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~Chapter 41~
I had heard of Shakespeare’s four great tragedies, but this was my first time hearing about the four comedies. It seemed like, just like in our country, this world also had collections of famous masterpieces.
“Every book you picked, those are all the ones my mom likes,” Ariana said, happily looking into my basket while I was lost in thought.
“Huh?”
“That one, that one, and that one. All of those are hidden at the top of my mom’s bookshelf, and she reads them alone,” Ariana continued.
“I’m curious about them. Mom won’t let me read them.”
Of course, she wouldn’t let you read them. No sane parent would let a young child read books like that…
I turned my gaze to where the bookstore owner was standing. It looked like a new customer had entered, and she seemed busy attending to them.
“Big sister, can I read that book too?”
“…Huh?”
I stared at Ariana with wide eyes, completely taken aback.
“Mom always reads them alone, but she won’t let me see. I’m so curious.”
“No, you can’t!”
I twisted my body to avoid Ariana coming closer to me. As I did, Ariana puffed her cheeks like a balloon in protest.
“Why? Why can Mom read it, and big sister can read it, but I can’t?”
“T-That’s…”
I scrambled to come up with an excuse.
Ariana looked at me with her clear, sky-blue eyes, staring at me intensely. I could feel a cold sweat running down my back.
Books like that were forbidden, like Pandora’s box. If you say not to look, that only makes children want to see it even more.
As an adult, I had a responsibility to protect the innocence of children.
“Well, the thing is…”
“Why?”
“…This is a book for married women only.”
Ariana tilted her head.
“Only for married people?”
“Yes!”
I nodded vigorously, making sure she would believe me.
With Ariana’s curiosity, I knew she wouldn’t be easily fooled, so I added a quick explanation.
“See, this book has things like how to calm a spoiled child or how to scold a husband who doesn’t listen. Those are things that should be kept secret, so your mom probably hides them. If someone like you or your dad read them, all the secrets would be out. Don’t you think?”
I said it all in one breath, hoping it would work. Ariana squinted her eyes and stared at me.
Please, please believe me, little one.
“Well…”
“…”
“Now that you say that, I guess it makes sense.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like I had barely escaped a crisis. That was close—almost showing something I shouldn’t to a cute little kid.
“But wait, calming a spoiled child? There’s no child as well-behaved and nice as me!”
“…”
“Dad doesn’t listen a little, but I’m a good daughter!”
Ariana said proudly, putting her hands on her hips. The way her belly stuck out like a tadpole was actually pretty funny.
“Wow, a good daughter. Your mom must be happy, Ariana.”
I gently patted the round little head. Ariana smiled widely in return.
When I looked at her, she seemed just like any other little girl. But then I remembered seeing her earlier with the boy named Zion, acting all dramatic. What was going on in that little head of hers?
“By the way, did you get married too, pretty big sister?”
“Yeah, it’s not been long though.”
“Wow!”
Ariana looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Then… did you go around the world yet?”
“Hmm? No.”
Ariana’s face immediately showed disappointment.
At this point, I was getting curious. What did marriage and world travel have to do with each other?
“What does marriage have to do with traveling around the world?”
“When I marry Zion, we said we’d travel around the world together,” Ariana explained.
Ah, so that’s why she was asking. It made sense now.
She must have been in that cute, innocent phase of dreaming big.
“Really, Zion…?”
Suddenly, Ariana’s eyes filled with tears. It was hard to keep up with her ever-changing emotions.
“He abandoned me.”
Ariana’s expression looked so pitiful, like a drenched cat, and yet she also seemed very frustrated. She looked like she was about to cry again.
“Abandoned you? Zion’s just moving, remember?”
“But he broke his promise! My heart’s shattered into pieces.”
It was clear that Ariana had read a lot, being the daughter of the bookstore owner. Her choice of words was quite mature for her age.
But now wasn’t the time to be admiring her vocabulary.
If I didn’t handle this well, this little girl might go down a bad path. In this world, where everything felt like a romance novel, it wasn’t unthinkable that she could turn from an innocent heroine to a villain.
I had to stop her from turning into a “blackened” character.
“Ariana, you’ve read a lot of books, right? Like the ones where the male and female leads fall in love?”
Ariana nodded slightly.
“In the stories you’ve read, what happened to the male and female leads?”
“They go through hardships and obstacles, but they end up together,” Ariana replied.
“Exactly. No couple ever gets together without facing difficulties.”
Ariana’s eyes seemed to flicker as I spoke. I saw this as the perfect moment to lay it on thick.
“Just like how the earth gets harder after the rain, after going through hardships, their hearts become stronger. You and Zion are going through your hardships right now. Once you overcome this, a happier future awaits you.”
“…Really?”
Ariana asked, her tiny hands fidgeting.
“Of course. You and Zion are meant to be together. Right?”
“Yes.”
“You two are just like the main characters in a romance novel. So don’t worry.”
“Main characters…”
Ariana muttered, her cheeks blushing, and I was relieved to see that she didn’t seem like she was turning to the dark side.
“Yeah, you and Zion are destined! I’m definitely going to marry Zion and travel the world!”
After I finished paying for all the books, I made sure to solidify my bond with Ariana before I could head back to Pontus Manor.
Though I felt a bit tired, thinking about Selena during the trip back, I was able to make it home.
