“It’s been my dream to give my parents a present on my birthday.”
For the record, Cecile’s “birthday” was not actually the day she came into the world, but the day she first came to the orphanage.
“Originally, I planned to buy the gift when I started earning money, but… well, since it’s Cassion’s money, it’s practically mine.”
“What’s that?”
Sion chuckled. Cecile wiped Sion’s smiling face.
“Anyway, that’s why I want you to come with me to the market tomorrow. You’ll come, right? Huh? Will you go?”
The market was quite a distance from the orphanage. It was too far to walk, so they needed to take a carriage.
Cecile had never ridden a carriage alone. That might be why she was acting like this.
Sion glanced at Cecile, who nervously awaited his response, then nodded after a moment.
“All right, let’s go.”
“Really? You promised! You can’t cancel!”
“Don’t worry.”
“Hooray!”
Excitedly hopping around, Cecile suddenly noticed some items on Sion’s desk.
Fragile-looking, worn-out paper.
A small, stubby piece of charcoal, as if picked up after someone discarded it.
Cecile hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“If there’s money left after buying the gift, I’ll get you one of either new paper or charcoal.”
“It’s okay.”
“Are you saying that because you think there won’t be any money left?”
In truth, Cecile also had that thought, but Sion shook his head.
“No, it’s because big brother promised to buy it for my birthday.”
“Cassion? Really?”
“Yeah. So it’s okay.”
Cecile narrowed her eyes. After making a hmm sound, she declared:
“When I grow up and start earning money, instead of things like that, I’ll buy you a whole easel. Painting on canvas with paint will look fantastic, right?”
“Do you even know how expensive an easel is? Don’t be silly.”
“I’m not being silly! It’s an investment! If you sell the pictures you draw, you’ll make money, and then with that money…”
Cecile laid out her grand plan in detail.
How much time has passed? Cecile was finally chased out of the cramped room after Mike, who had gone to pick herbs on the mountain, returned.
Just before she left the room and the door closed behind her, Cecile and Sion exchanged a quick glance through the gap in the door.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
It was an early hour before sunrise.
Cecile dozed off as she and Sion sneaked out of the orphanage and into the carriage.
“I’m sleepy…….”
“You said we had to leave at this hour because you don’t want anyone to see us.”
“Because I have to buy a surprise gift…… Anyway, we made it out, right?”
Of course, thanks to Sion shaking Cecile, who was sound asleep in her room, she was able to finally come out.
Cecile swayed like a sick chicken throughout the carriage ride, but right after getting off, she perked up as if nothing had happened.
“Wow!”
The transformed market was full of goods and sights to see.
Even after buying a gift for her parents, Cecile couldn’t leave the market right away.
“Look over there; a lot of people are gathered. Let’s check it out!”
So, Cecile and Sion wandered through the crowd in the market, enjoying tightrope walking, fire-breathing tricks, knife throwing acts, and even watching street performances.
“Sion, there are also people over there…”
“Cecile.”
“Yeah?”
“Run.”
“Huh?”
Caught by Sion’s serious expression, Cecile began running while being held, and suddenly she looked up.
The sky was turning red.
Only then did Cecile’s expression turn serious. Oops. They said the carriage fare doubles after sunset!
Cecile and Sion ran with all their might and barely managed to board the carriage before it got dark.
When Sion told her the destination, the carriage departed.
“…… Sion.”
“Huh?”
Exhausted and sprawled across the carriage seat, Cecile opened her mouth.
“Let’s come to the market again next year.”
“And you’ll still be ripping off money from our big brother?”
“Rip off? I told you. Cassion’s money is as good as mine.”
“Hmm…….”
“Well, I was kidding. Technically, I borrowed it. I’ll pay it back when I earn money later.”
Cecile asserted as she settled into the carriage.
“Anyway, let’s come to the market again on my birthday next year! We’re going! Got it?”
“Okay, let’s do that.”
“Hehe.”
