Episode 76

I placed some paper and colored pencils in front of Amy, who was frozen in place, her breaths coming out in flustered puffs.

“Amy, do you know how to write?”

The child shook her head, and I nudged the colored pencils closer to her.

“Then why don’t we draw something? Draw whatever you like, Amy.”

“D-draw? On this fine paper?”

“Yes, go ahead. Draw anything you want.”

I drew a simple circle on the white sheet and added eyes, a nose, and a mouth. I used purple for the eyes. After adding black hair, I intended to tear the paper to shreds.

As I colored in the hair with a black pencil, a different man with black hair came to mind. He was someone who often wore the forlorn look of a discarded puppy. I wonder how he’s doing.

I miss Lottie, I miss Tito.

I even miss my room in the empress’s palace—the place I thought I’d never grow accustomed to.

Vitrain should have arrived in Brincia by now. Right about now, he’s probably searching for me alongside Aiden.

Have they found the puppet yet?

The sooner I return, the sooner the Commander can go back to the border.

With a heavy sigh, I scribbled randomly on the paper.

After covering it with indeterminate shapes, Amy seemed encouraged and picked up a blue pencil. She started to draw something tiny in one corner of her large sheet of paper.

Stretching my neck to peek, I saw it was the face of an animal. Judging by its rounded snout and pointed ears, it looked like a rabbit.

“It looks just like Lottie’s rabbit mask.”

“How did you know, ma’am? It is a rabbit mask.”

“Is it from the Lingrove Summer Festival?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Did you attend the festival last year? You must’ve picked a rabbit mask.”

“No, ma’am. I’ve never been to the festival; my village makes those masks.”

“Really?”

As Amy explained, it seemed the villagers from Sisen received a subcontract to make masks for the Lingrove Festival. She had never attended the festival, but she did own a rabbit mask.

For poor Amy from that struggling village, it was her only toy and her greatest treasure.

“She promised that she would take me to the festival next year…”

Her voice, laced with a hint of tears, drifted off.

I patted the poor child’s shoulders—the child sold by her own parents—and reassured her, “Next year, I’ll make sure you get to go to the festival. I promise.”

Amy looked up, her eyes filled with tears. She was still frightened and anxious, but I could see a tiny spark of hope beginning to shine in her brown eyes.

There was yet another child to whom I had promised next summer’s festival. Next year, I would go see Lothania and the elephant together.

Who would have thought I’d be stuck here for four whole years?

Amy told me that from her village of Sisen to Lingrove was about an hour’s walk. And since it took an hour by carriage from Sisen to here, I must be somewhere in a forest not too far from Lingrove.

If only I could find a way to let Aiden know I was here…

After snapping the colored pencil into several pieces, I hid a small piece along with a few sheets of paper under the bed.

I don’t know what to do yet, but if an opportunity arises, I’ll be ready to seize it.

* * *

As Aiden and Vitrain departed the palace, night fell over Brincia.

Melbrid, sensing the uneasy glances from the royal guards, quietly took a seat in front of the cell where the Zernia family’s butler was detained.

The butler urged him to leave, suggesting he return to the Retain Count’s estate or at least the Zernia estate, but Melbrid remained stubborn.

After a heavy sigh, the butler spoke in a sorrowful tone. “If you happen to see the Duke, would you apologize on my behalf?”

“Why should you apologize to my brother? I’m the one who begged you to tell Aiden that he’d left the manor at night,” Melbrid replied, shaking his head, thinking the butler wanted to apologize for revealing Lian’s absence.

“No, it’s not that. I’m sorry for not caring for him properly when he was young.”

“When he was young… my brother?”

“The late Duke was a strict and sensitive man. He never tolerated the sound of a child’s laughter or cries in the manor. But I should never have treated the young duke that way….”

Recalling Lian’s childhood, devoid of laughter or tears, the butler choked up.

The serpents were all alike—cold and somehow incomplete. Living beside them, the butler of House Zernia had grown accustomed to their ways.

It was only four years ago, when Lian brought eight-year-old Melbrid to the Zernia estate, that the butler felt the manor had truly become a home. Melbrid, with a laughter as warm as sunshine, melted the icy atmosphere of the manor during those years.

Only then did the butler realize all he had missed, but by then, it was far too late.

Listening to the butler’s voice, laced with regret, Melbrid nodded. “I don’t quite understand, but I’ll tell my brother.”

“Now, please go back. The Duke has left most of House Zernia’s wealth in your name, and he has appointed a guardian. That guardian will come to find you,” the butler said gently, trying to persuade Melbrid to leave.

But Melbrid buried his face in his hands, refusing to move.

Just then, someone entered the dim cell.

“Ah, so you were here. Lord Melbrid.”

It was Anna, Lothania’s personal maid.

After leaving Melbrid in the interrogation room earlier, Lothania had asked about him every hour. Only after hearing Anna’s report ten times that he was sitting in the guardhouse cell did Lothania finally relent, deciding to show mercy to her mother’s kidnapper’s little brother. Anna had come on her orders to bring Melbrid back.

But instead of the cheerful welcome Anna expected, Melbrid only curled up tighter, whispering, “I’m no longer a lord.”

“I don’t care if you’re a lord, young master, or just Melbrid. I’m only following the Crown Princess’s orders.”

Melbrid flinched and looked up, remembering Lothania’s cold gaze. The idea that she might hate even his presence in the palace caused tears to well up again in his large violet eyes.

Anna knelt to his eye level, offering her hand.

“Come. You must wash up, have a proper meal, and sleep soundly until morning. Those are Her Highness’s orders.”

“Really? I’m allowed to go to her palace?”

“Her Highness is already in bed. Well, pretending to be asleep, anyway, but yes, those are her orders.”

Melbrid wiped his eyes with his sleeve and stood, his face brighter though tears continued to spill. Grasping Anna’s hand, he prepared to leave the cell but paused to look back at the butler.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Please, don’t come back again.”

The butler’s reply was firm, but Melbrid gave a stubborn wave as he exited.

A little later, as Lothania, in her nightgown, clung to her bedroom window, she quickly ducked her head as she spotted Anna and Melbrid entering the Crown Princess’s quarters.

Anna, noticing Lothania, smirked, but Melbrid looked tense. Lothania watched as he hesitated at the entrance of her quarters, as though it wasn’t the place he’d once visited so freely.

“What a fool… What’s he waiting for?” Lothania muttered, only relaxing when Melbrid finally entered under Anna’s encouragement.

With her ear pressed against the door, she strained to hear Anna’s intentionally loud voice.

“Have the bath ready? Hurry and take him to the bathroom. Is the meal prepared? Make sure he eats right after his bath.”

Relieved, Lothania thought of Sione, a part of her wanting to punish Melbrid for everything that happened. But the pitiful image of him from earlier lingered in her mind.

Once her mother was safely returned and the treacherous snake was dealt with, Melbrid’s fate would be decided as well.

Until then…

Lothania turned from the door, moving to the window to look up at the night sky.

While she silently prayed to the round, beautiful moon for her mother’s safe return, the night deepened.