121. News too late
[Episode 121] – News too late
It snowed continuously day after day.
Catarina and I, who lived in the forest a little away from the village, were unable to leave the house for several days due to the snow that had piled up day after day. Of course, the store was closed during the last few weeks when it snowed.
White snow covered the forest, blocking the road to the store, and the flow of supplies to the village was also blocked by the snow. This led to a situation where, let alone opening a store, there was a shortage of firewood to use as firewood.
“Katarina. Katarina!”
“Ugh, huh… It’s cold…”
“Putting aside the cold, let’s go to the village. “We’ve run out of firewood, and the food ingredients we’ve stocked up are running low.”
I forcibly took the blanket away from Katarina, who was squirming like a caterpillar on the bed, and sighed. The unemployed witch in the corner of the room had not come out of her room for the past few days, so she was literally in a messy state.
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Katarina seems like a completely different person when she makes cookies, but everything else is like this. She doesn’t bother to wash, she doesn’t bother to eat, she doesn’t bother to move. A witch who adds ‘annoying’ to the end of every word she says.
Katarina was a witch who suffered from such laziness.
“Ha… Then, it’s okay if I don’t have to follow you, so please at least clear a path outside the house. Shouldn’t we go to town and buy something? “Are you going to starve to death like this?”
“Ugh… Now, wait a minute…”
In the end, Katarina, unable to resist my nagging, moved slowly and began to put on her clothes that were lying on the floor. Really, she wished she could at least wear washed clothes.
As if she didn’t like the cold even though it was annoying, Katarina, wearing her clothes so much that she was waddling, followed me like a baby penguin. I sighed softly and slowly headed out the door.
It was still snowing outside the door and everything was gray. As I walked along the path that had been cleared with a shovel, Katarina cleared the path with magic. The fairies around her slowly shifted their eyes.
Every time Katarina walked, step by step, the snow that had piled up to her knees moved to her side on its own. I was so amazed at that sight that I took a step back from Katarina’s side and watched her.
As I was walking like that, I could hear people murmuring in the distance. Katarina, whose ears were perking up, came up behind me and started using me as a shield to block people’s gaze.
At the sight that made me sigh, I kicked the snow with my foot and made my way through the rest of the way to the place where I could hear people’s voices. The first thing I felt upon entering the village was the ‘dark atmosphere’.
Perhaps it was because of the gray sky or because they were tired from the snow that had been falling day after day, but the mood of the villagers seemed somewhat dark. I walked up to the two ladies who were talking around me and spoke to them.
“Hello, ma’am. How have you been?”
“Oh, isn’t it Vivian? “Did you come out here from home?”
“Yes, I came out to buy some things like firewood and ingredients.”
Is it because it’s been almost a year since I came here, or is it because the village is small? It was only a matter of time before I became acquainted with the villagers. In the first place, it was easy for rumors to spread about Katarina’s store.
The fact that it was a bakery in the countryside, and the fact that it was set up a little far away from the village, and the nature of Katharina’s bakery made it an easy place for rumors from people in the countryside to focus.
That much, the villagers came to confirm the rumor, and every time they met, they greeted each other or handed out snacks as a bonus, and eventually, they became close enough to say hello to the villagers.
“You came out with your daughter? It seems like it’s been a while since you’ve seen your daughter? Hi?”
“Ah, ah, hello, hello…”
A lady greeting Katarina, who is hiding behind me. I didn’t say anything about Katarina to the villagers, but for some reason, they thought we were mother and daughter.
I tried to explain something, but I just explained that it was a child I gave birth to quickly. It was troublesome to explain, and the village people took care of me because they thought I was a widow who lost her husband at a young age.
It wasn’t that I didn’t explain it because I felt comfortable with the village people who took care of me. Because even if I explain it anyway, they won’t understand. At first, I tried to explain that Katarina and I were not really in that kind of relationship, but…
‘Because you won’t believe me. In times like this, you should use it.’
I sighed briefly. I naturally joined in on the stories of the village women. I ignored Katarina, who was pulling the hem of my clothes behind me, telling me to hurry and go home.
“What’s going on? “Everyone seems to have a bad expression…”
“Oh, the weather is bad, and the news I’m hearing is also bad, so I’m worried.”
“Yes? “Is there any bad news in town?”
When I tilted her head, one of the ladies sighed heavily, placed one of her hands on her cheek, and spoke with a worried expression on her face, as if she was really worried.
“It may not matter to country people like us, but I heard a rumor that the royal family has returned from the capital. “The weather is this bad and the rumors are bad, so your expression is bound to be dark.”
“…? Yes? “What is that…?”
At that moment, she felt like her heart was sinking. As my eyes widened, the lady started talking about the rumor. I think Her Majesty the Queen passed away about a month ago.
The reason the news of Her Majesty the Queen’s death was delayed was because a lot of snow had piled up and communication with the neighboring village had been cut off. Even though she cleared the snow, the road was blocked again after just one day due to the snow that continued to pile up.
That kind of weather has lasted for about a month so far. It is said that when the weather cleared up a bit and the road was opened, a merchant from a neighboring village informed the villagers of the death of Her Majesty the Queen Mother.
I heard that Her Majesty the Queen passed away about a month ago.
“Vivian? Are you okay? “Her face is pale…”
“Oh, it’s nothing. “She felt dizzy, probably because she hadn’t been out of the house for a long time…”
“I see. Oh, if you need firewood, don’t buy it. Take it from my house. “Because we still have room.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Her Majesty the Queen has passed away.
That was also a month ago.
