Side Story: The Green Fairy (7)

From then on, everything proceeded smoothly. Late in the winter of the following year, Liam voluntarily left the Conrad Family and joined the Arthus Family. There, he cared for his grandfather, Earl of Arthus, in his final days.  

The Earl, seeing his deceased wife’s eye color reflected in Liam’s gaze and appreciating Liam’s presence during his last moments, willingly entrusted everything to him.  

As the new Earl of Arthus, Liam couldn’t hold back his feelings any longer and proposed to Yvonne that summer. To his surprise, Yvonne accepted him readily. She confessed that, while she had pretended not to notice, she was aware of Liam’s feelings for her.  

She even admitted that she found his nervousness and overly careful treatment of her endearing. Liam felt a bit embarrassed hearing this but was ultimately overwhelmed with happiness.  

“I love you.”  

And whenever Liam said this to her, Yvonne would reply,  

“I love you too.”  

Those words brought him immense joy, as they were something the real Yvonne would never say.  

***

After Liam and Yvonne married, two other couples also tied the knot: Jeanne and Elliott, and Gabriel and Anaïs.  

Though the circumstances leading to their unions differed slightly from the reality Liam knew, all enjoyed happy married lives.  

Peaceful days followed. Though Liam occasionally had nightmares about the dream ending, he remained within it.  

As he grew accustomed to his blissful life, he began to think less and less about his original reality. Around this time, Yvonne confessed that she was pregnant.  

Liam was genuinely overjoyed and vowed to be a good father this time. He kept his promise, whispering words of love to the baby in Yvonne’s belly every day.  

Once again, the baby’s name was “Claude.” Since Yvonne’s pregnancy coincided with the timing of her original pregnancy, Liam believed without a doubt that the child would be Claude.  

***

The time for the baby’s birth eventually arrived. Yvonne went into labor and entered the birthing room. Her screams echoed for hours. Liam suddenly understood why Gabriel had once declared there would be no second child after experiencing Anaïs’s delivery.  

Liam felt the same way. Each time Yvonne screamed, he anxiously bit his nails and swore to himself,  

“No more children after Claude. Absolutely not!”  

After what felt like an eternity, Yvonne’s screams subsided. Soon, the sound of a baby crying filled the air, and the midwife emerged from the birthing room.  

“Congratulations, Monsieur! You have a beautiful daughter!”  

“A daughter?”  

Not a son?  

Liam was utterly bewildered. It wasn’t that he needed a son to inherit his title—he had simply assumed the baby would be a boy, since their child in reality had been a son.  

But a daughter?  

“Go inside. Hold your wife and tell her she’s done well.”  

Liam entered the birthing room in a daze. On the bed, which had been tidied up to some extent, lay Yvonne, drenched in sweat and tears, and a small bundle wrapped in cloth.  

“Liam.”  

Yvonne noticed his presence and smiled faintly.  

“It’s a daughter. She’s so beautiful.”  

“Ah…”  

Liam smiled along with her. While he felt a strange emptiness knowing this wasn’t the Claude he remembered, he couldn’t deny the joy of welcoming his newborn daughter.  

“Would you like to hold her?”  

“Yes, yes. Of course.”  

Liam extended his arms. The baby was so small—too small. She was even tinier and more fragile than Claude had been, making Liam worry that she might break if he applied too much force.  

As he stared at the baby, tears welled up in his eyes. Partly because of his love for the child, but mostly because he had genuinely feared for Yvonne’s life during the delivery.  

In reality, Yvonne must have endured this same pain to give birth to Claude while he wasn’t there for her. And yet, he had carelessly thought that he might give Claude a sibling someday, oblivious to her suffering. He truly was a worthless man.  

“You’ve done so well. Truly, you’ve done so well…”  

“Liam? Are you crying?”  

“I’m sorry, Yvonne. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you… I’m trash… I’m so sorry…”

In the end, Liam couldn’t hold back his tears and broke into sobs. Yvonne, startled, tried to comfort him. However, he found no solace in her words.  

It became even worse when Yvonne asked what he meant by saying she was by his side now but hadn’t been before.  

He brushed it off, saying he was crying because he felt guilty for being outside the birthing room, but his heart couldn’t find peace.  

A few days later, their daughter opened her eyes. They were a clear green, just like Liam’s. Seeing those eyes, a memory of something the real Yvonne had once said came rushing back to him.  

“Seeing Anaïs’s child resembling Monsieur Saint-Laurent’s eyes… It made me wonder if our first child might have looked like that.”

Ah, that’s right. This isn’t my reality.  

Liam silently rolled his wife’s name over in his mind.  

