I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 55 - Tell Me About Yourself ①
Tino came to see me.
He had been watching from the shadows, but since I didn’t return to the mansion for so long, he got worried and showed himself.
I apologized to him right away.
“I’m sorry!”
“Chalize…”
Tino looked very surprised.
He usually sat beside me, but now he was standing at a distance. Seeing that made my heart ache.
I had hurt Tino…
“I’m sorry for rejecting you back then. Even if you’re a demon… that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still the same person who has been with me all this time. Just thinking that you might be a demon made me deny you. I didn’t even listen to what you had to say… So, I’m sorry.”
When I apologized again, Tino looked like he was about to say something, his mouth moving awkwardly. Eventually, he quietly said:
“…Is it okay for you to be with me, Chalize? You’re… a noble from Victoire, right?”
I was a bit surprised by his words.
Before, he didn’t even seem familiar with the name of the Zenefelder territory. But now, he sounded like he knew everything—Victoire’s history and even its relationship with the demons.
When I opened my eyes wide, Tino frowned and spoke with a serious face.
“It’s better if we don’t see each other anymore—”
“Why would you say that?”
Without thinking, I cut off his words.
Tino looked at me with troubled eyes.
Like a lost child.
“Because you’re a noble of Victoire, and I’m—”
“A demon?”
“I’m not… a demon. I’m a vampire, but not a demon.”
He said it clearly, even though his voice was quiet.
I was frustrated with this awkward silence, so I grabbed Tino’s hand with both of mine and pulled him.
“Whoa—ah!?”
With a thud, Tino sat down next to me.
Still holding his cold hand tightly, I asked him:
“Tino, you’re not a demon? Even though you’re a vampire? Vampires have fangs, right? Can I see?”
I had too many questions on my mind—I had been thinking of asking them when I saw him. I couldn’t help myself and ended up asking him a lot of questions.
Tino looked surprised, his eyes wide open.
But I didn’t care and kept asking.
“Tino, do you not want to see me anymore? Is that why you said we shouldn’t meet again?”
“No—”
“Are you mad at me? Is that why you won’t forgive me…?”
I said terrible things to him.
Even though Tino helped me, I rejected him. Of course, he would be angry.
Tino is a kind person.
That’s why I knew he would be more hurt than angry. Still, I couldn’t stop thinking that maybe he wouldn’t forgive me.
It’s not about me forgiving Tino.
That would be too selfish—because I’m the one who hurt him.
It’s whether or not Tino would forgive me.
Even now, it’s already late at night when he finally showed up. I’m sure he had been unsure until the very last moment.
Whether or not to come see me.
To my desperate words, Tino shouted:
“That’s not it! Chalize, you didn’t do anything wrong! I’m not even mad!”
“Then why—”
“Because I was scared!”
His sudden shout surprised me.
Tino lowered his lashes and spoke slowly, searching for words.
“…Maybe I’m your country’s enemy. You’re a noble’s daughter, right? Then you might not be able to forgive me. Even if you did forgive me, you’d probably have to think a lot about it before deciding. I asked my brother, too. About the history of Victoire and the Arcana Empire—”
“…Arcana?”
That unexpected name made me ask back.
Tino tilted his head and asked me:
“Oh, you didn’t know that far?”
“Arcana and… vampires? How are they connected? Arcana and Victoire are definitely not on good terms, but…”
Vampires—the race I thought were demons.
But they’re not demons?
Demons are Victoire’s enemies, and Arcana is a neighboring country that doesn’t get along with Victoire—
Just when all the dots were about to connect.
Tino gave me the crucial answer.
“A long time ago, the people of Victoire were ruled by the Arcana Empire.”
“─”
I gasped in shock.
Tino continued without looking at me, still facing downward.
“In Arcana, the word ‘demon’ doesn’t exist. I think it’s a word made in Victoire. The ‘demons’ people in Victoire talk about are probably the people of the Arcana Empire. In fact, there are old records in Arcana… that say so.”
“I see…”
It was hard to believe, but I couldn’t think of any reason for Tino to lie to me now, and I didn’t believe he would.
More than anything, his words felt real.
He was a vampire—the one who showed me that power with my own eyes.
Tino looked at me, as if he was afraid.
“…Can you forgive me?”
That question felt like it squeezed my heart.
As a citizen of Victoire, there’s only one answer I should give.
I remembered Stella’s words.
“Father and Mother said demons are bad people. But Sister… you’re strange.”
“I can’t… forgive…”
I murmured, and Tino looked down again.
I shook my head to show him I didn’t mean it like that.
“─I mean, I think I’m supposed to say that. Because I’m a noble of Victoire…”
“Supposed to…?”
Tino tilted his head in confusion.
“It’s true… that in the past, Victoire’s ancestors probably feared and hated the Arcana Empire… your people. But even so, I don’t think those feelings should be forced on others. Sorry, I’m not saying this very well.”
“Chalize…”
“Even if you’re from an enemy country, that doesn’t mean I should deny who you are as a person.”
I tried my hardest to speak.
I forced my brain to work and built my thoughts into words.
If any adult heard me, they would scold me harshly. I might even be punished.
That’s how outrageous the things I was saying were.
To Victoire people, demons are the symbol of evil.
To accept or forgive that would be seen as being disloyal to my country.
But even so, I…
(I don’t want to reject Tino… not this boy.)
“Hey, Tino. Will you tell me your story? I’ve been talking about myself the whole time. I want to hear about you.”
I didn’t know anything about him.
I thought it was fine not knowing.
The time I spent with Tino was special, but it didn’t feel real somehow.
Like a dream or an illusion.
To me, Tino was like a fairy—someone who might not even really exist.
But learning the truth about Tino made him feel real.
The time I spent with him wasn’t a dream or illusion—it was real.
And I had refused to see that.
Tino isn’t a made-up being.
He’s really alive.
Because he’s alive, of course, he has his own story and struggles.
But I looked away from all that.
Because I didn’t want to ruin the comfort of this moment.
So now, I want to know.
I have to know.
While looking at the violets blooming on the ground, I said:
“Where are you from?”
When I asked, Tino slowly started telling his story.
Tino’s mother is a human.
His father is a pure vampire, from a high-status family.
“Then you’re a half-vampire?”
“Yeah. Maybe because I have half human bl00d, I’m the only one in my family who can go outside during the day.”
Tino smiled shyly.
Then he told me more.
“Vampires can use all sorts of powers. Like changing their form, for example.”
“Like in fairy tales! So, can you turn into rain or something?”
I heard a story like that in a myth somewhere.
A god who turns into rain to visit a girl.
I asked excitedly, and Tino gave a small, awkward smile.
It was already very late at night, but we kept talking happily.
“Shape-shifting is different for each person. I can…”
At that point, Tino suddenly stopped.
I asked curiously, and he blushed a little as he answered.
“…A butterfly.”
“A butterfly? That’s cute!”
“That’s why I don’t like it. My brother can turn into a wolf or a bat—real animals. But I’m just a bug.”