Point of View: Sirius
Serafina and the Hedgehog’s Dilemma
POPULARITY POLL: 1ST - SIRIUS ULYSSES
“THE PRINCESS WAS TURNED into a sky-blue mouse by an evil spell. And then…”
I was reading Serafina her picture books as always when I noticed that she seemed frail. Concerned, I asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
I’d received a report that Serafina had spent the day outside picking medicinal herbs. I figured it would be better to be cautious since children were prone to falling ill quickly.
“Did you get too much sun this afternoon? You should make sure to drink plenty of water and rest early today,” I advised.
Serafina just clung to my arm, her face ghostly pale, and said, “S-Sirius, an evil spell might’ve been cast on me!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I…I didn’t eat all my vegetables at lunch, and I snacked on the cookies that were meant for my teatime tomorrow. I also switched Canopus’s left and right boots so they’re on the opposite sides.”
“That all sounds like typical Serafina behavior.”
“But…since I did three naughty things, I just know I’m going to be transformed by an evil spell like the princess in the story.”
The fairy tale I’d been reading Serafina was about a young princess, just like her. Since the princess was mischievous and liked to play pranks on everyone in the castle, she was cautioned by a witch: If you’re naughty three times in a row, I’ll turn you into an animal.
However, despite the witch’s warning, the princess continued to play pranks, which led to her being transformed into a sky-blue mouse.
But this was merely a story in a picture book. If such minor pranks resulted in being cursed with bad magic, then virtually every child in the world would be cursed.
“I don’t think you’ve done anything that’s naughty enough to deserve having a spell cast on you. But if you’re concerned about it, I would suggest that you refrain from being mischievous in the future. Don’t leave your vegetables, don’t sneak snacks, and don’t put your personal knight’s boots the wrong way. By the way, what animal would you least want to be transformed into?”
I asked for my own future reference, but Serafina’s whole body began to tremble.
“A…hedgehog.”
A hedgehog? The small animal with quills on its back that’s no bigger than a hand? It’s not like it could do much to harm her. What would cause her to have such distaste for them? I wondered as Serafina latched on to me with a vise grip. This made me instinctively begin stroking her head as she looked at me with tear-filled eyes.
“Do you not like them?”
“Right?” she whispered.
“What’s ‘right’?” I asked, not comprehending what she was getting at.
Serafina looked completely dejected as she answered my question. “Hedgehogs have spines on their backs. So if I turned into one, I wouldn’t be able to cuddle up with you like this.”
“Th-that’s absurd! I have high pain tolerance; the quills of a small animal would hardly be worth worrying about. You could stab me as much as you liked!!”
I dismissed what seemed to me like a ridiculous concern with a laugh, but her eyes widened in surprise.
“Huh?”
“Besides, hedgehogs only have quills on their backs, so you can still hold them. Plus, the quills are only dangerous when the hedgehog feels agitated; otherwise, they keep them down, so it doesn’t hurt to stroke or cuddle them,” I explained in further detail.
Serafina clasped her hands together excitedly. “Is that really true?!”
“Yes. Even if you become a hedgehog, your life won’t change much from how it is now,” I assured her. Her face flooded with relief, and she hugged me even tighter than before.
After giving her a few more pats on the head, I picked the picture book back up and resumed reading from where I’d left off.
✦ ✦ ✦
When Canopus came to collect Serafina later, my line of sight involuntarily went to his boots.
“…Is something wrong?” he asked, noticing me staring at his feet.
I shook my head from side to side. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to make sure you had your boots on the right feet.”
“I would never make a mistake like that, but it’s curious that you ask. I’ve found my right and left boots mixed up three times recently.”
So Serafina had played the same prank three times. I glanced over at her, but she pretended not to hear and quickly flipped through her picture book.
“That’s…too mischievous. Perhaps being transformed into a hedgehog by a witch isn’t such a stretch after all,” I muttered audibly, prompting Serafina to look up at me.
“Heh heh! I’m not afraid of becoming a hedgehog anymore! Actually, I had a great idea! If I become a hedgehog, you can keep me in your pocket all the time!”
“I’d have to special order my uniform with Serafina-sized pockets if that’s the case.” I meant it as a joke, but Serafina took that as her invitation to make additional requests.
“Heh heh! Make sure that the pocket always has cookies in it too!”
That statement gave me pause. I was pretty sure that hedgehogs ate bugs and not cookies, but perhaps that was information that was best kept to myself.
Instead, I sighed. “That would make my pocket very sticky.”
Serafina cheerfully giggled at my lament while Canopus, confused as to why the conversation had turned to hedgehogs, looked confused the entire time.
Commander Wezen gave me an earful when the topic happened to come up a few days later.
“Come on, lad. You’re too soft on her! Stories like that are meant to act as lessons and deterrents. You know, like ‘If you do something wrong, you might end up in big trouble like this. That’s why it’s important to always choose the right thing.’ But you went and took the scary factor out of it! Now the princess’s behavior might get even worse.”
I paused to think.
He had a point. I had found my right and left white gloves switched on the table that morning when I was getting ready for the day. Only a limited number of people were free to enter my room, so I was sure it was Serafina’s doing. However, that was information I didn’t need to share with the commander.
“Commander Wezen, think back to all the trouble you got up to as a child. Despite that, now you’ve become respectable enough to hold the position of commander of the knight brigade. Wouldn’t you say that being mischievous is just part of growing up?”
“Ugh! You’re trying to justify her naughtiness? As I said, you’re far too lenient.” He sounded appalled.
“I’d say that falls within my standard behavior,” I said with a grin. “However, if I start carrying around a little hedgehog in my pocket, I’ll admit that I’m too soft on her.”
“Now that would go beyond being indulgent. That kind of behavior would warrant a visit to a specialist,” Commander Wezen moaned.
Despite his grumblings, I let my thoughts drift to bringing a hedgehog back for Serafina if I ever came across one in the grass or a field at some point. A small smile crept across my face as I imagined her reaction to seeing one up close…
But Commander Wezen interrupted my musings with a sharp warning. “That’s enough, Sirius! The knights would be terrified, and women would shriek if they saw the expression you’re making right now. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, banish the thought completely!”
“…I’ll try my best.”
I returned to my neutral expression and got up to leave the office.
“Good grief! You have no intention of obeying that command, do you?!”
Ah, he knew me well. As the commander’s shouts echoed behind me, I shut the office door without responding.
I wonder what Serafina’s up to? was my next thought as I made my way to her room.