10 – First Snow and Donuts
Back in the storage room, I sat at the desk out of habit. It seemed that my dedication to language study over the past two weeks had already become a routine.
I flipped through the script collection and glanced through the dictionary.
As expected, the characters still didn’t register in my mind.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escaped me.
Until just a moment ago, this duplex house was indeed a warm place.
The warmth of the bedding, the crispness of the fluttering snowflakes, the fragrant smell of bread, and the sweetness of marmalade. Unexpected warmth that came suddenly.
Without realizing it, my heart had melted.
But the gaze.
The freezing gaze, as cold as it could be, reversed everything.
Come to think of it, how many times had I talked with Dorothy over the past week?
Whether it was study-related or trivial chit-chat, I had exchanged quite a few words with Benjamin. The fact that Benjamin’s study was right next to the storage room played a role.
However, Dorothy’s room was on the first floor.
Moreover, unlike the wanderer Benjamin, she was a soldier commuting regularly.
There were few opportunities to strike up a conversation.
And that wasn’t the only thing.
It seemed as if Dorothy deliberately avoided talking to me.
Even when we had meals together, she remained silent. Occasionally, even when we encountered each other at home, she would only glance at me.
Initially, I thought that was just Dorothy’s original personality. Indifferent to everything.
Considering Benjamin’s testimony, the one who called her the Winter Woman, among other nicknames, and aside from the cold attitude, was the most valid conclusion.
However, what’s important is not the truth.
It’s the gaze.
Just a while ago, Dorothy’s pupils, as if peering into my very soul, reminded me of a fact I was gradually forgetting.
I am not a part of this family.
She is a soldier, a presence that can report me anytime.
That’s what it is.
“….”
For some reason, I feel a sense of futility.
Even though I know it’s a pointless worry.
In order to shake off these distractions, I once again opened a book. It was a collection of plays by a famous federal playwright.
Shalala—
On the unfolded pages, there were simple illustrations along with lines of text.
By the time I started to recognize basic vocabulary, including the Frauviavian alphabet.
Thanks to last night and this morning’s study, I was able to interpret the lines written in cursive with a bit of focus.
The synopsis of the play goes like this:
There is a man and a woman, filled with love yet also misunderstanding.
The woman is a noblewoman living in a mansion, while the man is a lowly servant.
After a fateful encounter, the two, who don’t even know each other’s names, experience a fairy-tale-like love.
However, as the woman approaches the man somewhat recklessly, the man becomes entangled in the dirty affairs of the aristocratic society. Shortly after, believing that the man will despise her, the woman leaves and embarks on a runaway journey.
Realizing this, the man agonizes.
While singing:
“Oh, you whose name I don’t know. You, up there so high. Why do you distance yourself, fearing that dirty words might hurt you?”
“Still, it’s okay. If you close your eyes, I will shout. If you block your ears, I will embrace you from behind.”
“If you ever run away, I will chase you endlessly. My words may be truly dirty, but my legs are swift enough to chase you wherever you are.”
“Misunderstand me as many times as you want. I will find you and persuade you no matter how many times.”
The man’s final declaration was recited slowly with clumsy skill.
When I finished the sentence, rolling my tongue at the tip.
I was standing up.
“Why are you sitting there daydreaming? Me.”
Suddenly, the worries that had just overwhelmed my mind seemed trivial.
The characters in the play written by the playwright. Their lives are more dramatic than mine, but in the end, they take action.
Can’t I do the same?
I cautiously climbed onto the desk and opened the window.
Squelch—
It would be troublesome if Benjamin found out. Carefully dampening any noise, I concealed myself.
At that moment, the snowfall intensified. The powdery snow was swirling so much that one wouldn’t care if someone crawled through the window blocking the view.
“Hmm.”
I stepped outside through the window.
And then,
“[Levitation].”
I took out the spellbook and imagined myself effortlessly rising above the roof.
Imagination soon became reality.
Whoosh—
Thunk.
After landing on the roof, I pondered. It had been about fifteen minutes since Dorothy left.
I probably couldn’t have gone that far.
After chasing, I would ask.
What was the meaning behind that gaze.
Honor to the one who acts. That’s what I thought as I faced the swirling snow.
“…Oh?”
Wait a moment.
I. Just now, I thought in Frauvea’s language.
It seemed that I could surprise Benjamin more than I had expected.
*
I could find Dorothy faster than I thought.
“There she is.”
I see the familiar conquering attire from behind.
“[Levitation].” Through the alley between the eyes. Descending from the roof where no one sees, I quietly began to follow Dorothy.
“I didn’t plan to tail her, but….”
Anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to know the reason for her outing, considering I was already out.
It wasn’t like I hesitated to talk to her once I saw her back.
Anyway.
I walked slowly, following Dorothy’s figure.
So, walking for about ten minutes.
“This road is….”
Dorothy and I, following her, had somehow entered the vicinity of the federal army camp.
Was she going to work again?
Not an outing. It was around the time when trust in Benjamin’s statement began to rapidly decline in my mind.
Dorothy turned her steps.
One block away from the main gate of the camp. She made a left turn from the main road and entered a strangely twisted street.
