IWBAACTWITOS Chapter 18

The ducal estate was large enough to have a small lake, but we just spread a picnic blanket under a tree in the central garden.

Anyone entering the mansion had to pass through the central garden.

I'd said I was hungry, but I'd just eaten tons of bread not long ago—there was no way I was actually hungry.

Still, instead of enjoying eating, watching Yan stuff sandwiches and fruit into his mouth until both cheeks bulged was entertaining enough.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah!"

"I see. It's good."

'The kid's eating like he's starving. Seems like he's gone hungry more than just a day or two.'

"But Mom, why is he at our house? Doesn't he usually stay at the palace?"

"He does, but he was attacked on the way here. We're keeping him at our house to prepare for any possible incidents that might occur at the palace."

At that, I let out a tsk.

Who'd attacked him was obvious at a glance, and taking Yan in meant taking responsibility for those possible incidents too.

"...Did Dad agree to this?"

"Of course, your dad rolled up his sleeves to help."

I couldn't understand that. Julian usually went around grinning and slacking off, fighting childishly with Emperor Philius every day, but as prime minister he was far from careless.

Why would he agree to something with nothing but losses?

'Originally Yan was supposed to stay at the palace until the Prophetess's prophecy.'

"Your face will get mean if you keep your eyes bulging like that."

"I'm a Demon Lord, so it's fine if my face gets a little mean."

"Sir Demon Lord, you even got a subordinate, so why so serious?"

"It's nothing."

Noticing my bad mood, Yan started watching me nervously. Even so, his hand reaching for another sandwich was funny.

'Well, there's nothing I can do about the situation right now.'

"Is Yan staying in the annex too?"

"Would you like him to stay in the annex?"

"No."

"His Highness will stay in the main building. There are too many people to have everyone in the main building, and with baby Royna there, we gave His Highness's attendants the annex separately."

"That's good."

"What's good?"

"Going all the way to the annex would be annoying. Hey, stop eating."

When Yan finally picked up his fifth sandwich, I snatched it from his hand.

"When Dad comes we'll eat dinner together."

"...Is that okay?"

"This is a snack. Not dinner. If you fill up now, you won't be able to eat dinner later."

I recited exactly what Nanny always nagged. Having filled up somewhat, at the mention of dinner Yan obediently gave up the sandwich.

"From now on you'll eat breakfast with me, and lunch, and snacks, and dinner. Got it?"

"Yeah."

I roughly wiped the sauce around Yan's mouth with my sleeve. Once his face was clean, I withdrew my hand with a satisfied expression.

"Tilly, if you wipe with your sleeve, your clothes get dirty. Use a handkerchief."

"I already spilled apple juice on it anyway, so I have to wash it. Better to wash one piece of clothing than both handkerchief and clothes."

At my perfectly logical words, Roxana looked exasperated before smirking.

I didn't really need to worry about laundry, but she appreciated the thought.

"Good, good. Taking care of your friend too, how sweet. Oh, Dad's here."

Whether he'd rushed over immediately upon arriving at the mansion, Julian was walking toward us in full white formal wear.

Maybe because the sun was setting, his silver hair sparkling in the crimson light looked fantastically ethereal.

"Dad."

The moment I called him, Julian's calm expression as he walked quietly dissolved into an idiotic grin again.

Fantastically handsome Julian, when making that stupid smile, looked just a tiny bit like my dad.

'Oops, overlapping again. I shouldn't do this.'

He spread both arms, and I ran to him and let him hug me as thanks for the nice view. Julian rubbed his cheek against my head then started planting kisses.

"My goddess, who do you take after to be this pretty?"

"Stop kissing me."

"If Tilly kisses Dad, I'll stop."

I glared at him annoyedly, then gave in and briefly kissed his cheek.

Then I escaped his arms and climbed back onto the blanket. Yan was staring at me blankly.

"What? You want one too?"

"...No."

I was planning to bite those soft-looking cheeks while I had the chance. I promised myself a future opportunity and made room for Julian to sit beside me.

"Are you on a picnic?"

"Yeah."

"The weather's so nice, why not go farther? If you go toward the annex there's even a lake."

"It's noisy there right now. Too many people, I don't like it. And I was waiting for Dad to come."

"Really? Our Tilly was waiting for Dad? Oh my, precious."

"I only waited for you specially today."

Julian chuckled and vigorously patted my head. I likewise vigorously messed up his silver hair until it stood on end.

Roxana watched us, then called Yan.

"Your Highness."

"...Yes?"

"You'll be staying with our family for a while. If anything happens, let us know through Tilly."

"......What kind of thing?"

"Well, even if nothing happens, tell Tilly everything. While you're here, we'll protect you."

Yan made a confused expression, but perhaps Roxana's hand patting his head didn't feel bad, because he smiled bashfully. Seeing Yan's first smile, I remembered a passage I'd written in this novel.

