Like that, Bella asked me to call her back when I was ready and left.
“I was thinking of selling this.”
It was the second time Roziel gave me a jewelry button. The first one was for sale downtown. He gave it to me to show off his money, so I think I can get it at a pretty high price.
Now that I think about it, it wasn’t just a show of his money.
‘Wasn’t I really a mean woman?’
I was trying to sell a person’s heart. I’m glad I didn’t sell it then.
Relieved, I started searching my room. I also wanted to give him a symbolic gift as well as a meaning of apology.
What is there? But I don’t have any special items… Dolls? I don’t even have any. Jewelry? There are many, but none of them are special.
“Ha. I should have been in a relationship before.”
I suddenly became sad. Dozens of unrequited love… never came true.
“Ah.”
While I was thinking about my dark unrequited love life, a good idea suddenly came to mind. Although my love was unrequited, I did a lot of things and did this and that for the other person.
I called Bella and I asked her to bring me a handkerchief from the mansion. Handkerchiefs were a necessity for nobility. There would be a lot of extra handkerchiefs in the mansion.
I chose the most luxurious and prettiest handkerchiefs she brought.
“What are you going to do with this?”
“I’ll give him a present.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s a good design for a Young Lord.”
“I’m not giving him a handkerchief.”
“Then what?”
“Rose.”
“…”
I carefully began to fold the handkerchief into a rose.
A thousand origami cranes followed by a thousand flowers. Yes, it was a stupid thing I did in my previous life.
“Now, look at this.”
“Oh, it really looks like a rose, doesn’t it?”
I put a pin in the fold to fix it, and then put a piece of jewelry in the middle.
“A rose that never withers.”
“Oh, my. Does that mean that Miss’s love will never die…?”
“No, that’s not it. You went too far!”
I folded some more roses in the box.
God. I didn’t know I was this romantic.
But I was not really folding this up to have a romance with him.
“I just did it because I thought Roziel would like it.”
“Well.”
He was in a position to have everything if he wanted, so I decided that he would prefer handmade products that were made from my own hands.
I tied the gift box beautifully with ribbon and handed it to Bella.
“Go on.”
“What about the letter?”
“…That’s it.”
Letters were omitted. I was afraid that I would get a reply again.
“Why don’t you bring it yourself? You worked hard to prepare this.”
“Well, shall I?”
I plucked up my courage. I couldn’t just hide forever, and my complicated mind had been sorted out to some extent.
I stood in front of Roziel’s room and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Taktaktak, I heard a running sound and the door burst open. His peach-colored cheeks that were dyed red were so lovely.
Fortunately, nothing had changed. After knowing how he felt, I wondered what I’d do if Roziel looked different.
Suddenly, his warm touch and worried voice came to mind, but I quickly shook it off. He was twelve years old. I was old enough to cry while playing house.
While I was lost in other thoughts, Roziel asked me with a worried face.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
How could I say that I’m still sick when he’s worried about me with his pretty heart?
“I guess my wish came true.”
Roziel twinkled his eyes as if he were amazed.
Pfft. It was just a wish for me to be healthy. This was cute, too.
I smiled back at him.
“My wish, too.”
“What?”
“For Roziel to be happy when he receives this.”
I handed him a present.
“Here, Roziel. It’s a gift.”
“Wow.”
Roziel was distracted by the pretty blue box. When he carefully opened the box, flowers of all colors were in full bloom. A rose-like smile bloomed on Roziels face.
“Pretty flowers…”
“Even if there is no scent, the roses I made will never wither. So they can always maintain their original appearance.”
He carefully closed the box again and held it in his arms.
“Thank you. I’ll keep it forever.”
…No. You don’t need it forever.
I was embarrassed for no reason.
The sun was setting before I knew it. The scarlet sunset covered us. It was already dark. I’d lost this precious vacation to my worries.
Feeling sorry for Roziel for no reason, I decided to play with him now.
“Roziel, do you want me to show you something good?”
“Good?”
“Yes, the night view.”
I wanted to feed him delicious food, show him the sea, and show him the world a lot of wonderful things.
“Follow me.”
He followed after me as I climbed the stairs to the highest point of the mansion.
“The lunch box.”
“That’s enough.”
I was sure he ate the dessert I gave him earlier. I wonder if he finished the box. I planned to feed him a lot of salad after watching the night view.
As I went up to the highest point of the mansion, there was a door to the small tower.
“It’s a place I went to a lot with Blan when I was young.”
I’m still young, but when I was younger than now.
“At that time, Blan couldn’t walk well, so I carried him to the top. Even though he was crying because he was uncomfortable, he stopped crying when he was exposed to the cool wind and the starlight.”
“Blan cried? He doesn’t look like that.”
What the hell do you think of Blan?
