CH 42

“Gasp, gasp.”

As soon as the horse stopped, Beatty got down to the ground like she was rolling and exhaled fiercely.

“Huh?”

Carl didn’t understand.

It was certain that they came riding the horse together, but why was his younger sister gasping like a person who had just dashed at full speed instead of riding a horse?

“Is there something on the ground?”

Like a person who was finding out the importance of stepping on the ground for the first time, why was she grasping the grass on the ground tightly like a rope?

With a burst of anger.

Just because of who was she now thankful for the fact that she could put her feet on the ground safely!?

The moment her reasonable anger boiled over, a clueless voice sounded. 

“I don’t know why you like that grass so much, but look at it later and raise your head.”

Beatty reflexively raised her head at Older Brother’s words, and her eyes opened wide at the sight in front of her.

“How is it?”

She could now understand the proudness which was buried in Carl’s voice, it was truly a beautiful sight.

Inside the high mountain range, where was such a large space like this hidden?

In the space which she had never once noticed, even though she looked up at the mountain every day, was a wide field like a plain.

“Here is…”

There was a lake that was incredibly large to the point that it was hard to believe it was on the mountain.

Her mouth opened in admiration without realizing it herself. At Beatty’s words, an answer was immediately returned.

“It’s Aslan Lake.”

Above the calm water surface, the surrounding mountain ranges which were piled up in a circle were reflected like a mirror. That was the first large lake that Beatty saw.

“Whoaa.”

A scenery that made her unknowingly spit out exclamations.

The smell of the lake wind was cool. It felt like the green of the shaking leaves washed away her exhaustion.

Huup.

Beatty closed her eyes for a moment and sniffed the smell which was brought by the wind.

“Hm.”

Carl looked at his younger sister’s appearance with proud eyes.

‘As expected, a sprout.’

She withered earlier and revived after getting some sunlight.

“It’s a good thing that we rode a horse, right?”

“….”

Seeing Older Brother who talked in a satisfied voice as if bragging, the feeling she got from the lake was lessened a bit.

Beatty muttered quietly.

“I won’t ride the horse again.”

“Huh?”

Glancing at Beatty’s salty expression, Carl asked in a dubious voice.

“You don’t like horseback riding?”

“It’s not whether I like it or not, before this, I didn’t even know how to do it yet.”

“!”

Somehow, Older Brother looked shocked.

‘At my age, it’s already a good thing if I could ride a pony. Come to think of it, how does Older Brother ride this big horse alone?’

Is it really okay to do this, Aslan Family?

To think that they let their only heir do such dangerous horse riding without even a guardian, such safety insensitivity…

Beatty groaned, her forehead wrinkling while worrying about the future of the Duke Family.

“Don’t tell me, you don’t like hunting either?”

“No, that too… I’ve never done it before.”

Carl asked for her likes and dislikes only for all things she hadn’t done before, so there was nothing for her to answer.

“!”

‘No, but I mean, why are you surprised about that?’

Just how is that possible!?

As she looked at Older Brother who’s expression seemed as if he had been suffering from some kind of abuse, Beatty thought.

It was clear that there was already something wrong with the Duke Household who made a child do such things.

For a long time, Carl looked at Beatty with an expression like he was looking at a mysterious thing. Then, he unpacked his luggage which was tied to the saddle with a sad face.

“Then, this is useless.”

“Uh…”

What Carl took out of his luggage and held out was a bow which was purposefully made small and an arrow bucket, perhaps it was used for young children.

An ebony wood bow that showed that it had been taken good care of and arrows with even glossy feathers that looked as if they had just been oiled.

Looking down at the arrows in his hand, Carl’s expressionless face somehow looked sullen.

“C-can’t we practice at the mansion?”

Although he couldn’t ask her to go hunting after that ignorant and rough kidnapping.

‘If it’s only to this extent, wouldn’t it be okay?’

Even though it was only a half-hearted suggestion that she spoke.

‘Oh… His eyes became bigger.’

At those words, Older Brother’s face brightened up with light.

“Keke.”

“?”

Without realizing it herself, laughter leaked out from Beatty’s mouth.

“Why are you laughing?”

Older Brother, who asked what was funny and tilted his head, somehow looked cute. Thinking so, Beatty shook her head.

“It’s nothing. Rather than that, we have to go back before mealtime—”

Swiii.

“T-th-that thing!”

“Huh?”

Beatty’s finger, which was pointing behind him, trembled.

At the place where he looked back, who knows how it hid behind the tree, there was a big snake which was even taller than Carl’s height raising its head.

Swiii—!

The livid fangs in the snake’s wide open mouth, which was pouncing on them, flashed threateningly.

‘No!’

Recalling the memories of the fangs that had hardened her body coldly, Beatty’s face became pale.

At that time, she could see a back that was blocking her.

