#126

That August.

Johannes was half-lying down with his head tilted back in the shade of a tree. The massive fortress absorbed the late summer sun’s heat like a giant bird spreading its wings, so the child’s room surrounded by hot stone walls was unbearable, causing him to flee as if escaping.

His forehead and nape were damp with sweat. The scorching heat that poured down mercilessly even in the brief moment of walking out from the main tower. Thankfully, it was a bit more bearable under the shade where that sun, which seemed about to burn even his own body, had somewhat subsided.

“…hey!”

“…”

Somewhere, the head butler seemed to be raising his voice at the servants, but it was hard to hear. As this was the backyard accessible only to Valdemar’s direct line, the busy noises of daily life barely reached here in faint snippets.

Only the sound of leaves rustling in the wind was deep. In the parched silence, a translucent shadow flickered darkly over tightly closed eyelids.

That small courtyard felt so detached from the rest of the fortress, perfect for a boy plagued by nightmares all season to rest his weary body. Yes, that day Johannes was quite exhausted. No, more than just exhausted.

In fact, recently his eyelids had been so heavy that it was painful to keep his eyes open even in broad daylight. Though he no longer dreamed of the moon crumbling, some ghostly man muttered nonsense over his forehead every night, causing more nights of tossing and turning than sound sleep.

The content of what the man recited was ominous even to overhear…

“…the woman despises her son, the woman despised her son, the woman has despised her son…. The son is worm-eaten…”

…It was quite a wretched dream in many ways.

Who does what? Despise? Worms? The meaning was unclear. He had no idea why this bizarre nightmare kept recurring. It just felt like that person was constantly muttering an ominous prayer secretly day and night, sticking to his feet like a shadow. Days when even time alone in broad daylight didn’t feel truly solitary. A gloomy paradox where the presence felt even more vivid because it couldn’t be seen or heard despite clearly being nearby.

Johannes considered it an extension or afterimage of the nightmare, but was secretly becoming worn out. Son, son. Just who on earth was this son… He seemed to have cried out like that every time in the dream. Would one’s eyes grow so heavy from daydreaming under the sun for a hundred days? It was days when even a strange discomfort, as if part of his heart was being eaten by worms as that man said, weighed on his chest.

Just who could it be.

Though the dream had been so long, he had never been able to fully see the man’s face. The dark afterimage flickering on the water’s surface was all Johannes had witnessed. However, he had the impression that the gloomy atmosphere of the man in flowing priest’s robes was strangely familiar.

Johannes tried to dismiss it simply. As it was an ominous matter with no answers, it seemed better for his peace of mind to gloss over it. Probably some priest he had glimpsed in the morning chapel…

The small, dry sound of footsteps crushing grass came with the hot wind. As he was already tilting his head back, he slightly lifted his eyelids to check in front, but no one was visible.

Well, it must be his sister. There was no one else who would come here. Moreover, wasn’t the hem of a skirt peeking out from behind the tree, fluttering slightly with each breeze?

Johannes pretended not to notice and sat up straight, facing forward. Inette. Even opening his mouth and rolling his tongue to make a sound felt tiring. The small feet approached stealthily like a thief’s steps.

She’s likely to cover my eyes again this time. She’d be happy if I pretend not to know at first. Even in his fatigue, he smiled unknowingly as he anticipated what his sister was about to do, but.

“Hee! Eek.”

He let out a rather pathetic scream, even to his own ears, as he jumped up on his bottom. Goosebumps ran down his arms. A hot mass touched the back of his neck and instantly trickled down his spine, wetting his skin. No, it was certainly hot, but the long trail it left felt cold.

“My, what a foolish sound is this.”

His sister, who had stuffed a handful of ice down Johannes’ collar, held her stomach laughing.

“Ah! You really!”

Johannes jumped up, grabbed the back of his shirt and shook it out, shuddering. Damn it, damn it. Honestly, he felt like he might cry.

He could feel the ice pieces hanging on his belt melting and spreading wetly along his waistline. As he had felt earlier, it was quite a chilling sensation. Not knowing how precious the ice was, just how much had she stuffed in?

“Are you angry, Johan?”

“This time I am. I really am.”

He spat out quickly, jumping up and down as if shaking off his body. Just as the presence approached in front of him, another burst of laughter sounded, and then his sister’s hands firmly pressed down on his shoulders. As he was about to angrily ask what on earth this was all about, with tears half-mixed in his voice, something cold and slippery was popped into his mouth.

His eyes widened in surprise.

“…It’s sweet.”

He muttered as if sighing, reflexively savoring the taste with an ice chunk the size of a finger joint in his mouth. His blue eyes, wide open towards the sky, blinked a couple of times. His sister held out the plate she had been cradling in one arm. In the deep silver plate, ice chunks in pale purple and red hues formed a translucent hill.

“Look how pretty these colors are. This isn’t ordinary ice. It’s ice candy. The butler just sent a plate over after lunch ended.”

“It’s beautiful… And delicious. And cool.”

“But you know, it gets sticky when it dries?”

“…You knew that and still stuffed it down my back?”

