IWBAACTWITOS Chapter 10

"Don't cry. Okay?"

Even though he was the one who got hit with the doll, and I was the one who hit him and then cried, Ash comforted me. The maid also tried to comfort me, but once the tears started, they wouldn't easily subside.

When I kept crying and calling for mom, the maid finally went up to bring Roxana, leaving just me and Ash in the basement.

Ridiculously, my crying stopped abruptly at the news that Roxana was coming. Seeing that I seemed to have calmed down somewhat, Ash let out a sigh of relief and wiped my face with a handkerchief.

The clumsy but gentle touch made me want to cry more, but I had no energy left to cry.

"Was there something that bothered you?"

I was about to answer curtly that there was no such thing, but seeing the doll fallen on the floor, I changed my answer to something odd.

"Because I wasn't born as a cat." 

"Huh?" 

"Didn't you hear? I said I cried because I'm human, not a cat." 

"...Do you like cats?" 

"Of course. Cats are a hundred, a thousand times better than humans." 

"Why?" 

"Because if I were a cat, I wouldn't have become friends with you."

At those words, Ash's expression crumbled. Ash asked the same question he had asked last time.

"Do you hate me?" 

"I don't hate you. I like you." 

"Then why?" 

"Do you like me? Or do you have to like me?" 

"...Huh?" 

"Isn't it that you have to like me because I'm a Remetio?" 

"N-no!" 

"Can you be certain it's not? What you should do is more important to you than what you like or dislike."

"..."

"You said you and I were the same, right? No, you and I are different. We can never be the same. I want to be friends with you simply because I like you, but you're not like that. I can clearly see what you're thinking when you smile at me. If you keep doing that, I won't be friends with you."

At my declaration that I wouldn't be friends with him, Ash seemed shocked. He moved his lips for a moment, then muttered in disbelief.

"You won't be... friends with me?" 

"That's right. I won't come to play anymore. And I won't call you Ash anymore." 

"...But you said you liked me." 

"I do like you. But I don't like being the only one who likes you." 

"I like Tilly too."

The conversation felt like it was going in circles. And now it was Ash, not me, whose eyes were brimming with tears.

I let out a deep sigh and changed my explanation method to help Ash understand.

"When I said I was coming to meet you, I was planning to bully you so you'd hate me and then never meet again." "...Why?" 

"Is there any reason to be happy about suddenly having to get engaged to someone you don't know?"

"...No."

"But then this doll-like cutie popped out of nowhere. So I was wondering whether to bully you or not, when my mom told me that if I didn't like it, she would absolutely not arrange the engagement. Then I thought I could safely like you and become friends." 

"..." 

"If it weren't you, I wouldn't have liked you. But you would have treated me the same way even if the Remetio duke's daughter wasn't me. Right?" 

"...No." 

"Really?"

Ash hung his head low, seeming uncertain. Finally, a tear that had been welling up in his blue eyes rolled down.

"I... don't know."

Unlike me who had cried loudly, Ash cried while trying to hold back his tears, sniffling quietly. Just moments ago, it was Ash who had been wiping away tears and comforting, but the situation had reversed.

"What should I do?" 

"Think about what you like rather than what you should do." 

"But I have to become a good prince."

"It's not that you have to become a good prince, but you should make people think that you, Ash, are a good person and therefore suited for the position of prince." 

"..." 

"But honestly, I like you regardless of whether you're a good person or not."

When I smiled and said that, Ash, who had been hiccupping, stopped crying completely. The last words that came out were sincere words that escaped without my knowing, but I felt like I had hit the mark.

I wished Ash could be just a little more selfish.

I was the one who set him up as a kind and altruistic character, but that wasn't why I loved him. Just because he's Aegis. Even if he suddenly quit being the sub male lead and became a villain, he would still just be my lovable child.

For Ash with his good child complex, and for me who was born into the world I created, the words that I would like him no matter what happened were the right answer.

Through him, I realized.

The reason I was born into this world was surely to save someone. Whether the main character, supporting character, or villain, I loved them all.

"Ash, if you like me too, not as a prince but as Ash yourself, if you like me, let's become real friends."

At the suggestion to become friends, Ash seemed to fall into thought for a moment, then shook his head vigorously. I hadn't expected Ash to refuse, so I asked with a puzzled face.

"Don't you want to be friends with me?" 

"No... No, I do."

'What, which is it?'

"Then why did you shake your head?" 

"I don't want to just be real friends with Tilly." 

"Then?"

Ash avoided eye contact as if embarrassed, then courageously spoke up at my urging.

"I want to marry Tilly!" 

"...Crazy."

At my unconscious reaction, Ash's eyes widened. I belatedly stammered to fix the words that had jumped out on their own.

"M-marriage is a bit difficult." 

"Why? We both like each other." 

"Well, you know. There are various ways to like someone. Marriage is something you do when it's a special kind of liking among those ways of liking." 

