CHAPTER 086
"……Arabelle……Arabelle……."
A voice filled with love fell on the closed eyelids.
The sweet scent of hyacinths carried by a gentle breeze tickled her round nose.
Long fingers tenderly tucked the hair that had fallen below her clear forehead behind her ear.
She didn’t want to wake up from the comfort of the knee where she rested her head.
“Arabelle, the sun is high. It's time to get up.”
Arabelle shook her head slightly, pouting her lips as if she was being playful.
A pleasant laugh echoed in her ears as the fingers gently flicked her forehead.
“Ouch.”
It didn’t hurt at all, but Arabelle put her hand on her forehead and slowly opened her eyes.
Under the warm sunlight, seeing the face she loved, her round eyes curved into crescent moons.
Like a puppy, she nuzzled her cheek against the hand caressing her smiling face.
“When will my little girl grow up and fall in love with a handsome prince?”
At her mother’s playful words, Arabelle shook her head again.
“I want to live with you, Mom. Collecting herbs and treating animals in the mountains.”
“Really, do you want to live like this with mom forever? Can you promise?”
“Yes. I promise. Just the two of us, Mom.”
Arabelle reached out her arms and hugged her mother's waist.
Her mother’s embrace, cool from treating animals under the night dew, was nonetheless very comforting.
“Now that you’re awake, shall we go to the next mountain? They say many animals were injured because of the wildfire in the forest.”
“Really? Let's go quickly, Mom.”
Even before her mother finished speaking, Arabelle quickly got up and slung her bag over her shoulder.
Kisha, Arabelle’s mother, reached out her hand to her daughter.
Arabelle, about to take her hand, hesitated and looked at her mother’s hand for a moment.
“Arabelle……? What’s wrong?”
Arabelle brought her gaze to Kisha’s blue eyes.
Eyes as deep and serene as a lake smiled at Arabelle.
Tears fell in thick drops from her round eyes.
“Sweetheart, what’s the matter? Are you hurt?”
“No, no. Why am I crying……?”
Both Kisha, startled by her daughter’s sudden tears, and Arabelle herself were bewildered.
Having just woken up, she was so happy to see her mother, but the rough, calloused hands of someone else overlapped on her mother's outstretched hand.
They soon faded into the air.
It felt as if someone had once reached out to her like that.
Though it seemed impossible.
A sudden flutter and ache constricted her heart.
And tears welled up, spilling onto her cheeks.
Arabelle rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to compose herself.
“I just…… I had a dream where I was separated from you…… And another dream that I can’t remember. But it feels both happy and painful here……”
Confused by the tangled emotions, Arabelle placed her hands over her heart.
It felt like she had a very long dream, but she couldn’t remember it.
The more she tried to recall, the more her heart felt heavy, and tears kept welling up.
It felt like she had forgotten something very precious, making her sad even while standing face-to-face with her mother.
“You dreamt of being separated from mom again, didn’t you? Don’t worry. Mom will always be by your side.”
As Kisha gently patted Arabelle’s head, Arabelle forced a smile and nodded.
“Maybe it’s because the dream of being separated from mom lingers in my memory. Silly, it’s just a dream. Mom is right here with me.”
“Shall we go, then?”
Arabelle nodded vigorously, taking her mother’s hand.
The mother and daughter adeptly crossed the steep slope.
***
Arabelle wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
More wild animals were injured than she had imagined.
They said a big wildfire had broken out due to the villagers' careless logging.
Many animals lost their homes and lives, and the surviving ones were badly injured, requiring Kisha and Arabelle's help.
Arabelle looked extremely tired, having spent four days treating the injured animals without rest.
She wanted to rest and close her eyes for a moment, but she couldn’t.
She couldn’t ignore the cries of the animals in pain, needing her touch.
Holding a dying baby deer in her arms, she had no time to think about the elusive memories hovering in her mind.
Kisha handed her an injured young fox, speaking in a regretful tone.
“I'm sorry, Arabelle. You haven’t been able to sleep and have to treat the animals. But if we don’t treat them now, the innocent animals will die……”
Placing her palm on the fox’s broken leg, Arabelle shook her head.
“No. If we don’t help, these little ones will be in danger. We should help as much as we can.”
Looking into the large eyes of the struggling fox, Arabelle forced her drowsy eyes to stay open.
“Then, I’ll go down to the riverside and treat the flock of sheep.”
“Yes, mom. Be careful.”
Left alone in the forest, Arabelle continued treating the injured animals without rest.
Rustle,
Then, there was a small sound of movement behind her.
Arabelle turned her head and saw a girl of her own age standing there, small and slender like herself.
