Sugar Apple Fairytale Vol 2 Chapter 4
Chapter 4 - A False Goodbye
A bell rang downstairs.
The night Ann transferred to the tower room, Jonas rang his bell. Perhaps he
was in a hurry because Ann arrived. She heard someone immediately come to
his room and then leave.
What would she do if Duke Philax acknowledged Jonass sculpture that was
completed first? She was anxious. But morning came with no further
movement downstairs, and the order for Ann to cease working and leave in
light of Jonass sculpture being acknowledged didnt come.
So Ann continued working since morning, and by then, the sun was already
high up in the sky. While working together with Mythrill, the sound of a bell
coming from downstairs surprised her, and she raised her head.
"Thats Jonass bell, right? Hes ringing it again after he completed his work
and rang it last night? Is it that he fixed some parts that were pointed out to
him or something? Or maybe he just got ahead of himself..."
At that point, Ann was considering ringing the bell to signal her works
completion soon. Naturally, she was in a hurry.
Seeing Ann so anxious, Mythrill stood up.
"Alright! Ill help out!"
"What will you do?"
"Im going to go peep."
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Contrary to gallantry, Mythrill tied a handkerchief he took out of his pocket
around his head, and sneakily left the room.
Ann wondered how it would turn out. Wanting to know soon, she was
impatiently waiting for Mythrill when Shall returned from taking a walk. In
his right hand dangled a violently wriggling Mythrill.
"Let me go! Let go! Shall Fen Shall!"
"Shall, why are you holding Mythrill...?"
Ann stared wide-eyed as Shall released the nape of Mythrills neck. Mythrill
fell to the floor with a flump, letting out a screech.
"When I returned from my walk, I came across this guy trying to sneak into
Jonass room. He looked like he was going to do something weird and cause
trouble, so I caught him."
"I wasnt thinking of doing anything weird! I just thought Id pull a little prank
by ringing the signal bell!"
Mythrill snorted and looked away from Shall while sitting cross-armed on the
floor.
"When you said you were going to peep, you were going to go play pranks!?"
She raised her voice. Jonas may be a despicable person, but she didnt agree
with getting back at him. Mythrill stood up somewhat in a hurry.
"No, wait, Ann! Dont get the wrong idea! I really was just going to peep, but I
got happy seeing that guy so depressed, I thought Id just give him the final
blow."
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"Got happy, final blow... Thats even worse, isnt it..."
As Ann murmured, Shall spoke from behind her.
"Right. Rather than such a prank, if youre gonna do something, you should be
more aggressive."
"What do you mean be more aggressive!? Though the same goes for pranks,
as people, isnt being more aggressive an even greater wrong?!"
Mythrill and Shall exchanged looks. "Were not people," they said
simultaneously.
Heartbroken, Ann held her hand against her forehead.
"Ah, thats right... Thats enough..."
She gave up on admonishing the two fairies.
"But Jonas being depressed means the Duke must have not liked his sugar
sculpture," said Ann, to which Mythrill nodded with folded arms.
"Im positive thats what happened. Also, that guy had a bruise showing on his
face. Guess he had a lovers quarrel with Kathy or something. Thats quite the
wonderful situation."
Hearing Mythrills words, Shall made a dubious expression. Ann too, tilted her
head.
"Would Kathy do something like that?"
She didnt think Kathy, who considered Jonas her number one priority, would
lay a hand on him. Perhaps he’d fallen down the stairs or b.u.mped into
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
something in the room.
"So, is your sugar sculpture finished?" asked Shall. Ann looked at the
sculpture behind her.
"Yeah. I think its good enough."
"Shall I ring the signal?" Mythrill grabbed the string cheerfully.
Truth was, she felt that she didnt quite understand the meaning of the Dukes
words when he said, ‘Increase the accuracy.’ She was captured by the notion
of making the workmanship more detailed, and increased the drape of the
fairys dress, and added a watermark pattern to the hem.
"Please."
