episode_0008

[Episode 8] – Hoping to Become Close (Part 1)

The strong sunlight made the princess furrow her brow even when her eyes were closed, as she could still feel the light through her eyelids. Due to the intense sunlight, her face grew warm, and tiny beads of sweat began to form on her fair forehead.

Grumble.

The drowsy princess didn’t want to move, but she realized that if she didn’t gradually escape into the shade, her face would turn as red as a ripe apple due to the scorching sun.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of footsteps on the grass tickled the princess’s ears. Lost in drowsiness, she had no interest in who was approaching her.

At this moment, the relentless sunlight was so uncomfortable that it hurt her eyes, making it unbearable. As the princess groaned and tried to rise to seek shelter in the shade, something fell onto the grass with a thud, blocking the glaring sunlight.

As the tormenting sunlight was shielded, the cool summer breeze pleasantly cooled the sweat on her forehead.

Feeling so good, the deeply furrowed brow of the princess gradually relaxed. Despite wanting to succumb to the pleasant breeze and drift off to sleep, for some reason, she felt a strong presence right beside her.

Somehow, she could sense a piercing gaze fixed on her.

Who could it be?

With eyes squinting from drowsiness, the princess stared at the person who was looking at her. Her vision was hazy and unclear due to her half-closed eyes.

She could only vaguely discern that the person before her was a woman. A woman with long hair, slender fingers, sitting and smiling at her.

“Could it be…?”

How could my nanny be here?

Finally, seeing her nanny after such a long time brought a soft smile to the princess’s lips. Eager to open her eyes properly to get a good look at her nanny’s face, just then—

“Elli? The princess’s maid—”

It wasn’t her nanny’s voice.

In an instant, the princess’s eyes widened.

Turning her head to where the sound was coming from, the princess felt her heart sink. With a chilling sensation running through her body, her heart suddenly began to thud heavily.

“Uh, uh…?”

Her eyes shook as if there had been an earthquake, so startled that she couldn’t even scream. All she could see now were the golden hair, looking yellow in the sunlight, and the deep green eyes appearing darker in the shade.

It felt so terrifying that she felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.

*

As the princess gazed at Vivian’s face, memories of the funeral home came flooding back. She had detested the idea of attending, hearing that the dreadful woman had died and since her stepmother wouldn’t attend, she was expected to go in her place.

“Why should I…”

The princess, with lips twisted in disdain, kicked her foot against an untouched chair. A maid, dressed in funeral attire, gave a bitter smile and consoled the princess.

In the first place, she had barely met the second queen, who supposedly drowned in the lake, not more than a handful of times. For some reason, the second queen had disliked her. So the princess had no intention of meeting her. The only memories she had of the second queen were of insults and slander.

So even when she heard that the second queen had died, the princess was slightly surprised but not saddened. After all, it was someone who had insulted her. Her emotions were more along the lines of pity and indifference.

With such indifferent feelings, the princess entered the funeral home and slowly made her way towards the second queen’s coffin. A maid explained that she just had to lay the white lilies on the coffin and leave.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the princess slowly approached the coffin. Following the maid’s instructions, she placed the flowers and was about to leave when…

“Ahem! Cough!”

Placing her hand in the vase to set down the flower, the second queen, who seemed motionless, suddenly opened her bloodshot eyes and looked up at herself. Water gushed from her lifeless lips.

“Ugh, ugh! Cough! Cough!”

Scratching her chest and neck with her nails as if in agony, the second queen abruptly rose from her seat and began to vomit in front of her. The red-tinged watery substance splashed onto the floor.

“Ugh, ugh…”

The princess’s legs trembled. It was a terrifying sight, reminiscent of the frightening ghosts and monsters that maidservants used to talk about, crawling up from their graves to torment people.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.’

Up to this point, the princess had maintained some degree of composure. Even in a situation where all the adults fled, leaving her behind, she stood resolutely in front of the vase, her legs trembling.

As she tried to calm her trembling legs and heart by controlling her breathing, the second queen, writhing in pain, brushed past the princess’s wrist with a flick of her hand.

“Gasp-”

Sensations traveled up the princess’s spine through her corpse-like cold skin, releasing the tenuous grip she had on her composure due to fear.

That was the princess’s final memory of that day.

*

“Ack!! Aaack!!”

“It’s… it’s okay..! Your Majesty, the queen has no intention of harming you..!”

“Ack!!”

