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Vivian’s expression sharpened. She looked ready to tear away every one of Heinri’s secrets without mercy.
However, Heinri merely watched her calmly with his beautiful eyes.
Soon, he spoke in a soft, melodic voice.
"Vivian. I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding...?"
"It’s not a misunderstanding!"
Vivian shouted, sounding aggrieved.
"You clearly told me to go to the 'room on the far left of the third floor' that day. You definitely knew."
"..."
"That Sislein and Annette were hiding there. ...You made me report them on purpose, didn't you?"
"Vivian. Your imagination is running wild."
Heinri quietly countered.
"Even if you found their hideout, you didn't have to report it, did you?"
It wasn't a wrong statement. But Vivian was no pushover either. The girl who had lived her life as a diligent, model student was not stupid.
"You knew! You knew I was sensitive about the 'school rules'!"
The corners of Vivian’s eyes turned red.
"You definitely knew I would report it. That was clearly something you manipulated."
"..."
"From the moment I made that first report, I could never be close to Sislein. And I...! I!"
Vivian trembled, dropping her gaze.
"I contacted the slave market and even resorted to theft just to help you."
You never smiled at me once.
Instead, you looked at me with contempt.
Vivian’s fists clenched tighter.
Before she knew it, plop, plop—sad tears fell to the floor.
"I’m going to go to Annette and tell her everything. That you were the one who made me do it."
"..."
"If you hadn't pointed out the hideout as if you wanted me to report it in the first place, I wouldn't have done such stupid things."
*Thud, thud.*
The boy approached Vivian with a cold face. The beautiful, yet cruel face she had once loved was pushed right in front of her.
A strange, subtle smile lingered in the corners of his long eyes.
"Vivian."
His voice was cruel in its tenderness.
"Sister must never know."
His brilliant violet eyes narrowed sharply.
"Because Sister dislikes children who do bad things..."
*Hiccup,* Vivian’s pupils trembled. Heinri whispered a dangerous secret.
"Bad things have to be done in secret."
"...!"
Before she knew it, the smile had dried up, and a tension and murderous intent as sharp as needles could be felt radiating from Heinri.
"If you try to tell her..."
His clear, purple eyes locked onto her.
"I am prepared to do absolutely 'anything' to stop you."
"..."
Ah, in that moment, Vivian realized.
Even though Heinri was wearing a Mana Suppressor, his explosive mana was dangerous enough to be a threat to her.
And that his words were by no means a bluff.
Suddenly, Vivian became terrified of what the boy meant by "anything."
In the end, Vivian bit her tear-stained lips and let out a cry of frustration.
"You’re insane, Heinri."
The boy just chuckled.
"Ah, I’m hurt that you’re only realizing that now."
With that, he finally straightened his leaning posture and turned around.
"Anyway, I’ll trust you to keep quiet. Have a safe trip to the 'Temple of the Forest', Vivian."
Heinri’s wave as he walked away was light.
*Thud, thud.*
The sound of him leaving the room echoed through the quiet hallway.
* * *
Heinri’s expression was dark.
Whenever he discovered his own wicked nature, like today, his mood always hit rock bottom.
"...Annette."
The boy quietly called out the name of the person he cherished. His heart ached.
In the end, I’ve ended up tormenting Sister.
In truth, pointing out the hideout had been an intentional act.
Just as Vivian said, he had known. He knew she would report it immediately.
'But, I couldn't bear it otherwise.'
When Annette appeared holding Sislein’s hand, Heinri had felt extreme terror and an anxiety as if the world were collapsing.
He simply could not accept that a new person Annette cherished had appeared.
That was why.
He had acted so impulsively.
Of course, he hadn't known that Vivian would contact a slave market or steal items to frame them, but in a way... perhaps those things were exactly what he had wanted.
Heinri staggered into the living quarters, feeling a sense of self-loathing.
"..."
The living quarters, with the lights turned off, were filled with silence.
Heinri quietly knelt on one knee in front of the bed where Annette was lying.
Then, he asked in a trembling, small voice.
"...Sister, are you asleep?"
"Did our baby... come back?"
Annette, her green eyes full of sleep, stroked Heinri’s hair.
"Heinri, you should sleep too."
"...Yes."
Heinri barely managed to answer, wrapping his two small hands around her warm hand.
'My kind Sister.'
Our Annette, the most angelic person in the world.
But if the truth were known, she might hate me or leave me.
Because I am not a good child worthy of being loved.
Because this affection is too much for me to deserve.
Heinri clung desperately to the body heat touching his hand, recalling his first meeting with Annette.
* * *
"Your father says he doesn't want to see you."
At five years old, Heinri had gone to find his father for the first time and heard those words.
And it was through his mother’s lips, no less.
Since he was young, Heinri had grown up hearing, "Actually, your father is a great mage."
That his father was a Duke, mentioned as the "next Tower Master."
"Mom, then why can't we see Dad?"
"That is... Heinri, your father is busy doing great things."
I see, Father is a great man.
Heinri grew up respecting his father deep in his heart.
However, at five years old, the moment he was rejected by his father during their very first encounter, this bright child realized the truth.
That his mother was a lowly courtesan, and that he, her son, was a being unworthy of touching his noble father’s hand.
His father had abandoned him even before the umbilical cord was cut.
"Let’s go home, Heinri."
His mother had sought out his father that day just to get enough food for a single week.
She had quit her work as a courtesan after having Heinri and was raising her son by doing odd jobs.
But because her body was so frail, it was hard to earn money properly.
Even then, whenever she managed to get anything edible, she gave it all to Heinri. It was only natural that her strength gradually faded.