Mythrill pulled the string and the sound of a bell rang in conjunction inside
Anns room, out in the corridor, and then somewhere far away.
Soon after, they heard hard footsteps climbing up the stairs.
Without a knock, the door to the room opened.
"Your grace...?"
It was Alban, Duke of Philax, in the flesh. Though a page came following
behind him, she never thought the man himself would suddenly come to such
a sorry room. Normally, that would be impossible.
Ann quickly knelt on the floor and bowed her head, but her figure didnt seem
to penetrate Albans eyes. He advanced straight towards the worktable and
looked at the sugar sculpture.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Trying to see his reaction, Ann slightly raised her eyes while keeping her head
low.
She saw the Dukes hands; they were tightly clenched, as if holding back
anger.
"It hasnt changed," Alban murmured.
"Eh..."
Ann raised her head, unable to comprehend his words.
Alban was looking at her with a hint of anger in his eyes.
"Were you not listening to me? I ordered you to give form to the fairy in the
portrait. And yesterday, I ordered you to increase the accuracy. This is the
same as yesterday. Nothings changed. Both you and the craftsman downstairs
understand nothing," he said, and with that, quickly turned on his heel and left.
Ann was dumbfounded.
"What does that mean?"
―What is he not satisfied with?
Shall Fen Shall leaned against the wall, gazing at the sugar sculpture Ann
made.
Ann was worrying over what was wrong with her sculpture and had been
sitting in front of it since noon without moving. After barely having any
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
dinner, she once again sat down in front of it, and only seemed to come to
when Mythrill turned on a lamp for her when it became dark. She thanked
him, but then immediately returned to gazing at the sculpture.
Shall understood Anns bafflement.
As far as he could tell, the first sugar sculpture Ann finished was of near
perfect workmanship. Its accuracy couldnt go any higher. It had a perfect
form. If you added or took anything from it, its balance would collapse.
He didnt understand what Alban was unhappy with.
Mythrill too, had been sitting on the windowsill with a serious expression,
patiently waiting for Ann to gather her thoughts. But it seemed he couldnt win
against his drowsiness and dozed off.
"Maybe I should try a different approach..."
It was past midnight when Ann murmured and stood straight up.
"Tinkering with this will make the whole thing break, meaning I cant increase
its accuracy. So making something else... Something more realistic..." she
muttered while grabbing a lamp from the table, and was about to leave
through the door.
"Do you want to get lost?"
He called out to her, and as though startled back into her senses, she turned
towards him.
"Where are you going?"
"Im going to go look at the portrait of that fairy again. If I remember
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
correctly, there should be one in the hall. So Im going to go look at it again,
and then Ill make the sculpture in a more realistic approach."
"So, you can reach the hall safely?" he asked, and after looking surprised, Ann
hung her head.
"Right... I forgot..."
She looked at Shall apologetically.
"Though its the middle of the night, will you go with me? Is it okay?"
"Ill go."
He pulled his back away from the wall and took up the lamp from Anns hand.
Taking the lead, he headed towards the hall.
Naturally, the hall was pitch black, so he held the lamps light over the
portrait.
The air was so cold; Ann embraced her shoulders in her arms and her breath
turned white.
As Shall gazed at the gently smiling fairy in the portrait, a thought occurred to
him.
"Maybe Duke Philax isnt looking for something extraordinary in a sugar
sculpture?" he said, and Ann looked up at him in wonder.
"What do you mean?"
"If he just wanted an extraordinary sugar sculpture, your sculpture shouldve
been enough to satisfy him."
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"But the Duke isnt satisfied. What I made isnt what he wants."
Ann returned her gaze to the portrait, staring at it fixedly as if it were
challenging her. The profile of her face right then looked more mature than
usual.
Starting the next day, and for the next five days, she made a new sugar
sculpture.
Though the size was the same as the previous one, the representation changed
drastically.
She visited the portrait time and again, driving the face shape into her head
until she’d attained every detail, and sculpted it in a realistic representation as
though to solidify the portrait as it was.
