(EP-267.1) Song #4

267 – Cicada’s Song #4

The letter I received from the general store witch was contained in an ornate, gold-embossed envelope.

Just at a glance, the paper appeared luxurious. The subtle scent of flowers was also pleasant.

However, what caught our attention the most was the lion seal. The king of the beasts. There was only one family in this world that could use a lion as their insignia.

“Sir Theo, it’s a letter from the Lioness family. It doesn’t seem to be addressed to me.”

Seuk.

Receiving the letter from Mirna, I used the dagger at my waist to break the seal and examined the contents.

The message was simple.

「XX day. 1 PM. Meet at the Fairy’s Wind.」

It seemed to be a letter informing me of the appointment time and place. The date was tomorrow. There was still time.

“Is it from Lady Lioness?”

To Mirna’s question, I could only give a vague answer, “I’m not sure.” Was this uneasy feeling because of the nightmare I had this morning?

Swish, swish.

As I folded the letter and tucked it into my pocket, Mirna asked again.

“What will you do?”

“Since it’s tomorrow, I’ll think about it then.”

If Elga was the one summoning me, it was likely because she had something important to say.

At the same time, I also had something to say to Elga. This unilateral notice of an appointment also served as an opportunity for me.

Just like I did in the dream. I’d confront Elga with my true feelings.

Without overthinking or trying to avoid it. This time, if I confronted her as a sincere man, maybe Elga would understand and forgive me.

But before that.

I decided to focus on today for now. I didn’t want to neglect Mirna, who was right in front of me, because of what might happen tomorrow.

Ding, ding.

As I left the witch’s shop, the outside shone with bright summer weather.

The trees planted along the well-kept sidewalks were alive with the sounds of cicadas and grasshoppers.

Ladies hid under cool parasols, and adventurers took brief rests, leaning against the shaded walls of eaves.

It was a good day.

* * *

Mirna and I toured the sights of Monarch City one by one.

We passed by a chapel with one tall spire, a museum filled with various items, and even a small zoo where you could touch different animals.

To manage Mirna’s stamina after a morning of strenuous activity, we took a short break on a grassy area near the zoo.

However, the place was exposed to direct sunlight. Then, my gaze fell on Mirna’s Cloudling pet, which she was using as a parasol.

“Let me use it as a parasol for a bit.”

━Kreuuung…!

“I’ll give you an apple when we’re done.”

━Yingyingyaing.

Chwareureuk-.

When I sprinkled water on Yingying’s body, it expanded like a sponge absorbing water.

Yingying, which was initially the size of a parasol, grew even larger, enough to serve as a parasol for two people.

Mirna stuck the lightning-struck paulownia stick into its body. With that, our makeshift parasol was complete.

━Kyuiing.

Even with a rod stuck in its body, the peculiar creature wasn’t in pain. It could transform its body fluidly, like cotton candy.

Thanks to this, we were able to spread out a mat and rest in the cool shade it created. Wiping the sweat from her neck with a handkerchief, Mirna glanced around and said.

“There are a lot of people everywhere.”

Just as she said, there were many people on this wide grassy field. Parasols and umbrellas sprouted everywhere. Beneath them, carpets and mats were spread out, allowing gentlemen and ladies to enjoy their tea time.

━Ahh…! I, Aeriel, am not a child…! Kids should go play over there…!

━It’s a nymph, let’s catch the nymph!

━Kids, don’t wander too far!

Families went out for a picnic, children running around everywhere and mothers scolding them to be careful. It was crowded enough to be called chaotic.

I said.

“The capital is known to have the most tourists. Popular spots are always swarming with people like this.”

“Hm. I thought it would be more serene and leisurely, like in the magazines. We couldn’t see much at the Monarch Cathedral either because it was so crowded.”

Mirna seemed a bit disappointed. Did she not like crowds? I suddenly wondered how her sister, Narmi, would react.

Narmi was cheerful, so she might have jumped into the crowd and blended right in. But asking Mirna about this seemed a bit rude, so I stayed quiet. Mirna spoke first.

“Narmi would probably have liked the bustling crowd.”

“Really?”

“But Narmi is sensitive to heat, so she doesn’t like summer.”

‘I see’. Now I understood why Narmi hadn’t been around much lately. In a world without air conditioning, it must be really tough for someone who didn’t do well in the heat.

“Mirna-nim, are you not affected by the heat?”

“No. We share the same body, so it’s the same for me.”

“That was a silly question.”

“However, I tend to endure it better than Narmi. While Narmi likes to imitate everything I do, she tries to avoid anything difficult.”

As if the heat was the trigger, Mirna started complaining about Narmi.

Of course, it was just trivial things, like how Narmi would squeeze the toothpaste. Despite sharing the same body, the sisters had different temperaments, causing some struggles.

“Really, I’m not the only one who suffers. Maybe others can’t even imagine… Sir Theo, why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason, I just think I heard similar stories from Lady Narmi before. She mentioned similar things. I guess sisters are sisters after all.”

“Hmm, is that so? When did you hear that? Perhaps when I was being suppressed by Narmi and couldn’t come out?”

Mirna’s question made me tense up.

I knew the sisters didn’t like to talk about that time, so bringing it up made me feel awkward.

However, Mirna didn’t seem to care whether I was embarrassed or not.

“When I was struggling, it seemed that Sir Theo was having fun with Narmi. What did you two do? You even gave her earrings as a gift.”

“… Can I go to the bathroom for a moment?”

“No, why are you trying to avoid answering?”

How did this conversation end up here? I was startled that the flow of our casual chat had suddenly tightened around my neck.

But I sensed that Mirna was feeling jealous for some reason.

I quickly reached out and grabbed the wildflowers nearby.

“What are you doing?”

Suksuksuk.

Edited by: faker