121 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 121
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Suddenly, she convulses, making gagging sounds and shaking violently. Then, she drops her hands and collapses, as if fainting.
Foam dribbled from her mouth as her body twitched intermittently. At the same time, the room began to reek of urine, as if she had wet herself. The Crown Prince frowned and took a step back from the Witch's body.
"That wasn't a very interesting story."
After a moment, he shrugged and said nonchalantly. Then, he looked at me as if seeking agreement.
His deeply furrowed brow and low, deep voice seemed very contradictory to the words he had just spoken.
It seemed the Crown Prince wanted me to dismiss the Witch's prophecy without a second thought. So, I readily responded to his words.
"Actually, I don't even remember what she said. It was too bizarre and gloomy."
"Is that so? Then you wouldn't want to stay here any longer. Let's go."
"Yes."
Idi walked ahead. I looked back and forth between the fallen Witch and his back, then soon followed. Strangely, the Witch's last words kept echoing in my ears.
The Crown Prince, who had come outside, patted his body as if shaking something off and said, "That just ruined my mood." Judging from the fact that he kept trying to belittle the Witch's words in an unpleasant tone, he seemed to be taking the prophecy seriously in his own way.
Could there be something he was guessing at? If so, what part was he paying attention to? The lengthy prophecy? Or the part where she grabbed his leg and mentioned 'death'? Actually, I couldn't help but notice the last part, as I was also concerned about it.
I definitely made eye contact with her. With those old, wrinkled, and very dim eyes.
The Witch seemed convinced that I was the 'woman not bound by fate' that came out of her mouth. Vagus also called me 'the one who creates fate.' The words of the two prophets coincided in a truly bizarre way.
The same goes for the words 'woman who defied death.' The very fact that I, who had committed suicide, was alive and moving was no different from mocking the God of Death. Unless there was another case like me, that was probably the case.
But death is approaching? The Scythe of the Reaper is standing around 'you'?
If 'you' here is the Crown Prince, and if I am needed as an entity to see the light, how should I accept this?
Countless speculations began to confuse my mind. Among them was a 'hypothesis' that I didn't even want to imagine.
Like the idea that I was brought back to life solely for that man.
If that were the case, it would be too unfair if I had to come back and endure this dirty time for such a thing.
Because the fact that my value is only determined by 'use' - even if it's just a possibility - was very absurd.
Surely not. There's no way the fact that the future is changing dynamically is for such a reason. I'd rather think that fate moved because I died in resentment.
"...rie. Ver! What are you thinking so hard about?"
Was I lost in thought for too long? The Crown Prince, who had come close to me, lightly shook my shoulder and called me.
I neatly folded up the confusing thoughts and quickly pushed them into a corner of my head. And I spoke in a casual tone, as if I had been thinking about something else.
"I was wondering where to guide you next."
"...Were you really thinking about that?"
Idi looked at me suspiciously. As if he was being 'wary.' I stared at him with a fresh look and answered in a nonchalant voice.
Since there was nothing to be ashamed of yet, acting as if nothing was wrong was easier than eating cold soup.
"Yes, I'm worried that you won't keep your promise if it's not fun."
"My, was I such an untrustworthy man?"
"It's easier to think of it as an action stemming from my impatience."
"Your tone..."
"Yes? No, huh?"
"Apart from going back and forth between honorifics and casual speech, it's gradually becoming more natural. Are you regaining your original way of speaking?"
I don't know how he knows about the changes that even I don't recognize, but it was a bit difficult to deny, so I just nodded vaguely. Perhaps his suspicion had subsided a little, as the Crown Prince's face was already much softer.
"The basis of the festival is food. I'll make sure you can't get out of the bathroom all day tomorrow, so be prepared."
"Why? Are you going to eat so much that your stomach hurts?"
I snorted as if it was ridiculous. And I grabbed his sleeve and walked forward vigorously. Unfortunately, it seemed I would have to think about the Witch at home.
"You'll get a stomachache even if you don't eat a lot? I'm sure you will."
The Crown Prince spoke in an absurd tone at my guarantee. The sound flowing from his mouth was that he had never suffered from a stomachache due to food, and that his body was healthy and had never suffered from minor illnesses.
Well, can someone who has only eaten food made with care by the palace chef withstand food made carelessly?
"Anyway, I'll look forward to it. Now, let's go quickly."
The Crown Prince urged me. Listening to his voice, full of anticipation, made me feel like I was with someone else. I said in a small voice, "Please follow me well."
Thus, we left the Witch's house and returned to the city center. As if we had completely forgotten the prophecy from earlier, putting our respective thoughts behind us.
