A Gift for the Doll
The uncomfortable silence stretched on until Sylvien finally dropped Canna off in front of the Addis mansion.
“Then I shall come to escort you tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.”
The gatekeeper recognized Canna at once and opened the doors without hesitation.
They’re not blocking me anymore.
She had been worried she might be turned away at the entrance like before, but thankfully that didn’t happen.
I need to gather my medical tools.
And she had to see Lucy.
Kalen’s words about how a contract was still a contract had lingered uncomfortably in her mind.
“Lucy. What were you doing?”
“Sister?”
Lucy, who had been sitting on the sofa, shot to her feet and came running.
“Sister! You’re back for good?”
“Mm… No.”
“Huh?”
“I just came to pick up a few things. I’ll be leaving again tomorrow morning. I wanted to say goodbye.”
“Then… when are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.”
Canna watched as tears welled up in Lucy’s green eyes.
It was pitiful. But that was all.
She was not Lucy’s guardian.
I can barely take care of myself.
Besides, Lucy had Kalen.
Still, the sight of her sniffling little sister tugged at something inside her, so Canna gently patted her back.
“Make sure you eat properly and run around in the garden whenever you have time. Got it?”
“Y-yes…”
“And if you feel sick or someone bothers you, tell Kalen right away. He’s your protector.”
Lucy sniffled, wiped her nose, and nodded.
“What about you, Sister?”
“Hm?”
“If someone bothers you, who do you tell?”
“I’m an adult. I don’t need a protector.”
“But…”
“It’s true. I don’t need one.”
And one day you’ll have to stand on your own without a protector either.
But that was too cruel a thing to say to a seven-year-old girl, so she swallowed the words.
Still… there really is someone in this house who worries about me.
The moment she thought that, her chest felt strangely tight.
“Come here, Lucy.”
On impulse, Canna took the girl’s hand and pulled her along.
“W-where are we going?”
“My underground laboratory.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to give you a present.”
Canna pointed at the teddy bear sitting on the sofa.
“Bring that with you.”
Thud!
Canna’s dagger sank deep into the teddy bear’s belly.
“S-Sister…”
Instead of answering, Canna yanked the blade upward. Then she stabbed it again and sliced downward in one clean stroke.
A burst of pure white cotton exploded outward.
Canna roughly tore out handfuls of the stuffing.
“W-what are you doing?!”
“Hm? Ah, wait a second. It’s not opening easily.”
She gripped the bear’s belly with both hands and ripped the fabric apart. The seam tore open with a satisfying rip.
“Whew. Finally got it all open.”
“……”
“Look at this, Lucy.”
Canna lifted a small glass vial sealed with a cork.
“It’s for your self-defense. It’s very dangerous, so I’m going to hide it inside your teddy bear.”
“……”
“If anyone ever bothers you, take this out and spray it on them.”
It was the same itching powder she had used on the Empress.
“They’ll suffer terribly.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. Use it if someone harasses you while Kalen isn’t home.”
After slipping the vial inside, Canna carefully stitched the bear’s torn belly back together herself.
“Thank you, Sister. I’ll use it well.”
“Good. But I hope you never have to.”
Canna led Lucy back to her room. She was about to leave when Lucy grabbed her sleeve.
“Sister, wait! Please wait just a moment.”
Lucy rummaged through her drawer in a hurry and pulled something out.
“Here.”
It was a drawstring pouch. A small white cotton bag embroidered with a clover.
“I made this myself.”
“……”
“I was going to give it to you once I made it really pretty, but…”
Lucy’s face turned bright red as she stammered.
“B-but I kept failing… It’s really ugly. I’m sorry. My skills aren’t very good.”
With trembling hands, she held it out carefully.
“Sister, if you don’t mind… Well, of course you wouldn’t want something weird like this…”
“Give it here.”
“Huh?”
“It’s mine, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yes!”
Canna lifted the pouch.
The clover was stitched crookedly. The work was clumsy, but every single stitch overflowed with sincerity.
“……”
What should she say?
For some reason, her chest felt tight and the words wouldn’t come.
Canna gently stroked Lucy’s hair.
“It’s the best gift. Thank you so much.”
After saying goodbye to Lucy, Canna returned to the laboratory.
But someone was already there.
“…What the hell.”
The tall figure of a man standing motionless in the middle of her lab.
It was a painfully familiar silhouette.
“Kalen?”
Kalen slowly turned around. His expressionless, mask-like face sent a chill down her spine.
“What are you doing here?”
The warmth Lucy had left in her heart froze over in an instant.
It was unpleasant. This underground laboratory was her private space, yet he had dared to intrude without permission.
“I was waiting for you, Sister.”
“Sister, he says…”
She had wanted to tell him not to call her that, but she simply closed her mouth.
She was tired of arguing with him now.
“I have nothing to say to you. And it’s late. If you have something to say, we can talk tomorrow.”
Because tomorrow I won’t be here. We won’t have any chance to talk.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Will you feel like talking to me tomorrow?”
She almost said of course, but stopped herself.
“Who knows.”
She decided to be honest. It was a simple whim.
“Do you really think I will?”
Kalen didn’t answer. He simply stood there, staring at her with piercing eyes.
Then, without warning, he strode toward her. The sudden approach nearly made Canna step backward.
“Sister.”
Kalen stopped right in front of her.
A cold scent of whiskey brushed against the tip of her nose.
“Do you remember what I said in the carriage?”
Canna remained silent.
“Do you remember?”
“……”
“I’ll ask again. Am I really that repulsive to you?”
Kalen slowly bent at the waist until their eyes met directly.
“Should I just treat you the way I used to?”
The way he used to?
Canna rolled the words around in her mouth.
The way he used to—tormenting her, treating her like a servant.
“No. Don’t.”
For a split second, sparks flashed in Kalen’s eyes.
“Then why do you keep ignoring me?”
“Because I want you to ignore me.”
She cut him off calmly.
“I want you to ignore me. No matter where I am or what happens to me, I want you to treat me like some stranger from a distant country you’ve never seen before.”
“……”
“I’ll treat you the same way.”