I Gave Her a Name
I gave the child a name. It wasn’t a decision that required long deliberation. Even if it was an emotional choice, that was perfectly fine.
“It’s okay to follow me for a while.”
At those few short words, the girl stared up at me with wide, round eyes. Countless emotions flickered through her gaze. A languid silence settled between us beneath the warm sunlight. The child seemed to be staring blankly into space, lost in thought. After a long while, her small mouth opened and closed several times before she finally squeezed out the words.
“………… I-it’s…… dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
I tilted my head at the sudden remark. It didn’t take long to realize she was saying I would be in danger.
“You might get hurt…… because of me……”
“………….”
For a moment, I was speechless. She had told me that in the slums she had always refused other people’s kindness. At first I had assumed it was simply because she feared her identity might be exposed. But was the real reason that she worried about dragging others into harm’s way?
“Everyone……… everyone… because of me……”
This tiny child. This fragile little girl who looked as though she might break at the slightest touch.
“I know the duke’s family situation is a mess. I looked into it beforehand.”
I had no desire to stir up the girl’s painful memories. I cut her off and spoke firmly.
“I can more or less guess the circumstances you’re in. Well… it’s only fragmentary information, of course.”
“…Then……”
“It might be dangerous. But that’s not for a little kid like you to worry about. And for me, it isn’t dangerous at all. That much I can promise.”
“…………”
“If you have nowhere to go, you may follow me. At least until you find a proper place. There will be plenty of inconveniences, but it’s still far better than wandering the streets. I can at least help with that much.”
“………… ”
I waited calmly for her answer. Waiting was no hardship. The reply came sooner than I expected. If she pushed my hand away now, the only choice left to her would be to drift once more without a destination. Being left alone to freeze in a cold winter alley was an experience that should only need to happen once.
“…… T-together……” the girl managed in a voice thick with tears. “Can I…… go with you……?”
“Are you sure that’s all right with you?”
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded.
“…Of course I am. You’ve made a good decision.”
I answered with a gentle smile.
The following afternoon, I boarded the train with the girl. It was still a little early, but I decided it would be better to push ourselves a bit and return home so I could properly help her recover. The measures I could take inside a cramped hotel room had their limits.
“We’re heading to my house first. Think you can manage the journey?”
She nodded twice. Her forehead was still warm. The child, her eyes somewhat dazed from the lingering fever, trailed after me obediently. The moment she sat down in her seat, she slipped into sleep.
The small compartment held only the two of us. Beneath the faint light, a slightly chilly draft circulated. While her body cooled, I must have closed my eyes without realizing it. When I checked my watch, the train had already been running for an hour.
I lightly scolded myself for my carelessness, then confirmed that the girl sitting across from me was still there.
“…………….”
Steady, quiet breaths. Even inside the rattling train she slept as if the world no longer existed. Her peacefully sleeping face was flushed red from the fever, yet of all the expressions I had seen from her so far, this one looked the most at ease. Wrapped in the coat I had draped over her like a blanket, she resembled a lemon wrapped in paper.
I gazed at the girl from across the compartment without any particular thought. Only then did the reality slowly begin to sink in.
I had picked up a child. Much like scooping up a stray cat on the street, I had brought home a girl with nowhere to go. And not just any girl—the future villainess.
It hadn’t exactly been a calculated decision. It couldn’t have been. She had no place to return to, and sending her to an institution was out of the question. At the very least, the option of leaving a young child somewhere in the snow-covered fields beyond the window was something I could not accept.
…Well, I suppose it will work out somehow.
There was nothing more foolish than worrying about the future in advance. Raising one child couldn’t be that difficult. That was what I had thought at the time.
After the train had run for another hour, I recognized the familiar scenery outside the window and rose from my seat to visit the washroom. I would have to move carefully so as not to wake her… I didn’t want to disturb the child who had only just managed to fall asleep from exhaustion.
Creak….
“…………!”
But all my caution was in vain; a single wooden plank let out a rough groan. Oh no. Regret came too late. The noise shattered the quiet. As a result, the girl who had been sleeping so deeply opened her eyes with a start.
“…… Ah, sorry. Did I wake you?”
I smiled wryly and apologized. Our eyes met first. Even though she had just woken up, her gaze was already perfectly clear, as if she had never been asleep at all.
“………….”
“………….”
Her expression seemed more hurried and frightened than startled. The girl shot upright from her seat. What was going on? While I tilted my head in confusion, she hurried over to me without even taking time to brush the hair from her face.
“You can keep sleeping. We still have some time before we arrive.”
“………….”
…She nodded. Yet despite the silent answer, her small palms fidgeted as if she didn’t know what to do. She neither came closer nor moved away. An awkward distance of only a few handspans. Perhaps she still lacked the courage to approach someone as unfamiliar as me. Even my explanation that I was only stepping away for a moment to use the washroom seemed to have no effect. It was as though being left alone filled her with great anxiety.
What bothered me most was that the anxiety in her eyes looked closer to terror.
“………….”
…Terror, huh. It wasn’t urgent enough to make the child anxious like this. Only after I sat down again did the tension finally drain from her shoulders.
Wishing to ease her mood, I asked carefully.
“Did you have a scary dream?”
She shook her head vigorously.
“No? That’s a relief. Tell me if anything’s wrong.”
“…Yes.”
“You must have been tired since morning. You can sleep a little longer.”
“…………… It’s all right.”
A small, thin voice. We had left the city where I met her less than half a day ago. There hadn’t been enough time to build any emotional connection. In truth, she was boarding a train with someone who had been a complete stranger until just moments ago. I couldn’t simply ignore how difficult this must be for her, both mentally and physically.
“The city we’re going to is much larger than the one we left.”
“…… Yes.”
“So it might feel a little chaotic when we arrive. There will be lots of people and carriages, and it can get hectic.”
“………….”
“Close your eyes now and rest while you can.”
“………….”
“It’s okay. I’ll stay right beside you. I won’t go anywhere.”
Instead of answering, the girl gave a small nod. Of course, although she nodded, she never fell back asleep. On the contrary, she kept flinching at my slightest movement, stealing glances to read my mood.
…… I hadn’t done anything particularly guilty, yet a sense of remorse crept over me.
Inside the silence I searched for a way to change the subject.
“…That’s right. First of all, a name. It would be good to think of a new name. Shall we decide before we arrive?”
I was already familiar with the future villainess’s name. But she could not stay here under the identity of the duke’s youngest daughter. She would be safe while in the city, yet there was no telling when or where threats might appear. Preparing at least an alias in advance would be the wise thing to do.
“Let’s see… since it snowed so heavily today……”
My meager imagination could only associate snow with Christmas. Snow… snow… Christmas… cake… chicken… or was it turkey? No. I couldn’t name her Turkey. A name that wouldn’t stand out, yet one the child wouldn’t be disappointed with… Since it might have to be used for the next several years, I couldn’t choose carelessly. At the same time, it couldn’t be a name that would leave a strong impression on people.
…One word finally came to mind.
“…… Eve.”
“……………?”
“How about it? For the time being, shall we go with this name?”
“Eve… E…?”
“Not Eevee. Eve.”
I nearly ended up with an evolution there.
“Ebi… Eevee…? Eve… mm….”
After repeating the name several times, the girl nodded as if she rather liked the new name. It wasn’t a difficult word to pronounce, but the northern accent gave it a distinct stress. For a while she would probably be “Ebi” or “Eevee.”
The girl repeated the name Eve a few more times.
…Fortunately, it seemed she was pleased with it.