CWMBR 58

Chapter 58

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*The past

Contrary to expectations that she would arrive the very next day, the girl didn't show up until three days later. Unlike before, she looked utterly gloomy.

"Hi."

"You again?"

At Ain’s curt reply, the girl blinked her large eyes silently. A fleeting hint of disappointment flickered in her unusually transparent green irises.

"You didn't come to see the performance, did you?"

The words were closer to disappointment than reproach.

After all, it had been the girl's one-sided insistence that they see the performance, so Ain felt no need for guilt or obligation over the girl's disappointed reaction.

Even knowing that, Ain felt uncomfortably uneasy. Those large, gentle eyes seemed to be the problem.

The girl didn't wait for Ain's reply before continuing.

"Actually, Mom scolded me. She said I shouldn't force someone to do something they dislike. You weren't interested, but I kept pushing you to go see it. Did that make you feel bad? I'm sorry."

She hadn't seemed completely stupid after all. Ain was a little surprised. Just as he opened his lips to speak, the girl said in a gloomy tone.

"But The Snow Queen is really interesting, you know...?"

...Not stupid, but stubborn. He stared at her in disbelief as she fumbled and placed something else on the windowsill. Judging by the protruding edge, it was probably a book.

"I'll leave this here as an apology. You can throw it away without reading it."

"Hey."

The book, which had been slowly climbing up, stopped abruptly at Ain’s call.

"What book is it?"

"The Snow Queen fairy tale book……………….."

Good heavens, a fairy tale book!

The study at the main house, a treasure trove of books gathered from all corners of the continent, was a library that put the royal library to shame. Yet Ain had never once seen a fairy tale book like that there. If he had really wanted one, he could have easily gotten it and then some. But fairy tales were useless to read, offering no knowledge that could be of any benefit, so he hadn't even considered reading one.

Ain, who had been staring at the fairy tale book in the girl's hands with a disinterested look, slowly parted his lips.

"Is it really that interesting?"

Her green eyes sparkled at the blunt question.

"Yeah!"

Perhaps thrilled that Ain had shown interest, the girl's voice was full of excitement.

"Are you going to read it?"

"I can't read it if it's left there."

"Why? Don't you know how to read?"

The return question was so innocent it made a surge of emotion well up inside him.

Ain nearly snapped back, but he clenched his teeth hard. Somehow, the thought that he'd almost lost his composure to this bright-eyed, foolish child stung his pride, and he took a deep breath.

From a very young age, he had been taught to always maintain his dignity as the 'only child descended from Cliona Wood, cousin of the King of Alensia, and Belmer Wise, third son of the Grand Duke of Renepels'. It meant she was not the type to flare up at some ignorant child's question.

Ain, having calmed his mind, answered in a stiff voice.

"I can't move from the bed."

A familiar pity settled in the girl's eyes. Ain felt his composure waver again at the look in her eyes, which seemed to be based on some profound misunderstanding, but he suppressed it with pride. After all, this was merely a place to stay briefly before moving on. There was no need to explain his situation in tedious detail. Besides, he had only met this girl three times at most. They were practically strangers, to the point where he couldn't even promise a next meeting.

So, it was enough to just push her away politely. Even as he thought this, the edge of the book the girl held caught his eye.

If it was a fairy tale book, it probably wasn't very long.

"If you read it, I'll listen."

Despite Ain’s arrogantly dismissive reply, the girl didn't seem the least bit offended. Instead, she blinked pitifully, as if she understood everything. Seeing that look, he wanted to take back his words immediately. But when he heard the rustling sound of her settling down as she lowered her head, he couldn't bring himself to stop her.

"Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a wicked fairy."

"Fairies don't exist."

"………………That fairy possessed a magical mirror with mysterious powers."

Ignoring Ain’s objection, the girl stubbornly continued reading the fairy tale book. Ain, who had been frowning and staring out the open window, finally pressed his lips tightly together. The girl's clear, resonant voice flowed into his bedroom, which would normally have been suffocatingly quiet.

