The Fox in the Alley Learns How to Be Spoiled by a Knight - The stillness of the mansion and the trembling night

Morning light filtered in through the thin cloth curtains. Noel lay curled on the floor. She couldn't sleep on that bed. The cold feel of wood against her back. Before her eyes, Lyall and Finn slept curled up a short distance away. Their two white tails rose and fell quietly. (*This place is...*) She couldn't remember right away. No smell of rain, no smell of mud, no smell of rotting wood. She twitched her nose. The scent of wood burning in the fireplace, and the lingering aroma of yesterday's bread. And then, the cool scent of stone that remained deep in her nostrils. A mansion. The home of the man who had picked the three of them up on that rainy night. She slowly raised her body. Deep in her ears, she felt as though the sound of last night's rain still lingered. In truth, the rain had already stopped, and the sky beyond the curtains was white and bright. "Noel, you awake?" When she turned, Lyall had raised his upper body and was looking at her. His golden-yellow ears twitched. His drooping golden eyes were still half-lidded with sleep. "...Yeah." "It's warm here, isn't it." Lyall said that, gripping the edge of the blanket draped over him tightly. His tail wagged softly. Just the day before yesterday, her little brother had been wrapped in stiff cloth on wet ground — and now he was smiling atop a soft blanket. Noel couldn't manage a proper reply. "Hey, Noel. You know, I had a dream last night." "A dream?" "A dream about a super warm soup! And then, no matter how much I drank, it never ran out, and I got so full!" "...I see." "Hehehe." Lyall laughed happily. It was just that small exchange, yet Noel's chest tightened painfully. (*You, dreaming about being full...*) The fact that it finally seemed within reach should have made her happy — but it terrified her. When she shifted her gaze sideways, Finn's eyes were open. He had apparently woken up at some point. His bluish-gold eyes stared steadily at Noel. He said nothing. But those eyes seemed to ask, "Did you sleep, Noel?" "Finn, were you able to sleep?" "...Yeah. But Noel, you were over there the whole time." Finn's quiet voice. He pointed toward the floor by the wall. Noel flinched. "...I was just sleeping there, that's all." "There was a bed." "...The floor is more calming for me." Finn said nothing, but lifted the edge of his own blanket slightly. Still facing Noel, he patted it softly. (*He means I can come over here, doesn't he.*) Her clever little brother had already noticed. That Noel was rejecting soft places. Noel shook her head slightly and stood up. "...I'm fine." The air in the room was cold. ────── That day, she spent the whole time probing the atmosphere of the mansion. Alvin had left for the royal palace early in the morning. Noel watched from the shadows as he donned polished armor over his white undershirt. Royal Guard Knight. (*That man is a knight of the royal palace.*) Knight's Hill. The land where this mansion stood was a special place even within the royal capital of Blanchelle. A residence permitted only to the mere sixty men who protected the palace. Even the very air was different from where commoners lived. A child ran along the road in front of the mansion. Cheeks flushed, and behind him, a woman who appeared to be his mother walked slowly. Noel moved slightly away from the window. (*A different world from mine.*) ────── During the day, Alvin did not return. Instead, an old woman came over from the neighboring mansion. "Oh my, good morning. Did you all sleep well?" The woman who introduced herself as Elza was the wife of a retired knight, past sixty years old. Her back was bent, but her hands moved quickly. She ladled warm bean soup from the pot she had brought. Steam rose into the air. "Wow, it smells so good!" Lyall wagged his tail at the smell of the soup. Elza laughed, "Oh my." "What an honest little lad. Now, eat up." "Thank you for the food!" As Lyall slurped the soup eagerly, Finn quietly brought his spoon to his mouth beside him. Noel stared at the soup placed before her. Beans, onions, and broth from bird bones. A smell she could never have caught in Kagemichi. "Come now, you eat too." Noel's body stiffened with a jolt. "...I don't want it." "Is that so. But if you don't put something in your mouth, your body won't hold up. Besides, Master Alvin would worry." The old woman said nothing about Noel wearing boy's clothes. "...I'll eat later." "I see. Well then, before it gets cold. I'll be next door until Master Alvin returns." Noel did not nod. She stood with her back against the wall, in the corner of the kitchen, just breathing in the smell of the soup. (*There's no way I'd get soup for free.*) (*There has to be something behind it.*) (*If I eat, I'll be made to work that much more.*) (*If I don't do as this household says, I'll be sold.*) (*Right now, they're just being kind.*) She repeated it over and over in her mind. If she didn't, she felt she would be swallowed whole by this warmth. ────── In the evening, Alvin returned with bundles in both arms. Noel knew from the presence at the entrance. Her body naturally pressed toward the wall. Her ears flattened back. "I'm home. I brought these back." Alvin spread open the oil-paper parcels on the living room table. "Wow!" "Bread." At those voices, Noel couldn't help but look. "There's a shop on Calm Street called Komugido. Their fresh-baked walnut bread is famous. Have you two ever had sweet bread?" "No!" "...I don't think so." "Then today's your first time." Alvin smiled slightly. Noel noticed that smile and stiffened again. (*How can he smile?*) (*I don't understand why he'd spend money on us.