episode_0022

[Episode 22] – Drawing a Picture! (1)

The dawn of the day I taught Yuldong to the princess.

Lately, my mind had been so tangled that I couldn’t sleep properly, so I took a solitary stroll through the serene morning. Relying solely on a candle in my hand, I explored the tranquil palace in the early hours.

Perhaps because it was a time when everyone was still asleep, the palace was incredibly quiet. There were no maids bustling about doing their work, nor were there any nobles commuting to the palace for their duties.

It was so silent that it almost seemed as if I were the only one in this vast castle, creating an illusion of solitude. With each step, I wandered through the palace, taking in the sights.

From a room at the far end of the corridor, I heard someone sobbing.

“Again…?”

Since being possessed by Vivian, I had been able to see things I normally couldn’t, like Ainsel, Sylphie, Undine, and other fairies or beings that others couldn’t perceive. Especially during the deserted early hours, I could see these entities quite frequently.

Listening to the weeping, I slowly made my way toward the source of the sound. Normally, I would have been frightened, but once you get used to ghosts, they aren’t all that scary.

“Sob, sniff… Sob, sniff…”

I let out a small sigh and approached the door where the weeping emanated. Carefully turning the handle and stepping into the room, I found a ‘woman’ huddled in a corner, crying softly.

She wore a hooded gray cloak and had disheveled black hair. Her eyes were so red from crying that they looked painful.

If anyone else had seen her, they would have probably screamed, but instead of a scream, a sigh escaped me. I distinctly remember telling her not to cry here…

“…Are you crying here again? Banshee? I’m sure I told you not to cry here. The maids keep getting scared, saying they keep hearing ghostly cries.”

“Sob, sniff, sniff… Vivian… Sob, sniff…”

The swollen-eyed woman turned to look at me, then took a deep breath as if preparing to cry even louder before letting out a sobbing sound.

“Sniff, huuu! Huuuuung!!”

“Sigh…”

Feeling overwhelmed by her wailing, I lowered my head and entered the room, locking the door behind me. If anyone saw me, they might think I was a crazy woman talking to thin air.

Placing the tea on the table, I sat down heavily as if collapsing onto the bed where the “crying woman” was sitting. Then, I patted her back as she wiped away tears with her hands.

“Banshee, why are you crying again? Did the other fairies bother you?”

“Hu, huk, Llannshi… ”

“…I told you. Did I not say to listen to Llannshi’s stories with one ear and let them out the other? She just finds it amusing to tease you.”

“Yeah, but… huk, huu…”

Seeing Banshee covering her face with both hands and crying loudly, I couldn’t help but sigh. This fairy right next to me is called the “crying woman,” also known as a “Banshee.”

As Banshee showed no sign of stopping her tears, I continued to pat her back, trying hard to comfort her. At least, not here, but somewhere else, I meant.

“Stop crying, shh!”

“Huung, huuung!”

As I earnestly tried to console Banshee, laughter echoed from above. Looking up to the source of the sound, I saw a floating woman smiling mischievously.

“Llannshi…”

“Hello~ Vivian~ Can’t sleep again tonight~?”

Floating in the air, wearing a light, airy white dress, this fairy had snow-white hair and crimson eyes. With her captivating beauty, she resembled a succubus, known for seducing and devouring men.

In fact, Llannshi’s characteristics were similar to those commonly known about succubi. A fairy who gives ‘artistic talent’ to favored men in exchange for their vitality and blood.

That was Llannshi, the fairy.

Banshee and Llannshi.

In reality, they are all fairies that appear as enemies in the game…

Furrowing my brow, I asked the hovering Lyanxi, “You clearly said before that there were no attractive men in Wangseong and made a big fuss about going to another area. Why are you still here?”

“I’ll leave soon~ I’m just meeting a ‘friend’ here for a moment.”

“Really?”

As I looked at Lyanxi with suspicion, she grabbed my face with both hands, forcing me to meet her gaze. In her blood-red eyes, the pupils were vertically slit like bloodshot predators.

“I told you, right? There’s no man here who appeals to me. Should I say I won’t even eat if you give him to me? Besides, my ‘friend’ has already taken up residence here. Usually, we don’t ‘dine’ in the same place.”

So, Lyanxi has victims existing in Wangseong…

Chuckling, Lyanxi swiftly spun through the air, approaching Banshee. The Banshee continued to sob softly, as if still grieving.

Looking at the weeping Banshee as if it were wailing, Lyanxi smiled, then sighed and placed an ash-colored hood over the Banshee’s head.

“I really thought you’d be hiding here again. Let’s go, Banshee. If we don’t hurry, the ‘Fairy Scent Gate’ will close. Come on, say goodbye to Vivian and let’s go quickly.”

“Sob, sob!”

Smiling as if resigned, Lyanxi took the crying Banshee’s hand and floated away into the sky. Given the mention of ‘Fairy Scent,’ they must have returned to the fairies’ realm.

“…Finally gone.”

As the noisy sound of the Banshee’s crying faded, did it become quiet? I started to feel drowsy. Stepping out of the room and looking out the window, it seemed to be getting brighter outside, as if dawn was breaking.

I quietly sighed while gazing at the brightening window with tired eyes.

