[Episode 97] - Sister
"...What are you crying for?"
"...Who said I was crying?"
I tried to hide the tears that had slipped out before I knew it, wiping them away with the back of my hand. My chest felt so tight it might burst, so I let out a deep sigh, then glanced up to look at Snow White sitting before me.
Perhaps because she had unburdened the story inside her, unlike me, and felt a little lighter, Snow White wore a gentler smile than before. Yet that smile also looked somewhat weary.
Having heard her story, I couldn't speak a single word. I had no idea what on earth I should say to this child. Truly, I was at a loss for how to open my mouth.
The first thought that came to me after hearing Snow White's story was that Aurora was a real son of a bitch. Nothing else came to mind but the thought that she had died a satisfying death. Even beasts loved their young, so why was Aurora...
'...The Aurora here was like that too. Is the human called Aurora herself just the problem?'
And after hearing the story, I realized why I had been able to recognize Snow White's face so easily at the ball. It wasn't only because she shared Titania's face, but because Snow White's appearance hadn't aged.
Three years ago and even now, Snow White had maintained the exact same face. She had said she came here in the body of a seventeen-year-old when Titania was two, but she didn't look like she had aged since then.
Was it a side effect of transforming into a fairy? To me, it seemed as though Snow White's time had stopped. Like the Snow White from the fairy tale who slumbered in a glass coffin after eating the witch's poisoned apple.
She had said she was gradually becoming a fairy, so how much had she transformed by now? Come to think of it, three years ago, Brownie had asked Snow White if something was wrong with her body—could this have been why?
"Uh..."
I wanted to ask, but my lips wouldn't part. I was at a loss, not knowing if it was alright to ask such a thing, what I should say to Snow White, or how I should react. The shock was that great.
As I stupidly opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish, Snow White looked at me and let out a short laugh. Then she gently shook the red string tied to her wrist and asked me.
"It's my turn now. You know?"
"...Yeah."
Yes, I thought it would be better to be on the receiving end of the questions. I needed some time to organize my thoughts, too. Twisting the red string connected to me around her finger, Snow White, who had been pondering, let out a low hum.
"You..."
I was prepared to answer truthfully no matter what question I received. Even the fact that I wasn't Vivian. No, I was certain Snow White would ask about my identity. I was sure of it, and yet...
"...No, forget it. I don't have anything I want to ask you anymore."
"What? Ah, no, there must be something...? About me, perhaps...?"
Saying she had nothing more to ask me, Snow White rested her chin on her hand and let out a small sigh. At my appearance, which rather seemed like I was begging her to ask, Snow White giggled and answered me.
"It's fine. Telling you my story relieved my chest a tiny bit. And..."
"....?"
"Seeing you cry after hearing my story made me certain. As expected, you aren't the Vivian I know. I think this is the first time I've seen you cry because of me."
"W-who said I was crying...!"
Wiping the corners of my eyes just in case, I found a bit of tears on my fingers. Watching me wipe away my tears, Snow White snickered and continued.
"Just as I am different from Titania, you are a different being from Vivian. I had a faint sense of that fact, but I didn't want to admit it."
"......"
"Well, you're the person who killed me dozens of times. How could I easily admit that person had suddenly changed? After everything I've suffered at your hands?"
After hearing Snow White's story, I could fully understand why she had approached me with such malice.
Honestly, how could she not hate the person who had killed her dozens of times? It was only natural that she couldn't judge things rationally.
Moreover, Vivian—who had killed, tormented, and hated her—loving a different version of herself here must have been incomprehensible. That Vivian had hated her enough to kill her dozens of times, yet raised the version of herself here with love—Snow White must not have understood that.
"...So, it's enough now. I'm tired of hating you, too. No matter who you are, the fact that Vivian has changed is enough for me now. Because Titania won't go through what I went through."
Having said that, Snow White let out a deep sigh, as if truly exhausted, and ran both hands down her face. As if she no longer possessed the strength to hate Vivian, as if she no longer had the stamina to fuel her hatred, Snow White leaned back against the chair and slumped slightly.
Snow White, who had been slumped limply in the chair, opened her eyes wide as if something had occurred to her, then rolled her gaze to look at me and asked.
"No. I take back what I said about having nothing to ask. I'll use my second question."
"Yes, ask me anything."
"Why did you name Titania 'Titania'? You know what that name means, right?"
At Snow White's sudden question about the meaning of Titania's name, I calmly organized my thoughts and explained to Snow White why I had given Titania the name 'Titania, Queen of the Fairies.'
"Titania. It's the name of the fairy queen, isn't it? I know that, too. The reason I gave her that name is that, quite literally, Titania will become the queen of the kingdom. Besides, back then I was thinking of teaching Titania about fairies and magic. I gave up because you told me not to."
"Didn't you say you had no intention of raising Titania as a witch?"
"Do only witches command fairies? I thought the fairies would be of help to Titania when she becomes queen. Really, that's the entire reason I named her Titania. I thought it was a good name for a future queen."
