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Chapter 25 Part 1
There
is one memory associated with plums. It was a memory of Alexander, when he was
nice enough and gave me plums.
Just
then, Catherine and the old lady were interfering and I didn't go against their
word. The vague memory I had just recalled faded away. Now, looking at the fallen
Claude, I remember one thing clearly.
It
happened when I was in my early teens. At that time, my mother became the wife
of Knight Cameron.
My
Stepfather was a member of the Knights Templar and often left home.
Usually,
Mother rides a horse to get around the area, filling in for Stepfather who is
busy. It was one of my mother's favorite routines, so she never wanted to be
disturbed by anyone.
Therefore,
whenever Mother was away, I would go to the garden and wait patiently for her
to return. I really don't want to be left out. I was always afraid that Mother
would leave me.
As
soon as the sky turns orange, I usually sit on the swing in the corner of the
park and tremble with fear. And even though it was very rare, there was
occasionally a pretty, blonde boy who lived nearby, who came to visit.
"Why
are you crying?"
As
soon as the boy asked, I wiped my dry cheeks and replied,
"I'm
not crying."
"But
your eyes are red. Aren't you happy?"
It
was as if he was asking again why I made a face like I wasn't happy. I suddenly
nodded my head.
"Happy."
"Here."
The
boy wiped the plums he had brought to the hem of his dirty clothes and threw
them at me. I also frowned because I thought the fruit was not very hygienic,
the boy also threatened to take it back if I didn't want it.
Tch,
how can you give and then take again? Annoyed, I took a bite of the sour plum
and ate it. The wariness of the boy I didn't recognize was easily crushed.
As
children, we quickly became friends. One of my favorite games is hide-and-seek.
The
boy was always hiding in the most unlikely of places, so I explored the house,
exhausted, and finally admitted defeat. That boy was really good at hiding
without leaving a trace.
From
time to time, that boy used to come to see me, but I still didn't know his
name. Then one day. The day I wanted to ask the name of the boy who gave me
those tender plums.
Mother,
who came home earlier than usual, found the boy.
"Ophelia,
who is this child?"
Mother
made no attempt to hide her displeasure. The boy always appeared in the same
clothes and smelled sour. Even though he is the same as Mother, has blonde
hair. Quickly, my vigilance returned.
So,
this boy is not the kind of boy you like.
Mother
always smiled, but now Mother looked at the boy with an expressionless face.
The boy couldn't hide his embarrassment and said, "Oh. Hello, Ma'am."
He stuttered.
The
boy stepped back and fell. I couldn't reach out my hand to the boy who was
rushing to get up. Then, the boy immediately left.
After
that, I never saw that boy again.
But
I don't care. Hardly any thoughts of the boy anymore. The memory of that child
has faded. Even at that time, he was not the one that mattered to me.
My
mother thought he was a beggar who appeared out of nowhere and clung to her
daughter.
"Ophelia,
are you alright?"
Mother
asked with a worried face, then Mother hugged me.
"I'm
sorry for not paying attention to you lately," She whispered with a smile.
I
can't say anything because Mother said so.
'Mom,
he is not a beggar. He's a neighbor.'
I
love being in my mother's warm arms. So, I suppressed what I wanted to say.
I
only realized it after a while. Stepfather's house was built on a hill, so
there were no neighbors.
***
"......You
came at me."
I
took the anti-magic necklace that was around Claude's neck. I ran into a lot of
trouble because of this, when I should be able to solve it easily.
Claude
smiled and looked at me. He raised his hazy, unfocused eyes. He opened his
mouth, but all that came out was a groan of pain.
"Arghh!!
Urgh......"
"You
want me to recognize you, right? That's why you're hiding on purpose."
You
want me to find you. Sorry I found out too late. The boy was forgotten in the
fading memories. I must apologize.
"But,
so what if I apologize? I didn't know who you were until you revealed your own
identity."
I
felt like my throat was being choked, so I coughed as I said that. Claude
blinked slowly. It seemed like he wanted to speak, but I preceded him by
saying,
"Still,
I have a sense of deja vu. The mound where Henrietta died is taller than the
other mounds. 'Oh, could it be?' That's what I thought."
"......Haahh,
haahhh."
Claude
exhaled a white, cold breath. I put my hand on his cheek.
Jiiigeu!
Magical power started flowing from my fingertips. "Sister." I heard
Alexander approaching as if trying to stop me.
"Looks
like this is the first and last time I'll be able to find you."
"Haha.
Haahhh, haahhh, hahahahaha......"
Claude
laughed, he looked happy. I think he's asking if I recognize him now. I nodded.
"Yes,
but...... I didn't realize it then, there's no way I would have noticed that
you were Stepfather's son. Now that I look around, you two look very much
alike."
Not
just the smile. The bloodless face before he died from an illness with the
current Claude was very similar. Imagine, he kept lying on the bed, couldn't
even raise his hand, and kept cursing my mother and me.
"Even
then, you weren't aiming for me, were you? You were just walking around,
wondering if maybe you could meet your father."
Because
of that, you run around the house as if looking for it. In hopes of seeing my
Stepfather accidentally.
But
in those days, Stepfather always came back late at night. From the start, there
was no chance for the boy to meet his biological father.
"Uhuhuhuhuhuh......"
Claude
was crying like a child. A child who is still stuck in the days when we played
hide-and-seek. While I just grew up and became an adult.
Children
do not fully understand the value of life. Teaching is the responsibility of
adults. I didn't study it so do I have a clue? Maybe it was because of
Henrietta's death.
"Haahh,
haahhh, Haahh, cold! Cold!"
Claude
vomited blood. Dark red sticky lumps appear. I took a step back, and Alexander
who was behind me quickly pulled me into his arms. I lowered my head and said,
"Thank
you."
"No
problem."
Alexander
was covered in blood because of me. He frowned, wiping the blood off my thigh.
I opened my mouth and stared fixedly at his arm.
"Could
you leave it alone for a bit? Just let us both stay here a little longer. I
have something I want to talk to him about."
This
is a reunion after a long time, but wouldn't it be a shame if it ended like
this? At least I think it is my responsibility to take his life. Claude also
expected that. I am very confident.
Oh,
I've never killed anyone with my own hands.
It's
scary, scary to try. Why did you have all the fun killing stepfathers?
I
turned my back to escape from Alexander's embrace. But the more I moved, his
hug became even stronger.
"That's
impossible. Time is running out."
Alexander
firmly refused. He grabbed my hand which was covered with magical power and
pulled it down.
"You
are doing a dangerous thing!"
I
was shocked and slapped Alexander's chest. He almost got hurt.
This
is the magic I've been gathering since I talked to the Butler. As soon as I
lost concentration, the magical power scattered in the air.
"......Did
you know that your hand was almost cut off!? What are you doing!?"
I
asked in vain. I'm not the type of person who likes to play with people's
lives. I tried to end Claude's breath with a single blow using the accumulated
magical power.
But,
Alexander stopped me. Annoyed, I turned my face away. Alexander whispered
quickly, taking me back into his arms, maybe he didn't even hear me.
"I
told you, it's impossible. There's no time. If you use magic now, it will all
be for nothing."
.
.
.
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