Volume 12 - CH 1(2/2)
It wasn’t going to be Lydia anymore that was going to find out about an unexpected side of Edgar at an unanticipated moment.
This is stupid. That’s a future that couldn’t possibly happen in the first place.
P. 50
Till honestly?responded with a nod.
“Even yesterday, when Mother wasn’t here, he played with me. We played pirates -?when I came with a slayed pretty lady, the captain would give me a reward.”
“The captain...?”
“Father.”
She thought that Edgar's idea of?playing games probably wasn’t good for a child's education. However, Lydia wasn’t in any position to opinion about that.
“Edgar likes you as well. That’s why it’s all right even if he isn’t your father.”
“Then, does Mother like Father Edgar?”
He was a flirt and irresponsible, but there were times when she could admire him. That’s why, she faintly realized that she wasn’t able to completely push him away.
“Then would you two be good with each other from now on?”
However, that could be why she couldn’t forgive the part of him that fooled around?with women.
Lydia bended her legs to kneel down and took both of Till’s hands.
“To tell you the truth, your real mother isn’t me. I actually don’t live in this house, you heard that your mother lives here and came here, didn’t you?”
P. 51
Till made a puzzled expression and titled his head.
“There’s a girl named Connie who works as a maid here. I think she is the one?who you came to see.”
“She's my mother?”
“She almost near complet distrust with?men, but I think it will be all right. She happens to have feelings for Edgar. And well.. it seems like he also bending towards getting back in a relationship with her, so I’m going to go and tell her that in just a little bit.”
I need to talk to Connie as soon as I can, but even though Lydia thought that, her body still wasn’t able to stand up.
Ohh, I still have my work from this morning left unfinished. It would be all right that I do it after I get that work done first, I’m sure.
She thought that as if in excuse.
I have been saying that I?was attracted to you, and yet you say that I should marry a different woman?
She wondered if doing this was really the best thing. She wondered if what she was doing was denying?Edgar’s feelings.
What he said sounded like it came from his heart -?without any time to act.
When she got confused like that, she became more and more unable to stand up. She couldn’t even realize that Till had soundlessly left the room.
P. 52
*
I thought that when I'm born, the first moving thing?I see would be my mother. Till was still a stork spirit and wasn’t a human baby, but when he awakened in this earl manor and opened his eyes?a crack, the first thing he saw was Lydia and in that one glimpse, he immediately liked her.
She was looking down into him and made such a gentle smile. He was sure that she was his mother.
However, Lydia said that wasn't true.
If she was saying that, then Till’s mother must be the girl named Connie.
But more than that, Till felt pain?at seeing how Lydia looked. She appeared so happy yesterday, but today she seemed in pain.
Father Edgar says he wants to marry Mother Lydia. He definitely said that yesterday and Till has?only heard the name “Lydia”filled with love come out?from his father’s lips.
He never heard the name Connie.
But his mother named Connie loved Father Edgar and Father had gotten in a fight with Mother Lydia and?now wants to marry Mother Connie.
P. 53
And the one who seemed in pain was Mother Lydia.
In order for Till to be born as a human, he came here so that the one who was going to become his mother wouldn’t lose her feelings of love for another.
If Connie was Till’s mother, then he needed to make sure that she doesn’t lose her feelings of love.
However, he didn’t want Lydia to be made sad because of him. Till couldn’t imagine loosing that smile made for him at their first meeting.
“Connie, if you’re going on an errand, then make sure to come home without making any other stops.”
Till heard a voice and stopped on one of the stairs and peered down from the shadow of the rails.
“Yes, Miss Rain.”
A young maid gave a quick?reply to an elderly house keeper and?was just about to exit from the kitchen door.
She must be Connie who Lydia was talking about.
She was a girl with black hair and around the same age as Lydia. However, no matter how much Till stared at her, there wasn’t any kind of deep emotion that?rose out?of him.
He didn’t know if a human baby was able to recognize any blood relationship just by looking at someone.
Only that to Till, who was a stork spirit, the very first smile that was made?for him was the sign of a mother who he could snuggle up to. It was a strong impression that couldn’t be changed that easily.
Till followed after Connie.
