Cunning Fish of the Forest - Chapter 15

The air was dense with a rich aroma, and the large buds on slender stems showed that this was a garden I had never seen before.

My allowed spaces within the vast castle were limited, and even those were mostly confined to my bedroom and wardrobe when I didn’t have a tutor.

“Miss, where are we… oh my goodness!”

Ger noticed my uncomfortable gait only after we ventured deep into the unfamiliar garden.

He let go of my wrist that he had been gripping tightly and screamed. Considering he had safely brought me out, I decided to overlook his slight rudeness this time. Rubbing my wrist, I glanced down at the dirt caught under my fingernails and quickly shut my eyes and reopened them.

“It’s not like I know every part of this place. This is my home, but I don’t live here alone.”

“It’s not that, Miss, it’s your foot.”

“This? I lost one shoe climbing over the wall.”

“No? You don’t mean…”

“We can only hope not. I prayed hard enough in the chapel; maybe that will hide the shoe as well.”

If God was not gracious enough to hide my lost shoe along with my prayers. I worried whether Uncle Leijin, with his knack for raiding fox dens, might march into the main castle with my shoe in hand.

There was only one way to stay safe: return to my room early and feign illness. Pretending to oversleep if my uncle visits might be the best way to avoid trouble for a cornered mouse.

But finding the exit with Ger proved challenging.

It felt like we were circling the same spot, like a dim-witted squirrel. To balance things out, I took off the remaining shoe and walked barefoot. If the garden paths were laid with such care, it’s likely my mother had a hand in it.

Adults sometimes create secret spaces within the castle that are off-limits to others. Even as a child, I found solace in the rarely visited chapel. Surely, adults, unrestricted by rules, know even more secrets than they let on.

“Miss.”

“Did you find the exit?”

“No, I was just wondering what this flower is called.”

Ger had traded my suggestion to leave before sunset with the flowers for a moment . His face lit up as he gently touched his nose to the petals. From behind him, I tightened my loosened waistband.

“Miss, you should try smelling this flower.”

As if he couldn’t enjoy it alone, Ger confidently urged me. I immediately shook my head to dismiss his excited mood.

“No, it just clutters the mind.”

While I knew Ger meant well, flowers cultivated by humans had an overpowering scent. Their fragile nature, seducing with their appearance and ending their life just when you begin to appreciate them, was the worst to me.

I didn’t even like the hundreds of purple wisterias my mother had painstakingly grown. Pouring affection into something that wilts after a season held no interest for me.

“It’s called Pelatris.”

The refined voice was easy to locate. Holding a watering can, the woman approached me in just five steps.

“…Grandmother.”

“It has been a long time, Araneth.”

Grandmother usually secluded herself in the eastern part of the castle unless there was a major family event. The last time I had seen her might have been last summer birthday banquets, if not longer. I only heard from her through the gifts and well-wishes sent every time on my birthday.

Today, Grandmother was wrapped in a black cloak unsuitable for spring. Her demanding gaze prompted me to hide my dirt-smudged hands behind my back.

“I took the wrong path.”

“It’s hard to accidentally find this place unless the exit is hidden. You must have lost your shoes by accident too.”

“….Yes.”

“Araneth.”

“Yes.”

“If there’s a mistake that big, there’s fault on your part as well. To blind the eyes of an old woman living in seclusion, truth is more necessary than fault.”

“That’s…”

“So?”

“….I was in the chapel, and then, Uncle Leijin came in.”

“Leijin?”

“Yes.”

When Uncle Leijin was mentioned, Grandmother’s sharp eyes narrowed further. She simply nodded her head slightly, not probing further.

Maybe I was too optimistic as a cornered rat to think that just telling the truth would excuse my wandering barefoot.

I lifted my gaze that had been fixed on my fidgeting toes.

“I climbed over the wall from the chapel.”

Grandmother, who had been watching me with a breeze-like gentle gaze, paused before responding.

“That’s close to the chapel, even I know that. What I want to know is the story before you crossed over to this side.”

I bit my lip in fear of speaking, but Grandmother didn’t wait any longer and fastened the end of her cloak. Her gestures of adjusting her attire were strikingly cold, as if she despised wasting time.

“Your name is?”