‘Yvonne.’  

It was all his own selfishness. He had committed wrongs, yet he thought creating a happy illusion like this would ease his heart.  

“Yvonne.”  

“Did you call me?”  

The woman holding their child turned to him with a face full of laughter.  

“I’m really sorry, but… let’s name the child something different.”  

“What name do you have in mind?”  

“La Fée Verte. I think that would be good.”  

The term meaning “Green Fairy,” La Fée Verte.  

It was a name left in his grandfather’s will. It was also, reportedly, the affectionate nickname he used for his wife during her lifetime. Since it was a name filled with love, it would surely suit their daughter as well.  

“That’s a lovely name. I like it.”  

Yvonne, holding their young daughter, smiled brightly at him, her face clear and free of worry.  

Seeing that expression, Liam smiled back. It was a picture-perfect, harmonious family—the ideal life he had always dreamed of.  

Liam approached Yvonne and whispered softly.  

“I love you, Yvonne. And you?”  

“I love you too. I love you, Liam.”  

Yvonne responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She then asked him to say it to their child as well. Without hesitation, Liam spoke.  

“I love you.”  

The newborn didn’t react much, but her tiny face was utterly lovable.  

Yet, for some reason, this scene caused a sharp pang in Liam’s chest. He was truly happy, yet he wasn’t. Instead, he felt uneasy.  

“Just for a moment…”  

“…”  

“Just for a moment, I need to stop by the study. Gabriel asked me to handle some important documents… I forgot to take care of them. I’ll be right back.”  

“Take your time.”  

Yvonne looked at Liam with a puzzled expression but nodded readily. Then she turned her attention back to their child.  

Watching her, Liam left the bedroom. He quickly descended the stairs. His destination wasn’t the study—it was outside.  

He felt suffocated. He couldn’t stay in the estate any longer.  

Once outside, Liam ran through the garden. He sprinted through the lush greenery, past wildflowers blooming despite the gardener’s care, and toward the distant view of the Seine River. He ran and ran.  

But no matter how far he went, the heaviness in his chest wouldn’t lift. It felt as though a wet lump of cotton was clogging his heart, making him uncomfortable and endlessly nauseous.  

His breath caught in his throat. Only when his body was too exhausted to run any further did Liam finally stop.  

“Haah, haah.”  

Panting, he bent over. Sweat dripped from his face, falling in droplets onto the ground.  

“Yvonne…”  

Liam called his wife’s name again, just as he had before. There was no response. Of course not—his wife was inside the estate, in the bedroom.  

No, that’s not right. My real wife is in Valence right now. With Claude, preparing to return…  

“Ha, d*mn it…”  

Liam collapsed onto the bare ground. The garden soil dirtied his trousers, but his mind was too chaotic to care.  

And that wasn’t all. His emotions were spiraling out of control. He didn’t know what he was doing or what he had been living for.  

But one thing was certain. He wanted to wake from this dream now.  

He didn’t deserve to enjoy this happiness. For him, this happiness was poison—a poison that endlessly gnawed at him.  

“Yvonne.”  

You don’t have to smile at me. You can resent me for the rest of your life. It’s fine if you can’t love me. I’m the one who did everything wrong.  

I just miss you and Claude so much…  

With no way to express this pain, Liam dug his nails into the dirt, scraping at the ground.  

Tick, tick.  

Somewhere, the sound of a winding mechanism echoed. Slowly but surely, the spring unwound, releasing a clear melody.  

Tock, tock, to-ro-ro.  

This melody… I’ve heard it before. But where?  

Liam slowly searched for the source of the sound. It was coming from behind him, along the path he had run from the estate.  

There shouldn’t be anyone there, so who could be making this sound…?  

Liam turned around slowly. There stood a woman. Her short hair was unusual, rare even among noblewomen or commoners. A small mole near her smiling lips caught his eye.  

Everything about her felt familiar, as if he had met her once before.  

‘Where have I seen her?’  

As Liam puzzled over this, the woman raised the corners of her mouth and spoke.  

“We meet again, Guest.”  

It was a short but striking statement. Liam remembered who she was.  

“Eris Witch.”  

“I’m honored. You remember me.”  

“Ah…”  

Liam staggered but slowly stood up. He walked toward Eris.  

“How… How can I wake up from this place?”  

“That’s unexpected. Weren’t you happy here?”  

“I am happy. I’m happy, but…”  

“Then why do you want to wake up? I thought this was what you wanted.”  

“No. No, I definitely wanted this at some point. I did, but now… no. This is…”  

Liam’s face contorted in pain. He gripped the collar of his shirt tightly.  

