The Girl Wants to Be Murdered

TL/Editor: Butter Cat

Status: 4/week mon-thurs

Illustrations: none

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〈 Chapter 105 〉 Side Story: Sapling

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**

Lush leaves soothe the hearts of those weary from the heat, and sturdy, horizontally stretched branches are perfect for hanging a swing for a child to ride.

In that way, the tree sacrifices its entire being for the sake of humanity.

And meet a noble death.

Yes.

Such an enviable and meaningful end, indeed.

I said.

"—Grandpa. Give me that sapling."

".....Hmm? This one takes quite a while to grow, are you sure you want this one?"

"Yes."

That’s more than enough.

—Tap, tap.

"~♬"

Tree. I rolled that pleasant sound around on my tongue.

I felt a soft energy, both the refreshing coolness that washed over me and the warmth it held, lingering in my mouth.

Though Grandpa tried to dissuade me, saying it would take a long time, it didn’t matter to me.

No matter how long it might take for the tree to grow, even if I were to suffer an unforeseen accident and lose my life before it reached the end of its lifespan, my resolve would not waver.

Because I had found my purpose in life.

Because I, who had only coveted what others had, who had repeated a meaningless life again and again, was finally able to realize all of that.

This is something no one else can do.

This is something only I can do.

—Swoosh.

"Will I ever be able to become like this tree someday?"

Today, I found the path to happiness.

**

**

Tap, tap. I heard rhythmic footsteps from outside.

Just by hearing them, one could instantly sense the refinement woven into those footsteps.

Hearing those sounds, filled with barely concealed excitement and anticipation, I realized how much time had passed.

Has a new day begun.

Then it was time for me to start my daily routine.

—Stretch.

"..........."

I quietly stretched my body.

Perhaps it was because I’d been sitting in the same position for several hours, I could hear the popping sounds of my joints loosening as I moved.

I, who’d been sitting on the wide window sill, a space specially prepared just for me, got up after making sure my stiff body was somewhat loose, and carefully walked towards the door that would soon open.

Ding-a-ling—

The bell attached to my ankle rang out clearly.

After waiting for a few seconds, the door opened.

Beyond the door, which had opened rather swiftly, stood a woman with fiery, passionate eyes looking down at me.

A woman in the royal attire signifying her status as the Queen of the Kingdom, radiating an air of stately grandeur.

Reflected in those slightly reddish eyes was the figure of a girl, kneeling on the floor and gazing up at her.

The one person in this world I could call my blood relative.

My older sister.

"—Have you been well, Aris?"

"Yes, Anna."

Anna Akaia stood there, before me.

**

Anna took my hand and led me to the bed in the corner of the room.

Though there were two pillows on the bed, Anna didn't even spare them a glance as she gently pushed me down onto the bed and lay down with her head resting on my thighs.

She stretched out her arms and wrapped them tightly around my waist. Having grown used to this by now, I started stroking Anna's hair.

Her smooth, soft hair felt like the finest silk.

Swaa—, swoosh—.

"........"

"........"

Inside that hushed room, the only sound was the quiet breath of the two of us.

The neglected pillows, untouched by anyone, lay chilled and forsaken.

Anna, who had buried her face in my lap for quite some time, finally looked up at me with dreamy eyes.

Though known as a cold-blooded, heartless person outside, a Queen of Iron (?), when it was just the two of us, she was no different from any other little girl acting spoiled.

Just like now, Anna would bury her head in my lap and tell me about the hardships she’d faced that day, sometimes whining that annoying people kept bothering her.

And on days when she was in a particularly bad mood, she would even bite me here and there.

When that happened, her eyes would change as if she were swallowing something hotter than burning flames, shining with possessiveness and jealousy, as though declaring she would not let anyone take me away.

It wasn't easy to soothe her in those times, so predicting her mood by her footsteps had become a habit of mine.

"......Mmm."

"......."

It seemed there was nothing major troubling her today, given that she said nothing at all.

Seeing her like a full-grown infant, a gentle smile naturally formed at my lips.

When Anna noticed my smile, she lifted a hand and lightly stroked the area around my mouth.

Both our faces, gazing at each other, were in full bloom with smiles.

