“How can you do that in a carriage?”
Pedro rested his head against the window of the carriage that rattled incessantly.
No matter what his brother said, Hugo focused on the knitting sequence.
In the seat next to him, a bundle of yarn that had not yet become a doll shook like waves.
“I’m trying to calm my mind.”
“Aren’t you so displeased that Lily went to the Crown Prince’s Palace? That’s why now we are going too. Because you’ve been nagging me like a child.”
“I don’t expect Brother to follow along.”
Even as Hugo fired a scornful shot, Pedro just shrugged his shoulders.
“The only reason we said we’ll unconditionally protect Lily until the age of 14 is because she can’t use her abilities. After that, it’s Lily’s choice. Will she get help from us, or will she take care of herself.”
“…Even if that’s the power of evil spirits?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
Hugo put the knitting needle down on his thigh instead of hitting his brother. An indescribable gloom fell upon his face.
“I expected it, but… You are acting like nothing really happened.”
Pedro stared at his brother and ruffled his curly hair.
“Then what do you want me to do? You want me to go crazy like you? Should I wear a dog collar for 24 hours again?”
“I thought you’d be a little upset.”
“If I do that, our family will be ruined.”
Pedro sighed and placed his feet on the seat next to Hugo. Without hiding his displeasure, Hugo moved the wad of yarn to the other side.
“Put your feet away.”
“Try to be honest. Like how Father is to Mother… Even if you say there is a problem, you are not obsessed with Lily because of your regrets.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You aren’t interested in what kind of child Lily is from the beginning. What’s more important is whether she’s a mixed race spirit who’ll live the same life as you.”
“…….”
It was straightforward; Hugo lowered his head instead of retorting.
“Yes, it was the case.”
Pedro’s eyes widened in response to the calm reaction.
“What, are you acknowledging it?”
“It is true, there is nothing to admit and confess about.”
Hugo picked up the knitting needle again. Thanks to his quick, lightning-like hand movements, the wool doll took on a pretty cute shape.
Pedro looked at Hugo’s hand as he worked the knitting needle through and asked offhandedly.
“What are you going to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Lily.”
Pedro’s upper body that was leaning on the carriage sofa slid forward. He gestured with his eyes and jutted his chin at his younger brother.
“I’ll tell you in advance, but I’m on Lily’s side.”
“…I know.”
“I’m telling you to know it properly. If you bully her because she’s an evil spirit, I won’t let you go.”
Pedro’s voice momentarily lowered.
Hugo wrapped the yarn around the needle without giving any response.
“When we meet Lily, you will know it too. About what I will do next.”
The knitting needle hit hard. Gradually, one arm of the doll was about to be completed.
***
I sat on the marble railing and stared blankly at my toes.
A bunch of rose petals from the flower garden stuck to the soles of my shoes. I didn’t know that the petals wouldn’t fall even if I swung my legs.
“Princess.”
Benny gently shook my shoulder. It was then that I came to my senses.
“Oh, Benny… Is the carriage ready?”
“No. They say it will take a little time because of the crowds who want to see you off.”
Benny said so and looked down at my face.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“…I think you’re shocked.”
Benny turned back. I followed his gaze.
There were loads of colorful boxes piled up next to the railing. Those were gifts that the crown prince had half-forced onto me.
‘Macarons made by the best chef in the empire, one of the five pairs of yellow diamond earrings in the world…’
After the crown prince gave me those immensely valuable treasures, he ran off to bring me a bouquet of flowers.
I looked at the boxes that I had not yet opened, and then moved my gaze to my toes again.
For now, more than the gifts, I couldn’t get my mind off of what the gift-giver had said.
Until Garou cut the pomegranate cake, the flow of conversation was still acceptable.
However, after slicing the cake as if sharing a beast with his colleagues, he brought up a story that I could not help but be surprised by.
“…Benny.”
“Yes.”
“Sit down and wait. It’s tiring.”
I tapped the seat next to me. Benny, who had been standing like a straight tree, sat down on the railing.
I rested my chin on one knee and stared at Benny’s side profile.
‘You’re an amazing kid.’
Benny was no ordinary child. It seemed as if he had no basic human needs.
Even after standing for a long time, he was not tired, and he was never hungry or thirsty.
At least it was in front of me.