P. 54
Yesterday was such a nice weather, and yet today, there was a light drizzle falling in London.
The people passing by on the streets had their hats on deep to hide from the rain and didn’t pay any unnecessary attention as they walked with hasty steps.
For Till who was making himself invisible, it was natural that nobody noticed him.
In the moment Connie stopped before crossing a road, Till approached her from behind and?sprinkled some fairy magic powder on her.
Connie hadn’t noticed anything, but with this, she was sure to lose her way back to the earl manor and would end up going around in circles in the same place.
While she was lost, he was going to have to ask for Father Edgar and Mother Lydia to reconcile with each other again.
Till hurried back to the earl manor.
The area around his wings felt unusually heavy, probably wet from the rain.
*
Even when it turned to afternoon, Lydia still wasn’t able to bring herself to talk to Connie and she?made it seem like she wasn’t able to put a stop to her work, yet her work?pace wasn’t moving along at all, she made a sigh as she gazed at the?garbage bin that was filled with?rolled up papers with her writing mistakes.
P. 55
Just them,?a butler with a panic-look?came running into the room.
“Miss Carlton, there is an?emergency. The young mister Till was found lying on his side by the kitchen?door....”
“What, Till?”
When she went dashing after?Tomkins where he guided her, she saw that the small baby was laid to rest?down in a wide, open bed.
Till was cowering his body together and looked as if he was feeling terrible.
“Till, what's wrong? Do you not feel all right?”
Lydia sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke gently?to him, but he didn’t make any response.
“Mister Tomkins, where is?Edgar?”
“He still is out and hasn’t?returned. It was just when we sent out a messenger to inform him.”
“Oh, no, what do I do.., oh, a doctor..”
“Will it be right to call for one?”
Tomkins rapidly blinked his eyes that were set far apart with a look of confusion as he knew that Till was a fairy. There was no way a human doctor would know about any fairy illness.
“I’m sorry, I must be quite shaken up.”
She was the Fairy Doctor and yet she had no idea of what to do and that was infuriating for her.
But still, Lydia tried to hurry and think up of something.
P. 56
There had to be a reason why this happened to Till. If she were able to pinpoint that, then she was sure?he would recover.
Just a while earlier, she talked to him that there was no mistake that a maid named Connie was his real mother. He might have gone to meet Connie, and if that were so, there was a possibility that she knew something that could have happened to Till.
“Mister Tomkins, I’m sorry but could you go call for a maid named Connie.”
When Lydia suddenly thought of that and said so, the butler nodded and left the room. After a while, the house keeper Harriet appeared.
“Connie has left on an errand and still hasn’t returned.”
As Harriet said that, she wobbled her big, plump body like she wanted to complain about something.
“And I had said so many times for her not to go and make any stops. I’m sure she has gone to the manor that she was previously working at and prowling around that area. My goodness, it’s always like this when I send her out on errands.”
“The manor she previously worked at? I wonder if she wants to go back there.”
“She won’t be able to return?because she was fired. If a maid has come to be?close with the son of the?house, then it’s natural that the lord of the house would kick her out.”
Lydia was completely taken by surprise and stared gapping at Harriet.
“Connie, she was with the son there...?”
“Oh, why, yes, she is quite an honest and open girl, but it seems like she’s quite susceptible to falling in love and has made numerous problems at all the places she has worked. The son of the previous house was an acquaintance with our lord and he came asking for our?lord’s help because she said she would rather die than break her relationship?with him. It was just when the young son had gotten a?marriage offer and if this?maid issue were to prolong, then the son said he was going to be kicked out of the?family by his father... That is quite a terrible thing in itself; you are aware,?that a maid kicked out of her post will have a terribly difficult time finding?employment anywhere without proper papers? Since it is a?matter of life and death for a girl who doesn’t have anyone to rely on, there?isn’t any surprise that she would cling on the thought of suicide.”
P. 57
“Then Edgar did that for the sake of his acquaintance and her-”
“He made it so that he hired?Connie, and became the bridge between them so that there wasn’t any troubles caused?from their breakup. Our lord can be that kind of a person, but he wouldn’t do?anything that would hurt a girl who is in?the weaker position. Even the son seemed like he wasn’t able to hold his head up in the presence of my?lord after that.”
