14. Part 1 - Light as a feather.\n\n"Hey, there he is!"\n \nWhile I was worrying, I heard a man's loud voice. I turned around to see a badly dressed man about 50 meters behind me.\n \nIt was the thief or kidnapper from earlier.\n\n"Brother!"\n \n"Yes!"\n \nI called out, and he immediately threw himself on my back.\n\n"Christopher, come on."\n\nI crouched down and held out my hands toward Christopher, but he didn't move.\n \nI can't afford to relax, though.\n \n"Excuse me."\n \nI have no choice but to say no, then insert my arms behind his knees and lift him up.\n \nIt's like a ventriloquist holding a doll.\n \nI picked him up and, lo and behold, he was as light as a feather.\n\n"Light as a feather....."\n \n"Huh?"\n\nI'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.\n \nI'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.\n\n"You have to hold on tight."\n \n"Oh, um..."\n\n"Chris, keep your mouth shut or you'll bite your tongue."\n\nMy brother, who had his arm around my neck in a familiar way, warned Christopher. I kicked the ground when I saw that he had his mouth in a tight line.\n \nI'm not saying he's as light as a feather, but it's enough to scatter the dust and run lightly, so it's no big deal.\n\nMy older brother knows the geography of the castle town, as he often goes out with his father.\n\nHe even takes me out as a map and shows me around the city. Of course, it's a secret from my parents.\n \nReceiving instructions from my back, I chose a narrow alley and started running.\n\n14. Part 2 - I don't know what to do when you cry.\n\nAs we neared the center of town, my brother tapped me on the shoulder and I stopped.\n\n"I'll get off and walk."\n\n"Really? It's getting late. I think it would be faster if I ran."\n\n"If anyone sees me carrying you on my back, there will be no one left to marry you."\n\n"It's a little late for that, isn't it?"\n\nI really think it's too late.\n\nIf a woman doesn't want to marry you because of that, you should refuse her from the start.\n\n"Oh, well, I'll go with....."\n\nI'm sure you're not the only one.\n\n"You must be tired after all that walking. Why don't you stay there a little longer? You know, Lizzie. I don't mind."\n\nChristopher alternately looked up at me and his brother as if he was troubled, but then he gave up and quietly put his weight on my chest.\n\n"It's been a great adventure, Chris."\n\nAs we walked, my brother looked into Christopher's face and smiled gently.\n \nThere was no hint of reproach in his voice or gaze.\n\nHe said, "I can't believe you're still small enough to come all this way by yourself. Chris is amazing. He's so strong and admirable."\n\n"I mean..."\n\nChristopher's face was distorted, as if he was about to start crying.\n\n\n"I'm sorry." \n \n"....Uh. Can I ask why you are 'sorry'?"\n\nThe gentle brother seemed to be a little upset by his younger brother's tearful voice.\n\nI'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.\n\nI'm not sure what to do.\n\nI'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.\n \nI'm not sure what to make of it.\n\nI thought again, "Give me a break." I don't know what to do when someone cries in front of me.\n\nFor some reason, the small size of Christopher's palm, which I had just grasped when I pulled my hand away, came back to me vividly.\n\n"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Oh, don't be mad...."\n \n"Hmm. I'm not angry."\n\nThe older brother laughed and gently patted Christopher's head.\n\n"I'm not annoyed or anything. But I was very worried, and so was Lizzie."\n\n\nHis brother looked up slightly and saw his older brother's eyes. He, too, looked as if he was about to cry.\n\n"So, you don't need to say sorry for bothering me or sorry for upsetting me, but if you want to say.... sorry for worrying me, I think I'll take it."\n\nI'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.\n \n"I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that," he said, stroking Christopher's hair gently.\n\n"We're good at getting out of the house, so we can help you. Lizzie is very strong and she will be your bouncer."\n\n"Brother, please don't tempt him."\n\nWhen I rebuked him, he lowered his eyebrows. You can't look at me like that.\n \nIt's not good for him if you don't scold him properly when he does something dangerous.\n\n"I'm not sure what to do. I'm not very good at scolding people."\n\n"Would you like me to take your place?"\n\n"That would be great. But I'm afraid Lizzie might overdo it."\n\n"Me?"\n\nI'm not good at scolding.\n\n"I, um... I heard that your mother is still alive. And...\nthat makes you want to see her, doesn't it?"\n\n\nChristopher nodded in response to his brother's words. I'm not sure what to make of that.\n \nPerhaps the "past" that came up in the game's recollection was today.\n \nI believe the setting was that I overheard a merchant who came and went from the mansion talking with a servant. I can identify the merchant who visited the house today and gossiped about it.\n\nThere are a lot of stores that want to do business with our family. If you're careless enough to let the gossip of a superior's son into your ears, you're banned, banned I say.\n\nI tried to act like it was nothing, but it seemed that my brother could tell that I was thinking of something unpleasant, and he glanced at me accusingly.\n\nHe gave me a reproachful look, which was quite different from his attitude toward Christopher. Is it because of my daily behavior?\n \nIs it because of my daily behavior, or is it because I've been spinning him around until he collapsed as my dance partner?\n \n"But your mother is no longer .....my mother."\n\nI'm sure you'll be happy to hear that. I'm sure he doesn't know that much about her.\n\nI'm sure it was his mother and father who knew. The only people who knew were his father, mother, and me, who had seen the scene.\n\n"Oh, mother,... carrying a baby in your arms,... laughing happily with a man you don't know."\n\nChristopher dropped another tear.\n \nMost of what he said after that was inaudible because he was sobbing.\n \nHe seemed to be trying to wipe away the tears with his hands, but there was no sign of stopping. What I could finally hear was.\n\nWhat I finally heard was, "My family, no one, no one is left."\n\nThe only thing I could hear was a small, screech-like murmur.\n \nAt these words, my brother also turned his head and painfully held his chest.\n\n\n***\n\n\n\n\n