Kir

9. Opening

Kyrie arrived at a small shack in the corner of the city.

“Please wait a moment. The wanted carriage will be here soon.”

Said the masked man who brought Kyrie. Kyrie, who was looking around with anxious eyes holding her shawl tightly, opened her mouth.

“Will there be time to see Maria?”

“It’s hard. It’s just a matter of time.”

The men left the room with only one left. Somewhere outside, the noise continued and vibrated. There were also footsteps of armed soldiers moving in groups.

“Find her!”

“She couldn’t have gone far!”

“Light purple hair and purple eyes! Don’t leave a scar!”

Kyrie held her breath and closed the briefly opened wooden window. Her heart beat violently. It was when she turned with her hands on her chest.

“Mom.....”

“Don’t come out!”

The inside door, which she thought no one was there, opened, and a little girl walked out rubbing her eyes. The man was very embarrassed and at a loss. The same was true of Kyrie.

“What about that kid?”

“The daughter of the landlord.”

The masked man replied embarrassingly.

“I’m an assistant to OldCiudad. I thought it’d be better to blend in with civilians, so I let it go.....”

“Huh?”

“.....”

Kyrie looked at the little kid with her head tilted continuously.

“Federica, come on in!”

Behind the open door, a person who appeared to be the girl’s mother cringed and noticed. She held the child by the shoulder in a cold sweat and tried to let her in, but he held the doorknob and wouldn’t let go.

“Who are you, Unnie?” (PR note: Unnie is a way for girls to call an older sister)

“Me?”

“Yes, pretty Unnie, who are you?”

She was speechless.

Wouldn’t it be troublesome to say my real name?

“I’m, I’m.....”

“Miss Josephina. Take the child.”

“I’m sorry, Federica! Come on! I told you to listen!”

“Mom, why did you let an unknown Unnie in our home?”

“Federica!”

As the mother’s voice rose, tears welled up in the child’s eyes.

“Mom, why, get angry....!”

When the child was about to cry, Kyrie stopped the woman.

“It’s all right, she’s surprised.”

Kyrie bowed down to the child.

“Did you say you’re Federica?”

“Ung. I’m Federica. Federica Moretti!”

The child smiled broadly as if she had never cried like a child.

“You’re not from here.”

“Federica, you live here?”

“It’s a family that ran away from Saint De Nisse. They helped them settle in OldCiudad.”

The masked man answered instead. Kyrie nodded.

“Federica, I’m Kir.”

“Kir?”

“Yes, I’m going to owe you a little time at Federica’s house today.”

“What do you owe me?”

“I’m talking about sleeping in Federica’s.”

Federica began to suck her thumb. Kyrie was embarrassed but politely turned a blind eye to it.

“Can I, Federica?”

“Um..... Will Unnie use Dad’s bed?”

“Is your father home?”

“Yes, Dad is in Federica’s hometown. He said he will come by 1,000 nights of sleep.”*

With Josephina’s cover of her mouth, Kyrie immediately noticed the meaning of a thousand nights. Just in time, the door opened carefully. The people who went outside came back. And one of them took off his hat as soon as he came into the room. It was Maria.

“Kyrie!”

“Maria!”

Kyrie ran right away and hugged Maria. Maria also hugged Kyrie with open arms, but she looked surprised rather than pleased.

“Kyrie, are you sick? Your body...”

Kyrie smiled bitterly.

“I just lost weight because of stress.”

“Oh, my God! Oh, my God....”

Maria called out God’s name and hugged Kyrie once again. She beckoned Josephina and seated Kyrie in front of a small table.

“Kyrie, things are urgent. There’s no way out of the capital.”

“It’s Nathaniel.”

“Yeah, it’s like I knew this was gonna happen today. Did Miss Cassner say anything else to you?”

“Not really. But how did you come up with the idea of delivering it through Miss Cassner?”

