It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 107
When I was a child, I wanted a friend.
Now, I think I understand why. In Solen, there were only adults. Most of them were combatants trained to carry out missions at any given moment.
That meant there were no other children my age. Even Vaikal, who was six years older than me and the closest thing to a peer, was always busy with training.
I was good at playing alone, but sometimes, I still felt lonely.
Whenever guests were scheduled to visit the castle, my father would always find some excuse to send me away to the villa, which was about a half-day’s distance from the main estate. I used to find it so unfair.
I had no idea back then that he was doing it to protect me from the Imperial Family.
So, in a small act of rebellion, I would wander just far enough to see Solen Castle in the distance.
That was when I met a boy who turned out to be Halid.
It was a day of heavy snowfall, when the birch forest surrounding the villa had turned completely white.
I had been hopping through the snow on my way to catch a glimpse of the castle when I suddenly ran into a boy I had never seen before.
He had silver hair that gleamed like freshly fallen snow.
And the first thing he said when he saw me was—
“A fairy?”
Did Halid actually believe in fairies all this time?
Even as a seven-year-old with a rebellious streak, I never forgot my father’s warning to never reveal my identity to strangers.
‘That’s right. I’m the fairy of the birch forest.’
So I lied, straight to his face, and then, for the first time in my life, I got to play with another child my age.
The next day, too. And the day after that.
Now that I think about it, it was ridiculous. A fairy with a red nose, chapped cheeks, and a runny nose from the cold? But the boy was so innocent, so gullible, that he never once questioned my identity.
It probably helped that everyone in Solen denied ever seeing a girl like me when he asked around.
And if he had ever asked, “Are you really a fairy of the birch forest?” I would have come up with an entire legend on the spot to convince him.
After that, he came to Solen with his parents twice a year, and each time, he would sneak away to meet me in the birch forest, always bringing northern delicacies as gifts.
Yeah.
If I’m being honest, we were pretty close then.
He was my only friend of the same age.
Our visits ended when I turned ten years old, which meant it had been eleven years since we last saw each other.
‘So how did he recognize me instantly?’
That little girl had grown into a full-grown woman.
Aside from my hair and eye color, there weren’t many clues left.
‘…Wait. Didn’t the Calitas family have a unique ability?’
In A Night of Entwined Serpents, it was mentioned briefly.
Apparently, Calitas had fairy blood in their lineage.
The direct descendants of the family were able to perceive the resonance of a person’s soul. It was how they could identify monsters that disguised themselves as humans.
If that was true, Halid might not have recognized my face, but he might have recognized my soul.
‘If that’s the case, I won’t be able to deny it.’
Just then, Lionel descended another step down the staircase, stepping in front of me and blocking Halid’s gaze.
“Duke Calitas. Are you planning to become the third uninvited guest in my estate today?”
With Lionel’s massive frame shielding me completely, I could no longer see Halid’s reaction, but somehow, I could still feel his gaze.
