I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 52 - The Fated Day (1)

It happened fourteen years ago.

When I was six years old.

“Starting today, I’m your big sister! Nice to meet you, Stella.”

The girl brought to the Zenefelder estate was named Stella.

Her bright green hair was beautiful.

Her big blue eyes looked like stardust was dancing inside them.

Her appearance was quite dirty, but even so, she was beautiful.

“………”

Stella didn’t answer my words. She looked confused, like she didn’t know what to do.

☆

When I was six, I suddenly got a younger sister. Her name was Stella.

She was two years younger than me. She often spaced out and was slow to respond. I was worried, but Father said it was because the orphanage she came from was a terrible place, and she wasn’t used to her new surroundings yet.

“Stella, have some of this too. You like cookies, right?”

I asked the cook to make stained-glass cookies. When Stella saw them, her face lit up, and she took one from my hand and ate it happily. Even though she became my sister so suddenly, I quickly grew fond of her. More than anything, I felt it was my job as her older sister to protect her, since she was a bit slow.

☆

One day, I found something in the back garden of the estate. At first, I thought a wild rabbit had wandered in. Because it was very white.

But when I looked closer, it was a human.

A child about the same age as me. He was sitting and looking down. I could hear soft sobs—he must’ve been crying.

(…Who is he?)

Did a villager get lost and come in?

I couldn’t leave him alone, so I crouched down near him.

Then I asked,

“Why are you here?”

The child quickly looked up.

When I saw his eyes, I was surprised.

They were a light blue, just like today’s sky.

So bright and clear, I felt like I’d be drawn into them.

(Wow, so pretty.)

But those beautiful eyes were full of tears.

(Oh… he’s crying.)

“What’s wrong? Who are you?”

The boy didn’t answer me. He just shook his head. I handed him a handkerchief.

His eyelashes were long—at first I thought he was a girl. But no, he was wearing culottes and suspenders.

Even though he didn’t say anything, tears kept falling. He cried so much that I thought the mole under his right eye might wash off.

“What’s your name?”

I asked patiently, and the boy finally answered softly,

“…Fotinos.”

It was a fancy name, I thought. At the same time, I guessed he might be a noble. Commoners usually had simpler names.

Also, if I remembered correctly— (Doesn’t Fotinos mean “light” or “shine”?)

“Fotinos?”

I repeated it, and he looked like he might cry again. He was such a crybaby.

“I’m… a vampire.”

And then, he suddenly said something unbelievable.
The word shocked me, and I stared at his face.

He claimed to be a vampire, but no matter how I looked at him, he just looked like a normal human.
I tilted my head and asked him,

“…A demon?”

“I’m not a demon.”

He answered plainly. But he kept looking at the ground, not at me.

Fotinos quietly said,

“I’m a direct descendant. From a pure bloodline… but I don’t have any magic.”

“Hmm?”

I didn’t really get it, but I figured that was part of his story or game. I knew there were kids who liked to play pretend like that. As a duke’s daughter, I’d never done that kind of thing before, but I didn’t mind playing along… Actually, I was a little interested.

So I leaned closer to him and asked again,

“Is that… a bad thing?”

“Of course it is! It means my bloodline isn’t accepted.”

He used difficult words for a child. I thought, What a mature kid.

Looking back now, I think he was being serious. It was just me who thought he was playing make-believe.

Seeing how troubled he looked, I got a little worried too. So I asked him,

“Hey, little vampire boy. How did you get here? There should be guards at the back gate. Didn’t they see you?”

“…I flew here, so I don’t know.”

He answered with a troubled face.

(…Flew??)

My head filled with question marks. But I quickly accepted it.

His pretend game must still be going on.

I didn’t mind playing along, but if I ignored this, someone might scold him later.

So I spoke firmly to Fotinos.

“You can’t just come in without permission. You’ll get in trouble.”

“…Is this your home?”

Fotinos tilted his head and asked.

I proudly replied,

“Yes, that’s right! This is the Zenefelder Duke’s estate! You’ve heard of it, haven’t you? After all, you’re from the Zenefelder territory, right?”

