Chapter 31

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 31

A sliver of the waning moon hung in the sky like a candle piercing the darkness with its dulling light. The indigo blue dark shade of night was occasionally dyed white by the clouds hiding the moon’s light.

The girl was still sleeping painfully when Padimate checked on her that morning. If she didn’t wake up soon, she would truly die of a lack of food and water. Padimate slowly ascended the stairs with a tray of food. By the time he reached the top, only half of the soup’s contents were left because of his inability to keep it from slopping over the side.

Is the girl awake? Padimate wondered, quietly opening the door and entering the room without a sound. He didn’t hear the moaning he had grown accustomed to hearing when he entered her room. He looked at the bed and saw the girl lying on her side. Her eyes were open, but she was staring somewhere in an absent daze that didn’t even register Padimate’s presence.

A closer look revealed her sheets and blankets were messily kicked around and wrapped around her feet. The bright-red swelling on her wrists proved she recklessly pulled against her restraints until she rubbed her wrists raw.

“…Do all the princes of this world have too much free time on their hands? Is it okay for you to come so frequently from the royal castle to a place like this?”

A nasally twang could be heard in her quietly muttered words. Her voice was high-pitched as a young girl’s should be.

“I’ve been entrusted to rule Cele as its governor. Besides, I can’t let too many people see you until the designated time,” Padimate answered. The girl’s eyes rounded in surprise.

When his eyes met hers, she smiled and said, “I see you’re the one who left the food and drinks for me. Thank you. Did you tie my hands back so I wouldn’t claw at my wounds too?”

Padimate froze in shock.

She is right. But I didn’t think she would be capable of calmly deducing her situation under these circumstances.

“I’m okay now, so can you please free me?”

Padimate placed the tray on the table next to her bed and freed her hands as she requested. A small amount of dried blood blotted her raw wrists. The girl forced a sad smile when she saw the trail of dry blood.

“How long did I sleep for?” Her violet eyes looked straight at Padimate. The black color in the center of her eyes looked as if it could absorb the suffering of a world.

“You slept a full three days. It will be four days when morning comes.”

“Four days, huh?” the girl quietly mumbled. “Only six more to go…”

The girl had a far more positive look in her eyes after the past three days of being ravaged by her fever than when he first met her. The anxious and hopeless expression coloring her features disappeared somewhere. Her voice was hoarse but defined.

What exactly happened to this girl? Padimate couldn’t comprehend her change. The girl smiled playfully at Padimate who stood there outwardly stalwart—utterly confused by her reactions.

“Anyhow, is it okay for me to think this food is for me? I’m so hungry I feel like I could pass out. Oh, and I’m thirsty too. Also, I want to wash my face, but how should I go about that?” the girl boldly requested of him and sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled the tray on her lap and picked up the spoon, joyfully swinging her legs over the side.

He was at a complete loss—this was not how torture victims normally reacted…was it?

***

YUKI was locked up in the highest part of a tower with nothing to do but gaze outside.

I feel kinda like Rapunzel.

“Rapunzel, huh?”

Rapunzel was kidnapped by the witch, but dangled her hair down the side of the tower for the prince to come up and rescue her. The fairytale claimed she had an inexhaustible supply of hair.

“…Even if my past eight years’ worth of hair grew all at once, I doubt it would be enough to reach the ground.”

Yuki peered down from the balcony. Unhindered by any clouds, the sun brightly shone on the ground below. Verdant plant-covered mountains and forests stretched as far as she could see. Hills were dotted with flowers; it truly was a beautiful sight, at least if she didn’t consider her upcoming execution.

The previous night Padimate—Maruk’s prince—gave her food, water, and even a bucket to wash her face with. The bathroom was just a hole in the floor, and part of her giggled at the thought of her captors below having to deal with the mess.

She changed her clothes and went back to sleep. She stopped having nightmares after the first fever-hazed night. However, having spent several days without eating anything weakened her a great deal, and she spent the following two days in a trance with little movement. Finally, on the third day—today—she was able to stand without needing the walls for support.

“Oow,” she whimpered.

Her wrists stung when she moved them. The bright-red swollen wound circled around her entire wrist. Her fever from the past few days left bony wrists and ribs poking out visibly around her chest. She looked frail, weak, and utterly starved.

Only three days left.

Those words spun through her head. Her hands, feet, and chest ached as an indescribable sense of unease surged within her.

Knowing you’re going to die in three days is too surreal.

Despite how surreal it felt, fear loomed over her. She felt as if she were going to be crushed by the invisible weight of emotions, and if it didn’t crush her, it may drive her mad first.

“I mean, why’d I even come to this world in the first place? Aaah.”

Yuki stared at the sky from where she sat on the balcony and squinted. The sky looked artificial to her in the way it lacked cyan.

I’m here because Papa was from this world. But is that really the only reason? In all the fantasy stories I know of, the hero is either accidentally summoned to another world or summoned because they’re needed. Or they’re like the exact match to the person from that world’s legends.

In comparison to those heroes I…have nothing. I really am powerless. I haven’t been gifted with some special power. I merely recklessly and cheekily barged into this world. If there really is a reason for me to be here…If there’s a reason I’m needed in this world…

“I’d be really happy,” Yuki muttered.

No matter what the reason may be, if there was a reason for her existence in this world, wouldn’t that mean it was okay for her to continue being there? Right now that was what she wanted more than anything else—a reason, a purpose for being here.