Johannes reproached with a complicated expression while eating a few more pieces of ice. His sister folded her eye corners lengthily and then quickly wiped her already sticky palm on his nape. Her deliberate gesture was full of playfulness.

Ah, really…

Amidst all sorts of liquids mixing on his already unpleasant skin, his sister’s touch felt good, making Johannes’ feelings all the more unsettled. What am I to do with you, he finally laughed in defeat. No longer having the energy to stand, he sat back down on the grass, stretching out his legs.

“Come here.”

He tugged on his sister’s arm after patting the space in front of him, creating green waves with one hand. His sister sank down between his legs as if being pulled in.

“Ah, it’s hot, so hot!”

After fidgeting to settle in facing the same direction as Johannes, she leaned back heavily, almost lying down. That was all she said. Johannes rested his chin on her right shoulder like a well-trained dog. Then he reached out with both hands on either side of his sister to hold the plate. Having well trapped his sister within his arms, he muttered blandly.

“Then don’t stick so close.”

“Don’t… wanna…”

“Didn’t you say it was hot?”

“That’s that.”

His sister tilted her head back, resting it on Johannes’ left shoulder, crossing him. Ah, as expected.

Johannes laughed silently at the response that didn’t disappoint. It was a clear laugh with no ulterior motive other than adoring his sister who only did lovably annoying things.

He soon picked up the largest-looking ice chunk from the plate and put it in his mouth. The ice chunk was almost half the size of a fist, and one of his cheeks bulged out just that much. It’s sweet. And sour. It seemed to have been frozen with fruit juice mixed in, but judging by the taste alone, it was something like pomegranate or such, not even in season.

He picked out one that looked especially delicious with a deep red color and put it in his sister’s mouth too. One more. Then two more. His sister, slumped down and silently opening her mouth wide, ate well whatever he put in. A few times, his fingertips were slightly caught by his sister’s lips closing faster than expected.

When he felt that wetness, he would jokingly scold her to swallow slowly and wipe it off on her cheek. His sister had no particular response to his nagging.

“It’s hot, hot, hot, hot…”

She only chanted like singing while rolling the ice candy in her mouth.

“I know. It really is hot…”

Johannes murmured like a short response and buried his nose in his sister’s hair rustling near his temple. His sister swung one of her ankles left and right, tapping near his ankle bone.

“What?”

“Tie my hair up, Johan.”

“Up high?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Alright… Sit up straight.”

When Johannes gently pushed his sister’s shoulders, her small back suddenly straightened. Johannes slid his hand under his sister’s hair. Then he familiarly made a comb with his hand and felt along her nape. It was to scrape up the baby hairs well first. His sister remained calm without any particular sign of surprise.

Holding the hair with the edge of his hand fixed at the back of her head, he gathered the long strands that had escaped on both sides with his remaining hand and grasped them again. His sister’s hair was so long that even when pulled up high, it hung down and brushed against the blue grass blades. Strands finer than any gold or silver thread. It’s something his sister would normally be proud of.

His sister’s long neckline showed white even in the shade. Beads of sweat had formed on the baby hairs that seemed to have faded to white rather than gold in the blazing sunlight. Johannes’ gaze was caught on that moist sheen.

His movements suddenly stopped. Though it was a nape he had exposed with his own hands, he found his gaze captivated by his sister’s fragile lines. Something felt strange. His heart was beating oddly. With each shallow, quiet breath, he felt his soul leaking out a little, but he couldn’t understand why.

…There’s no need to know, really.

The corners of his eyes and mouth formed faint curves. Soon he naturally raised his empty hand and fanned his sister’s nape. Though it looked completely transparent, her neck covered in sweat was ridiculously lovable. She must not be feeling very refreshed herself, yet she still wants to stick close to me…

I want to hug her more.

He quietly closed his eyes. In truth, he too was just as heedless of the scorching heat. No, he was more so, if anything. Rather than just fanning his sister’s neck, he wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her close, even if it was a bit hot.

Cradling her in his arms, pressing his nose bridge against the beautifully exposed nape between the swaying strands of hair held by his hand—Johannes briefly thought how nice that would feel.

If he pressed his cheek there too, he would surely feel his sister’s warmly flushed pulse throbbing right beneath the thin skin… Why? Are you already tired from just hand-fanning? He could almost hear his sister’s mocking laughter in his ear.

His arm, which had reached out to pick up an ice piece after fanning, suddenly stiffened. As he just watched his sister’s nape after tying up her hair, playfulness had finally arisen even in his heat-induced drowsiness. His fingertips that didn’t touch his sister itched.

He didn’t hesitate much. There was no reason to hesitate. He immediately aimed the ice piece he had been about to put in his mouth at his sister’s nape instead. He lightly pressed it against the protruding bone. The melted ice from his fingertip quickly disappeared into her clothes, trailing down the sunken spine.

“Eek! Heeek!”

The slow-reacting sister jumped up belatedly. Her platinum hair came undone from his hand’s grasp and poured down like a river. The silver plate overturned on the ground, scattering jewel-like ice chunks.