[Episode 125] - I'm Always Watching.
"Will you read this?"
A few days had passed since Titania cut her hair.
Titania quietly placed a thick document envelope in front of Veronica and Ainsel. Veronica glanced at Titania once, then opened the envelope on the table and took out its contents.
"This is..."
Veronica let out a low murmur and began reading the contents written in the documents. Most of it was personal information about nobles working in the royal palace. From ministers to the lowest-ranking nobles.
Which family they belonged to, what department they worked in, and even what family relationships they had. Veronica slightly furrowed her brows as she read the meticulously detailed documents.
"...Why are you showing this to me?"
"Because I want you and Ainsel to help me. It's nothing much, I just want to dust things off a little."
"Dust?"
When Veronica glanced up to look at Titania, Titania smiled brightly, snatched the documents from Veronica's hand, and continued her explanation. Why she showed these documents to Veronica and Ainsel.
"The people written in these documents are the nobles who 'voted in favor' of banishing Mother from the royal palace. Even though I had them briefly sorted with Baengsyo's help... there are really a lot. Right?"
Smiling brightly, Titania rustled through the documents. Watching her, Veronica couldn't help but make a bitter expression. Because what Titania was about to do now was exactly the same as what Vivian had done in the past.
"...So, are you planning to do the same thing Vivian did back then? Grab the nobles' weaknesses and blackmail them? Since they drove Vivian out of the royal palace, are you going to drive them out too?"
"Sister, how could that be? How could I drive out innocent nobles? Didn't I tell you? I just want to dust things off a little."
"That's the same thing...!"
Veronica tried to argue that it was the same thing, but upon seeing Titania's expression, she couldn't continue. The reason Titania had such eyes was because of her and Ainsel.
Her pupils, settled coldly, were shining with a frigid light. The red eyes that had always looked at her with an impudent, spirited gaze now seemed to hold nothing at all.
"I don't particularly plan to drive out innocent nobles either. Really. If you and Ainsel investigate and find someone clean with nothing coming up, I won't drive them out just because they voted to banish Mother. But, but you know? If just a little dusting brings out some dust... wouldn't it be better to just tear it all down?"
Smiling brightly, Titania placed the documents back down in front of Veronica. Veronica took the documents and raised her head to look at Titania once more.
"You said you'd help me, right? Hmm?"
Though a faint smile was clearly drawn at Titania's lips, her eyes were not smiling. Veronica truly regretted her choice, thinking that if she had known it would turn out like this, she wouldn't have shown Vivian to her.
Veronica rustled through the documents once more, checking the personal information of the nobles written there. Each time the pages turned, she saw faces she had seen often in her regression, and Veronica let out a deep sigh.
"...Do as you please."
"Thank you as always, Sister. You'll help too, right, Ainsel?"
Titania turned her head to look at Ainsel on the table, smiling with curved eyes. Ainsel stared blankly at Titania for a moment, then soon nodded with a tearful expression.
As soon as Ainsel gave permission, Titania smiled. But neither Veronica nor Ainsel could smile along with her. Because they knew Titania was not smiling sincerely.
Veronica was worried about Titania's behavior. Because what Titania was doing now seemed like preparations for when Vivian returned here.
If Vivian didn't return like this...
'...Vivian. It seems everyone, including me, misjudged Titania. I too thought that only if you left this place could Titania stand on her own. That's why I let you go too...'
Veronica let out a small sigh and shook her head.
She could imagine what would happen to Titania if Vivian didn't return here. Now she wondered if she shouldn't bring Vivian back here, if not for Titania's sake, then for Vivian's own sake...
She began to have such thoughts.
*
Whenever she had time, Titania watched Vivian through the mirror on her desk. After Mother left her, she watched every day through the mirror what she was doing, where and what she was up to.
By continuing to watch like that, she learned what Mother was doing since leaving her side, where she lived, and furthermore, who she lived with.
Mother was living in a countryside far from the capital, running a small confectionery shop. Together with a 'witch' named Katarina, she lived under the same roof, making the shop built in the forest their home.
'Katarina. Don't make too much today. The weather isn't good, so I don't think the children will come either.'
'Y-yes. I-I'll do that.'
Perhaps because it was a countryside confectionery shop, most of the customers who visited the shop were the village children. Other than them, there were occasionally familiar-looking ladies and elders who came to drink tea.
Most of the villagers who visited the shop seemed to have come to chat with Mother rather than to buy sweets. Mother seemed quite popular in the village.
One day, a lady who seemed close to Mother visited and, while drinking tea together, they talked about Mother's 'remarriage.'
'Vivian, you still have no thoughts of remarrying? Isn't it too hard living in the shop with just your daughter?'
'As I always say, I have no thoughts of it yet. I don't lack anything living with my daughter.'
'What a pity... If it were you, Vivian, I'm sure all the village men would line up. Shall I introduce you to a good man?'
'Rather than introductions, I prefer a fateful meeting. Don't you agree, Madam?'
'Ahahaha! That's every woman's dream! I too thought my husband was my destiny before we married. Moreover—'
The conversation between Mother and the lady, overflowing with laughter, lasted a full three hours before ending only after the sun had set.
Mother hadn't liked long chats in the royal palace, so was it because her heart was at ease in the countryside? She didn't show any sign of disliking the lengthy conversation with the lady.
Only after the lady left did Katarina, with disheveled hair, poke her head out from the kitchen and sneak up to Mother. Since when had the two of them become so close?
After that, Titania flipped the mirror face-down on the desk. It was because she didn't want to see Mother being close with another woman in a place where she wasn't present.
Then, another day.
