[Episode 99] – Family Gathering (1)
The day after Veronica returned.
So much had happened at the masquerade that I was completely exhausted, and I decided to spend the day resting with Titania. Not that there was anything to do under the name of resting, but honestly, I was happy just lying around on the bed. Things had been really difficult lately.
As I lay flat on my back, spread-eagled across the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, I suddenly flinched and shuddered at the feeling that one of my legs was about to cramp. I raised only my head and glanced down at my leg. Titania was using my thigh as a pillow while reading a book.
I shook my leg, meaning that she should get off it already, but Titania began pressing her head down firmly against my leg so that I couldn’t move. She looked strangely cute doing that, so when I stroked her hair, Titania shifted her body and soon settled down between my legs.
With my leg finally freed from Titania’s head, I stared blankly at the ceiling and began wondering when I should bring up Veronica. We were supposed to meet next week, so I needed to tell her soon, but now that I was actually about to bring it up, I had no idea how to explain it.
‘How am I supposed to introduce Veronica to her? Titania does know that girl, at least...’
I moved my lips soundlessly, then raised only my upper body at an angle and looked down at Titania, who was lying between my legs and reading her book. Watching her diligently read while gazing at the ceiling, I let out a sigh without realizing it. Why did she always have to lie between my legs whenever she lay down?
“Titania?”
“Yes?”
When I called her, Titania turned over from her position facing the ceiling and looked at me. Apparently, she had no intention of leaving the space between my legs, as she propped up her chin and stared at me. Feeling strangely awkward, I bent one knee halfway, leaving myself in an ambiguous position that was neither lying down nor sitting up.
...Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing.
“Titania, what would you think if... you suddenly had an older sister?”
“...An older sister? Not a younger sibling, but an older sister?”
At the mention of an older sister, Titania began to think, still resting her chin on her hand. She even made a thoughtful humming sound. Then, apparently having reached a conclusion, she shifted only her eyes and glared at me. She wasn’t imagining something strange again, was she?
“Could it be that Mother is remarrying...”
“No, dear.”
See? She was imagining something strange again.
Why would I remarry? To begin with, could the queen of a country even remarry? Was remarriage permitted for queens in this country? When I looked at Titania as though she had said something utterly ridiculous, she tilted her head in confusion.
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but... I don’t understand why you would say something like that to me. Perhaps you remarried, and your new partner’s child became my half-sister...”
“My daughter’s imagination is always so impressive. Haven’t I told you time and time again not to read nothing but romance novels? The book you’re reading now isn’t some strange book, is it? The cover doesn’t look like one...”
“O-Of course not. I don’t think it is...?”
Titania subtly hid the book she had been reading behind her back.
Ever since I began monitoring Titania’s romance-novel reading, she had gone so far as to change the books’ covers or put different jackets over them. I didn’t particularly think romance novels were bad. Reading them now and then to relieve stress should be fine.
But they said that anything in excess became poison, didn’t they? That saying described Titania perfectly. Ever since she started reading romance novels, she often came up with strange fantasies, which was honestly quite troublesome. I was only telling her to read them in moderation. In moderation.
“Didn’t I say ‘if’? I’m asking what you would think if—just if—you suddenly had an older sister. It might be rather nice, don’t you think? I think it would be good for you to have a sibling...”
Titania, who had been looking at me with her chin propped up, blinked once—precisely once—then narrowed her eyes slyly and smiled. She brought her cheek against the inside of my thigh and answered with a smile in her eyes, as though the answer to my question had already been decided.
“I don’t need one.”
“But... having a brother or sister means you won’t be lonely, doesn’t it...?”
“I wonder? I used to think so, but... these days, I’ve never once thought I was lonely because I’m alone. If anything, I think I prefer being alone these days.”
“Is that so...?”
As Titania answered, she began resting her head against the inside of my thigh, using it as a pillow. Her slightly cool cheek tickled the inside of my thigh, making my body flinch involuntarily. Titania, who was acting particularly cute between my legs, gave a bashful smile and continued.
“My family is just you and me... No, with Einsel, the three of us are enough.”
—Princess... You didn’t just forget me, did you...?
“No, no. It’s not like that.”
When Einsel, hanging around Titania’s neck, spoke in a tearful voice, Titania was startled and hurried to comfort him. I watched the two children roll around between my legs and begin chattering away with delighted giggles, then flopped back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling again.
Introducing Veronica seemed like it might be more difficult than I had expected. I had been certain that, since Titania was alone, she would be happy to gain an older or younger sibling, but Titania had said she wasn’t particularly lonely. Was it because Einsel was already by her side?
‘...I don’t know. Maybe it’ll be different once they actually meet.’
