Episode 38
The moment the two entered the annex, all three were faced with different problems.
The first to try and solve the issue was Eden.
‘Uh, pretend… pretend not to know….’
Eden rolled his eyes around, trying to assess the situation.
He was extremely flustered that Elicia had brought someone else along without any signal.
He didn’t know what he was supposed to do in this kind of situation.
‘There wasn’t a signal… and that girl isn’t a stranger… but Elicia said it’s a secret… so does that mean she is a stranger…?’
After his eyes, Eden’s tiny brain spun at full speed.
Having never been taught flexibility in situations like this, Eden had no idea what to do.
‘I can hear his brain spinning from here.’
Elicia let out a small chuckle as she watched Eden fluster and fumble without even getting the chance to introduce the two.
At the same time, seeing Eden trying so hard to keep their promise made her feel proud.
“Eden. You don’t have to be so flustered.”
Realizing she had to calm him down, Elicia reassured him.
Only then did Eden stop trembling and let his body relax.
“This is my little sister, so you don’t have to pretend like last time.”
Elicia gently pushed Ariel forward.
Ariel took a step without resistance, going along with Elicia’s push.
“Come on. Say hi to each other. This is my sister, Ariel. And this is Eden, who’ll be staying here for a while.”
When she introduced Eden, Elicia’s grip tightened on Ariel’s shoulder.
To a stranger, Eden’s appearance would’ve been enough to draw a frown.
If Ariel truly wanted to appear like a stranger, she should’ve reacted that way too.
But she didn’t.
Before coming to meet Eden, Elicia had explained everything to Ariel in detail, knowing she wouldn’t be able to act naturally otherwise.
The child in the annex was named Eden.
He was brought here by Duke Partine.
He was about Ariel’s age, give or take.
His identity was unknown, and his memory had been erased.
And finally—everything about Eden must be kept secret.
Only after hearing about his memory loss did Ariel begin to understand why Eden had acted so clueless.
Why he answered every question with “I don’t know.”
“…Hi. I’m Ariel.”
Recalling the earlier conversation with Elicia, Ariel greeted Eden in a cheerful voice while glancing back at her sister.
But her expression didn’t match her tone.
One neatly groomed eyebrow was twitching upward, and her mouth was twisted into a frown.
She looked like she hated Eden with every fiber of her being.
Elicia couldn’t see it from behind, but Eden, who was facing her directly, saw it very clearly.
“…Huh?”
Ariel held out her hand for a handshake, radiating strange pressure.
Naturally, Eden’s eyes darted from Ariel’s face to her outstretched hand.
“Don’t know what a handshake is?”
Ariel asked in the voice of someone extremely sociable.
A cold sweat ran down Eden’s back.
He glanced up at Elicia, silently begging for help.
“Eden?”
But Elicia, unaware of what was going on, looked at him, puzzled.
Eden clenched his lips tightly.
Then looked back at Ariel.
At that moment, Ariel mouthed something silently.
Say anything and you’re dead.
Say what?
Eden, to his own surprise, instantly interpreted her lip movement.
At the same time, he ran into another problem.
Say what exactly?
That she had come to see him before? Or that she’d spat nasty words at him during those visits?
Probably both.
The problem was, he’d already told Elicia the first part. Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—he hadn’t mentioned the second.
In any case, Eden had no intention of ever mentioning that part. For Elicia’s sake.
He gulped down his dry throat.
“Uh, h-hello… I’m Eden…”
With great reluctance, he shook Ariel’s hand.
His voice trembled as the strength in his neck completely gave out.
As for his hand, it was trembling even more.
It was hard to believe this was the same Eden who’d once boldly spoken to Ariel through a barred window.
But of course, there was no window between them now.
In that instant, the lion-like face Ariel had made the first day flashed through Eden’s mind.
That look like she was ready to beat him to a pulp. That smug expression, proudly showing off her bond with Elicia.