"I like Tilly in a special way."

"...Oh, okay. Thank you."

Because of Ash who had become too honest, I could only give an awkward smile. I didn't know how to react to this at all.

"But I can only marry you if not just me, but Tilly also likes me in a special way, right?" 

"That's right." 

"Then I'll work hard so Tilly will like me in a special way."

As expected of the pure romance position sub male lead from a romance novel. What a five-year-old was saying was quite precocious.

Of course, since he was saying it while sniffling with a runny nose, it was just funny rather than heart-fluttering.

I bit my lips to hold back laughter and met eyes with the grinning Ash.

'Well, at least he's smiling now, so I guess it's okay.'

"Alright, work hard."

Having said that, I got up. Only then did I notice that Roxana had been watching us. Roxana was looking at me with unreadable eyes.

"Um, how much did you hear?" 

"From when you received the marriage proposal?"

That meant she also heard me say '...crazy.' Roxana was a very strict person about such things, so I was definitely going to get scolded.

"Thalia Remetio."

When mom felt most scary was when she called my name with the surname attached. It was rare for her to call me that way, but surprisingly, her expression itself wasn't bad.

Since she didn't seem as angry as I thought, defusing the situation wouldn't be too difficult.

I just had to act like I didn't know that the word I used was a bad word, then when Roxana pointed out that it was a bad word, I'd reflect and say I wouldn't use it again.

'If only it weren't right after I cried loudly saying I missed mom.'

"...Ma."

I deliberately mumbled the beginning part, then pronounced the 'ma' part clearly. Roxana, who understood my word as 'mama,' finally showed a helpless smile.

"Tilly."

When Roxana knelt down and spread her arms, I approached her. When she stroked my red-rimmed eyes with her cool hand, I felt a little better.

"Where did you learn such bad words?" 

"...What's a bad word?" 

"Don't pretend you don't know. You know how to distinguish between bad words and good words, don't you? You know what you did wrong?" 

"I did wrong."

When I obediently admitted my mistake, Roxana considered what to do with me and decided to let it slide for now. Because there was an issue as important as my education.

"Tilly, why were you crying?" 

"His Highness the Prince told me to eat that."

I had told Ash it wasn't his fault, but I had no intention of telling Roxana in front of her that I cried because I wasn't born as a cat. When I immediately tattled on him, Ash couldn't even make eye contact with Roxana.

It was because he had tried to secretly give me something Roxana had forbidden in order to win my favor. Of course, he still didn't seem to understand what was wrong with eating coffee beans straight.

In a situation too ambiguous to scold him properly, Roxana looked rarely flustered.

"Did you really cry because of that?" 

"Yes."

The reason I cried was because of family, but anyway, Ash's action was the trigger, so it wasn't exactly a lie. At my sincere answer, Roxana seemed even more troubled.

The maid was wondering whether she should tell about me hitting Ash or not. I rolled my eyes slightly and pretended not to know.

"I did wrong. I gave Tilly something she shouldn't eat."

Ash approached Roxana and obediently admitted his fault. Watching that, I swallowed my complicated feelings.

"I'm sorry." 

"And I hit His Highness the Prince."

The victim Ash was going to ask about it, and the maid was also keeping quiet respecting his wishes, but when the perpetrator me exposed it, both looked at me in surprise.

I collected the rabbit doll that was the weapon, rolling on the floor. Due to the basement dust, the rabbit doll's face had turned black.

"I hit him with the rabbit. Three times."

Roxana's expression hardened, and the atmosphere became heavy.

"Thalia Remetio, you know what you did wrong?"

It was the same question as before, but the tone was distinctly different.

"I shouldn't hit others carelessly, but I hit His Highness the Prince."

"Why did you do that?" 

"Mom said so. That Ash needed a real friend. I wanted to become a real friend because I liked Ash, but Ash doesn't really like me—he treats me well because I'm a Remetio. He even secretly gave me that." 

"..." 

"So I said I wouldn't be friends with Ash anymore and wanted to go home, but when he wouldn't let me go, I got angry and hit him. But I talked it out well with Ash and we compromised. Sorry for hitting you, Ash."

At my answer, Roxana said that using violence was still wrong, so I would be scolded when I got home. I nodded solemnly as if I had prepared myself for it.

Having finished talking with me, Roxana knelt on one knee to meet Ash's eyes.

"Your Highness, I apologize for my daughter's rudeness today." 

"...It's okay." 

"And I'm also sorry for putting unnecessary pressure on Your Highness."

"..." 

"And to add one more thing, Julian and I like Your Highness whether you're a good child or not. So you don't need to try so hard. Because Their Majesties are worried about you."

'What, you were listening from the very beginning.'

When I narrowed my eyes and looked at Roxana, she winked at me. Soon after, Ash shyly said thank you.

"Tilly, let's go home now."

At the words to go home, I hesitated for a moment, then smiled brightly and answered.

"Okay, let's go home."