CHAPTER 8: THE HEINOUS PRINCESS' REQUEST TO HER STEP-BROTHER
Translated by Eunie
Edited/Proofread by Para After establishing the contract with Stayle, it has been three days since we became family. Stayle is always beside me, and he's honestly endearing and far more deserving of being loved and cared for. Even though he's been quite busy memorising, reading, and writing characters. Because of his background, he still has a lot of things to learn. So much that it wouldn't be surprising for him to always be tired, and yet he always makes sure to come to my side during his free time. (Eunie: *insert a jab at the Queen*) He always calls and rushes to my side with a smile on his face. We read books together and go on walks around the palace or the garden. I have a basic understanding of other studies and etiquette, and I also have some confidence to teach him. But he's been using his free time to accompany me, so I don't want to further waste Stayle's precious break time by making him study more. I'm trying my best not to mention anything about his mother or my mother so that he won't miss his mother more. Even though I made a promise to him that night, I still want to do something for him and his mother. How great it would be if there was anything I could do...and even though I thought about it, I still couldn't think of any other way. "That's right, Stayle! Let's have a match! Let's race to the garden!" To chase away all these gloomy feelings inside me, I immediately ran, and behind me, I heard Stayle say, "Ah, Wait, Pryde! How unfair..!" Even though I'm quite fast at running, when Stayle is serious, he's a lot faster than me. I guess it's obvious why, since he's a lot more used to playing tag with his friends. Read only on eunietl.weebly.com However, even though I ran for around 10 meters, Stayle wasn't catching up, and as I wondered why I looked back and... "Stayle?!" Upon seeing Stayle fallen on the ground, I immediately ran back with all my might. I glanced over and sighed in relief. I'm glad he didn't scrape his knees. But upon closer inspection, his face was red, and his breathing was rough. No matter how you look at it, it's weird. "Help! Stayle is in trouble!" After hearing the urgency in my voice, the knights around came rushing towards us. "Stayle, Stayle..." Even though I kept calling out to him, he wasn't moving, but I could hear him mumble, and then Jack carried Stayle back inside the palace as Lotte and I followed behind him. … … They said it was the common cold. Perhaps he pushed himself this morning and acted like normal. I felt relieved when I heard that it was only a cold caused by fatigue, but I still could not help but be angry at myself for not realizing it and making him race with me. Mother was attending an assembly, and Father was at a conference outside the palace, or so I heard from Uncle Vest, who came to visit once. Uncle Vest is two years younger than Mother, and he was extremely worried for Stayle, who he was meeting for the first time. Perhaps it's because Stayle is in the same situation as him. He has gentle-looking round eyes, but judging from his physical appearance, he seems quite decisive as a person and cool. His long blue hair, which was equally parted, was being held down by his hand as he left Stayle's room and crouched down to match me, who was waiting outside the room. "He's probably just tired from the palace life after being separated from his family." After saying that, he patted my head. Read only on eunietl.weebly.com He looks like quite the gentleman even though he's only in his mid-twenties and was dashing to the point that it would not be weird for him to be a capture target. ...Nah, it's still another 10 years before the game starts. "It's not like I'm absolutely telling you not to, but don't go inside his room much. It's just to prevent you from catching his cold." (Eunie: social...distancing. ayt. I'll disappear.) After saying that to me in the same stern manner as always, he went back to Mother's side, and before I knew it, the sun had set, and when I looked outside the window, it was already dark. Since Stayle collapsed, we called a doctor, Uncle came, and while I was still flustered, a lot of time had already passed. After saying some brief words to the knights, Lotte came to remind me that it's time for dinner as she slowly entered the room. It seems like the medicine prescribed by the doctor was working already since he was sleeping peacefully. I could finally sigh in relief after seeing that his once pale complexion seemed to be getting better. I slowly sat down on his bed and gazed at Stayle's face from above. As expected, he's one of the capture targets. Just like in the game, he has a beautiful appearance. Even though his face is a little wet from sweating a lot, with my handkerchief in one hand, I tried to wipe his face as gently as possible, making sure not to wake him. He seemed to be having a nightmare as he groaned in his sleep, and with his eyebrows creased together, it looked like he was in pain. If I remember correctly, there was also a still picture from the game where Tiara nurses Stayle when he gets sick......Ah. Like a flash of thunder, I remembered that particular scene of Stayle from the game. It's a scene where, in ten years, Stayle was groaning in his sleep as he dreamed about his past. Stayle, who caught a fever, seemed to be reminiscing when Pryde came into his room. Read only on eunietl.weebly.com "Humph, Even though you are just my slave, how dare you catch a cold?" After saying that, she looked over Stayle the same way as I was doing now. "What a shameless commoner born from a peasant. Hey~ if right now I ordered you to run around the garden in circles until you die, would you do it?" And as she laughed, she wiped his forehead with her handkerchief... "Hey? You can still move, right? Your whole life belongs to me, so hurry up. Get well soon and play with me again... my one and only slave." As Stayle's breathing became turbulent, he muttered something, but I can't remember what. It's just that Pryde, who heard it, started laughing. "Ahahahahaha!! What a pitiful man! Aren't you just like a baby, then? How shameful, unsightly, and vulgar you are, my toy, my