Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: A Puddle and a Piggyback Ride
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"Arban, why are you hiding all by yourself?"
"I wasn't hiding."
"Then what were you doing?"
I trotted along behind Arban as he walked deeper into the garden.
Though he seemed annoyed, once we were in a more overgrown area, he would occasionally glance back to make sure I was still following.
A smile crept onto my face at the way he pretended not to care. *Maybe he doesn't hate me after all. I thought he would after our big fight.*
"Hey! There's a rock there."
"Okay. I dodged it!"
"What are you smiling about?"
When I giggled, Arban flinched and quickly turned his head away. Then he began clearing away all the tangled vines that made the path difficult to walk on.
Although it was called a greenhouse garden, the deeper parts seemed to have been cultivated to some degree to accommodate the creatures living there.
It was a little hard to walk, but thanks to Arban's attentiveness, I had no trouble keeping up.
Once again, I scurried down the path he had cleared for me.
"I like Arban!"
"W-What are you saying!"
Arban's face turned beet red as he quickened his pace and led the way. The tips of his ears, peeking through his curly black hair, were flushed.
"Then do you hate Aileen?"
"Of course I do! You dummy."
*Hmph. Does he really hate me?*
My shoulders slumped in disappointment.
As I diligently followed behind him with my chubby feet, a drop of water splashed onto my sandal.
"Huh?"
I quickly called out to Arban.
"Arban!"
"What."
"Lookie here!"
*I'm about to show you something super amazing! You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't look!*
As I made a huge fuss, Arban reluctantly turned back, showing a flicker of interest.
"What is it?"
"Watch Aileen carefully!"
I pointed to a puddle formed from watering the garden. Then, I leaped over it with a little hop.
Arban's expression, having watched the entire spectacle, turned to one of utter bewilderment.
He looked like he couldn't figure out at what point he was supposed to react, or how.
"Aileen can cross puddles now! Isn't that cool?"
My spirits, which had sunk, soared once more after my magnificent leap. An uncontrollable smile spread across my face. I cupped my cheeks, basking in my joy, when Arban snorted.
"Crossing one little puddle isn't cool."
"Aileen is amazing!"
"You can just walk around something like that, you dummy."
"...Aileen's not a dummy. Arban, you don't know anything."
*You're not a bird, so you don't know anything!*
My lip jutted out, hurt that Arban didn't understand what I was feeling.
I was so happy that I no longer had to be afraid of falling into puddles and could easily avoid rocks that blocked my path.
I didn't have to wander nervously through fields anymore, worried I might get lost like before.
All of this was possible because I had humanized.
As I pressed my lips together, Arban grew flustered and didn't know what to do.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's fine. Aileen is mad now!"
*Stomp, stomp, stomp!*
I stomped my feet loudly and marched past Arban. I could sense him scrambling to follow behind me.
I pretended not to notice and kept walking straight ahead, but then I saw a tall, red flower swaying to one side.
"Oh?"
It was the nameless flower I had seen with Rosaria. The flower that had once seemed to tower high in the sky was now smaller than me.
As I gently patted the flower, feeling pleased, Arban, who had been staring at me, spoke hesitantly.
"That's smaller than you."
"That's right. It's smaller than Aileen!"
"Hey, this is smaller than you, too."
"It really is smaller than me!"
The corners of my mouth, which had been firmly set, began to curve upwards. If I got any happier, my tail might just pop out.
"Big Brother Arban."
"W-What?"
Arban jumped back in surprise. When I looked at him quizzically, he cleared his throat with a "ahem" and straightened his posture. Then he asked again.
"What did you call me?"
"Big Brother Arban."
*Does he not like being called that?*
As my voice trailed off, Arban's lips twitched as if he were trying to suppress a smile.
He crossed his arms in a haughty manner and lifted his chin.
"Hmph. If you insist on calling me that, I suppose I'll allow it."
"You don't hate Aileen?"
"That depends on how you behave."
Arban looked up at the glass-paneled sky. The sun was already beginning to set. *I'm sure we came out in the morning. Time's gone by so fast.*
"Let's go now."
"Where are we going?"