Her pronunciation was clearer than expected. Thanks to that, understanding the content posed no problem. In fact, her voice was quite pleasant to listen to. Even so, Ain stopped listening and opened his mouth once more.

"Hey."

"The two... ...Huh?"

"Why are you reading like that?"

"Why?"

"So strangely..."

When reading the narrative, she sounded perfectly normal, but whenever she read a character's dialogue, the girl would use an unnaturally deep voice or an overly affected tone that didn't suit her. To Ain, it felt oddly irritating. She knew perfectly well that only one person was reading, so why was there any need to mimic multiple voices? Those affected voices didn't suit the girl at all.

At Ain's remark, the girl countered with a bewildered voice.

"Isn't this how fairy tales are supposed to be read?"

"Hah."

As a short, hollow laugh escaped Ain, a rustling sound came from outside the window. Then, the girl peered out, her eyes peeling back to look at Ain.

"Is it weird?"

"Yeah."

Ain nodded and continued in a firm voice.

"It's like reading to a kid."

"You are a kid."

“…”

Should I just tell her to stop now?

While Ain was seriously considering it, the girl, who had been blinking her eyes, suddenly asked.

"But why are you always alone?"

"I'm not alone."

"But I've never seen anyone else."

"Everyone's working."

There were indeed servants in this mansion. It was just that the time the girl visited happened to be when all the servants were nowhere to be seen.

To avoid upsetting the sensitive and finicky young master, the servants avoided coming near his bedroom whenever Ain was awake. Especially when the sun was high in the sky. After lunch was the time Ain sat alone in his bedroom, glaring at the sunlight streaming through the window with a look of utter disgust.

The girl tilted her head at Ain's reply. As she did, the tips of her spiky hair bounced about.

"Hmm. Your parents aren't here? Who owns this mansion?"

"I'm the owner."

"Really? Wow, you're so rich. Then do you have a younger sibling? Or an older brother or sister?"

As if she'd completely forgotten the fairy tale book she'd left on the floor, the girl clung to the window frame and chattered away. Ain, watching her with a look of wonder, suddenly asked,

"Why are you so curious about everything?"

"Is that not allowed?"

It wasn't that it wasn't okay.

Ain had never met a child who chattered on about such trivial topics. The people he mainly interacted with were upper-class figures, individuals whose status matched his own without the slightest deficiency. People who maintained decorum, proper manners, and dignity in any setting.

Ain's peers, too, had been taught such manners from an early age. When they gathered, they engaged in wholesome discussions or talks about current affairs, but they never asked about the family members of others. Well, it was information they knew without needing to ask.

To Ain, raised in such an environment, the girl naturally seemed utterly fascinating.

"Doesn't your mouth hurt?"

"Hmm, it doesn't hurt... but..."

The girl, who had been staring blankly at Ain, suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"But my legs hurt. This window is really high. Even when I lift my heels like this, I can't see the whole thing."

While the window frame was positioned higher than in typical mansions, if she had to lift her heels that much, it suggested the girl probably wasn't very tall. As Ain made that assumption, the pensive girl looked at him with a pitiful expression and said.

"You know... Can I come inside?"

"No."

The answer came out without hesitation, and the girl pouted.

"Even though we're friends?"

At those words, Ain’s eyebrows shot straight up.

"Why are you my friend?"

If meeting someone just three times made them a friend, then everyone in the world would be Ain's friend. He shook his head with an expression that said it was absurd, and the girl narrowed her eyes.

"No?"

"You're just a kid."

"You're a kid too."

Ain's expression turned sour. He had no intention of telling the girl his personal details, but watching her keep climbing up like that to see him wasn't exactly pleasant either. After a moment's hesitation, Ain said in a blunt voice.

"I'm older than you."

At those words, the girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"Whoa, how did you know my age? Do you know my parents?"

"The maid told me."