An ordinary, repeating daily life(??).

The same daily routine that had continued for the three years since I turned twelve, until I was now fifteen.

**

You could call it a life of a spectator.

I didn’t want to stand out or gain anything in particular, so I tried to live a quiet life like any other girl my age.

Of course, some perceptive people noticed that I was hiding something. But not wanting to belittle the talents and efforts of others, I simply wanted to live a life of supporting my two big sisters without doing anything myself.

Comforting and consoling Anna, who would stay up late into the night, tirelessly repeating her arduous efforts in the dark to meet others' expectations.

I lived as a silent supporter for Remi, overshadowed by her innate position and natural talent, never receiving acknowledgment for her efforts from anyone.

That was the life I lived until I turned twelve.

And not long after my twelfth birthday.

An incident occurred.

Anna, who fell under a curse by a greedy duke.

Her anger, triggered by a trivial matter, was, unbelievably, directed at Remi.

At first, I didn’t think their conflict would escalate into something serious.

But if there was something I had misjudged, perhaps it was that the emotional divide between them was deeper than I thought.

Remi, having suddenly become the target of irrational and unreasonable anger, also had her own pent-up frustration explode just like Anna.

A person's rationality can easily be shaken even by the smallest of impacts, after all.

Everything was because of my existence.

It was because of the misunderstanding that I had been stolen from each other.

In the dead of winter, upon a field blanketed in snow, Remi and Anna began a sword dance stained red with blood.

Perched at the precarious boundary between a mere fight and murder, they danced, and I could do nothing but collapse to the ground in a daze, watching them.

Just as the saying goes, ‘the grass is always greener on the other side,’ perhaps they had each, from the beginning, been jealous of the other.

When one looks forward, it’s only natural not to see what lies at one’s feet.

From Remi’s perspective, it must have seemed I favored Anna more, from Anna’s perspective, she must have thought I favored Remi more.

Arrows of jealousy, aimed at each other.

And I, unfortunately, couldn’t understand those emotions myself.

───Fwoosh!

Thus, this was inevitable.

"—D-don't fight.....!"

"""....Aris?!"""

I pushed my own body between their clashing blades.

A sturdy tree can support the weight of many.

But it seemed that I, who was lacking and weak in many ways, could only help one person, just one.

This was the disaster brought about by my own greed, wanting to embrace both of them at the same time.

And the price that must be paid, naturally, to put an end to that tragedy.

Two sharp blades pierced deep into my body.

And there, I lost consciousness.

**

After that, I am not entirely certain what happened.

All I do know is that since then, I have been unable to see Remi anymore and that I have been hidden away in a secret room in the royal palace, my ankle bound with a bell, and that no one except Anna can visit me.

The only freedom given to me was gazing out at the royal palace grounds from that wide window sill.

Leaving this place on my own two feet, inviting someone here, none of that was allowed.

I wondered what was happening outside.

How were my father and mother doing right now.

Where might Remi be now, and what might she be doing.

"........."

Whenever I closed my eyes, worries about my other big sister would surface.

But now, none of it really mattered to me anymore.

After all, the lesson that greed is punished has already been engraved deeply into my body.

Yes.

I shouldn’t have been greedy.

"—Sleep tight, Big Sis Anna."

"....Yes. You too, Aris."

A tree simply stays still in its place.

Whether a typhoon blows from afar, or a wildfire starts.

Whether someone cuts down its trunk or peels off its bark.

As long as someone needs its existence, as long as someone wants it to be there.

—Swish.

"Sweet dreams."

It simply accepts everything that’s given and offers everything it has.

Another day.

A day in the royal palace, has come to a close.

Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, a new day will begin.

A new day, identical to today, in every way.

***

A canary in a cage without bars.

Why doesn’t the bird fly away.

That’s because──

"—It’s already dead."

Anna Route.

Sapling (??) : A tree by a grave.

THE END

*** (Author’s Afterword)

This side story is unrelated to the main story.

This side story takes place in a different world from the main story.

A world changed by small differences, small mistakes, small changes, all coming together.

The next side story will be about Remi's, Remi Akaia's part.

After all the side stories are finished, this work will be completed.

***

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