38 – Everything is a Lie
Since the first parenting meeting, the scale had gradually expanded.
More families participated than before, and accordingly, there were more children to meet. As the attendance of a certain number of participants was secured at any time, the inevitable result was that the frequency of the meetings became shorter than before.
Thanks to his luck, Glen was once again invited to someone else’s mansion for socializing.
Today was the day when a gathering was being held at the Marquis’s mansion, which he had recently visited. Therefore, unlike Peter’s mansion, Glen had limited space to escape.
Seizing the opportunity, Roserie Peter stuck close to Glen and chattered away all day long, as if determined not to miss it.
“What should we do to have fun? They say they’re playing hide-and-seek again today, but I’m afraid my dress will get dirty.”
In the category of “they,” Tina was naturally the center.
Among the children, Tina boasted tremendous popularity. Her untainted innocence and cute appearance created an amazing synergy that purified everyone.
Because of this, the girls were busy surrounding Tina, and the boys secretly had a fondness for her.
Their attempts to clumsily hide their fondness for her were quite laughable.
On the other hand, Glen’s situation was different.
From the first gathering, he avoided people and his reserved personality made the girls gradually distance themselves from him.
Even if we say there were two or three persistent admirers.
One of them was undoubtedly Roserie Peter.
“Do you want to try drinking tea like the adults? Or, um… play hide-and-seek?”
“I’m not interested.”
Even though she brushed him off coldly, Roserie’s interest remained unwavering.
In fact, being raised in a writer’s family, Roserie had a sense of pride. Therefore, it was a normal reaction to squint at Glen’s mean attitude.
However, her lofty pride and anger disappeared without a trace when she looked at Glen’s face. It seemed like there was someone who couldn’t get angry just by looking at his face, even if they had a fight as a couple.
Therefore, the refined lady of the world, Roserie, smiled and asked.
“Then, Glen, what kind of game are you interested in? Teach me too.”
“… Tying grass.”
“What did you say?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
As Glenn removed the cigarette, he gently plucked a few blades of grass. Then, delicately weaving them together, he began tying knots.
Observing this peculiar behavior, Rosalie felt a sense of unease.
“… Where did you learn that?”
“I never learned it.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
“I heard a rumor.”
“A rumor? What kind?”
“If you succeed a hundred times without failure, they say the gods grant your wish.”
Rosalie was momentarily speechless at Glenn’s words.
However, after a brief pause, Rosalie calmly asked again.
“… What wish do you want to make?”
“I wish time would pass quickly.”
“Oh… I see.”
For Glenn, parenting meetings were tedious. So, he brought up the idea of wishing for time to pass quickly.
But Rosalie interpreted it differently.
Feeling awkward, she wanted the parenting meeting to end quickly—essentially, she understood it as a dismissal plea.
No matter how attractive Glenn might be, there was a tolerable limit. Sensing she had crossed that limit, Rosalie silently disappeared.
Whether Glenn acknowledged it or not, he remained indifferent throughout.
Roséry’s face was full of malice, unaware.
◇
Thud, thud, thud!
As soon as Roséry Fertel returned to her studio, she briskly climbed the stairs. The servants, all left behind, hurriedly ran up to the top floor, grabbing the narrow railing.
The destination she finally reached was an unimpressive attic. The entrance, so narrow that one had to bend over to enter, resembled a mouse hole.
Roséry opened the door to the attic. At that moment, a disgusting scent of hay wafted in, and the contemptible presence of the twin sisters looked dim like shadows.
“Who…?”
“It’s me.”
“Roséry…”
Echo murmured her sister’s name timidly. Meanwhile, Roséry twisted the corner of her mouth as if even being called by Echo’s name was contemptuous.
Still, those narrowed eyes. And the gray hair reminiscent of mouse fur. Yes, that hair, resembling dirty mouse fur, seemed repulsive to touch, to say the least.
“Dirty… you smell. Ha, there’s no separate stable with heaps of hay.”
“A stable…”
In the past, such insults wouldn’t have been embarrassing. But now, it was embarrassing because a presence named Glenn had settled in Echo’s world.
If Glenn had felt that his room was like a stable, it would be sad. So, she silently prayed. Hoping that Glenn and Roséry would have different opinions.
Roséry questioned the hunched-over Echo.
“You, honestly tell me. Who did you meet here?”
“Wha…?”
“Who did you meet here?”
“I, no, I didn’t. I absolutely didn’t. I’m serious.”
Roséry revealed a white handkerchief.
She laughed, but it was more mocking than cheerful, almost intoxicated with disdain for a pathetic prey.
“Huh, didn’t we meet? You and I? It’s amusing.”
“Believe me, Roséry… I really haven’t met anyone. You know too… Anyone coming here is just on meal duty.”
