68 – retrieve memory
Maybe it’s because I spent the day yesterday quite noisy with travel poisons piled up.
The next day, Edgar got up rather slowly from his bed and left the mansion.
Sure enough, in his right hand was a wooden sword that he had always wielded since he was in the mansion.
“Hueup! Suck!”
As he continued to wield it for an unknown number of times, sweat gradually formed on his forehead, which had not even shown signs of difficulty.
He had heard tirelessly of the importance of the basics from Creed, and he hadn’t missed one of his morning routines yet.
Now, if you skip it, you may find it difficult to spend the day because your body is sore.
“You’ve been having a hard time since morning.”
“Well?”
Edgar continued his movements while staring at the tip of the wooden sword with sharp eyes.
Soon, he raised his head upward, questioning the voice that came from above, not from the sides.
There, with her chin leaning against the railing of the terrace, there was a woman looking down at him with a lofty figure.
“You must be tired, so you should have lie down more.”
Since Ariel sleeps a lot in the morning, she must have had a hard time waking up at this time in a state where yesterday’s travel was not resolved.
Edgar, who knew this better than anyone else, said something mixed with concern.
“What would a person who wields a wooden sword say from the morning?”
“I’m used to this, but you’re not.”
“Am I getting used to it now? huh.”
Ariel snorted and jerked her head away, a little upset that she still thought of herself as a snail-sluggish woman.
On the other hand, Edgar, who was watching this, tilted his head with a sense of déjà vu.
I don’t remember exactly when, but I felt like there was a situation similar to now at least once.
“Have we ever been like this before?”
“Are you enemies like this?”
“uh… It’s hard to put into words, but I’m here and I wonder if you’ve ever talked to me on the terrace like now.”
“No? I don’t know if it’ll be there when I’m in Hespania.”
At Ariel’s determined tone, Edgar said, ‘Is that so?’ and tilted his head.
When I was in Hespania, I had seen Ariel sticking her head out of that high balcony a few times.
However, the afterimages left in his memory were definitely telling the story of when he was in this mansion.
I couldn’t remember it clearly, so it was only a long time.
“… ah!”
“yes? What, did you think of anything?”
Edgar, who had put down his wooden sword and was contemplating it, let out a low exclamation, and Ariel pulled herself out over the railing as if curious.
Edgar grinned at this and gave a strangely ominous smile.
His gaze turned to the lover whose eyes were shining with curiosity.
“Ariel, do you remember when we were young?”
“when?”
“Was it when you were ten? Why, I think it was the day after you told ‘The Story of the Star’.”
The memory of that day remained quite clear in Ariel’s mind.
After looking at the stars that were pouring down like a waterfall together, I went back to the mansion and fell asleep, and the next day I woke up a little early and secretly saw Edgar on the terrace practicing. … .
“… … !”
“Did you remember seeing it?”
“Oh, I don’t remember anything!? Don’t catch a live person!”
Ariel hurriedly interrupted the fragmentary images of the day that were slowly rewinding in her head.
However, it was difficult to get out of Edgar’s grasp on her easily.
“That day, you woke up strangely early and went to the terrace?”
“Mo, I don’t know! Do you get angry if you keep saying strange things!?”
“Seeing you react so sensitively, it’s even more suspicious. did i ask something weird? It’s just asking if you went to the terrace.”
Ariel, belatedly realizing her mistake, crouched down in her seat with her cheeks blushing.
Rather, it would have been better to go out calmly and say as if only important facts were left out of memory.
Why did I show that man an opening?
“Yeah, yes! gone! What’s wrong with that!?”
“There is nothing wrong with it. I was just curious as to why you went.”
Ariel felt like throwing a fireball at his smirking face.
It must mean that he already guessed the circumstances before and after at the point of asking this blatantly.
Nonetheless, his desire to speak directly to her expressed his bad temper.
Even if he said he was going to pull it off like this, he might be able to overcome the difficulties that were unfolding right in front of him, but it was clear that he would attack again at any time.
In the end, it means that one day you have no choice but to spit out the truth.
“Sir, do I have to tell you? already knowing… … .”
“I don’t know? It would be better if you come down here and tell me in person.”
“it’s annoying… … !”
When even the final negotiations broke down, Ariel had no choice but to stand up and put both hands on the railing.
Then,
widely!
He jumped over the railing gracefully.
“Ariel!”
fluff.
Edgar, realizing this one beat late, ran hurriedly and managed to hold the falling girl in his arms.
Ariel playfully threw words of congratulations to him, who received it perfectly even in a sudden situation without disturbing his posture.
“It is also fast. I was thinking of using magic if I can’t catch it.”
“You almost fell off your liver.”
“Hey, is it revenge for teasing you?”
“Anyway, don’t surprise me like that. It’s too dangerous.”
I can understand the desire to get revenge, but it was unacceptable for him that Ariel was hurt, even if he didn’t know he was hurt.
When Edgar gave a bluff to the girl in his arms with a rather serious expression, Ariel, somewhat embarrassed, averted her gaze and nodded her head slightly.
It was too childish for her to even think about it.