‘Garou said that even if all the demons live like Benny, they will not die.’
I pondered what he had said and buried my face in my lap.
According to Garou, for the demons, physiological needs were nothing more than an illusion brought about by the human body.
Demons never die unless they are torn to pieces like a piece of paper. This was because their ability to regenerate was very good.
‘Then it means that everything I’ve been trying to eat to live has been in vain…’
When I was living in the ant cave, I did everything to satisfy my hungry stomach. There was even a time when I put bread full of fire ants in my mouth.
All that effort was in vain. Rather than being happy because I didn’t have to worry about starving to death, I was somewhat disappointed.
“……I understand a little after hearing that thing.”
Benny then mumbled.
I, who was lost in thought, reacted one beat later.
“That thing?”
“…Ah. I mean the Crown Prince.”
Benny continued talking right away as if it was not a big deal to call Garou a thing.
“It reminded me of my mother.”
In an instant, my heart jumped.
It was the first time Benny had spoken about his mother.
I kept my mouth shut, because I couldn’t ask, ‘Your mother that Alan killed?’
“It was said that demons, resurrected by other people’s will, will forget all their previous memories. Because of the side effects of high-ranking black magic.”
Benny put his hands together and placed his chin on it.
“I think it was the same for me. I don’t know who resurrected me, but I have no memory of it when I was born. However… I knew it instinctively from a young age.”
“…What?”
“The fact that I am a completely different monster from my mother.”
Benny slowly turned his head to meet my eyes. His purple eyes pierced me in a terrifyingly direct line.
“People are happy when their close ones are happy, and sad when they are sad.”
“Usually… Right.”
I remembered the moment when Alan’s feelings were fully transferred to me. Even though what he went through wasn’t my problem, I felt like I was going to die of sadness like a nail was stuck in my chest.
“I wasn’t like that.”
Benny looked forward again. His focus drifted away as if recalling the past.
“My mother started crying a lot when I was 9-years-old, and I didn’t think anything of it when I saw her tears.”
“Anything?”
“Yes. It’s not that I don’t feel emotions at all. But I’ve never been swayed by my mother’s feelings. Even though I knew in my head that my mother was sad…”
The boy paused for a moment. It seemed that the questions of his childhood still remained.
“Even though I had a heart to value my mother… That’s what happened. I wasn’t that sorry either.”
Benny frowned. It was a subtle frown, as if he did not understand himself.
“I found myself strange. I was almost pretty much trapped at home, but it’s not like I didn’t have any chance to meet people. I used to watch children of my age play near my house from afar.”
“…….”
“The more I tried… the more I didn’t understand. Why do they cry so much when they fall down. Why do they laugh together when another child laughs. I have no idea about those things.… When I listened to my surroundings, I could only hear the cries under the ground.”
I didn’t know what life was like to constantly hear the cries of evil spirits.
But it was clear that it would be so terrible that I couldn’t even imagine.
“I’m sorry that I’m not sorry.”
“Benny…”
“I’m sorry that I was born as a strange child. I think it was because of me that my mother cried.”
I inadvertently placed my hand on Benny’s.
In the blink of an eye, Benny looked back at me, and then grabbed my hand as if savoring my body temperature.
“So I wanted to do it well for you.”
Benny lowered his eyes. He didn’t shed a single tear, but somehow he looked sad.
“Even when my mother died, there were no tears.”
Benny slowly raised his head and faced me. He ripped open my features one by one and muttered a little.
“Revenge… I wanted to do it.”
I now understand why he was so dry whenever he spoke of revenge.
Normal people’s revenge occured because they couldn’t control their boiling emotions. But the boy in front of me was the opposite.
Benny didn’t feel anything towards other people. like objects or stones.
Benny decided to get revenge, not because of his fluctuating feelings, but because he wanted to feel his last feelings.
“But you gave up because of me.”
My shoulders slumped in guilt. Unlike Benny, I could easily feel any emotion, so it was a problem.
Benny looked at me for a long time and then stroked the side of my head. A long strand of hair ran down his finger like a vein.
“…Well.”
Benny’s hand touched the nape of my neck. Goosebumps reflexively rose from his cool body temperature.
“Perhaps… there may be a way for both my deceased mother and the Princess to be satisfied.”
