#107
“…Ladder?”
Jin-ha muttered blankly. A square hole in the ceiling had a wooden ladder descending from it. It was a ladder he hadn’t seen when they explored the palace last time. Legas had also said that this palace had only three floors and, being a vacation palace, there was no need to make an attic. The roof was pointed, so there might be space, but that was all.
When he heard that, Riyekan, who was with him at that time, didn’t say anything either, so it seemed he hadn’t seen the attic while he was staying here…
Jin-ha looked up, swallowing dryly from the tension. It was fine that there was an attic. But the fact that the ladder had suddenly descended while he was standing here was suspicious. Yet, strangely, he couldn’t take his eyes off that pitch-black hole.
An unknown intuition was pulling him.
Then, a small, white hand emerged from the darkness.
“… “
A small, childlike, white hand offered Jin-ha a bright yellow sunflower. As Jin-ha stepped back in caution, the sunflower came closer. The swaying movement was like a fishing rod shaking its bait.
“It’s okay.”
Jin-ha glared into the darkness, but he couldn’t see the other’s face.
“It won’t harm you. I swear on my name.”
At that moment, a strange magic spread in a peculiar way and reached Jin-ha.
Since staying in the tower, Jin-ha had encountered countless magics. And he could analyze them with the Information Eye. Wasn’t it thanks to that that he could pass the path only magicians could walk using the artifact brought from Earth when Riyekan was locked up, ride the birdcage, and eventually reach the master’s room?
But this magic couldn’t be analyzed at all. Instead, he could know one absolute fact. He didn’t know who the owner of that hand was, but that promise was a powerful oath and sanction that could cost his life if broken.
Jin-ha hesitantly took the sunflower. After a moment of contemplation, he stepped on the ladder and climbed up.
“Hello, dear.”
From below, it seemed completely dark, but when he actually climbed up, the attic was dimly lit.
Thanks to that, Jin-ha could see the face of the one who called him as soon as he entered the attic. Surprisingly, the being was a little girl. She had a face that seemed no older than a middle or high school student, with surprisingly fresh green hair braided and hanging long, wearing a white empire dress with a cute apron. Interestingly, she had her eyes covered with a lace eye mask, and her appearance was as beautiful as a fairy.
She didn’t seem human, and she was too big to be suspected as a fairy. But one thing was certain: she wasn’t a child despite her appearance. Jin-ha bowed his head to the girl with a tense face.
“Hello.”
“Oh my, you have such good manners. Whoever raised you did a great job.”
“…Thank you.”
“So, are you living well? No one is making it hard for you?”
“Not particularly…”
Then the girl tilted her head as if surprised.
“Really? You seemed troubled sometimes.”
“What?”
“That guy.”
The girl gestured towards a window on one side and continued.
“His personality is so prickly that he often picks fights with you and acts mean… He’s old but still immature…”
The girl clicked her tongue in a way that didn’t match her youthful face. She was clearly talking about Riyekan. Jin-ha could infer from the previous conversation that this girl knew Riyekan and had been watching him.
…How far did she watch?
“Ah, don’t worry. I don’t peek into the bedroom. Even if I’m a fairy, I don’t play such mean tricks.”
The girl smiled brightly as she said that. But despite her playful face, the content of her words was surprising.
According to the information known on Earth, fairies were usually no larger than the palm of a hand. The fairies he had met here were the same. But this girl, who was of human size, called herself a fairy.
The confusion was brief. Jin-ha skillfully organized the information in his head. A special fairy different from other fairies he had met so far. This girl, who revealed her identity and expected Jin-ha’s reaction, was clearly…
“Your Majesty.”
“Good at solving riddles too! How can you be so smart?”
The Fairy Queen, making a fuss, stood on her tiptoes and stroked Jin-ha’s head. Jin-ha, seeing her wobbly toes, awkwardly bent his waist a little, and she even hugged him.
Trapped in the little girl’s arms, Jin-ha rolled his eyes, not knowing what to do. The Fairy Queen, patting his back and showering him with praise, naturally kissed his cheek and stepped back.
