37 – Joy Outside the Cage
Under Glenn’s enthusiasm, about two months had passed since the day Cordie conducted the court.
The temperature gradually dropped, and autumn leaves fell gracefully, drawing curves in the sky.
During the change of seasons, Tina repeated noticeable gatherings, making several friends. On the other hand, Glenn, still admired by the young ladies, remained friendless, receiving and sending no letters.
Harte and Elysia were worried about Glenn, who did not easily open his heart. Especially Elysia, who almost made observing Glenn a part-time job by peeking out her head from the square.
However, Glenn, whose sensitivity had sharpened lately, occasionally surprised Elysia by looking back. Even though he had received formal training for only a few months, Glenn’s senses were as sharp as a honed blade.
Harte secretly thought while observing the mental struggle between Elysia and Glenn.
‘It’s impressive how Elysia excels at extinguishing any sign…’
Sometimes she is astonishing. Despite Glenn’s extraordinary talent, he only feels discomfort in Elysia’s gaze. In many ways, Elysia was an exceptional wife.
As approximately such a routine day passed, a subtle change occurred in the Duke’s residence when night fell.
Harte, opening her eyes instead of Elysia, who was sleeping soundly next to her, sensed the surroundings. Then, in the sleeping mansion, three noticeable energies were detected.
One is Harte herself.
Another is the duke who would have the same feeling.
The remaining one is Glenn, who is secretly running away.
“That guy…going out in the middle of the night again.”
Harte checked just that much and turned off her attention.
Considering Glenn’s immoral nature, it was unlikely that he would go out for a midnight walk. It was because she calculated that the probability of him getting caught in a crossfire would be low if Kardi had taught him how to walk and run.
In fact, Glenn had been pretending to sleep and sneaking in every morning until now.
As long as he follows the rules, there is no reason to bother him.
“Glenn probably has his own private life, so it might be impertinent to meddle.”
However, if he doesn’t come back by morning…
Then she would have to intervene directly.
Because it would definitely not be an ordinary matter.
Therefore, Harte was more concerned about Elphicia’s problem than Glenn’s periodic escapades.
As time passed, she was worried about the distance between Elphicia and Glenn, which did not seem to narrow. If Glenn continued to grow rapidly and his adolescence coincided with puberty, it seemed like they would completely miss the time to restore their relationship.
“Why do I feel self-conscious around a good kid like Glenn, who is always confident…”
On a night when her thoughts deepened.
The small-bodied boy crossed the duke’s wall again today.
◇
Peter’s private author’s attic – inside the attic.
A familiar voice of a girl could be heard from the dim space where one had to bow to enter.
“Glen?”
“Yeah, I know her well now.”
“There’s no one else visiting at this late hour except Glen.”
Echo’s social circle was narrow.
Her family deliberately avoided crossing paths with her, making a point to keep their distance. The only exception was when the dedicated maid silently brought her meals.
Living through such routine, the occasional visit from the twin sisters, Roselle, for no apparent reason became a welcome occurrence.
“Did the braiding go well today?”
“Uh, no. It failed. Every time I weave it about thirty times, it makes a tearing sound when undone.”
“I wish I could help.”
“But you know, it’s against the rules.”
“Rules…”
Glen pondered on that word, carefully laying the braided strands on the floor. As Echo, familiar with the scent of the grass, faintly smiled.
“Thanks again today.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Still, thanks. Every time I go to braid the grass, I’m always anxious. What if I take a wrong turn and lose my way to the attic?”
“Has that ever happened?”
“A long time ago… when I wasn’t familiar yet?”
“I see.”
Echo pulled her knees to her chest. Then, reminiscing about the past, she spoke gently.
“I got scolded severely back then. They said, ‘What if rumors spread? Why shouldn’t you do that?’ I didn’t know why I shouldn’t, so I just kept crying.”
“It must have been tough.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But now, I think it’ll be okay. When we get lost, if we wait in that spot, Glenn can take us there every night, right?”
“I can’t guarantee that yet. I can’t sense things as extensively as the Headmaster or the Duke.”
Glenn humbly spoke, revealing the truth.
Meanwhile, Echo was curious about this person called the Headmaster. Whenever she talked to Glenn, the Headmaster always seemed to come up.
