Chapter 46
Meanwhile, Baba and the raven, the subjects of our speculation, were in the study with the skull-patterned chair. Baba sat in the chair, absentmindedly gazing out the window, fiddling with the skull decorations. The raven perched on her shoulder, preening her mystical hair with its beak.
“Your hair is sparkly. Sparkly things make me happy.”
“You’re so simple-minded.”
Baba pushed the raven away and pointed to a small door in a corner of the study. It was so small that only a small dog could barely fit through.
“The vault is full of jewels. You know that. Take them.”
“There’s something more important than those jewels. Information is an invisible jewel. It’s so sparkly that it’s invisible.”
The raven chuckled. Baba gently stroked its beak. It was time to get down to business.
“Castor will soon be an adult. He has to return to Dragon’s Waist. But he’s still so confused. I’m worried. I don’t want him to go. I wish he would stay here with me in the library.”
“Does he feel the same way? He might. He seems to like you.”
“…”
Baba didn’t elaborate. The raven fluttered over to the vault and flapped its wings, pretending to knock on the door and preening its feathers. Maintaining proper decorum before an important conversation was a matter of raven pride.
After its meticulous preening, it transformed into a human. Baba thought to herself, ‘Then why bother preening your feathers?’
Ahem, the raven cleared its throat and pulled out a gold-embossed letter from its coat pocket. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Baba, a signal to read it aloud.
“To our esteemed collaborator, Baba Porta, Head Librarian of the Witch’s Magic Library. We constantly worry about the well-being of your successor. The situation in Dragon’s Waist remains dire. The movements of the Elder Council are unsettling. There’s growing unrest demanding the return of Sir Castor…”
Baba twisted a strand of her hair. The letter was essentially saying that it was time for Castor to return to his homeland. She didn’t understand why she wanted to keep him here. Unable to comprehend her own feelings, she said,
“I won’t send Castor back. He came to my tower, and now he’s mine.”
“Oh! Just like how I treat my jewels. My job is to deliver messages. I don’t care what you choose, Baba.”
The raven approached Baba with a playful expression.
“But you have to send him back. Zombies are everywhere. Dragon’s Waist is already unstable. They need Castor’s power. Unless you can provide a suitable replacement, Castor is like a bird that has already flown away.”
Baba narrowed her eyes.
“A replacement?”
“Yes, someone who can handle the zombie situation and the complicated succession issue in Dragon’s Waist. Isn’t that why they need Castor?”
Baba thought for a moment, then smiled slyly. There was an expert on zombie matters. An expert strong enough to be sent to Dragon’s Waist in Castor’s place.
“I have a good idea.”
Her smile was suspicious. The raven, who had been watching quietly, raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
“You look like a real witch when you make that expression.”
According to Castor, there was an abandoned village nearby. Most of the people had left, but the cemetery should still be there. The cowardly Castor didn’t follow us. The young master and I headed towards the hidden village, relying on the rough map Castor had drawn.
“The tree marked on the map is right there. It’s certainly large.”
The young master said, looking at the ancient tree before us. He scanned the surroundings, then pointed in one direction.
“We should go straight ahead.”
I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him in the opposite direction.
“Young Master, south is this way.”
“…”
Our young master, renowned for his brilliance in various fields, had a significant weakness. He had a terrible sense of direction. He could navigate familiar paths, but he was hopeless with maps. To him, a map was just a piece of paper with scribbles. And not only could he not read a map, he hadn’t even brought a shovel. He was hopeless.
I took over as navigator until we reached the village. He had a tendency to go straight at every intersection. He didn’t seem to understand even after I explained it using the map, so I just dragged him along.
“Young Master, you really shouldn’t go anywhere alone. You’re like a lost child.”
“…”
Embarrassed by his poor sense of direction, he remained silent. I walked confidently ahead, like a puppy excited for a walk, setting an example of how to navigate properly. Since I was leading the way, he didn’t get lost.
Even so, I could sense his hesitation at intersections, which was a bit baffling… I tried to pretend I didn’t notice, since he seemed embarrassed. But then he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Let’s go together.”
