WTBFCY Chapter 4

"…E-Emma?"

Regina called out urgently to Emma, unnerved by what she'd seen. Emma had been staring blankly into space, but she blinked a few times and returned to her usual self, opening her mouth to speak.

"If you mean Margaret's brother, are you talking about Lord Noah? Yes, of course I know him. He's been your longtime crush, Lady Regina."

"...What?"

Regina froze without meaning to. Then belatedly understood that Emma had answered her question again.

"What did you just say...?"

Regina's face twisted as she shot to her feet, gripping Emma's shoulders hard with both hands.

"Ow! My lady, why are you doing this all of a sudden? It's dangerous to stand up in a moving carriage!"

"You're joking, right? Emma, you just said a moment ago that Margaret was an only child!"

"What? What are you talking about, my lady? When did I say that?"

Emma looked up at Regina with a confused expression.

"No, just a moment ago...!"

Regina was about to lash out in frustration when she suddenly closed her mouth.

Something was wrong. No, everything was wrong. That frightened her. That confused her. Regina felt like crying.

What in the world was happening right now?

"My lady? What's wrong?"

"..."

Regina stood there in a daze, still gripping Emma's shoulders tightly. Then the carriage hit a small stone on the road and lurched violently. The momentum sent her flopping back down onto the seat with a thud.

"Whoa, my lady! Be careful!"

"..."

Emma grabbed Regina's arm in alarm, steadying her so she wouldn't fall. But Regina only blinked her eyes, barely hearing Emma's urgent words.

Why was it that what came to Regina's mind at that moment was, oddly enough, what her nanny had said this morning?

'They say black fairies disguise themselves as the humans they've eaten and hide among people.'

A chilling cold swept down Regina's back.

When Regina returned to the estate, she went straight up to her room and flopped face-first onto the bed. Her carefully chosen morning dress crumpled, but Regina didn't budge.

Emma, who had followed her, looked worriedly at her mistress, who'd been in poor spirits since the carriage ride.

"My lady, you should change your clothes before resting. Shall I draw water for you to wash?"

"...I'm too tired, Emma. Never mind that—go get Nanny."

When Regina answered with her face buried in the pillow, Emma sighed quietly, said she understood, and left the room, closing the door softly.

Click.

At the sound of the door closing, Regina confirmed Emma had left and rolled onto her side.

"...Could it be? Could black fairies really exist like Nanny said? Then is that man a black faerie?"

She'd seen and heard too much to deny reality. Regina chewed her lower lip anxiously, trying to maintain her rationality as best she could.

She curled up in anxiety when she heard a knock.

"My lady, it's Nanny."

"Yeah, come in!"

The door opened and Nanny entered, startled to see Regina lying on the bed. She approached her.

"Oh my, my lady! Lying on the bed without even changing your clothes!"

"Nanny!"

Regina shot up from the bed when the nanny she'd been waiting for arrived, climbing down.

"Goodness, look at your dress all wrinkled. Come here, my lady. Let's get you undressed and washed. This nanny will help you."

"That's not important, Nanny! I need to ask you something! Do black fairies really exist?"

Nanny had turned Regina around and was unlacing her dress when she made a puzzled expression.

"Do you suddenly want to hear faerie stories?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Is that so? Then I'll tell you while you bathe. Now, now, raise your arms."

Nanny coaxed Regina like she was a five-year-old child, stripping off her dress in an instant and pushing her toward the bathroom. Regina found herself submerged in hot water before she knew it, swept along by those practiced hands.

After washing Regina's hair, Nanny wiped down her body with a soft cloth and asked.

"But why are you suddenly curious about faerie stories? Did faerie tales come up during your tea time with Miss Margaret?"

"Uh, something like that."

Regina had been growing drowsy under Nanny's ministrations, but the question snapped her back to attention. Now wasn't the time for this. Feeling sleep flee as she opened her eyes wide, Nanny smiled silently.

"Yes, my lady. What story are you curious about?"

"This morning you told me about black fairies. That they eat people and secretly hide among them—is that really true? Then how can you tell? Can you get rid of them?"

Regina turned quickly to look at Nanny. Water splashed out of the tub from the motion, soaking Nanny's hem.

