https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5562hc/59/
Pierce
I had to go round and round up the spiral staircase to the point my eyes were spinning from the dizziness. It wasn’t until I found the sun shining through a gap in the wall that I realized I had finally made it to the top.
“Woah…. you can see everything from up here”
The buildings of the capital, including the royal castle itself, stretched out before my eyes. I could make out the fields and roads of the suburbs separated by city walls. Towns and villages connected to the city through the highway. And at the very edge of my vision, rivers and mountains that would make up our borders. I don’t know what direction my village is, but the scenery stretched out in front of me made it feel like I could see the whole world.1
“On the other side of those mountains is the Ruhuna territory. Which way is your hometown? Although it is probably too far for us to see from here.”
“Eh…. that far?”
So rather than the whole kingdom, I really was just seeing a small part of it.
“Yes. The world is wide, and if you become a hero, you can travel anywhere. Although even then, you are not free.”
Even if you manage to become a ‘hero’, you’re still taking orders from those above you. It’s a job–with all the responsibilities that come with it. Even then, it means being able to walk past the walls that surround the capital. Lily is trying to undo the strings that bind her life, and once she completes the duties that are expected of her as a hero, she will be free in the truest sense of the word. That’s my guess for what she’s thinking at least.
“You can see the castle from here right? I forgot how many generations ago it happened, but I have been told that the head of my family and a princess were in love with each other at the time. You could see the princess’s room from here, so apparently they shared conversations at night using the lights.
“How sweet. Does that mean you’re related to the royal family?”
“No. No matter how they struggled, they could never be together. The despair of that knowledge drove them to jump from their windows at the same time together.”
That love story left a bad aftertaste.
“Did they ever…. return?”
“Are you asking if the tower is haunted? Please, nothing is going to come out. How many times do you think I have used this place?”
Lily smiled to ease my worries. She has a point, but it feels like as soon as I heard the backstory of this place, the air got a little damper.
The air is probably just feeling a little moist because the wind is carrying it in. The top of the tower is really high up, so it’s natural that the wind would be strong. Look, Lily is desperately trying to hold her hair down from blowing all over the place.
“It’s windy.”
“It is. How about we return when the sun sets. We can head back down until then.”
“A-At night?”
“Yes. We can look at the stars.”
She remembers the casual conversation we had in front of Rose’s bar. I’m sure we’ll be able to get a great look from up here. But for me, I’m happier at the fact that Lily remembered our promise than seeing the stars at all. I could feel my expression loosen as I nodded my head, and Lily started down the stairs by herself.
♠
A short walk down from the top of the stairs is a landing which leads to a room with futons and water inside. During the climb up I was too tired to ask anything, so I just passed it by.
“Is this…. Lily’s room?”
Lily stopped and stared at me for a moment before doubling over and bursting into a fit of laughter.
“Just how do you think my family sees me to think they would make me sleep in a place like this? I have my own room in the mansion. I come here when I want to be alone…. my own little villa as it were.”
Nobody has any reason to work downstairs, and there is no chance of anyone accidentally walking in on you. You can’t hear any voices in the distance or any other sounds you wouldn’t expect. It’s a spot where the sound of the wind would be your only companion. I imagine it could feel really lonely here. Probably why Lily called it a ‘villa’.
“Good. Then what are we going to do until night falls?”
“Something you won’t like.”
No rational person is going to say, “Okay, go ahead,” when they hear something they won’t like is about to happen, and neither do I.
My eyes naturally fell to the leather bag Lily had which contained the earrings she bought today. I’ve never had my ears pierced before. I don’t know how you have it done, but it looks painful.
Lily took a step forward, and I took a step back. One step after another until I was eventually backed into a wall. As soon as my back made contact with the cold stone, Lily immediately closed the remaining distance between us. Somehow there was already a needle in her hand. She waved it in front of my face, enjoying the terrified face I’m sure I was making.
“I-It sounds like it’ll hurt.”
“Only for a moment. It will fade away in no time. For a pervert like you, I am sure you will end up begging for more.”
Phrase it like that, and I’m going to forget what you’re inviting me to do.
“You’re sure it won’t hurt that much? Really really sure?”
“Yes. I guarantee it.”
I was pulled along by a giggling Lily and forced into a chair.
I could hear her preparing something behind me, but I was too scared to turn around. It took a few minutes before I could sense Lily presence behind me.
“The right ear first. Are you ready?”
