Chapter 4: 3

Unlike her wildly beating heart, Hyazelki couldn’t move the rest of her body. Her breath was stuck in her throat, until a gentle voice could be heard.

“It’s alright. It’s me.”

Glowing red eyes shone in the darkness. Relieved by the familiar gaze, Hyazelki then let out a relieved sigh.

“I didn’t mean to surprise you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could gradually see a bit better. The white dragon, Ciel, smiled kindly and walked to her side.

 

“There’s something I forgot to give you, so I came back.”

Ciel handed her a pocket watch that glowed in the same way as his amber eyes. As she listened to him, Hyazelki glanced at the sleeping maids at the other side of the room.

“Don’t worry. They won’t wake up.”

“. . . Why?”

“Well, that . . . It’s because I don’t want them to?”

What did that mean?

It was frustrating for Hyazelki to hear such vague words, but Ciel only smiled softly as he saw the child sulking as she pouted her lips.

And when she recalled how Ciel just up and left her behind, Hyazelki puffed her cheeks up even more.

“I want to explain properly and I don’t want anyone to know that I visited again today, so I put the maids to sleep.”

That’s what he should’ve said from the start.

The child carefully picked up the pocket watch from Ciel’s hand.

“What’s this?”

Instead of answering, Ciel just patted Hyazelki’s coral hair and tucked her back in bed.

“Hyazelki, please be happy in this castle. This watch will give you strength.”

She stared blankly down at the pocket watch in her hand.

It was a heavy watch with a dragon engraved on it, and it looked as though the dragon could move at any second because it was crafted with such detail.

“A dragon cannot hurt you. This is the safest place for you, and you’re such a lovely girl, so this time . . . I hope your life will not be short and futile.”

It sounded like he knew that she had lived that kind of life before.

But when Hyazelki looked up so she could ask what he meant, he was already gone.

* * *

It had been months since Hyazelki first arrived at the castle., and the Dragon of Punishment treated her like air the whole time.

But for Hyazelki, this was more comfortable.

Kael didn’t even come out of his room often, so even if Hyazelki wandered around the castle, she wouldn’t get to meet him.

Without encountering him, she would sometimes forget that she lived under the same room as the Dragon of Punishment.

“. . .”

But now that they finally crossed paths, she was reminded of who it was that owned this place.

“. . . Why are you here.”

Since she had adjusted to life at the castle, Hyazelki was out on her usual stroll here and there. Of course, she only started doing this after months of confirming that Kael really didn’t come out of his room.

Hyazelki was clad in a thick coat as she trudged down the hall.

Until suddenly, Kael was in front of her.

He furrowed his brows slightly as he looked around. When it was clear that Hyazelki really was alone right now, his brows wrinkled even further.

‘Are you mad that I’m wandering around as I wish?’

The air around the Dragon of Punishment was cold, and when he frowned, his presence became even heavier.

The dazed Hyazelki took a step back.

“Albert!”

Then, Kael called the butler with a loud voice, which made Hyazelki wince. Kael grimaced when Hyazelki took a couple more steps backward.

‘Why is he so hard to read.’

Thanks to this, the two stood in the hallway with a very awkward distance between them.

“Albert!”

Kael shouted once more, and the butler finally appeared around the corner. He immediately rushed to them when he saw Hyazelki.

“M-Milord, you were looking for me?”

“Why is this child walking around alone?”

Not only Albert turned pale, but also Hyazelki.

‘What, am I not allowed to walk around alone? Am I supposed to be under surveillance?’

Even if that’s true, it wasn’t like she was being totally neglected.

Hyazelki’s whole body trembled, thinking that she was about to be scolded.

“I-I was just looking for the Young Miss downstairs.”

Kael took a step closer to Albert and lowered his voice, but Hyazelki heard everything.

“Didn’t you say human children shouldn’t be left alone?”

“. . . That’s when they’re very young, sire.”

“She still looks awfully young.”

“Oh, of course, she’s still very young, but . . .”

“Then you shouldn’t leave her unattended.”

“. . . You’re right, Milord.”

Under Kael’s fierce glare, Albert sweated profusely. Meanwhile, Hyazelki looked at them and was deeply troubled.

‘Should I just run away?’

But if she did, there would be repercussions later. If she apologized first, then she’d be in a little bit of trouble now, but it would get better later.

“Huu . . .”

Hyazelki breathed deeply and took a step closer to Kael.

‘I don’t want to live only until today.’

Hyazelki was about to lower her upper body and bow towards Kael, but as she approached him, he took a couple steps back.

She was about to apologize, but what’s this?

‘I didn’t see that wrong . . . did I?’

To confirm, Hyazelki approached him again and took two steps forward, but Kael reciprocated by taking two steps back as well.

Hyazelki looked up with a startled expression on her face.

“Ahem.”

Kael avoided her gaze and cleared his throat for no reason.

‘Why . . . why does it feel like you’re running away from me . . . ?’