“Now that I see it, this seems more than just pretense, right? Did I come to this nauseating room without any evidence?”
Thud!
Echo felt a sensation as if a large rock had fallen in her chest.
Could it be that Roséry knows something and came looking for it?
Is it possibly about Glen?
A formless fear enveloped Echo’s body.
“Why, why are you… I don’t know anything… Huh? You know.”
“Really? You’re saying you don’t know anything?”
In the next moment, Roséry clenched her fist and menacingly lowered her voice.
“Then… why does Glen know about it.”
Twitch!
As soon as Glen’s name was mentioned, Echo’s body trembled as if an electric current passed through. Roséry didn’t miss that subtle change.
“Tell me, why does Glen tie knots while unraveling threads.”
“Well, maybe just for fun…”
“Why!”
Roséry forcefully interrupted Echo’s words. Then, after a short silence, she completely cornered Echo.
“…Is Glen talking nonsense, saying that wishes come true if you tie it a hundred times?”
“Maybe he heard a rumor…?”
“Ha, a rumor? That’s amusing.”
Rochelle revealed a cruel truth with a hollow laugh.
“That thing, I just made it up roughly. Such rumors shouldn’t circulate, and you shouldn’t even turn around, you know?”
“What are you saying…?”
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“I, to you, casually muttered nonsense like ‘handle it with time or kill.’ Understand?!”
Rochelle’s intention was merely to mock her sister’s foolishness. However, Echo’s emotional change was more dramatic than Rochelle had expected.
“No, it’s not, it can’t be… Rochelle…”
Echo, clutching onto the fragile hope, muttered with a trembling voice.
“Is it a lie…?”
“Sorry, but I detest lies like no other.”
…”
Rochelle’s confession of truth was not just for the sake of tormenting her.
Tying knots seems like a trivial task at first glance. However, that trivial task was the only hope that Echo had blindly believed in until now.
She thought her wish would come true someday.
If she worked hard, she believed that even God would be moved by her diligence and, by the time she reached a certain age, she would be happy as a writer’s family member.
It was essentially brainwashing.
But at this moment, the person repeatedly hinted at the implication has completely denied it.
“Everyone… knows about it…”
“So?”
“If you… If you have something you want to achieve, they said to weave the leaves…”
“Am I crazy? I’m not a gardener, and why the hell should I touch that dirty thing.”
“They said your wish would come true…”
“Oh, really? It’s just something they say might happen.”
…”
Roséry looked down at Echo with a natural expression. If Echo could open its eyes, the irises would undoubtedly be a beautiful color.
‘Just this thing caught Glen’s attention? Without even knowing the subject…’
Roséry felt like Echo was rambling without understanding the topic. It was unacceptable for a lower sister to precede her in anything.
Even Mom and Dad didn’t do that.
Whenever Echo’s story came up, Roséry would get upset, emphasizing that Echo and she were people from different worlds.
…So, Echo shouldn’t have anything better than her. Not even in looks or men.
Roséry’s frustration eased slightly.
After harassing Echo, she felt a sense of relief.
That should be enough. Judging so, Roséry turned around, but Echo grabbed her ankle.
“Now… What should I do?”
“What?”
“If making the grass bundle is a lie… How can I make my wish come true?”
Thud!
Roséry roughly shook off Echo. Subsequently, she left a cold remark outside the attic.
“What’s there to know.”
Kwang!
He forcefully shuts the door of the attic.
Beyond the poorly soundproofed small door, a whimpering sound can be heard faintly.
In a narrow room where not even a ray of light enters, Echo weaves grass.
“No, it can’t be… lies, it must be lies… Roselie must be playing tricks… she must be lying…”
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
His fingertips trembled like the fluttering wings of a delicate butterfly. Perhaps that’s why, even tying a knot was difficult, and it kept coming apart weakly. Only after all the grasped strands were completely broken did Echo pull his knees to his chest.
Echo was overwhelmed by sadness after a long time.
Emotions that were forgotten since Glenn came, feelings that became unfamiliar as he gradually let them go.
“Ugh… what should I do…”
He can’t become happy.
In reality, everything was fake.
He wanted to be like Tina, like a child. That’s why he wanted to stroll through the sunny streets together.
But from the beginning, that wasn’t meant to be…
“I miss you…”
Echo vaguely imagined Glenn’s face.
He didn’t know how he looked, but he seemed to have a gentle expression.
I have had my face slapped before, but I cannot depict a person’s face with my sense of touch.
“I miss you… Glenn…”
So, it’s okay if I don’t know your face.
I just want to see your heart with these two eyes.
“I miss you… I don’t want to see you…”
Echo felt a strong conviction.
No matter what form Glenn’s heart may take.
Whether it’s ugly or beautiful.