“Y-Yeah. Just get it over with.”
I shut my eyes tight and waited with bated breath to endure the pain that was apparently only going to last for a moment.
But no matter how long I waited, that pain never came. I overreacted. There wasn’t any pain at all. I let out the breath I was holding and opened my eyes…. to find Lily hunched over right in front of me with a creepy smile on her face. The needle was in her hand, and going by the lack of blood on it, she hasn’t done anything yet.
Every muscle in my body tensed up in the exact same instant that I had allowed myself to relax, and that contradiction turned into an anger I needed to vent.
“L-Lily-san! You’re terrible! I’ve been scared all this time!”
Lily laughed loudly. Apparently she enjoys scaring me a lot. She keeps going, doubling over and choking on her laughter. I puffed out my cheeks, crossed my arms, and glared at her, but that just made Lily grab her stomach and turn away from me.
“Seriously, please just hurry it up…. the stress is making my palms all sweaty.”
I grabbed the hand that wasn’t holding a needle, but Lily was startled and shook me off.
“Already drenched? I’ve barely done anything, and you are already this wet. Pervert….”
“No, this and that aren’t really….”
That really sounds like a line she probably got from that “Introduction to Verbal Abuse” book I saw her reading before. Sorry Lily, but I can easily brush off a line I would imagine a rich, chubby, perverted merchant would use. It doesn’t resonate with me at all.
Lily seemed dissatisfied that she didn’t get any reaction from her line and reluctantly moved behind me once again. I was feeling a little calmer this time around, so I was able to turn around and see her heating the needle up over a flame.
“Y-You’re heating it up?”
“No need to worry. It is to disinfect it. It isn’t as if I am going to brand you…. although that does sound interesting. How about it? I could find and press a hot iron against your beautiful white skin. Create proof that you are my slave.”
“Nice try. I know you won’t actually hurt me.”
“What a boring reaction. You cannot know for sure I am joking.”
I could only partially enjoy our conversation. A burning needle is about to pierce my body. Even imagining it is making my palms sweat again.
“Liffy, I really will be piercing you this time. Do not bite your tongue out of surprise.”
I nodded lightly and grit my teeth. Lily blew on my ear once, and just as I was about to yell at her for playing around again, a sharp pain shot through my earlobe. It caused me to “Yelp!” out loud, but it really wasn’t as bad as I had feared.
As I worked through what pain there was, Lily grabbed my ear. It felt kind of strange with the way she was working her fingers over it, but then I heard her voice from behind.
“There. I have it. Be sure to leave it in until it is done healing.”
When I timidly touched my ear, I brushed against something hard hanging under my earlobe. I could guess from the shape it was Lily’s earring. Sure enough, when I turned around to look, Lily’s right ear was bare.
“Do you see? Now the two of us are symmetrical.”
Lily moved around in front of me so we could properly see each other. Lily’s left ear and my right now bear the same earring. In that aspect it was like we were looking into a mirror. Although no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to copy over Lily’s face.
“Are we going to wear the ones we bout today on the other side?”
“We are. I am going to stab you with a needle again, but what do you think? Do you really want it to end like this? Personally, the pinnacle of my enjoyment was watching you close your eyes and quietly pray to have me stab you quickly. Or perhaps you’ve already lost interest and wish to be done with this as quick as possible.”
There is no reason for me to want to do this multiple times. It might not’ve hurt as much as I had feared, but it doesn’t feel good or anything either.
“Please get the left side done as quickly as you can. That’s the only thought I have on that.”
“My, so you didn’t like it. Unfortunate.”
Lily moved quickly to my other side, piercing a hole into my left ear. Lily pulled out the earrings from the leather bag and put one in my vacant ear before inserting the other into her right ear as well. After taking a look in the mirror, she finally stopped and smiled.
Standing next to each other, the reflection showed two people who were wearing the same outfit and bore the same earrings. The only differences between us would be the face, hair color, hairstyle, and the color of the gem in one of the earring pairs.
I checked out the window, and while it is getting darker, it was still too bright to be able to see any stars.
“Looks like we still have some time.”
“Let’s see. I’ve already had my fun, so how about doing something fun for you now?”
“Okay…. w-what?”
Lily ignored my words, instead forcing me back into the chair before tearing away at her sheets with all her might while laughing suspiciously to herself.
1. Fun fact, you can see 50 miles around you from the top of the Sears Tower and 211 miles from the top of Mt. Everest.
Experimental Translations 