He took hold of the braid and brought his lips close to the ribbon at the end. He slowly blew across it, and for an instant, Lille could have sworn she saw the ribbon shine with warm light. But in a blink of an eye, the light was gone, and she wondered if she had imagined it.
“…Master Charlie, what exactly did you enchant it with? I couldn’t really see from here,” Leo asked curiously.
“Well…it’s a secret.” Charles grinned, evading the question, his expression unreadable. Leo eyed him dubiously. “Anyway—the sun’s starting to set, so we should eat dinner now. I expect you’re hungry, Lille.”
With a flick of his finger, Charles swept his hand through the air as if he were pulling on an invisible string. As he did, forks, knives, and platefuls of food came floating into the living room from the kitchen. Lille watched him carefully, trying to figure out how he was doing that. The tableware neatly fell into its rightful place on the dining table, ready to be used.
When Lille heard the word ‘dinner,’ the image of a half-empty bowl of soup and singular, hard piece of bread came to mind. In this house, it was different. There were so many plates lined up on the table that she could hardly believe her eyes. There was pottage, some sort of meat dish, a fruit pie… Not to mention, the bread basket was piled high.
Charles and Leo had prepared drinks, too; there was a bottle full of some sort of liquid, and the color indicated that it was definitely not water.
“Is this for the whole week?” she asked in disbelief.
“No, Lille. There’s enough here for three people and one bird, so eat as much as you like,” Charles said. “Especially since you’re a growing girl.”
The strange-colored beverage was called “wine,” but only adults were allowed to drink it. Lille was promptly redirected to the fruit juice, and Charles poured her a cup.
“I was the one who made most of this, so you’d better eat it all!” Leo barked.
“Wow, Leo. You made all this? That’s amazing.” She beamed at him.
“I’m terrible at cooking. I feel bad that I can only help a little, but I really am hopeless,” Charles chuckled, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“Seriously. It’d be a load off my shoulders if you’re any good at it,” Leo sighed, looking toward Lille.
“Okay, I’ll bear that in mind,” Lille replied.
“Good. All right, let’s dig in.”
Leo described each of the dishes lined up on the table to her as if Lille was already his culinary protégé. With his mouth full of food, he pointed out the potato pottage, and the sautéed chicken with orange sauce. Ark had nimbly dug his claws into a cut of meat and was pecking away at it.
She wanted to taste a little of all the dishes, but before she knew it, she was too full to take another bite.
“Are you already done eating?” Leo looked disappointed. “Master Charlie told me to prepare a grand feast, but now the extra helpings are gonna go to waste.”
“Lille can’t help that she’s not used to portions this size,” Charles said, defending her.
Still, she felt guilty about not finishing the food Leo had worked so hard to prepare. “…I can eat some more,” she said, trying to convince herself as well as the others.
“No, I wasn’t trying to force you. You can just save the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow, right?” Leo shrugged.
“…All right, then,” she conceded. Even talking was hard work; her stomach felt like it might burst. Her body felt uncomfortably heavy from eating so much at once, to the point that she doubted she could move if she tried. On top of that, a sudden tiredness had overtaken her.
“Lille, are you sleepy?” Charles asked, noticing that she kept rubbing her eyes and was starting to nod off.
“Why would I fall asleep from a full stomach…? I’m not a baby,” she protested.
“It’s been a very eventful day, so no wonder you’re tired. Don’t force yourself to stay awake. Besides, you’ve already taken a bath, so you might as well head to bed. I’ll show you to your room,” he replied.
“I wanted you to help with cleaning up, but I guess today’s a no-go. Starting tomorrow, I’ll put you to work for real,” Leo told her.
“I’ll sleep in Lille’s room with her tonight,” Ark offered.
Charles smiled. “That’s a good idea, Ark. Thanks.”
Meanwhile, Lille struggled to get off her chair. Her limbs weren’t moving in the way she expected, and when she stood up from the table, she almost tripped. Luckily, Charles caught her, appearing at her side in an instant
“…Whoops. Are you okay, Lille?” he asked, worried.
“Maybe it’d be better to carry her there,” Ark suggested.
“You’re right. Lille, do you mind if I pick you up?”
“…No,” she replied.
With a quick word of warning, Charles easily lifted her into the air. For a moment, she was startled by how much higher her perspective suddenly was, but the sturdy support of Charles’s arms and chest reassured her. Enveloped in his warmth, she felt like she could drop off to sleep right then and there.
With each step, his arms gently rocked back and forth, cradle-like. The same scent she had smelled on her dress radiated from him, and she nuzzled the tip of her nose into his chest. It was an enchantingly calming scent.
“This is your room. Is it okay if I put you down on the bed? That way, I can help you unlace your boots,” Charles said.
She nodded, and a moment later her body sank into a soft mattress. Compared to the hard, rickety bed she’d slept on until now, this one was like a dream—as if the sheets were holding her in a safe hug. It was impossible to keep her eyes open.
“Hey, Master Charlie. I know Lille was locked up for a long time, but her parents raised her until she was about six, right? Isn’t it kinda extreme that she forgot how to take a bath or tie her hair?” Ark asked thoughtfully.
“That’s what I thought, too. They were probably drugging her with something.” Charles frowned. “To make her memories vague, to suppress her emotions… That sort of thing.”
“So, they wanted to make her easier to control, huh? I don’t think they totally suppressed her emotions, though. Even if she does have a pretty childlike way of expressing them,” Ark said, thinking back over the events of the day.
“Indeed. That’s probably because…” Charles trailed off. “It looks like she’s falling asleep. We can talk about this more tomorrow,” he decided.
She had a vague sense that Charles tucked her beneath a blanket. She wanted to grab his hand tightly to stop him from leaving, but her eyelids weighed like lead.
“Goodnight, Lille. I hope some happy memories come back to you, even if they’re just small ones. Blessings on your rest,” Charles said, tracing his fingertips across her forehead. Or at least, Lille thought he did. She didn’t have a chance to lean into his lingering touch, though: listening to the faint rustling of Charles’s robe, she fell into a long, deep sleep.
✦ ✦ ✦
❁❁❁
THAT night, she had a dream. It was a happy dream, full of a sweet, creamy fragrance, and covered in a pure white haze.
In the dream, Lille had a family. She had a kind, gentle mother; a cheerful, dependable father; and a mouthy little brother. Her grandfather was strict, but he spoiled her the most. She loved them dearly, and yet she’d forgotten. She’d forgotten how she loved her mother’s apple pie. The pink dress she liked to wear. The cat she looked after.
Her family had never been wealthy, but their simple life was blissful nonetheless.
Even when they realized Lille had magic, and soldiers came to take her away, they fought for her. Lille, however, fearing her family’s execution if they didn’t hand her over, went with the soldiers willingly. Her family cried, but Lille was glad to sacrifice herself if it saved them from harm. As long as they were still out there living their lives to the fullest, she was content.
How could she have forgotten them? Six years’ worth of memories, buried in the dark depths of her mind like treasure.
Amidst the creamy scent, she could perceive what smelled like sunshine on damp earth. By the time she realized it was Charles’s smell, she was already long gone from the world of dreams.