Raga of the Dry Branch

“Heli, you look like shit.”

“…!”

She normally had a face full of soft fat, but seeing her eyes pop out was really funny. Her face was twice its usual size. Perhaps she was angry with my choice of words as her plump face was red the next moment, like she was burning from the inside with anger.

“Y-You!!”

“I am sorry. But it is fine since you are cute.”

“…!!!”

“You must have cried a lot, let me apologize again. But why didn’t you use healing magic on your face, I guess you aren’t that smart?”

As I slightly pinched her soft cheeks and smiled, her green eyes widened, and soon came the water. The well began to overflow.

“It’s all, all because of you~!! I couldn’t heal myself until I knew you properly recovered! Ungg!”

I scratched my neck in embarrassment as I stood behind Heli who burst into tears and ran into the room.

“You look fine.”

For some reason, the other party who were standing, stood with their mouths wide. Juli, who was brushing one side of the hair of Poppy that I had crushed, walked over and said.

“Thankfully.”

“Al, you seem to… have changed.”

With a shaky voice, Shang-di threw those words at me, and then immediately shook her head and shouted.

“What I mean is, it is a good change!”

“What are you trying to do, seriously?”

Seeing at Shang-di who seemed different than usual, Mahoren clicked his tongue. And they two started the fuss.

At some point, it had turned into an everyday ritual around me. Carefully pressing down the tension which was in my mind, I looked at them who were ready to give me some time.

Thinking back on the words I wanted to say, I calmed myself as I made up my mind.

I saw the gentle old man’s mask come off showing his true snarky nature, and the flashy smile when he confronts Shang-di who doesn’t like losing. I saw Fay sighing and shaking his head and Juli, being Juli, lying on the sofa.

And Heli was there, peeping through the door which was slightly open, and looking at the room, everyone was gathered here.

[Al got sick and it got weird. You were tormenting me from the morning and now you smile?]

Oh, I’d be sorry if I left out the beast which was with me since I fainted.

And I opened my lips.

“It might be a bit sudden, can you teach me how to declare?”

“-!!”

The noisy room went silent in an instant, as they couldn’t recover from the shock, I bitterly smiled.

“Of course I didn’t mean right away, once we leave, if possible could you let me know?”

“Woah! This is sudden, Al. Ut is good for us… but what about you?”

As Shang-di’s question I looked at her fumbling something, knowing what was going on in my head.

It may be foolish, but I wanted to meet that woman once again.

“Was it because of what happened? I guess it makes me want to live again.”

“Hm? Umm. It might be because I don’t get you, Al. You really don’t plan on meeting someone like her again, right?”

Indeed, she knew.

“I am sorry, but it is what you are thinking.”

“Al!!”

“It is a family matter. For now, will it be my retaliation against her?”

The faces which were anxious before brightened a little and looked towards me.

Mahoren, whose cheeks were twitching as if he didn’t like this, finally couldn’t think of convincing me to back down, and opened his mouth.

“I tried to kill her, but then I thought that it would be over too soon. Each of us decided to take care of a matter and deal with them, as we are here for you. In the beginning, we thought that you were born in a great family, with a diamond spoon in your mouth, but then we realized that they pulled it out completely without giving you anything to bite. But then tried to destroy you completely!”

“Yes! Stop this all. First of all, this is something I need to handle. If I can’t then I’ll definitely ask you for help.”

“Like changing a diamond spoon to silver for you…”

“Old man Ren, you will have to give us money.”

Right, destroying a family, a noble family, required a lot of money.

“Shang-di, Heli, Fay, Julu all feel the same way, Al”

“I am sorry for causing trouble to you all. And thank you so much for listening to me like this.”

“Huh? No, well. It is fine.”

“I am sure that you all may have a lot of questions, but before that, I have something to say to that woman… something to check.”

They were disappointed a little, but for a moment they thought and nodded their heads. In the meantime, I was startled by the fact that Juli too nodded his head.

I thought he’d be quiet and stay out of it, considering he didn’t like to mingle, but he was doing something. I was watching him without a curious mind, when Juli looked at me and asked.

“But what do you mean by that?”

“Well. To put it bluntly, like a mouse biting the cat when cornered?”

For now, that was it.

“And I was very sick yesterday and hurt too, and it was me who suffered because of her.”

It wouldn’t be nice if people punished those who hurt me out of anger. Was there any reason I would even be happy if they went behind my back to deal with her? I don’t think so.

Even if this means getting spit in my face or being sworn at, I’d rather do it myself. And that would be refreshing for me to do.

“Then, I will go.”

“Go, go!”

As soon as Alkeris left the room, Heliciad jumped out of the room and shouted as she threw the papers in Juli’s hand next to the floor.