Edgar had said that it was her misunderstanding about any breakup with Connie.
So that wasn’t a lie.
And yet, she went and blamed everything?on Edgar.
“Ohh, I’m sorry, I’ve gone on and blabbered on and on unnecessaringly. I will have someone go fetch Connie. I’ll let you know when she has returned,” said Harriet.
Even when Harriet left the room, Lydia wasn’t paying attention and was completely shocked at herself about coming to?such a?conclusion?so quickly.
There wasn’t any point in?bringing together Connie and Edgar, and that only gave the both of them a sense?of displeasure.
P. 58
To prove it, she had gotten in a fight with Edgar.
On top of that, Till had even gotten sick, and Lydia didn’t have any idea in what to do.
She felt so sick of herself and couldn’t relax and as she was going around in circles in the room, Till opened up his eyes a crack.
“......Mother Connie won’t be coming back home today. Because she has gotten someone else she likes, she has gone to go see that person.”
She had no idea what he was talking about. This morning, she wasn’t even able to eat anything because she hadn’t recovered from the pain of a broken heart, and now she has a new love?interest?
“That’s why, Mother Lydia, please get married with Father Edgar.. Don’t you like Father?”
“Wh-what are you saying.?I...”
And then, Lydia realized something and gripped Till’s hand.
“Till, what have to done to?her?”
Even as he made a suffocated face, Till tried to make a smile.
“Even if I’m not Mother’s child, I still like Mother.”
“...So you used fairy magic?”
If that was so, then Connie must have lost her way and wasn’t able to return. There were many places in London that were dangerous, and there was a drizzle that was coming down.
P. 59
If it were to turn dark at this rate, then there might be something awful that could happen to her.
There could of already been?something that happened to her, and if that were to be so, then Till won’t be?able to be born.
Perhaps, it was because of that, that Till had become this sick.
He closed his eyes again, unlike falling asleep, Till looked as if he had lost consciousness and there were so many of his feathers on his fragile back that had fallen out.
At this rate, he might die.
“Lydia, how is Till?”
It was Edgar’s voice. It seemed like he came in a hurry, as Edgar came into the room still with his hat and stick in his hand, and Lydia went dashing over to him in a rush like she was going to cling onto him.
“Edgar, what should I do..,it’s my fault. I didn’t think about Till’s feelings and gone and said that Connie was his mother.”
“It’s all right, Lydia. Everything will be all right.”
Edgar said that even though he should have had no idea of what was going on.
Even when she was cradle gently in his arms, she had no time to spare to feel any embarrassment as usual, and as she felt relief instead at his strokes that combed her hair to relax her, Lydia continued to spill out her words.
“Till had come to like me and was coming to be affectionate towards me and yet...”
P. 60
“It isn’t your fault.”
“But, such a small child is sure to feel hurt if he were suddenly told he has the wrong mother. And yet?I...”
“Now, listen, Lydia, if you go and get upset like that, then Till won’t be able to relax. No matter what kind of sickness it is, it’s important that he can rest in peace.”
Lydia realized something and?snapped her head up.
“Oh, I remember now, I have to go find Connie. She’s caught in fairy magic and can’t find her way back. If she doesn’t return back safely, then Till will die.”
However, Edgar didn’t let his arms off of Lydia and remained so as he called for Raven.
“Let’s have him go.”
“He can’t, I have to go, he’ll be caught in the fairy magic with her and lose his way.”
“It’s fine, you have to stay?here.”
Edgar moved his eyes and looked over towards Till, and saw his small tiny hand which grabbing tight onto a strand of Lydia’s hair unconsciously.
“I’ll go with him.”
By Raven’s footsteps, Nico appeared without anybody noticing as he said that.
If it were Nico, then he would be able to help Connie return who was caught in the fairy’s magic.
P. 61
But for him, who tended to find like that bothersome, it was rare that he went and offered his own hand to help.
“Thank you, Nico. You were also worried about Till as well.”
“Nnn, when we were playing, and I had jumped from the balcony to the roof, he wasn’t able to keep up and?fell.”
“Whaat, goodness, Nico,”
“Well, even this runt is a fairy, so there shouldn’t be any problem if he were to just drop.”
