Chapter 43: 43

“Sorry for returning it late, it took me a while to figure out where it came from.”

Pedro hung the necklace around my neck.

Lightly, as if returning a borrowed item.

I was frozen like a statue at the top of the high parade.

“You didn’t buy it, you made it yourself, this one.” 

This is my mother’s necklace. 

If Pedro knows that… It means knowing everything.

That I was from the ant cave, my real father, and even that moment while laughing and dancing in the square, Pedro knew the entire truth.

I had been dancing with such a man thus far.

A cool breeze ruffled the nape of my neck. 

As I opened my mouth, out of breath, Pedro raised his dark eyebrows.

“Lily, are you okay?”

No way. I’m not okay. I’ve never been okay.

Because even if I tried to forget for a while, I would realize it someday.

The fact that this big hand could break my neck at any time, a reality that it wouldn’t be strange even if I die right now.

I felt nauseous. 

If Pedro didn’t just put me down and hug me, I would have fallen to the ground as it was.

“Lily.”

Pedro patted me on the back. Carefully as if I was a newborn baby. His body temperature was as hot as a fireball freshly taken out of the furnace.

“Sorry. I must have scared you.”

Was he going to throw me down there like this? 

Did he bring me all the way here to see my last self?

Then why…..

“…Why?”

Shut up. Don’t say anything.

Even after repeating that, my lips fell on their own.

“Why are you doing this to me…”

Why are you showing me your kind eyes? Alan too, and you too.

I covered my eyes with the back of my hand. It was difficult to meet his eyes, which looked exactly like Alan.

“You know I’m fake… Why do you play with me if you’re going to kill me anyway…”

I know. I’m the bad one. It was all something I had done on my own.

I pretended to be the daughter who died first. But this was too…

“Don’t do that, please…”

Instead of answering, Pedro slowly moved his hand to my cheek.

Then the street lights went out all at once. The parade procession stopped in place and people’s breathing quieted. 

At one moment, the world became silent and dark.

I didn’t even have time to find out why.

‘Again.’

I was left alone in the dark again. My life was always like this even before I went to Duke’s Castle.

Even if I tried to climb up towards the very thin light of hope, I would never reach it, and would fall down.

“Save me…”

I whispered in a fading voice.

I knew it was no use, but I still begged. 

If there was only one thing I wanted to say along with my plea.

“…I’m sorry.”

Pyuu… Bang! 

Fireworks exploded in the night sky. A golden flash lit up Pedro’s face.

Strangely, there was not even a single sign of anger on his face.

“…I’m more sorry.”

Pedro dropped me off at the top of the model observation deck.

As he squatted down to meet his gaze, he had a somewhat bewildered look.

“How am I supposed to explain this? Fake, fake…”

As if he was defending it, he gently lowered his hand and it covered my cheek which was drenched.

“Lily. In my opinion, you are real.”

“…What?”

What kind of nonsense was this? Was I hearing things because I was already dead?

When I doubted my ears, Pedro repeated what he had said.

“You are really my little sister.”

The black eyes that shone in front of me were more sincere than anyone else.

I was in great confusion.

“What are you…”

“Do you know how I can memorize the names of so many people? You know I’m not as smart as Hugo.”

Pedro tapped his temple, sniffed and blew his nose.

“Recognizing by smell. Each person has a different body odor.”

“Ah….”

“You smell like Lily. The smell of the baby’s skin 10 years ago.”

Nonsense. I was born and raised in an ant cave. A lowly fire ant couldn’t be a princess.

“From the moment I first saw you, I thought you were Lily. That Hugo brat, he knew my nose, so he believed it like crazy, but my father’s reaction was… Well, surprisingly, it was a little different from ours. Maybe my father wasn’t convinced just by my sense of smell.”

Every word Pedro uttered floated in my ears without a sense of reality.

He looked into my eyes and coughed.

“So I did some research on where you had lived up until now. When the evidence comes out, Father will be completely relieved.”

“……”

“I didn’t bring this necklace to reveal that you’re a fake, but to find evidence that you’re the real Lily.”

It was a friendly way of speaking, but well. Would it be different?

‘Pedro doubted me.’

I could be sure. If he had believed I was Lily, I would have gotten permission to take the necklace.

Pedro scratched his head as if he had noticed the contradiction in his words.

“Ugh… In the end, I couldn’t find any proof that you are Lily. Those damn bandits had nothing to do with you at all. So I thought about what to do, and decided.”

Pedro shrugged and hugged me.

“I will trust you.”

Pop, pop, the golden flame is dazzling.

“You are my pretty little sister. I… really like that. We are a happy family.”

‘…Don’t do this.’ 

I clenched my trembling eyelids with my fist.

Of course, even if I did that, I couldn’t get rid of my useless imagination.

‘If you treat me like I’m the real Lily, I’ll…’

I felt like I would really believe that if I let go of my mind a little bit.

If the dead Lily was me, all problems would be solved.

Not only because I would survive, but I could become a precious child. Because I could live in a happy house. Because I want to be… Lily.

“Lily, of course you don’t remember our family. Because you were a baby back then.”

Pedro said, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’, slowly soothing me.

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“You don’t have to force yourself too hard. After your awakening on your 14th birthday, you yourself will be able to believe in yourself.”