"Where do you think? Class is over, so we're going back. You'll get an earful from Rosaria if you're back late, won't you?"
*So Arban was skipping class? He said he wasn't hiding, but it looks like he was hiding from his teacher.*
As I blinked up at him, Arban ruffled his hair.
"Anyway, do whatever you want. I'm leaving!"
"Let's go together!"
The surroundings felt unfamiliar, as if we had ventured deep into the garden.
*When did we come all this way?*
I hadn't realized, having only watched Arban's back. Afraid of losing him as he walked off quickly, I called out in a panic.
"Big Brother Arban!"
He paused.
"Big Brother!"
"Why do you keep calling me?"
"Take Aileen with you... Aileen is scared..."
As it grew dark outside, the garden was dimming as well. If I got lost here, I'd be stuck until morning.
*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.*
"Hold my hand."
"Why should I!"
*Sniffle!*
My calves were aching. It was from walking for so long. My face crumpled, worried that Arban would just leave me behind. *What if he leaves because I've been bothering him?* A sudden fear gripped me, and my eyes grew hot.
"W-Why are you suddenly acting like this?"
"Aileen's tired. Carry me."
"Your legs hurt from just that little bit of walking?!"
Arban grumbled, then turned his back and crouched down. I stood there dumbly, not understanding what he wanted, until he prompted me.
"Get on."
"...But Aileen is big and heavy now."
"Yeah, right. Just get on, quick."
I hesitantly climbed onto his back. As I carefully got on, wrapping my arms snugly around his neck from behind, my view shot upwards with surprising ease.
"Wow. Arban's the best."
"Hmph. Someone like you is no problem."
"You're so cool!"
"...Cool?"
"Yep! Arban is the coolest person in the whole wide world!"
"You think I'd be happy just because someone like you called me cool?"
Arban cleared his throat and started walking back the way we came. I puffed out my cheeks.
"But Aileen means it."
"...Do you really think I'm cool?"
"Yep! Like a prince on a white horse!"
*Oh? Arban's ears are red again!*
He wasn't upset after all. He doesn't hate me.
I swung my legs excitedly. When we get back, I'm going to brag to Rosaria about how Arban gave me a piggyback ride today.
***
The southern borderlands, where the Astrofel family reigned supreme.
Atop the castle known as the Black Ramparts, a man with dark blue hair gazed out listlessly.
It was because the border had been far too quiet recently.
With the upcoming banquet, the clans sharing the border were tiptoeing around each other, excessively cautious not to stir up any trouble.
"How boring."
*It's a problem if it's always like this. I wish someone would just pick a fight.*
The man murmured his hopeless wish, one that would never come true.
It felt as though he would do anything to escape his tedious daily life.
Of course, if he could avoid an encounter with the person whose presence he felt below, he would choose to stay meekly cooped up in his room.
The man's face twisted in annoyance.
"A man with not an ounce of courtesy."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the door burst open.
"Karma!"
"What is it?"
The man called Karma asked, his tone practiced.
Living on the border, he had grown accustomed to his private space being invaded.
As Karma showed his displeasure at having his alone time interrupted, the intruder grinned.
*Black Mambas are supposed to value their personal territory. That one must be a mutant.*
He shot an irritated glare, but the uninvited guest, Paymon, ignored it with his usual flair.
"An order came down from the family."
"...An order?"
"We're to return to the estate in time for the banquet."
Return.
It was a unilateral command to return from the Gaju.
The seal belonged to Baon, the family's second-in-command, but he always acted on the Gaju's word.
"Did something happen at the estate? I don't recall this ever happening before."
It was a mystery why Kaide, who always kept the border forces at maximum strength, would suddenly order their return.
Karma and the other 'gatekeepers' were a separate unit from the clans stationed at the border, but never before had they been ordered to move so suddenly and without warning.
"No, it's not that something happened. Ah, or maybe it is?"
Paymon handed over the letter he was holding.
"The directive is to escort the Young Lady."
"The Young Lady?"
"You didn't know? There's a new Young Lady in the family."
*What is he talking about? Since when?*
Karma's brow furrowed at the news he was hearing for the first time.