Welcome to the Rose Mansion - Chapter 135
After their first encounter, Edgar went to the forest every day.
In the forest, the ‘voice’ was always there, waiting for him. When Edgar submerged himself in the darkness, the darkness, in turn, gently embraced him.
< You are quite diligent. It seems the forest holds a special significance for humans beyond what I had thought. Other humans also come into the forest regularly, just like you, even though they fear my domain so much. >
At the voice’s conjecture, Edgar blushed slightly.
「 It’s true that the forest is important to humans. But I’m not coming to the forest—I’m coming to where you are. 」
< To where I am? Why is that? >
「 Because you’re my friend, aren’t you? 」
< A friend is someone you must see almost every day? >
「 It’s not an obligation like that. I come because I enjoy being with you. That enjoyment keeps bringing me back to you. …Actually, I don’t have any friends. 」
The voice seemed to chuckle a little. Soon, the darkness spread out like a curtain and wrapped around Edgar.
< Enjoyment, hm? I see. I, too, enjoy meeting you, Edgar. >
Perhaps that day, the voice understood for the first time what ‘enjoyment’ truly was.
Edgar and the voice shared many conversations. The voice was curious about many things, and Edgar did his best to respond.
The lonely boy was delighted to finally have someone he could comfortably talk to. Although many people loved him, they often treated him with excessive concern or as if he were a living ornament.
Because of that, Edgar always felt a strange discomfort when dealing with others, and that discomfort would turn into guilt, which tormented him.
But when he was with the voice, no such distracting thoughts came to mind. The voice focused solely on their conversations, and that fact made Edgar’s heart flutter.
Before long, a newfound vitality emerged in Edgar’s life. The few hours he spent with the voice, and the anticipation of those meetings, brought new energy to the boy’s life.
When he shyly shared his feelings, the voice responded:
< Anticipation. I, too, have come to understand that concept. >
The darkness gently stroked Edgar’s hair.
< Time had always been meaningless to me, something not even worth noticing. But as I waited for you, I began to perceive time for the first time. I also learned how tedious it could be. >
This meant that the voice also saw Edgar as someone special, to the extent that it gave meaning to what had once been a meaningless passage of time. Edgar’s heart swelled, almost to the point of bursting.
And he found the courage to cautiously bring up something he had long wished for.
「 Could you, perhaps, show me your form? 」
< Form? >
The voice asked back, sounding a bit puzzled.
< You want me to take on a definite shape? Edgar, I have no defined form. >
「 I see… 」
< Is my form something you need? >
The voice, sensing Edgar’s disappointment, asked with a hint of anxiety. Edgar quickly shook his head.
「 Don’t worry about it. I was just curious. There are things humans can only communicate through gestures and glances. Of course, we can learn a lot about each other through conversation alone, but… 」
< So, you mean there’s some special kind of information exchanged through gestures and glances that you need? >
The voice spoke as if it understood. Then, the darkness began to gather in one place.
The amorphous darkness gradually shaped itself into the form of a person. Eventually, as if shedding a layer, the darkness peeled away, revealing a boy standing there.
< Do you like it, Edgar? >
He was a boy with hair as black as night and eyes as red as roses, looking exactly like Edgar Otis.
Edgar’s eyes widened.
「 That’s my face. 」
< Yes, I like your face the best. >
「 I never thought you’d grant my request like this. 」
< Isn’t it the first desire you’ve openly shown? So, I couldn’t help but draw it out. >
The boy with red eyes sat down next to Edgar. Edgar smiled slightly.
「 It feels like I’m talking to myself in the mirror. 」
< Is that unpleasant? >
「 You said you liked my face, didn’t you? Then I like it too. 」
< But you can’t seem to meet my eyes. Didn’t you say you wanted to exchange glances? >
「 That’s… it’s just a bit awkward, I guess. 」
I usually don’t like looking at myself in the mirror. I don’t really like my face.
Edgar swallowed his true feelings, but the boy with red eyes could see right through them.
< Then how about this? >
The boy with red eyes suddenly stretched and grew taller. In an instant, his appearance transformed, yet it was still Edgar’s face, though slightly different.
His eyes were sharper, his jawline smooth, and his physique was that of a solid, ideal form.
It was the image of Edgar Otis as a healthy, grown man.
This time, Edgar finally met the gaze head-on.
