Chapter 3 Part 2

 

“I feel so embarrassed…”

Lying in the same bed with him made Irina’s face flush. To hide her reddened face, she lowered her head.

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Then, Rumpel gently stroked her round head.

“Close your eyes and sleep.”

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“…I’m not sleepy.”

“Then just close your eyes. Drowsiness will slowly come to you.”

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Even though he had already figured out that she was tired, Irina stubbornly lied again. This time, though, Rumpel didn’t point out her lie.

The small but warm consideration brought a smile to Irina’s lips.

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“Shall I tell you a story about the old days?”

“Hahaha, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

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Irina burst into laughter at the unexpected words. She hadn’t expected him to say such a thing, and it was a bit out of character.

Yet, for some reason, she was strangely excited to hear the story Rumpel would tell. Old stories were often predictable, but she had a feeling his version would be different.

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“Tell me a story.”

Irina looked up at Rumpel with eager anticipation. His image filled her clear green eyes, as if there was nothing else in the world

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“Do you really want to hear it?”

“Yes. I want to hear it.”

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She answered by nodding enthusiastically, and Rumpel smiled softly. He quickly cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“There was a man.” 

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Irina chuckled at the simple beginning, which didn’t even include the usual “Once upon a time…”. Still, she eagerly waited to hear the rest of his story.

“That man… was forgotten by the world.”

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At his bitter voice, Irina’s smile, which had been all over her face, slowly faded away. The expression on Rumpel’s face looked incredibly lonely.

“No one remembered the man. Of course, the man himself had incomplete memories. He couldn’t even remember who he was… Perhaps it was only natural that the world couldn’t remember him.”

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His words seemed self-deprecating, and Irina couldn’t help but wonder if it was her imagination.

She looked at Rumpel with concern. He continued, gazing at some distant, unfathomable place.

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“So, the man was always alone. It was inevitable, since no one remembered him. It was as if he didn’t exist in this world.”

“……”

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“Day after day, he lived like that. In fact, the word ‘day’ wasn’t the right word for him. Living a life in complete solitude means that even the passing of time loses its meaning.”

This was his story. Irina was sure of it.

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She instinctively felt that, but deep down, she wished it wasn’t his story. The loneliness that seeped into his words, acknowledging that it was his pain, only made her heart ache as well.

But even after seeing his expression of extreme loneliness, she couldn’t think of this story as just fiction. That would have been too cruel to Rumpel. It felt like dismissing his pain as if it didn’t matter.

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“Actually, the man wondered if he really existed. He was living a life where no one recognised him, and he wondered if such a life could even be called ‘existing.’ What do you think, Lady Irina? Can a life, where no one shares it with you, really be called ‘existence’?”

“……Rumpel, I…”

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Irina couldn’t answer right away. She wanted to say ‘Of course,’ to comfort him, but her lips felt stuck, like they were glued together, not wanting to form the words. Irina blamed herself for being weak.

“Then, magic happened to that man. No, it was a miracle.”

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For a moment, the loneliness that had been overwhelming Rumpel’s expression faded, replaced by a faint smile. Irina etched that smile into her mind, as if afraid it might disappear like bubbles.

“A girl appeared who acknowledged his existence. Isn’t that a miracle?”

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“……Yes.”

Rumpel’s plea for consent was met with a smile on her face. Rumpel seemed somewhat relieved by the answer, as if confirming that he wasn’t wrong.

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Irina quietly observed him. Then Rumpel also looked straight at her. It was a different feeling to see herself reflected in his eyes every time.

“Of course, the girl couldn’t stay in the man’s life. She was just a passing breeze. Nevertheless, there was a big change for the man. He realized that he existed.”

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“So, what happened to him? Did he become happy?” 

Irina asked urgently. She wanted to hear from him. Had he become happy? Did happiness come into his once lonely life?

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Irina genuinely wished for his happiness. She didn’t even know what it had to do with her, but she wished him well. She didn’t even want to know the reason. She just wanted him to be happy.