She felt that, unlike the previous sculpture, the atmosphere had diminished
somewhat. Instead, she emphasized the vivid color scheme and the sharpness
of the lines as befitting a realistic representation. Otherwise, as a sugar
sculpture, it would just give a vague impression with no determined focus.
With that, she felt it was perfect. But in order to confirm one more time, she
decided to go see the portrait.
The past five days, she made round trips from the hall to the room dozens of
times. Thanks to that, she was able to come and go on that one path even
without Shalls escort.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"Im going to go look at the picture for a bit," she said to Mythrill, who was
cleaning up the table, and left the room.
Shall was out on a walk as always.
It was evening. There was a small window by the spiral-shaped stairway
circling the interior of the tower. From there, the sea breeze blew in, along
with the light of the setting sun and the smell of the tide.
As soon as she left the room, the chilly air stroked the nape of her neck and
she sneezed. Shivering, she began climbing up the stairs.
Then, as if predicting the moment Ann would pa.s.s by, the door to Jonass
room opened.
Jonass face peeked out with an exhausted expression.
She hasnt heard the sound of a bell coming from downstairs for the past five
days, so Ann a.s.sumed Jonas was busy fixing his sculpture as well.
"Ann."
He hailed her and she halted. Being hailed by him was surprising.
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? Im going to go see the portrait of that fairy."
At that, Jonas made an unbelieving expression.
"Are you perhaps making a sugar sculpture?"
"Of course I am. Arent you?"
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"I cant make one. I dont understand a single thing that guy says. I want to
quit already..."
Jonass complaining surprised her.
"What are you saying? Well, it would help me if you quit though."
"You can only say that now!" he suddenly yelled in anger and shut the door.
The moment he did, she saw the blue bruise on his left cheek.
"Jonas?"
Jonass cornered behavior concerned her. To purposely hail Ann as she walked
by despite her being hostile towards him and complain like that... Something
must have happened.
Was he perhaps turning to Ann for help? If that was the case, should she try to
hear him out and consult him? She thought to herself for a while.
But after remembering what he did to her in Lewiston, she thought herself to
be a complete softhearted fool. And with that, she headed towards the hall.
After confirming with the portrait one more time, she returned to the room and
rang the signal. The one who appeared was, as expected, Alban himself.
He scrutinized the sugar sculpture for a while, then glared at Ann.
"What is this you made?"
"Its the fairy painted in the picture."
"Wrong. This is completely wrong."
Those words surprised her. She never thought hed go as far as saying it was
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
‘completely wrong.’
She made it more realistic than the previous sculpture. It couldnt be wrong.
―It cant be. I made it a spitting image of her. What are you saying is wrong?
She was baffled. Reflexively, she asked, "Then, what is wrong? Please tell
me."
"Everything."
"What do you mean? I confirmed with the painting over and over and made it
exactly the same. I increased the accuracy with fine workmanship while
adjusting its balance as a sugar sculpture."
"There is no meaning nor nothing! Everything is just wrong! This is just a
fake look-alike! I dont even want to look at something like this!" Alban
shouted, and all of a sudden, he beat the sugar sculpture off its stand to the
ground.
For a moment, she stopped breathing. The sugar sculpture shattered on the
floor.
Ann couldnt move. She was frozen by the shock of having the sculpture she
spent five days making break, and the terror of having caused Alban to burst
with anger.
"Give her form. You will give her form!"
Alban spoke as if spitting out the words, and with that, he left the room.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Fatigued, Ann sank to the floor on the spot. The stone floor must have been
cold, but she couldnt feel it.
Mythrill quickly ran up to her and hit the dumbfounded girls cheek.
"Ann, Ann! Are you alright? Pull yourself together, Ann!"
"...The sugar sculpture..."
Tears gradually welled in her eyes.
"What happened here?"
A voice came from the entrance of the room. She slowly turned her head to
see Shall, back from his walk. Seeing Ann slumped on the floor and the
shattered sugar sculpture, his expression turned grave.