Aside from that, could it be the Duke as well?
To be more specific, people named Julian, Tina, Elphicia, and Flotira took up a portion of the story.
Honestly, she was envious.
Glenn was Echo’s only friend, but he had too many people he knew.
Although her heart felt stifled whenever she listened to stories about the people around Glenn, she couldn’t help but be curious.
“Glenn really likes the Headmaster, huh?”
“Well, of course. The Headmaster is like my hero. There’s nothing our Headmaster can’t do.”
If the person in question were eavesdropping, it would be an exaggerated evaluation to the point where their mouth would drop open. But in Echo’s world, which was made up of the attic and Glenn, she had no choice but to believe it as it was.
“Really? Last time, you said rays of light come out of the Headmaster’s mouth?”
“Uh… well, what I meant was, it means that if he wants to, he can do it.”
“You said that swinging a sword once causes an earthquake?”
“Yeah, that’s definitely true.”
“And he’s the most handsome and perfect superhuman in the world?”
“Of course.”
Ironically, Glenn, who attracted attention just by walking on the street, didn’t have much to say. If someone with proper vision had heard it, there would have been plenty of room for interpretation as a mere deception.
For Echo, who had no knowledge of such circumstances, the figure known as ‘the Director’ was an imaginary creature in her mind.
Thus, anyone who could appear in a mythical world would naturally attract attention.
Instead, she cautiously uttered the name of another person with lips slightly parted.
“Yeah, you spent time with Tina, right?”
“That’s right. We’ve been living in the same house since a long time ago.”
“… Close?”
“Yeah.”
“How close?”
“… Very.”
In reality, this question had become almost routine. It was a repetitive question that echoed day after day.
‘Glen has so many friends…’
At some point, Echo became acutely aware of the existence of Tina, the girl.
According to Glen’s description, Tina was incredibly cute, charming, and a perfect girl with a bright personality.
Moreover, she possessed immense strength, making Glen often express his envy.
If such a girl were by her side, Echo felt like she would become a clumsy firefly shining awkwardly under the full moon.
‘It must be nice… Tina, the girl…’
Somehow, a gloominess settled in.
Suddenly, her enthusiasm for weaving the grass came to a halt.
The protruding snout had no intention of being restored.
‘I want to be like Tina too…’
If only Glenn could see into her heart, he would be astonished by her audacious idea.
As someone who had experienced the enforced hierarchy of the species, Glenn strongly wished for a decrease in the presence of individuals like Tina.
However, Echo sighed as she entertained such thoughts.
“I envy you…”
“Echo?”
“I wonder how great it would be if I could play with Glenn during the day.”
While expressing her desire, Echo hesitated. Because she had never seen Glenn’s heart with her own eyes.
If, by some chance.
If Glenn’s emotions observed with her eyes were similar to those of other people… she might cry uncontrollably out of sadness.
The possibility of losing her first friend seemed imminent.
In that case, it would be better not to observe.
Suppressing her curiosity in order to remain friends, that was Echo’s mindset.
“Um… Echo.”
At that moment, Glenn called her name.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“If you’re okay with it, would you like to play together, even if it’s not during the day?”
“Play… anywhere outside?”
Silence filled the air.
Echo couldn’t easily find words. It was probably because the idea of being able to play outside had been a long-forgotten concept.
Is it just empty talk?
Or perhaps a false hope being offered.
Echo became confused, considering various possibilities.
Finally, Glenn calmly proposed to the bewildered Echo.
“I can take you outside. At this time, the streets will be deserted. Even if there are people, I’ll watch over you.”
“Really…?”
“You can trust me.”
Glenn’s assured voice conveyed a sincere intention. Only then did Echo cautiously articulate the wish she had been harboring, inflating hope as she delicately weaved her words.
“The road where people walk a lot… Can I walk on it?”
“Of course, that’s only natural.”
“Can I run?”
“I’ll run with you.”
“What if we get lost?”
“How about holding hands and walking?”
“Hmm…”
“Echo?!”
Tears flowed from Echo’s narrowed eyes. Glenn, bewildered, hastily bumped his forehead against the furniture.
Normally, Echo would have comforted Glenn with a worried tone. However, the current Echo was overwhelmed with emotions and couldn’t find the space to do so.