I could do nothing but watch the princess cry uncontrollably from behind the tree. I couldn’t get any closer; even a single step would make her wail even louder.

All I could do was create distance to help the princess cry a little less. I never thought she would be so terrified of Vivian…

Ella was trying her best to console the princess, but…

With Ella circling left around the tree and the princess circling right to avoid her, they couldn’t meet. They were spinning around the tree so much that it made me dizzy.

“I never knew the princess would dislike Vivian this much…”

– It’s not just dislike, she’s actually scared. She must have seen her at a funeral home…

“…Is that so.”

Upon hearing Eincel’s story, the image of a funeral home came to mind. Come to think of it, when I woke up, the princess was right in front of me…? If she saw me like that, it’s natural for her to be scared.

I had intended to keep my distance from the princess from the start, but I hadn’t planned on creating distance like this. Even if she becomes scared of me and we grow apart, it doesn’t bother me at all…

“Get away!! Ahh!!!”

“P-Princess… but there’s blood on your hand..! Let me at least treat the wound..! Please..?”

“Ahh!!!!!!”

I started worrying that this might leave a lasting trauma. They say childhood traumas are hard to fix even as an adult…

I didn’t want to see the princess being scared of me even when she became an adult.

“…At the very least, I should stop her from crying.”

– What? How? Even if I get a little closer, the princess keeps screaming like that…

“There are ways.”

I lowered my head, plucked a small wildflower, and tucked it onto my finger. I learned it as a hobby a long time ago, but does it still work now? I approached the princess until she stopped screaming and met her gaze.

The princess, realizing I had come close, tensed up and hid behind a tree. She glared at me as if threatening to burst into tears if I got any closer.

Regardless, I took out the flower I had just picked from the sleeve of my dress. The princess was silent, and feeling ready to proceed, I smiled lightly.

“Here, take a good look at this.”

I tightly grasped the flower in my right hand, the one the princess was looking at. Then I turned my hand over, showing her the back of it, and tapped it with my left hand.

“Princess? Where could the flower be?”

“……”

Feeling puzzled by the princess’s silence, I turned to Ellie and asked. Ellie seemed curious, looking at me as if wondering.

“…Ellie? Where do you think the flower might be?”

“Um… on the left…?”

Eli giggled and pointed to her left hand. Perhaps she thought so because she saw me pretending to clap my left hand earlier. Chuckling, I reached out my left hand in front of Eli and pretended to blow on it, then opened my hand. However, there was nothing in my hand, not even a flower.

“Huh? So the right hand still…”

I did the same with my right hand, blowing on it in front of Eli. Yet, there was no flower in my right hand either.

“Wow!”

Eli looked amazed as she peered at my palm. Observing her reaction, I glanced briefly at the princess. She had slyly extended her upper body next to the tree and was gazing at me with an intrigued expression.

“Where did the flower go?”

“Take a good look, see where it is.”

Finally, I reached behind Eli’s ear with my right hand and pulled out the flower that I had tucked between my index and middle fingers. Gently placing the flower behind Eli’s ear, her face blushed in amazement.

“How about that, isn’t it amazing?”

“Yeah, it’s amazing…”

The magic trick I used to practice during school days out of boredom received quite a positive response. It was more like putting a flower between my fingers and making it disappear rather than actual magic, but seeing such a good reaction made me feel good too.

I picked another flower from the ground and slowly approached the princess.

Unlike before, she didn’t cry out or look anxious, just peering at me curiously, mixed with a hint of unease.

With a mischievous smile in response to her curious yet slightly uneasy gaze, I performed the same magic trick for the princess. Placing the broken flower between my fingers, I made it disappear without being noticed.

There was one slight difference from the previous magic…

When I tried to take the flower out from behind the princess’s ear, she raised her hand first and tapped her own ear to check. Surely, she must have thought the flower would be there, but…

“Huh…? It should be here…”

Would the flower be there?

Looking puzzled, the princess gazed up at me as if she couldn’t understand. Her appearance was so adorable that I couldn’t help but smile mischievously as I put my hand behind the princess’s ear.

“Are you here?”

As I placed a flower behind the princess’s ear, she looked at me with a truly astonished expression. It seemed like she had completely forgotten about her earlier tears and was now pleading for me to do it again.

“Just one more time! Just once!”

Before I knew it, the princess’s body had completely detached from the tree and she was clutching the hem of my dress. Unconsciously, I found myself stroking the princess’s head and smiling just like her.

“How is it? Not scared anymore, right?”