Chapter 157: The Story the Music Box Tells (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: The Story the Music Box Tells (2)
Once upon a time.
In an age when the world was blanketed in snow, yet flowers still remembered to bloom. In the far north lay the Frisian Kingdom.
A Winter Kingdom of white, snow-covered roofs and rivers as clear as ice, where at night, the aurora painted the sky.
The cold made survival difficult, but it also forged a powerful unity among the people.
The people banded together in the cold. From small villages to grand fortresses, from commoners to nobles, the people of the kingdom lived by helping one another.
Every morning, children’s laughter echoed through the snow-covered streets as they ran and played, while the adults watched on, sharing warm conversations.
When evening came, a gentle, crimson light spilled from every window, softly illuminating the streets, and the fragrant aroma of soup wafted through the entire city.
If anyone was found shivering in the cold with nowhere to go, people would rush to guide them to shelter and share their warmth.
Even when deep night fell and snow began to drift down, no one paid it any mind, for their hearts remained warm even in the cold winter nights.
It was a place that, though certainly cold and lonely, held a faint warmth within its winter—a kingdom straight out of a fairy tale.
While it was true that the people of Frisian knew how to share their warmth, all of this was made possible by the parents who watched over them.
King Edrion and Queen Rasie.
They were far from the kind of monarchs who simply sat on their thrones and issued commands. They cared for their people like a father, and when their people struggled, they embraced them like a mother opening her arms.
To their subjects, they were like parents, always instilling hope and courage.
And here, there was a young princess.
She was beautiful.
She was adorable.
“And she was an incredibly lovely princess. The loveliest in the world.”
“Huh?”
The story from the music box, as told by Karami.
Perka had complained about him only telling it to Azyeth, so they had all gathered in the living room to listen.
Just as they were getting absorbed in the story, Karami’s tone suddenly shifted, and a confused Perka let out a reflexive sound of question.
Thorvar and Azyeth seemed to feel the same way, blinking in silence. Karami cleared his throat, embarrassed.
“Ah. Sorry. I got a little excited. Ahem, I'll continue.”
The Snow Princess, who brought love to the kingdom, was as if sculpted from snow and born of winter itself.
She was expressionless and spoke little, but like a beloved totem, her mere presence was enough to bring a wide smile to everyone’s faces.
The people nodded in agreement, certain that when the princess grew up, she would become the most beautiful woman in the world, and that any man who wished to marry her would need the unanimous approval of the entire populace.
The princess had shown promise since she was a baby.
She was the kingdom’s treasure, raised by all its people—that would be no exaggeration.
But the people had one great worry.
“The princess never smiles.”
“I know. She would be even more beautiful if she did.”
“Is that all? My daughter, who works at the palace, says she’s never even heard her voice.”
The princess was bereft of emotion.
No one had ever heard her voice.
Her nannies and maids tried desperately to coax a sound from her, shaking toys and pleading, but the princess’s lips remained sealed.
She didn't even cry, let alone speak, which made them wonder if she was ill.
“She is in perfect health. She simply does not speak.”
When the royal physician said this, the people’s worries only deepened.
It got so bad that rumors began to circulate as if they were fact, suggesting she wasn't a person but a doll. Each time, the king could only let out a deep sigh.
Should I hit her to force her to cry?
But he couldn't bring himself to do it. If the princess was beautiful in the eyes of his people, how much more so was she to her own father? She was the apple of his eye.
All he could do was sigh.
Then, the queen spoke.
“Please stop sighing. The princess will hear you.”
“But, my queen, the princess is four this year. I have yet to hear her call me 'Father,' let alone have a conversation. Are you not worried?”
“What is there to worry about? Perhaps she simply has nothing she wishes to say yet. If we wait, she will surely let us hear her voice, so please do not be impatient.”
“…Sometimes, my queen, I think you are too optimistic.”
“It's best to look on the bright side. You think so too, don't you, Princess?”
The princess did not respond. Her expression was unreadable, and she was too busy fighting the drowsiness pressing down on her eyelids.
