Ren’s Faith
“No, why are you pointing a sword at the Princess?! Ruman, do you want to get arrested?? Why are you butting into our fight!! It feels like cheating!”
“What……?”
Ruman opened his mouth wide as if at a loss for words, and Del…… stared at me intently.
It was somehow a probing gaze.
He didn’t notice something strange, did he?
*Gulp.* My throat was parched.
“Kids these days are really weird. Is this the generation gap? It doesn’t make sense. We’re not even that different in age….”
Ruman muttered with a face that couldn’t understand, then sighed.
“Ren.”
“What.”
I barely managed to answer without biting my tongue.
My heart was pounding! What if Ruman accuses me of lying?! I’ve never lied before! O-of course, I did deceive about putting away the medicine…….
I hid my hands in my clothes and deliberately glared at Ruman with dissatisfied eyes.
“Are you really okay? Where did you get hit? It was quite a loud sound. More than that, hurry and get up.”
“Wh-why are you asking such embarrassing things!”
I spoke sharply and got up fumbling to scrape together the tea leaves.
“Are you planning to spread rumors that I got hit by a girl?!”
“Ren.”
“Uh…?”
I, who was holding the bundle and wrapping the herbs again, froze at hyung’s call.
“I’d prefer if you didn’t fight over mere tea leaves.”
“……I got it.”
“Let’s depart.”
Temarr hyung turned away just like that.
Ruman tapped hyung’s arm, but hyung didn’t even react. Sir Del also went to his place, and Ruman looked back and forth between Coco and me, then said “Just have a war of words with each other,” and closed the carriage door.
“……”
“……”
We remained frozen in our earlier positions even as the door closed and the carriage slowly started.
*Rattle.*
When the carriage hit a rock, Coco swayed and I grabbed her without thinking.
Our awkward gazes met, and Princess Coco momentarily made a face like she was about to cry.
Her tense cheeks trembled and relaxed, and seeing that face, I also felt emotions surge for a moment. Without thinking who was first, we turned our heads with a *snap!* sound.
Her long violet hair *smack!* hit my face again!
“Stupid! Just scrape up the tea leaves.”
“I got it, okay?? Who are you calling stupid!”
Coco didn’t care and plopped down on the carriage floor, then scraped up the herbs with her white, delicate hands.
“Tying the bundle so carelessly.”
Coco muttered softly and scolded me.
Are you trying to fight?! When I widened my eyes fiercely and gathered the remaining herbs, she swatted my hand away.
“What!”
“Move! Your wrist is so thin I might break it.”
“Your mouth is the problem.”
“Ha! You’re no pushover either, you know?”
Contrary to her concern, Coco tied the bundle tightly with quite capable hands.
If you tie it that tight, how am I supposed to untie it!!
Whether she saw my expression, she sighed openly.
“Hey. Don’t you even know this?”
“……”
Coco pouted her lips.
It didn’t seem like she said it to humiliate me, so I also held back.
She also softened her voice and pointed at the tied bundle.
“It’s tied tight, but if you pull this side, it comes undone easily. See, you tie it like this.”
She untied the bundle and slowly tied it again while glaring at me as if asking if I understood.
“I got it, okay?? Yeah. You’re so smart!”
“Hmph. Everyone knows Coco Ganien is smart. You idiot.”
“Because of who did that just happen! Are all nobles meddlesome like you?? Huh?”
When I spoke with a pout, Coco’s face seemed to darken somehow.
She didn’t answer and turned her head.
Her sharp, aristocratic profile somehow looked lonely.
Just insult me!! Why are you suddenly like this! What did I say wrong…….
“What. You’re surprisingly perceptive?”
“Honestly! I wasn’t, okay??”
Funny, you’re a funny girl! A funny noble!
“Hmph.”
“Hmph!”
“Hmpph!!”
“Hey. Children. Don’t fight.”
Ruman knocked on the window and gave a warning.
“We’re not children, okay?! We’re almost adults, okay?”
Ruman smiled and didn’t answer.
Don’t tell me… he didn’t hear what we talked about regarding the illness earlier, right?
Could this carriage not be soundproof at all?
“It’s soundproof, okay?”
“……”
“We were noisy, so that’s why. He can’t hear talking.”
“Really?”
When I narrowed my eyes, Coco burst out angrily.
“Why are you so suspicious!”
“Why are you suddenly going off on me!!”
Hmph!!
We exchanged useless words like “Annoying.”, “You’re more so.”, “Ridiculous.”, “So what.”
Meanwhile, the carriage began to slow down.
Curious, I looked outside, and there was a steep cliff beside the road.
If we safely went down this downhill road, there would be a forest, and if we passed through that forest, there was a fairly large village.
The forest that looked like a sea below the mountain road was shaking its lush branches, and the village stretching below it looked very small.
“Wow!”
“How tacky.”
Mock me or not.
I didn’t care about Coco’s words and stuck my head out.
“Ren.”
At hyung’s stern voice, I pulled my head in right away but…….
“Hey.”
I closed the window and looked at Coco’s call, and she had a face full of spite again, displeased about something.
“You need to tell them about ‘that.’ Why are you hiding ‘it’? Stupidly. Make them stop by our mansion. Obviously it’s some shabby ill… ahem. ‘That,’ right.”
Coco spoke in a commanding tone with a displeased pout.
“I don’t need it.”
“What? Why don’t you need it! What, you don’t tell me….”
What are you thinking!! Coco’s eyes widened in shock!
“It’s not like that, okay?! Whatever you’re thinking is completely off the mark, okay?? I just feel burdened and don’t like entrusting my body to others! And why would I go to the mansion where you live?! Are we friends? Family?? We’re not!”