"Did Duke Philax do this?" Shall asked Mythrill, and Mythrill nodded. From
that, he seemed to infer the situation.
He slowly walked up to Ann and got down on one knee.
"Did he lay a hand on you?"
His voice was monotonous, but his concern came across perfectly.
"...No."
"Duke Philax wasnt satisfied with that, was he?"
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Ann nodded, and Shall heaved a light sigh. He began speaking quietly, "What
Duke Philax is looking for is likely something not you nor anyone can
understand. I dont think he can be pleased by having a sugar sculpture made.
You should withdraw."
"...Eh?"
"Theres no need to obtain that one thousand Cress and the honor. You should
withdraw and leave this place."
"You mean, to quit this job midway?"
"Yes."
"But, I... I accepted it. I said I can do it."
"There are things you cant do."
Mythrill then agreed as well.
"Thats right, Ann. I also think you should quit this job. Its a shame about the
one thousand Cress though..."
―Quit the job?
Saying she couldn’t do it and abandoning the job shed accepted―that was
basically saying, I cant complete the sculpture because I dont really
understand what youre asking for, so its your fault.
―I dont want to.
Deep in her heart, contrary to reason, moaned something like obstinacy.
―I dont want to say I cant do it.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"Im the one at fault for not being able to do it. Im the one at fault for not
understanding what the Duke is looking for. Its only natural to make what the
client desires after all. Im being spoiled by not understanding that."
Strongly influenced by the shock, her voice was tearful.
"His wish may be something abnormal. It may be something that cant be
made into a sugar sculpture."
―Does he really desire something that cant be made?
She recalled Albans words and expressions thus far. As she thought, her
feelings of agitation subsided, and for just a moment, Ann remembered an
expression Alban showed her.
"It cant be something that cant be made."
She suddenly raised her head.
"It has to be something that can be made into a sugar sculpture. Because when
the Duke first saw my sculpture, for just a moment, he looked happy. But after
looking at it closely, he said it was wrong. I dont think he wouldve have
made that face if it werent something that could be represented in the extent
of a sugar sculpture."
Hearing those words, Mythrill said in amazement, "In short, youre saying
youll keep working?"
"I dont want to quit. I know the two of you are worried about me... But..."
"Youre the one making it. Youre the one to decide," Shall said curtly while
standing up.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"Im sorry Shall, Mythrill Reed Pod, for making you tag along."
"Youre the only one entertaining enough to kill time with by tagging along, so
I dont mind."
All the while saying hateful things, he took Anns hand and pulled her to her
feet.
"Well, I know that Ann is an idiot, so Im not surprised."
Mythrill too, nodded with an amazed expression.
She didnt want to abandon the job.
It was obstinacy. She didnt want to voluntarily raise a white flag and run
away. To Ann, there was nothing she wanted to do other than to make sugar
sculptures, nor did anything else have any value to her. For that reason, she
felt that if she abandoned something even just once, her weapon would slip
right out of her hand.
However, even if she decided to obstinately continue working this way, what
sort of sugar sculpture should she make? The fact that she didnt know still had
not changed.
For that night at least, she decided to get a good rest.
Her hands didnt touch the silver sugar. It was preparation for calming her
mind and grasping something new.
Having finished her supper, she sat by the table and drank some hot tea to
warm up her body before going to sleep.
She gave Shall some tea as well. With his one hand resting on the table, he
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
placed his palm over the steaming cup to enjoy his tea. Shall seemed to like
the aroma of matured tea floating in the room. Occasionally, hed partly close
his eyes, and at the same time, his wing would shine a light green color.
As for Mythrill, it seemed his exhaustion from working these past few days
had piled up. After dinner, he immediately crawled into bed. Seeing him
breathing so loudly in his sleep made her feel bad. She was so immersed in her
work that she didnt notice how tired he was.
Since moving to this room, Mythrill and Ann had been using the bed. Shall
would sleep on a leather mat on the floor, using a sheet for a blanket. That
bothered Ann as well.
"Shall, use the bed tonight. Ill sleep on the floor over there."