The Crown Prince, who had forgotten his boredom, looked surprisingly like an ordinary person. He was sly, but soon whined like a child, and just when I thought he was trying to save face, he giggled like a prankster and ran around here and there.
It was hard to see him as the arrogant, beautiful, yet very cold Crown Prince I usually knew.
The way he grumbled about how to eat it after being handed a snack was exactly like a young boy. If it weren't for his enchantingly seductive face, I would have thought he was an ordinary man that could be seen anywhere.
"The taste isn't bad, but my tongue is tingling so much that I don't know how to eat this."
"But you're still eating it all."
I don't know if I'm taking care of the Crown Prince or a child.
I couldn't help but sigh at the way he stuffed his mouth full of food and chewed. Even when I handed him a handkerchief to cover his mouth because it was unsightly, he was stubborn.
But perhaps because of that, it's much easier to treat him than before. I don't know how long it's been since my fear disappeared, but I'm already scolding him.
"What face am I supposed to save in a place like this? You're still not fully transformed."
"The word 'you' is forbidden."
"You're nitpicking. Why don't you show some flexibility?"
"Can I return those words?"
"...Let's go over there."
Despite the cold weather, the streets were crowded with people. The voices of clowns performing small shows and actors enthusiastically promoting a play about Founding Day were chaotically intertwined everywhere.
Idi watched it with a serious expression, and then borrowed money from me to give a small tip. All the money he brought was either gold or silver coins, so he was likely to be targeted by robbers, so we decided to use the Copper coins I brought. He also paid for all the food he was eating with my money.
The Crown Prince said, avoiding eye contact with an awkward expression.
"I'll definitely pay you back later."
"When you came out before, you just looked around, right?"
"Well, yeah."
"So you really didn't know anything."
"That's why I brought you, no, Ver, with me."
"Yes, yes. That's right."
I sighed and closed the purse, which had suddenly become thin. Marie seemed to have put in quite a bit, but it was already running out after only a short time of walking around.
"What's that?"
Suddenly, the Crown Prince stopped walking and pointed in one direction. There, sturdy men were standing with their arms crossed in front of a small desk.
An old man with one eye covered with a cloth was saying something to the people around him and eliciting a response, which looked like a 'bet' at first glance.
Sure enough, the old man opened a shabby pouch and handed it to a person, who put money into it and passed it back to the person next to him.
"Well, would you like to go?"
"I will."
The way he answered so quickly before I could even finish speaking wasn't even funny anymore. He would have been very upset if I hadn't told him to come and see.
"It's a dice game."
When I squeezed through the crowd and went inside, I saw a man shaking two old dice in a wooden bowl.
It was a very simple gamble where you guessed whether it was odd or even and received money according to the odds.
On one side, they set up a crudely made number board and tempted onlookers by saying they would give more money if they guessed the exact number.
The Crown Prince seemed very interested in it, stroking his chin with his hand and making a low 'hmm' sound. Judging from the way he was fidgeting with his fingers and tapping the back of my hand, he seemed to want to participate in a game.
"Five coins. No more than that."
"You're not telling me not to do it."
"Would you not do it if I told you not to?"
"No. It's very interesting because it's different from the bets I knew? So I can't help but try it."
"See? So you're giving up in advance."
When I took out five Copper coins and gave them to him, he approached the gambler with a beaming expression.
I don't know what kind of confidence he had, but he just called out a number and bet money as if he didn't care if he lost.
But very surprisingly, the sum of the dice that came out of the wooden bowl exactly matched the number he bet on.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
Five Copper coins quickly increased to fifteen. I shrugged and replied, "Not bad."
After that, the Crown Prince bet five Copper coins about four or five more times. Surprisingly, every time he participated in a bet, only the number he chose came out. I have no idea how he's so good at this.
The way he said that he could pay back all the money he borrowed from me if he continued like this with a triumphant expression was even a bit annoying. Anyone who saw it would think a professional gambler had joined the game.
Anyway, the fact that the Crown Prince was continuously winning money was unfortunate for the gambler. That's why he looked at Idi with a flustered expression. Then, he whispered something to the shoulders who were standing as if guarding the surroundings and frowned.
My spine was tingling at the sight of them looking at us with bad eyes.
The old gambler stopped the game for a while when the onlookers tried to bet money following him and approached us.
"Stop now and go. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble. Get lost before I make a pretty wound on your side. Spit out all the money you've won so far. Well, I'll just let you keep the money you bet on the first game."
The way he spat on the floor and threatened us looked quite menacing. The way he subtly revealed the dagger inside his old coat and nodded his head was also not something he had done once or twice.
Terrified, I quietly stood behind the Crown Prince. I wanted to end things in a smooth situation if possible, but I was worried because I doubted he would do that.