“That’s why I thought this place was so special and nice. I still come sometimes.”
Roziel grabbed my hand first, as if excited by my words.
Ugh, I almost screamed. Fortunately, I pressed it down and swallowed it.
Don’t make it obvious. You are an adult.
Roziel must have used up a lot of courage, but his palms were full of sweat.
“I can’t wait to see it!”
“Y, yes.”
Why I’m I the one that’s embarrassed?
I climbed the spire as Roziel led me. It was the highest and most scenic spot in the Zeos estate.
As we reached the top, the pouring starlight enveloped us. Nothing could be seen around the darkness, but we could clearly see each other’s faces.
We sat down.
“Yuria, this.”
He wriggled his hand into his pocket and handed me the candy. It was a dessert that I gave as a gift.
“Didn’t you finish eating?”
“I’m almost done eating, but this is all I have left. I was going to save it and eat it…”
You ate it all? The amount was considerable.
“R, really? I can give you more if you want.”
“No, it’s okay.”
Roziel closed his eyes tightly, saying so.
The wind at night was cooler than the day.
“It feels like I’m out on a picnic.”
Roziel said. Perhaps it was because it was nighttime, and his deeply immersed voice blended with the halo of light, it felt hazy.
“This is also suitable for an outing. Well, there’s a lot to sit around and watch.”
“Is that so?”
We put the candy in our mouths, rolled it around and savored the sweet taste.
“I think Yuria’s house has a lot of good things. Warm energy flows all over the house.”
He grinned at the rose box and candy I gave him.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I like everything Yuria gives me.”
Now I couldn’t let that slip away. I had forgotten about it, but seeing it so blatantly made me nervous.
“Hmm. Shall we count the stars together?”
There were countless stars in the sky. The sea of stars, which was not seen in my previous life, was also an indicator that this was a different world.
Roziel was at a loss for words as to whether we were really going to count them.
Then he stretched out his hand to the sky.
“What are you doing?”
“Somehow, it seemed like I could reach it. Once upon a time, a knight of Agrad cut the sun and the moon with his sword.”
People here didn’t know the concept of ‘space’. Since science had just begun to develop, of course, it seemed that stars were objects floating in the sky.
“Then Roziel will be able to cut that star one day?”
I tuned in to his innocence.
“No, I’m not going to cut it.”
“Then?”
“Why cut something so pretty? I will just watch.”
He said that and looked up at the sky with sparkling eyes…
The stars were not in the sky, but in Roziel’s eyes…
Hm, I patted Roziel on the back at his words.
“Good boy, Roziel.”
“I am a good and friendly man by nature. I don’t use violence recklessly.”
I know now that he really isn’t a bad guy like the villain in the novel.
I didn’t know what variables would occur in the future in his growth process, but I was convinced that at least he would never change.
“Yes, I’ll remember it.”
Roziel shook his shoulders like a puppy praised by my words.
“Hehe. It’s really pretty.”
“Right? No matter how much the capital city has many things to see and is good, the countryside has its advantages. Things like this raw nature.”
It was definitely a great advantage to be able to see the sky in such an open space.
“Yes. There are so many pretty things in the world.”
“Right? My father says, the world is really big. And he said there are many cool things.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So I will go abroad with my father someday. I want to run a business.”
Roziel opened his eyes wide at my words.
“Abroad? Business?”
“Yes. I want to be the best merchant in the empire.”
So I’m going to pile up all the gold coins and play with them.
Roziel was silent for a moment.
“When are you going to go?”
“After completing Agelisk?”
“So soon?”
Roziel’s face turned pale.
Oh, I’m being too honest. But I didn’t want to be a knight, and Roziel knows that.
“I want to stay with Yuria for a long time…”
He showed his sincerity.
“A long time…?”
How long. Not forever, is it?
“Just… continuously…”
He said shyly.
…How could it be so consistent?
“Normally, a precious person always stays by your side. See them when you want to see them, touch them when you want to touch them…”
What kind of rosy future is he dreaming of with me?
However, I was in a position where I couldn’t welcome it freely no matter what it looked like.
“That’s true.”
“Right?”
I was speechless for a moment. I was wondering if I should say something now that I couldn’t say in the library before. That precious people aren’t always around. I had to let him know that not all love comes true.
‘Agh, I can’t hold my tongue.’
But I couldn’t speak. Because I know he’d be disappointed. And because I think he might get hurt by me.
He was still staring at me with twinkling eyes as if waiting for my answer.
I couldn’t beat him in the end.
“….Yes. Well. Um… Should I go abroad once I am bigger…?”
“Yes! You can go when you’re fifty!”
“…”
I had no choice but to nod because Roziel seemed to be taking the happy dream seriously.
Neverland Translations 