The Shining Knight (3)
Ewin hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a small, careful voice.
“...Actually, I had an older brother too.”
“...You did?”
“...Yes. He was someone I really... cared for. But when I was eight, I was adopted and had to leave him behind. He didn’t want to go, I heard... Instead, the people who took me started sponsoring the orphanage.”
“Ah...”
Kirsi felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for her. She could relate. Just imagining Caiden leaving her was painful enough. Had this girl named Ewin truly lived through that kind of heartbreak?
Ewin smiled awkwardly and fidgeted with her hands.
“Thanks to that, everyone at the orphanage was able to grow up well... but it still hurt. There were plenty of other older sisters and brothers there, yet none of them could ever replace him.”
“......When you love someone, no one else can take their place.”
“That’s right. That’s why I said I was jealous... If I had grown up with my brother all this time... do you think we would have been as close as you and Caiden-nim?”
“....I’m sure you would have, Ewin. Someone with as kind a heart as yours would get along with anyone.”
Kirsi showed a slightly more mature side of herself.
“....Thank you, Kirsi-nim. Still, I miss him sometimes. I hope he’s doing well wherever he is... Since he left me, and since I suffered so much... I hope he’s at least that happy.”
Kirsi was surprised by Ewin’s strength. She hadn’t expected this kind of resolve from a girl who looked so delicate and the same age as herself.
Once again, without meaning to, Kirsi imagined Caiden in the same situation. If he left her, could she bless him the way Ewin did? Could she wish for his happiness even as much as she hurt? She wasn’t sure.
If he left, setting aside whether she could bless him or not, she knew she would curse the woman who took her place. She could hate the woman who stole her spot for the rest of her life. It was only an imaginary scenario, but if the chance for revenge ever came, she might act without a moment’s hesitation.
Whenever she faced this vicious side of herself, Kirsi was startled at first, yet she quickly grew familiar with the feeling. After all, it was still her heart. Once she dropped the pretense, it was a feeling she could understand.
“....You’re strong, Ewin.”
Kirsi spoke honestly.
“...You’re too kind.”
After that, the conversation died. Given the subject, there wasn’t much more they could say.
“Ah...! The sauce looks like it’s almost done!”
Ewin raised her voice, lifting the heavy atmosphere.
“Now we just need to boil the pasta and it’ll be finished. For your first time, you did amazingly well.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Ewin. I really appreciate it.”
The warm, friendly mood returned and continued on. Kirsi smiled comfortably, then asked Ewin a question.
“Oh, Ewin. For the finishing touches... I want to do them in front of my brother. Would that be okay?”
“Yes, of course. No problem at all.”
“..Then... since the appointed time is coming up... I’ll go bring my brother over.”
“Please do. I’ll keep stirring the sauce so it doesn’t burn.”
Kirsi turned to leave, then hesitated and made a small request.
“Ah... and when my brother comes... could you tell him how hard I worked? Just... mention it...”
Ewin smiled as if Kirsi were adorable, then answered with a bright expression.
“Yes, I will. I watched right beside you the whole time, so I’ll tell him every single detail of how hard you worked.”
Kirsi smiled and left the kitchen.
****
When Kirsi spotted Caiden in the distance, her face bloomed into a wide smile. He was smiling back at her. It wasn’t the stiff expression he had worn lately, but one that felt like he had returned to the past. The reality that they were truly reconciling today finally began to sink in.
It was strange to schedule a reconciliation like this, but Kirsi didn’t care. In the end, as long as they made up, that was all that mattered.
She threw herself toward him, wanting to be held. But once again, Caiden raised his hand to stop her. She felt a little hurt, but she also knew she had been the one pushing ahead. Just as her mood began to sink, Caiden spoke.
“Not yet. If the food tastes bad, I won’t forgive you at all.”
His playful voice rang out. Hearing him, Kirsi felt the hurt in her heart melt away like snow. It seemed his heart had truly softened now. That was why he could joke like this.
What Kirsi hated most was the distance his polite speech created. It made her feel like his heart had grown far away, and that pain had been the worst of all. Of course, she still disliked the formal speech itself... but still. Seeing him tease her like this, so similar to how he used to be, made her feel like their hearts were drawing close again. So she could endure it to some degree.
Even his polite speech no longer stirred the dark, sticky feelings it once had.
“It’ll be delicious. I really worked hard. Want to see my hands?”
