-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A New Friend
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I hurriedly scrubbed my cheeks.
“Come now, introduce yourselves. This is my nephew, Ruspe. And this is the Marquis de Leguire's niece, Aika. You're both seven, so I'm sure you'll become good friends.”
I extended my hand without hesitation.
“Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Aika.”
The boy quickly hid behind His Majesty the Emperor and hesitated.
I kept my hand outstretched and waited patiently.
After a long moment, the boy shuffled forward and took my hand.
“...I'm Ruspe.”
Happy at the thought of making a new friend, I squeezed his hand, and Ruspe's ears turned bright red.
“Who did you come with? I came with my uncle. This place is so big, isn't it?”
“I... I came alone. Oh, with an attendant.”
Ruspe said that even though he was the same age as me, he came to the Imperial Palace so often that he could get around by himself.
“Wow, you're amazing.”
“...Not really.”
This time, it seemed like Ruspe's whole face had turned red.
He must be very shy.
I should be extra nice to him.
I gave him the brightest smile I could manage.
“Ruspe is very shy around strangers, so I was worried. I'm so grateful that you welcomed him first, Aika.”
“She's the kind of kid who says hello to passing butterflies.”
My uncle chimed in from the side, his arms crossed.
I shot my uncle a glare.
What's wrong with saying hello to butterflies!
“Your Majesty. It is truly time for you to attend to your duties.”
At the attendant's words, His Majesty the Emperor let out a low sigh.
“I understand. I will be on my way shortly.”
I blinked, looking up at the Emperor's somber expression.
“Your Majesty, do you not want to work?”
A warm light returned to His Majesty the Emperor's face.
“Hm, sometimes I feel that way. Especially today, since you came to see me, Aika.”
“Should I help you?”
“How so?”
Just like before, I raised my hands and motioned for him to lend me his ear.
The Emperor smiled again and leaned toward me.
I whispered softly.
“When you don't want to do something, you can pretend your stomach hurts and you won't have to do it. They tell you to go lie down in bed right away.”
“My stomach?”
The question came back with a small chuckle.
I whispered in an even smaller voice.
“Yes, you can't do it all the time, but you can if there's something you really don't want to do. It's a secret, though.”
“That sounds like a very good method. I'll try using it when I really don't want to work.”
His Majesty the Emperor's voice lowered to match mine.
I nodded and added another little tip.
“But you have to say it hurts just a little bit. If you say it hurts a lot, they'll make you take medicine.”
“Haha! I'll be sure to remember. Just a little bit, right?”
“That's right. This is a secret, too.”
“Alright, this is also a secret. We already have a second secret between us.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?”
At my uncle's voice, I jumped back, put my hands behind my back, and pretended I didn't know anything.
“We weren't talking about anything!”
I glanced cautiously at the Emperor, and he gave me a wink.
I wanted to copy him, but I ended up squeezing both my eyes shut so tightly that everything went dark.
“The garden connected to this room is safe, so feel free to play as much as you like. Cassel, I'm sorry, but could I ask you to look after the children? I'll see you at the next regular meeting.”
My uncle nodded.
His Majesty the Emperor finally stood up and prepared to leave.
But instead of leaving right away, he knelt on one knee, just as he had when he first came in, and took both of my hands.
With my hands held in his, I stared blankly at the Emperor.
“Aika.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Don't get sick, don't get hurt, and if you ever have any worries, you can always come find me. Understand?”
“Yes!”
I nodded eagerly.
“I hope you'll always keep smiling like that. I'll see you again next time, Aika.”
“Yes, you too, Your Majesty! See you next time!”
“Yes.”
At last, His Majesty the Emperor left with his retainers, leaving me, my uncle, and Ruspe behind.
“You two peanuts, I'll be watching from here, so go play nearby and don't get into any trouble.”
My uncle crossed his legs and casually flicked his fingers, gesturing for us to go play in the garden.
He was practically radiating annoyance.