*) (*He's not expecting something in return... is he?*) From the oil-paper wrapping, golden-baked bread emerged. The walnut pieces carved into the surface gleamed glossy in the firelight of the hearth. Lyall's and Finn's eyes were glued to the plate. "Wash your hands first." Alvin urged the two toward the washroom. Noel stood alone, a short distance from the table. Alvin disappeared into the kitchen, and when he returned a while later, he held a bundle in his hands. "Noel." Just hearing her name made her tail puff up. "...What." "I bought clothes. I don't know if the sizes will fit, but try changing into these today." What he held out were three sets of children's clothing. Jackets in different colors, undergarments, and loose short trousers. All of it was fabric so clean she had never seen anything like it in Kagemichi. "...I don't need them." "You'll ruin your body staying in wet clothes. If you break down, those two will cry." "Shut up." Noel spat the words out. Her heart was pounding violently. (*Stop it. Don't be kind to me.*) (*You dress me, and then what do you plan to make me do?*) (*I won't do what you want.*) Alvin did not press. "Then I'll leave them here. Do as you like." The clothes were draped over the back of a chair near the hearth. ────── Night came. Her little brothers were in the second-floor room prepared for the three of them to sleep in, their two round faces sunk into their pillows. "Noel, I had so much fun today." "...That's good." "Alvin folded a bird out of paper for me. And he told me about the persimmon tree in the garden. He said in autumn, they're really sweet." "Huh." Noel sat with her back against the wall, hugging her knees. "Noel, didn't you talk with Alvin?" "...Not really." "Why?" "I'm tired." "You are?" Lyall tried to peer worriedly at Noel's face. Noel turned away. "I'm fine. I'm okay. You go to sleep soon." "Okay... good night, Noel." "...Good night." Beside them, Finn raised his hand slightly. "Good night." "Good night." Soon, there were two quiet breathing sounds. Noel stood up and went to the corner of the room. There were three beds, but her body would not turn toward them. (*If I sleep in a soft place, I'll die.*) (*If I sleep deeply, I don't know what might happen.*) (*At night, I mustn't show any opening.*) She slipped down onto the floor. Cold wooden boards against her back. The ceiling she looked up at sank into darkness, far away. She tried to sleep, closing her eyes. ...Splash. She thought she heard water somewhere in the distance and jolted upright. Her heart thrashed violently. Deep in her ears, the sound of rain resurfaced. Her body trembled uncontrollably. (*Quiet. Be quiet.*) (*If I make a fuss, my little brothers will wake up.*) She gripped her own arms tightly. Thin, emaciated upper arms. Bony fingers. Her nails bit into her skin. (*It was just my imagination. The rain has stopped.*) (*This isn't Kagemichi.*) (*This isn't that hollow in the ground.*) She chanted it over and over in her mind. But her body would not stop shaking. On the floor, she kept trembling — finely, finely. She stifled her voice and bit her lip. The faint taste of iron spread through her mouth. How long had she been like that? Suddenly, she sensed a presence beyond the door of the room. (*...Alvin.*) No footsteps. But the presence was certainly there. Noel stiffened. She killed her breathing as much as she could. (*Don't come.*) (*Don't come in.*) (*I will never, ever rely on you.*) The presence lingered there for a while, then quietly receded. ────── The next morning. Faint shadows had formed under Noel's eyes. When she came down to the dining room, warm soup and bread were already arranged on the table. From the back, Alvin brought wooden spoons for each person. "Morning." "Morning! Huh?" Lyall tilted his head, unable to say it properly. Finn let out a small, quiet laugh. "It's 'good morning,' Lyall." "Good morning!" "...Well, fine. Sit." Alvin merely glanced at Noel and said nothing. Noel stood by the wall, just as she had yesterday. "Noel, if you don't sit, your soup will get cold." "...I don't want it." "I see." Alvin said nothing more and sat in his own seat. Lyall, drinking his soup, said happily: "Noel, it's okay for us to stay here, right?" Noel did not answer. "Hey, Noel. It's okay for us to be here, right? Can we stay here forever?" He asked innocently, smiling. Noel looked out the window. The persimmon tree in the garden was bathed in morning light. The leaves were still green. In autumn, sweet fruit would grow — Lyall had said so. (*I don't know.*) (*Whether it's really okay for us to be here.*) (*I don't know.*) "...Who knows." She murmured in a small voice. That voice dissolved into the steam of the soup, reaching no one's ears. Alvin placed a slice of bread on the plate in front of Noel. "I won't tell you to eat. I'm just leaving it here." So saying, he quietly resumed his meal. Noel did not eat that bread. But her eyes, no matter what, kept tracing its golden-baked surface. After a while, the three finished eating, and Alvin began clearing the dishes. Something warm brushed softly against Noel's feet. Looking down, Finn had pressed his body against Noel's leg of his own accord. "...Warm." Finn murmured quietly. "Finn?" "Next to Noel is warm." Her clever little brother said just that, then closed his eyes. Noel, for just a little while, accepted that warmth. Deep in her heart, something that had been frozen solid like ice felt as though it made the faintest sound.

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Episode 2

Name: The Fox in the Alley Learns How to Be Spoiled by a Knight
Author: Novelia

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