Hortus Arcanus planēta

ACT 2

Guot

After quietly shedding tears, El simply said, “It’s too late now. Let’s sleep.” With only those words, she slipped beneath the covers of the bed.

Once again, I had no idea what to say to her, and all I could do was watch over her in silence. I tried lying down in bed as well, but the thought of El crying wouldn’t leave my mind. Restless and unable to calm myself, I decided to wander through the mansion to clear my head.

For now, I had no idea what would happen if the people in this house found me, so just to be safe, I decided to become invisible again. I softly blew on the button.

I descended the stairs from the attic room. On the right was Surie’s room, and farther beyond that was the study belonging to Ella and El’s father… or so I remembered. Then, from the study, I heard the sound of a woman quietly sobbing.

For a brief moment, I froze, thinking it might be a ghost. But then I realized that I was the one who looked more like a ghost here, and an inappropriate little laugh escaped my lips.

Pulling myself together, I decided to enter the study where the woman’s voice was coming from.

When I stepped inside, I was stunned to find Surie herself crying. This was never part of the Cinderella story. I stood there dumbfounded. As the shock slowly settled into familiarity, I could feel my emotions catching up with me through the sweat forming in my palms. Before my eyes, Surie clung tightly to the clothes of Ella and El’s deceased father as she wept.

“Guot… why did you leave me? Why could you never love me? You looked at that hateful woman with such gentle eyes…”

It seemed Ella and El’s father was named Guot.

From between the folds of Surie’s clothes, I caught sight of Guot’s coat.

My eyes were drawn to one of the buttons on it.

I was overcome with an indescribable feeling, and hurriedly left Guot’s study.