Children rushed into Mother's shop reflected in the mirror. Not seeming to fear Mother's sharp face, the children smiled brightly and called out to her like this:
'Witch! Witch! Please give me this!'
'I don't sell sweets to naughty children who call me a witch~ Go back~'
'Oh come on! You're so picky, Witch! You should be grateful we don't call you an old hag anymore!'
'You, you're banned from this shop starting today. I'll tell your mother everything, so be aware.'
The children were excited, calling Mother 'Witch,' finding something so amusing about it. At first, Titania had let out giggles at the sight of Mother lamenting that children called her an old hag because of her scary face.
"Witch... Witch... It's a cute nickname."
Admittedly, Mother's face was indeed scary at first glance. A nose bridge so sharp it seemed it would bleed at the slightest touch, lips as red as blood, blonde hair gleaming like gold coins, sharp eyes that looked incredibly angry.
She too had been truly frightened of Mother's face when she was young, but now everything about Mother was incomparably lovely. It was such a lovely face that she wanted to see it right away, meeting her at once.
When Titania looked back into the mirror, a child in the mirror, having apparently chosen a sweet, pointed at it with his finger and shouted at Vivian.
'Witch! Witch! Hurry and give me this!'
'Yes, that will be three hundred donghwas.'
'Yes, here!'
The child smiled brightly and placed three donghwas in Mother's hand. Mother giggled and handed over the sweet the child had chosen, replying:
'I've received it. It is indeed three hundred donghwas.'
'Ehehe!'
The child, sweets in hand, grinned so widely his teeth showed.
Mother patting the child's head and the child's face smiling so happily looked so delightful that Titania began biting her fingernails unconsciously.
It was due to terrible jealousy and impatience.
It was clearly an adorable and happy scene, warm enough to soften one's heart, so why did it hurt as if her insides were burning up?
'Why on earth am I not in that spot? How can Mother smile so happily after leaving me behind? I... even now, just thinking of Mother...!'
Crack, the nail she had been biting unconsciously broke with a sharp sound. Her nail snapped, and vivid red blood began to trickle down between her finger and nail.
Without even realizing her nail had broken, Titania finally removed her mouth from her finger and looked at the wounded nail, only because of the blood droplets falling from her fingertip and the fishy taste of blood remaining in her mouth.
After roughly wiping away the blood with a handkerchief, Titania turned her head again to look at Mother reflected in the mirror.
Watching Mother laughing and chatting joyfully with the children, Titania felt as if a fire were blazing inside her, wrenching her gut.
'...Still, there's not much left.'
Titania turned her head to look out the window.
The scorching sunlight had subsided somewhat, and the wind had begun to blow somewhat coolly. Soon, summer would end and autumn would arrive.
When autumn came, the coronation ceremony was scheduled.
So before the coronation began...
'I'll bring Mother back no matter what.'
*
A female fruit vendor at the village market gazed blankly up at the sky. The sky was high and blue without a single cloud. The wind was cool, but the sunlight pouring down was warm—perfect weather for a nap.
"It's autumn..."
The female merchant muttered as she looked at the high sky. Then she lowered her head again and looked at the fruits displayed on her stall. She needed to sell these quickly so she could go out to a larger village to do business during the upcoming 'festival' period.
They said the country would hold a grand festival, setting the week starting from the day of the new queen's coronation as the festival period. From the standpoint of a merchant like her, it was an absolutely unmissable money-making opportunity.
So as she was praying, from the gods to the fairies, to sell the fruits quickly, a person with a scarf covering them from head to tip approached the stall and asked the price of the fruit.
"How much is this fruit?"
"Welcome! So..."
The female merchant glanced, rolling her eyes to look at the customer with the scarf pressed down to the tip of their head. They tried to cover their face with the scarf, but when they bowed their head, they couldn't hide the black hair peeking out.
The black hair flowing down like silk proved that this was no commoner, no matter who looked. An air of nobility that couldn't be hidden even with a scarf seemed to emanate from their every gesture.
As the female merchant stared blankly at the customer, the customer tilted their head as if asking what was wrong.
"Milady?"
"Mi-Milady? Just call me ma'am. About that fruit? I don't sell them individually, only in sets of three. It's normally six donghwas, but I'll take five."
"Five donghwas, correct? Just a moment."
The customer with the scarf rummaged through their pocket, then soon asked the female merchant:
"By any chance... do you know about the confectionery shop where the Witch lives nearby?"
"The Witch...? Ah, if it's that shop, you'll find it just a short walk past that fence over there. Have you come to find that shop?"
"You could say that. Thank you. Madam. This is my thanks."
The customer placed a small coin taken from their pocket directly into the woman's hand. A golden coin gleaming brighter than a ripe wheat field bathed in the setting sun. The female merchant gaped, looking every which way at the gold coin in her palm.
Just as she was about to argue that they had given it by mistake, the customer shook their head and began walking in the direction the merchant had indicated. But the merchant began to feel anxious. It was natural to feel anxious when receiving something of greater value than the original price, wondering if the other had made a mistake.
The female merchant, suddenly worried that this might be an outsider who came to catch the owner of that confectionery shop due to the witch rumors, shouted at the departing customer.
"Th-that shop's owner is called the Witch, but she's not a real witch! It's just the children playing around...!"
As she was continuing her excuses, the customer with the scarf turned their head to look at the female merchant. As the wind blew, the front of the scarf fluttered, and soon the customer's face began to be visible.
With black hair like ebony and red eyes like drops of blood. The beautiful customer, smiling with curved eye corners, answered the merchant with a bright smile.
"I know that."