The Fantasie of a Stepmother

Chapter 7

Jeremy barring me from his wedding still hurt, but I understood.

I may not have cared what others thought or said about me, but their words were harsh. Instead of trying to correct misunderstandings, I took it all on my shoulders and groaned under the weight.

People hated me, but they didn’t hate the children.

They tried to build relationships with the children while shunning me. Meanwhile, I didn’t even try to disprove the stories the children heard about me or justify myself.

In the end, I was an outsider and an enemy to all.

I remembered the people who treated me well in spite of it. They had more experience and wisdom than me, but I turned away from their aid and shut my eyes. I insisted that I didn’t need suggestions from people who didn’t know me.

I was childish. I isolated myself, thinking that I could do everything on my own.

If it weren’t for the reputation of House Neuschwanstein, I would have been exiled and ostracized from noble society.

Or rather, I would have been exiled if not for the young Neuschwansteins under my protection.

It was a nasty business. The children pushed me to become the Witch of Neuschwanstein Castle, but they also provided a safety net to my reputation.

I had hoped that even if other people didn’t understand me, at least the children would see my good intentions... but I was wrong. The wedding incident proved it.

Perhaps it would be better for me to leave. I couldn’t bring myself to do it before, at least until the children kicked me out.

Having journeyed back in time, I wondered if it was better for everyone, including me, to step away from it all early on.

I reached the center of the back garden while lost in thought.

There were clusters of baby’s breath, canolas, tulips, and a colorful plethora of roses. There was also a small fortress made of dirt—the work of the twins.

I remembered a time when the twins and I had made a fortress, not from dirt but from snow.

As I built the walls and pillars, Rachel folded colored paper for the banners. Leon carved snow into small figurines and animals.

The mood was quite nice until Elias jumped out and started throwing hard snowballs at the fortress.

Unsurprisingly, Rachel started crying when the fortress we had worked so hard on toppled over. She vented her anger on me, though I was innocent.

In the end, it erupted into a snowball fight.

Lost in the memories, I took the shawl from my shoulders, spread it on the ground, and sat down. I took a soft handful of dirt and put it on one of the incomplete towers of the fortress.

As I kept going, I noticed other incomplete sections.

I worked on the bulky roof and fence and refined the soldier standing guard.

Before I knew it, the sun had fully risen, and it was bright outside. I’d lost track of time.

I was unaware of the knights who had stopped on their way back from training to stare at me.

Even the messengers, who were busy transporting ingredients, and the butler, who had come looking for me, gawked.

I was completely absorbed in playing in the dirt until my focus was finally broken by someone unexpected.

“How old are you?”

Who does that arrogant voice belong to? Isn’t it the troublesome second born?

I jumped to my feet. When I turned around, Elias was standing there, glaring at me, just as I expected.

Rather than the twenty-year-old imbecile I remembered, it was Elias as a young boy. His hostile voice was both tediously familiar and unfamiliar.

The growling of the young tiger rang across the quiet garden. “Who do you think you are, messing with my brother and sister’s stuff?”

That’s what you have to say? You never change.

I swallowed a bitter laugh and rubbed the dirt from my hands. I smiled as if I was pleased to see him.

“Hello, good morning to you too.”

Elias flinched upon hearing my uncharacteristically unfazed response. He searched my face, then said, “Why would anyone play with this?!”

He huffed over and kicked the dirt castle, which fell apart.

I worked so hard on it, and it collapsed so quickly.

What a hopeless rascal you are. You little troublemaker. What are you going to do with that temper of yours? You and your brother are going to be knights one day.

Before, I would have yelled at him. Now, I was not in the position to seriously reprimand a thirteen-year-old boy. I, with the brain of a twenty-three-year-old, had gone through enough already.

I kept smiling at him awkwardly, which did not seem to appease him.

He glared at me as if he was ready to bite. “D-do you think Father entrusted his house to you so you could waste your time on this?!”

I decided to pardon his arrogant and inappropriate behavior as part of his character. But why was he so angry? It was almost as if...

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“What?”

“I said, I’m sorry,” I repeated quietly. I took out a handkerchief and wiped my eyes. I was only wiping the sweat from my cheeks, but it was sufficient enough to confuse a young boy.

“Wh-what? What are you crying for?!”

As intended, he mistook my actions to be wiping tears. I watched his face flush and his eyes dart about, and I couldn’t help feeling impish.

Oh, right. Elias is surprisingly weak against tears.

Whenever he picked on someone, he was always flustered by his actions in the end.

“Wh-why are you crying?!” he shouted. “I didn’t do anything! Don’t cry!”

“Sorry, I just...” I pressed my handkerchief to my eyes and hunched over.

Elias looked like a volcano about to explode.

Ha ha, I haven’t seen him as a child in so long.

“I said don’t cry, dummy! That pile of dirt those kids made doesn’t mean anything. Don’t cry about that!”

“Elias!”

That wasn’t me. My voice was quite a bit higher than that of a boy going through puberty.

Jeremy appeared out of nowhere like his brother had.

He must have been training with the knights earlier. Beads of sweat dripped down his temples and neck, sparkling in the sun.

“What did you do this time?” Jeremy asked.

“I-I didn’t do anything!” Elias stammered. “She started crying out of nowhere!”

If anyone could steer Elias, it was Jeremy.

Jeremy was just as—or perhaps even more—stubborn than Elias. Even the twins, whose treachery and shrill voices were hard to outdo, became pliant before this temperamental boy.

“So I just dreamt up watching you knock over that castle?”

“She touched Leon and Rachel’s work!” Elias howled. “Who does she think she—”

“How old are you?” Jeremy said, cutting Elias off.

“Who do you think you are, Jeremy? Hot sh—?”

Jeremy stood there with a wooden sword slung over his shoulder, waiting for the rest of Elias’ rant. But Elias wilted before Jeremy’s ferocious demeanor.

“Man, I’m hungry,” Elias muttered. He started walking away to vent somewhere else when he stopped and turned back to look at me.

I stared back and waited for what he would do next.

He muttered something I couldn’t understand and finally tottered off.

I watched him go. He was a sorry sight.

“You...” Jeremy began.

Oh, right, sorry. I almost forgot you were here.

“Huh?” I said. “Yes?”

Jeremy didn’t reply.

His golden hair sparkled like morning sunlight as he stared at me with his dark green eyes. His silence made me nervous, but I decided to just meet his gaze.

Had I returned to the past because of the wedding incident?

It felt awkward to face him after thinking about it. Or perhaps I couldn't stand to look at him.

I turned away first.

As the silence between us stretched on, I thought I might say something. Then Jeremy finally spoke in as careful a tone as before.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” I replied.

“About our aunt.”

Is he going to start a fight about this?

What’s wrong with letting their aunt be with them? Has anyone seen such an ungrateful child? Hey! If I hadn’t let her stay here, you would have resented me for it later, wouldn’t you?

“She is your aunt,” I said. “The twins seem to listen to her, and she said she wishes to stay awhile.”

He said nothing and stared at me through narrowed eyes.

I suddenly felt exhausted. They despised me no matter what I did. I knew this from the start, and yet...

“My lady? My lady…? Oh, Jeremy.”

Lucrecia, who appeared to have come to look for me, approached us with a large smile.

Her wavy hair blended perfectly with Jeremy’s tangled hair as she kissed his cheek, and I couldn’t help but think that maybe she was better suited to be his mother.