“Your maid informed me that the feud between you and Miss Cassner has been resolved. We were locked up, and there was no other way to contact you. Thanks to you, the plan has been delayed, and in the meantime, you.....”

Maria bit her lip. Kyrie’s heart ached more when she saw her face, which was always neat and elegant. Even that was because of herself.

“Sorry, Maria.”

“Please don’t apologize to me, Kyrie. I heard that you, you were about to die.....”

Maria closed her eyes tightly. It seemed hard to control her emotions. Taking a short breath, Maria opened her eyes with a determined look.

“....Kyrie. The Legendary Lord is controlling the capital. The soldiers are looking for you.”

“.....”

“Laura got out with us, so don’t worry about us. We’ll be safe here.”

Kyrie took Maria’s hand carefully.

“Maria, thank you for helping me. But.....”

“Kyrie! Please!”

Maria lowered her head and put her forehead together in her hands. Her voice was shaking like a frightened person.

“Please.... don’t make extreme choices. As a friend, I can’t wait and see you make that choice.”

“.....”

“I beg you.....”

Kyrie was never able to answer. Maria hugged Kyrie’s shoulder strongly.

“Hide here for the time being, Kyrie. The Legendary Lord will be the first to doubt me and Laura, so I won’t be here anymore, but I’ll tell you the news from time to time. I’ll get you out of the capital as soon as I have a chance.”

“Maria.....”

Maria interrupted Kyrie and shook her head. Maria’s eyes were firm. Even her words were like that.

“Live, Kyrie.”

She soon turned to Josephina.

“Josephina, take care of Kyrie.”

Josephina hugged Federica and smiled.

“No matter how much, Lady Maria, I will do anything to repay the grace I have been given by OldCiudad.”

From the outside, the vibration rang a few more times, and more people’s footsteps were heard. Maria put on her hat again.

“I’ve got to go, Kyrie.”

The eyes of Kyrie and Maria met. At that moment, the two felt an uncertain prediction that they might never meet again. But neither of them spoke it out. Maria smiled tenderly, just looking at her friend’s face, which might be the last.

“Survive, Kyrie.”

***

Martial law was declared throughout the capital by morning.

(T/N: martial law- military government, involving the suspension of ordinary law.)

[Bring Kyrie Buchanan.. without any wounds.]

It was a special feature of the Legendary Lord. Every soldier in the capital was called up for him. It was good news that the Emperor’s magic corps did not participate. OldCiudad’s henchman, who had informed all the news, handed over a small brooch.

“It’s a device that prevents magic detection. Keep it.”

Kyrie fiddled with the brooch with laurels on it.

“Are Maria and Laura alright?”

“Fortunately, they’re fine. There was a lot of pressure from the Legendary Lord, but it didn’t hurt them both.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. However, OldCiudad’s contact lowered his head with a sad look.

“The escape is likely to be delayed. I’m sorry, the horseman I originally wanted was murdered.”

Kyrie raised her head.

“Killed? By whom?”

“It looks like he stepped on his tail. You don’t have to worry about it because this place is undetected.”

“The dead horseman, then.....”

“We will send enough consolation money in the name of OldCiudad.”

Kyrie’s eyes shook. One more person died. More people will die in the future.

‘Please die, Noona.’

‘Live, Kyrie.’

She turned her head, pressing her slender hand down with the other hand.

“Okay. Go ahead.”

“Will you be alright?”

“Yes.”

The henchmen hesitated and opened their mouths.

“Mary is concerned about your health.”

“.....”

“I’ll be back.”

“Wait a minute.”

Kyrie caught the henchman trying to get out.

“What’s your name? What was the horseman’s name?”

The man looked embarrassed.

“Shadow has no name. We can’t tell you the name of the horseman due to security reasons. It’s not something that Miss Buchanan should care about.”

She lost all her strength. He told her not to care if he died because of her. It was a difficult and sad story. The man, who saw Kyrie’s expression, hesitated, took a step back and spoke quietly.

“Please call me Joey. They all call me Joey.”