She shifted her perplexed gaze towards Albert, but the butler avoided her as well.

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Somehow, Hyazelki kept approaching him because of her confusion, but the same thing happened over and over. Eventually, she sighed and just bowed once more.

“I’m very sorry for walking around alone.”

“. . .”

Both Kael and Albert looked at Hyazelki wordlessly.

‘Hmph. I also know how to act like a lady to some extent.’

Hyazelki, proud of the fact that she apologized properly, leaned back from her bow, and she saw two surprised faces on the older men, but Kael’s expression made her do a double take.

“. . . She’s quite polite.”

Kael muttered, somewhat incredulously, to Albert. Until now, the people Kael interacted with were either sinners or the servants in the castle.

“. . . She’s always been polite, ever since she first came here. Didn’t she greet Milord when she arrived?”

Although Albert was still in a state of shock, he answered his Lord as if he knew it himself. But the truth was, Hyazelki was mostly left with Lisa and Yuri, so Albert hadn’t seen Hyazelki as much.

The child looked at the two men, scratching her cheek as she lowered her eyebrows.

‘As much as possible, a pitiful expression.’

Clasping her hands together, she looked up at Kael and Albert with a look of disappointment.

“Then I’ll go back to my room . . .”

“Ah, no . . .”

Confirming that they saw her remorseful look, she smiled secretly.

“Ack!”

Then, she tripped over the smooth floor.

The child who fell down lifted her upper body from the floor, frowning.

‘It hurts . . .’

She expected this to happen because she tripped on purpose, but it still hurt because she couldn’t control it.

“Y-Young Miss, are you alright?”

Albert quickly walked towards her to help her up, but when a loud bang could be heard, Hyazelki stood up alone then she shook her head.

“I’m fine . . .”

Kael’s red eyes quivered as he looked at the pitiful figure.

The Dragon of Punishment’s defenses were weaker than she thought.

Because Hyazelki successfully gathered useful information, she walked away and turned the corner, stopping her tears immediately since her face wouldn’t be visible from the back.

‘I should ask Yuri for snacks!’

As she got away from their line of sight, of course, she excitedly ran through the hallways.

* * *

Life at the Northern Castle was as satisfying as ever.

She wasn’t cold, she wasn’t hungry, and she wasn’t living in fear.

Moreover, the people at the castle all adored Hyazelki very much.

Because she was quick when it came to adapting to her surroundings, she accepted the goodwill around her immediately. She had always lived in such poor conditions, so she was glad to settle into the groove of accepting kindness.

It also helped that she was very, very cute.

In this fourth life of hers, she thought she was going to die right away again. But strangely enough, she was still alive, and she’s even living in luxury.

The voices of the past flashed through her mind.

‘I’m pretty sure it’s because of this child that the village is . . . !’

‘But, this child, just what’s wrong with . . . !’

‘Will everyone in the village die?!’

‘So it really is because of this child . . .’

‘If we want to live, then we have no other choice!’

She could still remember those voices ever so clearly.

Her parents were trying to protect only themselves, but this was only the start of her suffering.

Hyazelki was born in a small farming village, and everyone there thought that she needed to be sacrificed to God to end the plague.

No one opposed this.

And just before she was killed, Hyazelki was rescued by Ciel.

“Young Miss, where are you going?”

As she walked along the hallway with her small footsteps, Yuri found Hyazelki and quickly approached her.

“A walk!”

The child looked up with her eyes wide open. Yuri smiled contentedly.

“Even the way our little Miss answers is so lovely. How can you be so cute?”

Hyazelki smiled while Yuri patted her head. It was a loving touch that she never received in all those lives where she just died in vain.

Of course, her appearance must have played a huge part in her receiving affection in this fourth life.

“Would you like me to come with you?”

“Okay!”

With her eyes sparkling as she smiled brightly, Hyazelki was just too cute to resist. When the child reached out her hand, Yuri smiled again.

“Ah, there you are, Miss!”

At the same time the deeply moved Yuri covered her mouth because of Hyazelki’s cuteness, Lisa and Albert appeared from the other side of the hall and rushed over to them.

“Yuri, there’s somewhere we have to go, so come with me for a while.”

“Huh? But I’m going to take a walk with the Young Miss . . .”

“Come on, let’s hurry!”

Robbed of her walk with Hyazelki, Yuri whined as she was being dragged away by Lisa.

‘Hm? What’s wrong?’

Hyazelki tilted her head to the side because this was the first time she saw Lisa act this way during all of her stay in the castle.

“Why don’t you read a book instead of going on a walk, Miss?”

Albert, who was left behind, leaned down and smiled as kindly as he could. He was holding a folded piece of paper in one hand.

She looked at it pointedly and asked back.

“A book?”

 

“Yes, Miss. The Lord won’t be at the library right now, so you can use it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. There are picture books for the Young Miss in the library.”

The child’s eyes twinkled. In all her past lives, she never hated books.

‘I should check to see what kind of books they have there.’

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