Coco’s face turned bright red. She bit her lip and spoke as if bursting with anger.
“Ha, who said we’re friends?! Do what you want! Really weird. You’re really a weird guy.”
“You’re mooooore!”
You weird girl!
I shouldn’t say that.
Coco is a Princess.
I recalled her status and swallowed ‘You bitch!’ inside my mouth.
Anyway, I’m annoyed and spiteful and frustrated!! I want to get back at her.
I thought such thoughts while swaying with the rattling carriage.
But as night approached, Coco’s face seemed to darken.
“What’s wrong?”
I’m not really curious. I’m just asking out of courtesy since we’re riding together.
It’s not something disgusting like worry.
I asked while glaring at her.
“Still, you’re better than me.”
“……?”
What kind of out-of-the-blue nonsense is that??
“You can at least trust your family. I have no idea! why you hide ‘it’ though.”
“Ah……”
Coco spoke as if grumbling. She seemed somewhat anxious at a glance.
And she really seemed not to understand me.
“Why hide it when you like and follow him so much? Don’t you trust him?”
“He’s our hyung, so why wouldn’t I trust hyung!”
I don’t want to think deeply about this! I answered reflexively, springing up like a spring.
“Why are you getting angry? Never mind. I don’t have a dad or mom. I’m an orphan.”
“……That….”
Fuck.
No, where does someone suddenly say something like that!!
“Really out of the blue.”
What should I say at a time like this?? Me too? No, this isn’t comforting! I have hyung!
Coco was silent.
I unnecessarily chewed on my lower lip.
Ah!
“Hey. Hey! Coco! Hey!”
“……How dare you call the Princess like that.”
“If you insist, then just trust me.”
*Thud.* I spoke lightly as if tossing an object.
But I was sincere.
“What??”
“Is there anything impossible?? Like you said, my, my hyung is a Hero and will safely take you home! That much I can guarantee with my life, okay??”
“What. In the end you’re asking me to trust you who trusts hyung. In the end, aren’t you telling me to trust your hyung?”
Coco pouted her lips.
Does it become that…?!
But then is that not allowed?
“Trust him. Hyung has never failed a mission even once. Right now the mission is to safely escort Princess Ganien to the capital, so hyung will absolutely guarantee your safety.”
“You’re really a weird kid. I said I have no one to trust, so you tell me to trust you. Are you my friend or what?”
“……”
Fuck. I said that first earlier. Getting it thrown back at me somehow feels frustrating!
“Ha! If people knew I was friends with a commoner, the world would laugh.”
“What bullshit. Why would we be friends.”
“……”
“Even if your mouth is crooked, speak straight… Uwat! Agh! It hurts! Don’t pinch! Are you crazy!? Are you craaazy!!”
Uwaaah!! I flailed in surprise, but surprisingly it didn’t hurt.
When I realized it didn’t hurt and blinked my eyes blankly, Coco rolled her eyes and went back to her seat and sat down.
“You’re the first kid I’ve met who I can’t communicate with!”
Same here, you know? But… is she laughing right now?
“Hey. Coco. But why are you laughing??”
When she’s more weird.
We each looked at the window. Coco’s profile looked much more relaxed.
I also heard a *pft* deflating sound.
They say laughing alone means you’re crazy… I should be careful of Coco.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Princess-nim chatter like that.”
“I guess there’s something they connect on since they’re the same age.”
And disgusting sounds were also heard from outside the carriage.
“Not at all, okay!!”
“Don’t say ridiculous things, Del!”
We shouted simultaneously.
“Hahahaha!”
Pleasant laughter cut through the night wind.
***
*Whinny.*
Del soothed the horse and stopped the carriage.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
“Shall we have a light meal?”
I heard Temarr hyung’s voice. Del opened the door for us, so I peeked my head out, and hyung was taking out trimmed meat from a small sack.
“Wouldn’t soup be better?”
When Del smiled and shook his head,
“You like soup.”
This time Ruman took up the conversation.
……? Why are you looking at me?
Strangely, Del seems to have been looking at me from earlier.
“Cold medicine and soup go well together. It digests well too.”
“Tol meat has poor texture, but it’s good for immunity.”
“Is that so?”
As if agreeing with Ruman’s words, Del nodded while looking for kindling to start a fire.
‘Poor texture? I thought it was completely delicious.’
“Um. I don’t really want soup….”
I wanted to eat the meat hyung prepared.
“Ren. You didn’t fuss about meals.”
“Huh?”
Temarr hyung looked down at me with a deep gaze.
Huh? I don’t! Hyung! I don’t fuss about meals!!
“Ah, yeah. That’s right. I’ll eat it.”
“What. If you don’t want to eat, don’t eat….”
“Hey. Coco….”
“Why are you reading the room.”
Why are you making hyung dislike me! When did I read the room!!
When I glared fiercely, Coco furrowed her eyebrows sharply. Her thin eyebrows rose upward as if angry. She looked at Temarr hyung and twitched her lips.
“Ren. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yes. I’m a bit hungry….”
I answered hesitantly. I’ll pass on the sudden interest!
“Didn’t you throw it all up. Please eat even a little.”
“Yes….”
As expected, he saw! I don’t like it!
I didn’t really want to eat, but I had no choice but to reluctantly accept.
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard stories about the beautiful villa of House Ganien.”
The day was dimly trying to set. The stars densely embedded near the faintly risen moon were also leisurely emitting their light. Ruman, who had been looking at the sky, suddenly brought something up as if it came to mind.