But it looked like he was still bothered by it.
“So, let’s go, Raven.”
As Lydia saw off the two of them leave, she went over to Till and sat down.
*
“Lord Edgar, I have returned.”
She moved her eyes loosely around the room at the sound of Raven’s voice. Lydia was still leaning up against Edgar, but he didn’t try to let her go, so she decided that it was all right to stay like that.
“Ahh, Raven, good work.”
P. 66
From just those words, Raven had taken the hint that his work was done and gave a bow and quickly left the room.
Connie the maid who was standing beside Raven was left by herself, and as she remained there with no idea of what she should do, she looked at Edgar and made a timidly, nervous bow.
“Um, my lord, I am terribly sorry. For some reason, I had gotten lost and was able to get back.”
It seemed like she was in frights that she was going to get yelled at when she was brought before the lord of the house.
“I have no intention of firing you. More than that...”
“Is that true? Oh, thank?goodness!”
Connie seemed to relax as she let out an energetic voice. She had a completely different impression from when she was in bad spirits this morning, but all was all right as long as she felt better. Lydia finally remembered that she had the girl brought back for Till’s sake and so she stood up.
“Connie, I have been waiting for you.”
“Oh, Miss, thank you for what you had done earlier. I feel much better now. Because, I think I will be able to start a new love!”
“A new love?”
Lydia was surprised at what the girl suddenly said. It was just this morning that the girl was depressed as she was thinking about the lover who abandoned her. Isn’t it just a bit too?quick.
P. 67
“He had been watching me for a little while now so I had been thinking about him, but when I had fallen down in miss’s room, he had brought me some milk, and I thought what a nice person he is. Even just now, when he came to fetch me, he would look at me strongly as he didn’t say a word. Although, he’s a silent type, I’m sure he’s someone who can think of someone with all his heart!”
Could she be meaning about?Raven?
Raven had only been ordered by Edgar, and so wasn’t that why he had been keeping an eye on Connie.
And furthermore, even about the milk, that was because Lydia asked him to do that.
“I’m glad to hear that. Although love is important, work is also important.”
When Edgar said that, she must have gotten embarrassed about how overly excited she was, and solemnly made a ‘yes’ reply.
Lydia was completely stunned as she watched Connie leave the room.
“Is this all right? She’s under the wrong impression of Raven.”
“There shouldn’t be any harm? Before Raven can realize Connie’s affections, I think that her love interest will have swithed to another man by then.”
“B-but, oh, oh yes, I had Connie come back because she was the one who was going to be Till’s mother.”
It was just when she was going to rush out and call for Connie.
“Lydia, it looks like Till is going to wake up.”
She turned around at Edgar’s voice and saw that Till was sitting up on top of the bed and had a grip of the covers and looked at their direction intently.
P. 68
He wasn’t showing any signs that he was sick. Other than how his lightly pigmented hair looked like it had grown a little longer, he appeared the same. Was what she wanted to think.
However, Till was different from how he was before.
In place of his weak-looking wings where his plumes had fallen out, there was a pair of large wings that looked as if they were as long as his height.
They were magnificent stork wings that had black wind breaking feathers.
“I, I wonder what has happened to me...”
It looked like Till didn’t know what was going on as he tried to turn his head around to check his back.
“I-it will be all right, Till. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Even though Lydia didn’t know what was going on, she came running over and tried not to make Till fearful.
“He must have turned into an adult, I’m sure.”
Edgar said half-heartedly.
“Adult, but he still has the body of a baby.”
Lydia lowered her voice and argued?back to him, but there was another voice that came from the window.
“It is just as the lord earl?says.”
Right by Nico’s side, there was a stork bird resting its wings there. The one who must have spoken just now, looks to be that stork.
P. 69
P. 70
“Grandpa..”
Murmured Till.
“What, he’s Till’s?grandfather?”
“He says he’s the head of their clan. It seems like he had been going around searching for the little runt. When I was searching for the maid, I happened to come across him, and when I mentioned about the runt’s sickness, I had him come back here with me.”
Nico puffed out his chest with pride in his accomplishment.
“That little one is not sick. It’s just that his chick plumes were replaced.”