Jin-ha, rubbing his cheek with an awkward face, defended Riyekan on his behalf.
“Riyekan’s character isn’t very good, but he treats me well.”
“Treats you well? How so?”
“…In his own way…”
“Are you satisfied?”
“Yes.”
“I see… Well, if that’s your taste, there’s nothing I can do. I’m a queen who respects one’s will.”
Taste? Riyekan? That self-willed man was never Jin-ha’s taste. Falling in love with Riyekan was like a sudden accident, like a comet collision or a car rollover. He had never imagined such a thing would happen, but at some point, he found himself loving him.
Feeling a sense of injustice, Jin-ha opened his mouth to defend himself but soon gave up. The fatigue of explaining this matter overwhelmed him.
Originally, how did he end up having this conversation with the Fairy Queen? Jin-ha, looking at the queen with a troubled heart, asked.
“By the way, what brings Your Majesty to me?”
“I came to see you. I have something to tell you.”
At that moment, a warning he had once heard from Riyekan flashed through Jin-ha’s mind.
‘Don’t follow anyone who offers you good information or shares power with you.’
At that time, Riyekan said that a fairy might target Jin-ha. So, he said that inside the tower, he must always be with him or Legas. Outside the tower, it was unlikely that Jin-ha would meet a fairy targeting him and be in danger. But now, he was outside the tower, far from the tower, and had received a visit from the queen.
An unexpected situation even for Riyekan, suddenly everything felt dangerous. He even doubted whether it was his perfect will to climb the ladder. Had he already been enchanted by the Fairy Queen? The queen might have more powerful magic than ordinary fairies, so it wasn’t impossible.
Jin-ha, checking the position of the ladder, hesitantly stepped back. He had followed unconsciously because of the strong sanction attached to the promise, but he didn’t want to break his promise with Riyekan.
“…I’m sorry, but it’s better to postpone this meeting. Next time, with Riyekan and the three of us…”
“Oh, that won’t do. That guy is a hindrance.”
“To what?”
“Our intimate and loving conversation.”
As soon as the girl smiled, the ladder folded up and the door on the floor clanked shut. Seeing the firmly closed door, Jin-ha tightly closed his mouth in tension. Should he have politely refused and immediately escaped?
Jin-ha looked at the queen with cautious eyes, and she smiled brightly and promised again.
“Whatever happens, I will not harm Jin-ha’s body and soul. Not only me but all fairies, absolutely.”
The magic contained in the promise the queen recited again was more detailed and powerful than before. There was a loophole in the previous promise not to harm, but this promise had no gap. Unless there was something else that constituted a human being besides the body and soul.
Doing this much meant that the queen wouldn’t let him go easily. Now that his safety was secured, his fear subsided a bit. Jin-ha, without lowering his guard, asked.
“Is what you’re going to tell me related to the phenomenon called ‘fairy containment’?”
“No, that’s just the reason I could come to see you.”
“What does this mean…”
“Do you feel this strange familiarity with me because you have a fairy mixed in you?”
“I hope not.”
“What do you mean…”
He couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of the words that he hoped it wasn’t, but a fact suddenly came to mind.
Master Senistry was said to be very close to the fairies. The fairies were close enough to lend her the power to handle space, and the queen would have been included in that relationship. If it was true that Riyekan had met the queen when he came wearing a flower crown that wouldn’t fall off his head last time, it was certain.
And Master Senistry had taken care of the young Jin-ha on this island.
“…Have we met before?”
“Met? We even kissed.”
The queen answered with a bright smile. It was the brightest expression he had seen today. Even considering that the other was a fairy who would push people off the top of an ice waterfall while smiling, she didn’t seem to have an aggressive expression.
“Come on, if you kiss me on the cheek, I’ll tell you what our relationship was. Okay?”
Jin-ha, who had bent his waist to kiss the queen’s offered cheek, hesitated and stopped.
“Hmm? Come on.”
He could understand the connection through Master Senistry. But Master Senistry was his father’s mistress, so he couldn’t be sure if she maintained her affection for him until the end.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