Thinking that, I patted the space beside me on the bed and told her to come up instead of playing between my legs. Titania, who had settled herself comfortably against my legs, crawled across the bed and flopped down beside me. Then she pulled my arm behind her head, asking me to use it as a pillow.
I let out a deep sigh and glanced down at Titania as she began burrowing into my armpit. She only kept smiling bashfully, apparently delighted by something. I hoped she would show Veronica that same smile when they met, but... it didn’t seem likely to be so easy.
*
And so, time passed quickly.
Before long, the day Titania and Veronica were to meet finally arrived.
As soon as night fell, the scenery on the terrace changed into the sea, and one more chair had been added to the table where we had sat last time. Titania was startled by the changed scenery, but soon began admiring the nighttime sea as though she had never been surprised at all.
It was her first time seeing the ocean, she said. It smelled different from a lake, she said. Could she go closer and take a look in a little while? She asked me one question after another, brimming with excitement. As I watched her, Veronica approached us with her arms folded, having arrived at some point without my noticing.
Unlike when she had met me, she was dressed up, and my eyes widened before I knew it. Her long black hair fell all the way down her back, and her dress had almost no decorations. Though it revealed very little skin, the black mermaid dress perfectly outlined her figure, creating a sensual yet elegant impression.
The black lace gloves and fan she had brought with her were more than enough to make her youthful, seventeen-year-old face look mature. And perhaps because it was a dress Titania did not normally wear, it gave her a strangely unfamiliar air. Was this what Titania would look like when she grew up?
“You really came.”
“...I promised. And it’s true that I wanted to talk to Titania...”
The moment Titania, who had been gazing at the sea with shining eyes, and Veronica, who wore an awkward smile, met each other’s eyes, a brief silence descended between them.
I knew Titania would be surprised.
Until today, I hadn’t known how to tell her about Veronica, so I had decided to make it feel like a surprise. Naturally, Titania would be startled by meeting Veronica when she had never expected to see her. But...
The bright smile Titania had worn while looking at the sea gradually stiffened. Then, after seeing Veronica’s face, her brow began to furrow deeper and deeper.
In the end, the smile had completely vanished. Titania looked back and forth between Veronica and me with an expression full of anger. She soon let out a deep sigh and asked me,
“When you asked what I would think if I gained an older sister... did you mean this, Mother?”
“......”
Titania glared at me as though she were truly furious, leaving me unable to say a word. All I could do was offer an awkward smile. Veronica also seemed wholly unprepared for Titania to be this angry, and her expression clearly showed her dismay.
“I don’t like it. I don’t want a sister like you. My family is already complete with just Mother and Einsel.”
—Princess...
Titania strode toward Veronica and glared up at her.
“I still remember, you know? What you said to me when you came looking for me disguised as Princess Fiona.”
As Titania glared up at Veronica, growling like a puppy, I hurried to calm her down.
“L-Let’s calm down and sit first, all right? Don’t you think you should at least talk to her?”
I pushed Titania’s shoulder and practically forced her into a chair, then Veronica and I took our seats as well. Veronica and Titania sat on either side of me. Titania still seemed unwilling to accept the situation, doing nothing but glare at Veronica across from her.
Trying my best to change the mood, I clapped my hands and continued in a bright voice.
Clap!
“F-Finally, the whole family is gathered together. Now, let’s forget all the bad memories of the past and make a fresh start—”
“Who said you were family?”
“Who’s family with her?”
Veronica and Titania glared at me while saying nearly the same thing at almost the exact same time. It gave me the strange feeling that I had suddenly gained another rebellious teenage daughter. But their rebellion was pointless. I had already decided to treat Veronica as my daughter, just like Titania.
“You mustn’t contradict your mother’s decision.”
“B-But, Mother! Please listen to me! When we were young, that woman tried to drive a wedge between you and me?! And there was that other thing too! The time she insisted she hadn’t written the note!”
Titania pleaded with me as though she had suffered a grave injustice.
...When was that again? When she came mixed in with the delegation? Was she talking about the tea party we had when she was disguised as Princess Fiona? Was that why Titania ran away from home back then? And the note Titania left behind saying she was running away...!
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Veronica. Veronica opened her fan and hid the lower half of her face, avoiding my gaze as she muttered in a small voice,
“Who was it that suggested forgetting the bad memories of the past...?”
“You...!”
Anger surged up inside me, but I held it back and took a deep breath. Right, it had happened in the past, and it wasn’t really a problem anymore. Besides, the culprit was right in front of me, so there was no chance of anything like that happening again.
“Haah... Anyway, start by introducing yourself.”
“What? Me? You want me to introduce myself?”
I glared at Veronica with my eyes wide open again. She let out a deep sigh as though she had no choice, then began thinking while covering her face with her fan. She snapped the fan shut with a sharp sound and asked Titania,
“Titania. If I told you now that I did it for your sake back then, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?”