"Alright, but Im kicking Mythrill Reed Pod off. His teeth-grinding is
annoying."
"Thats horrible! Dont do that!"
"Then Ill sleep on the floor. Its fine that way."
Ann went limp. In the end, Shall just didnt feel like using the bed. Yet by
strangely choosing to avoid saying so, she was the one getting tired from
having to properly respond to every single thing.
"Shall, when on earth did you become so twisted?"
"If theres someone whos lived over a hundred years and isnt the least bit
twisted, Id like to congratulate them."
He looked at Ann over the table, then grinned maliciously. "Though even if
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
you lived a hundred years, I doubt youd change inside."
"What do you mean by that? Really, how un-cute... Though a hundred years
ago, perhaps even you were cute~"
"A hundred years ago, perhaps."
"You were cute!?"
She couldnt imagine it. But like Ann had her time as a baby, Shall must have
had such a time as well. What kind of expression did Shall have when he was
born? Did he smile innocently like a child? She wanted to see it. Liz mustve
seen it.
―Liz.
The jealousy resembling feeling once again reared its head. Wanting to
swallow it down, she gulped on her tea that had begun to cool. The tea pa.s.sed
through her throat, but the unpleasant feeling she wanted to swallow
remained.
Seeing the calm profile of Shalls face, the urge to ask about Liz welled in her
throat.
"How about going to sleep?"
It seemed as if Shall mistook her silence for sleepiness.
However, far from being sleepy, her feelings had cooled down and her head
became clear.
"Liz..."
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
At last, that name came out of her mouth. That was a mistake, she thought to
herself.
But she couldnt stop her next words.
"What kind of girl was she? Was she pretty?"
"Pretty?"
Shall didnt even seem to question why Ann was asking something like that.
Perhaps he thought they were just continuing their small talk.
And as if seeing Lizs figure there, he stared into empty s.p.a.ce.
"She was pretty, I think."
"What color were her eyes? Was her hair long? Was she gentle?"
"She had blue eyes. Her hair was long, because she hadn’t cut it since she was
five. As for gentle... Rather, Id say she was mature. She was quiet and
thoughtful."
―A pretty, mature, quiet and thoughtful young woman.
As for herself, she wasnt pretty. She was childlike and noisy, and many other
things that werent worth mentioning―such abject thoughts sprung to her
mind one after another.
―Im jealous...
She was so, so jealous that she couldnt stand it. Surely, ever remaining
beyond the gaze of Shalls black eyes, was Liz. Seeing the profile of his
beautiful face, that thought ate into her chest.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Shall suddenly looked Anns way, and his eyes widened slightly.
"Whats wrong?" he asked. She didnt understand what it was he was surprised
by.
Drip.
A drop of water fell on her fingers and she realized. She touched her
cheek―she was crying.
"Ah... Whats this, I..."
Though she tried, she couldnt stop the overflowing matter.
Shall was looking at her with an unusually perplexed expression.
These past few days, she had been constantly worrying over her sugar
sculpture, and that day, Alban shattered it.
Is that why? Though she was determined to continue working, her feelings
had become unstable due to fatigue and shock. Normally, she wouldnt cry
over something like this. To begin with, she wouldnt do something as foolish
as ask about Liz. Her own tears made her finally realize the extent of her
foolishness.
Not wanting to show her face, she turned her back to Shall and remained this
way without moving.
What would she do if he asked the reason for her tears?
"Did I say something that offended you?"
"No..."
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
She shook her head, but she couldnt raise her face. As he spoke to her, her
tears overflowed even more.
After a while, she sensed Shall getting up and, likely out of consideration
towards her, he left the room.
Ann intensely regretted what a fool she was. She wiped the tears that had
finally subsided with the sleeve of her dress. No doubt she made Shall feel
unpleasant. Those tears werent Shalls fault. She had to tell him that. Then,
she would return to her room and get some rest―sleeping would also make
her feel better―and starting tomorrow, she would once again get down to
work.
