Ch.32Family (4)

I calmly recalled the conversations I’d had with Ms. Sylvia.

In truth, most of our conversations took place during dinner.

And usually, Ms. Sylvia was always the one who did most of the talking.

Unlike me, who had lived my entire life within the Count’s mansion, Ms. Sylvia had traveled to all sorts of places and had far more interesting experiences and stories to share. Above all, she thoroughly enjoyed talking.

At first, Ms. Sylvia spoke hesitantly, stumbling over her words, but as days passed, her descriptions became more vivid and detailed as she began to share increasingly lively stories.

Honestly, there were many times when I forgot I was in the middle of a meal, completely absorbed in her stories.

It seemed she had accumulated quite a lot to say, having gone without a conversation partner for so long.

But no matter how much she enjoyed talking, she was still human—her lips and throat would dry up as she spoke.

Since it was mealtime, she needed to eat as well.

During those moments, I would take my turn to share my stories with her.

Of course, my life didn’t contain events as interesting as hers.

The biggest events in my life would probably be the process that led me to stay by her side now, but that was a terrible tragedy unsuitable for dinner conversation.

Ms. Sylvia herself had also experienced losing all her companions.

We both knew her stories would eventually end in tragedy, but she never uttered a single word about their deaths.

As a result, the only stories I could share with her were trivial moments with my family.

Naturally, I tried to avoid talking about my sister Maria as much as possible.

The fact that I had a sister inevitably came up in conversation, but I would naturally steer the conversation toward stories about my parents or Laila.

My father, who made delicious meals with meat secretly taken from the Count’s storage.

My mother, who would blow on spoonfuls of hot stew to cool it when I was on the verge of tears after burning my lips.

Me as a child, bathing baby Laila.

Laila, who would come to my room with her pillow, crying whenever there was thunder and lightning.

I raised my head and slapped my knee.

“That’s it—those strange things Ms. Sylvia has been doing.”

Ms. Sylvia’s strange behavior that had frightened me these past few days.

Looking back, it’s possible that she was awkwardly imitating the everyday moments with my family that I had described.

Though her sensual figure gave off a strange allure that obscured this, all her actions actually resembled the family members from my memories.

I recalled how she would look oddly dejected whenever I reacted with shock to her behavior.

Somehow, I felt a twinge of guilt toward her.

“…But wait… why?”

Yet questions still remained.

If she was indeed imitating my family, that was quite strange in itself.

Why on earth would Ms. Sylvia want to imitate my mother, father, and Laila?

Was she trying to comfort me for losing my family?

Or did she find the anecdotes about my family that entertaining?

When she was eight, Lady Alice had seen a play in the city and spent several days excitedly imitating it.

It must have been a play about a swordsman, as she ran around for a while waving a wooden stick, swinging it this way and that.

She stopped after breaking a vase in the mansion, earning a severe scolding from the Countess.

Was Ms. Sylvia imitating my family like that?

…

No, but why?

I felt like I was getting closer to the answer, but the fundamental question pushed me away again.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.

In times like these, it might be better to ask directly.

Overthinking alone would only lead to misunderstandings.

I slowly rose from where I was sitting and dusted the dirt off my backside.

It was almost sunset.

Thinking I should start preparing dinner a bit earlier than usual, I hurried my steps.

*

Sylvia finally took out the bow from her back as the sun began to set.

She had left the cabin after lunch, but until now, she had been sitting absentmindedly on a large tree in the forest, lost in thought.

“…Haah.”

Sylvia sighed.

The reason she had spent all day sitting on a branch, deep in thought, was because of Ash.

“Somehow, he seems to dislike it more and more.”

She wasn’t a fool.

She was well aware that Ash had been bewildered by her behavior lately.

Wondering how she could become Ash’s family, Sylvia had decided to imitate his family members as he had described them in his stories.

She had worried that it might reopen the wounds of Ash, who had lost all his family, but she boldly went ahead with it, thinking that unlike her, Ash would surely miss his family since he remembered their warmth.

But the result was Ash’s ambiguous reaction.

Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to be delighted, but she thought he would gradually get used to Sylvia’s behavior.

After all, these were situations he had experienced before.

However, Ash’s reaction was one of shock—at best, discomfort.

“…Ugh, can’t he just notice and understand what I’m doing?”

Truthfully, it was painful for Sylvia too.

Acting domestic in ways she had never done before was awkward,

And after putting on cutesy acts she had never attempted in her life, she felt so humiliated she wanted to tear her blanket to shreds.

Hoping that Ash would stay with her voluntarily, not out of a sense of obligation due to the curse or gratitude to his benefactor,

Sylvia had swallowed her shame and continued this poor imitation of family, driven solely by her desire to become family with Ash.

