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Play A Game
***
These days, the vase in Kyrie’s room had different flowers every day. It was the dry, thin winter wildflower. Of course, it was Aaron’s work.
Nathaniel, who became so busy that he stopped by occasionally in the evening, said nothing when he saw it.
“He’s weird.”
Kyrie murmured as she looked at Nathaniel outside the window. Nathaniel disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if he knew Kyrie was watching.
Kyrie removed herself from the misty window. MaryAnne, who was knitting, looked up.
“He is busy, though. He doesn’t come in even at night.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t he being considerate of Miss?”
MaryAnne, who was knitting her socks with a gray knitting thread, laughed and turned her gaze to the crochet needle, thinking it was funny when she said it.
“When Miss is with Nathaniel, your body is stiff. Even your breathing is uneven.”
She suddenly stopped her hand.
“……You were not like that before.”
“That was in the past.”
“It’s like yesterday to MaryAnne.”
Kyrie looked at MaryAnne. She looked like a 12-year-old girl, but MaryAnne was actually over fifty years old.
“Is Nathaniel like that too?”
“Maybe.”
That sounded pretty cruel. Kyrie sat on the edge of the bed.
“I hope he’s not like that at all.”
“Miss is kind.”
“That’s an unexpected praise.”
MaryAnne smiled bitterly.
“I can hear footsteps. It must be that guard.”
“It’s not good to hold the crochet needle like a knife, so stop it, Anne.”
“Alright.”
MaryAnne stuck the crochet needle in her pocket and opened the window. In no time, Aaron, who was under the window, jumped and waved his hand.
“Noona! Noona! The Legendary Lord is out, right? Let’s go to the kitchen again! Aunt Meloni baked cookies!”
MaryAnne didn’t stop Aaron at some point. She stood one step behind Kyrie, only to stare at Aaron with her hands in her pockets. Kyrie decided not to ask what was in her pocket.
“Please, MaryAnne.”
“Yes.”
After Anne drew the liquor, she threw the wildflowers in the vase out of the window. Kyrie jumped onto the giant wildflowers that became like a fluffy duck cushion. As Kyrie landed, Aaron reached out with his back against the sun. He had a mischievous and good smile.
“Let’s go, Noona!”
***
“Oh my, you came?”
“I’m sorry I drop by so often.”
“Don’t say that. It’s good to be able to breathe.”
Kyrie smiled faintly at the words of the kind Meloni. Aaron stepped in, too.
“That’s right! And when Noona comes, Aunt Meloni makes me something delicious.….”
“Don’t just think about eating all the time. Go get some meat. Alfred said he’d bring it, but I haven’t heard from him.”
“You are taking advantage of me again!”
Aaron bravely walked out of the backdoor. Anyone could see that he was just a boy who worked hard on his job.
Kyrie turned to Meloni.
“Meloni… Um, what’s your last name?”
“Oh, where is my mind. My last name is Burtz! Meloni Burtz.”
“Burtz.”
Kyrie rolled her name in her mouth.
“Have you known Aaron for a long time?”
“Aaron? Oh, no way. A time to catch a cow is not enough to talk about him.”
“You must know him well?”
“He’s my son’s friend. He’s a good kid.”
Meloni put a herb tea in front of Kyrie with a bitter smile of unknown meaning. She didn’t forget to give ginger cookies to MaryAnne, who rolled her eyes at the table.
“Aaron is very diligent. He has a strong sense of responsibility, and there’s no boy around his age as good as Aaron.”
“Is there any problem with palace life? I couldn’t see that kid for a long time….”
“He feels a little better these days.”
“Better? “
“He was half crazy, but thanks to you, he got through it. When I saw him bring you here…….”
Meloni picked up the tea cup. She looked bitter.
“It was hard for everyone, but he was so soft-hearted that we were particularly shocked…….”
Kyrie fiddled with the teacup without a word.
The deaths of colleagues could not be forgotten so easily. Right now, she herself had nightmares of the day every night. Technically, she couldn’t be treated as a traumatized victim because she was in the ‘perpetrator’ position.
“……Please keep an eye on him.”
Meloni smiled.
“You are more gracious than any aristocrat I’ve ever seen, but at the same time you are not very noble.”
Kyrie lowered her eyes and naturally avoided eye contact.
“If anything happens, please contact me because I might be able to stop him.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. Because of that problem, these days…….”
“That problem?”
“That…… oh, my God. I wonder if I can say this.”
Meloni couldn’t leave her hands alone with a troubled look on her face. It was when Kyrie, who had a hunch, adjusted her posture.
“What happened was…….”
“Uwah.”
The door popped open, and Aaron came back. With blood all over his body.
Kyrie’s heart sank when she saw him. That day’s events unfolded before her eyes. It was only MaryAnne who noticed Kyrie’s breathing became rough.
“Miss?”
“No, it’s okay, MaryAnne…….”
Kyrie managed to put her breath in order before Meloni and Aaron noticed. Fortunately, Meloni couldn’t care about it as she wiped the blood off of Aaron’s face.
“Oh, look at you! Where did you get all this blood? Boy, it won’t come off!”
“Ugh, don’t rub it too hard, Aunt! It hurts!”
“Why are you coming back like this? I really can’t live.”
“Tch, I don’t like the smell of blood!”
Aaron smiled brightly and strode into the lounge.
“Noona!”
Aaron had a bloody knife in his hand, and his whole body smelled fishy. Kyrie’s body recoiled and backed away. She didn’t even know she turned white.
