North x Northwest

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Side story 3 – Liloa’s Chapter 1: The Fruit

“If you are so curious about the sea, then read this book first.”

“…”

The lord then placed “Monferrand, the Foolish Fisherman” in her hands. Looking at the illustrations, she could tell it was a fairy tale specially created for children.

“This book provides an excellent description of the capricious nature of the sea.”

Unfortunately, Liloa could only prove reason through silence.

‘But if I cannot speak, how can others know of my ability to think? …What is this stuffy feeling?’

Liloa nodded her head exaggeratedly so as not to reveal her true thoughts. When the lord realised that Liloa had obeyed him, he was finally satisfied.

That same night, Liloa crept into the study. However, the “Maritime History of the Oceans and Empires” was on the highest shelf, which she couldn’t reach even with a ladder. It was placed far enough that even if Liloa reached the top of the ladder and stretched her hand out, the light from the candlestick would barely reach the book.

Liloa looking up at the tall bookshelf.

‘It’s impossible for me to pick up the book and read it again… not only now but also in the future… It isn’t because I’m short. It also isn’t that I don’t dare to step on a ladder either…’

Liloa knew. Even if she grew as tall as the bookshelf, and even if her courage was as endless as the sea, she would never be able to read that book again. It was the first thing she realised that she wasn’t allowed to do.

While blankly gazing up, Liloa felt something eerie behind her and quickly turned around. She was clearly the only one in the study, but nonetheless, she heard a faint laugh from somewhere. Liloa initially assumed the sound was coming from the garden outside but soon realised it was coming from the darkness on the other side of the bookshelf.

Liloa held the candlestick up to her eyes.

“Who goes there?”

However, the being wasn’t standing in the dark. The being was the darkness itself. Such darkness had neither lighter or darker parts, but Liloa was able to distinguish its mouth.

The black maw smiled sinisterly and muttered.

“…Hello? It’s been a while since I last saw you, my dear little customer…”

“Who…”

“…I came to take your eyes…”

“..!”

Liloa reflexively raised her hand to cover her eyes.

Taking a step back, the bookshelf hit her from behind, causing the candlestick to shake, and the fire to flicker. As she moved, the darkness also shimmered forward.

The voice spoke much softer this time.contemporary romance

“…Why can’t you give me those useless things? I promise that I will dig them up carefully, so it doesn’t hurt…”

“No!”

With her eyes still closed, Liloa yelled and sprinted to what she assumed was the doorway. It took her only a few steps before the candlestick went out completely. When her source of light and warmth extinguished, a rush of cold air hit her. However, even in a room without a lit fireplace, she was still sweating profusely.

Liloa groped for the door with her vision impaired. But no matter how far she reached, all she grabbed were bookshelves, bookshelves, and more bookshelves. Liloa hurriedly moved her feet as the darkness crept up on her ears and gave her chills. She instinctively knew. The moment she would open her eyes, the being would be right in front of her.

Her frantic groping in the air eventually led her to find the doorknob. Liloa pushed the door open without hesitation. A thick chilled sensation hit her as soon as she went out into the hallway. Liloa finally dared to open her eyes a little and started to run in a panic. Faint moonlight shone through the open windows, but it wasn’t enough, for the darkness was too overwhelming. Liloa ran into her room without even once thinking about looking back, jumped into bed and pulled the covers over her head.

The following day, the study became strictly monitored by servants and could no longer be accessed by her. All Liloa was told was that if she needed a book, it would be brought to her room without her having to enter the study. Madame Autriche, too, believed that if Liloa continued to enter the study at such a young age, it would undermine the strict distinctions between male and female education.

In order to suppress feeling helpless and sorry for herself for not being allowed in the study, Liloa began to frequent the salon. In that place, she could hear everything going on in the world as well. But because Madame Autriche wasn’t physically fit, Liloa was often accompanied to the salon by her nanny and her governess, Ann and Charlotte. The two had been chastised by Autriche for failing to properly supervise Liloa and this was their attempt to play their parts, albeit belatedly.

***

At Malus’s salon, nobles who had been pushed out of the power struggle or those who wanted to spend their final years in peace gathered and complained about the recent trends in the empire. They were outspoken about how power began to shift to the middle class and how easily the imperial family sold noble titles. The emerging aristocratic power was said to have taken complete control of the Sesbron court and administrative affairs, and were not afraid to do things their way.

Liloa thought that the world was going haywire based on what she heard from the adults.

In a subtly lowered voice, Liloa asked Charlotte next to her.

“…Is there trouble in Sesbron?..”

Charlotte snorted in a cynical tone.

“Call it what you want, my lady, but if you ask any of these people to take direct charge of administrative work, it would be as if no one had done it. At the very least, these new nobles act as courtiers, so the Empire can continue to function through them. The old nobility, on the other hand, does not want to lift a finger because they regard work as something vulgar.”

“So, who do you think should run the Empire?”

“It is a contradiction. That is what this is.”

As Charlotte clicked her tongue, an interjection came from the other side.

“Yes, someone has to do the work, but is asking for a title not a little too much? I think that getting a title is beyond what they deserve. People need to have a certain identity, and it is funnily unpleasant when they are overly greedy like this.”

“Do the rest of the people from Obernyu share the same opinion? You are such a conservative, Ann.”

Charlotte replied sharply, but the truth was, neither Ann or Charlotte had a deep enough reason to engage in a further debate. Liloa was frustrated by her limited access to information. One time, when she asked a question out loud at a salon, she was later scolded by Charlotte for acting undignified. If a child acted recklessly or showed excessive interest in one of the topics, they could even be banned from entering the next salon.

For the time being, Liloa had no choice but to keep the image of a young girl visiting the salon, who was taking her time ‘to emulate the manners of the ladies of the salon’. Those same ladies all sat upright as they nodded their heads in agreement with the men’s passionate speeches. And the only time they opened their mouths was to praise the speaker.

Liloa even learned how to use a fan as instructed by Ann, and it wasn’t until much later that she was finally able to reap the rewards of her diligent practice of precociousness. Over time, when Charlotte and Ann had gone off to enjoy their brief love affairs again, Liloa had her own means to utilise her free time and often joined a group of kids her age at the entrance of the alley where the villas were located.

Today, she stuck next to a girl whose face she was already familiar with.

“Where are we going today, Louisa?”

Louisa, a girl with curly red hair, greeted Liloa warmly.

“Ah, Liloa! Why haven’t you come lately?”

“I’ve been going to the salon…”

“Why did you go to such a boring place? I was sad because I couldn’t see you. And you have no idea how proud Charles was that you didn’t see him snoring!”

“I wasn’t there because I was having fun either…”

Louisa wasn’t interested in salons, so she shrugged her shoulders once and hooked her arm with Liloa’s. With Liloa tucked to her side, Louisa held her head up high. The reason? Liloa was a wonderful friend who knew how to deal with boys.

Louisa then purposely quickened her steps and approached Charles, who was in the lead.

“Hey, Liloa is here.”

Charles’ eyebrows flinched upon hearing Liloa’s name, whereas the latter stuck her head out from behind Louisa and waved leisurely.

“Hello, Charles.”

After Liloa came to Malus, sudden rules were established among their group. Before that, even when simply playing games, the rules could be twisted and changed by a specific person, but since her arrival Liloa never hesitated to protest and raise the issue that such practice was unfair. Of course, in the beginning, there was some backlash against the newcomer named Liloa. But because Liloa argued in earnest, there was no other child who could properly refute her…

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