I felt sorry for him, who must have been nervous the moment I fell, so I decided to tell him honestly this time.
About what she did that day.
“Here, there you are. The day you said… … .”
“yes.”
“… Actually, I secretly watched you while you were practicing in the garden, hiding on the ledge of the terrace.”
It’s such a shame that this is such a great fact.
Ariel finished her confession with her proud black hair covering her face.
A deep smile formed on Edgar’s lips as he heard this with both ears.
On the one hand, I was sorry that I had finally realized the meaning of her past actions, so I lightly kissed the hair covering her cheeks as an apology.
Startled by this, she removed the curtains covering her face and stared at Edgar with her eyes wide open.
Eventually Ariel, who had realized what the texture was just a moment ago, let out a small cough and patted her cheek.
This time, kissing her cheek properly, Edgar carefully set her down to the ground.
It was pretty even when I saw it from a distance, but I thought it was even more beautiful when I saw it up close.
I felt a sense of superiority that this kind of woman was my lover.
Anyway, it was a very pleasant morning.
* * * * * * *
After breakfast, Edgar was agonizing over something to do with Ariel.
I wanted to go to the village for a while, but I thought that today would be difficult because yesterday’s travel poisoning would not go away.
Then, Ariel came to his room with twinkling eyes.
‘Ed! Wake up quickly!’ She seemed to have regained her innocence as a child.
“Why? Did you find anything interesting?”
“yes! Maybe you will be excited to hear it too?”
“Oh, is that enough?”
It was amazing that there was something that would make his eyes sparkle in this country, but he decided to follow suit because he had to make ends meet.
When I arrived at the first floor and left the mansion, Shuri, who was waiting at the entrance, lightly bowed her head and greeted Edgar.
I haven’t seen you since this morning, so I’m finally able to say hello.
“Are you going with Shuri?”
“Yeah, I asked Shuri for some help.”
“… Are you helping?”
Maybe if we played together, Edgar, who felt the word help, expressed his doubts.
“I know when I go. Let’s set off at once.”
“yes.”
In any case, following Ariel’s back is quite enjoyable, since it’s a long-standing tradition that has been passed down since childhood, so Edgar nodded his head without much doubt and moved along with him.
“Was it the first time Shuri came to our family?”
“I came once before when the young master came to Hespania. Of course, it’s the first time I’ve been living like today.”
“Ah, it was true.”
Edgar, who had completely forgotten the memory of that time, nodded his head slightly as if he remembered it only then.
“Has Ariel been nice to you since then? Or are you still busy playing with it?”
“What are you talking about!”
When Ariel, who had been silently leading the way, suddenly became heated by the tickling gossip, Shuri burst into laughter.
“Shuri! do you know I won’t let you go if you talk nonsense!”
Despite the owner’s dismissal, Shuri spit out and playfully pretended to notice.
In the past, ‘Hee!’ It must have sunk with a shrill scream, but it also meant that the years were scary.
“Um, that’s right… I would like to speak in a way that would be helpful to the lady, but… … .”
“You, you… … !”
Ariel had to shudder at the sense of betrayal that made her teeth tremble at the appearance of the squire.
Either that or not, Shuri wanted to reveal her master’s past misdeeds, so she revealed the truth to Edgar.
“I still seem to do that sometimes.”
“Hoo.”
“… … .”
When Edgar let out a small exclamation and looked at Ariel with eyes demanding an explanation, she avoided his gaze and sprinted under the quince tree.
This is what is commonly referred to as escaping from reality.
“Eh, Ed! Don’t you remember this?”
Then he put his hand on the pillar of the quince tree, leaned over in a rather arrogant posture, and threw a question at him.
The reason why her voice trembled for a moment was probably because she was afraid that Edgar would bring up the accusations Shuri had made earlier.
“Is this? ah… … .”
Edgar, wondering if there was something in the quince tree, tilted his head for a moment, then recalled a memory and let out a low sigh.
When I was 10 years old, that is, about 8 years ago, I remembered an object I had buried here along with my memories.
‘Time capsule.’
I remember that it was probably not called by that name here, but the essential meaning of symbolizing the object was the same anyway.
Originally, it was promised to take it out together after becoming an adult.
However, this impetuous princess could not stand the time of only one year and demanded to take it out in advance.
“… Seriously, you can’t stand it for only a year, so you want to take it out already?”
“Even if you take it out a year early, there’s no problem. Besides, I am very curious.”
“Well, me too.”
To be honest, he couldn’t even remember what he wrote at the time.
And the same goes for Ariel.
What stories did they tell here from 8 years ago?
I could have ignored it if I had passed by without knowing it, but once I realized that it was buried here, I couldn’t contain my curiosity.
“Then let’s open it up a bit. Even the us from 8 years ago would understand.”
“Is not it?”
Ariel, who had succeeded in persuading him, smiled brightly and winked at Shuri.
Shuri took out three small trowels from her bag.
Edgar smiled bitterly when he finally learned the identity of the bag Shuri was wearing.
The memory of 8 years ago that will be unfolded a little earlier.
What stories did they have at that time?
I felt a part of my heart tickle from the already rising curiosity.