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Translator Note:
This is a long long long chapter.
So...... Bear with me, please (/▿＼ )
Thank You!
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Chapter 11 – Goodbye, Dad
"Princess,
didn't you read a book today?"
Lily asked me in a
careful voice as I lay down on the sofa.
"It's not interesting."
I've been lying in
this position all day, watching the sunlight move across the ceiling. No, no.
It's hard to call this 'observing'. This wasn't observing, I was just looking
at it without thinking…… So, what should I say to describe my activity? I can't
think of the right words. I think I've recently had a new hobby, which is doing
nothing.
For a moment, I tried
to find the right name for this activity, but then I gave up, I stopped
thinking and just stared blankly at the ceiling again. I don't have any ideas.
Because I don't know......
"It's already 3
o'clock in the afternoon. How about I bring you a snack?"
"No."
Recently, unlike
usual, I don't want to eat anything, so I just answered briefly. Lily, Hannah,
and Seth seemed surprised that I had turned down snacks, but days like this do
happen. So, yeah, that's it.
I also know that they
feel restless all day because of me. That's why I feel sorry for them, but I
feel a headache because they always watch my every move and I have to react to
their actions in a certain way. So I often spend time doing nothing all day
like this, even though I know that they care about me.
Somehow, the letters
from Zenith stopped coming, so I was living a completely isolated life. But
really, wasn't this a life befitting a neglected Princess, as Claude had hoped?
But Lily still didn't
give up.
"Then would you
like to go for a walk? The sun is really nice today."
“That's annoying……”
"No. At times
like this, you actually have to move a lot. If you want to be alone, I won't
follow you. How about it?"
Lily is indeed
strong. She's been trying to get me to get off the couch and my bed
for the past few days! I couldn't ignore Lily's sincere eyes. In the end, I
complied with her request and left the room.
"Princess!"
"Are you going
for a walk?"
As if they had
planned all this, Seth and Hannah stood at the door and turned to me as soon as
I came out. Then, their eyes shone brightly at me.
"You have made a
very good choice."
"That's right.
The weather today is very beautiful."
It seemed they were
very happy because I finally wanted to leave the room. Ah, seeing them like
this, it seems like I've been doing something evil all this time.
"I will be right
back."
Feeling a bit
embarrassed, I left the Palace with a warm welcome from the three of them and
the other maids I
met while walking down the corridor.
As soon as I came
out, the dazzling sunlight fell on my head. Ah, this is dazzling. Come to think
of it, it seems like it's been a long time since I've been exposed to direct
sunlight like this. Anyway, since I was outside, I thought it would be nice to
walk around a bit and then come back inside. So, I started walking from where I
stopped.
But, no one is
looking at me from above, right? A sudden thought struck me, and I jerked my head
up suspiciously. However, the window reflected sunlight blocked my view from
seeing into the room. So in the end, I narrowed my eyes and lowered my head
again.
Since I was locked up
in the Emerald Palace, I had nowhere else to go, so the clothes I was wearing
right now were quite simple. Maybe that's why, walking around like this is more
comfortable than before.
As Lily wished, I
took a walk around the Palace while looking at the trees, grass, and sky.
Soon after, I set
foot in the Flower Garden where White Roses were blooming. This Flower Garden
is filled with White Roses which are more beautiful than the garden where
Claude and I usually drink tea. This is one of the flower gardens that Claude
suddenly made for me after I said that roses were beautiful.
I walked along the
path in the middle of the Flower Garden to enjoy the blooming flowers. Then, as
I reached out, my fingertips touched a flower that was in full bloom and had
shiny green leaves. Feeling the touch of my hand, I took a slow step forward.
Then, as I fumbled with the rose in my hand, I put strength into my fingertips
that were holding the rose's stem.
Tuk.
When I lowered my
head, I saw that the rose in my hand had been illuminated by sunlight. I was
silent for a moment, then I dropped the rose to the ground. And while walking
along the path, I also picked another Rose Flower. For some unknown reason,
seeing the White Roses blooming all over this garden made me have the urge to
remove them all from my sight.
As soon as I looked back,
the White Roses that I had picked and thrown away were scattered on the grass
—exposed to sunlight like pebbles in the story of Hansel and Gretel. I stood
still and watched the scene for a moment, then turned back to the front. And
when I raised my head, I saw a man standing in front of me didn't say a word,
he just looked at me silently.
Sraaa.
Just at that moment,
the wind blew and fluttered his golden hair. The roses and grass around me and
the hem of my dress were blown by the wind and swayed. For a moment, Claude and
I stood still while looking at each other.
Even though his
presence was unexpected, somehow I wasn't too surprised to see him standing in
front of me. Maybe it was because I had a vague idea that he would see me
sometime soon.
Claude didn't
immediately look at me with a hostile gaze like he did at the banquet the other
day. His turquoise eyes seemed to swallow me into the shadow of the tree and
pierce me. The silence felt very long but also short at the same time. Claude
just looked at me with indifferent eyes, a gaze that contained no emotion.
After a while, when he started taking steps to get closer to me, I
unconsciously jerked the rose in my hand.
Whoosh.
The distance between
us decreased rapidly. After a while, I looked at Claude's face which was
slightly covered by shadow. Looking at him closely, for some reason, he seemed
to have a bad expression —like someone who couldn't sleep for several days or who
was seriously ill for days.
Finally, he arrived
in front of me, Claude slowly opened his mouth.
"I shouldn't
have kept you alive."
Those words were no
longer surprising. But his voice felt different from before when he threatened
me. His cold and calm voice continued.
"If only I put
you out of my eyes from the first time I saw you, then that face wouldn't stick
in my memory. That way, nothing would bother me."
