Chapter 11. The End of the Fairy Tale
(When the perspective switches to Ruth’s, the screen will transition with ◇◇◇)
The hunting contest had come to an end. The empire was abuzz with stories of monsters appearing in the forest where the hunting contest was held, and those who seemed to be related to the appearance of the monsters were all subjected to investigation. However, time passed regardless, and the monotonous everyday life continued without a hitch.
“Yes, now you just have to twist it like that.”
“Like this?”
“Good job.”
I moved my knitting needles following the example my mother showed me. Then, the tangled loop that no matter how hard I tried wouldn’t untangle, slowly loosened and turned into a tiny knot. Upon seeing this, both my mother and I, without knowing who started first, slyly smiled.
After the hunting contest, when I returned home in a mess, neither my mother nor Ian asked me anything. They only mentioned that I must be treated since I was injured. Perhaps they already knew. What decision I had made in the forest. What I had left behind.
The aftermath of the incidents during the hunting contest was bigger than I thought.
Right after the contest ended, I was bedridden with a fever for three straight days. According to the examination of a visiting physician, it was because I had been exposed to too much rain and had overexerted my body.
However, I thought it was because I had pushed myself too hard mentally.
After suffering from an unclear cause of fever for a long time, I left my bed and always smiled so as not to cause more worry to Ian and my mother, who seemed still concerned about me. In doing so, I enjoyed short walks, reading, knitting with my mother, and baking various kinds of pies with the chef.
Thus, a month passed. The streets, which had been full of buds just a month ago, were now full of fully bloomed flowers of various colors. Late spring had arrived.
During this time, I received all sorts of news about what was happening in the palace through Ian, specifically, everything that Ruth did.
Just a week after the hunting contest, he had sent Duke Hazel to prison and had a dinner with the members of the Council of Elders. And he, who I thought had put down his sword for good, was said to be picking it up again and sparing with knights whenever he had the chance.
In the end, Ruth was doing well. This meant that the choice I had made at that moment was the right one.
As expected, there was no contact from Ruth. This confirmed that he had forgotten about me. Yet, sometimes passing by the main gate, I would catch myself momentarily staring at the empty mailbox, a habit that had somehow formed.
And somehow, my engagement with him had been properly handled. According to Ian, the first thing Ruth did after waking up was to annul our engagement.
To use the expression Ian used at the time, upon hearing about his engagement to me from Lilia, he immediately annulled the engagement documents without a word.
Assuming why Ruth annulled our engagement without a clear reason, it probably felt awkward to be engaged to a woman he did not know.
My traces left in the palace slowly disappeared. Disappeared, disappearing, until finally, they were completely gone on the day Ian brought my belongings that remained in the palace.
If someone asks me if I have any regrets left, I would answer I don’t know. If they ask me if I miss the times I could talk and laugh with Ruth, I would say yes, and if they ask me if I regret reviving Ruth who was dying, I would say no. So, I don’t know.
“Seri, what do you want to make?”
“Um… A scarf. I want to make a scarf.”
“Why? You could try making a bag or a shawl. I make you a scarf every year.”
“Still, I want to try making it myself.”
“Alright. Then, what color do you want to make it?”
“…Purple. The color of violets, I want to make it with that.”
“Okay.”
Without any particular doubt, I nodded in agreement and watched my mother, who pulled out a purple yarn from a basket full of yarns, then looked out the window at the clear blue sky.
I dislike the cold. So, I’ll knit a scarf. And once the scarf is finished, I should travel to a distant foreign country.
I want to travel to see various things, acquire various knowledge, and make various friends.
Naturally, it should become easier to live forgetting Ruth, and someday, I will be able to make those memories with him into ones I can talk about with a laugh.
I briefly fixed my hold on the knitting needles as I planned for the future. Ruth might not know, but in one corner of my bedroom, there were stacks of letters that would never reach their recipient. He would never see them now, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away because they were all filled with a foolish longing.
After receiving purple yarn from my mother, I continued to knit without noticing how time flew by.
With each row built upon another, the feeling that something was being created filled me with an indescribable warmth. Perhaps that’s why I skipped dinner today and devoted myself entirely to knitting. For the first time, I managed to step out of Ruth’s shadow and have time entirely to myself.
