—Mell and I have always been close. I would sing songs for him, and he would teach me about all sorts of things! He's so smart. Nowadays, Mell hardly even goes on walks with me, making excuses like "I'm an adult now." But we used to spend a lot of time playing together in the rose garden.
—I see…—The White-Haired Girl normally had difficulty smiling, but her lips naturally curled upward as Nellie reminisced.
A vision of the two happy siblings had probably swelled up in her mind.
And I imagine… there was a faint trace of envy in her heart as well.
—Lady Nellie… you love Lord Mell quite deeply, I see.
—Yes, of course I do! Mell's smart, and he's studious, and he's incredibly kind. For my birthday, he gave me this wonderful rose necklace.
The jewelry shop he got it from is famous because even the royal family makes commissions from their workshop.
—So he had to have ordered it months in advance. Just for me!
—Hehehe.
—He's a prince.
—Oh?
—Heheh. He's pretty charming, wouldn't you say? That's why I call him my prince. But you know what? Mell is a terrible dancer, and he still hasn't got his feet on the ground yet, and he's so bad at interacting with girls. So there's no one else who would say that about him.
—He is quite the gentleman. I assumed women would be drawn to him…
—Gentleman? Have you met Mell already?
—...This morning, briefly.
"That reminds me… Mell seemed to know about her too…"
—Um…
—What do you think about Mell?
—I, um… As I said, he is a gentleman.
—That's not what I mean! Don't think I'll let you get away with putting any funny ideas in his head!
—What?!
—Mell is too trusting! He's pure of heart! So I won't stand for you trying to take advantage of him!
—I-I would never…
—So you say, but you actually want to get close to him…
—I– I wouldn't dream of it, Lady Nellie. H-He is a man far beyond my reach…
—You aren't planning on doing anything, are you?
—Not at all…
—And you don't have any romantic feelings for him, do you?
—What– Um…
—Well? Do you?!
—I have no… romantic feelings for him, Lady Nellie.
—And you won't develop any?
—...I will not.
And with that, Nellie gave a wide, satisfied grin.
Even though one has no way of knowing how another truly feels–or how they might in the future.
—Hehe. You wouldn't, would you? Now that I think about it, there are plenty of other boys. You getting together with Mell is downright absurd!
—I-Indeed…
—Ahh, but anyway, back to what we were talking about earlier! Your family! I almost forgot!
—I, um…
—You haven't told me exactly where you came from, or anything about your–
—Lady Nellie!—They just were interrupted by one of abigails.—I've brought a new carpet! Just look at the embroidery! The work of a true artisan! I'm simply in love with it! Surely you will find it to your liking as well?
—Wow, you're right!—Nellie's reaction seemed honest.—That's a Florentine stitch, isn't it? I wonder whether someone mimicked the style, or if it was imported. Either way, a great find! Let's hurry up and get it laid out! Oh, and we'll have to see how the colors go with everything else! We have to finish redecorating quickly so I can show Mell! He'll be so surprised! "What wonderful taste you have, Nellie." Hehehe.
When the other abigails returned, so too did the bustle within Nellie's room. As the White-Haired Girl watched, a faint smile crossed her lips.
Perhaps it was from relief at having escaped Nellie's inquisition. Or perhaps…
…..
—Ah, Nellie!—Mell shouted across the corridors.—I'm back!
—Did you eat something you're not supposed to, dearest Mell? You're unusually cheerful.
—I-I'm the same as always. Anyway–
—Never mind that, dearest Mell! Take a look at my room! I redecorated today!
—So that's what you've been doing hiding away in the house all day, Nellie?—A tiny smile on his face.
—How is that any different than what you were doing? You were in the church all day.
—I-I guess. I will look at your room, I promise, but first… uh, do you know where the new maid is?—His question was met with silence.—Now now, don't get any strange ideas. I just haven't yet had the chance to introduce myself, and I thought I should, as a member of the family.
"Except you have, and I know it…"—Nellie's answer remained only in her mind.
—Being the eldest son, it would be shameful if she were to pass me in the halls not even knowing who I am, so…
—Don't ask me…
—What? But you were in the house all day!
—She attends to Mother, so why would I know where she is? Though she did help redecorate my room.
—You made her help? That's work for the menservants. There was no reason to make the maids do it.
—Oh, so you're saying I should invite a bunch of men into my room?!