I felt like I was hit by cold water with those words.

‘Calm down.’

If I was Lily, I would have to be a Beast or Spirit. It must be the blood of a precious God. But I’m the evil spirit everyone hates.

Do not settle for a cozy fantasy. You cannot go crazy like this. Because illusions will someday be shattered. 

Do not be disappointed as much as you expected….

In 4 years, this relationship will be over.

‘I’m going to break it.’

A harmonious family who sat around the same table and dined together.

I’m going to blow it up with my own hands.

In a new despair, I buried my face in Pedro’s shoulder.

He gave me warmth without saying a word.

Boom, bang, fireworks stretched our shadows.

It was a friendly silhouette. I’d rather believe that the shadow side was real.

‘Did Alan go crazy like this, too?’

Was Alan, like me, at the crossroads of choices?

Was reality so painful that he chose to pursue a happy fantasy?

‘Pedro doesn’t know that I’m an evil spirit. Alan didn’t tell him.’

If I had said everything as it was, there would be no way that Pedro would trust me like he does now.

I was terrified that Alan would harm me, but the result was that he was protecting me.

‘Alan…’

A certain question ran through my dazed mind.

‘Why did Alan send me to the South?’

No matter how chaotic the North was, it was safer for Alan to keep me in his nest to protect me.

Like how it used to be. And yet he sent me south. As if trying to keep me away from something.

Rumble! At that moment, the wooden floor shook.

Pedro and I raised our heads at the same time and looked down from the observation deck.

Before I knew it, we reached the square where we were dancing before. 

Instead of the exciting gypsies, two groups of people were facing each other.

Somehow the atmosphere was unusual. 

One of the leading players jumped towards the other group with a stick.

Bugh!

Blood splattered on the mosaic tile.

*** 

“Get lost, you filthy northern bastards!”

By the time we got down from the observatory, the situation was quite serious.

A man was lying on the floor with blood on his head.

People who seemed to be his friends raised their voices at the middle-aged man holding a stick.

“What are you doing?!”

“What am I doing? I’ve heard all the rumors. I heard that among you northerners there is a monster that can mimic humans!”

The middle-aged man shouted loudly even when he was criticized.

Even the people around him added one sentence at a time.

“The barrier was broken even though there was no way it could be broken. Didn’t the black wizard do it?”

“Go back to where you live, now! Don’t be a nuisance in other people’s neighborhood!”

“…Something big is about to happen.”

Everything was as Michael had said. 

People wouldn’t cause any problems when everyone’s happy. However, when disturbing energy overflowed, ugly emotions were bound to rise to the surface.

“Hurry up, get back to your house!”

A middle-aged man wielded a bloody stick.

Pedro grabbed my hand and tried to leave, but the crowd pushed me closer to the man.

The people who were blocking my view split like the Red Sea, and my eyes suddenly met the man who was making a riot.

He stood upright and stared at me.

I looked around in bewilderment and realized.

My bright red hair was characteristic of northern descent.

“What are you looking at, brat?”

The man approached with his bloody eyes wide open. 

As I was stepping backwards, Pedro blocked my front.

“Look, why don’t you calm down?”

Pedro’s strong physique should have made him lower his tail, but the man laughed at him.

If you looked closely, his face was burning as if he was drunk.

“Who are you and what did you say to me?”

‘He’s Pedro, what do you mean who is he?’

Now the question was even more interesting.

I thought he would listen to him if he revealed his identity as a prince, but surprisingly, Pedro scratched his head and avoided answering.

“You don’t need to know who I am, but if you’re drunk, go home, wash your feet, and go to sleep. Because of you now…”

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that the First Prince of the House Bauner?”

Then a passerby screamed. 

He must have tried to lower his voice, but I could hear everything because the place was so quiet.

I was a little reassured. 

I thought the man who was making a fuss would say, ‘Oh, you’re a Prince! I’m sorry for causing a fuss!’.

“Ha!”

But my expectations were completely wrong.

The man let out a laugh and pressed the tip of the stick against Pedro’s shoulder.

“You’re funny, what kind of Prince doesn’t wear the crest of his family on his body? If you are a Prince by wearing some shiny prince-like clothes, then I am His Majesty the Emperor.”

Ah, come to think of it, we changed our clothes.

Pedro’s original garments had the Duke Bauner sign engraved on a button or belt. But we both changed into costumes for the parade. 

To a man whose eyes were wandering from being drunk, it could have looked like a bluff.

“Haha. Go while I’m saying nice things.”

Despite being terribly rude, Pedro tried to calm the drunkard as calmly as a dog.

He seemed to avoid a useless fight, but his opponent did not respond.

“Don’t meddle in and act rashly. Or are you also a northern bastard?”

“Hey, be careful of your words. We are in front of a kid.”

“Ha, you’re going out with a young bitch at this time, I’m going to give you a good lesson… Ugh!”

Grab!

Pedro, who had been calm until recently, suddenly grabbed the man’s wrist.

It sounded great. The man whimpered and tried to pull his hand out, but he couldn’t move.

“Le, let this go! Argh!”

“It doesn’t matter if you bother me, but…”

Pedro’s voice lowered.

“Why are you even acting up to my sister?”

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