Chapter 146
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146
Looking back, Eun-ji had always been snappy with me, but she had never once said that she was struggling or in pain.
Before she met me, she’d never been able to leave the house or meet anyone. That must have been harder for her than anything else, yet she always acted so brave.
She had always shown only a brave and bright side, so much so that I never even noticed.
“Servant? What, are you deaf now?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then why didn’t you answer? Is the princess a joke to you?!”
Her sharp-tongued words. As Dokyun listened, he reached out and placed his hand on her head.
Flinch. Eun-ji’s body trembled.
“Wh-what? Let go, will you?”
A prim, sharp look began to form in her eyes.
‘…How impressive.’
A kid? No way. At this point, wasn’t she more than mature enough?
‘A kid… I was the kid.’
I couldn’t see her for who she really was, my vision blurred by her outward appearance as I judged her however I pleased. If that wasn’t being a kid, what was?
“Servant, do you really want a smack? Must the princess raise her hand to you?”
Her constant grumbling pierced his ears.
Dokyun tuned her out for a moment, then took his hand away and flicked her on the forehead.
Thwack—!
“Ouch!”
“Mind your manners.”
Pfft. Forcing a smile, Dokyun spoke. Eun-ji, her eyes narrowed into a sharp glare, began to huff and puff.
“Wh-what! Did you just hit the princess? Are you crazy?”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Y-y-y-you…”
Eun-ji stuttered, pointing an accusing finger at Dokyun as if she were completely flabbergasted. Dokyun composed himself, put on a smile, and nonchalantly continued.
“If you just stand there, we won’t get to see everything today. The ranch experience is next. Don’t you want to go?”
“Ngh…!”
Eun-ji flinched. She clutched her forehead and glared at Dokyun for a moment before stomping past him.
“The princess has a busy schedule today, so I’ll let it slide this one time! Just you try that again!”
“Oh, thank you ever so much.”
“Grr…!”
As if to show just how angry she was, Eun-ji walked on, her shoulders hunching up and down.
Dokyun followed two steps behind, watching the back of her thoroughly sulking head.
‘…You don’t have to do that.’
You could have just said you were struggling, that you were in pain.
But that foolish little kid was uncharacteristically holding it all in with a mature attitude.
And on top of that…
‘…She’s trying to leave.’
Holding it all in like that, she was trying to say goodbye.
*
Dokyun watched Eun-ji, who was excitedly petting a donkey.
At a glance, she seemed no different than usual, but if you looked closely, you could see moments where her expression sank.
Was it a late realization? Only now could he see that Eun-ji was preparing to leave.
Dokyun felt his insides twist into knots.
His mind was a mess. A dilemma arose.
Should he stop her? Should he ask her not to go, to stay with him just a little longer?
His heart wanted Eun-ji to stay, but he knew that if he acted on that feeling, he would never be able to let them go.
When the time comes to let them go, letting them go is the right thing to do. For Eun-ah’s sake, and for the other personalities’ sakes, that would be right.
His fists clenched tightly.
Dokyun suppressed the heavy feeling in his chest and looked at Eun-ji again.
That uncharacteristically bright kid had decided to leave on her own.
…As the last memory she would take with her as Go Eun-ji, she had chosen this day—what she herself called the Princess’s Day.
Even if he tried to stop her, it would only be a brief reprieve.
Wasn’t she a resolute kid? A stubborn kid who, once she made up her mind, rarely thought of backing down?
Even if he managed to buy a little more time, it would ultimately just make the coming farewell even harder.
The more time they spent together, the more difficult the parting would become.
Perhaps Eun-ji was wiser than him. Perhaps she knew when it was time for her to step back.
Maybe that’s why she was trying to leave without a word.
But.
‘…I hate this.’
Putting everything else aside, he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her go while she just endured everything until the very end, without the life she’d lived as Go Eun-ji ever being understood.
If Eun-ji had to leave, she had to leave having shed all the pain from the time she had lived.
She shouldn’t be leaving because she had to, but because she had finally become truly happy. That was what Dokyun considered a happy ending.