“Well… I don’t know about that.”

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“Please tell me he became happy. He wasn’t lonely anymore.”

“……Do you wish so?”

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Rumpel asked back in response to Irina’s desperate pleading.

The answer of yes filled her lips, but couldn’t bring herself to say it. 

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Rumpel must have already realized that she had found out that the man he was talking about was Rumpel. She was embarrassed to say in front of him that she wanted him to be happy.

Although they had been intimate a few times, that was a different matter. It was oddly fascinating how people could feel so awkward and embarrassed around each other. Had she ever felt that way with anyone else?

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Irina thought of many people she had met before.

Her mother, father and Olga. Many, many people she had encountered in society. 

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Yet, none of them evoked such mixed feelings. No one had made her wish so desperately for their happiness and made her want to hide her true feelings out of embarrassment.

Then, why… why was it like that?

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“The end of the story, I’m not sure about. But I’ll end it the way you want.”

“Then, tell me that the man had cream soup every day, ate sweet desserts to his heart’s content, and enjoyed tea time with fragrant black tea.”

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“Haha, that sounds nice.”

That was the kind of happiness Irina could express. Rather than simply saying, “Tell me he was happy,” she wanted him to live in a world of happiness, even if it might sound childish to someone else. She hoped he had lived a life like that, full of simple pleasures.

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Fortunately, Rumpel seemed to really like her sincere wish, as he smiled happily. Irina felt a sense of relief, glad that she had made him smile, even if just for a moment.

“You should really sleep now. You must be tired.”

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“But…”

“The same tactics won’t work anymore.”

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Rumpel drew the line. Irina pursed her lips and tried to think of something to say in protest, but soon felt her eyelids growing heavy, as if sleep itself was taking over.

It wasn’t because she was tired. Irina instinctively knew that Rumpel had cast a spell on her.

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Though she wanted to argue about the injustice, she couldn’t resist the heavy pressure on her eyelids. Eventually, she closed her eyes.

“Good night, Lady Irina.”

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She vaguely heard Rumpel’s voice. Despite knowing he would not be there when she opened her eyes, Irina let herself be swept away by the sleepiness.

When Irina opened her eyes, everything felt like a dream. The intense moments shared with Rumpel, the conversations she had with him, everything.

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He was that kind of man. A man like a fantasy.

Irina looked at the spot where he had been lying and then put her hand on it. 

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There was no chance that  trace of his warmth was left. Because he was cold to begin with, like a person without any warmth.

Of course, there were no other traces either. Not even his strong, masculine scent.

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Irina grasped the sheet and buried her face in it. It felt foolish to be looking for the traces of someone who had already left. But why couldn’t she stop?

‘Fool, I really am.’

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Irina scolded herself. It was a time when her resentment towards herself grew.

“Miss! Miss!”

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Olga’s voice was urgent. Irina, startled, quickly lifted her head from the sheet and looked toward the door.

“Miss, may I come in?”

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“Just a moment… Uh, yes. Come in.”

Irina hurriedly surveyed her surroundings. Even though she knew there was no trace of Rumpel anywhere, she still checked, wondering if she had missed something. She did not want anyone finding out about her affair with Rumpel.

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She looked around with anxious eyes, then sighed in relief and answered Olga’s question.

Then, as if waiting for the cue, the door opened. Olga’s curly bangs were disheveled. On top of that, her cheeks were flushed from her heavy breathing. She had clearly run here in a hurry.

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“Hahh, hahh. I’m sorry to bother you while you’re resting. You must be tired…”

“No, I’m fine. But Olga, it looks like you ran here. You should drink some water.”

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Irina looked at Olga with worried eyes as she apologized even though she was breathing heavily, probably because she had an urgent matter to discuss. Irina reached for the glass on the nightstand next to the bed.

“No, no. I’m fine.”

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As Irina reached to pour her some water, Olga waved her hand. In her hand, there was an envelope.

Irina first tilted her head in confusion, but her expression soon became serious.

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“Olga, this is… ….”