Crackle Swoosh
On a cold winter day with a thin layer of ice…
A woman taking a stroll by the riverbank heard an unusual smell and a faint breath.
A sound as fragile as a candle about to go out.
“…….”
She paused for a moment, contemplating, before moving toward the source of the sound.
There was a child there.
So horrifically disheveled that even a compliment would feel insincere.
Huff A short sigh escaped her lips, turning into a visible breath. Without grimacing, she carefully examined the sight before her.
Bruises and torn marks covered the child’s body as if struck by something sharp, and at their belly, they looked like a doll with stuffing bursting out.
“You are going to die soon.”
“…….”
Once spilled water cannot be gathered back. The wounds were severe, and far too much blood had already drained. The child was quite clearly teetering on the brink of death.
If they merely wished to kill, there would be no need for such cruelty. This was a wound made to torment and toy with the child, she concluded in her mind.
An arrow lodged in the calf.
One hand turned to rags.
Wounds inflicted repeatedly but not in vital areas.
Yet, seeing no trace of resistance from the child, the woman thought this atrocious act must have been committed by someone dear to the child.
“Did you also face betrayal?” she asked succinctly.
Naturally, there was no reply.
“…The outside world still remains… unchanged.”
“…….—..”
“Always cruel and brutal to everyone…”
So she placed her hand around the child’s neck.
It was such a frail neck that it felt like it could snap with just a little pressure.
Was she intending to ease their pain? Yet she couldn’t muster the strength beyond that.
The woman’s hand trembled pitifully.
“Ha ha… To nurture compassion is nothing but a luxury for me…”
“…..”
“Why… do I feel this?”
She briefly closed her eyes, then opened them again, resolution glinting in her gaze. Though there was a moment of hesitation, soon a life would slip away from her grasp…
The grip around the neck tightened.
Slowly.
Bit by bit.
“…..You—”
“…What—”
Just as the flickering candle was about to go out…
The child’s lips, just a tiny bit, parted.
The woman, taken aback, pulled back her outstretched hand and stared in surprise at the child.
The child, coughing up blood, managed to utter a word.
“—Unnie…”
“….!!”
A moment later, no one remained in that place.
Only the trace of blood testified that a child had washed ashore here, but that evidence also faded away with the flow of water.
No one knew what would happen to this child, who even a physician could not save.
“In the end, I had to bring you…”
“I should kill you…”
“From the moment you came here and saw me… I had no choice but to kill you…!”
“I don’t want to be betrayed again…!!”
A bloody storm surged through the royal palace.
What should have been remembered as a day of joyful celebration crumbled around them.
The beloved princess of all, Aris Akaia, had gone missing.
No one knew the details.
Why did she cross the fence and enter the forest?
What caused her to fall from the cliff?
Why was the first princess covered in blood when aided by her guards?
Why did the second princess wildly wield a knife, trying to kill her sister?
What urgent news did the former knight commander and the librarian bring?
Nothing was revealed. The knights and servants who held the key to the mystery kept their mouths tightly closed.
A kind of taboo.
A fruit that should not be touched.
But perhaps that made it look even sweeter? Those who sought to uncover the truth still existed.
And without reaching the truth, they all became buried deep underground.
Not a single one got away.
Weeks after the incident, formal investigation results were announced.
The culprit was identified as Duke Aquitaine. Once seen as a promising talent, now a criminal steeped in greed who committed unspeakable crimes.
After the incident, the duke tried to flee across the border with his wealth but was caught.
He loudly proclaimed his innocence, but by the time he was caught trying to escape, his words lost credibility.
There was no trial.
Everyone involved was arrested.
The maid who changed earrings with the duke’s bribe, the sorcerer who cast curses with pearls, the merchant supplying him with materials, and the carpenter who made the secret space.
Next, every torturer in the kingdom was mobilized.
The first words out of their mouths were pleas to be spared, and it wasn’t long before they begged to be put out of their misery instead.
But there was no stopping.
The torturers silently, with all their selfishness, continued their work.
They began spitting forth words that made no sense and, aside from laughter, could produce no other sound. Finally, after their vocal cords were ripped out, the torment ended.
The main perpetrator, Duke Aquitaine, was later found hanging alive at the gate, reportedly surviving for three days and nights before finally dying.
Those who initially saw the dangling duke failed to recognize him. Most thought he was merely a lifelike statue made of leather, except for a few keen-eyed individuals.
However, when the duke’s name was inscribed beneath him, he was subjected to a torrent of filth.
Yes, that’s how all the events came to an end.
Vivid scars naturally fade over time, and the citizens of the kingdom firmly believed they would soon release their hearts and return to their former selves.
The kingdom had found peace once more.
