15 - Can I Cry Now?
Chapter 15
“So, you’re the children Clois was talking about?”
Lilian was a fascinating person from the moment they first met.
The daughter of a local lord. A very small one, too, a tiny estate attached to the forest, or so she had said.
“You’re even more handsome and cute than Clois described. Want to go pick apples with me?”
Lilian called Clois, an Imperial Prince, by his first name in a friendly manner and treated Arcel and Ruska, children of great nobles, as if they were village children.
Arcel could never get used to Lilian’s attitude.
Stupid Ruska, though, happily followed along, excited to play.
Even at the age of five, Arcel was already more calm and mature than other children his age.
Therefore, he knew that Lilian’s attitude was very different from others and could never be tolerated in the capital.
‘Everyone would call it rude.’
So, he kept his distance from Lilian.
Meanwhile, Ruska became quite close to Lilian and accompanied her to the forest as if he were a knight.
Watching the two become closer, Arcel deliberately ignored Lilian.
“Duke Keilen said His Majesty the Emperor is determined to have her as his wife.”
“I know. His Majesty the Emperor was greatly angered. Now, Clois may never become the Crown Prince, nor may he ever enter the Imperial Palace again. You know what this means.”
“Of course. It means those of us who supported him are in danger. But as you can see, Duke Keilen’s will is firm. He will never marry anyone but Lilian, nor will he even look at anyone else.”
“Goodness. Who would have thought someone so cold would turn out like this…”
Arcel’s father, Duke Keilen, and Ruska’s father, Marquis Ragselb, exchanged worried words.
Arcel, who overheard the conversation, became even more wary of Lilian.
Clois had been destined to be the next Emperor.
But because he loved Lilian, he had become just another Imperial Prince.
As a result, those who had supported Clois hurriedly left to find another successor.
Not all those who remained liked Lilian either.
“She’s always wandering in the forest. She must be a witch. She must have captured Duke Keilen with sorcery.”
Witch. Sorcery.
Those words made Arcel even more wary of Lilian.
Then, to attend Clois’s upcoming wedding, Arcel went to Lilian’s estate.
The morning after arriving, Arcel clicked his tongue as he watched Ruska heading to the forest with Lilian.
‘Has Ruska also fallen victim to Lilian’s sorcery?’
Otherwise, he couldn’t understand why Ruska would leave him behind and go to the forest with Lilian every day.
‘I’ll have to find out.’
So, Arcel followed them.
Thinking that if she really was a witch, he wouldn’t let her get away with it.
But he was only five years old. It wasn’t easy for a young child to follow the two of them.
‘How are they going so fast?’
Despite his best efforts, Lilian and Ruska were quickly moving away.
‘Lilian must be using some kind of strange power.’
If she used that evil power on him, how could he stop her?
Even with those worries, Arcel continued to follow them.
Suddenly, the two of them disappeared.
‘What happened?’
Looking around, he saw them far away.
Thinking he couldn’t lose them, Arcel hurried his pace. But…
“Ah!”
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet gave way, and he fell downwards.
There was a deep pit hidden by the thick grass.
He felt pain all over his body as he fell with a loud thud.
“Arcel!”
Straining to look up, he saw Ruska looking down at him with a surprised expression.
And next to him, Lilian was also looking at him with a surprised face.
‘I’ve been caught!’
He was more worried about that fact than the pain from his injuries.
What if Lilian used sorcery to kill him here?
At that moment, Lilian suddenly jumped into the pit.
“……!”
Was she trying to kill him? Or would she cast a spell on him like she did with Ruska, making him strange too?
As Arcel’s body stiffened with tension, she placed her hand on his body.
“Get your hands off me! You witch! What are you trying to do!”
Arcel pushed her hand away with all his might. But Lilian didn’t back down.
Instead, she grabbed Arcel’s arm with even more force.
“Ugh!”
The scratches he had gotten from the fall stung.
‘She really is a witch!’