“Joey.”

Kyrie rolled the name in her mouth. It was a name she didn’t know how much more she could call.

“Then Joey, let me ask you a favor.”

“Yes, Miss. Buchanan.”

“Don’t die.”

Kyrie said low. Joey hardened like a man caught doing something wrong, bowed his head and scuttled out of the room.

The door inside opened carefully as Joey left.

“Unnie?”

It was Federica, a girl with yellow skin and curly black hair and black eyes.

Her mother, Josephina, went out to work as usual to avoid suspicion. There were only two people, Kyrie and Federica, in the house. Federica stalked up to Kyrie.

“Kir, did you cry?”

“I didn’t cry.”

Kyrie smiled. No matter how emotional you were, it would be the adult who would smile in front of child. Then Federica laughed her head off.

“You’re pretty. I wish my eyes were purple too....”

“Thank you. Federica is pretty just the way she is.”

“You look like a princess. Your clothes are pretty. I want to wear something like that.....”

Federica looked at Kyrier’s clothes and began to suck her fingers. Kyrie smiled bitterly.

“I’m sorry. I want to give it to you, but if I give it to you, a scary person might visit Federica.”

“A scary person?”

“Yes, he’s scary.”

Federica tilted her head.

“Is he a ghost or a monster? Is it the End?”

It was enough for children who grew up listening to the Legendary Lord, the Patriotic Lord, and the story of the End they defeated by them like local folklore. Nevertheless, Kyrie got goosebumps all over her body as soon as she heard the word ‘the End.’

It was time for Kyrie to turn her head to hide her embarrassment. Something glistened in the distance, as if a finger of fate was pointing. It was a kitchen knife.

‘Noona, can you please die?’

At the same time, someone’s whisper filled her head. Kyrie didn’t know that she’d probably be obsessed with it forever. It was a winter curse, and Aaron still appeared in Kyrie’s dreams night after night.

Kyrie’s eyes clung to the knife as if she was possessed. She slowly grabbed Federica’s shoulders like a possessed person.

“Federica.. Would you like to go into the room for a minute?”

“Why?”

Federica asked with innocent eyes. Kyrie looked at Federica, and looked at the knife again with a stunned face.

“I... I have to go out for a while”

“Out there? People are coming for you.”

“No, there’s a place they can’t reach. I’m thinking of going there.”

“Is it safer than my house?”

Looking at the child’s face, Kyrie smiled with an unprecedented serenity.

“Yes, it’s very safe. It’s a place where no one gets hurt.”

Kyrie whispered. Federica chewed her cheeks like she was chewing her thumb. Kyrie waited for Federica’s answer with her eyes blinking. In time, Federica’s mouth opened.

“Unnie, children need to be with an adult. Federica is not an adult yet.”

Surprisingly, Kyrie felt she had a punch. The mind that only thought about dying came back in a moment. Kyrie blinked her eyes.

‘You’re crazy, Kyrie Buchanan.’

Thinking of leaving a child alone in an empty house and going out to die. What a self-indulgent act.

“Right?”

Federica asked. Kyrie took Federica’s hand off her shoulder.

“....Yes, Federica is right.”

Kyrie said so and then closed her mouth.

Shame.

I almost did the same thing when Aaron died.

She looked back at the kitchen knife. There will be another chance later.....

Then Federica burst into view.

“Are you hungry?”

“Huh?”

“Why do you keep looking at the kitchen?”

Kyrie paused.

“I’m not hungry. What about Federica?

“Federica is hungry. Can you cook?”

“.....”

It was the second time, and so far, it was the first time anyone had stopped Kyrie so easily.

***

*) T/N: the author used the original version of 1001 Arabian Nights. Federica’s father is dead but her mother couldn’t tell her daughter about this so instead of answering she told the child he will come when Federica gets 1000 nights of sleep. Federica is a child so she obviously won’t know the counting, therefore she is continuously kept it dark for many days