Nanny's eyes widened at Regina's rapid-fire questions, then her face grew calm as she moistened her hand with water and wiped the young lady's face.

"Well, I only know the story my grandfather told me when I was young. I've never seen one myself. You know the forest where you got lost this time, my lady? That place is actually also called the 'Faerie King's Tomb.'"

"The Faerie King?"

"Yes. They say when you look down at the forest's shape from a distant high hill, it looks like faerie wings. That's how it got that nickname."

"Are faeries that big? Aren't they supposed to be, you know, about finger-sized?"

Regina asked, thinking of the forest that had looked enormous even at a glance. Nanny answered with a small laugh.

"Well, maybe because it's a king? I don't really know either. Or maybe it got that nickname because hardly any beasts live in that forest and it's always dark. My grandfather said he went into that forest exactly once when he was young. It was youthful folly or something like that—he snuck in without the adults knowing and heard something."

"...What?"

"A voice calling my grandfather's name. Exactly three times."

When Nanny held up three fingers as she spoke, Regina swallowed dry spit without meaning to.

"So? What happened?"

"The village elders back then didn't call children by their proper names because they said black fairies would take them away. My grandfather was usually called 'Bertie' or 'Bert.' But in the pitch-black forest shadows where you couldn't see anything, the voice he heard said this: ...Albert."

Goosebumps rose on Regina's arms above the tub. Seeing this, Nanny smiled mischievously and wrapped a fresh towel around Regina's shoulders.

"Scary, isn't it? My grandfather said he was so startled he ran for his life right then and there. After I heard this story, there was even a time when I'd just look toward the forest in the evening and get so scared I'd squeeze my eyes shut and only walk holding my grandfather's hand."

"...Then what happens after a black faerie disguises itself as the person it ate? Does it secretly hide among people and eat another person? When a faerie disguises itself, do everyone's memories around them get strange too?"

Regina looked up at Nanny with a serious expression, clutching the towel wrapped around her shoulders tightly. Seeing this, Nanny nodded, thinking Regina was engrossed in faerie stories.

"Well, I don't really know. But maybe that's how it works. ...Oh, now that I think about it, I once heard that if you wash your hands and eyes in water where a good light faerie bathed, you can recognize black fairies."

"That's it, that's it!"

Splash!

"Oh my, my lady!"

When Regina shot up from the tub, Nanny grabbed her in alarm. She'd embraced her reflexively, worried Regina might slip.

Nanny's clothes got completely soaked, but Regina just hugged her tightly in joy and exclaimed.

"That's exactly it, Nanny!"

"Yes, yes?"

Nanny could only look up at Regina with a flustered expression, caught in the embrace.

Once Regina regained her health and the baron breathed a sigh of relief, he immediately reported Lily and Hans to the security force.

It was unusual behavior for a nobleman who would consider it shameful to publicly reveal problems within the family. He'd shown firm resolve to catch those two criminals even if it meant enduring the shame.

"So, still no news?"

The baron asked, swirling the glass of liquor in his hand.

Inspector Hudson, who was in charge of the security force for this small territory, wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and nose with a handkerchief despite the cool late autumn weather, and answered.

"Not yet. But I've requested cooperation from security forces in other districts too. We've issued warrants and distributed flyers, so we should catch even a small clue soon."

"I can't just wait around like this. We must catch them no matter what. If you need more financial support, don't hesitate to say so. I'll do whatever I can."

"Yes, yes. Don't worry. By the way, why have you lost so much weight? Miss Regina returned safely, so stop worrying so much and get some rest. Catching criminals is our job, so leave it to us with confidence."

At his friend's words, the baron felt his face. When the rough texture of his poorly groomed beard brushed his palm, he made a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"I see. I'm sorry. I got absorbed without realizing it. You'll handle things well, won't you?"

"Of course. Don't worry. This study is too dark too. Open the curtains and air it out. No, don't do that—why don't we go out for a drink? You'll get sick staying in a place like this."

"...Mm, all right."

The baron, who had stood up to see Inspector Hudson out, nodded at his friend's suggestion and put on his coat.

Coming to his senses at Hudson's point, he realized the study was full of the smell of alcohol and tobacco. Wondering when the study had become like this, he called the servants to clean it, then left the estate with Hudson.