Volume 6 Chapter 45 Spring's Beginning Strawberry Parfait
Eirnelys reaches out to me from inside the prison, placing her small hand on mine.
It's a tiny, fragile girl's hand.
Her long hair, which used to glide over the white floor, has somehow become short.
Now, her hair is shoulder-length and bundled up, looking just like droopy rabbit ears.
Her petite body has become even smaller, and if I didn't know she was the witch's daughter, she would look like a lost little girl separated from her mother.
"Ms. Lydia, step back. I won't kill her, but I will seal her in the prison."
"Sir Ciel, please wait."
It felt like the cage surrounding Eirnelys was shrinking.
I turn to look up at Sir Ciel, pleading.
"Just a little longer, please. ...Eirnelys did something bad. She attached herself to you and saw your embarrassing memories..."
"I have no more shame or guilt. You know everything about me now."
"I feel like I heard something I shouldn't have... so, um, I'll secretly share my embarrassing secret with you too, Sir Ciel. Now we're even."
It really isn't good for me to be the only one who knows Sir Ciel's secret.
As a friend, I should make it fair.
When I say this shyly, Sir Ciel covers his mouth and looks down for some reason.
"...Thank you."
Sir Ciel looks embarrassed.
I'm getting more and more flustered, covering my blushing face with one hand.
"Um... is it okay now? ...It's starting to feel a bit silly."
"Ah, um, I'm sorry."
I shouldn't be getting shy about which embarrassing secret to share.
I turn to face Eirnelys.
"Lydia. My big sisters who seemed so happy eating with you must have come down from the red prison with the same dream, yet their memories of them, as if they've completely forgotten, have turned them into a foolish person longing for love."
"It's not foolish to want someone to like you. Because being alone is lonely..."
"In Ciel's memories, you reached out to everyone like that. ...Ciel's memories are my memories. Yearning for love, scared of rejection, yet my heart trembles wanting it. Making mistakes, feeling regret, but still trying to move forward. That's... because love exists. Something I don't have. Something I can't obtain."
Eirnelys paused there, intertwining her fingers with mine.
"I was already losing. Even before the fight began, I was losing. ...From the moment I merged with Ciel, my defeat was decided. Touching the gentle memories of you within Ciel... I couldn't help but want you."
Tears fell from her big eyes, plop, plop.
It felt like a lost little child clinging to me, seeking help.
"I tried to keep you alive, to have you by my side. I thought maybe I could be loved like my big sisters. If I borrowed Ciel's form, I thought... just like how you were kind to Ciel, maybe I could be treated kindly too."
"Eirnelys..."
"I ate the fried fish meant for Ciel, even when I had merged with him. Your cooking must heal both heart and body. So, I realized... that I had been seeking it. Because I realized... the meaning of my existence, what my mother gave me, was nothing at all... I came to understand that."
"──Is the story over? My feelings and memories are mine alone. Go away, Eirnelys. I have nothing to give you. You spread illness across the land, causing many to suffer. Sir Rail and Ms. Olivia too, were robbed of time by the White Moon disease."
Sir Ciel said coldly.
If the White Moon disease was brought by Eirnelys, then indeed Sir Rail had been on the brink of death for a long time, and Olive, along with many others, spent a lot of time in recovery.
There must have been many who actually lost their lives too.
"...Sir Ciel, ...but, don't you think it would be nice to let her eat just a little bit? Just a tiny bit. I'm sorry. ...I know I should be more angry, but I feel relieved that you're back, Sir Ciel. So, um..."
"It's fine. I want to grant all your wishes. As you like."
Sir Ciel opened his eyes a bit surprised, then smiled gently and nodded.
I made a strawberry parfait pop into my hands.
Spring is coming soon. It's the season for delicious strawberries.
Eir-Eir gets pumpkin pudding. Ms. Famine gets tarte Tatin.
Little girls love sweets. There aren't many kids who dislike strawberries.
"Eirnelys, this is a strawberry parfait. It's delicious. Here you go."
I really want to give her a real strawberry parfait, but there's no time right now.
I hope she can settle for the concept of a strawberry parfait. I feel sorry about that.
"Strawberry parfait."
"Yes. This red one is the strawberry."
I scooped up a strawberry with cream on a long spoon and brought it to Eirnelys's mouth.
Just then, the door to the white room swung open with a bang.
"Pumpkin pudding!"
"Tarte Tatin...!"
Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine, who were clinging to Mr. Lucian's body, jumped at me with incredible force. They crashed into me.
"Pumpkin!"
"Tarte..."
Then, seeing me feeding Eirnelys the strawberry parfait, they made really grumpy faces and started slapping my body.
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