—I got into your room all the time, Nellie. And you were in my bedchamber just this morning.—His eyes darted to the side.
—Only one man is allowed in my bedroom, dearest Mell, and that is you. So unless you become a servant–which I will not stand for–I will not ask any of them for help.
—Oh Nellie…—He smiled a bit.—You ought to be a little more…
—A little more what?—She nearly bounced at that.—If you're going to lecture me, I won't hear it!
—What am I going to do with you, my little lady?
—What? What? Why are you looking at me like that?! We talked about you, dearest Mell! And I'm not going to tell you what she said!
—About me?! What did she say?!
—Hmph.
—Please, Nellie!
—She said…—Mell expression lightened at it.—She said she has no romantic interest in you.
—Wha– Wh-Why did that even come up?
—Because we're both girls. We talk about things like what kind of boys we like and who's the most handsome. Why do you look so downtrodden, dearest Mell?!
—You look like a sad little boy who can't get his crush to notice him!—"That face is unbecoming of a prince, Mell…"—Are you interested in her? That's strange. You haven't even met.
—I-I am not! It's just depressing to find out that someone you've never even met doesn't like you… That's all.
…..
"If I'm going to make my move… I must do so soon. I don't have much time."—The White-Haired Girl's gaze was pinned to the floor.—"The master of the house isn't around… so next in line would be him…"
—That painting…—She muttered looking at the painting of Mell and Nellie.
…..
Despite his near devastation by Nellie's news, Mell's flaxen eyes continued to wander in hopes of catching sight of the girl.
Hehehe. By now, it should be quite obvious to you what Mell was feeling.
But the boy himself was having difficulty comprehending the things going through his heart.
Emotionally, he was horribly unstable–like a ship without a sail.
And still, every time he stopped the White-Haired Girl, his heart would leap, his whole body jitter with anxiety and excitement.
He had never felt anything like this before, and as such, he struggled to keep these strange emotions in check.
Whenever he saw an opportunity, Mell would speak to the White-Haired Girl.
And days he was unable to, he either spent in secluded silence or a distracted daze.
Love is a curious thing. It has the power to change those who experience it.
When he did manage to approach her, he tripped over his tongue. Again and again he talked to her, and again and again he stumbled.
I imagine, if you were to take him to see a romance at the theatre in his present state, he would cry just as much as little Nellie.
We cry at tragedies because we draw parallels with our own lives. At least, that is what I think.
Great tales of romance attain true gravity with the audience only when they are personally familiar with love.
In any event, the White-Haired Girl was, as a result of this, visibly perturbed.
She was delighted that he was being so kind to her, but confusion overpowered every other emotion.
She appeared to be at lost for what to do as he clumsily catapulted words and stares at her.
But Mell did not back down–though he probably knew not what caused such fiery emotion to erupt from within his breast.
One's first love, in particular, tends to burn like a wildfire. Are you familiar with the sensation, Master?
Oh? Hehehe.
—Ah…—"There she is. Is she cleaning? No, it looks like she's reading. It's now or never."—...Boo!
—Aah!
—Ahaha! Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.
—L-Lord Mell…—She muttered.—You very clearly meant to scare me.
—Because you just wouldn't notice me. What are you reading? You looked pretty engrossed.
—Oh… I-I'm sorry. I should have asked for permission…
—It's fine. No need to apologize. Feel free to read whatever you want. And you're welcome to bring books back to your room if you'd like to spend more time with them.
—Um, but… I was just… I was just amazed… that the mansion had a library. It must have been a lot of work to collect all these books.
—There are some pretty old books in here too.
—Your grandfather's?
—Some that he collected, and some even older than that. Take a look at this. I think it's a diary, but it's not from this country. Or this century, for that matter. Maybe a feudal lord? Haha. Here, he's complaining about the quality of the harvest. "Can this forsaken land only produce oversour grapes? Ahh, if only the largest of the…" Uh… Barney? Or maybe Barnier? "If only the largest of the Barnier estates were mine instead. The land there is much more suitable to cultivation." There you have it.
—You can read this, Lord Mell?
—More or less. I've looked over it several times already, so that wasn't too difficult.
—Why would such an old book be here?
—I'm not sure. It, and all of this, was already here when I moved into the mansion.
—Have you not lived here your whole life?