Rustle.

Only a single round. Carl, who had drawn a neat white line, didn’t even give a glance to the prey which had a stupid look while making a ‘kek?’ sound.

‘The blood didn’t cover me, right?’

After checking if there were any blood marks that couldn’t be seen by Tail Fur, he neatly shook off, and picked up the sword then placed it back in.

“Gasp…?”

At the sudden appearance and quick exit of the snake, Beatty became confused at what she should be surprised about.

Dark red blood flowed out and wet the ground.

“Oh no.”

Bloodstains which Tail Fur didn’t like.

For the perfect treatment, Carl picked up the snake body which broke into pieces lightly, and threw it into the lake.

Splashh!

A huge pillar of water rose.

“Done.”

“….”

Carl looked calm as if he had simply thrown a worm crawling out of a flower bed.

Beatty, who came to vividly encounter the dignity of Northern Mother Nature, was in a daze. Carl tilted his head when he saw her sprout younger sister who had hardened again.

“Why?”

“Oh… uhm… snake…”

“Have you never seen a snake?”

“No, such a big thing…”

Isn’t it natural for an ordinary person to have never seen such things?

“Ah, are the capital ones smaller?”

‘I think I’ve heard of it before.’

Recalling the content of the class which he habitually liked to skip, Carl nodded as if he understood, and, tuk, put his hand on Beatty’s head.

“Don’t worry.”

As if to make Beatty feel at ease, he smiled.

“Since I’ll cut it down regardless of the size.”

“….”

It was a brutal smile used for her to be reassured.

Are they okay?

Not Older Brother, but the creatures around.

It was Beatty, who was worried but in a different sense.

‘Hm. If it’s this much, is it enough?’

Carl was faithfully practicing words to treat his younger sister who was like a delicate sprout.

Bringing her to the highest basin of the mountain range, where she could rapidly grow and receive the most sunlight.

He easily ignored the fact that the Northern mountain range, which was full of big beasts, was dangerous even to ordinary people, not to mention delicate sprouts. He was even saying that there would be no problem since there was him, but he also brought exercise toys—hunting tools—as if giving nutritional supplements to a flower and asking for it to grow healthy.

Although at his younger sister’s words, which said that she had never hunted, no matter how much she grew up as a plant in a greenhouse, it became useless.

‘Another thing… ah!’

“?”

Turning around as if he had remembered something, at Carl’s gaze, Beatty’s eyes opened wide.

Carl saw the black mark left like a panda under Beatty’s round eyes, and nodded.

“They say that kids have to sleep a lot to grow up, right.”

“Yes?”

He remembered something when he heard that his sprout younger sister couldn’t sleep and had withered.

With Beatty tilting her head at the sudden sound, Carl strode somewhere by the lake.

‘It’s similar to there.’

Beatty thought as she looked at the cabin which was hidden between the large trees.

The place where she avoided the rain with a suspicious boy in the forest.

‘Come to think of it, is he doing well?’

Recalling the strange boy who disappeared without saying that he was going, Beatty then soon turned her head to the sound which was calling her.

“All done.”

“This is…?”

It was a hammock that Carl, who took out a bunch of leather-like things from the cabin, plunked and made.

Perfect for a nap, Carl set up the hammock in the moderately sunny shade and beckoned.

“Come over here.”

As if it was natural, Carl raised Beatty, who approached with quick and short steps, and put her on the hammock.

‘Oh.’

Shake. Shake.

Using a hammock for the first time, Beatty moved the fabric like a swing with an interested face.

‘This is fun… ah!’

Beatty, who had been into it for a while, came to her senses when she realized that Older Brother was watching her with an expression like he was looking at her riding on a running wheel for squirrels.

“Hm, hm.”

Beatty was embarrassed for no reason, forgetting that she was now a human being, and stroked her face like she was organizing her cheeks fur.

Smile.

When Carl saw his younger sister who seemed to like the hammock, he smiled and, flutter, covered her with a thin blanket he brought. Then he said,

“Now, sleep.”

“Yes?”

“You said that you were faltering because you couldn’t sleep.”

“Falter? No, that is—”

Beatty was trying to refute it, but then she naturally closed her mouth at the feeling of her head being stroked.

Stroke. Stroke.

Although it was rough, for Beatty it was a touch that felt softer than her fluffy blanket.

“….”

Her eyes closed irresistibly.

Through the leaves, warm sunlight was felt over her head. The gentle wind from before passed by her cheeks coolly.

While only the sound of the waves of the lake pushed by the wind was calm, the sound of birds was sometimes heard.

Just before falling into the world of unconsciousness, closing both eyes and feeling the gradually approaching sleep.

“Uhm. Older Brother…”

“Hm?”

With the courage given by the dreamy energy, Beatty asked an honest question.

“Why is Older Brother treating me so well?”