“If I sleep now… can I get two hours of rest…?”

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lying on the bed, I closed my eyes for what felt like a short while, but when I opened them, the bright morning sun was already streaming in. Startled by the noisy sound of something tapping on the window, I lifted my head and looked towards the source of the noise.

“…? What’s that…?”

Hoots?

A white owl was tapping the window with its beak, holding a letter in its mouth. As our eyes met, the owl began to tap the window more vigorously, as if urging me to open it.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

I quickly gestured to Ancel beside me as if to say “get up,” and I ran my hand over the mirror. Ancel, looking groggy and sleepy, finally seemed to wake up and gazed at me.

“Good morning… Vivian.”

“Ancel, what’s that? Why is there an owl…”

“Hmm? An owl?”

Ancel, who had been rubbing his eyes, turned to look at the window where the tapping sound was coming from. Slightly puzzled, he tilted his head and glanced at the owl outside.

“Oh? A formal invitation from Covin?”

“Covin?”

“Oh, it’s nothing suspicious, you can open it. And that creature isn’t an owl, it’s a snowy owl. Look closely, it has a round face without the prominent feather tufts on its head.”

I wasn’t sure.

Believing Ancel’s assurance that there was nothing suspicious, I opened the window wide enough for the owl to enter the room. The owl looked around, then flapped its wings and hopped onto the bed, dropping the letter it had been holding in its beak.

Admiring its cute and impressive appearance, I tried to stroke the owl’s head, but it pecked sharply at the back of my hand as if warning me.

“Ouch!”

“Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo!”

Pecking at my hand again and making strange sounds, as if it were a threat, the snowy owl spread its large wings and flew out the window just as it was, leaving.

I gently massaged my swollen, crimson hand and lifted the letter placed on the bed. It looked like an ordinary letter in a plain white envelope. After examining it, I asked Ainsel, “Is this an invitation from ‘Coven’?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s an invitation to the gathering of the 13 witches that Vivian attended. But it’s strange… Surely Coven knows that Vivian is dead…”

Ainsel shook her head, genuinely puzzled as to why I was sent the invitation. Frankly, I had no interest in Coven or witches. I had no intention of getting involved anyway.

“…Is it okay if I don’t go?”

“Uh, yes? Well, I suppose it’ll be fine. Vivian didn’t really do anything there, it’s a carefree place.”

Seems like a ghost member of Coven.

“Well then, it’s settled. I’m not even a witch, after all.”

“Well, that’s true, but… Are you sure? It’s a chance to build connections with other witches.”

“Why would I need other witches when I have you?”

“Hehe.”

Uninterested in Coven, I tucked the letter delivered by the owl deep into the vanity drawer. It felt wrong to tear it up, so I decided to keep it, thinking I might need it someday.

I wanted to sleep a little longer, but… Thanks to the owl biting my hand, sleep completely escaped me. To freshen up, I stretched my arms upward and began some simple exercises. Singing the rhythm Princess taught me, I patted my stomach, causing Ainsel to grimace in disgust.

“Oh, doing childish dances with Vivian’s face.”

“It’s not a dance, it’s exercise. It’s gymnastics, not a dance.”

As Ainsel grumbled or not, as she twisted her waist, we heard a knock at the door. Probably a maid coming to wake us up.

Before the maid could open the door, I opened it first, and she looked at me with a surprised expression. Smiling, I greeted her, “Good morning.”

“Your Majesty, good morning…”

Today, the princess’s lesson was going to be a little special. I received the materials prepared by Bangsyo and made my way to the room where I had lessons with the princess. On one arm, I carried a large canvas, and on the other, various tools for drawing such as crayons and watercolors.

As I entered the room with the various materials needed for today’s lesson, the princess grinned as she looked at the items in my hands. Smiling back, I laid out the materials on the princess’s desk.

“Your Majesty…? Today’s lesson…”

“Today’s lesson will be something a little different. Aren’t you tired of the usual party etiquette and dancing?”

The princess’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the large canvas and the drawing tools like watercolors and crayons. Perhaps she had never really tried drawing something like this before.

“Try drawing something the princess likes on this large canvas. Anything is fine. A cake or flowers are good. Also, it’s okay to draw His Majesty and the First Queen.”

“The king and… the queen…?”

The picture the princess would draw today was intended to be placed in the room the king frequented. If he were still human, wouldn’t he feel something when he saw a picture drawn by his daughter? I held onto that hope.

“Yes, and once it’s finished, we’ll send it to His Majesty. Since His Majesty enjoys drawing, he will surely appreciate the picture the princess has drawn, won’t he?”

“…”

Please, if only that man, the king, could feel something when he sees the picture the princess has drawn…

The princess looked up at me with a helpless expression. After hesitating for a moment, looking back and forth between the blank canvas and me, she seemed to make up her mind and placed her palm on the canvas.

“…Wouldn’t Your Majesty also draw with me?”

“Me?”

“It’s too big for me to draw alone.”

The hesitant princess picked up a red crayon and handed it to me. I gently stroked her head and accepted the red crayon she offered.

“Alright, let’s draw a picture that will make His Majesty’s jaw drop.”

“Yes!”