That way shed be able to immediately forget these unpleasant feelings.
With a lamp in hand, she left the room and headed towards the stairway.
Lighting the top and bottom of the stairs, she tried calling, "Shall? Shall, are
you there?"
But there was no answer.
Whenever hed go wandering on his own, hed often be on the roof of the
tower. She climbed all the way to the rooftop, but with only the strong wind
blowing through the dark, there was no sign of him. Just in case, she tried the
hall as well, but he wasnt there either.
If she tried going anywhere else on her own, shed get lost. Reluctantly, she
returned to her room.
When she came up to the rooms entrance, the door was slightly open. She was
certain she closed it properly. Thinking maybe, she opened the door in a hurry.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"Shall!?"
The one there was someone else.
"Jonas?"
"Hey there, Ann."
He had an unusually nervous expression.
"Why are you in my room?"
"Just got something to take care of. Hey, do you know what this is?" he said,
raising his right hand to show what he was holding.
It was a fairys wing the size of a palm.
"That wing―"
Taken aback, she looked at the bed, and saw Mythrill sitting there with his
head hanging low.
Apparently noticing Anns gaze, Mythrill raised his head, looking like he was
about to cry.
"Ann, Im sorry. While I was fast asleep... That guy stole my wing..."
Mythrill had a single wing on his back. Ann returned to him his other wing
that had been taken away by fairy hunters, but it could not return to his back.
Thats why Mythrill would coil his wing around his neck and wear it as a
scarf. That wing he wore around his neck was gone.
"Jonas, why are you doing this? Return his wing. If you dont like me, you
should just do whatever you want to me directly."
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Her voice trembled with anger.
"I wasnt thinking of doing anything to you. But there is something I want you
to do," said Jonas, lacking the composure of someone who had the upper
hand. His eyes looked desperate, like he was cornered by something as well.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Right now, youre going to make a request from Shall. Youre
going to say, I no longer want to be with you, so leave this castle. And, Dont
ever show your face to me again."
"Why!? Something like that―!?"
"Cant do it? That cant be right..."
Jonas tightly gripped Mythrills wing with both hands.
Mythrill screamed and rolled off the bed.
"Stop it!!"
She tried jumping him, but he nimbly dodged her and held the wing up high.
"Im going to take Mythrill with me and return to my room. Ill be leaving
Kathy here. If you properly do as I told you and drive Shall out of the castle,
Ill give the wing back. But if you tell anyone about this, Kathy will hear it.
Shell immediately come to let me know, and Ill tear this wing up."
"Jonas, you..."
"Come now, Mythrill."
With a side-glance at Ann who was glaring at him, Jonas hurriedly left the
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
room.
When Mythrill pa.s.sed by her as he was leaving, he apologized by saying, “I’m
sorry.”
She didnt understand why Jonas was doing such a thing. Her eyes were
blinded with rage. Taking Mythrill hostage was too cowardly.
"Im watching you, Ann."
A voice came from the windows direction. Kathy was sitting cross-legged on
the windowsill and looking at Ann with a faint smile.
"If you say anything unnecessary, Ill immediately report it to Jonas-sama,"
she said and, starting at the tips of her feet, the color began to fade from her.
She gradually became transparent until she could no longer be seen―making
herself disappear was her special ability.
"Why, something like this..."
She was intoxicated with rage. But at the moment, she had to do as Jonas said.
That much she understood.
Why did Ann start crying? He didnt really understand it.
He thought all he did was answer plainly according to her questions when she
asked about Liz.
Yet Ann started crying.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
Thinking about it, of the fifteen years he spent with Liz, there were about five
years from when she was fifteen until she died when at times he couldnt
understand what she was thinking. Like Ann, Liz would suddenly start crying
or get angry. Back then, Liz definitely said, Its because I love you.’
Shall felt the same. That growing child was so lovely and wholeheartedly dear
to him.