The guilt of learning of the news of Her Majesty the Queen’s death too late weighed heavily on my heart. The royal funeral is in just over a month, so maybe the funeral isn’t over yet? What if it’s already over?
There was no time to think for a long time. I quickly started to go back home, forgetting why I came out. Even now, I had to go to the royal castle and pay my respects at the cemetery if I was late for the funeral.
Even in this rural area, I thought I would be able to contact you within a week. This snowy weather was a problem. The problem was that the snow was falling so heavily that logistics were cut off, making it impossible to even get to the next village.
“…You said you would live a long time.”
I muttered, looking blankly at the snow-covered sky. It was not that I felt any resentment toward Her Majesty the Queen who passed away early. She felt resentful of herself as she had not even heard the news of Her Majesty the Queen’s death.
After returning home, I took out the invitation to her funeral that I had received from Her Majesty the Queen. The letter bore the seal of Her Majesty the Queen along with one line: ‘Vivian Liliensol is permitted to enter the royal castle.’
If it is true that only the necessary things are written down, that is befitting of a queen. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I wondered if the funeral invitation was too short.
‘…Will Titania be okay?’
Is Titania okay after Her Majesty the Queen’s death? Are Veronica and Ainsel comforting Titania well? I wanted to go and comfort her right away, but I didn’t have the right to do that.
‘…You left the castle to let Titania stand alone. I only left a letter for Titania so she wouldn’t have to rely on me. ‘I have no right to comfort Titania.’
Still, wouldn’t it be okay to just watch from afar? Wouldn’t it be okay to just check on how things are going without meeting each other? As long as you don’t get caught by Titania and just watch from afar…
“Whoa…”
I took out a black dress from the closet, changed into it, and stared at myself in the mirror. She was wearing a plain black dress, like something she would wear at a funeral, and her blonde hair was tied up to hide her noticeable blonde hair.
After getting ready to go see Her Majesty the Queen, I went out of the room and called Katarina. One of the reasons I negotiated with Katarina to work here was for days like today.
If I want, he will use magic for me.
Instead, I also work for Katarina.
That was the ‘contract’ that Katarina and I made.
“Katarina. Are you ready?”
“Uh, yes. I’m ready. “We can leave right now.”
“…Okay, let’s go.”
Katarina, who opened the fairy road, extended her hand to me. When I saw something like a haze rising beyond the door, I sighed, grabbed Katarina’s hand, and followed her.
“Oh, I’m going to feel dizzy. “Please close your eyes.”
“…Okay.”
*
“…Princess. Are you okay?”
“……Yes. Are you okay.”
It’s already been three days since my grandmother’s funeral.
Even though the funeral had been held for a month, Titania did not feel it all. The whole world she could see was colored in gray and it felt like she was dreaming.
Just, how great would it be if all of this were just a dream? When you wake up, you go back to the happy times as if nothing had happened. To the time when her mother was always by her side and her grandmother was alive.
However, whenever I woke up and opened my eyes, I felt nauseous from the terrible sense of reality. The moment I woke up from a happy dream and realized reality was so painful that I woke up from bed in tears every day.
Titania, who was staring blankly at the window, looked at her grandmother’s grave at the end of her vision. Titania was staying in a room with a clear view of her grandmother’s grave, as she wanted to see her grandmother’s grave for the time being.
Titania turned her head and looked at her bangsho with wide eyes.
“…What did the other ministers say?”
“First of all, the princess’s coronation ceremony must be brought forward…”
“…Okay.”
I wasn’t even interested in the coronation ceremony. Even though she said she was going to be queen in the first place, will she be able to become a normal queen? Titania laughed at the question she asked herself. She says it can’t be like that.
Titania turned her head again and looked out the window with her eyes pouring out. She was annoyed that she couldn’t see her grandmother’s grave properly because of the snowstorm. She felt as if everything she wanted was being thwarted.
As she stared blankly at the window-
She could see a ray of golden light shining through the gray color.
She is a golden woman wearing black mourning clothes and walking to her grandmother’s grave.
When Titania looked at the woman, goosebumps appeared all over her body.
“…Bang Show, just a moment.”
“Princess?!”
For a moment, Titania felt her heart sink and ran out of her room. Her blizzard made it difficult to see her clearly, and her head was obscured, but Titania was sure.
Mother!
It must be my mother!
Titania started running down her hallway with her bare feet and she started running like a crazy person.
Even when her foot twisted and she fell down the hallway, she got back up and ran toward her mother. Even though the soles of her feet tore and she fell and broke her knees, Titania got up and ran again.
She endured the feeling of blood flowing from her knee and the freezing pain in the sole of her foot. If only she could see her mother, she wouldn’t be in any pain.
“Mother…! Mom! Mom!!”
Please, don’t leave me behind!
Please, stay by my side!
If it is now, I will forgive you for leaving me without saying a word! I’ll just forgive you without saying anything! I won’t be greedy from now on! I won’t ask you to love me! I won’t beg you!
Instead, I would like to ask you for one thing.
I only have you now.
So, please stay by my side.
So, please don’t abandon me.
Titania gritted her teeth and ran out of the castle. As she came out, her blizzard began to slice through her Titania’s skin like a razor blade. But she didn’t care about Titania.
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Titania ran towards her mother with all her might, stepping on the snow with her bare feet. Maybe it was her tears or her blizzard, but she couldn’t see clearly. She ran straight toward her mother, even though she tripped over a rock and rolled around on the floor, even though her blizzard obscured her vision.
Run, run.
Beyond her blizzard, someone was seen.
A blonde woman wearing mourning clothes.
“Mom…Mom…”
Titania cried like a child, and she slowly approached her lady.