*Crunch, crunch.*
On a snowy day, Heinri walked back home holding his mother’s thin, bony hand.
He was hungry because they hadn't been able to get any food, but...
The flower-like snowflakes that fluttered that day and the footprints he and his mother left side-by-side remained a beautiful memory nonetheless.
That was why it was so hard to understand the cold corpse of his mother he found a few days later.
Heinri was too young to understand the concept of taking one's own life, or the heart of a mother who loved her child so much but had no choice but to make that decision because she was exhausted by life.
He simply thought he had been abandoned.
That he was so lacking that even his mother had abandoned him and left.
It was a reality too heavy for young Heinri to bear.
Afterward, he went to find his father alone, but all he heard was, "A seed born from a filthy body."
Heinri fell into complete despair.
After that, the broken boy drifted into 'The Forest'.
* * * "Let go of me! Don't you dare touch me. Damn it."
At ten years old, Heinri was like a thorn itself. He was jagged, abrasive, and sharp toward everyone. Even though he had awakened a Special Level 1 ability, he was constantly a source of trouble. This arrogant and beautiful boy fought with the other children day in and day out. Yet, the teachers couldn't treat the precious Special Level 1 child too harshly. Heinri acted out more and more, and the more he did, the lonelier he became. He was the only one in The Forest without a single friend.
In such a life, the appearance of Annette was like a shock.
"Hello? You're Heinri, right? I'm Annette. I'm eleven."
"I'm not interested."
"Hmm, but I'm very interested in you? Can't we be friends?"
"Stop hovering and get lost!"
*Thump!*
As Heinri shoved her hard and stood up, the small girl fell backward. The outcome was obvious. She would burst into tears or grow to hate him. But the girl with eyes like warm, spring-sunlight green didn't burst into tears; instead, she gave him a bright, beaming smile.
"……Heinri, you're amazing! You're so strong, too!"
Heinri was left completely flustered.
"You're so annoying!"
Even after that, the girl’s behavior remained the same. No matter how much he shoved her, cursed at her, pushed her away, or acted annoyed, she was always by his side. She always praised him with a smiling face. How amazing Heinri was, what a kind child Heinri was.
*She’s a weirdo.*
Heinri hated Annette for that. It was only natural. Heinri didn't have anyone he liked. He lived in terror that if he liked someone, they would inevitably abandon him and leave. Just like his mother……. It was best not to like anyone from the start.
So, one day, Heinri decided to play a mean prank.
"Hey, Annette. The lake is all frozen over, so let's make a bet on who can walk across it."
The lake only had a thin layer of ice; it wasn't frozen solid enough for children to walk on. Heinri knew this perfectly well and was just being spiteful. But this stupid Annette beamed with joy.
"Okay! I'd love to!"
"……."
"It's the first game I'm playing with Heinri!"
She really is an idiot. Is she not in her right mind? Anyone could see the ice wasn't thick enough! Seeing her joyful face, Heinri felt his malice twist even further, and he said to Annette,
"You go across first and come back."
He turned his back and sneered. *She won't even be able to get near the edge of the lake anyway. It’s obvious it’s not frozen enough, right?* Then he would use that as an excuse to get rid of her. *You’re the one who didn't play, even though I asked you to, Annette.*
It was when he was thinking that and looking toward the lake.
"……!!!"
Annette wasn't at the lakeside. Looking closer, he saw a small girl struggling in the water, having fallen in at the edge.
"Hey, are you crazy? Hey!!! Have you lost your mind?"
Heinri immediately threw off his outer garment and dove into the lake. He swam through the freezing, ice-cold water to pull Annette out.
"Wake up! Annette!"
As soon as they were out, Heinri wrapped the girl in his own dry outer garment. *Is she dead? What if she’s hurt because of me? I didn't mean to do that……. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…….*
Just as Heinri was frantically stroking Annette’s body, which had turned cold as a corpse, Annette opened her eyes faintly and smiled.
"……Wow, Heinri, you're good at swimming, too? You're really amazing. So cool. *Cough, cough!*"
"……You really are an idiot!"
After that day, the two of them suffered from the flu together. And after that, Heinri’s world changed 180 degrees. Wherever Heinri went, he went with Annette. Whenever he ate something delicious, he always saved a portion for her. He laughed more often, and he learned what warmth was.
Every now and then, Heinri would ask, "Sister, why are you so good to me?"
Then Annette would answer with the warmest, prettiest smile in the world.
"That’s because I love you, Heinri. I like you the best in the whole world!"
Heinri had his heart stolen by the girl who laughed so freely. From then on, Heinri had someone he liked for the first time. It was a feeling so precious he was afraid it would shatter. It was a childish heart that felt unbearably lonely if anyone tried to come between them. Even though he knew it was an obsession, even though he knew he shouldn't, it was hard to control.
That was…… what Annette’s existence was to Heinri.
* * *
"Sister, that day you fell into the lake…… you let me win on purpose, didn't you?"
Heinri whispered as he knelt quietly in front of the bed.
"……Why did you go that far?"
Who am I to deserve that? I was only ever mean to you……. Why were you so good to me?
Annette didn't seem to hear Heinri’s whisper. Having had a very long day, she was simply fast asleep. Heinri gulped. The boy’s eyes were a mess of confusion, guilt, and the fear of being hated. Trembling slightly, the boy confessed.
"Sister, actually…… I’m the one who told Vivian where the hideout was."
I’m so wicked. That’s why everyone left me in the past.
"I’m sorry for being such a bad child…… I think I was just born this way."
Sister, please don't hate me too much, even so. Please forgive me…….
On the night Annette slept, Heinri wept pitifully the whole time, confessing like a child who had lost his mother’s hand.
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