slave. The you who is being a baby won't be needed by anyone. Mother, Uncle, and even if Father was still alive, and yes, even your mother. They don't need someone like you! And just like this, you'll only cause nothing but trouble for everyone," she whispered to the groaning Stayle. "But since you're so pitiful, I'll do you a favour and want you. Because you are my exclusive slave, right? From here on and forever and ever..." And then Stayle woke up from his nightmare, and for the first time, he confessed to Tiara the fear in his heart. .......Ah, is it another reenactment of the scene? As I thought about the groaning Stayle from the game, I couldn't help but also worry if the creases on my forehead will become like Father's. As I wonder about what Stayle muttered in his sleep, slowly, I moved closer to his face to hear what he's been muttering in his sleep. "...er..., ....mo....th...er...haahaa" It was all too simple. Stayle was calling for his mother while crying in his sleep. After knowing this, I couldn't hide the shock I felt. Pryde did— I did such things to Stayle, who was in this state...! Unbelievable, but I know more than anyone... that deep inside me there is someone like that, that exists. It's an obvious thing for a child, who is only seven-years-old, to yearn for his mother. What's more, it has only been a few days. Even in my previous life, when I was in grade school, the very next day, during our camp or an outdoor school activity, there will always be a child who'll get homesick and bawl their eyes out. Much less, Stayle was told that he can never meet his mother for the rest of his life. Even though he signed the contract and resolved himself to forget about his past and start anew... As if that's possible. Read only on eunietl.weebly.com He has always been enduring it, even before he caught the flu. He's doing his best to adapt to life in the palace and his studies, even though he's only seven. Just for other people's convenience, his life was decided...!! And even after that night, I never saw Stayle whine, show a gloomy expression, or cry. The more I thought about it, the more it piled up inside me, and my heart aches. It's no good. It happened again. Even though Stayle was still hanging on, it's no good if I was the only one who kept crying. Even though I logically sorted it out in my head, the mind and emotions of an eight-year-old are really honest. My body won't even move the way I want as I can only look over at Stayle, and in the end, I could not stop my tears from falling. I have to move, I have to respond to him, I have to stop my tears. But the more I thought of it, the more I cried, and gradually it started turning into sobs. Just when I was thinking about how sad those eyes of Stayle were, his eyelashes slowly fluttered as his eyes opened. This is bad, and right at that moment, Stayle's eyes had been long opened, and he saw my slobby crying face. "Pryde...?" He didn't say much, but his eyes, which were staring at me, were asking why I was crying. "I'm...so...rry..., I...I'm...so...ry...so....rry....sorry...I'm sorry... For letting you see this ugly crying face, for making you race with me, for not being able to realize that you were sick, for separating you from your mother, for not being able to save the both of you..." I'm sorry for being unable to fill the hole in your heart. The more I tried to think about it, the more I wondered how much more I should apologize. All I could do was sob continuously as I said I was sorry. It seems like Stayle was now fully awake from his sleep and was trying to understand the current situation with his sweat and my tears all sloppily combined. "W...hy..?" was the word that he was finally able to say after mustering his strength, making my heart hurt more. He asked me why. I wanted to tell him everything, but he will only worry about it if I did. It's not like I want him to forgive me, but if I didn't remember my previous life, I would have done a lot worst to him, and the more I thought of it, the more I couldn't stop my tears. "...*sniffs*...You,....and everybody else...I'm sorry...I couldn't even become your strength or notice your pain...I'm sorry..." Even though I was only able to squeeze out those words, my sobbing became uncontrollable. As if to shield him from something, I held Stayle, who was currently lying down, and as I embraced him, I buried my face into his shoulder as I cried. Read only on eunietl.weebly.com Stayle, who was surprised by my actions, gently patted my back. Just who's the older one here? Just who is in much more need of consoling? I'm so embarrassed for being such a useless daughter, step-sister, and heir to the throne. Stayle, who had been silent the whole time, seemed to be thinking about something. I wouldn't be surprised if he thought of how unreliable I am as his step-sister. In ten years, I will destroy this country. As the most heinous queen, and when that happens, the people who can probably stop me are Stayle, Tiara, or the other capture targets. That's because of me, being such a hopeless person. "If...I...became...the most heinous queen. You...have to...make sure...that you'll kill me..." At least before you and your mother, Father, Mother, Tiara, and everyone becomes unhappy. My words might have come out weird with my heaving sobs, but it seems like, after that, I cried myself to sleep. Lotte came inside to fetch me, and from what I heard, Stayle had also fallen asleep. I could hear Lotte saying that even though both of us are still children and have become siblings, it's still not a good idea for the first princess and a non-blood-related boy to sleep together. Even Jack, who came in together with Lotte, was surprised, and then the still half-asleep me was carried away by Jack. Embarrassed, I asked them to keep this a secret from Father and Mother, and then in a whisper, the both of them answered, "Of course." ...Even before I remember the memories of my past life, just how could I not realize the existence of these gentle people around me? Honestly, I'm such a hopeless case. EUNIE: THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE TL-ED FOR THIS WN...I THINK.
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