70. (Reupload) The child you raised
[Episode 70] – The child you raised
Black hair like ebony down to his back and skin as white as snow.
Round tears dripping down from her red eyes that seemed to be smeared with blood.
How could I not know that face?
When I saw that face, I unknowingly squeezed Titania’s shoulders in my arms. A face that looks exactly like the ‘child’ in my arms. Seeing my child grow up and become an “Adult,” I looked at that woman without knowing it and called her “Child.”
“T-Tania…?”
I called her Titania, and she glared at me with her venomous eyes. When I met her gaze, I could vaguely understand why she had reacted to me so far.
I don’t know why this happened.
My head was so jumbled up that I couldn’t even tell if it was real or a dream. That’s how much I couldn’t believe the existence of the ‘woman’ that appeared in front of my eyes.
However, what was happening in front of my eyes was real, and no matter how much I looked at her, that appearance of her was unmistakably that of Titania as she grew up and became an adult. Because I couldn’t recognize that face.
Why is the adult Titania here?
Did Titania come to the ‘past’ as an adult?
I thought about it again with her slightly chilled head, but it didn’t seem like that. If the woman in front of me was ‘Titania who grew up in my arms’, I don’t think she would look at me with such hateful eyes.
Then, isn’t there only one conclusion?
‘Snow White grew up watching the real ‘Vivian’.’
If that was true, I could understand most of the unnatural actions and words that Snow White spoke to Titania and me. The actions and words of hating ‘Vivian’ and trying to protect a ‘princess’ like herself.
What happened to the ‘player’ who raised Snow White, how other Snow Whites came to be here, etc. There were still a lot of things I didn’t understand, but that wasn’t the point right now.
“I…”
The moment I tried to talk to you-
-Master~~!!!
From the depths of the forest, I heard the voice of a little girl shouting loudly. She is a brown-haired girl who runs right here, throwing dust all over the place. As soon as she arrives, there’s a chuckle between me and Snow White! He interrupted and shouted at me with his green eyes wide open.
-Don’t bother the owner! Naughty Baba Yaga!
Seeing the girl’s figure, I couldn’t help but frown at her again.
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Dark brown hair like dirt, green eyes like buds. Because the figure of the girl who was glaring at me while frowning in front of her was the same as the ‘first dwarf’ I saw in the illustration.
-B, brownie…?
I tried to call out the girl’s name first, but the ainsel in her earring opened her mouth first. Ainsel, a fairy, was clearly embarrassed as if he did not understand this situation. Me too.
Like a threatening ratser panda, a brownie raises both hands high above its head and squirms. That figure was cute rather than threatening… But it wasn’t that cute look that shocked me.
When I saw the other ‘Snow White’ in front of me calling my master, I felt that everything I had planned was completely twisted.
What the hell is going on…?
“…Titania, wait here for a moment.”
I stood up to assess the situation, and despite the brownie’s threat, I slowly approached Snow White. Let me try to get a little closer –
-Don’t come any closer! Baba Yaga! If you come closer, I…!
A brownie growling with his teeth showing.
Frightened by the sight, I raised both hands and placed them in the threatening brownie’s armpits, then lifted them up and moved them behind me.
The brownie tried hard to defend his master, twirling his little knuckles, but unfortunately it was of no use to me.
Ignoring the brownie who patted my back vigorously, I looked at Snow White who was sitting on the floor. It was really embarrassing to look at it and see that the grown-up Titania was crying.
-How could this happen…?
Ainsel looked at Snow White and murmured softly. Snow White, who only glanced up at her eyes, came out and glared at Ainsel. Her eyes stare as if to kill. Ainsel met her eyes with bloodshot red eyes and swallowed her saliva with a hiss.
I also swallowed dry saliva and asked Snow White.
“…Hey, that’s ridiculous… Is what I’m thinking right now? So you…”
“What are you thinking about?”
Snow White sat down and slowly stretched out her hand towards me. As if to wrap my cheeks with her two hands, the feeling of touching her downy hair sent chills down her spine.
“The future of that child?”
Snow White shook her head.
“Or is it just someone who looks exactly like that kid?”
Snow White shook her head again.
Snow White shook her head, smiled, and quickly wrapped her raised hands around my neck. Without even stopping, Snow White wrapped her arms around my neck and began to strangle me very slowly.
“Wrong. Whatever you think, you’re all wrong. I am not that child’s future, nor am I anyone else who looks exactly like him. I am…”
Since it wasn’t a strong choke, I just quietly listened to Snow White’s words. However, my reaction, which did not even resist, rather touched her rebellion.