And her dogged persistence in eyeing Elicia’s clothes.
Eden’s face went pale as those memories flooded back.
He was honestly scared Ariel might actually hit him now.
There was no longer a steel bar between them to protect him.
As if to match his fear, Ariel stared down at their clasped hands with a deadly expression.
Should I just crush it?
But she didn’t.
Eden looked like he’d snap with a tap. If she hurt him and he screamed, she would be the one in trouble.
Ariel forced herself to suppress the murderous aura rising within and held on to her self-control.
Eden must be nervous…
Meanwhile, Elicia believed Eden was trembling because he was nervous in front of someone he liked.
And that realization came with a heavy sense of responsibility.
“Ariel, be nice to Eden, okay?”
Elicia hugged Ariel tightly as she asked.
Ariel’s expression began to soften but froze awkwardly halfway through.
She had only just understood what Elicia meant.
“G-get along… Y-yeah. Of course. I’m happy to have a new friend.”
Hahahaha…
Ariel laughed awkwardly, her face as stiff as her voice, as she squeezed Eden’s hand tighter.
As if suppressing something unpleasant.
Eden barely managed to hold back a scream and pulled his hand away.
Thankfully, Elicia didn’t see it, her face still buried in Ariel’s shoulder.
“You too, right?”
Ariel asked Eden with a fake smile, her tone sugary sweet.
Eden was about to respond when his eyes met Elicia’s.
She was also smiling at him.
As if to give him courage.
The last thing Eden needed.
Elicia wants me to get along with her…
He had always known, but still—it was awful.
Just looking at Ariel’s scary grin made him want to hide behind Elicia’s back.
Was it even possible to get along with someone like that?
Eden forced his head to stay still and clenched his fists out of Elicia’s view.
He was the kind of boy who wanted to do anything Elicia asked of him.
“Yes… I want to get along with Ariel too…”
He barely managed to steady himself and replied in an even tone—unlike before.
Without forgetting to clutch at his collar for comfort.
Elicia sat under the window, reading through documents.
Every now and then, she glanced over at Ariel and Eden.
She found it oddly quiet for two kids sitting together.
The two were sitting on the bed, whispering just loud enough to hear each other.
“If you say weird stuff to my sister, you’re dead. Got it?”
“……”
It was more of a threat than a conversation.
Eden quietly nodded.
Not that he had any intention of telling Elicia how awful Ariel had been anyway.
Once again—he didn’t want to shatter her illusion.
“Okay. I’m bored, so bring something we can play with.”
Her tone was arrogantly commanding.
Even the gentle Eden pouted and glared at her.
He had picked up on the fact that Ariel couldn’t treat him recklessly in front of Elicia—and it gave him some boldness.
“And what if I glare back?”
“……”
Of course, he quickly pulled his lips back in when Ariel stared him down.
“Hurryyy.”
She dragged out the word, rushing him.
With no choice, Eden got off the bed and reached underneath.
“That’s disgusting. Why are you sticking your hand down there?”
Ariel wrinkled her face and looked down at him while lying on her stomach.
Eden didn’t reply and focused on his task.
Finally, he pulled out a book.
It was even thicker than the one he had when Elicia first gave it to him.
“A… book?”
“I read when I’m bored.”
It was the kind of thing a top student from an academy would say.
“R-right…”
Ariel hated studying.
Reading? Even worse.
But that didn’t mean she was dumb.
She was just a normal kid who despised school.
It’s thicker than my textbooks…
Because of her competitive streak, Ariel couldn’t bring herself to whine about hating books.
“Let me see. What are you even reading?”
It had to be full of pictures, she hoped.
Some fairytale books were thick too.
She hoped Eden’s was one of those.
“……”
But her hope betrayed her.
Not a single picture in sight—just dense black text crammed across every page.
Ariel clenched her teeth in frustration and glared at Eden.
“?”
Why is she mad again?
Eden had no idea how to keep up with her ever-changing moods.
