I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 56 - Tell Me About Yourself ②

“Insects…”

Butterflies are insects, that’s true.

But, I think they’re pretty.

I tilted my head and asked more questions.

“What color is it?”

“…White.”

After another long silence, he answered.

I clapped my hands without thinking.

“A cabbage white butterfly!?”

“Don’t cabbage whites have spots…?”

Maybe they do.

“So pretty! You see them a lot on mustard flowers, right? Also, it matches your hair color, Tino! I want to see it!”

I asked him eagerly, and Tino looked a bit troubled.

“…Next time.”

Even so, I kept looking at him with hope, and maybe he gave up. He looked away and said that.

Then, Tino started talking about himself again.

“Maybe it’s because I have human bl00d… My magic didn’t appear easily. It looked like Father was more worried about it than I was. So, I started thinking maybe I was the problem too.”

“I see…”

“I found this flower field by accident while I was practicing magic. This place looks a lot like the flower field my mother… my mother liked.”

Tino’s words all spoke of the past.

I started to understand why, but still, I asked him.

“Your mother…?”

“She died right after I was born.”

“—”

“The doctor said maybe her human body couldn’t handle the magic power I had.”

“Then…”

Tino’s mother must have had a very hard time.

I don’t know how painful it is for a human to carry magic, but—

Tino finished the sentence I couldn’t say.

“Yeah. I was born by taking my mother’s life.”

“What…!?”

But what he said next wasn’t what I expected, and I let out a small sound of surprise.

Tino tilted his head, looking confused. His silver hair swayed gently.

“No, I… I thought your mother must have loved you and your father very much. That’s what I thought.”

I told him, still unsure of myself.

Tino’s words were very sad, and he blamed himself.

But now, it was Tino who looked confused by my words.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why…”

Just like him, I tilted my head in confusion.

“Well, otherwise it doesn’t make sense. I’m sure your mother was told by the doctor how dangerous it would be to have a child with magic, being human. My mother… was the same. It’s the same for me.”

“I see…”

Tino must have thought my mother passed away like his.

I shook my head to correct him.

“She’s just weak. Even so, she wanted a child. They told her she might not survive the birth, but she gave birth to me anyway. My father was planning to adopt a child, and there were even talks of adoption from relatives.”

And in the end, the Zenefelder family did adopt someone.

I don’t know why it was Stella, who isn’t related by bl00d.

But I think they adopted because there was no boy born into the duke’s family.

Oops, I went off track.

“So, you see,”

I continued and took Tino’s hand.

His sky-blue eyes were shaking—maybe from being upset.

Those red eyes, the same color as that magic beast’s, really surprised me the first time I saw them. I was scared too.

But now, I can accept that those eyes are also part of Tino.

“I’m sure your mother gave birth to you because she loved you. Don’t say such sad things like you took her life.”

“But…”

Still, it seemed Tino couldn’t believe that easily.

A child of a vampire and a human…

If Arcana is a vampire country, then I don’t know what that really means.

Even so, it hurts to see Tino regret being born.

“Then think like this: your mother gave you life, so treasure it.”

“Mm…”

“You think too much, Tino! You should be more bold! I don’t know for sure, but aren’t you from a good family? Then you should be more… positive!”

“Positive… Am I really that negative?”

Tino looked at me like he was troubled.

He’s like a lost child.

Different from Stella, but he felt like a little brother.

So I said it clearly.

“I think you worry too much. Thinking deeply and being careful are good things, but it’s better to keep your heart cheerful. You never know what can happen, and I want to believe there’s always hope!”

“…Chalize, you’re amazing.”

Tino narrowed his eyes like the light was too bright.

Right now, he looked like a child with nowhere to go.

No, he must have always been that way.

I just didn’t notice.

Tino had always been lost.

“You’re a lonely crybaby, Tino.”

I said softly.

Tino is probably a noble of Arcana.

I’m a noble of Victoire.

I’ll probably have to marry for politics one day, because I’m a noble.

But if I do marry…

“Then, I’ll become your bride!”

If the person is Tino, I think I’d like that.

It was almost like a little prayer.

I picked some viola flowers and made a flower crown.

“I’ll give you this flower crown. Hey, do you know the meaning of viola flowers?”

“The meaning of viola flowers…?”

Tino tilted his head.

He didn’t know, so I proudly answered.

“It means ‘small happiness’ and ‘happy memories.’ Your mother liked viola fields, right? I’m sure she knew what the flower meant!”

I placed the flower crown on Tino’s finger.

He looked unsure.

“Happiness…?”

“Yes. And you know? It also means ‘honesty’ and ‘trust.’ So this is a sign of my trust. It means you’re not a bad demon or anything like that!”

“Chalize…”

Tino looked like he was going to cry again.

Seeing his sky-blue eyes get wet made me laugh.

“You’re such a crybaby, Tino. Are you really a vampire? I didn’t think vampires really existed… but I never thought one could be this much of a crybaby.”

“…You’ll really be my bride?”

Tino asked in a small voice, and I nodded.

“Yes! Wouldn’t that be lovely? Victoire and Arcana may not get along, but if we get married… oh, right! That would make us family. I’m sure that would make a better future!”

Back then, I believed that completely.

I didn’t even think about how deep the wounds between Victoire and Arcana were, or how old those wounds still were.

I was only six years old.

Back then, I truly believed that if you believe hard enough, things will come true—and I really wanted it to.

That’s why I told Tino:

“You’re from Arcana too, right? Then you want to do something for your country, don’t you? I’m a noble of Victoire. I want Victoire to be peaceful. If it helps, I’ll do anything, be anything!”

“For Arcana…”

Tino muttered quietly—then smiled softly.

That smile was so cute.

He looked just like a girl.

That’s how adorable and sweet Tino was back then. I didn’t tell him, since he might feel shy about it.

And then, I let Tino drink my bl00d.

In Arcana—vampires make a marriage vow by drinking each other’s bl00d from the neck.

Normally, they drink from the wrist. That’s the polite way.

But drinking from the neck is only allowed when making a vow.

When I first heard that, I was surprised. But I didn’t mind.

I hoped that, one day, that vow would come true.

And when Tino’s fangs gently touched my neck…

I had a sudden thought.

I don’t have fangs… What should I do?

…Is what I thought.

But I couldn’t ask him that.

Because the moment Tino bit me, I felt something strange go through my body—and before I could even react, I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything.

The saint sent from the temple saw me and said:

“You have holy power. And it’s… a very strong one.”

That’s how I became a saint and joined the temple.

The shock of the bl00d-drinking made me forget all about Tino.

After my saint powers awakened, I got engaged to Crown Prince Henry.

And for the sake of Zenefelder and Victoire—I began to use my power as a saint.