“We’re already going together.”
I swung my wrist, still held in his grasp.
“Should we walk side by side? Are you still worried even though I’m leading the way? I’ll teach you how to navigate. You don’t find directions by instinct, but by using your head. It’s all about technique.”
“I don’t know about that.”
It was an unlikely statement coming from the knowledge-hungry young master. I stared at him, mouth agape, and he gently closed my jaw. He then started walking, still holding my wrist. He was going in the wrong direction, so I had to steer him.
“Are you afraid of getting lost?”
So even the great Young Master Lupin had fears? I should tease him about this later. I expected him to deny it angrily, but he admitted it readily.
“Yes. I’m afraid.”
“Why? There’s no need. You’re strong. If anything happens, just burn everything down with magic and teleport back home. Poof.”
“Do you think portal magic is that easy? And I’m not afraid of getting lost.”
“Then what are you afraid of?”
He swung our joined hands back and forth, just like we did when we were children, returning from an outing. The familiar sensation made my heart flutter. He didn’t acknowledge that I was Anna, yet he treated me like Anna.
That’s why I felt a subtle sense of unease.
Was he this affectionate with all women? Was he just a spoiled only child? This wasn’t good, neither for his future Countess nor for me, his self-proclaimed Countess candidate.
For some reason, imagining him being this affectionate with other women made my nonexistent stomach churn. I was enough for him to rely on.
I muttered sullenly,
“Well, there’s no need to be afraid. I’ll navigate for you from now on.”
My words seemed to reassure him, as the directionally challenged young master sighed in relief. We must have been approaching the village, as I could see the faint silhouettes of tall buildings in the distance.
After following me quietly for a while, he confessed softly,
“When you were walking ahead earlier, I was a bit scared.”
“Why? Did you see a snake? Should I cut it in half for you? Or dry it and make jerky as revenge?”
“No, it’s not that.”
As the village came into view, his hesitation vanished. We were walking hand in hand like children. Being able to hold the young master’s hand so casually was my privilege as his maid.
Was he doing this because I was Estella, or because he wasn’t sure if I was Anna?
“Your back… even though it looks completely different from Anna’s, it looked like Anna’s.”
“…”
Perhaps it’s because I am Anna? I wanted to say it a dozen times a day, but I held back again. He was like a glass bead balanced on a cone, wobbling precariously whenever Anna was mentioned.
“I thought I was keeping up with you, but you’re faster than I thought.”
“Even with a broken arm, my legs are sturdy.”
“I was afraid of losing you.”
His voice trembled slightly. It sounded like a mixture of fear and excitement. Perhaps because I was a doll, I couldn’t fully understand his emotions. Did I understand them before? Well… I really wasn’t sure.
“I was worried that I might lose you like I lost Anna. Once that thought crossed my mind, I was scared. If I got lost and separated from you, you would stop functioning.”
“Aha, because I’m powered by your magic?”
“Yes. Even if I found you later and reactivated you, there’s no guarantee you would wake up in the same state.”
“I’ll be like this until you reattach my arm.”
“Saying such absurd things… I don’t dislike it.”
“That’s not a compliment. I don’t think it is.”
“I want to make your heart soon. So I don’t have to worry. So you can exist without me.”
His last words resonated with me.
He said he would make me a heart so I could exist.
Did that mean he already considered me a living being? Even without a beating heart, I could hold his hand, talk to him, navigate, and even exist.
Ah, I was relieved. I was alive. I might not be an ordinary person, but I was alive.
That thought comforted me. It felt like I, as Estella, had finally started to exist in his heart.
“That’s the kindest thing you’ve said to me lately.”
As we walked and talked, we reached the entrance of the village. There was no wall, just a solitary guardhouse at the entrance.
And the guardhouse was empty. Was this place truly abandoned?
I used my heightened senses to detect any signs of life. And I succeeded.
“Young Master? I can sense someone inside the village.”
His expression hardened.
“Zombies?”