Chapter 4 …
“Fine, forget it if you don’t want to.”
With a face that said, What’s the big deal?, Seria unexpectedly let go of Yuel just like that.
Only then could Yuel finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But it didn’t last long. The next question that came immediately after threw him right back into a corner.
“But Yuel, why don’t you like me?”
Meeting those innocent eyes, Yuel felt his heart jolt as though pricked by a needle.
His blue eyes wavered anxiously in every direction, unable to settle. In the end, with no other choice, Yuel squeezed his eyes shut and stammered out an excuse.
“Th-that’s because… because you said you like me…!”
“So because I like you, that means you don’t like me?”
Because I like you, you dislike me?
That can’t be right.
Not once had he ever truly disliked her. It was only that their way of expressing themselves was different.
Yuel forcefully ignored the clear voice of his heart and racked his brain for something to say.
Right, so I don’t like you.
If he said that, maybe Seria would finally stop liking him.
But strangely, that thought didn’t feel good at all.
“…You’re taller than me.”
In the end, the only excuse Yuel managed to come up with was such a pitiful, nonsensical one.
But since Seria actually was slightly taller than him, it wasn’t entirely untrue either.
“But it’s not that I’m tall, it’s that you’re short.”
Seria tilted her head and answered like that.
Her growth was slow, so there was no way she was taller than others her age. Saying you’re short was, in fact, closer to the truth—yet the words still cut into the boy’s heart like a wound.
Feeling as though he’d been stripped bare, Yuel trembled in shame and shouted.
“Anyway, I don’t like people taller than me!”
His voice cracked as though he were about to cry, and Yuel spun around, ready to run away like always.
But then he remembered something and, instead of sprinting off, he slowed down, choosing to just walk quickly ahead.
Watching his back with a faint frown, Seria let out a little huff through her nose.
But it’s not like I can suddenly get shorter.
That was something she couldn’t help, and strangely, it gave her a sense of hope.
If the reason Yuel disliked her was because she was taller, then once Yuel grew taller than her, the problem would be solved.
To Seria, it was an extremely simple matter.
So, gazing at his retreating figure, she called out brightly:
“Yuel, you’d better hurry up and grow taller!”
“I-I don’t… I don’t care!”
Yuel wanted to say I hate it! as usual, but since he really did want to grow taller, his reply came out more sulky than angry.
And so, from that day on, he secretly decided to drink more milk. But that was a secret he could never admit.
After that, their days went on in much the same way.
Seria followed him around because she liked him, and Yuel busied himself running away because he “hated” her.
Unlike before, Yuel no longer sprinted, so Seria took her time, trailing him at a leisurely pace. Still, the fact remained that one was chasing while the other was fleeing.
Is it really that fun for them?
Of course, the people around them often looked on with amazement.
A game of chase every single day—wouldn’t they get tired of it?
Such thoughts occasionally crossed people’s minds, but then again, it was hard for adults to understand the play of ten-year-olds through an adult’s lens.
In any case, time passed, and the day of Yuel’s departure drew near.
Which meant, whether they wanted it or not, their relationship had to come to an end.
Seria stared down at her toes with a sulky expression.
Her cheeks puffed out like balloons and her brows scrunched tightly together—her whole body radiated displeasure.
Of course, no matter how she pouted, Yuel’s carriage wasn’t suddenly going to break down, nor were the busy attendants loading luggage going to fall into a nap.
She knew she couldn’t stop him from leaving. But knowing didn’t make parting any easier.
“Our Riri, are you sad?”
Just when she was already upset, Marong sneaked up on her and started poking, only making her angrier.
Seria slowly raised her head and shot him a chilling glare.
It was her final warning not to provoke her—but Marong was never the type to listen.
“If Riri’s sad, then your big brother’s sad too.”
“…”
“Well then, for my sad little sister, how about a big ol’ smooch—”
“Ugh, stop it already!”
Exploding, Seria stomped down on Marong’s foot as hard as she could. He let out a silent scream, stumbling sideways in pain.
Hopping on one foot, he groaned pitifully every few steps, “Ugh… ow…”
The other brothers nearby just clicked their tongues. “No sense of dignity at all.”
“Seria.”
Still fuming, Seria suddenly froze when she heard Yuel’s voice.
Her lips trembled, on the verge of spilling tears, so she quickly bit down on them.
Then she whipped her head up, glaring fiercely at Yuel.
Startled by the intensity of her eyes, Yuel faltered for a moment—but only for a moment.
“What.”
“I’m leaving now.”