Yet simultaneously, rumors began to spread within the kingdom.
“The first princess pushed the third princess off the cliff out of envy for her talent.”
At first, people dismissed this rumor as nonsense. But as time passed, credible witness accounts emerged, and it began to be accepted as a public secret.
Eventually, the entire population heard the rumor, and it transformed into an unspoken tale that everyone knew. Although there were efforts to capture the instigator of the rumor within the palace, they ultimately could not find them.
Rather, their actions only added weight to the rumor, spreading it further until it reached everyone.
Words without legs travel a thousand miles.
The rumors expanded and evolved.
For instance, the first princess had always disliked the third princess.
That she had a history of secretly abusing the youngest princess.
That the first princess was the one who brutally murdered the youngest princess in front of the second princess.
At this rate, it would be merely a matter of time before Princess Anna’s honor was tarnished. Yet the party in question did nothing to defend herself against these rumors.
Whether it was because she found such lowly rumors unworthy of her time or if she felt guilty and chose not to respond remained a mystery.
Today, yet again, a tavern buzzed with tales about the first princess. There was a commotion when the knights arrived for a raid on the informants, but the storytellers had vanished without a trace.
Thus, another day passed in the kingdom.
IF. If Aris had been caught at the cliff.
“Ah… Someone, anyone, please come quickly—!!!!!”
“….ㅡ,ㅡ.”
The warmth that once radiated from Aris now felt as cold as ice.
My hands struggled to stanch the flow of blood pouring from her belly, but mercilessly it seeped through the gaps of my fingers.
Drip Drip The sound of dropping blood felt like Aris’s soul fading away.
The pure white snow covering the ground was stained red with Aris’s blood.
A crimson circle grew larger and larger.
What… what am I supposed to do…?!!!
“—Here!! The princesses are here!!!”
“Hurry!! Quickly!! Get a physician, a physician!!”
Soon soldiers found us. Their efforts, usually commendable, felt agonizingly insufficient today.
Quicker…
Please… faster!!
The soldiers glanced at me, inhaling sharply, but only a few remained, while the rest dashed off to summon the physician.
“…..You—” Cough Hacking
“Aris!? Don’t talk!! It’s okay, okay. I’m Remiya. Everything will be alright.”
Aris’s hand slowly reached for my face. I forced a smile to reassure her.
The physician soon arrived.
“It’s okay… you’ll survive… Aris, right? Isn’t that so?”
“………ㅡ.”
“Yes.. Aris is kind.. You always promised to stay by my side… remember…!”
Aris’s eyes met mine.
The jade-like eyes I adored were growing duller by the minute.
Not focusing on me, her gaze wandered into the distance, unfocused.
“—No!”
“……”
“No, Aris… okay? Just hold on a bit longer. I told them to bring the physician…! Stay with me, Aris! Please—!!!!”
Grabbing her hand that was caressing my face, I squeezed it tightly.
Did my prayers reach heaven? Aris, who just moments ago seemed lifeless, smiled and gazed directly at me.
Yes, she can live…
Aris…!
“Yes, Aris… I haven’t made the flower wreath properly yet… okay? You said you’d teach me, right…?”
“—Unnie.”
“Aris, you won’t leave me, will you…? You won’t go away…!?”
“….Love you.”
“Yes, yes! I love you too… Aris.”
With those words, Aris seemed to relax and closed her eyes, drifting off.
You can’t sleep, Aris. Open your eyes.
If you sleep out in the cold, you’ll catch a cold, you know?
You told me that.
Okay?
“Don’t close your eyes, Aris!! You have to wake up!! We were going to read books together, travel, and play tag!!”
“…….”
Please…
“Open your eyes… just once… Aris…”
“…….”
Please….
“Is this… sleeping…?”
“…….”
“Yeah… there’s nothing I can do. Aris is…”
Aris never opened her eyes again.
Even as snowflakes fell from the sky, even as the cold wind tickled my ears, Aris peacefully closed her eyes and drifted into slumber.
The physicians began to carry her away somewhere.
Ah—
“■■■■■■■■….”
“□□, □□□……”
Knights and maidens spoke to me from the side.
Perhaps I was too drowsy, but I couldn’t make out their words. What were they saying? I couldn’t hear a thing.
Just leave me alone.
Whenever Aris fell asleep, I would also doze off beside her. Was it time for me to slowly fall asleep too? I felt my eyes growing heavy.
Sleep?
Yeah, perhaps all this is just a dream?
Yeah, it must be a dream.
A nightmare I never want to have again.
It has to be a dream.
Such horrific things couldn’t happen in reality.
I looked down at my waist.
A sharply honed dagger caught my eye.
It’s time to wake up from this dream.
I—
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