My mother and Ian would usually have told me to stop by now, but for some reason, they left me alone today. It was their quiet consideration.
I realized how late it had become only after the sky had turned pitch dark.
“It’s already this late. I should stop now.”
Finally getting up from my seat, I stretched my stiff body this way and that to relieve the sore feeling. Then, holding a palm-sized lamp, I slowly walked out of the living room and across the corridor.
As I weakly treaded along, the sudden sight of moonlight streaming through the window in the corridor caught my eye. The light seemed unusually beautiful today.
“…….”
Mesmerized by the light and lifting my chin, I saw the full moon filling the window. It was a flawless full moon, driving the pitch-black darkness far away.
“Selena, a nice name you have. I hope your future shines like the moon in the sky.”
As I stared intensely at the full moon, a vivid memory emerged, unblurred.
…Shall we take a walk? Led by this memory, as if by a perfectly contrived coincidence, I started walking slowly towards the garden.
Drenched in fragments of memories that popped up now and then, repeating the same as those memories had become a habit, like checking the mailbox.
***
The garden, quietly underscored by the chirping of crickets, was peaceful. As it was spring, the air was suitably warm and soft. “…” I moved slowly, brushing the flowers sparkling under the moonlight with my fingertips. This was one thing I enjoyed as I grew older: the ability to take in this view without needing my parents’ permission.
Should I head back in now? It feels like I’ve been out for quite a while. Realizing I had already reached one end of the garden, I hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to return to the mansion. My legs were starting to ache anyway.
It was at that moment, as I was about to turn around.
“Se.”
“…?”
A voice, both familiar and unfamiliar, called out from behind me. When I stiffened and showed no response, the voice called out again.
“Se.”
“Se.”
Over that voice, a young boy’s voice, not yet changed, was superimposed at that moment.
That can’t be. It can’t be. It can’t be… right?
I clenched my fist as I felt my heart drop. Then, I quickly turned around.
There stood a man, no, a boy. A boy with hair like the sun and eyes reminding one of violets.
“Hello.”
The boy who caught my eye greeted me cheerfully, as if we had seen each other just half a day ago.
“…Ruth.”
After a long time, I called out to the boy, and he responded with a gentle smile.
“Yes, Serbia.”
◇◇◇
He first met the child in a forest.
“Run away, Your Highness! I will buy us some time!”
“I won’t go unless it’s together! Lancelot!”
“Please, don’t be stubborn and go first! I can fight with ease knowing that the prince is in a safe place! I will follow soon, please…….”
Ruth bit his lower lip while staring at Lancelot, who was standing in front of him and shouting angrily. Lancelot had been his knight, standing by his side since he was born.
Therefore, he had never been separated from Lancelot even once.
He wanted to say he didn’t want to go, but he knew he couldn’t, so his mouth didn’t move. While Ruth hesitated, his heart thumped loudly in his ears, as if it would burst out.
As Lancelot said, he had nothing right now. In his hurry, all he had was a small dagger for a weapon, and his combat skills were lacking.
Moreover, with only an old horse, it was too much to expect both a well-built man and a boy to ride.
Considering all this, Ruth suppressed his desire to cry like a child and mounted the horse.
Glancing at the enemies approaching from a distance, he spoke to Lancelot.
“I’ll go ahead, so make sure to come.”
“Yes. I, Lancelot, swear to surely join Your Highness. So, please go now!”
Lancelot faintly smiled, then gripped a sword as big as himself with both hands. He was ready for battle.
Ruth reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Lancelot and kicked his horse’s belly. With the impact, the horse shuddered then started to run at a fast pace.
Where to go now?
Once he started running, the destination seemed unclear. Ruth frowned deeply, putting more strength into the hand holding the reins. He had heard that almost all families had either turned to the side of the Third Prince or were turning a blind eye to his actions.
What could possibly be done……
“!”
After much contemplation, Ruth suddenly widened his eyes.
No, there was still one family left. A family that had not fallen to the Third Prince.
“The Duke of Obelton.”
The name of that family that he uttered seemed to gift an inexplicable deep trust. That was why.
“I must go there.”
Deciding to go to the Duke of Obelton without a moment’s hesitation was perhaps, in a way, a pull of fate.
