Volume 3 Chapter 10 Deep Sleep And The Prince
──A man blinded by greed sold the mermaid to a sideshow.
A gentle, low voice echoed in the gazebo.
The courtyard was filled with various blooming flowers.
Nemophila, clematis, lavender, roses.
There were many blue and white flowers because the queen loved them.
"Why do you do such terrible things?"
"Why... well, maybe the man wanted money."
"Is money more important than the mermaid?"
"There are people who seek money more than love."
Sir Stefan is much older than me.
He knows everything.
I nodded, impressed.
"The mermaid became a spectacle day after day, trapped in a small tank. She has no freedom. She can't escape anywhere."
On Sir Stefan's lap was a picture book with drawings and words.
It was a book for children.
I quietly listened to Sir Stefan's voice.
When I come to the castle, I get to wear a beautiful dress.
For a short time until I return to the priest's house, I can get out of my prison.
The mermaid cannot do that.
Being locked up alone must be very painful.
"The mermaid thought, 'I want to go back to the sea.' She no longer wanted lovely love, warm affection, or the dazzling human world. She wanted to return to the dark, deep bottom of the sea, to that free place."
"...She don't want love or affection?"
"She must have felt despair after being betrayed by the man she thought loved her."
"Despair..."
"When people saw the mermaid, who had a body of both fish and human, some were afraid, some mocked her, and some called her a monster and threw stones at her tank."
Isn't the mermaid something beautiful?
Even though she is beautiful, she is called names because she looks different──not human.
That is very sad.
"The mermaid noticed the water in her tank was slowly turning dark and murky, just like her heart. Soon, a storm came. The flood from the storm swallowed the town, and the town was destroyed."
"Did it really get destroyed? What happened to the mermaid...?"
"This story ends here. It doesn't say what happened to the mermaid, but surely, she was able to return to the sea with the flood caused by the storm."
"I see... that's good. But... what about the people in the town...?"
Tears began to well up in my eyes.
The mermaid is sad, but there must have been many people in the town too.
There were many who didn't come to laugh at the mermaid.
Yet, the town was destroyed.
"Lydia, you've become a crybaby."
"That's a sad story."
"Yes, it is. I chose a sad story. But doesn't it make you angry? It's all because of the man who betrayed the mermaid."
"It makes me angry..."
Sir Stefan closed the book with a thud and placed it on the bench in the gazebo.
He wiped my tears with his fingertips and gently stroked my hair like a small child.
"The man whispered love to the mermaid and kept her close. But he was blinded by greed and sold her."
"...But maybe he was in need of money."
"If he was in need of money, is it okay to sell someone you love?"
"There might have been some circumstances..."
"And even if the mermaid suffered because of it?"
"...The mermaid is also pitiful. But it feels like destroying the town was too much... Sir Stefan, it's difficult for me to know who to be angry at..."
When I looked up at Sir Stefan, feeling troubled, he tilted his head slightly.
"In this story, I think it's right to be angry at the man who betrayed the mermaid, the owner of the sideshow, and those who mocked her... But if I troubled you, I'm sorry. Shall we read another fun story next time?"
"Yes...! I like fun stories."
I smiled at Sir Stefan, feeling relieved.
Sir Stefan is trying to teach me about sadness, anger, happiness, and joy.
As I listened to the sound of Sir Stefan's fingers turning the pages of a new book, I thought about mermaids.
They must have been sad.
Being alone is sad.
Being trapped is painful.
If they were betrayed, they might feel hatred too.
(I wish someone had helped the mermaid)
Anyone would have been fine. A kind person could have taken the mermaid out of the tank and returned her to the wide ocean.
But no one like that appeared for the mermaid.
I wish I could jump into the book, take the mermaid out, and escape together.
Then, surely, it wouldn't have ended sadly.
"...Hmm."
I felt like I had been dreaming for a long time.
Memories of Famine.
Memories of Sylphina.
And then my own memories.
"...Lydia, I'm glad."
Where am I?
It feels soft and warm.
As I looked around for the voice, I met Sir Stefan's gaze.
My hand was tightly held under the blanket.
This is my bed on the second floor of my shop.
Sir Stefan is sitting on a chair next to the bed.
"Sir Stefan... how long have I been sleeping...?"
"A full day."
"What about everyone...!"
I jumped up suddenly.
My head hurt a little. My body felt heavy. This has never happened before.
Because I jumped up so quickly, Eir-Eir, who was on top of me, fell onto the bed with a bounce.
Shaking her body, she murmured softly, "Pudding..." It sounded like he was talking in his sleep.
By my pillow, my dad, Arjuna, was curled up and sleeping.
And in the two beds next to me, Francois was sleeping soundly.
"It's okay, Lydia. Francois was awake with me, but she probably fell asleep along the way because she had been under the control of monsters for a long time."
"FraFra..."
As long as she's just sleeping, that's good.
"With the end of Famine, everyone's control seems to have lifted, and the chaos in the town has calmed down. Now, Ciel, Lucian, and the people from the temple are focusing on healing the wounds and repairing the buildings."
"Is everyone hurt...?"
"It seems there are no problems. Lydia, don't worry, just sleep slowly. When you feel better, we can go together. I'm sure there will be good news waiting for us."
"Good news..."
After a while, my headache started to fade.
I was okay now. I had slept a lot and felt pretty good.
I felt a little lazy, but if I ate, I would feel even better.
"Lydia, don't push yourself. Even if we hurry, they are probably still sleeping. ...With the end of Famine, it seems Lady Tiansa, Francois's mother, and others who were thought to be consumed by Famine have returned."
"Mother...!"
I rolled out of bed to stand up.
Because I was in a hurry, I almost fell, but Sir Stefan caught me.
I hugged Sir Stefan tightly.
I felt a strong urge to be pampered.
Sir Stefan feels like an older brother. I miss the short time I could lean on him.
"Lydia...?"
"I want to go see my mother, Sir Stefan... I'm worried about Sir Ciel and my father too."
"Ah, yes, let's go."
Sir Stefan hugged me back strongly.
From the bed where Francois was supposed to be sleeping, I heard an angry voice say, "Cheating prince... don't touch my sister, you naughty..."
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