The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom
To the Person Who Sleeps
Translated by: S3
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*****
「Elna, this is your outfit for today.」
Upon waking, Noma abruptly handed me a set of clothes that were undeniably familiar. When I asked, 「...Why?」 Noma simply tilted her chin up and replied, 「I am acting on Master Commonwald's orders,」 refusing to give me a straight answer.
「And my schedule for today...?」
「Gone! Every bit of it! Well, wait—there is just one thing. You are to deliver this!」
Carrying the tray that had been thrust upon her with a heavy thud, Elna trudged down the castle corridor. At her feet, the Hamster Spirit ran alongside her with a rhythmic *tota-tota* patter.
「...Excuse me.」
She knocked three times—*kon, kon, kon*.
She was here because she had been told to come. That was all, yet she felt strangely nervous.
It was her choice to come here, after all.
『Enter.』
Even his muffled voice through the door made her tense. Elna took a slow breath, held it for a heartbeat, then slowly exhaled before opening the door.
Cross was there. He was leaning against his desk, leafing through a stack of papers. He glanced up and looked at her. For a moment, he seemed to freeze; then, as if to hide his own fluster, he let out a small, quiet huff of a laugh.
「What’s this? You're dressed in a rare fashion. ...Or rather, has everything up until now been the rarity?」
「Noma told me to wear this and bring some sweets to you. ...She said it was from Commonwald.」
Elna puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away with a huff. Lately, she had worn nothing but proper dresses befitting the King's fiancée, but today she wore her maid’s uniform and a white chignon cap.
「I see. ...Shall we take a short break, then?」
Setting his documents on the desk, Cross sat down on the sofa. Elna looked down at him for a moment while still holding the tray, but Cross patted the sofa cushion as if to say, *Sit.* Since she had already come this far, she set the tray on the table and resigned herself to sitting beside him.
The Hamster Spirit was remarkably quiet today. He trotted over to Elna’s feet, climbed onto the sofa, and sat with his short tail tossed out and his belly exposed, as if let out a tiny *phew*.
「If Commonwald insisted you bring these... mm, just as I thought. That man has improved his skills once again.」
When he lifted the silver lid of the tray, he revealed a collection of colorful, round confections. They were too vibrant for cookies and looked quite thick. Furthermore, there appeared to be some kind of cream sandwiched in the middle...?
「It’s a macaron.」
「A mah-yah-ron.」
「No, a macaron.」
Elna loathed how her brain seemed to slow down whenever sweets were involved. Cross corrected her calmly.
「I hear that creating this rounded swell of the macaron is a feat of extreme difficulty. Look, Elna. It’s a magnificent oval.」
「Magnificent oval...? Wait, does that mean Commonwald actually made these himself...?」
「You didn't know? Commonwald’s hobbies are grooming his beard and baking sweets. Go on, eat. Partake.」
「I didn't know! You can't just tell me that now and expect me not to be shocked. No, I'm fine, really, I—u... u... uuu.」
Unable to resist the temptation, she accepted a macaron from Cross’s hand. Between the lovely, pale pink shells was a layer of red jam. Raspberry, perhaps?
The sweet and tart flavor spread through her mouth the moment she bit into it.
「............!?」
「I see. It’s good?」
「The outside isn't a cookie! It just... melted in my mouth...!?」
「Yes, yes. It melted, did it?」
Cross laughed heartily—*hah, hah, hah*. He looked truly happy.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, Elna reached for another macaron from the plate and ate it cherishedly. The Hamster Spirit, who had climbed onto the table with a *gonsu-gonsu*, hugged a chocolate-colored macaron to his body and nibbled at it quietly with his front teeth—*ka-ka-ka-ka*.
「Yes, it’s delicious.」
Cross popped one into his own mouth as well.
Light spilled softly through the office window, and occasionally a wandering spirit would dance through the air, twirling like a fish swimming through the sea. Though they weren't speaking, there was a sense of comfort, and the shoulder where she lightly brushed against Cross felt warm.
It really was a bit easier being like this than wearing those dresses.
(Even though I've been avoiding him all this time,) she whispered to herself.
「...How are Mrs. Brownie's lessons?」
「...Eh?」
「I’ve heard through Commonwald. He says you are remarkably diligent. I want to tell you not to overdo it, but having passion is a good thing.」
「I’m not overdoing it. It’s actually quite fun to learn things I didn't know.」
「He particularly praised your etiquette lessons. He said your performance was so good it was hard to believe it was your first time?」
「That’s... because of Mother.」
「...Your mother?」
Back when her mother was still alive. Back when Elna was just a small child.
She had worn an old dress and played at being a princess. She would pull at her skirt, pretending to greet people like a lady with a bright smile. When she did, her mother would smile even more happily. She would clap her hands gently and whisper, 『You’re so adorable.』
『Lady Elnalfia, who gave you your name, was said to be the paragon of a lady. I wonder if Lady Elnalfia would be pleased to see such a cute girl greeting people so well?』
『I'm just happy because you're happy, Mama. Hehehe, I'll practice some more!』
The young Elna had been delighted by her mother's words and enjoyed playing the little lady. But thinking back, since she was already being targeted by the Baron’s wife and her daughter Laura at the time, it might have been her parent's kindness—a wish for her to be beyond reproach so she wouldn't be bullied.
Even after her mother died, the members of the Calzeed family—who had high pride despite being a mere Baronial house—found small ways to torment her. Before regaining her memories as Elnalfia, Elna had lived with bated breath, conscious of even the slightest movement of a finger so as not to catch their eye.
A mix of nostalgia, exasperation at how she had poured her heart into such trivial things, and pity for her past self rose within her, and a strange sigh slipped from her lips.