The stork jumped off of the window and hobbled over to where they were and spread out one of his wings and craftily?made a bow.
“Lord Blue Knight Earl, and my lady, Fairy Doctor, I’m terribly sorry for the trouble that was caused on you. We stork fairies originally do not have any parent birds. However, when we are chicklings, it seems that the little ones are susceptible to loneliness that they do not have parents when they witness a stork parent and child. And it was there that it had become the norm for the rest of us to say to them that they can gain kind parents when they eventually become human babies. Although, of course that is superstition.”
“Superstition? Then, I wonder where the superstition that a stork comes to deliver a human baby came?from.”
When Edgar leaned his head to the side, the elderly stork replied solemnly.
“That is because when we take the form of a human, we are only able to transform into a baby.”
P. 71
In one blink of an eye, the elderly clan head turned his shape into that of a newly born infant.
“There have been a number of humans who have witnessed us in this form when we were mingling with storks from the past.”
“...I see.”
The clan head immediately returned back into his stork form, but Till still remained in his baby form and was put in shock from finding out he couldn’t become a real human.
“Grandpa...., then, it was a lie that I was going to become the child of this family?”
“You were an exceptionally lonesome one, so I wanted to let you have that dream. If it were this Blue Knight Earl family, then I thought there would be no harm in you coming to take a look now and then and so I told you, but it seemed like one of our clan members had played around with you by coming up with the lie that your mother had no trust in men.”
Which means, Connie also wasn’t Till’s mother.
“You understand now, now that you are no longer a chickling. You have to become a fine stork spirit now.”
Being told so by the head clan elder, Till made a lonesome ace and looked up towards Lydia.
Till had completely grown up in such a short timeframe, so he must have a good understanding of this. However, it wasn’t like his sad, lonely feelings were going to disappear with reason.
Lydia didn’t think but embraced Till in her arms.
P. 72
“It will be fine for us to look after Till! Until his feelings are set, he could live here with us.. Right,?Edgar?”
“Yes, of course.”
Mother, murmured Till in a hush. Lydia thought please don’t go so soon.
However, he eventually let go of Lydia and stood straight up and looked over to their direction.
“Father Edgar, Mother Lydia, thank you very much. Although it was a short while, it felt like I had become the real child of this family and it made me so happy.”
With a face that could nearly cry, he said that with a smile and he spread out his freshly reborn wings out wide.
He no longer was a child. There was no way to keep him from leaving his nest.
“Goodbye. I hope the both of you don’t fight anymore.”
There was an abrupt gust of wind that must have been made from the beating of the stork fairy’s wings.
Lydia closed her eyes for a second, but what she saw when she opened her eyes again was the sight of two storks who were flying in a circle in the air outside the window.
Eventually, the two of them?disappeared off into the clouds were floating in the sky after the drizzle in the horizon.
Lydia still wasn’t able to accept the sudden parting, as she picked up the feathers that had fallen on the bed.
She felt so lonely and couldn’t move from the window side she was standing by.
P. 73
She felt the presence of Edgar standing behind her. He spread his arms out around to embrace Lydia and cradled?her along with Till’s feather lovingly.
“It will be all right.”
Lydia was supported at his words.
“Although it was a short while,?Till was indeed our child.”
“Yes...., you’re right.”
Unusually, Lydia gave a nod with the feeling like their hearts were one.
Because Till had been with them, she was able to be honest in front of Edgar. Inside Lydia, his presence had indeed increased.
From now on, she was going to trust him a little more, and thought that she wasn’t going to easily start a fight with him.
Since, the symbol of happiness, a stork fairy had come flying down to them..
“I was so happy when you said that the two of us would look after Till. I thought you could have come to?acknowledge me just a little.”
“...Yes.”
“Did you start to want an adorable baby?”
“Yes...”
“Then, I’ll help you with that whenever you want.”
P. 74
A?soft kiss was planted?on her ear, and Lydia finally realized the meaning of their conversation and turned bright red.
She became so embarrassed and?flustered, that blood had risen to her head and the honest feelings that were?in her just now blown away, and she had used all her strength to slap away?Edgar’s hand.
“No, thank you, that will be?unnecessary!”