That was why hed often think of the best way to make her happy. Even if as a
result theyd have to be separated, it couldnt be helped. Rather than being
unhappy with him, hed rather entrust her to someone whod definitely grant
her happiness. That way hed be at ease. He was satisfied with that.
However, Liz cried. As she repeatedly said, “Its because I love you,” he
answered that he did as well. But Liz had said, Your love and my love are
different.’
He didnt understand. And during his confusion, Liz was killed.
For twenty years after she died, relying on his hatred and anger, he carried out
his revenge.
However, once that was over with, he fell into a state of lethargy.
His anger and hatred towards humans smoldered deep in his chest, but nothing
mattered anymore. And so, in that empty state, nearly eighty years had pa.s.sed.
Thinking carefully, other than the fifteen years he spent with Liz, he had no
experience communicating with neither humans nor fairies. It was likely the
same as the fifteen-year-old Ann, or perhaps even less.
He knew hatred, anger, and resignation well.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
But anything other than that, he didnt quite understand. That was why
inferring Anns feelings was difficult for him.
He remained atop the ramparts pa.s.sageway till after midnight. In the pitch
black s.p.a.ce, the strong wing carrying the smell of the tide kept blowing
incessantly. It was perfect for cooling ones head.
The stars were high in the sky, shining bright like in midwinter. Estimating the
time by the stars position, he figured Ann would be asleep by then, and
headed towards the room.
In spite of everything, after Ann got a full nights sleep, it would be like
nothing happened. Even if something like before happened again, once Ann
slept and morning came, everything would work out.
He entered the room to find Ann, surprisingly awake. She was sitting still in a
chair with a lamp placed on the table. Noticing Shalls presence enter the
room, she raised her head with a start, looking stiff.
As he approached her, she cast her eyes downward, seeming eager to run
away.
"Shall... Please, I... want you to leave."
"You want me to sleep in a different room?" He returned the question, to
which Ann shook her head.
"No. I want you to leave the castle. And... Dont ever return, to where I am."
The meaning of those words didnt enter his head immediately, but slowly, it
sank in.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
"Youre saying you dont want me to stay with you?"
Without raising her head, Ann nodded deeply.
―What is she saying all of a sudden?
Something like anger welled inside him. But unlike anger, without turning
into excitement, it simply grew bigger and pressed against his chest. It was
irritating.
"Your reason?"
He had to ask, for he felt the irritation would not stop otherwise.
But Ann only shook her head.
"Your reason,” he asked again, to which she then answered in bits and pieces.
"Its not your fault... Its mine. Im sorry. So, dont ask."
That seemed to be the best she was capable of, and with her head still hanging
low, she stopped moving. Her shoulders trembled in fits.
It was the same as when she started crying before. He didnt understand it in
the slightest, but no doubt she had her own reason.
Suddenly, something cold pierced straight through his chest, like wind
blowing in through a crack.
―Is there a need for me to stay when Im not needed?
The feeling of lethargy hed gotten used to for eighty years returned. In two
and a half months, hed completely forgotten it.
―Perhaps this is how everything is, abruptly ending.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
He thought it was useless to try and ask Ann any more questions, and he saw
no reason to keep asking stubbornly.
When he swore hed go together with Ann, he definitely felt he was needed.
Because he had that, he went with her. That was all.
If he was clearly told otherwise, whatever he asked was unnecessary.
Shall turned his back to Ann and started walking. The lethargy returned, but
inside his chest ama.s.sed the irritating feeling of having swallowed a foreign
object. That uncomfortable feeling was a first for him.
Shall left the castle.
Hearing Shalls footsteps as he left, she couldnt hold back her tears.
With her head still lowered, the tears dripped onto her knees.
"Looks like you did well."
The reappeared Kathy jumped down from the windowsill, then up the table.
"Are you crying?"
Ann wiped the tears with her cuff and turned her face away from Kathy.
Kathy snorted, looking unamused, and left to call Jonas.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
She rejected Shall. With that, everything—including her anger towards
Jonas—left her body, and weariness took over. She senselessly leaned against
the back of the chair.