“Zenefelder…?”

Again, he tilted his head like he was confused.

…It seemed like he didn’t even know where he was.

After that, Fotinos started appearing in the back garden often. Even though I warned him he’d get in trouble if the guards saw him, he would always be there, waiting for me.

“You’re here again, Tino?”

“Yeah! Hello, Chalize!”

When he saw me, he gave me a bright, beaming smile. So different from when we first met.

I didn’t know who or where Tino really came from, but I enjoyed our secret meetings.

Probably because I didn’t know who he really was. I didn’t have to act like a noble daughter around him—I could just play like a regular kid.

That day, I was passing time by making a flower ring.

When Tino saw the ring made of viola flowers, he tilted his head.

“What’s that?”

“This? It’s called a flower ring! Here, Tino, give me your hand?”

When I said that, he curiously held out his hand.

(…Such pretty hands.)

I still didn’t think he was an ordinary commoner.

But whenever I asked about where he was from, Tino would just look troubled.

In the end, he said he was from the royal capital Lethe.

But the capital of Victoire wasn’t called that, so it still didn’t make much sense.

But I didn’t really care.

Because my time with Tino was a secret only I knew.

A duke’s daughter isn’t allowed to have secrets. Everything is open, and even little secrets aren’t allowed.

So the time I spent with Tino was really special to me.

No maids, servants, or knights watching—I could act however I wanted.

Only in front of Tino, I could be just Chalize.

Tino was like a fairy to me.

A boy who appeared one day in the back garden. Sometimes I even thought he might be a dream.

That’s why, when I touched his hand and felt how cold it was, I was surprised.

(He’s alive.)

I put the flower ring on Tino’s finger and smiled brightly.

“See? It suits you so well! You’re so cute, Tino!”

“C-cute? Really? I think Chalize is cuter!”

“Really?”

I tilted my head.

I thought my sister was way cuter than me. When he said I was cute, I didn’t know how to accept it.

“Chalize… you’re really cute.”

Tino said with a shy smile, and I laughed again.

Because I thought you’re even cuter when you say that.

Then I made a flower crown for Tino and placed it on his head.

He looked just like a fairy, appearing and disappearing as he pleased.

“…I’ll make one too.”

Now Tino made a flower ring and flower crown for me.

That’s how I often sneaked out of the estate to play with Tino in the back garden.

“Young Lady, please don’t leave the estate for a while.”

One day, my maid Arissa said with a serious face.

“Why not?”

“The magical energy is getting stronger. At this rate, a magical beast will appear. His Excellency has already asked the temple to send a Saintess, but we don’t know how long it will take… So Lady Chalize, Lady Stella, please do not leave the estate, okay?”

“…Okay.”

Stella gave a vague answer. It was hard to tell if she understood or not. But since she was always like that, neither Arissa nor I paid much attention.

I brought Stella back to our room and told her Arissa’s warning again, just in case.

“A magical beast might appear. So like Arissa said, we must not go outside. Okay?”

Stella nodded quietly. She really was a quiet girl.

She was so calm that I worried if she’d be okay in the future.

I’d heard that the social world was full of mean people.

Someone like Stella—quiet and obedient—would be an easy target.

(I have to protect her…)

Even if Stella and I weren’t related by bl00d, I really cared about her.

(I’ll protect her. Because I’m her big sister.)

After that, Stella had her reading and writing lessons. Since she came from an orphanage, she couldn’t read or write. So she had a governess to teach her and help her catch up to the other noble girls her age.

(Today… was the day I promised to meet Tino—but…)

If a magical beast might appear, Tino probably wouldn’t come either. I didn’t know where he always came from, but surely some adult had stopped him today.

Back in my room, I stood by the window and looked out at the garden. The bright yellow flowers were still blooming beautifully, just like always.

But something felt different today.

Caw, caw, caw… a crow cried in the distance. The sky, probably affected by the magical energy, was gloomy and cloudy. Even though it was morning, it looked like evening.

It seemed like it could rain at any moment.

(…He’s not coming, right?)