“I know.”
For once, both of them spoke differently than usual. Seria sulked, cheeks puffed with irritation, while Yuel was surprisingly calm.
It was only because he had already cried himself to sleep for the past week, slowly coming to terms with it. But of course, Seria had no idea.
“I had fun these past days.”
“You said you hated me.”
Her eyes narrowed in protest. She’d never really liked that overly polite tone of his.
As if weighing whether to show his true feelings, Yuel coughed awkwardly and muttered quietly:
“I don’t hate you.”
Then, scratching his cheek with his finger and avoiding her gaze, he added under his breath:
“…You know that.”
But his voice was so soft, and Seria was so caught up in her own hurt, that she didn’t hear his half-confession.
Resolving to at least end things properly, Yuel rubbed the back of his neck and said:
“Let’s meet again someday.”
“When?”
Seria instantly shot back, face still sulky.
“When will you come again?”
“Well… I’m not sure…”
“What if I forget you by then?”
That caught him off guard. If she had said, What if you forget me?, Yuel would have confidently declared, That’ll never happen!
But this—this he had no way to control.
“T-then… I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
He really couldn’t do anything about it. And thinking about it, it felt all too possible that Seria might actually forget him after a while.
Even if she was sad now, give it a month and she’d probably—
“…Letters!”
“Huh?”
“Let’s write letters!”
Panicked by the thought, Yuel quickly blurted out a solution.
He lost the calm composure he’d been trying so hard to maintain, but that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Seria’s expression instantly softened. That was the only thing important to him.
“Okay, I’ll write.”
Relieved by her answer, Yuel nodded and turned toward the carriage.
Dragging his feet with heavy reluctance, he forced himself to climb up. Behind him, Seria waved her hand cheerfully and shouted:
“Yuel, by the next time we meet, you’d better be taller than me!”
And then you have to like me, right?
The words seemed to echo in the air, and Yuel curled his white fingers inward.
It was embarrassing, but not shameful—rather, it wrapped him in a gentle warmth.
“I-I don’t care!”
He snapped back as usual, and the bystanders laughed without knowing why.
They didn’t understand the hidden meaning behind the children’s words, but their cuteness alone was enough to bring smiles.
“Let’s play together again next time!”
Seria’s voice rang out one last time, bright and radiant like sunlight scattering across the sky.
At that dazzling farewell, Yuel widened his eyes before hurriedly looking away.
Every time he saw her smiling so brightly, he never knew what expression he should make in return.
“W-whatever…”
Muttering a faint reply, Yuel quickly scrambled into the carriage, hiding his flushed cheeks.
His heart thumped wildly, caught between sorrow and joy, unable to tell which it was.
“Seria, don’t be too sad.”
A low, comforting voice drifted through the breeze.
Turning his head, Yuel saw Seria’s eldest brother patting her head.
“You can always make other friends.”
Thud.
Cruelly, the carriage door shut the moment those words were said.
Yuel’s mouth hung open, nose flaring as he pressed his face against the window.
The soundproofing was too good—he couldn’t hear anything of what came next.
“!”
But through the window, he could still clearly see Seria’s radiant smile.
The moment he saw that expression, something inside Yuel crumbled to pieces.
“S-Seria!”
You were upset just a second ago!
Overcome with betrayal, he desperately tried to roll down the window. But since it was a hand-cranked latch, it lowered painfully slowly.
“Seri—!”
Shoving his lips toward the narrow gap, Yuel tried to call her name.
If only the coachman hadn’t clicked his tongue and set the horses moving right then.
“Seria…”
Yuel whispered her name blankly, staring out the window.
But Seria wasn’t even looking his way anymore—not even as the carriage carried him farther away.
Soon, the scenery changed, and her figure vanished completely.
Already switching to new friends?
But you said you liked me!
His face crumpled into tears, though across from him, the Marquis only chuckled, finding the children’s farewell nothing but adorable.
Yuel, however, was drowning in heartbreak and betrayal.
What if she really forgets me…?
Anxiously tapping his fingers, Yuel thought,
If she makes new friends, she’ll probably forget me so easily…
No, she promised to write letters.
Yes. If they exchanged letters, she couldn’t forget him so quickly. And later, when they met again, they could play together.
That fleeting hope lit up Yuel’s face.
He swore to himself that as soon as he got home, he would write a letter telling her he arrived safely.
“…Huh?”
Meanwhile, Seria, still staring blankly down the road where the carriage had disappeared, suddenly remembered something.
“Oh. I can’t write.”