“Yah-Yah! Throw those out! Vanish them!”

Shang-Lodhara’s eyes were on Juli, Mahoren who was sitting close, folded his arms and stretched his legs.

“What is this now? I really didn’t think that the kid would act out, but it makes me feel thrilled for some reason. Do you think it would go well?”

“What is it now, old man? Don’t you know that I am a fairy when it comes to filming and video?”

“Fairies disappeared a long time back. And what can I even believe from a bull which has pink horns? You are more like a frog fairy.”

“You money crazed old bastard! You want a fight! Come on!”

Eventually, as the noise came back again, Faysion sighed and put earplugs into his ears. And Julius, who was paying attention to all this, went back to lying.

He adjusted his hood as he slumped into the place.

Poppy laughed seeing them.

[Stupid men. It is simple to block the sound. What are they doing? Will it be tasty to eat?]

Ugh, they were going to lose their reasoning!!

Faysion and Julius were frustrated.

There was a small disturbance, but soon the party went silent and began to read the reports once again.

“However, the change in the lady of the house is a bit weird.”

“It was called an accident and a new lady brought it. The lord’s wife had died by poisoning.”

“The entire family was born with diamond spoons from generation to the next, that was what Ren said right?”

“Then why is our Al like this?”

“I know right!”

The lively people who were just reading the reports vanished right away. Maybe it was what they read or the sympathy they had for Alkeris, the mood changed, they all had serious expressions on their faces as they looked at the report, their faces didn’t change even as they left the room.

“A-Al is over there.”

“What?”

At the mention of Julius, the eyes of the party gathered at one place.

On a huge screen floating in the air, the figure of Alkeris was shown.

“To meet you like her, I just didn’t think that I would get to see her again like this.”

From outside the room, under the guidance of the manager, I met her, who was looking at me in disbelief. Seeing the look on her face I realized the people in the party hadn’t touched her yet, and that relieved me a little as she didn’t look much different from yesterday.

Rather, there seemed to be a banquet nearby, seeing that she wore a blue dress and the way her hair was done.

I thought about it, and then smiled at myself. Considering that going to such places was her hobby, it was impossible for her to not roam outside, and considering that this was early morning, she must have been returning back from the banquet.

Despite being old, she had the stamina of a young woman.

“Excuse me?”

“Come on in.”

Although I was displeased, I invited her into the room trying to be calm, and looked at the manager standing near the door.

“I never thought that you’d seek to meet me like this.”

“I too had never thought it would come to this.”

I didn’t expect it either, as I walked to the chair in the room and sat, I could feel her glaring at me.

“I apologize, but you see my body hasn’t recovered since then. I hope you understand.”

It wasn’t that I was feeling sick, honestly, I felt like the best today.

“I came here because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go on.”

“This will be the only time to bear with me.”

Leaning back on the backrest to calm my nerves, I asked.

“Why did you do that?”

“…?”

“Why did you do that? Why did you have to go that far?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about.”

A poker face. I was surprised when I saw her face like this, how stable her expressions were, I never expected her to put up a façade after everything she had done. As if giving me that medicine was her usual task and nothing was off about it.

“Lady.”

“…?”

Maybe she really doesn’t know. No, she just smiled a little. I lived under her eyes for many years. No matter how the family was, there were a few areas in the backstreets which I walked around.

Although I was considered to be a waste and talentless in my family, there were a few things which I learned in the backstreets which helped me.

Her eyes, which were on me, were filled with malice and such contempt, hatred and unexplained jealousy. I was the one who was the victim, but she acted like she was the victim in the family.

I stared at those intent eyes and then opened my mouth.

“If you had just left me, maybe I would have gone after my own death. And even if I couldn’t die, I would have lived my life quietly, just like I did till now, not a word to anyone. And you know, I absolutely have no desire to take away the authority of the family.”

“You say some interesting things. But from what I hear, this means you changed your mind?”

“Right.”

I said, while crossing my legs.

“Now I am thinking about living my life, so it wouldn’t be wise of you to threaten my life like you did yesterday. Of course, I still don’t want the family authority. Since I was abandoned, I will live my life quietly.”

“Cheeky bastard. I don’t understand what you had in your hands to come out and act like this!”

“Have in my hands? Rather, there is something I want to ask. Madam, what were you believing in for you to go this far with me?”

“What? How dare you talk to me like that! Have you lost it?!?”

I knew very well what she was trying to say, in a situation where both families had abandoned me, there was no ally for me to lean on, so she was asking me if I was being really arrogant or not.

“Madam, even if you kill me now, I won’t die alone. So you should think before you act.”

“Shut up! It seems like you aren’t sane because of what happened yesterday, but do you really think that you will be able to survive on this land by acting out against me?!?”