…Master. Master.
Ahh… you have awakened.
You gave me quite the startle.
Do you not remember? You suddenly started staring off into the distance, and you would not respond to anything I said.
Hehe. I thought you were playing a prank on me.
Your hand? Oh, yes, I did not let go of it.
For if I had, we would be in quite the predicament.
Someone approaching the mansion, you say? You saw them?
Those images… were not shown to you by me. If you saw something, then it was by your own powers.
But if you think about it, that is nothing unusual.
You are, after all, the master of this house.
You should, in all actually, be able to do anything I can do by yourself, Master.
So it is very possible you could have knowledge that I do not.
Now, let us return to the mansion's tale.
After the second beast paid a visit, Bestia began to destabilize again.
The White-Haired Girl would soothe his heart, but the calm was only ephemeral.
He was like a cracked glass ball.
If you dropped him, that would be the end. If you put too much force into handling him, he would shatter. He was very difficult to care for.
And cracks do not heal. The damage still remains, even if the two sides appear to be held together firmly in place.
Furthermore, they slowly, gradually, and without intervention spread.
The beast appeared to be afraid of someone's voice.
He would on occasion stare into empty space and shout, cover his ears, and groan.
One day, he shattered all the windows in the mansion, crushed the silverware I had just polished to a shine…
and destroyed all the mirrors.
I assume he did not want to see his beastly self.
—More… There's more! There's still more that reflects my image! Windows! Mirrors! Vases! Dishes! They all show my reflection!
—Wh-What are you doing?
—I have no need of anything that reflects me! You can understand that, can't you?!
—Why…? You're going to cut your hands like that…
Tracing the wall with her fingers, the White-Haired Girl approached Bestia.
She stretched her spindly fingers out toward the beast's rugged hands.
His hands were wet with blood from his frenzied attempts to destroy anything reflective in the house.
—Look at all these cuts…
—Stop… you're going to dirty your hands. Get back!
—No, I will not.
—It's no use… No matter how many times you call me human… the mirrors tell another story. Not just the mirrors. Everything reflective shouts "beast!" at me angrily. Look at how precarious I am… It's hideous… pitiful… I thought it was all over when I protected you from the beast… but that image keeps coming back to me–the sight of another beast clinging onto me. I can hear its voice. It says I was only ever a beast!
—Voice…? Whose voice?
—So you don't know… So you can't hear it.
—You are fighting against something beyond the limits of my perception.
—Fighting… No, if only it were a fight… It speaks the undeniable truth…
—As I have said before, you are not a beast. You look like me; I am certain of it.
—Your eyes…
—What?
—Your.. red eyes… They show you nothing, but they show me what I am… They show me the difference between us.
—Are you afraid of my eyes? If… If my eyes cause your fear, if you can see in them your reflection, then you are welcome to destroy them. Rip them from me, with your own hands. I have no need of them, after all…
—Why… would you go so far from me? You… The voice says that you're laughing at me. That deep down, you ridicule me.
—Do you believe that? After all the time we've spent together…
—I– I don't know… I'm starting to lose confidence. I believe you… I think I believe you… but I find myself wavering… I'm losing sight of myself… and of you… of everything. In all my memories, I am a beast… The voice says I was always this way. Which, I suppose, means I am a beast. I can't be anything but…
—Do not trust the voice. Trust me instead. I… I do not want to make another mistake. To do something like run away… because I am so weak-willed…
"I do not understand this woman. She's so pure-hearted, so beautiful. Like hope personified. I want to understand–to believe her. I was sure I could do it, but I keep failing. Why… am I losing my grip on everything?"
—Are words not enough to convince you?
—What…?
—Are words not enough to convince you that you are not a beast? Then see for yourself… feel for yourself… that there is but one difference between us.
—Wh– What are you doing…?
—I assume our skin, and our hair, and our eyes are different colors. But those do not count as a difference. The only thing that differs between us…
—H-Hold on…
In his utter shock, Bestia was frozen in place. And he was right to be surprised.
The sound of rustling fabric shook the air in the forlorn mansion.
She had placed her hand on the sleeve of her garments and begun to disrobe.
Before long–
—Gaze upon me.
–she was standing there completely undressed.
Her body was incomparably beautiful.
Slender, not an ounce of excess far on her. The sight of her was impressive–almost divine.
Even I let out a gasp when I saw her.
—See for yourself.
This was the first time Bestia had seen the White-Haired Girl unclothed.
Though they slept in the same bed, as I said before, they did not have a physical relationship.
She grasped his unmoving hand and guided it toward her.
She moved his hand across her flesh, along the curve of her shoulder, down her arm, and pressed it against her chest firmly enough for him to feel her beating heart.
Do you think this caused a stirring within him? Hehehe… Is there any man for whom the touch of a woman's skin would not?
Especially one so beautiful as her.
However… he was not aroused .
Why do you think that was? Because a beast cannot lust after a human?
I believe you know the answer.
—Nnh…
—Are you crying?
—...C– Could you… smile for me?
—What?
—I want to see your smile…
—Like this? … I'm not sure… I'm doing a good job…
—No… you're doing fine… Your smile… is so pretty. It calms me… warms my heart… I think I know someone, somewhere, who has that same smile.
…..
—Thank you for seeing me off.
—Don't mention it…
—I learned so much about this town thanks to you. You made my stay here quite enjoyable. … What's the matter? You're looking rather glum.
—I wonder…
—Huh?
—I wonder… why the sea exists. I was born in a port town, so it's always been there for me. This huuuuge, neverending, expansive, magnificent ocean. Far too big for a single, measly little human like me to cross. It's so pretty…
—It is.
—I feel like I understand why you like the sea. But right now, I can't help wondering… why God created such an enormous sea. Why He didn't make the world… smaller. Um… I'm sorry. I'm talking nonsense.
—Not at all. I'll probably be back eventually. That's just part of the job.
—And will you have lunch at the seaside restaurant again?
—Haha… quite likely. And I bet it'll be mostly meat too.
—Was your stomach able to handle it?
—I'll train up for the next time.
—Hehe…
…..
—Your ship… is going to embark soon.
—...Yeah.
—Will people get mad you're not helping them prepare?
—Most likely.
—Then you should hurry off.
—...Yeah. … Pauline.
—Hmm?
—I just… wanted to thank you again. Uh… I appreciate you taking so much time to show me around.
—Is that all?
—Um… no. I don't know why… but I was considering leaving without telling you this.
—...I'd like you to tell me.
—I'd feel better… if you turned me down.
—What…?
—My homeland is only getting more isolated. Unlike your country, mine is not eager to associate with the rest of the world. I probably don't even have their patronage anymore… What I'm saying… is that I have absolutely no stability… I can't even say for sure whether I'll be back… So…
—You're right. There's nothing but obstacles. I'm sure my mom would be opposed as well. But I've fallen for you. The way you look staring out at the sea. The shape of your lips when you smile at me. The kindness in your voice… The more time I spend with you, the deeper I fall in love with you. The whole world could separate us… and these feelings would not change.
—W-Well, damn. You beat me to it…
—Hehe. If I'd waited, I don't think you would have ever gotten to it!
—I'll say it myself too. I love you, Pauline. I fell for you the moment I first saw you. I promise… we will meet again.
—...Mhm. I promise… I'll be waiting.
—Thank you.
It's visible in both of our eyes.
This love, strong enough to wash away all our tribulations.
It's all right there, plain as day, in each of our eyes.
Mine, and his…