―How Shall must see me now... He definitely thinks Im selfish.
And he must have been relieved to be away from her. With that, he was truly
free.
To begin with, she didnt really understand his reason for staying with her. He
probably felt obligated to her for returning his wing. But after being rejected
by her this way, he must be leaving gladly. Surely, he left the castle feeling
refreshed.
Thinking that, tears once again welled in her eyes.
"Good job, Ann."
As Jonas entered the room, Ann forcefully held back her tears.
She didnt want him to see her cry. She stood up and drew closer to him.
"Now, return Mythrill Reed Pods wing."
"Not yet. Tomorrow, you and I are going to meet Duke Philax. You mustnt
oppose anything I say. All you have to do is agree with everything."
"What are you planning to do?"
"Anyway, just do as youre told. Ill let that Mythrill come back to this room.
Just having that annoying fairys wing is enough,” said Jonas, and with that he
left the room.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
What is Jonas trying to do? No doubt he was trying to do something to his
advantage like when he stole Anns sugar sculpture two months ago.
But unlike last time, there was not a hint of joy in him. However gaudy the
means, when doing something beneficial for himself, he couldnt hide his joy.
This time, she couldn’t detect anything like that joy.
After a while, Mythrill returned to the room with his head lowered dejectedly.
"...Ann. Im sorry, I..."
"Mythrill Reed Pod!"
Overjoyed with seeing that figure, she ran up to him to take him in her arms,
and embraced him.
"Are you alright? Did he do anything to you?"
"Ann, you did what Jonas told you? Shall Fen Shall left? Im sorry, its my
fault. That you were forced to do something like that..."
"Its not your fault. Jonas is to blame."
"But, even though you like Shall Fen Shall, telling him to leave... It must have
been incredibly painful, right?"
Being told that so suddenly, Ann blushed. But even while blushing, the pain of
seeing Shalls back once again filled up her chest. Tears were about to fall out,
but she held them back.
"What are you saying? Something like me liking Shall, thats..."
"Even if you try to hide it, I can tell, Ann. Who do you think I am? Im the
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
great Mythrill Reed Pod. Id be bothered if you lumped me together with a
potato head like Shall Fen Shall."
Though her eyes were still teary, Ann snickered upon hearing Mythrill call
Shall a potato head.
"Shall would get mad if he heard you call him a potato head."
"But he is, isnt he? Even though its so obvious, why doesnt he understand
how you feel?"
Now that he mentioned it, perhaps it was true. She was blushing, running
away, and crying at his behavior. A normal man would at least think ‘maybe.’
If it were Jonas, hed be convinced shed taken an interest in him ages ago.
"You like him, dont you?"
Having her obvious behavior pointed out to her, Ann gave up on trying to hide
it and nodded honestly.
"Yeah. I guess so."
Mythrill briskly rubbed the bottom of his nose and, somewhat regretfully,
laughed with a ‘heh heh.’
"Ah. Yeah, well. Thats right, huh. I knew it after all."
"But its no use. Because Shall left..."
Ann sat down on the bed with Mythrill still in her arms.
"What is Jonas planning to do by separating us from Shall?"
Her anxiety grew bigger. With Shall gone, she was all the more anxious. She
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Vol. 2 - Ginzatoushi to Ao no Koushaku.
felt as helpless as though shed been forced out naked into the cold.
Thats when she noticed her lavishness of shedding tears over hearing about
Liz.
―Im a fool.
It didn’t matter whether or not Shall was always gazing at memories of the
past. The fact that in reality he was with her was the most important thing that
she should be happy about.
Forgetting that, she thought more and more.
Hugh said it before, didnt he?
That its hard for humans to adjust to severe conditions, but they get
immediately used to comfortable ones.
Without realizing it, Ann had gotten used to having Shall by her side.
―I want us to be together. Just that is enough. Whatever Shall may be gazing
at, just having him by my side is enough. Shall. Shall.
There was no way he could hear her, but she couldnt keep herself from calling
his name over and over in her heart.
END OF CHAPTER