—I was born at our estate. But to me and Nellie, this is more like our home. We moved when I was still young, and we've lived here ever since. Nellie and Mother have both grown quite fond of it. Father, though, often goes back to the house, because he doesn't like all the roses.
—By himself?
—Yeah. Well, sometimes Mother goes with him. But for the most part, he goes alone. But don't get me wrong–it's not because they don't get along. In fact, they act more like teenagers in love than grown adults. It almost makes me sick having to watch it.
—It is a wonderful thing to be so close, no matter how old they may be.
—True, but still…
—There are those in the world who cannot be with the ones they care for, as much as they may wish.
—Um…—He tried to come up with words.—I'm sorry… about that… Uhh… Oh,—The smile returned to his face.—that's right. The book. What were you reading?
—I, um… wasn't exactly… "reading"... I can't–I do not enjoy reading lots of text, so I was looking at the pictures.
—Is that so? You seem very cultured, so I thought you would be partial to reading. Perhaps you're actually more like Nellie, and eschew your studies?
—Um, I… Yes.
—Ahaha, I wouldn't have guessed. But you like looking at pictures?
—I do. What else do you like?
—What?
—What do you enjoy doing? It can be anything.—He said after being met with silence.
—I enjoy… being told stories.
—Stories?
—Yes. When I was young, my father would tell me tales…
—What kinds of stories did you like?
—Um… there was one about an imprisoned girl.
—Tell it to me.—He smiled more brightly.
—Once there was a girl, and she was locked away in a mansion deep in the forest.—She started after silence.—A mansion with only one window. But the window sat high upon the wall, far beyond her reach. So it was always very dark inside–unlike this mansion. However, the girl did not like the outside world. There were lots of scary things out there, after all. Though she may have been all alone in the mansion, she grew comfortable with the darkness in time, so she had nothing to be afraid of. And then– Um, am I doing a good job?
—You're doing fine. Keep going.—Mell reassured.—What happens next?
—Okay… And then, the girl grew up. By then, she had already forgotten why she was locked up. But she was content with the darkness. However, her eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the little bit of light that spilled through the one window. Though she was comfortable in the darkness, the sight of the light made her heart race. At first, the girl thought it was because she found it unpleasant. Because she disliked the light, and the outside. But slowly she came to realize… that she was curious about the outside world. What could be happening out there? For all she knew, the town, the forest, the people, all of it could have changed while she was imprisoned in the mansion. But she had no way of finding out. So the girl decided to write letters and throw them out the window. What began as empty grasping became routine, continuing for several months until she was finally ready to give up. But then, a beautiful white dove flew in through the window. Tied to the dove's leg was a letter. Her heart racing, she read the words contained within. It seemed to have been written by a man. The letter contained numerous questions for the girl. It also said that if she attached her reply to the dove, it would bring the letter back to him. She was astonished, but she wrote him back anyway, taking care not to mention where she was. After having exchanged letters a number of times, the two felt very close to one another–as though they had known each other for many years, despite having never met. And eventually, the man…
—...Said he wanted to meet her?
—Indeed. The girl was unsure what to do. Should she tell him of how she lived? Should she reveal where she spent her days? She was afraid if she did, he would cease to send her letters. She was sure he believed her to be a young lady of noble blood… and not a girl locked away in a house deep in the forest. The girl could not bring herself to write a response. She released the dove through the window with nothing attached to its leg. And yet, it returned with another letter, written in the man's familiar hand. "You must surely have a grave reason for your silence," it said. "I would like to know that reason, and I would like to help you. No matter what it may be, you have my word." She deliberated. Though his letters were kind, she did not know this man. He was from the outside. Would he still treat her the same way when he met her? And did she even want to step out into the world beyond? What do you think she did?
—Wrote a letter and agreed to meet him. right?
—Yes… she did. The girl made up her mind: she would write a letter. As always, when she tied it to the dove's leg, it flew off out the window. And for some time after that, she received no response from the man. This saddened her, but she thought it was for the best. She belonged in her own confined world, her world of darkness. But then one day, light shone into the mansion. The sealed door had been opened, and in the doorway stood a handsome young man. "I have come for you," he said. The man was a prince from a neighboring kingdom. When the girl stepped outside, before her sat a magnificent carriage–the likes of which she had never before seen–accompained by many servants. The prince, kind as in the letters, swore his love to her. And the two… lived happily ever after.