Snow White shook the red string tied to her wrist, confirmed it hadn't broken, and hummed through her nose. Thinking for a moment about when I had named Titania, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
"Then it's my turn to ask a question."
"It is. Ask me anything."
"What if I gave you a name?"
"What?"
Snow White opened her eyes wide at my question, then immediately glared at me. At her gaze, wary like a guarded cat just as before, I let out a brief sigh and calmly continued.
"Not knowing your name has been frustrating me for ages. And you won't tell me your name. You never had any intention of telling me from the start, did you?"
"That's right. I have no intention of telling you."
That stubbornness was exactly like Titania's. Who on earth had she taken after to be so stubborn? Aurora? The King? I hoped she wasn't of Aurora's bloodline. I let out a small sigh and smiled brightly as I looked at Snow White.
"Then I'll have to call you by the name I choose. Right? How long am I supposed to keep calling you Princess~ Princess~? You aren't even a princess anymore."
"Just keep calling me Princess like you have been! Why would I need a name?!"
"Ah, I don't know, I can't hear you. I want to give you a name that matches Titania's. Since Titania is the fairy queen, how about Oberon, the fairy king? Though Oberon is too masculine, so Oberon... Beron..."
"Hah...!"
Ignoring Snow White's gaze, her face bright red as she looked at me in disbelief, I focused on coming up with a name for her. To make it a set with Titania, the fairy king 'Oberon' was the obvious answer, but that was far too masculine. It wasn't appropriate for a girl.
After agonizing over it, I smiled brightly at the name that suddenly flashed in my mind and looked at Snow White. Snow White crossed her legs, rested her chin on the table, and clicked her tongue, as if annoyed by my forcefulness. She was a total punk.
"Hmm... Your name is..."
"Don't. I seriously told you not to."
But I knew she wouldn't listen unless I forced it like this. Moreover, I had a feeling Snow White would actually like it deep down. Why did I think that? Well—
No matter how different Titania and Snow White were, fundamentally, they were the same child. If I thought of Snow White as a Titania who had hit puberty, she was impossibly cute.
"Veronica."
"......"
"Veronica Snow White. How is it? Do you like it?"
For a moment, silence fell. Snow White, who had been resting her chin on her hand without any reaction, soon glared at me as if she would kill me and answered.
"Really, what a childish name. Some naming sense. I truly don't like it. Didn't I tell you? I don't need a name. I'm just—"
Snap.
The moment Snow White was making an annoyed expression, complaining of the absurdity and throwing a tantrum, the center of the tightly stretched red string snapped with a twang. The red string, which had fluttered into the air from the recoil of breaking, gently settled onto the table.
Surely, this red string was supposed to break if someone lied...
I held back the corners of my mouth from rising and raised my head to look at Snow White's face. Having momentarily forgotten about the red string, Snow White's face flushed bright red as she opened and closed her mouth, searching for an excuse. But—
"......"
"......"
Even Snow White must know.
That no matter how she tried to excuse this situation, it wouldn't work.
After all, it was Snow White who had tied the red string to my wrist. It was Snow White who had suggested the question-and-answer game. Was this what they meant by digging one's own grave? Holding back a smile so hard the corners of my mouth hurt, I asked Snow White.
"It seems you really like the name I gave you? I look forward to our future together, Veronica."
"You...!!"
Veronica, her face burning red, sprang up from her chair and came at me, starting to push me. Telling me to get up quickly, telling me to get lost from here quickly, she pushed me repeatedly until I was eventually pushed all the way to the terrace door of my room.
"Get lost! Don't come here! I'm never seeing your face again, so know that!"
"Kkhup, kkhuhu. Don't be like that and listen to me, Veronica. Hm? Just listen for a moment."
"Don't call me Veronica!!"
Veronica was pushing my back with all her strength, telling me to get out immediately, while I held my ground, blocking the terrace with both arms so I wouldn't enter the room. Because Veronica and I were evenly matched in strength, I was fortunately able to hold on by gripping the terrace door frame.
"Come here at least once a week from now on. Let's talk again next time."
"I told you I'm never showing my face here again!"
"Then, do you plan to never see Titania's face again, either? I want you to become Titania's older sister."
"Uh, older sister?"
Veronica abruptly stopped pushing me and fell into thought. Then she glanced over her shoulder, looking at Titania asleep in my bed, and even furrowed her brows as she sank into deep contemplation.
"I don't matter, so at least get close with Titania. Titania is lonely because she's on her own."
"......."
"You would know well, having been alone yourself. Growing up alone is lonely. If she had an older sister like you, I would be relieved, too..."
"Stop."
At Veronica's voice, which had turned cold, I could no longer continue. At the moment I thought it was no use, Veronica pushed my back and shoved me into the room. As I worried that if we parted here, I wouldn't know when we would meet again—
"...I'll come at this time next week, so wait with Titania."
With those last words from Veronica, the scenery of the terrace changed in an instant. To the familiar terrace overlooking the royal palace gardens, no longer the seaside. As the image of Veronica, her face deeply flushed and pondering, came to mind, giggles burst out of me before I knew it.
"Really... I can't wait for next week."