That must be why she was causing him so much pain. Just as Arcel was about to close his eyes, thinking it was the end.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the surroundings were filled with warm light. The light enveloped Arcel and then disappeared.
‘She really was a witch!’
To be able to use such strange powers. Arcel realized that what people said was true and closed his eyes in terror.
Then Lilian said,
“Look. It’s all healed.”
At those words, Arcel opened his eyes. And he saw Lilian smiling brightly.
His arm, which had been injured, was now completely healed.
Arcel stared blankly at his clean arm.
‘It was supposed to be a witch’s power.’
Their powers were said to hurt people. To curse, to kill, to drive people mad.
But no matter how he looked at it, Lilian’s power didn’t seem like… that kind of power.
“……Why.”
“Huh? What was that?”
“Why are you being so nice to me? What do you want?”
At those words, Lilian raised her fist and bonked Arcel on the head.
“You should say thank you for helping you first.”
“……?”
Even his father had never done this to him. Arcel was speechless at Lilian’s attitude, as if she were dealing with a troublemaker from the neighborhood.
From above the pit, Ruska snickered as if saying, “Serves you right.”
“I say thank you properly.”
“Of course, of course. Ruska is a good boy.”
As Lilian praised Ruska, Arcel cautiously glanced at her and said,
“Thank… you.”
Then Lilian smiled brightly and ruffled Arcel’s hair.
“That’s right, like that.”
\ \ \
After that, Arcel also quickly became close to Lilian.
The forest, which he had thought was a dark and scary place, wasn’t scary at all when he went in with Lilian.
Strangely, the trees in the forest seemed to protect Lilian.
Vines moved out of the way on their own as she walked, and when it rained, trees with broad leaves gathered their branches to cover them from above.
“Is this magic too?”
“Well, it is… but it’s closer to the power of the ancients. More importantly, Arcel, did you pick enough blueberries? We can’t run out for making jam!”
But Lilian herself seemed more interested in the fruits of the forest than in her own powers.
On the way back with a basket full of forest fruits, Arcel asked her,
“But why are you so nice to us?”
“Oh my, you noticed.”
He couldn’t help but notice.
It wasn’t like Lilian was friendly to everyone.
Even though they had known Clois for a long time, there were people Lilian would never meet.
Of course, the other party also called Lilian a witch and kept their distance.
“Besides, I was the same as those people, so why…”
“No, you’re different.”
Lilian said firmly.
“And I’ll tell you in advance, it’s not like I’m being nice to you without wanting anything in return.”
At Lilian’s words, Ruska, who was holding a basket of apples, said in horror,
“Huh? What, so what are you after from us? I’m telling you in advance, I can never give you the sword I received from my father!”
At those words, Lilian burst into laughter.
A pleasant, cheerful laugh filled the forest.
Lilian had them put down their baskets and then hugged Arcel and Ruska.
“I can tell. You two will be very important to my child someday. You will spend a lot of time together. That child will laugh and cry because of you. Sometimes they will be sad, sometimes they will be happy…”
Lilian’s voice echoed in the quiet forest.
“So, please be good friends to that child. That’s what I want.”
Arcel and Ruska were silent as Lilian spoke.
A voice different from usual, filled with a strong conviction that what she said would surely come to pass.
It remained in the two children’s minds as if a god were giving a revelation.
\ \ \
‘But, it didn’t come true.’
Arcel bit his lip as he recalled the distant memory.
He never said it, but he had waited so eagerly for Lilian’s child, wanting to be a good friend as she had said.
Just as she had taken care of them, they wanted to help that child.
But Lilian and the child had died.
The day he heard the news, Ruska cried all day, and Arcel also swallowed his tears without saying a word.
And after that, he tried to forget Lilian and really did forget about her…
Then Arcel’s gaze fell on a small child standing among the people.
Ibi Elden.
Strangely, the moment he saw that orphaned child, Lilian’s smile from long ago came vividly to mind.
“Please take care of me!”