As he finished saying
all that, the color of his eyes changed color slightly. There was a coldness in
his eyes that had been embedded in indifference until now. In that state, Claude
stretched out his hand towards me.
Bzzzz! Blaarrr!
At that moment, it
was as if the sound of something intangible colliding with each other
penetrated my eardrums. A sharp light flashed in my vision and it sounded like
something broke. I was pushed by that unknown force, the scattered Rose Flowers
flew.
Through the gaps in
my fluttering hair, my eyes met coldly shining eyes.
"How funny. It's
clear that the magic power contained in that protection magic is my magic
power."
He laughed dryly like
he had heard a bad joke, and I realized what he had just done.
"I don't know
what kind of combination it is, but magic doesn't lie. In any case, it's clear
that I was the one who cast protection magic on your body."
His hand that was
extended towards me, was reflected by the power surrounding my body. Instantly,
on his hand there was a thin scar as if he had been scratched by a sharp knife.
"But I will also
destroy it."
Again, he
stretched out his hand towards me.
Nguungggg!
Praanngggg! Bzzzzz!
"There's no such
thing as a play."
Sraakkkk.
White Rose petals
fluttered before my eyes. As the soft aroma tickled my nose, once again, I
heard something like a powerful collision in the air. Right now, Claude is
really trying to kill me. He wasn't just scaring and intimidating me like he
had been since he lost his memories, but he was completely serious. It was him
who was destroying the protective magic in my body that reminded me of that
reality.
"That face, that
expression."
Claude looked at me
with a bad expression.
"That's
annoying."
Praanggg! Kraaakkkk!
"Then it will be
over if I get rid of you."
I don't know if he's
talking to me or to himself right now. But really, that doesn't matter in the
current situation.
Kraakkk! Nguungggg!
Unbeknownst to me,
the protection magic that Claude had carved into my body layer by layer had
been broken one by one. At the same time, without me realizing it, the things I
cherished in myself over the past few years began to crumble.
Praaangggg! Kraakkk!
A sharp roar that
penetrated the eardrums created a strong wind that seemed like it could blow us
both into the air. As he got closer to me little by little, Claude's hands were
covered in scars and red blood was flying in the air. But, he still didn't have
the slightest doubt —as if today was the day he would see the true ending.
"That useless
life."
Actually, I've
imagined this scene many times.
"I'll end
it."
Praanggg! Kraakkk!
Back then, when I
thought that Claude would kill me one day. But at some point, that fear faded,
and meeting him was no longer a fear for me.
Spending relaxing
time in the garden, drinking tea with him, picking flowers and tying them to give to him, and hugging him.
Nguunggg! Bzzzz!
In fact, from then
on, I considered him my family. Because I've never had a real family, so I
really don't know what a family is, but sometimes, I impudently think that
maybe this is what a father and daughter look like.
Praaanggg! Kraaakkk!
At first, I was
afraid and wary of him, and he only saw me as a brief amusement. But since then,
I realized that those feelings no longer occupy a large part of him and me. So,
maybe I actually feel much happier than I thought when I spend time with this
person in front of me.
"After you
disappeared,"
So, 'How could this
person do this to me?'. There's no way I could say something like that.
Because……
"The tightness I
feel,"
Because, all of this
happened because of me.
"Every time I
think of that face, this unpleasant feeling that keeps pressing on a corner of
my heart will definitely disappear."
Because I ignored
Lucas' warning to keep my distance from Blackie, and because I couldn't control
the magic power in my body like a fool. He tried to save the stupid me, and he
ended up like this. So, maybe right now, I'm being punished. Yes, I know, I know
that, but……………
"Therefore,
die."
Still, seeing someone
who wasn't my father like this, it hurt more than I thought. Even now, I feel
like I'm dying because I feel so sick that I can't even say a word to him.
"Now, in my
hands!"
Praaangggg! Krraaakkk!
Another crashing
sound penetrated the scattering rose petals. Now, Claude's hand was almost
touching my neck, and red blood was dripping non-stop from his hand which was
covered in wounds. And so do my hands. My hand which was holding the rose that
I had picked earlier, was pierced and scratched by the stem which was full of
thorns, red blood dripped and wet the blade of grass beneath it.
The protective magic
on my body was almost gone. Maybe after 1 or 2 more times being destroyed like
this, Claude will kill me as he pleases.
But……
I bit my lip as I
looked at him who was still looking at me with those heartless eyes that hadn't
changed since earlier.
Kraakkk!
But, I don't want to
die like this.
Pranggg!
At least, not to die
in your hands.
Nguuunggg!
I will never die in
your hands…!
Cringggg!
And that's when.
The scattered rose
petals were like white snowflakes before my eyes, soaring into the air as if
they were caught in a whirlwind. Before my eyes, a shining white light appeared
as if it would swallow everything. Claude's hand which was just about to touch
my neck stopped.
Sraaaakk.
I could see the cold
face of the man in front of me slowly turning into surprise. The roses blooming
around us began to sway in unison. A white storm started to appear in front of
me. But inside, there was something white —which was neither flowers nor light.
An ear-splitting
sound pierced my ears. Chaotic silence, or silent screams. Claude opened his
mouth to say something, but nothing reached my ears.
Only then did I
realize what that white object was covering my vision. It is a white bubble.
And that is me. Slowly, I sank into the bubble, pushed by the white storm.
The face I saw looked
so distorted, awash in emotion that I couldn't tell whether it was anger or
fear. Before I completely disappeared from his sight, I opened my mouth and
whispered to him.
"Goodbye,
Dad."
Soon, a dazzling light flashed in my vision.
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