By Zephyria 
The scene of the bird and the cat burying their faces in a three-tiered cake much larger than their bodies and gobbling it down was even more bizarre than I had imagined.
After taking a small bite, it was indeed delicious, but I wondered if it was worth losing one’s mind over like that. Watching with a curious heart, I turned my gaze to Popo. The wolf seemed uninterested in the cake, lying elegantly on the sofa in an upright posture.
“Don’t you need to eat something?”
Startled by my sudden words, Popo’s back mane stood on end.
―I, I’m fine…….
“…….”
I remembered Pipi running away in surprise when I first understood their words. But Popo seemed more frightened than surprised. He was the biggest and had the scariest face, but he was the most timid here.
“Are you also 10 years old?”
Pipi and Chichi were surprisingly the same age. I wondered if Popo was too, so I asked, but perhaps he was nervous because I kept asking questions, and he suddenly opened his mouth and started panting.
―It’s been longer than that…….
Each time he took a breath, his sharp, hard fangs were revealed in his wide-open mouth. If I hadn’t understood Popo’s words, I would have mistaken him for being extremely displeased.
“Then how old are you?”
―I don’t know. I haven’t counted since the petrification disappeared…….
Tilting my head at the incomprehensible words, Chichi raised his head and looked at me. Cream and bread crumbs were smeared all over his face.
―Petrification is a contagious disease that only affects trees, and it disappeared 2,000 years ago.
I thought he was around 10 years old, but Popo was the oldest here. And not just a little older, but old enough to be called an ancestor.
―Spirits don’t count age like humans. They don’t even have the concept.
Popo mumbled in a voice as small as an ant’s crawl. He kept saying something after that, but it was too quiet to hear well. Still, I just nodded, pretending to listen hard, because if I said I couldn’t hear while he was trying so hard to explain, he would probably raise his hackles again.
“As I said, I’m leaving now, so you can either stay here or go somewhere else, do as you please.”
―I’ll stay here. Sakira gives me lots of tasty things, so I like it.
―Me too. I’m going to keep getting free food here.
Chichi and Pipi answered almost simultaneously to Aska’s words. At first, I thought Aska was raising these beasts, but it didn’t seem so.
“I’ll call you again at the right time, so stay with the kids. And keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t eat people.”
―Keep an eye on them? How can I……. They don’t even listen to me…….
“If they don’t listen, bite them a few times. You’re the oldest, after all.”
―That’s too unhygienic and violent…….
Popo mumbled with a shocked expression, then lowered his head and covered his face with his front paws. Aska urged Pipi and Chichi, who were mindlessly devouring the cake.
“Help each other if anything dangerous or bad happens while you’re together. As payment for all the free food you’re getting.”
After that, Aska kept nagging for a long time, worried. He even made Popo, who was still covering his face, look at him and continued to give him instructions.
Watching that scene quietly, I left the room and went to Sakira. I gave her one of the accessories I had stolen from Mahir and said,
“Keep this as an emergency fund.”
“Huh? Suddenly? I have a lot of money. You don’t have to give me…….”
Sakira, who was waving her hands with a smile, paused and trailed off as soon as she saw the bracelet. Taking advantage of the gap, I quickly put the bracelet on her wrist.
“Sell it and use the money if you’re in a pinch.”
No matter how much money Sakira had, how much could it be? It would probably be just small change. I thought she would politely accept it at this point since it would be rude to keep refusing, but her expression was strange.
I asked, feeling awkward, as Sakira stared blankly with her mouth open, not saying whether she liked it or not.
“What’s wrong? If you don’t like the bracelet, should I give you a necklace?”
“Did Your Majesty give it to you?”
I couldn’t help but be surprised by the unexpected question. How did she know? It was just an ordinary bracelet without any symbols or characteristics that particularly represented the imperial family.
“So what? Anyway, he gave it to me, so I can use it however I want. Surely Your Majesty wouldn’t be petty enough to say anything about something like this?”
Actually, I didn’t receive it, I stole it, but I didn’t bother to explain that in detail since I had my pride.
Sakira held out her hand towards me, trying to distance herself from the bracelet as much as possible, and was sweating profusely.
“I, I’ll get arrested if I sell this. It’s a national treasure, the Wind of Saliman!”
“……?”
This was also completely unexpected. A national treasure? I had heard of the Wind of Saliman somewhere, but honestly, there were so many national treasures that I couldn’t remember them all.
If this was really a national treasure, as Sakira said, it would only be a burden. I couldn’t sell it for money, and I would face severe punishment if it got scratched while I was holding it.