The problem was Ash’s bewildered expression, as if he couldn’t even tell what Sylvia was trying to do.

Of course, it wasn’t strange that Ash didn’t understand, since Sylvia couldn’t possibly resemble Laila or his parents, but his complete obliviousness made her increasingly anxious that she might be making a terrible mistake.

Today, Ash had even started to avoid her.

Sylvia sighed and drew her bowstring toward a wild goose that had entered her field of vision.

The arrow was beautifully sucked into the goose’s chest.

“…Maybe my approach is wrong.”

This charade was reaching its limit.

No matter how hard she tried, it was pointless if Ash disliked it.

Besides, she was running out of family anecdotes that Ash had shared.

She was running out of normal family behaviors that she knew about.

Her immunity to embarrassment was also wearing thin.

If she was rejected again the next time she said, “I’m scared, let’s sleep together,” she might die of embarrassment on the spot.

She stared blankly at the sky and then ruffled her hair in frustration.

What could she do to make Ash never leave her?

Not through coercive methods like curses, but something that would make him stay by her side of his own will.

The embrace of family that so many adventurers and soldiers had longed to return to.

Sylvia couldn’t think of anything else.

Of course, she knew another way to create a family.

But that method required the condition that the two people must love each other.

There was no point in forcibly violating him.

She didn’t want to force herself on him, and even if she did and bore his child, if Ash didn’t love Sylvia, it would be no different from the curse binding him now.

“Love… hah…”

Somehow making Ash fall in love with her would work, but that seemed even more difficult than this ridiculous family play.

To begin with, she didn’t even know how to make someone fall in love.

Sylvia herself had never loved anyone.

She had wondered if perhaps she loved Ash, but her conclusion was “no.”

Sylvia knew herself well.

If she loved Ash, she would have already pounced on him.

But for some reason, she couldn’t easily imagine making love with Ash.

She could show her naked body if it meant keeping Ash, but just imagining their bodies intertwined made her insides tingle and her body burn unbearably.

Even now, just imagining that scene made her whole body twist with tension.

“…What kind of feeling is this?”

Sylvia muttered, covering her flushed face with her hands.

As she wiped her face and shook her head to clear her mind, she noticed the sun was already setting.

Sylvia jumped down from the tree in one leap.

Picking up the bleeding, dead goose, she slowly turned to head back to the cabin.

The goose was quite heavy.

A goose this size would be enough for both of them.

Of course, she had no excuse if he asked why she only caught one goose after being out all day, but Ash had never complained or commented on her hunting results.

Once, she had tried conventional fishing and spent the whole day without catching a single fish, but even then, Ash hadn’t expressed any dissatisfaction.

Thinking about it again, he really was a kind boy.

Though she had never loved anyone yet, Sylvia hoped that if she ever met someone, it would be a man like him.

She wanted to continue living with Ash.

Someone she wanted to keep living with.

That person, that feeling was exactly what Sylvia had been wondering about, though she hadn’t realized it yet.

Sylvia walked toward the cabin.

She didn’t notice, but her steps grew lighter as she approached the cabin.

Maybe I’ll try the family play a little longer.

The reason Ash was so shocked was probably because her acting wasn’t “family-like” enough.

Of course, her lack of confidence made her awkward, but beyond that, her tone and poses might have seemed off somehow.

Let’s try a different tone today.

An exaggeratedly affectionate tone or adding nasality to sound cute seems counterproductive, so maybe something more straightforward.

Yes, let’s do that.

She was contemplating how to greet Ash when she flung open the door of the cabin she had reached without realizing.

“Ash~ I’m back~”

Ah, that’s not it.

Sylvia lamented the strange tone that had escaped her lips.

“Welcome back, Ms. Sylvia.”

“…Yeah,”

Sylvia lowered her head in embarrassment, then immediately closed her eyes tightly and raised her head.

“I caught a goose today, let’s cook together…”

“…”

“Ash?”

Sylvia stared blankly at Ash.

He was lighting candles on the table.

The table was already set with completed dishes on each plate.

“I’ve already finished preparing dinner by myself today.”

Ash said as he slowly approached Sylvia.

Ah, this disrupts all the lines and acting she had prepared,

Ash gently took Sylvia’s hand, which was frozen in confusion.

“Come quickly. It’ll get cold.”

“Ah… yes, I mean. Good job~ our Ash.”

“…”

Ash slightly furrowed his brow again.

It was the same displeased expression she had seen several times over the past few days.

Without responding, Ash pulled out a chair for Sylvia to sit in, then walked to the opposite side and sat down.

As Sylvia awkwardly took her seat, Ash immediately spoke.

“Let’s talk.”