The beautiful girl with dark, kind eyes looked sadly ill.
Holding a blind badger in her arms, the girl asked somewhat surprisedly,
"Who are you……? No one has ever come to this forest before."
Arabelle stood up and approached the girl.
Arabelle, who usually hid behind her mother when meeting strangers, felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity, making it easy to speak.
"My name is Arabelle. I came from the Cander estate with my mother. We wanted to help because many wild animals were injured due to the wildfire."
At Arabelle's greeting, a bit of color returned to the girl's pale face.
"Thank goodness. There are so many injured animals, and I couldn’t treat them all by myself. Oh, my name is Ermiere."
"Nice to meet you. I’ll help as much as I can, Lady Ermiere."
The two shy girls felt a strong attraction to each other, exchanging bright smiles.
Despite meeting for the first time, they felt incredibly comfortable, as if they had been friends for a long time.
Arabelle and Ermiere sat side by side on the large walnut tree root that protruded from the ground.
As they busily treated the approaching animals, they continued their conversation.
Though usually not talkative, the two girls chattered non-stop, losing track of time.
"So, how old are you, Lady Arabelle?"
"I’m twenty. How about you, Ermiere?"
"I'm also twenty! Then, shall we be friends? It's embarrassing, but I’ve never had a friend my age."
As Ermiere clapped her hands, Arabelle’s cheeks turned rosy.
Arabelle’s eyes curved into crescents as she nodded eagerly.
"Shall we start speaking informally then……?"
"S-sure. We're friends now."
Feeling awkward about speaking informally, Ermiere glanced at Arabelle, making her cheeks turn redder as she nodded again.
"Do you live in the lower village, Ermiere?"
"No, I live here in the forest."
"Alone?"
Ermiere burst into laughter at Arabelle’s wide, surprised eyes.
"No, actually……."
Ermiere stroked the head of a baby bear with a missing ear, looked around, and then brought her head closer to Arabelle’s ear, whispering.
"I'm hiding here with my betrothed."
Arabelle's eyes widened in surprise, and Ermiere smiled shyly.
Not wanting to be impolite by asking why, Arabelle quietly continued treating the rabbit’s hind leg.
Knowing Arabelle’s thoughts, Ermiere continued speaking.
"My family strongly opposed him."
At Ermiere's words, Arabelle turned back to look at her friend.
Sadness and guilt passed over Ermiere's pale face.
"I love my family…… But I couldn’t leave him, so I followed him here."
A happy smile spread across her thin face.
"I miss my mom and dad, but I don’t regret my decision. I love him more than anyone. I want to be with him."
Suddenly, tears started falling from Arabelle’s eyes.
"Arabelle, are you okay? I'm sorry. My story was too sad. Don’t worry, I’m happy enough. Because I can be with him."
Surprised, Ermiere grabbed Arabelle’s hands as she sobbed.
Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, Arabelle shook her head.
"No, it’s not because of you, Ermiere. Suddenly my heart hurts…… I don’t know why I keep crying. Just…… hic, hic……."
When Ermiere said, "I don’t regret my decision. Because I love him more than anyone," Arabelle's heart constricted again.
As if she, too, had someone she loved and cherished dearly, like Ermiere.
And the sadness of losing him made it hard to breathe.
"Do you have someone you love too, Arabelle?"
Ermiere asked cautiously, and Arabelle, calming herself, forced a smile.
"No, there's no way I have someone like that. I’ve just been gathering herbs and living with animals in the forest with my mom. Ha, ha."
Saying it out loud made her feel a bit ridiculous, and her cheeks burned.
How silly to be crying over Ermiere's love story.
"Will your betrothed come to pick you up? It's quite late, he must be worried."
Arabelle asked in a cheerful voice on purpose, but this time Ermiere's face darkened slightly.
Her slender shoulders drooped.
"He’s…… not here right now. He hid me here to keep me safe and went out into the world. My betrothed has many responsibilities outside the forest."
Forcing a bright smile, Ermiere leaned her head on Arabelle’s shoulder.
"But he'll come back soon. He promised to resolve everything and return by the time the next solar eclipse comes when the white moon covers the black moon. Then we’ll go out of the forest together."
Ermiere lifted her head and looked at Arabelle.
"The solar eclipse will be soon, so you’ll be able to meet him. Will you stay here until then? Stay with me, okay?"
Arabelle looked at Ermiere and the injured animals one by one then matched her gaze with Ermiere’s dark eyes and answered.
"Sure. I’m sure my mom will like it too. I’ll stay with you until your betrothed returns."
The two girls, now friends, continued their joyful conversation, unaware that the crescent moon above their heads remained unchanged.
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