“...Of course not. How could I believe that you drove a wedge between Mother and me for my sake?”
“Well, whether you believe me or not, I really did do it for your sake back then. And even now, I’m meeting you in front of Vivian, whom I truly hate, for your sake. You know how much I hate Vivian.”
“I know. That’s why I hate you.”
At that answer, Veronica gave a faint chuckle. Then she spread all five fingers and held out her hand toward Titania as she continued,
“Then, if I granted a few of your wishes, would you trust me a little?”
“My wishes...?”
“Yes. Since I’ve done things I’m sorry for, you can think of it as compensation for my apology. First... yes.”
Veronica folded down one finger.
“When you grow a little older, I can get you out of the royal palace. Ah, I don’t mean running away from home. I’ll let you secretly visit festivals in the capital and places like that from time to time.”
“...What?”
“Look at my face. It’s exactly the same as yours, isn’t it? In two years, you’ll be about as tall as me, too. Besides, I’m a princess just like you, so I know the royal palace well. It comes up in novels all the time, doesn’t it? The protagonists who leave a double behind and secretly go to festivals.”
Wow, was it because she had experienced it herself?
Veronica giggled as she looked at Titania, presenting exactly what Titania wanted. As a princess who could hardly ever leave the castle grounds because of her position, Titania couldn’t help but be swayed by such a story.
“Second, if you want, I’ll teach you magic, too. My dwarves will help you.”
“You...! You told me not to teach Titania magic...!”
“Do you really think you teaching her and me teaching her are the same thing? What I was worried about was you being jealous of Titania, who has a talent for magic.”
“......”
Unable to refute those words, I could do nothing but keep my mouth shut. Veronica continued tempting Titania, promising to grant her various other wishes. Once all five fingers had been folded down, Veronica added one final condition.
“In return, call me Big Sister. Then I’ll grant everything you want. I’m rather capable, you see.”
Wow, how detestable. Truly detestable.
Was that the attitude of someone apologizing? Rather, it was the attitude of someone who pointed out the gap between herself and Titania, then used it to get what she wanted. What Veronica truly wanted was to make Titania her little sister.
Perhaps it was because I knew about Veronica’s past. Seeing her act this way was a little pitiful, too, so I couldn’t stop her. Titania hesitated as she mulled over the wishes Veronica had offered, then frowned and asked,
“You’ll really grant all of them...?”
“Of course, as long as you call me Big Sister. You may not believe me, but I’ve always been on your side, ever since you were little.”
“......”
After pondering, Titania looked at me with an utterly helpless expression. She hated the idea of bowing to Veronica, who had insulted me, to the point of death—but the wishes Veronica had offered were far too tempting.
Besides, every one of them was something I couldn’t grant her myself. In the end, unable to choose, Titania looked at me with a sorrowful expression, as if asking me to choose for her instead.
“...Titania, I don’t care anymore whether that girl insults me or not. At worst, I’ll just think of it as my adolescent daughter acting like a delinquent.”
“Who says you’re my daughter?”
“If I may offer you one piece of advice, take the wishes from that girl, but don’t learn that personality of hers. I think I’d be rather sad if you turned out like that, too.”
Titania, who had been making a miserable face, shook her head vigorously, saying I didn’t need to worry about that.
“And... I’d like you to have a sister. Having someone more you can rely on is truly important. You can’t always...”
“I can’t always be by your side.”
The words rose all the way to the back of my throat, but I swallowed them along with a dry gulp and forced a bitter smile.
“So don’t worry about what I think. Go on and gobble up those wishes. It’s true that she wants what’s best for you.”
Titania looked back and forth between Veronica and me, then let out a deep sigh. Facing Veronica, she muttered in a voice as faint as an ant crawling by,
“...ni.”
“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”
“.......Big... Sis...”
The moment the words Big Sister reached her ears clearly, the corners of Veronica’s mouth began ascending toward the heavens. To hide that uncontrollable grin, she hurriedly opened her fan and covered her mouth.
Titania, on the other hand, looked as though she were on the verge of death. Perhaps calling Veronica Big Sister filled her with such self-loathing that she looked ready to burst into tears. With her fists clenched tightly and her shoulders trembling, Titania couldn’t lift her head.
“All right, introductions are over!”
“? No, they aren’t. What are you talking about? You haven’t said the most important thing yet.”
“What? Isn’t this enough? What else...”
Ah. As something came to mind, Veronica’s face gradually began to flush red. She frowned at me as though she would rather die, but I had no intention of putting it off, either.
How could it be an introduction if she didn’t even say her name? When I glared at her, urging her to hurry up, Veronica clicked her tongue irritably, cleared her throat with ahem, and looked at Titania.
“...Veronica.”
“...Yes?”
“My name. It’s Veronica. From now on, call me Big Sister Veronica.”