“This is… like a curse…”  

“…”  

“So please, send me back. Let me wake up now. Please.”  

At his desperate plea, Eris smiled.  

“That’s amusing. When I told you it was a curse, you didn’t believe me.”  

“No. I believe you now. I believe, so…”  

“Hmm, just a moment. I need to hear what La Fée Verte has to say as well. Of course, I’ve had quite an entertaining show thanks to you, and I’ve been paid, so I have no complaints.”  

“What?”  

“Oh, never mind. La Fée Verte says it’s time to forgive you.”  

“What are you even talking about…?”  

“I mean, I’ll let you return to reality now.”  

Liam struggled to follow her words, but the last part was clear. His expression brightened at the prospect of waking from the dream.  

“Then…!”  

“But as a merchant, I must ensure the quality of my product. So, one last question.”  

As Liam hesitated, Eris spoke again, still wearing a smile.  

“Did you like the product, Guest?”  

“Yes. I liked it. I liked it so much it’s infuriating… Now, tell me how to wake from this dream. Please.”  

“I’m glad to hear that. You already know how to wake up. You’re holding it in your hands.”  

Eris glanced toward his hands.  

‘She’s looking at my hands? Why?’  

Following her gaze, Liam noticed the music box he was holding in both hands. It was a belated realization.  

‘Since when…?’  

Startled, he looked back up. Eris Witch, who had been standing before him moments ago, was gone.  

And that wasn’t all. In that brief moment, the surrounding scenery had changed. Liam had been in the garden outside the estate, but now he stood in the living room of the house Yvonne had bought in Valence Village.  

It was a familiar space, yet something felt off about the air around him. It was eerily still, as if time itself had stopped.  

And in the midst of it, Liam kept winding the music box. When he released the spring, it played a clear melody, and when the melody ended, he wound it again, repeating the cycle.  

“Ah…”  

I see. From the moment I wound this spring, this illusion had already begun.

Realizing this fact, control over his body returned to him. Liam stopped winding the music box and slowly lifted it up.  

He saw the figurine of a young girl on the lid of the music box. What he had thought were angel wings were actually fairy wings.  

And the eyes looking at him through the smooth, curved eyelids were beautiful green eyes, just like those of the first daughter Yvonne had given birth to in the dream. Things he hadn’t noticed before.  

“I’m sorry.”  

He knew this wasn’t just a simple illusion.  

Moreover, he now understood the meaning of Eris’s words. That La Fée Verte had also forgiven him by now.  

Fairies, since ancient times, were known as mysterious and beautiful beings, but there was another equally famous legend about them. It was said that they were beings born from children who had died young.  

And La Fée Verte was…  

“I’m so sorry. I’m truly, truly sorry.”  

She was the real first child that Yvonne had to let go of.  

“I love you.”  

He didn’t know if his sincere feelings would reach her, but he still wanted to tell her. That he was sorry, that he loved her.  

Liam tightly shut his eyes. Then, with trembling hands, he raised the music box even higher. It had been a happy illusion. Perhaps a vision of what could have been.  

But no matter how much he regretted it, there was no turning back. The one who had ruined everything was none other than Liam himself.  

Opening his eyes again, he threw the music box to the ground with all his strength. The figurine of the young girl, likely made of plaster, shattered into pieces upon hitting the floor.  

Clang!  

The fragments scattered in all directions. Soon, the door burst open, and Yvonne emerged with a startled expression. Unlike in the dream, the eyes of the woman staring at him were blue.  

“I heard something shatter… What on earth…?”  

“Yvonne.”  

Ah, it’s my wife.  

The real wife he had longed to see so much.  

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”  

Yvonne cautiously stepped forward as if to approach him. But Liam was faster. He moved first and pulled Yvonne into a tight embrace.  

“Liam?”  

“I love you.”  

“What…?”  

“I love you. I truly love you.”  

There was no response in return. But that didn’t matter. He had wanted to come back.  

This was his reality. The reality he had to live in from now on, and the reality he wanted to live in.  

Liam buried his face in the nape of Yvonne’s neck. A faint, nutty scent of milk, similar to what he had smelled in the dream, wafted from her.  

But he knew this wasn’t a dream. Yvonne was real too. Unlike in the dream, the woman’s blue eyes were proof of that.  

That fact brought him relief. Liam continued to whisper his love and confess his feelings.  

Yvonne was taken aback at first but soon accepted it. After a moment of hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Liam’s back as well.  

Behind the couple embracing each other, the fairy wings and green fragments that had fallen as debris on the living room floor glinted especially brightly in the sunlight. As if watching over them.  

<End>