I Start with a Bad Hand!

Just as I feared my joints and bones might separate if things continued this way, the song finally stopped. “Could this lead to a serious illness? Isn’t this a workplace injury?” I mused, as tending to the prince had certainly brought about this predicament. Watching Icarus move away energetically, his face slightly flushed, I muttered under my breath. My body felt drained from moving abruptly again. Eventually, I stopped by a street vendor and bought a candied apple, but when I bit into it, I thought all the popcorn kernels were going to come spilling out.

Somehow, Icarus seemed unenthusiastic when I suggested eating candied apples. Now it seemed he had had a bad experience with them before. In the end, I began to grind the candied apple with my teeth. Yet, strangely, I felt like my teeth were grinding too.

“There seems to be a play going on over there.”

Icarus spoke while biting into his share of the apple, seemingly with healthy teeth.

“A play? Where? Oh, I saw that one.”

“The play we watched with the duke’s son… Klaus, was it?”

“Yes, that’s right. It was fun.”

I barely remember the second part of it, except for its shocking ending.

“I’m glad it was fun. It would be nice to see it again.”

“No.”

“It would be. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Indeed. Go and see.”

At the end of our stubborn verbal sparring, he feigned helplessness, fluttering his eyelashes and muttering that this play might be the last one in his life.

‘That coward, always playing with his life…’

Reluctantly, I moved forward.

The theater was already packed with people. We barely managed to find a corner seat. The limited view and lack of air circulation made the space feel suffocating, and it was dark enough to be conducive to a good sleep.

‘But I really want to know why the protagonist died.’

Today was finally the time to uncover the truth about the protagonist’s death spanning two parts of the play. It was an engaging story, and I was quietly grinding away at the candied apple I hadn’t finished eating yet.

Thump.

A light weight touched my shoulder. The faint breath tickled me lightly.

Even when I nudged him, Icarus showed no signs of waking up. I wondered why he had even suggested coming if this was going to happen… I tried to gently lift his head from my shoulder, but feeling pity for him having nowhere else to lean, I just let it be. My shoulder was strong enough not to get tired from his head resting on it.

With the audience’s applause signaling the end of the play, Icarus finally woke up. He opened his eyes, which bore slight traces of fatigue, and quickly sat up.

“What…?”

With an expression of disbelief, he alternated his gaze between the departing audience and me, muttering, “The play’s over. Let’s go.”

“…What?”

As Icarus stepped outside with an indifferent expression, the sunlight revealed his reddened neck and the tips of his ears. I felt a slight urge to tease him. Leaning on one shoulder, I murmured, and seeing this, Icarus pretended to wash his face dryly.

“It feels like my shoulder is fractured.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I might never be able to shoot an arrow again…”

“…I said I’m sorry.”

“After fixing my leg, now it’s my arm…”

“…Want some snacks?”

Icarus, who had insisted on coming and then dozed off on my shoulder, fumbled awkwardly as he offered me some snacks from who knows where.

“No thanks. I’m not much for sweets.”

“…How about skewers?”

“Skewers?”

His hand pointed towards the distance where skewers dripping with bright red sauce were sizzling on the grill. People were huddled around it. The skewer stall owner, showing no intention of cashing in on the peak season, was dedicatedly grilling skewers with a craftsman’s spirit.

“…The line is too long…”

“Just wait here for a bit. I’ll go get it.”

Before I could stop him, he had vanished. It seemed a bit much to send the prince of this country back and forth with just a word…

‘Feeling good.’

Looking around with a thrill, I noticed some less crowded stands, particularly one displaying tea leaves that caught my eye.

‘Isn’t there coffee?’

Having grown tired of brewed leafy teas, I craved something familiar, something that felt sharp and would quickly settle down…

I peered at the stands but saw nothing resembling coffee beans.

“Excuse me, do you have coffee here, or, well, coffee beans?”

Instead of the slow-moving tea leaf stall owner, the vendor from the next, equally quiet stall, responded.

“Coffee beans? We don’t sell those here.”

