ââSheâs a cursed child. Why was such a child born in our High Elf royalty?
ââDonât shed tears. What if those tears are tainted?
She wasnât even allowed to cry.
Even if she canât produce a voice, she can still shed tears silently. But Anastasiaâs father, mother, and siblings didnât even allow her to cry.
(This person understood all my thoughts that I couldnât speak out.)
âI donât know what youâre thinkingâ, âTo think not being able to speak would feel so creepyâ, âSurely you must be cursing us in your headâăźsuch countless thoughtless comments made Anastasia shut her heart away.
A High Elf who cannot speak is of no value in the Elven Forest.
As such, her thoughts are of no value, too.
(Is this a miracle?)
For that reason, it cannot be anything less than a miracle that this boyăźthis boy whom she has met only once, noticed her thoughts that she stifled.
ăIâm sorry. Did I do something to hurt your feelings?ă
ăâŚâŚâŚâŚă
Before wiping her tear-streaked face, Anastasia wanted to write down her thoughts on paper.
However, she didnât know what to write.
The boy strongly shook her heart. It all started when he brought her the bag. She was touched by the lengths the boy went to to help Lulusha.
But that was no more than just the relationship between Lulusha and the boy. She was happy that he believed and entrusted the bag to herăźbut, if she had to say, she was more happy to be able to help Lulusha.\n
(This time, howeverâŚ)
The boy thought of her.
Because of that he even took the risk.
ăWhyă
She started to write, but then immediately crumpled the paper.
(I canât afford to burden this person any more than I already have.)
She put a lid on her thoughts which were about to overflow. Just as she has done time and time again.
Anastasia let her attendant, who ran up to her, to gently wipe her face. Once that was done, Anastasia calmed the ripples that formed in her heart.
ăI apologize for being overcome with emotion and showing you an unsightly appearance. Thank you very much for all your help in this matter. There is not much I can do, but I would definitely like to reward you.ă
She wrote. A flawless handwriting.
With this, she will be able to reward the boy. Adventurers wonât overstay in this country since it isnât warm towards outsiders, but if she can give them a reward later, it would mean she has done everything she can.
She felt a slight pain in her chest.
(âŚWhat is this pain?)
Pain because she couldnât do more? Wrong.
Pain because of the poor treatment of adventurers in this country? Of course not.
(This person will leave this country in the near future.)
Once again, she felt a slight pain in her chest.\nOnce she became aware of the identity of the pain, the desire to talk more with this person, to know more about this person, filled her head.
ăâŚâŚâŚâŚă
The boy, Reiji, was looking intently at Anastasia.
Is there something?ăźas if implying that, she slightly tilted her neck, pretending to be calm best as she could. For as long as she has lived, every man would blush without fail if she made this gesture. No exception even among the Levs. The only ones who donât respond are old men who have grown too senile.
ăYour Highness, I would like to borrow a paper.ă
Yet, this boy reacted differently.
Just as he borrowed Anastasiaâs paper the other day, he wrote down something on it and folded it a couple of times so that the contents couldnât be seen.
(What is this about?)
And he gave it to the confused Anastasia.
ăCan you read it when you are alone?ă
He said. His behavior may have been unexpected, as even his fellow adventurer, Non, was also slightly startled.
ăThis time, through extraordinary luck, we were able to capture the labyrinth. We have already received too many rewards from His Majesty the Emperor, and were even able to have an audience. So I humbly decline the reward from Your Highness.ă
ăâŚâŚă
Reiji said with a slight smile.
Surely because he doesnât wish to trouble her. She couldnât think of any other reason why an adventurer who lives day-to-day would decline the reward.
Anastasia was frustrated. At herself who couldnât do anything more. Rewarding an adventurer is a simple thing, she wanted to say, but Anastasia knew it was not âsimpleâ for her.
(I am a caged bird⌠A bird that canât even chirp.)\n\nPerhaps, he secretly wants something? Bad-mouthing His Majesty the Emperor? That would indeed be interesting, but that surely isnât the case. Or maybe, a love-letter to her?
Her heart thumping with excitement, Anastasia revealed the contents of the paper. She forgot to breathe as she looked through the contents.
ăUnder Your Highnessâ scarf, the sorcery written on the bandage is a voice seal, isnât it? From what I can gather, Your Highness seems to have a peculiar constitution in which fire magic is invoked when you speak. However, this can be controlled, not through sorcery, but through training your mana control. Should you require guidance, I can assist you.ă
For a few seconds.
No, for more than ten seconds, Anastasia forgot to breathe.
ăâŚwhaâŚă
She tried to speak, but remembered that she canât due to sorcery. She was reminded that even the slightest voice caused sparks of flames to appear around her bodyăźreminded that she was loved by âfireâ, which is deadly for a forest-dwelling elf.
Her voice was sealed off shortly after birth. Frustrated, during her early ages, she would undress the bandage and use magic â sometimes burning many big trees.
This is a top secret, however.
Known only by her direct family.
Publically, they announced that she was âcursed by a mageâ. The voice seal sorcery is also hidden with multiple layers of camouflage, and can hardly be detected when she wraps a scarf around.
Needless to mention, neither Lulusha nor the Emperor knows.
(How?)
Simultaneously with that questionâ
(I can overcome this constitution?)
Anastasiaâs heart was strongly shaken by a ray of hope, like an intense beam of miraculous light, that came from a completely unexpected place.
Her heartbeat returned. Her complexion also returned, accompanied by a mixture of complicated emotions. But the colors brought forth by those emotions were vibrant and sweet enough to enrapture Anastasia.