“Ugh… Hoo…”
Hiccup, Echo made a sound as if she was about to cry. She covered her face as if washing it, sniffling.
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“What do I do… Hiccup… What do I do? It’s cheating… It’s cheating… I couldn’t even braid the grass a hundred times, but my wish came true… Huh, sob, sob…”
Then, Echo approached Glen, grabbing onto his sleeve with a face that was ambiguous, whether she was crying or laughing.
Meanwhile, Echo forcefully wiped away her delicate features.
“Ugh, huuh…! Glen must be the ‘Director’… The most amazing person in the world… How could this happen without any grass… Ugh…”
Echo cried.
She cried, sobbing, as if releasing all the accumulated sorrow and resentment.
Meanwhile, Glen was only startled by Echo’s unexpected reaction.
“Whoa, the Director…! Me… What…”
“Hic! It seems like Glen is the Director to me… Coming here every day like this, telling interesting stories, granting wishes, being my friend, everything… everything… I thought none of it could happen without grass…”
“Echo…”
Once again, Glen recalled the time when he was about to be submitted as a slave. Echo, crying so loudly in front of him, looked so similar to himself back then.
He found Echo, who prayed alone in the darkness, clinging to superstition, so similar to himself, who thought the world would always be dark.
Thus, Glen hugged Echo, who was dropping teardrops like droplets, like a princess. Then, the eyelids of Echo, who unexpectedly felt a sense of buoyancy, fluttered like dew sliding off a blade of grass.
In her fear, Echo wrapped her arms tightly around Glen’s neck.
That was the beginning of their first journey.
As they stepped out of the cramped attic, the chilly air brushed against their lips. And the fresh outdoor air, free from the scent of grass, pushed away their fatigue.
The two children quickly set foot in the open landscape.
They crossed a low wall and silently exchanged each other’s warmth until they reached the sleeping downtown area, with their small and precious steps.
“Hey, Glen. Where are we?”
“Well, it’s a place where street performances are held every weekend. Many jesters who make money with their fascinating tricks come here.”
“Wow… What kind of tricks are they? I want to see…”
“…”
Glen couldn’t find the words to describe the tricks to Echo. His expression was inadequate to explain the complex act of trickery.
So, Glen awkwardly took off his coat and put it on Echo.
“It’s cold because it’s dawn, right?”
“Well… Yeah, that’s right. Thanks, Glen.”
“It’s nothing…”
While Glen was hesitating, Echo stamped her feet on the ground and burst into laughter.
“Glen, I want to run. Can you check if there are any obstacles?”
“I’ll do that.”
“Um, no. It’s safer if you hold my hand and run, like you said earlier. Right?”
“That sounds good too.”
As soon as Glen gave his permission, Echo grabbed his wrist with both hands.
“Let’s go, Glen. Hurry!”
“Uh, Echo! We should run slowly! You might fall.”
“If I fall, will you catch me?”
At Echo’s confident demand, Glen scratched the back of his head.
“Well, it’s a promise, so…”
In the quiet darkness of the night, the girl’s joy soared into the night sky. With each step Echo took, her white dress fluttered as if it were touching the moonlight.
Glen hoped that the joy of Echo would continue in his heart.
Sometime soon, to the extent that the small hands could completely let go of the grass leaves, without a doubt.
◇
When mentioning the oldest profession in the world, most would think of prostitutes. However, some might argue that selecting a spy could be compared to the profession of a prostitute.
Spies were everywhere. Like cockroaches whose presence was normalized by hiding in the shadows.
Therefore, it was not strange for a vampire spy to operate within the human territory.
While their scope of activities varied individually, their assigned missions were generally the same.
Information gathering.
So, who would be the owner of the information that would catch someone’s eye?
Someone who concealed themselves in the shadows of the dawn streets immediately called for a celebration upon witnessing children roaming the streets.
“I found them.”
He inscribed concise words on the note, and with a voice tinged with ecstasy, he murmured,
“To discover both the fragments and the kin of Basquhill at the same time…!”
The man’s actions were swift.
Thunk!
In the ripe dawn, the whole eastern district soared.
When the villain completely concealed his presence, the filled street echoed only with the enchanting footsteps of a mysterious girl.