“Aren't you coming, Uncle? I don't know this place.”
“Just play right out front.”
“But I want to explore a lot...”
I want to see over here and waaaay over there.
No matter how pitifully I looked at him, my uncle wouldn't budge.
He's so mean.
But then, someone gently tugged on my hand.
I whipped my head around and saw Ruspe's hand.
“Um...”
“Oh, Ruspe!”
Ruspe's face turned red once again.
“I... I'll show you.”
“Really?”
“Y-yeah, I come here a lot.”
I beamed with joy.
“Wow, thank you! You're so kind, Ruspe. Then let's go play over there, and explore!”
Instead of answering, Ruspe quietly nodded.
I secretly stuck my tongue out at my uncle and quickly followed Ruspe.
The moment we opened the large, transparent glass doors leading to the garden, the scent of flowers, strong enough to tickle my nose, wafted over us.
Ruspe and I darted restlessly along the wide garden paths.
There were many adults in the garden, wearing dresses or formal attire.
This garden had no tall flowers or trees, so you could see far into the distance just by standing on your tiptoes.
“Wow! These are my favorite yellow flowers. Come here, Ruspe!”
I looked at the yellow flowers, which had stretched their necks out to catch the sun, and plopped down in a crouch in front of them.
Without taking my eyes off them, I beckoned to Ruspe with my hand.
“Ruspe, do you like flowers?”
“...I've never really thought about whether I like them, but starting... today... I'll try.”
Ruspe, crouching beside me, mumbled softly.
“Huh? You don't like them?”
“N-no. I like flowers, too.”
“Really? Then we like the same thing, right!”
Ruspe nodded eagerly.
“Oh? Look at this!”
I found a small purple flower, barely visible, hidden in a corner of the bright yellow flower patch.
My mother told me never to pick flowers carelessly, but I really wanted to show Ruspe.
I picked one of the three small purple flowers and showed it to him.
“Look, it's the same color as your eyes.”
“Mine?”
“Yep. It's the same color as the Emperor's, too. Want me to show you something even cooler?”
Ruspe nodded slightly, a curious look on his face.
I used my fingernail to make a small hole in the stem right behind the flower.
Then I bent the stem into a circle and carefully tucked the end into the hole.
I held out the finished purple ring to Ruspe.
“Here, it's a present!”
Ruspe took it with both hands, placed it on his palm, and didn't seem to know what to do with it.
I took the flower ring again and slipped it onto Ruspe's index finger.
“You wear it like this. Isn't it pretty?”
“Ah.”
Ruspe stared at the flower ring on his finger for a long time.
A shiver.
I was about to touch the yellow petals again when I suddenly felt a tingling sensation.
Startled, I whipped my head around to look, but there was nothing there.
I stood up abruptly and called out to Ruspe, who was still staring at the flower ring.
“Let's go somewhere else.”
A flinch.
But for some reason, the more we roamed the garden, the more this strange feeling kept popping up.
It felt like a cold chill, but also like the sensation I got right before I saw the future.
Is it just me?
Ruspe seemed perfectly fine.
“Are you okay?”
I asked Ruspe, just in case.
“Huh?”
“It's nothing.”
I guess it's just me.
A wince.
With each step I took, the strange chill slowly turned into a sense of fear.
I even felt as if my feet were being pushed forward one step at a time against my will.
“Ah.”
A frost-like chill, a ringing in my ears that was almost painful—I shivered uncontrollably.
When it didn't go away, I stopped walking and wrapped my arms around myself.
What's happening?
I was overcome by a bizarre feeling, as if I'd be bewitched and led away somewhere if I let my guard down.
“...ka.”
“...Huh?”
“Aika, what's wrong?”
Ruspe asked, looking at me.
I turned around abruptly, my face pale.
This isn't good. I have to go home.
The only thought in my mind was that I had to get back to my uncle, and fast.
“Ruspe, I'm sorry! I have to go to my uncle!”