As someone unfamiliar with the geography right in front of the camp, it was difficult for me to guess Dorothy’s destination. I had no choice but to follow.
Thump. Thump.
I, too, turned in a different direction and entered the street.
In that moment, I felt a sense of defeat.
Here. This is a place I shouldn’t have come to.
Gazes.
Gazes.
Gazes.
The moment I set foot on the street, several curious gazes gathered towards me.
There was a commonality in these gazes. Firstly, all of them were residents of Frauvia.
Even in empty words, their gazes held an emotion that couldn’t quite be called welcoming.
Resentment. Or perhaps, hatred.
Simple disregard, at the very least.
Glares filled with dark emotions were directed at me, regardless of age or gender. Although it made me feel awful, I also acknowledged my own fault for not grasping the nature of this place.
This was a shopping district.
A sophisticated shopping district composed entirely of Federation people, both merchants and consumers.
Upon realizing this, I could easily understand the meaning behind those gazes.
I have distinct features. Even now, wearing the appropriately chosen clothes Benjamin provided and appearing clean, the unmistakable mark of being from the Empire couldn’t be erased.
Ashen hair.
They were saying this with their gazes. ‘Go away. Imperial.’
“Heh.”
A bitter laugh escaped me. Who would have thought there would be such a conspicuous gaze just by setting foot in a place like this for the first time?
I moved forward without paying any attention.
From Noble mtl dot com
Because if I missed Dorothy here, it would be troublesome.
Although the scrutinizing gazes became a bit sharper, there was one thing they overlooked.
The citizens under the control of the federal government didn’t even blink in the face of such overt threatening looks. What’s there to fear when the gaze won’t lead to a fistfight?
Soon, the gazes turned away from me. I did the same.
Now it was time to pay even more attention to Dorothy’s footsteps.
The first shop Dorothy entered was a clothing store. Because she stared at the showcase for a while, the shopkeeper spoke up.
“Welcome, Captain! Are you looking for something specific?”
“…”
“Captain?”
“…”
“If you could at least tell me the type of clothing you’re looking for…”
“…”
Dorothy, who had been silent in response to every question, entered the shop. A while later, she came out empty-handed.
Even the small bag she was holding didn’t seem particularly full. Was she just window shopping?
The next shop she visited was also a clothing store, and the same thing happened again. She entered the shop, stayed for a while, and eventually came out empty-handed.
If her expression had changed even a bit, we could guess something. But Dorothy continued to move without any change in her expression.
After a few more visits to clothing stores.
She stood idly for a while in a shop that dealt with canes.
Then, she headed towards a bakery.
Around that time, I was in quite a chilled state. Even with thick indoor clothing, I thought it would be okay to step outside, but the wind carrying snow made it colder than usual.
There was no luck in my stalking endeavors either.
The shopping street led me deeper than intended.
Thinking of quickly asking Dorothy about the meaning of her gaze and then returning to study, such thoughts occupied my mind.
“Hey, mouse-colored kid.”
Thwack—
Someone hit my head with a cane.
It was an unexpected event.
Turning my head, I cast my eyes towards the owner of the cane.
“….”
“Well, well. Quite the eyes.”
A seemingly polite middle-aged man.
Beside him, his wife and three siblings of my age were gathered like a group on an outing.
It seemed like an irrelevant event. The important thing was that I was suddenly struck on the head.
The intention to humiliate was too transparent.
I turned my posture while maintaining an indifferent expression as much as possible.
Now is not the time to appear discourteous.
Because that’s what they are aiming for.
I spoke. Despite being unexpectedly hit on the head, with an excessively courteous tone, vaguely using Frauviat intonation.
“What seems to be the matter, sir?”
“……Hmm?”
“It doesn’t look particularly good to raise the staff to eye level.”
The middle-aged man seemed noticeably flustered.
“Kid, why stand so proudly? Can’t you see around? Everyone is staring at your rat-colored head.”
“If you could clearly state your point, please.”
“A response from an imperial brat! This is a federal citizen-only shopping street. Who allowed you to barge in as you please? Get out right now!”
The middle-aged man raised his voice.
It was quite a disgrace to raise one’s voice against a sixteen-year-old.
Surprisingly, a considerable number of people around seemed to agree with him.
— Well, can you leave quickly?
— The smell of the slums has been lingering since earlier.
— The lack of class is unbearable. Can’t stand it.
It was only natural for the middle-aged man’s shoulders to shrug. His wife and three children also looked embarrassed.
The children’s pupils were shining brightly.
“….”
I expected something like this.
That man wanted to become a stylish dad by using me. A charismatic father who successfully drove away the savage imperial guy.
I resisted, but in the end, it went according to his plan.
The family was harmonious.
People around joined forces.
“Get lost, all of you.”
Except for me.
A heavy sigh escaped.
Even if I tried something here, nothing would change. Now that the meaning of going out had faded, I no longer felt like listening to the chorus of the cheering crowd.
Should I use magic and fly into the sky? With such futile thoughts, I lifted my foot.
More precisely, it was a kick I was about to unleash.
“Eugene.”
A woman dressed in a conquering green uniform.
“Are you okay?”
Dorothy Oslo encircled my cheek with both hands.