Aaron, who saw it, stopped coming closer. A round and strange light lingered in his brown eyes, then laughter mixed in and disappeared.
“Ah! I’m sorry, it’s hard to see something like this….? Mr. Alfred broke a bag of cow blood that he had received separately…..”
“…Cow blood?”
“Yes! It’s used in many places!”
“Oh, yes, that’s right! What should I do, I need to request a new one.….”
“Hey, Aunt Meloni, please worry about me, too.”
“You’re fine! You’re going to bury Miss in a frightening state!”
“But it’s not my fault…….”
Meloni, who had been criticizing Aaron for a long time, went out the backdoor, saying she ran out of towels. The wooden door closed with a squeal. Now all that was left in the room were Kyrie, MaryAnne and Aaron.
Kyrie took a breath. Aaron glanced at such a Kyrie and smiled softly.
“What’s wrong, Noona?”
His brown eyes looked like a ball of blood. There’s no reason to be afraid, but she was.
Kyrie’s heart beat violently. MaryAnne’s words that he smelled bad passed through her mind.
‘But Aaron has never shown hostility to me. Is it right to judge a person based on MaryAnne’s words?’
Even if Aaron was a really bad guy, something must have happened to make him like that.
‘I don’t want it to be repeated.’
Kyrie managed to smile.
“Nothing.”
“……Really?”
Aaron’s expression became strange. It seemed angry, sad, and pleased.
“I’m going back for today. Aaron, you’d better wash up and change.”
“Why? Stay longer…….”
“I’m not feeling well.”
“I see…….”
Why won’t he put the knife in? Kyrie thought.
Aaron smiled mischievously as he looked at the door where Meloni had left with a somewhat blank face.
“Shall we play a game?”
Aaron locked the door before she could ask what the game was.
“This way, Aunt Meloni won’t be able to come in, right?
MaryAnne rose from her seat without a word and hid Kyrie behind her. Kyrie saw the fluffy hair on MaryAnne’s face.
“Noona?”
Aaron turned around. His knife was still pulled out.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
Aaron smiled innocently in a strange shadow created by the square of light. His brown eyes were crystal clear.
“…. Aaron”
“Yes, Noona”
As he approached, MaryAnne gritted her teeth low.
“Don’t come.”
“Huh?”
Aaron opened his eyes wide and had a look of injustice on his face.
“Noona, stop her! She’s always like that when she sees me!”
“…….”
“Noona?”
“Aaron”
“Yes.”
“Let’s put the knife in for now.”
“Is it because of the knife? I’m holding it because I have to wash it. I can’t put it in right away.”
It was reasonable. But for some reason, Kyrie felt that it wasn’t the only one. And he was still holding the knife.
Kyrie said.
“Then put it down.”
At that time, Kyrie didn’t know what the impulse was in Aaron’s eyes.
It was the moment when Aaron’s mouth opened slightly and the boy’s hand gripped the knife more powerfully.
Bang! bang! bang!
“Hello? Open the door, please! Didn’t one of the snowstream guards pass by?”
Someone banged on the backdoor where Aaron stood and leaned against. They heard several men talking outside.
“Isn’t he here?”
“Oh, guards, you’re good at running away because you’re always sucking honey!”
(PR note: sucking honey is a slang for being given easy tasks)
“Isn’t he hiding?”
“In the kitchen? Are you in advance to boil it?”
“Crazy guy.”
The sharp atmosphere between Kyrie and Aaron broke in an instant. Kyrie immediately noticed that the ‘guard’ they were looking for was Aaron. Aaron lowered his eyes.
The men sat down and began to chat, apparently about to rest at the door.
“I should have hit him more.”
“He killed my colleagues and survived. How can he stand out?”
Surprised, Kyrie glanced at Aaron more carefully. Come to think of it, fresh blood was coming out of the wounds that had not yet been cleaned. In addition, there was a bruise under his collar. Kyrie was surprised without a sound.
“I heard he got one gold bar for each colleague’s head. Murderers.”
‘Gold bars? Not to the bereaved families, but to the surviving guards?’
Kyrie looked back at MarryAnne. MaryAnne shook her head. The story of the men continued.
“Aaron Fitz is a total sucker for that bitch. He even sold souls for gold bars.”
“You said he got the money for brushing his teeth? Did he want to get married with that money after killing his girlfriend’s father?”
(PR note: getting money for brushing his teeth means hit someone’s face until their teeth come out)
One of the men giggled.
“What are you talking about? Wedding ceremony?”
Now Aaron’s face seemed to have vanished, along with his facial expressions. Kyrie held her breath unwittingly and focused on the man’s voice.
“Oh, this bastard is slow at hearing news. Hey! His girlfriend already…….”
At that moment, Aaron opened the door.
“Ah! This is Lieutenent Aaron Fitz you were looking for!”
“U, ugh!  This fucker……!”
The men, who were surprised by Aaron’s appearance, looked grim. But one of them shouted.
“Hey, hey, no! Look there……!”
The man’s fingers pointed to Kyrie inside the room.
“…… It’s Buchanan.”
“You’re alone in a place like this?”
“Oh my God…… I can’t believe this.”
They exchanged their eyes with each other and stepped back. They had a look of contempt.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your good time.”
The men greeted in a sarcastic tone and then went back. As soon as they disappeared, Kyrie stepped forward.
“Aaron. Gold bars, was that delivered to you?”
The boy stood at the doorway of the backdoor and scratched his head. His side face seemed to be smiling, but it also seemed to be distorted.
“You gave it to me, didn’t you?”