Kirsi held out both hands. Caiden frowned, wondering if she had hurt herself, and quickly grabbed her hands. Kirsi was gently startled by the action. If it had been normal times, she would have taken it for granted, but because it had been so long, his concern felt incredibly welcome. At the same time, she felt a little embarrassed.
Thanks to Ewin’s help, her hands weren’t badly injured. Only faint marks were visible if you looked closely. What she had wanted to show him wasn’t that, but her wrinkled, water-soaked fingertips.
“....Did you get hurt?”
When Caiden asked with a serious expression while examining her hands from every angle, Kirsi started to answer but hesitated for a moment. He was still holding her hands. It had been so long. She wanted to stay like this until the warmth from his touch reached her heart.
But she couldn’t remain silent for too long. Before Caiden could think it strange, Kirsi finally answered.
“Ah... no... they just got all wrinkly.”
“Ah.”
Caiden let out a small chuckle and released her hands. Seeing his smile, Kirsi’s own emotions were infected, and she laughed too. After that, she began leading him toward the kitchen.
In her heart, she wanted to link arms with him as they walked, but since he still hadn’t given her full permission, she had to be satisfied with simply staying by his side. Kirsi’s steps toward the kitchen were light. Her heart was growing lighter too. Like shedding burdens one by one, each step she took made the next one even more buoyant. By the time they reached the kitchen, she was on the verge of laughing out loud. She was excited to hear what he would say after eating the food.
Just as she was about to open the wooden door leading into the kitchen, Caiden called out to her.
“Lady Kirsi.”
He still hadn’t dropped the formalities, but she was happy that he was calling her at all, so Kirsi turned to him with a smiling face.
“....I’ve been acting rather childish lately, haven’t I?”
The moment she heard those words, Kirsi’s throat tightened. She wondered if tears could rise again this quickly. That was how much it had hurt, and how happy she was that he was signaling the end of it all. They were finally reconciling.
“....No... brother... it was my fault.”
“...It’s alright. From now on, we just need to do well by each other. I’m sorry for making you feel hurt. As you probably know... it was all an act. Not even for a single moment did I ever hate you.”
“Hic...”
Kirsi nodded. Hearing those words from his own mouth filled her with happiness. Tears of joy kept flowing. She was glad she could shake off all the hurt starting from this very moment.
“...I’ll do better from now on too.”
Kirsi reached out with both arms. She wanted to embrace him. But Caiden smiled and said,
“I told you. If the food tastes bad, I won’t let it slide.”
At his teasing, even Kirsi—who had been crying—burst into laughter again. It seemed Caiden was preparing a clean ending. Rather than loosening up the moment they reconciled, he appeared to have set a precise endpoint and planned to let everything go only after that. So Kirsi had no choice but to follow his lead.
She wiped away her tears, smiled, and opened the kitchen door. A savory aroma wafted out.
“...Brother. I’ve prepared almost everything. I wanted to show you the finishing touches... I haven’t done them yet. Just watch me for a bit. I’ll show you how well I can do.”
“........”
But from the moment the door opened, it was as if all sound in the world had vanished. Everything grew quiet. Kirsi looked straight ahead. Ewin was staring at them with a dazed expression. It was different from what she had expected—Ewin was supposed to greet them warmly and politely.
When Kirsi felt a flicker of confusion, Ewin’s face crumpled, and she asked in a voice thick with tears.
“......Oppa?”
“....Huh?”
Kirsi doubted her ears. But from behind her, a cool breeze brushed past as Caiden moved forward, passing her by. Everything suddenly seemed to play out in slow motion.
Caiden sprinted forward and shouted.
‘Ewin.’
He had never been told her name, yet he was already calling the kitchen girl. Caiden’s arms spread wide. The arms that had remained closed no matter how much Kirsi had begged these past few days, the arms that had stayed shut even right before entering the kitchen. And into that gap, Ewin ran.
The two embraced fiercely. Ewin wrapped her arms around his back with all her strength, while Caiden held her waist and head tightly.
“Oppa!!”
Ewin cried out. For a moment, Kirsi felt as if her place had been stolen. The place of a younger sister. Because to her eyes, the two of them looked exactly like a real family.
A word suddenly came to mind. Orphan. All the puzzle pieces were falling into place. Kirsi felt her once-excited heart sink back down, thick and sticky, in the face of this unbelievable scene.