Memories would remain. Longing would remain.
But even so, there should be no regrets.
At the moment of parting, they had to feel they had done their best. They had to be able to send her off with a smile.
So that someday, when they looked back on this moment, it wouldn’t be just sad—today had to be that kind of farewell, one without regrets.
“Kyaa!”
In the distance, he could see Eun-ji shrieking as she was licked by the donkey.
He watched her huff and puff, then look over at him standing still, then glare back at the donkey with a pout.
Watching her, Dokyun wiped a hand over his face to compose his expression and started walking toward her.
If today was the last day, then all he could do was give it his all.
*
I let out a gasp of admiration as I looked at the giraffe.
“Woooow…”
It was huge. No exaggeration, it was so tall you’d need to stack eight of me to even come close.
How could it support that long neck? As I stared at it, my mouth hanging open in wonder, the servant spoke to me.
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
“Well, a little.”
I said, looking at the servant.
He was smiling, but it was somehow quiet, a little subdued. He’d been like this ever since we saw the penguins.
I had a pretty good idea why.
‘…He’s ridiculously sharp.’
Just because of that little slip of the tongue, he’d caught on and had been acting like this ever since. It made me sigh.
‘…This is why I didn’t want to say anything.’
That pathetic servant gets all restless the moment my expression darkens even a little, and that’s why I didn’t want to tell him.
Would it kill him to just have fun all day? Seeing that pathetic face of his just makes my heart soften for no reason.
I suppressed the uncomfortable feeling rising inside me, stood up, and spoke to the servant.
“So, where to next?”
“Uh… the wild grasslands end here. Next is the safari.”
“Safari?”
“Where the beasts of prey are. You know, lions, tigers, that kind of thing.”
Flinch. My body trembled at the words “beasts of prey,” and seeing it, the servant gave a wicked smile.
“Scared?”
“S-scared of what!”
I forced my expression into a firm one and then took the lead, walking ahead.
“Hmph, even beasts of prey are nothing before the princess! Lead the way!”
“You tell me to lead the way, so why are you going first?”
“Ugh…!”
A surge of anger rose in me, and I glared at the servant.
“D-don’t nitpick! How dare you be so rude to the princess!”
“Oh, please.”
The smirking servant took my hand.
“You have to hold on tight.”
I looked down at the servant’s hand covering mine. A big, warm hand. A little rough and calloused, a hand that made my stomach flutter for no reason.
“…Don’t order the princess around.”
The feeling of his large hand completely enveloping mine made me feel awkward, so I blurted out some grumpy words. The servant just gave another one of his ugly smiles and led me on.
His back, walking one step ahead of me, looked twice as big as mine.
It was the back of the servant who put up with everything, even though I was always so snappy.
It was the back of the servant who would find me no matter where I was.
It was the back of a servant who was so kind and so reassuring.
‘…That’s why I wanted to leave quietly.’
Because I felt sorry for always being a burden, and also grateful. Because I was embarrassed that I only ever grumbled at him even though he tried so hard, and because I was too shy to say thank you. That’s why I wanted to leave quietly.
‘Sheesh…’
Now that he’d caught on, I felt like I was going to cry.
*
We boarded the safari’s caged vehicle.
Eun-ji looked at the iron bars attached to the vehicle’s windows and tilted her head.
“Servant, why is this here?”
“Everything from here on out is a beast of prey. It’s a precaution in case they break the windows and eat people.”
Flinch. Eun-ji’s body jolted.
Seeing this, Dokyun felt a mischievous urge and whispered to Eun-ji in a sinister voice.
“Be careful. Even with this, people get eaten every now and then.”
“I-I know you’re joking!”
“Am I?”
Dokyun chuckled, enjoying her reaction.
…Or at least, he tried to make it seem that way.
But perhaps he just had no talent for acting.
Eun-ji, who had been studying his expression, let out a sigh.
“…Servant, fix your face.”
Eun-ji’s head turned toward the window.