「I used to play pretend with my mother. Playing the little lady.」
「I see. It must be a good memory. You have a gentle expression on your face.」
「I don't.」
Startled, she covered her face with one hand. She was horrified to realize she really did have such an expression.
「...No.」
「...I want to respect your thoughts. But why? Why are you so impatient?」
「I'm not impatient...!」
She snapped her head up to glare at Cross. Or so she intended. But the face reflected in his eyes was merely that of a tiny human, looking pathetic. Without her realizing it, her fingers gripping Cross’s clothes were trembling. The soft sunlight simply continued to pour in through the window.
Sparkling, shimmering.
The soft light that announced the beginning of autumn fell upon them.
「...Summer... is already over.」
Her voice trembled slightly. She gripped Cross’s clothes even tighter.
「Summer is over...!」
*Ton...* Somewhere, the faint sound of something rolling echoed.
Small and anticlimactic. Something like a ball.
Something created by a blade brought down upon a human body.
*—In the summer, Baron Calzeed and those who profited while knowing of these atrocities will receive their just desserts.*
That was what Cross had said when he was about to give up on being King.
At that time, Elna had told him, 『If you are to live as a human, there are laws that must be protected.』 Surely, those words were not wrong. Yes, Elna was a human now.
But her past self as a dragon screamed from the depths of her chest, *Do not kill.* Her past self blamed her for the deaths, while her human heart denied it, saying *Those people deserved to die.*
「............!」
Before she knew it, she was pressing her forehead firmly against Cross’s chest. To stop her fists from striking him, she gripped his clothes over and over, shivering and exhaling ragged breaths.
Even though summer had passed and autumn had arrived, Cross had never told Elna of their fate. He likely knew that speaking of it would only cause her pain. How much time had passed? Elna’s breathing grew thin and steady, and she quietly pulled away from him.
「Tell me. What became of them. Please... from your own lips.」
Looking down and pressing a finger to her forehead, she spoke in a voice that appeared calm on the surface. But the furrow etched between her brows spoke volumes of her agitation.
「...Are you sure?」
「Yes. I should hear it. Please... tell me.」
「I understand. The Calzeed territories were confiscated and are currently managed as direct crown lands. In time, I will select someone to entrust with their management. If you wish, even you.」
「No, that’s fine. I have no talent for such things; it should be someone suitable. Continue.」
「The crimes of human trafficking within the territory, and selling those with mana to demonic beings, are not things that can be atoned for. The head of the Calzeed house was beheaded. His wife and daughter were stripped of their noble status. It appeared they had no direct involvement in the atrocities committed by the head. However, they must have been vaguely aware. As his eldest daughter, Laura, is already an adult and of an age where she can make her own judgments, no clemency was granted. There is no need to go into further detail, but you will never have to cross paths with them again for as long as you live.」
As the detached explanation continued, Elna closed her eyes and accepted it all.
Her clenched fists trembled slightly.
「...They may perhaps resent me, wondering why I did not kill them as I did their father. I made a judgment that would invite such thoughts. However, the law must be upheld. There are times when laws should be changed, but it should not be done for one's own selfish desires.」
「Are you saying it would have been better for them to die? That...!」
She tried to scream that it couldn't be true, but her face contorted.
Was that it? She didn't know. People like that should die. They should be killed. No, they should live... She didn't know what to say, what to convey—she didn't even know that much.
The heart can twist in any number of ways. It continues to change in an ambiguous form. What will someone like me become? How am I supposed to live?
「...Elna.」
Suddenly, a surprisingly gentle voice reached Elna’s ears.
Cross picked up a lock of Elna’s apricot-colored hair and touched it lovingly.
「May I touch you?」
「...You’re already touching me.」
「So I am.」
Cross let out a short laugh.
As if touching something precious, he lifted her hair and narrowed his eyes.
Being touched like this felt far more ticklish and restless than if he had touched her clumsily.
「I’ve told you this before. I gained my memories as Vaid when I was very young. I was crying foolishly beneath the Great Tree where the sacred sword Chiarore waited... I was younger then than Feliol is now.」
She had heard a bit of that story before.
Come to think of it, Cross had swallowed the memories of a hero when he was just a child, before his own heart had even finished forming. And he had inherited the sword as the King of Wizrain when he was even younger than the current Emperor of Albarul—when he was a child who could only be called a boy.
「I was... quite foolish back then. Feliol would have been far more dependable at that age.」
「...Really?」
In Elna’s mind, she could see Feliol screaming, 『My brother was surely far more magnificent!』 but when she asked, Cross gave a wry smile.
「Yes, and it’s still the same now. I’m only barely standing because you support me. But even so, compared to when I was a child, I should be a good deal better. I slowly became *Cross*. I hope that you can do the same.」
Elna’s hair slipped from Cross’s fingertips.
Like water spilling over, Cross’s words seeped into Elna’s heart.
—Slowly changing into yourself.
---
There was one more place she had been avoiding.
Without her realizing it, Elna’s feet had carried her to that spot.
The wind swept past her. Her skirt fluttering, Elna stood before a stone grave placed atop the lush green grass.
「What exactly is... 'oneself,' I wonder...」
It was likely on Cross’s orders. The grave was well-maintained, but it had a slight scent of moss. She could feel a faint hint of rain in the air.
Her mother's name was carved into the grave. Her mother's bones, now so very small, slept there.
「...A dragon loves its homeland. A dragon without a home loves humans instead, and when they die, it cradles their bones and sleeps...」
She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular; the words just fell from her lips one by one.
She knelt by the grave where her mother's bones rested and stroked it quietly.
「...Mother.」
She was already asleep. She spoke to the one who could not answer.
「—Yes. My home is this country.」
*****
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