In the end, Echo was engulfed in the intuition that she could only desire Glenn.
Now, in Echo’s world, there was nothing left except for Glenn.
Therefore, even if he despises me, Echo couldn’t let go of Glenn.
If that were to happen… all meaning of living would disappear.
◈
Creak.
Today, for some reason, the attic door opened with an unusually nervous noise.
Glenn, as usual, crossed the threshold of the attic to meet Echo.
Rochelle concluded that Echo met Glenn on the days of the gathering at the attic. No matter how much doubt she had, she wouldn’t have imagined that Glenn would visit as a guest almost every night.
Not knowing the circumstances of today, Glenn greeted Echo with a casual tone.
“Hello, Echo. I’m here.”
Echo, who was sitting with her back against the wall at a distance, greeted Glenn with a gloomy expression.
“Welcome, Glen.”
“Echo? What’s the matter?”
“Glen…”
Upon hearing the voice, Glen immediately sensed Echo’s unstable state. On the other hand, just hearing a greeting from Glen was enough for Echo to detect a sense of sadness.
The courage to broach such a subject was messy, making it difficult for Glen to open his eyes. He was still afraid to delve into Glen’s mind.
“Wait, Echo. Have you been crying? Your eyes are red.”
“Uh, maybe they’re swollen?”
“Just a little?”
“Ugh… I hate it.”
Echo turned around in her seated position. Then, burying her face in her knees, she desperately hid herself, pulling her chest closer.
“Don’t look at me… I feel really embarrassed.”
“Why is that?”
“Why… because it’s unpleasant to look at. Obviously…”
Even after hearing Echo’s explanation, Glen tilted his head in confusion.
“If your face looks unpleasant, does that mean it’s unpleasant to look at?”
“Um…?”
Speechless, Echo couldn’t offer any response. In that moment, Glen calmly spoke from his seat.
“If that’s the case, I’d rather close my eyes like Echo. Instead of being swayed by whether something I consider right is pretty or ugly.”
“Glen…”
Echo felt ashamed.
Glenn, with his clear vision, appeared completely unconcerned, a paradox indeed for someone like himself who was blind.
Glenn gently grabbed Echo’s hand as she tried to turn away.
“Shall we go out, Echo?”
“…Yes!”
This night was no different.
Glenn, as always, lifted Echo like a princess and climbed over the walls of the Earl’s estate.
But Echo noticed a subtle change.
Always the one being carried every night, she felt Glenn’s movements becoming smoother as days passed.
Somehow, that was cool.
It meant he was improving every day, unlike her, who was cooped up all day.
So, just holding hands and walking together made her heart race.
“Uh, Glenn.”
“Yes?”
It was only natural for her to want to know Glenn’s intentions.
“You know about my sister, right?”
“Rochelle Peter?”
“Right.”
Echo, affirming this, asked a question laced with longing.
“…Is she pretty? Or maybe kind…?”
Even as she spoke, her face turned hot with embarrassment.
Echo tightly closed her already narrowed eyes and lowered her head to the ground.
It was a rather courageous question, but Glenn’s response was calm.
“I don’t know. Maybe because I’ve never properly faced it, or because it feels burdensome.”
“Uh, I see…”
From Echo’s perspective, it was an incredibly positive reaction. Thanks to that, courage surged in her heart more than ever before.
“Well, um, then, um… What about me? Am I… pretty or kind… in that sort of way?”
“Huh? Echo?”
“Wait, Glenn!”
As Glenn was about to answer, Echo quickly interrupted him.
“I made a mistake… Can you just forget about it?”
“Well… if that’s what Echo wants.”
He wasn’t ready to hear Glenn’s true thoughts.
It was in the same context that he couldn’t muster the courage to observe his own feelings.
While the distance between Glenn and Echo had somewhat diminished, it was true that as the distance decreased, the fear grew.
“Listen, I…”
It was the moment when Echo was about to let out a sigh.
Flutter!
Simultaneously with a rustling sound, the room was engulfed in darkness. Echo, who had already closed her eyes, was late to grasp the situation, but Glenn was different.
Months of training allowed Glenn to swiftly wrap his arms around Echo’s waist.
But no matter where they looked, it was darkness.
As if a curtain of darkness was being drawn tightly around, the damp blackness pressed heavily upon the space.
“Come on, you little rascals.”
With a sweet charm, the monster extended its claws.
“Oh, it’s you.”
A voice that was all too familiar to Glen dispelled the darkness.
Kwaaang!
With a loud noise, a massive mass smashed into the blocks of the road.
A gust of wind blew, and fragments of the road scattered in all directions.
Glen opened his eyes and looked at the wall that protected us from the debris.
“Director…!”
It was impossible, and yet Harte’s back was there.
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