Her head bobbed, as if she would fall into dreamland the moment she closed her eyes.
The queen let out a shallow sigh tinged with helplessness.
“Oh, dear. You slept during the day, and you're sleepy again? How many hours a day do you sleep?”
“They say that beauty needs her sleep. It wouldn't be strange for our princess to sleep all day.”
“It seems we are both optimists, Your Majesty.”
“Ahem. It's only natural when one has such a lovely daughter.”
The queen gave a small laugh, as if to say the doting king was hopeless, and lifted the princess into her arms. Though usually quiet, when the princess was sleepy, she would fuss just like any other child.
Perhaps even more so.
But the queen was an expert at handling her. Holding the princess in her arms, she began to pat her back and sing a lullaby.
Snowflakes drift down to embrace you
Moonlight softly comes to hold you
Follow the starlight to find sweet dreams
Rest in love and peacefully sleep
Sleep well, my baby
My beloved baby
You are the world's prettiest snowflake
A flower of love, blooming in winter
By the time the beautiful lullaby ended, the princess was already lost in dreamland, nestled in the queen's arms.
The king gave a wry smile at the sight of her, dead to the world. He found it amazing how well she could sleep.
Of course, while it was a pleasant sight, a part of him was still worried.
“The princess is growing up. Shouldn't we start having her sleep alone? We can't put her to sleep forever, can we?”
“That's true, but the princess won't fall asleep without a lullaby…”
For someone who loved to sleep, the princess would fight it with all her might until she heard her lullaby. The king groaned at the thought of this exhausting trait and pondered.
How could they get the princess to sleep without the queen?
His thoughts didn't wander for long. An idea soon lit up in his mind.
“What about creating a device that holds the song? With that, the princess should be able to fall asleep on her own.”
“That's a brilliant idea. And someday, when the princess is grown and no longer needs a lullaby, it will become a treasured memento.”
The king and queen both agreed.
It would surely be a wonderful gift for the princess.
Ting-a-ling~ Ting-a-ling~
A gentle melody flowed.
As the wound-up spring unwound, the snowflake decorating the music box began to turn.
And onto it, drip, drip, fell clear droplets.
Tears falling from the doll's eyes.
She still had no emotions, no memories, but for some reason, the doll wept endlessly.
The tears that streamed down her snow-white cheeks were hot, and the feeling that pierced her heart like a nail was sadness.
*
We left so Azyeth could be alone.
Perka, who had been beaming at the thought of hearing an interesting story, was now sniffling. She might act tough like a man on the outside, but Perka was, after all, a sensitive woman.
It seemed Azyeth’s tears had resonated with her.
Thorvar, on the other hand, was a man of reason rather than emotion, but even for him, the sight of the emotionless Azyeth shedding tears must have been a novel experience.
Still, he seemed to be pondering something with a serious gaze before he finally spoke.
“That fairy tale just now. Did you make it up?”
“I did not.”
“…”
“No, really, I didn't.”
Why wouldn't he believe me when I said I didn't?
So suspicious.
What did I do wrong?
“Why do you ask?”
“Because your story sounds exactly like the princess's story. Is it about her?”
“Huh? Is that right? You mean she was a real princess? The princess from the fairy tale was her?”
“Well, I don't know the full story myself. I just told the tale from the music box. I never imagined Miss Azyeth would cry.”
A song has the power to forcibly drag out deeply buried memories, even if a long time has passed, even from early childhood, the moment one hears the melody.
Even if you can't remember the lyrics, you find yourself humming along unconsciously.
In other words, the music box containing the lullaby Queen Rasie sang to a young Azyeth was a device meant to stimulate her in various ways.
Faint nostalgia is bound to stir both memories and emotions at the same time.
That's why, although I planned to stimulate Azyeth's sensibilities, I hadn't expected her to cry. Well, in any case, the result was better than I'd anticipated.
But it's not over yet.
If you plunge someone into cold water, you have to follow it with warm water.
Now that I've made her feel sadness, it's time to make her feel the opposite.
A winter miracle to melt her frozen heart.
Christmas is coming.