were gone. First of all..."
I started to tell her everything, starting from the day of Titania's seventh birthday, after I parted ways with Fran, up until now. Excluding the story of Veronica, briefly.
The story of the promise made with the Queen Dowager and the ministers, the story of Titania's puberty, the story of Titania's academy days, and the story that I have to leave the royal castle now, just before Titania graduates.
While I was telling the old stories, Fran listened quietly without any reaction. Should I say this part is still like an artificial human? Since there was no reaction, I felt uneasy for some reason.
"...That's how it happened. I have to leave the royal castle today, as promised to the Queen Dowager and the ministers."
When I finished my story, Fran paused for a moment, then nodded. Since there was so little change in her expression, I wondered if she had understood, but Fran answered confidently.
"I see. I have understood everything."
"Really...?"
"Yes, I also know why you called for me."
Fran placed a hand on her chest and answered confidently.
"I will arrange a job for you after you leave the royal castle. Isn't that why you called me? I will help you to the best of my ability."
"Huh? Uh... T-that's not it... No, wait, is it?"
The reason I called Fran wasn't specifically because I wanted a job or anything like that. I did need a job to make a living in the future, but I had absolutely no intention of getting a job recommendation from Fran.
I had just thought I'd mooch off Fran's place and look for a job nearby. Ignoring my confusion, Fran nodded and continued.
"Fortunately, I know a Coven's Witch who is looking for someone to work for her. She is not too far from here, so that witch will surely be able to help you."
"Not far from here?"
Just as I wondered if there was another Coven's Witch nearby, one memory came to mind. The witch who appears in the 'other fairy tale' that helps 'Snow White' just once in the original work.
And the witch who lives avoiding people not far from the forest where the hunting competition was held. The two witches were the same person. Could the witch Fran is talking about be...
As I frowned puck! and looked at Fran, she nodded as if to confirm that she was the person I was thinking of. Ah, seriously, that witch is a bit...
"No, I really don't want to..."
"However, this is the only thing I can do for you. You might have intended to mooch off me, but the place where I live is unsuitable for humans."
Come to think of it, Fran had said that no humans lived where she lived. Moreover, Fran was a witch with the special profession of 'Fairy Doctor'. There must be tons of injured fairies around Fran, and to make matters worse, most of the fairies hated 'Vivian'.
If I were to live in a place with many injured fairies, where fairies hated me, it would definitely be a nuisance to Fran and the injured fairies. Should I call myself stupid for only realizing this now? I couldn't help but feel a little dejected.
'......For now, should I at least go and see?'
I let out a deep sigh and nodded, having no choice. Anyway, it was meaningless to worry about the original work or whatever now. Maybe that witch's personality had changed a little, unlike the original work.
When the conversation ended, Fran stood up and held out her hand to me.
"Then, I will consider it settled."
"...Yeah, let's do that."
Thinking that there was no point in worrying about this any further, I stood up and took the hand Fran offered. The moment I thought I was ready to leave—
"You will feel dizzy. I recommend you close your eyes."
"What?"
The world flipped upside down.
Truly, it literally flipped upside down.
My vision started spinning like water flowing down a drain, and a maddening urge to vomit surged up. As I squeezed my eyes shut against the dizziness, I felt the ground disappearing beneath my feet, so I sat down on the spot without realizing it.
The moment I wondered when this disgusting feeling would end, Fran's voice was heard.
"We have arrived."
"...? What? Ugh."
As soon as I opened my eyes, enduring the dizziness, the nausea I had been holding back surged up, and I spat out the thin saliva that had pooled in my mouth. Thinking it was fortunate that I hadn't actually thrown up, I lifted my head to look around, and it was the middle of a forest I had never seen before.
Fran patted my back as if asking if I was okay and continued.
"If you go straight this way, you will find that witch's house."
"No, that's not it, ugh..."
"? If you are worried about your luggage, I have packed the luggage that was on the bed. Is this not it?"
"Ah, no, that's really not it..."
I gasped for breath from the nausea and let out a sigh. Seriously, it was magic that made me feel so nauseous it was hard to even speak. Does Fran come and go from the royal castle like this every time? No, more than that, right now...
I looked up at Fran and teared up.
"How could you just make us disappear from the room... You should have at least left through the main gate of the royal palace... I'm already going crazy because of the rumors about me being a witch..."
"Ah. I did not think of that. That is a Fran mistake."
I eventually collapsed and lay down on the spot. Watching me lying on the dirt road, Fran thought for a moment, then answered me as if a brilliant idea had occurred to her.
"Would you like to go back?"
"...Just leave a letter for me. I'd rather die than go through this twice."
"Understood."
*
Some time passed after that—
The royal castle was turned upside down after discovering the letter from Vivian that Fran had moved.
She left the royal castle while avoiding people's eyes? How? Was the Queen really a witch? Because of the maids' loose lips, the rumors spread as fast as a wildfire. But—
"I personally escorted the Queen out, so stop talking nonsense and get back to work. She said she wanted to leave without others knowing, so she left while avoiding people's gazes."
""O-oh, I see! W-we apologize!""
The rumor was quickly extinguished by Vin Chaud.
Vin Chaud was also surprised by Vivian's sudden disappearance at first, but worried that the rumors would tarnish Vivian's reputation if things continued like this, he decided to lie to everyone.
Vin Chaud let out a sigh and looked at the letter Vivian had left behind. At the letter with her name written on it, along with a short greeting thanking him for everything, Vin Chaud quietly gave a bitter smile.
'Yeah, so what if the Queen is a witch.'
The Vivian he had seen with his own eyes for over a decade was too simple and naive to be called a witch. Even if such a person were really a witch, she wouldn't be such a bad witch.
Vin Chaud chuckled, folded the letter neatly, and put it in his pocket.
*
30 minutes of walking along the forest path following Fran.
I let out an exhausted breath and asked Fran, panting.
"Haa, haa...! Is it not yet...?!"
"We will be there in a little while."
"No, you said a little while 10 minutes ago...!"
"It is truly, truly, truly, a little while. Besides, it was not 10 minutes ago, but 5 minutes ago. Vivian."
I realized my rock-bottom stamina during this rare mountain hike. After enjoying a luxurious life in the royal castle for over a decade, my stamina was lacking, way too lacking. To think I was panting after walking on a mountain path for only a few minutes.
Had we walked for a few more minutes like that? Just before my vision turned stark white, a sweet smell brushed past the tip of my nose. It wasn't a sweet smell from nature. An artificial sweetness like the smell of butter or sugar.
"We have arrived. That place is where the Coven's Witch lives—"
The place Fran pointed to was something I knew about, but it was hard to believe even seeing it with my own eyes. It was such a bizarre sight that I wondered if not even a single bug would swarm such a house.
A house with a design that looked like it had popped out of a fairy tale. The roof was a cracker coated in chocolate, the windows were decorated with cookies, and the doorknob was a candy. I looked at the appearance of the house and smiled bitterly.
"It's a Candy House."