So there was still coffee around. I was caught between answering the tea stall owner and the neighboring vendor, unsure of whom to address as the latter continued to respond.

“Where can I find some, then?”

“That tiny bean costs as much as a diamond. You’d have to go to a high-end import store or abroad to find one.”

“Wow, is that so?”

Then it might as well have been non-existent. In the end, I moved with regretful steps, still hesitating on whom to greet, having gained nothing.

“What costs as much as a diamond?”

As I heard someone speak, I turned around to find Icarus had approached, holding a skewer. I took the skewer from him and answered indifferently.

“Yeah, it’s something.”

“What is it?”

“Looks like a dried cockroach bean.”

At that, he looked at me with a disgusted expression. It seemed my attempt to dampen his interest had succeeded. I didn’t want to explain how I knew about that precious bean that could only be found abroad.

“…Why?”

“They say that bean gives a unique taste unlike any other when brewed. I’m curious.”

“Hmm.”

I bit into the skewer he had brought. At that moment, I felt Dietrich’s body scream in rejection.

But… my soul was shouting ‘Yes.’ It was the taste of home.

‘It’s perfect.’

I quietly sniffed as I ate the skewer, and so did Icarus. We walked the streets for a while, only making sniffing and sighing sounds.

***

At a stall where you hit targets with toy arrows to win dolls, I knocked down all the dolls. It seemed like child’s play now. The children waiting around the stall stood with looks of loss.

In the end, I had no choice but to share them all. The stall owner also had a look of loss, but well, it didn’t matter.

There was also a homemade candy store selling weird flavors like pepper, cucumber, and tomato. I emptied my pockets to buy a lot of candies for Agatha.

Icarus had also won a lot of trinkets in some game whose rules I didn’t know. He offered them to me, and I prettily attached them to his hair. From then on, he wore his robe more snugly.

Having enjoyed the festival like never before, the sun was setting before we knew it. The lights around us began to brighten as it got darker.

The lively music that had fueled the festival was now slowing down to a gentle tempo. We returned to the square where we had danced distorted dances earlier. Now, people were sharing a dance similar to the blues, holding each other’s hands.

Click. Without knowing when he had taken it, he placed the pin from his hair onto mine. Icarus wore a playful smile, though his posture was formally respectful.

“I’d like to ask you for a dance.”

“…You really do enjoy dancing, huh.”

At that, he ruffled his hair awkwardly and extended his hand to me again.

“I want to make amends for being rude.”

“What rudeness are you talking about… Oh.”

His words made me recall our first meeting, the day I went to the freshman ball at the academy. I took his hand anyway. This time, my legs were steady, and we moved into a decent dance. When he leaned in close, I whispered quietly.

“Why? Going to scold me again if I can’t dance properly?”

“That time…! No, alright. I apologize.”

Amid the slow music, whispers and soft laughter blended around us. Icarus whispered into my ear as if sighing.

“Back then, I just… I shouldn’t have been angry at you.”

You… had reached the age to be at the academy, and not being able to dance properly, that just… made me angry. It looks like I took my anger out on you.

With a serious tone, I stared at him intently. Dietrich’s body still gave me no clues. Why he remembered Dietrich like that, why he cared so much. As I continued to stare at him silently, he asked,

“Why.”

“Just. It feels strange.”

I had not expected this at all. Just… it was intriguing.

“Dancing with you like this.”

The melody of the music flowed gently, lights twinkled. The sunset mingled with the night sky, creating a mystical color.

We danced among the people, matching our steps.

It was the most fantastical moment since I had entered this world.

Now it really was time to part.

‘Icarus mentioned he was going on an expedition again. Maybe today really is the last day.’

Thinking this made me want to say something I had been putting off.

“There’s something… I need to ask.”

“What do you need?”

“It’s nothing big…”

I found it awkward to start. I wanted to phrase it in a way that wouldn’t sound strange, yet would make it hard for him to refuse.

“Someday, I might suddenly become a bit lost. So… I might act differently than usual, maybe even a bit strangely.”