The Healer Of Light And The Prince Of Darkness

79. Her Fortitude

"Do you believe in fairy tales?"

"Should I?"

Rosemary, marquise Hera, had been telling her that stories, especially fairy tales, were stupid and only for fools. Her words had rubbed on the little girl so much that Rinea kept a very skeptical eye for them – unbefitting of such a young child her.

"Don't say that! How will you have any primary vision of the world then?"

"..."

Rinea just stared in silence. Her face looked so cute with big rosy eyes and pretty violet hair that the old woman caressed her cheek lovingly.

"...How unfortunate."

"Huh, what?"

"N-Nothing, darling. You say, what is there so worrying about fairy tales? Children like them."

"Do they?"

"...Of course, darling!"

"Oh..."

Her mother said that only fools could be tempted by such stories.

"...I'm not a fool..."

"A...fool...?"

The surprised look on the little girl's face when she found the other woman bewildered left the old lady confused.

"No fool believes in fairy tales."

"Why not, dear? They free you from the reality. Isn't this amazing?"

"And foolish."

"Why is that?"

"...Illusion is the worst poison."

"What...What's wrong...with me...?"

So-so...so wrong...so wrong that she couldn't even imagine leaving the hell of a hole she had flipped and fell on.

Days.

It had been days.

Days and yet...

What the hell was going on?!

She was isolated since time that felt like forever. And she wasn't told anything.

It was only today that she was especially released from her home arrest – what a pretty place to put a national prisoner at – and was escorted by five knights like the most dangerous criminal to the throne hall.

'Aah, here we go again...'

Rinea had begun hating this place even in her guts.

'I feel sick...'

"Good to see you, lady Rinea."

The girl was barely able to suppress the dark, joyless and bitter laughter that insisted to be let escape from between her lips.

She bit her lips hardly before she decided she was calm enough to speak.

"...What...What a joke. I was stripped off my status as a subject of Hares. I'm not a 'lady' anymore."

The king's face was a genuine embodiment of surprise.

"My bad. It's become a habit of mine a won't ever be able to overcome."

Rinea felt the urge to laugh at his face for what he had just told her. It really seemed like the king was in the mood for jokes.

"But I'm about to be executed. Soon enough there won't be a 'Rinea' you will have the need to call a 'lady'."