Published at 18th of November 2020 07:17:11 PM
Chapter 22: 22
“The Royal Palace… . . ?”
How would someone who used to work for the palace end up in this sort of place… . .
“I didn’t agree with a couple of powerful people and when I voiced my objections all that did was earn their ire . They blinded me and then threw me in here . ”
“What sort… . of objections did you have?” I ask, noticing that my voice trembled a bit as I spoke .
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Alicia . ”
“I see . Alicia… . . What a nice name . I’m Will… Just Will,” he says, lightly ruffling my hair .
I wonder if he can tell what sort of face I’m making right now; a very composed, serious expression .
“Alicia, you might not understand this yet, but just because we have always done something a certain way and it’s worked up until now, doesn’t mean we should limit ourselves to only that method . Do you know what it means to reflect on the past?”
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Even though I can tell he’s waiting for my response, the words seem to catch in my throat .
“To reflect on the past doesn’t mean to validate the good things that our ancestors did and just continue to use them . Rather than adopt ancient strategies that worked long ago, we should be learning from them, improving them . It means to develop and grow as a people and as a country after learning from the mistakes that have been made throughout history . ”
Without realizing it, while listening to his explanation, tears had started to fall from my eyes .
Grandpa Will gently wipes them off my cheeks for me .
“You’re a bright kid . In order to make wise choices, it’s indeed vital to gather knowledge on a wide variety of subjects, but never forget that knowledge without wisdom holds no meaning . ”
“Grandpa Will, because of the palace… . . Do you hate nobles now?”
At my question, his face hardens .
“I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t . Even now, I feel the vestiges of my old self calling to me in my dreams, tantalizing me with the colorful world from my memories . But the moment that I’ve finally grasped that world, the blackness rushes back in and I’m once again left in total darkness . Those moments still torment me from time to time . But I don’t regret it, and I can look past those feelings . I still don’t think that what I did was wrong . And I believe that there will come a time when others will realize that as well . Thanks to that, I’m able to continue living on with pride . ”
I’m starting to feel ashamed of myself . Because for the first time in my 8 years of life, I finally understand how truly blessed I am .
My tears start falling faster . I’m crying full force now, sobbing . I know it’s shameful to cry like this, but I can’t seem to stop .
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This man had his eyes ruined just because he angered someone with a similar noble status to mine, and in contrast I’ve just been living my life obliviously, and for what? Trying to become a villainess? After hearing his story, I can’t help but feel small and ignorant . I have so many feelings swirling helplessly within me that I can’t contain them and so the tears continue to fall .
Without saying anything, Grandpa Will just puts his arms around me, patting my back comfortingly . I swear, I’ll never forget this warmth that he’s showing me for the rest of my life .
I don’t want to conceal my aspirations to become a villainess, so I tell him everything .
In the process, I also explain the reason that I came here today… . .
Grandpa Will just listens quietly to me as I talk .
And when I had finally finished explaining everything, he merely smiles gently at me and pats my head .
“What a clever child you are,” he tells me as a couple of tears start to roll down my cheeks again .
I’m sure I look like an absolute mess right now . I wonder if I’ll even be able to open my eyes tomorrow morning after all this crying I’ve been doing .
“So you’ve been learning how to use a sword and reading countless books every day in order to become a villainess… . . ”
I give him a huge nod .
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Grandpa Will smiles broadly at that, the lines around his eyes crinkling .
“Never lose that ambition of yours . ”
Surprisingly, he’s actually okay with me wanting to become a villainess… . to the point of endorsing it? I wonder why… . .
A villainess is a bad person, you know . She’s someone who won’t care what happens to others as long as she, herself, is doing well… . .
“You should go home now . ”
“I’ll come again . ”
At my quick reply, Grandpa Will’s expression turns troubled .
“It would be better if you didn’t come back . ”
“No . I still want to talk with you more, Grandpa Will . ”
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Although he still looks a bit worried, he can’t help but smile a bit at my words . So instead of telling me not to come again, all he says is, “Thank you . ”
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I wonder if he’s already realized how stubborn I am, and that once I’ve made up my mind to do something I’ll definitely make sure to see it through until the end .
On that note, I leave Grandpa Will’s house and head back towards the mist .
As soon as I get outside, I’m once again accosted by the awful smell . I cover my nose with my hand in an attempt to avoid the stench as much as possible while I walk .
After a few minutes, I’ve walked into and through the fog, and find myself back in the woods . I carry my extinguished lantern, and start running back towards home .
At this point, my eyes had already become accustomed to the darkness, and as I make my way back I notice that the terror I had felt while coming here is completely gone now . And as I run home, I think more about what I had just seen .
In a few words, that impoverished village is just a place of decay and despair .
I would rather not go there again in the future, but I want to talk more with Grandpa Will . Since, of all of my acquaintance, I definitely think that he’s the wisest person I’ve ever met .
T/N: Lol, she was very non-descriptive of what “tell him everything” means… . I can’t decide if that includes talk of her past life or not XD What do you guys think??
P . S . and minor spoiler… . Time skip next chapter!! Say your goodbyes to 8-year-old Alicia!! I can’t wait for the next manga chapter! I love seeing the characters’ looks evolve over time ❤
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