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Chapter 19
“Goodness. You’re impossible.”
I giggled and scooped up a spoonful of rice.
“What side dish do you want?”
“That stew? What’s it called?”
“Bean paste stew.”
“Yeah, I want to try that too.”
When I soaked the rice in the bean paste stew, steam rose into the air.
“Wait, it’ll be too hot for you to eat right away.”
I blew on the rice to cool it down.
Then I met Baron’s wildly shaking eyes and his completely red face, and I realized I had accidentally given him a cultural shock.
Ah. I’m not his mom.
“Sorry, blowing on it with my mouth might not be a good idea.”
I put the rice I had blown on into my own mouth. I couldn’t waste good food.
Baron’s mouth fell open in shock.
“Huh? That’s the spoon I was using!”
“Oh, it’s fine.”
To me, it really wasn’t a big deal. But Baron’s face turned red all the way to the tips of his ears, which made me feel awkward instead.
“Ah, sorry. It might not bother me, but maybe it made you uncomfortable.”
Baron covered his mouth and shook his head.
“N-No, I’m fine.”
“That’s good, then.”
I grabbed a new spoon, scooped fresh rice and stew, and waited a bit for it to cool.
While he sat quietly, Baron carefully spoke up.
“Noona.”
“Yeah?”
“Um… about putting a spoon someone else used in your mouth.”
“Yeah.”
“Does it not matter even if it’s something other people used?”
“Ew! Are you crazy?”
Just hearing that made me shiver, and I waved my hands without thinking.
Goodness, I almost dropped the rice I was cooling back into the stew!
“That’s dirty.”
“…Huh? B-But the spoon I used doesn’t bother you?”
“Well, you’re part of our family.”
Baron’s eyes grew round.
“Only you’re okay.”
“O-Only me?”
“Of course. We’re family. Here, I think it’s not hot anymore. Say ah~.”
I fed the cooled rice into Baron’s mouth. Like a baby bird, he opened wide and accepted it. Watching him chew obediently somehow made me feel full too.
“Ah, you cute thing. Chew it well.”
Baron nodded but couldn’t meet my eyes. His ears were still red, as if he were embarrassed.
Well, he was born a noble. This must be a serious culture shock for him.
After we finished eating and did a few things, it was already time for bed.
When I came back from washing up, Baron had changed into the new pajamas we bought. He was sitting against the headboard with shining eyes.
The fairy tale book we bought earlier was resting on his knees, which made me smile.
“Turn on the lamp, tell Search good night, and let him out. That should be it.”
At Baron’s words, I placed the lamp on the bedside table and opened the door.
“See you tomorrow, Search.”
As if he had been waiting, Search went outside.
“Wow, he’s really smart. I wonder how intelligent he is.”
Murmuring to myself, I closed the door. Baron held out the fairy tale book.
“You’re going to read it to me, right?”
“Yep.”
I sat next to him and opened the book.
“‘The Northern Gate Picture Storybook.’”
The background illustrations, drawn like they were done with crayons, caught my eye. At the same time, I tilted my head.
Under a clear blue sky without a single cloud, white snowy mountains and ice flowers bloomed beautifully. In the center stood a gate painted in sky blue.
‘Don’t villains usually appear in dark, gloomy settings…?’
It seemed they had taken the idea from reality but made it pretty to protect children’s innocence. I began reading aloud.
“Once upon a time, there was a hero born with the power of God.”
It was the story of a brave hero who defeated the magical beasts pouring out of the Northern Gate.
“The hero could summon and command demons, spirits, and ghost legions.”
The hero had black hair and red eyes. Many ghost soldiers were drawn around him, but they were all portrayed cutely, probably to keep it child-friendly.
“But great power always comes with a price. The power of God had a side effect. The more he used it, the less people could see him.”
With a sense of duty to protect the Empire, the hero fought countless beasts at the Northern Gate, where the winter wind was cruel and sharp.
“The more he used his power, the more invisible he became to people.”
Even so, people did not forget him. They continued to bring clothes, food, and weapons near the Gate—for the hero who fought the beasts.
“The hero wore them and ate them, and happily defeated the beasts. Thanks to the hero, everyone in the Empire was safe and happy. …The end.”
It was a very short story.
The transparent hero stood on top of the defeated beasts, raising his sword high and smiling brightly. Below the mountains, people offered tributes and called him a god, bowing in worship.
What kind of fairy tale is this?
I glanced at Baron. His expression had darkened. He didn’t look amused at all, and I felt sorry for reading it.
I didn’t know it would end like this either.
“It’s kind of strange, right?”
Only then did Baron look at me.
“…Huh?”
“The ending of the story seems strange.”
I closed the book and set it aside.
“The lady recommended it, saying it was popular. Next time, I’ll check the story first before buying it.”
“What’s wrong with the ending? It’s a happy ending.”
I gently kissed his forehead good night and laid him down on the bed.
“It’s only a happy ending if the main character is happy.”
Baron puffed his cheeks slightly and let out a breath through his nose.
“It says the hero was happy. And because he fought, everyone else can live safely.”
“But wouldn’t he be lonely? No one can see him anymore.”
“He still has demons, ghosts, and spirit legions.”
“But the hero is human.”
“…Is that important?”
“The legions fighting beside him are important, sure. But don’t humans want to live with other humans? If it were me, I would.”
His purple eyes looked at me fully, then he asked again.
“That could be true. But if one sacrifices, many can live.”
I was so shocked by his words that my eyes widened without thinking.
‘Do children of the Empire grow up thinking like this from stories like this?’
Baron’s gaze pricked at my chest in a strange way. I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I turned off the lamp and lay down.
Staring at the dark ceiling, I replayed his words in my mind.
‘If one sacrifices, many can live.’
It made me think of the male lead, Bloden.
‘Thankfully, the female lead Nelloa saved him, and he got a kind of happy ending. But before that… wasn’t he lonely at the Northern Gate?’
When I read the novel, I had only seen it as a setup for a romantic redemption story.
But now that this world was the one I lived in, I suddenly felt sorry for Bloden and murmured softly without realizing.
“I don’t think that’s right.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re still awake.”
I turned to my side and gently patted Baron.
“Noona.”
Baron turned toward me, lying on his side.
“What do you mean it’s not right?”
“Well… the hero is human. He doesn’t say anything because he has a sense of duty, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy. I think the ending is wrong.”
I pulled Baron into my arms.
“Look, Baron. When I hug you like this, what do you feel?”
He was silent for a moment, then spoke softly.
“I can hear your heartbeat. And you smell nice. It feels cozy.”
I had expected him to just say “warm.”
His answer made me smile.
“I’m glad I smell nice. How do you feel?”
His small hands hugged me tighter as he burrowed into my arms.
“It’s good. And you’re strange, Noona. Somehow you feel warmer. I don’t want to move away. Um… how should I say it…”
Even while acting spoiled, he tried hard to put his feelings into words. He was so cute that I hugged him tighter.
“It’s probably the warmth between people. The warmth of feelings we share.”
I ran my fingers slowly through his hair.
“Since the hero is human, he would need someone who can feel that warmth with him too. But the ending says he became invisible and can’t have that. That’s sad.”
Baron stayed quiet. Maybe he was getting sleepy.
“I think a better ending would be the side effect and the Gate disappearing completely. Then true peace would come to the world, and the hero would live happily forever, loved by everyone.”
Baron, who had been quiet, let out a small laugh.
“Hehe. That really sounds like a fairy tale.”
I pressed my lips to his forehead and continued softly.
“I wish reality were like that too. Then our Baron wouldn’t have to go to the battlefield.”
