Que Difícil é Ser Escravo de Deus!

Chapter N.XV

- "Of all the Ducal Chateau's indwellers only one person survived - as it is easy to guess, it was youthful Sagamore, who, taking advantage of the general commotion, got out of his cell a moment before the walls of the dungeon collapsed. After wandering around the wreckage for a while, he got out into the regal garden, where at this time among the crowns of fruit trees and neatly trimmed bushes just taking a break from the day's worries already familiar to us Сlever Crow. Noticing the survivor, bird immediately flew up from the tree and, slowly circling over his head, told youthful Sagamore about what happened with Zelandyne, and then ordered him to wait until nightfall to climb the crystalline staircase to heaven. Having finished his narrative, Clever Crow flapped his wings and soared into the air, leaving youthful Sagamore alone in the regal garden".

After reading this, Japhet looked up from the book and exchanged significant glances with his young listener, whose face, in the soft incandescent light, seemed unusually serious for an eight-year-old child. Delia bit her lip in confusion and ran her finger along the upholstery of the chair in which she sat.

- Ajussi Japh, what happened next? - after a minute of silence she asked.

- Our fairy tale has reached its end, - apartment's owner said as he moved to slam the book shut.

- Listen, no, hold on, hold on! - the girl begged, getting up from her seat.

Without further ado, Japhet obediently handed the book into the hands of Delia, who approached him, which the next second opened it on a bookmarked page and, wrinkling her brow, began to carefully examine its contents. The last line was exactly what ajussi Japh had read out loud to her, followed by a completely different story called "Mollie and the Pretty Parents" authored by a certain Machiel Nymou. Realizing that the fairy tale really ended at this point, Delia slammed the book shut with a sigh and looked up at Japhet with her large eyes, in which silent sadness froze. The man had no choice but to silently nod his head, as if confirming the correctness of her conclusions.

- So, did you enjoy this fairy tale? - Jordan asked the girl, rising from the leather sofa.

Delia continued to stand thoughtfully with a book in her hands - from the outside it seemed that she was not entirely sure how much she liked the story that apartment's owner read to her. Listening to her own feelings, she she looked around the room several times, trying not to linger on her interlocutors. Finally, Delia made up her mind and nodded her head affirmatively.

- Yeah, that delighted me, - baby girl said with some embarrassment. - I expected it to end in a corny way, but...

- What do you mean by "corny way"? - Japhet, who had previously continued to sit on his chair with a detached face, suddenly perked up.

- Well... - Delia was confused, starting to blush. - If the youthful Sagamore found the marchioness and kissed her, and they were happy, then it would be quite flatly, although romantic...

She stopped mid-sentence - it seemed that she was having a hard time finding words that could adequately convey her impression of the fairy tale. Jordan, who was already stretching his legs, numb from sitting on the sofa for a long time, quietly cleared his throat and raised his hand up - perhaps in order to distract the girl from a topic that was too difficult for a child. Delia noticed his gesture and immediately calmed down.

- Japh, - ajussi Jo turned to his close friend, - It's already difficult for Delia to describe her feelings, and you're pestering her with your questions. That won't do, mate.

Japhet moved towards the exit of the cabinet, and, having caught up with Jordan, patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner. Delia noticed a grimace of slight annoyance on his face and thought that ajussi Jo's words clearly struck a nerve with ajussi Japh, but he tried his best to make a favourable impression on his young guest and therefore tried not to show his displeasure.