“We came out to have fun, didn’t we? The servant is supposed to make the princess happy, so why the long face? You’re bringing the princess down.”
Her gaze was fixed outside the window, so he couldn’t see her expression. But her voice was tinged with an undeniable sadness.
“…Sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then do better.”
She said with a “hmph.”
At that, Dokyun forced a smile, then swallowed hard.
Perhaps Eun-ji knew even better than he did.
That today was the last day she would spend with Dokyun as Go Eun-ji.
And therefore, that they both had to keep smiling.
Dokyun wiped his face with his hand. His face was hot.
“It’s hot in this car.”
“Wimp.”
“Look who’s talking.”
While you’re on the verge of tears yourself.
The way she tried so hard to grumble was both cruel and, in a way, understandable, which made him let out a small laugh.
As the awkward atmosphere lingered, the vehicle started moving.
[Hello, everyone! I'm Tarzan, and I'll be your guide on our safari exploration today~!]
A voice flowed from the speakers on the bus ceiling.
It was a cheerful, enthusiastic voice.
At the sound of the voice, the young children on the bus shouted greetings, and the bus, now filled with a boisterous atmosphere, headed first toward the tiger enclosure.
[Now, do you all see our tiger friend over there on the right? That friend's name is Hodori~!]
Dokyun and Eun-ji’s gazes turned to the right window.
“It’s sleeping.”
They could see a tiger sleeping on its back, its belly completely exposed.
Its huge front paws twitched, its pads wiggling.
“Cute…”
A blush spread across Eun-ji’s face.
Dokyun watched her, thinking how the awkward atmosphere was finally breaking. He let out a small breath before agreeing with her.
“Yeah, it is.”
The tiger’s tongue was peeking out from between its parted teeth.
Seeing it like that, it did seem kind of cute.
While he was thinking that, the bus passed the tiger, stopped by a rock where a white tiger was sitting, and then moved on toward the next section.
[Okay~ the next friend we're going to meet is! A bear friend~!]
In the pond visible outside the window, a bear was swimming.
[Our bear friend over there is swimming in the pond. Everyone~ do you know what that pond's name is?]
Excited voices erupted from all around.
“Bathhouse!” “Bear Water!” “A toilet!”
All sorts of words popped out, and as he was chuckling at them…
[The correct answer is~ Bear Soup! We call this pond Bear Soup~!]
The explanation made the entire vehicle fall silent.
“…That guy is just like you, Servant.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s a boomer.”
At her words, Dokyun glared at Eun-ji, but she just met his gaze with a defiant smirk.
“What.”
“…Forget it. Not worth talking about.”
“Boomer servant.”
When Dokyun just chuckled at her follow-up comment, Eun-ji turned her gaze back to the window and muttered.
“Hmph, you know how to hold back now. You pass.”
“This damn ‘passing’ of yours…”
The way she was always grading him, he felt so honored he could die.
The bus kept moving.
Past the wolves, past the hyenas, and finally, to the lions.
During that time, Eun-ji would stare outside with her mouth agape, or cling to Dokyun in fright when a beast came near the bars. While watching a pride of lions, a question occurred to her.
“Servant, why is that one the only one with lots of fur?”
It was a question asked while looking at the male lion.
“Because it’s the male. Only male lions grow manes.”
“Why is there only one male?”
“Lions have one male per pride.”
A harem-chaser, he wanted to say, but the thought that it was an inappropriate choice of words made him keep his mouth shut.
[Alright, everyone! You can see our lion friends over there.]
The explanation came a beat too late. The employee continued in the same energetic tone as before.
[The male lion friend is getting up. Ah, it looks like he wants to play with the lioness friend next to him….]
In the middle of his explanation, the employee’s words stopped.
Tilting his head at that, Dokyun threw his gaze back toward the lions, only to be startled by the male lion’s behavior and quickly cover Eun-ji’s eyes.
“Huh? What is it? I wanna see too!”
“No, you don’t need to see that.”
Outdoor exhibitionist harem play. That lion was quite bold.