With a satisfied response, Cecile chuckled and soon fell asleep in the carriage.
Sion, too, leaned back comfortably against the seat and closed his eyes.
How much farther did the carriage carrying the two children travel along the winding road?
“……!”
Sion suddenly opened his eyes. Not only that, he urgently called the coachman to halt the carriage.
“……Sion?”
As the carriage abruptly stopped, Cecile woke up from her slumber.
“Have we arrived?”
“Cecile, listen to me.”
“What?”
“I want you to go back to the market right now. No, not just the market, but go far from here, no matter where.”
“…….”
“Don’t ever come home. Never. Do you understand? It’s a promise.”
Pointing a finger at Cecile and urging her, Sion quickly jumped out of the carriage.
The carriage door closed. Cecile, with a belatedly startled expression, pressed against the carriage window.
“Wait, Sion!”
There was a reason why Cecile chose Sion as the one to accompany her to the market.
Because they were close in age?
While that was true, the main reason was that Sion occasionally felt more special than anyone else to Cecile.
It’s hard to explain the reason, but the Sion that Cecile saw emitted a strangely mature atmosphere, even more so than their eldest brother, Cassion.
And now was the time.
So, Cecile didn’t doubt or resist when Sion, two years younger than her, suggested something.
She just vaguely guessed that something had happened that she didn’t know about, but Sion did.
However…
“What about you? Aren’t you coming with me?”
“…….”
“Isn’t it dangerous to go home right now?”
“…….”
“Come with me, Sion. Huh? Sion!”
Without responding to Cecile, Sion turned and headed towards the coachman’s seat.
“I’m sorry, sir. Please go back to the market.”
“What? Annoying…”
Muttering complaints about the child’s demand, the coachman soon shut his mouth when he saw the money Sion offered.
Although he didn’t tell Cecile, Sion also had a considerable amount of money, earned secretly.
He kept it a secret because it was money earned by quietly helping Cassion with his work from time to time.
Cassion’s work involved physical labor that a ten-year-old couldn’t help with, but Sion was not an ordinary ten-year-old.
Cassion was initially frightened to see him following him, but after witnessing his extraordinary qualities, he allowed him to help him with his work and paid him for it.
Of course, most of that money was sent back to their parents through Cassion, but…
Luckily, there was still some money left.
The coachman silently started the carriage after receiving the money.
Sion briefly watched the carriage return the way it came, then turned around and ran.
Sion sprinted like an animal, at a speed incomparable to when he ran with Cecile. Facing the sharp wind hitting his face, Sion earnestly wished.
Please let it be a mistake.
Let it be a misundersting.
Please…….
“Man, what a view!”
“It burns darn good.”
“This is why you shouldn’t build houses out of wood. I wouldn’t even build a doghouse with wood.”
Arriving at a place somewhat distant from the surrounding villages, where the orphanage was located, Sion stood still, seemingly dazed.
Sizzling!
The flames engulfed the orphanage entirely.
The heat emitted by the flames reached Sion, who was standing at least ten steps away from the building.
Faced with the massive blaze, Sion couldn’t do anything.
He couldn’t move or speak.
A pungent smell.
Unfamiliar voices of men.
He had merely faintly sensed them from the carriage, but now he confirmed that they were indeed real.
“Crazy bastard! If you don’t build a house with wood, what will you use?”
“Hey, stop babbling and keep watch. If even one person comes out alive, we’re done for.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve blocked all the doors and windows; how can they get out of there?”
“Wait.”
At that moment, one of the men who had been shouting while watching the orphanage burn noticed Sion.
“Who’s that kid?”
“Is he related to the orphanage?”
“Wait, everyone. Let me first… Argh!”
Approaching Sion, the man let out a loud scream and collapsed.
Upon closer inspection, Sion had twisted the man’s right wrist in a gruesome direction.
“……!”
“Jeff!”
Sion left the man with the twisted wrist and immediately ran towards the orphanage, engulfed in flames.