「In his fading consciousness, Rayan recalled the one year of his life when he'd been happy, and smiled. When Aegis first tried to be friendly he'd been wary, but when he was young he'd liked Aegis very much. He wanted to apologize for forgetting their childhood promise to stay friends forever, for not recognizing him.」

Like the original, I hoped he'd be happy at least while he was here.

"Once upon a time, a lonely wizard lived in a tall tower."

Low voice and short platinum blonde hair—I lay holding hands with Yan, listening to the story Roxana told.

Yan must have had a tiring day, because he fell asleep before the story was even half over. Roxana finished the fairy tale about the wizard and the fairy, then picked up the sleeping Yan.

"Aren't we sleeping together?"

"His Highness has to sleep in his own bedroom."

"Why?"

"......Etiquette. They could make trouble otherwise."

I made a sulky face watching Yan being carried away in a servant's arms. When Roxana tried to blow out the candle in my room, I grabbed her sleeve.

"Where are you going? It's been a while, so read one more."

Roxana sat back down as if she had no choice and started patting my stomach.

Too lazy to get a new storybook, she seemed to plan on telling a story she remembered.

"Once upon a time, there were two gods—Vita, god of light and life, and Nex, goddess of darkness and death. They were twins born together from chaos, and together they created the world. Vita breathed light and breath into all life; Nex breathed darkness and peace into all life. All living things worshipped and praised those two gods."

'Why is this story suddenly coming up?'

"Vita loved the world and its creatures so much. Vita wished the world would last forever. But one day, Vita saw a human on earth and fell in love. She descended to earth, pretended to be human, and shared love with that human.

But Vita's love didn't last long. Because Nex gave that human the rest of death. Vita grieved terribly and grew angry at Nex. Shouldn't she have at least told her? Didn't she understand the pain of having the one you love die suddenly in your arms? Hearing Vita's words, Nex said with an uncomprehending face:

Everything has an end anyway, Vita. The human you love, and this world too. So don't cling to moments. The soul of the human you loved remains, doesn't it? Just wait for their reincarnation."

"......"

"Hearing Nex's words, Vita quietly withdrew. After that, Nex continued giving fair endings to many lives. Then one day, Nex suddenly felt overwhelmingly sleepy, fell asleep for a moment, and when she woke she was trapped in a human body on earth. Vita said to Nex:

Even if your words are right, I cannot accept it. Nex, I hope you'll learn what love is. Among humans who are most passionate about love, when you become aware of love, you'll be able to return."

"If Nex becomes like that, won't people stop dying?"

"Nex's power remained in her sleeping divine body, so the world's balance was maintained. And Vita, hoping Nex wouldn't forget to realize love, embedded the memory of her own love with a human as moon and stars above Nex's time. But Nex still doesn't know love and continues repeating human lives."

"......Vita was bad."

"You think so?"

"She was bad, obviously. I mean, what did Nex even do wrong? Nex just worked hard at her job. Vita just couldn't separate work from personal feelings and took it out on someone innocent."

"Do you even know what separating work from personal feelings means?"

"I know. Obviously. Work is Mom and Dad working at the palace, and personal is Mom and Dad coming home and playing with me."

"Smart, our Tilly."

"If she wanted Nex to learn love, she should've used a different method. And Nex..."

'Had a reason for not trying to learn love.'

Nex, who decreed endings for all living things, had to be impartial. If she learned love, she wouldn't be able to give death to what she loved.

"Vita only thought about herself."

"Mom thinks so too. Now, shall we sleep?"

Roxana blew out the candle with her breath.

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"Where did you hear that story?"

"Mom read it in a storybook when I was little."

"......I see."

The story of Vita and Nex was the worldbuilding from a different novel I'd written, mixing and adapting various myths.

'Wait, does this mean when this story ends I'll move to a different novel?'

In this situation, I couldn't quite answer "of course not."

'Oh, that would be disaster.'

While I was rolling my eyes around in various worries, Roxana covered my eyes with her hand.

"Should I sing you a lullaby?"

"Yeah."

"My star, my baby. One day you came to me. Twinkling brightly up in the night sky, you came to me. My star, my baby. One day you told me. That you wanted to twinkle brightly up in the night sky. The truth is your eyes are shining stars. But please hide them tightly at night. Because I'm afraid you might go back. My star, my baby. My star, my baby."

Listening to the lullaby in that low voice, I blinked slowly. Hearing the phrase "my star, my baby" repeated gradually calmed my heart. It wasn't the lullaby Mom sang in my past life, but somehow it evoked those memories.

"......Ma."

"......Mm?"

"I miss you."

"You can see me when morning comes."

"......No, I......"

"When you wake up tomorrow morning, Mom will be right beside you."

"My mom is..."

Not you. I swallowed the last words and fell fast asleep.