Time of the Blind Beast - Side Story 9

After returning with the achievement of annihilating Davis’s spies, Ezekiel inevitably drew people’s attention for a time. At such a moment, it was premature to bring out Lisanne, whose face had once been exposed on the gallows. All the more because her parents had committed crimes against the Valdemaira family, and with no proper guests to invite, Lisanne felt burdened by the idea of a wedding where both families gathered under the family name.

In truth, a wedding was nothing more than a proclamation to the public. A formal announcement that two families had united.

As long as their love for each other remained firm, such a formality was not important at all. There was no need for a ceremony. But he still had a desire. The desire to see Lisanne, once in her life, wearing a wedding dress. So Ezekiel intended to suggest a quiet wedding, just the two of them, when his wife’s heart was ready.

In any case, the moment he slipped a new ring on Lisanne’s hand, she had been his wife, and he her husband.

My wife. Ezekiel repeated it proudly to himself.

“Yes, we are newlyweds.”

Therefore, he had a duty to do his utmost in the role of a husband who had just entered married life.

“Ah, too deep…”

His wife’s hazel-colored eyes welled with tears. The extreme stimulus burrowing inside her was overwhelming.

So this was the expression she made when I reached the deepest part of her.

Ezekiel brushed his lips over the corners of Lisanne’s eyes, kissing away her tears.

“I know.”

No one knew better than Ezekiel where and how to touch her so that she would unravel at once. And watching Lisanne unravel was his delight.

Their whole bodies communicated and shivered together.

A tingling pleasure coursed down his spine. Ezekiel thrust his hips urgently with rough force.

***

Perhaps the ink hadn’t fully dried. The letters smudged a little, but at least they could still be read, so that was fortunate.

If you knew how many days it has taken me to write this letter, you would be quite surprised. Taking advantage of the brief moments away from you to secretly jot down a few lines here and there, I almost feel like a child just learning to write. Yes, like that child who every day confesses, ‘Teacher Lisanne, I really like you.’ If my expression sounds a little petty, please understand it as the whining of a poor husband who must share his newlywed wife with the neighborhood children.

And don’t forget.

There are many here who say they like you, but the one who loves you the most and always wishes to be with you is always me.

Lisanne.

I dedicate myself, all that I have, and my life to you.

I hope you will completely possess me.

If ever you discover and read this letter, then without a word, return to me and simply show me with a kiss…

“Ah, damn it.”

It happened in the blink of an eye.

As the time for Lisanne’s return drew near, Ezekiel set down his pen for a moment to check for any signs of her. In that instant, the pigeon that had been perched by the window suddenly snatched the corner of the letter in its beak and flapped away. Perhaps it was curious about the rustling paper, or perhaps someone had once tried and failed to train it as a messenger bird, but clearly the letter had caught its interest.

Who would have imagined a bird would steal the letter?

But he couldn’t shoot the pigeon dead just to retrieve it. Especially since his tenderhearted wife would hardly be pleased to receive a letter stained with a bird’s blood.

Ezekiel could only watch in bewilderment as the unfinished letter vanished far into the distance.

***

“Ezekiel.”

Even when good things happened, Lisanne, by nature, more often smiled shyly than brightly. But today, for some reason, she was smiling particularly radiantly.

Ezekiel kissed his approaching wife on the cheek first. It was his habit to bring his lips to her wherever he could.

“What’s the good news?”

“Well, I was just thinking, how many coincidences must there be in the world, and suddenly it struck me as amusing, so I laughed.”

“What is it?”

“Did you know that the cat Anna feeds is actually the boss cat of this neighborhood?”

“Really?”

“It used to be a skinny little thing. But after stealing fish from our house and eating, it grew bigger and bigger, and before long, it was strutting around ruling the neighborhood.”

Ezekiel remembered seeing that cat. From head to tail, it had yellow stripes, and it was a plump, cute cat.

“But to Anna, that cat acts like such a baby. It must recognize who feeds it. Sometimes it even brings gifts. The other day it brought in a mouse, which caused quite the uproar. And of course I was the first one to spot it, so I screamed in fright.”

“That big thing catches mice?”

“Isn’t it strange? It doesn’t look fast at all, but it’s so good at hunting. Sometimes it even brings snakes, or birds. But really, what good are those? We just bury them in a corner of the garden each time. Just the other day it brought a pigeon, so Anna caught it, sat it down, and scolded it. She told it to stop bringing back birds and mice.”

Ezekiel nodded awkwardly.

His wife continued, “You remember I told you Anna is learning to read? These days she’s reading thin children’s books. Since she always carries her book around so carefully, the cat must have noticed. I guess it wanted to bring her something similar as a gift.”

His smiling wife was very lovely, though the subject of the conversation was baffling. Ezekiel tilted his head.

“Lisanne, I can’t follow this at all…”

While he was still utterly lost, his wife pressed her soft lips against his. Not understanding any of it, Ezekiel still gladly received her kiss. After all, no sensation Lisanne gave him was one he would ever refuse.

Lisanne whispered, “The cat repaid kindness.”

4. Winter Rose

Do you know the Winter Rose?

In the corner of the garden, I found a flower I had never seen before blooming white and red. I plucked the stem and brought it to Aunt Anna, and she told me this flower’s name was Winter Rose. It is pretty, but no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem as showy as a rose. Why then do they call it a winter rose?

Ah, Aunt Anna is the one who manages the western estate where our family comes every winter. Normally, I suppose people would call her a butler, but since this place is just a small villa and doesn’t have as many workers as the main house, we simply call her Aunt Anna. She says she likes that better too.

Every winter, our family comes to this villa. I don’t know exactly since when. Mom says it was a promise between her and Dad from before I was born.

This is a secret, but I like this villa much more than the house in Claris where my grandfather lives. At the Claris house, there are far too many rules I have to follow.

The etiquette teacher says I must call them Father and Mother, not Mom or Dad. He says that since I am to inherit the family and command many people one day, I must maintain dignity even from a young age. But Dad says that when it’s just us, I don’t need to worry about that at all. So the way we are at the Claris house and the way we are here at the villa are very different.

Here I can whine to my parents as much as I like and even sleep in late. In fact, even Mom seems like a different person here. From her clothes to her voice, everything changes. At the Claris house, Mom is like a queen, but at the villa, she wears anything comfortable and waits in bed for Dad to bring her breakfast. Often she goes to bed earlier than me and wakes up later than me. I want to sleep with her too, but Aunt Anna doesn’t allow it. She says I’m six now, so I have to be independent and sleep alone, not in my parents’ bedroom. But then why do Mom and Dad, who are such grown adults, still sleep together?

Even this morning, Mom woke up later than I did. So I had breakfast with just Dad. When I asked where Mom was, Dad said she had to sleep more because he had tired her out. Could it be they fought?