Reluctantly, I took off the bracelet and took out the necklace. But that was also a national treasure. In the end, I took out all the jewelry I had stolen from Mahir and spread it out on the table.
“I don’t think this one or this one are. And this one too…….”
Sakira even put on gloves and started sorting out the national treasures from the non-national treasures. A small hairpin and two shoulder ornaments even smaller than that…….
“Again?”
“Um……. You can’t sell the rest.”
“…….”
I had stolen so much, but I only salvaged three items. Could this be why Mahir had been so calm? Because even if I stole them, I couldn’t sell them anyway? Seriously.
“This is absurd.”
“……Did Your Majesty really give them to you?”
Sakira asked cautiously. I looked at her anxious eyes and just smiled silently.
“Kyle.”
Then Aska, who was upstairs, came down and looked for me. I sighed and said to Sakira,
“Take all of this and send it to Actan.”
Sakira’s face turned pale at my words. It seemed like she had realized that I had stolen them. I pretended not to notice and turned my head, grabbing Aska’s hand and pulling him towards me. Aska, who was pulled along weakly, asked in confusion.
“What were you doing?”
“I was going to give Sakira some emergency money before leaving, but she said they’re all national treasures.”
“National treasures? Then you can’t sell them.”
“I know……. I was going to sell them all and buy a house, clothes, and go to a hot spring.”
As I said regretfully, Aska tightened his grip on my hand.
“I have money too. I’ll buy them for you.”
“I don’t need a house or clothes. I was going to buy them for you.”
“Should I give you my money?”
“What’s the point of buying them for you with your money? And I have a lot of money too.”
Honestly, I don’t know how much I have, but I probably have enough to do anything that can be done with money.
“I’ve saved up a lot too.”
Aska said something admirable then. I smiled, pressing down on the back of his head and stroking it strongly.
“That’s too precious, so don’t use it and keep it. Let’s gather it all up and put a preservation magic on it, like the first birthday present you gave me.”
I said it seriously, but Aska’s expression became strange. Like someone who had heard a drunkard’s nonsense? But no matter what anyone said, I was sincere.
I can’t give away what Aska worked so hard to earn to someone else.
“Ah, Kyle-nim. I looked it up because you mentioned it earlier, and there is a birch forest nearby. It’s too small to be called a forest……. It would be more accurate to call it a cluster.”
Sakira, who was carefully putting each national treasure into individual boxes, said cautiously.
“Nearby? Where nearby?”
“If you walk about 20 or 30 minutes to the back mountain on the east side, you’ll see it.”
It was close enough to go and check quickly, but the wind was chilly and the sun was starting to set. Since it was unlikely to be in the middle of this city anyway, I just nodded, but Aska asked.
“Do you want to go and see it since it’s close?”
“Let’s go.”
I took Aska’s hand and got up from the sofa.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
Lately, whenever I walk with Aska, I don’t think I’ve ever been empty-handed. We always walk while holding and eating snacks. At first, I wasn’t used to eating while moving, but I got used to it as I did it more.
Today, as always, we walked down the street, each holding a bread covered in sugar. The bread was filled with red fruit puree, which had a sour taste that I couldn’t identify. Aska gave me what he was eating and took mine when I frowned at the strong sour taste.
“Let’s trade.”
“What’s this?”
“Chocolate.”
I took a bite of what he had already eaten half of. Fortunately, this one was bittersweet and okay. It didn’t seem too sour for Aska’s taste, as he ate it without frowning.
As Sakira had said, we started to see one or two birch trees after walking for about 30 minutes. At first, they were sparsely mixed with other trees, but as we went further inside, they were gathered enough to be called a cluster.
“This isn’t it.”
Even a rough look showed that it was clearly different from the scenery I had seen in my dream. I muttered to myself and looked around, but then I noticed that Aska’s expression was bright.
“I want to come here when it snows.”
Then he smiled brightly and said to me. Only then did I belatedly realize. Aska didn’t come here with any particular purpose, he just came out for a short outing with me.
“The trees are white, so it’ll be even better when it snows a lot. Like, completely covered.”
The tension in my shoulders, which had been there since some point, relaxed. I looked at Aska, who was smiling quietly, and smiled along with him. And just as I was about to answer, I noticed something.
Between two birch trees behind Aska, I saw something. Aska, who felt that my gaze was strange, also turned his head and looked behind him.
“What’s this?”
The scenery inside between the trees was lush with green grass, as if spring had come. Like another space, like a world outside the door. Or like a picture in a frame.
“Lily of the valley.”
While I was lost in the surreal scene, Aska pointed somewhere with his finger and muttered. There was a small spring with lilies of the valley blooming there.