“I…!”
Nevertheless, my neck had enough room to breathe. Her face as she looked at me seemed to be torn between whether to really strangle me or save me. But…
‘Why does the expression on her throat look more painful when she is strangled than when I am strangled?’
It was so pitiful that I gently brushed her face as she was choking me mournfully without realizing it. Then, thick tears silently flowed down her cheeks.
Snow White introduced herself in a trembling voice.
“I am…The child you raised.”
“……I see.”
It’s not exactly ‘me’, but ‘Vivian’.
Now I really understand everything.
It also meant that Snow White, who did not know that Vivian was dead, had no choice but to hate me. I don’t know how to resolve this misunderstanding. The moment I let out a sigh-
“Don’t bully Mom!!!”
Boom to Snow White! Titania threw herself.
With the impact, her hand that was wrapped around my neck fell off of its own accord. As she was taken aback by what had happened in an instant, Titania raised her hands high above her head, as if the brownie was threatening, and made her gestures inflated.
In the meantime, the brownie who had been patting my back also approached Snow White and began threatening me as before. The posture of a child inflating his gestures as much as possible.
The two ratser pandas looked at each other and growled.
Snow White, who fell to the ground from the impact of her torso headbutt, let out a small sigh, then stood up and glared at me and Titania. She had to somehow clear up her misunderstanding by having a conversation, but Snow White seemed totally unwilling to do that.
Snow White let out her heavy sigh and looked down at her menacing brownie with a look of annoyance.
“…Enough. Let’s go back to her cabin, Brownie. Harvetrot and Catsy will be waiting for you.”
– Yes! Master! And, please don’t overdo it… The master’s body is still…
A brownie looks at Snow White with worried eyes. Snow White smiled at him and was busy stroking the brownie’s hair. The names of the familiar ‘dwarfs’ came out of her mouth as an afterthought.
I don’t think I’m going to send her back like this. I stretched out my hand to her and asked.
“…Going back already? Let’s talk for a moment…”
“Story? What’s the story Do I have to bring up every word of my past? In front of you?”
Snow White still glared at me with a venomous gaze. I wondered how the hell she was raised by Vivian so she hated Vivien… But it wasn’t hard to imagine what her infancy must have been like.
Seeing Snow White turning around and going into the depths of the forest, I shouted once again and asked. At least-
“This, the name…! Can you tell me your name…? Your name… Isn’t it Titania…?”
When I asked her name, Snow White turned her head and glared at me. She frowned at her disgustedly and continued with her heavy sigh.
“I don’t have a name. You, who became queen, erased my name. From then on, they were called worms, maggots, whatever you like.”
“……”
I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut at what Vivian would have done. What the hell was Vivian thinking…
As I frowned, Snow White frowned even more. Then she told me not to pity me with that face, and that my behavior was disgusting.
“Don’t sympathize. Your sympathy is the greatest insult to me. I don’t want to be pitied as much as you. No matter how you…”
Whoops, Snow White bit her teeth hard and was speechless. Then she let out a deep sigh and stroked the brownie’s head as if showing me off.
“As you can see, I am already the owner of the cabin. I would have thought of making Titania her witch, but I will never forgive her for that. The other dwarves are already by my side, so don’t work in vain.”
“…..Yes. I will.”
“Tsk. It’s disgusting to talk meekly about it.”
Snow White clicked her tongue in annoyance, then looked down at Titania, who was still growling in front of me. Contrary to her expression when she looked at me, she smiled softly with sharp eyes.
“Really, unlike me, he is bold.”
With that last word, Snow White turned her back and disappeared into his mist. The brownie by her side also disappeared along with her, leaving only the three of me, Titania, and Ainsel at her picnic.
As Snow White stared blankly at the disappearing fog, Titania called out to me while pulling her collar. As if Titania couldn’t realize what had just happened, her shoulders were trembling slightly.
“…For now, let’s go back.”
I needed time to organize my thoughts.
She seemed to have a rough idea of why Snow White was here and why Titania was preventing her from becoming a witch. Not sure, but expected.
Maybe…
Isn’t Snow White the princess of the witch ending I haven’t seen? She uses magic and collects dwarves.
Unlike other endings that don’t have much to do with the dwarves, Snow White, who disappeared into the fog, seemed very close to the dwarves.
Pulling her collar, Titania asked me with a puzzled expression. Titanina must be very confused. Suddenly she appears someone just like herself…
“Mom… That person is really…”
“…No. Although not…”
I picked up Titania and headed back to the tent for the hunting competition. I was busy reading Titania all the way back.
Really… What’s going on…
