Chapter 15 - Prince Red Riding Hood

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Chapter 15

 

 

"Your Highness, good day. We met just yesterday, didn't we?"

 

"Two days in a row—how lucky for us."

 

Lil had been silently repeating a litany in his head—Don't stray. Good children don't dawdle. Don't do anything dangerous, anything worrisome. Never act in a way that could call your royal dignity into question.

 

But now, those voices were interrupted by greetings from the woodcutters.

 

These were not the persecuted brothers who had kidnapped him yesterday, but the woodsmen who had always worked this forest. They laid down their axes and gathered around him.

 

One by one, emerging from between the trees, both the old and the young knelt before him.

 

Among them were a few he hadn't seen the day before, yet they said nearly the same things:

 

"You suddenly seem so grown up—it must be the longer cloak, huh?"

 

"Where are you off to today?"

 

"Good day," Lil greeted them. "I'm on my way to see the former head chef again. I gave up partway through yesterday, but today I intend to go all the way. I've packed lighter, and I left the castle early. This time, I'm certain I'll return with handmade biscuits."

 

He stressed those words—"this time for sure."

 

More than encouraging himself, it was as though he were casting a spell of self-persuasion.

 

Everything—the way the woodcutters spoke, their expressions, the strength of the sunlight, even the scent of the wind—was nearly identical to the day before. And because of that sameness, Lil felt he had to ensure that what followed would be different.

 

Yes… Just like this… I am a good child. I've always lived that way. One day isn't enough to become someone bad. As long as I don't stop in the flower field and pick clovers, nothing will happen like yesterday. I won't be kidnapped by persecuted woodcutters. I won't cross the barrier. I won't think about anything unnecessary. I'll just keep walking forward, straight and true. That alone… will make me good again.

 

Through summer's green splendor, the glittering dappled sunlight, the thawing mud of spring, and the untouched remnants of snow still lingering in patches, Lil pressed forward along the forest's carriage road.

 

If he followed the path as it curved and stretched through the woods, it would surely bring him to the house at the forest's edge.

 

Ah. The snow… it's faintly tinged with red.

 

Somehow, without realizing, he had wandered off the main road. And just as his once-light basket began to feel heavy in his arms, Lil found himself gazing down at a winding band of strawberry snow.

 

He knew now he had wandered. And yet, he lacked the courage to turn back.

 

But once he stepped onto that tinted snow, his footprints would vanish behind him. He pictured it: the way they would fade, leaving no trace. No one would know where he had gone. And if he returned swiftly enough, no alarm would be raised. No one would worry. No one would search. That span of time would simply… disappear.

 

If no one knew—it was as though it had never happened.

 

Strawberry snow. The sacred signpost of the barrier that must never be crossed. Beyond lies danger—a realm ruled by the cunning Wolf King, a creature steeped in magic. It is a fearsome world, one I must never enter.

 

Grasping the hem of his red cloak, Lil lifted his right foot from the white snow.

 

And with a forward-leaning step, he pressed into the tinted snow.

 

Leaving footprints in the strawberry snow, Lil began walking toward the world beyond the barrier.

 

This region often drew in colder winds, and many trees remained bare even in high summer. The white snow and red snow lingered in thick layers because beneath them lay a stratum of ice, untouched by warmth.

 

That was what the learned scholars claimed. Yet even in the southern reaches, where most of the snow had melted, the strawberry snow remained—untouched, unmelted. It was clear that some unexplainable force was at work.

 

My footprints are disappearing. For a while, no one will know where I've gone.

 

Lil watched as the traces of his steps vanished behind him. Then, drawing close to the trees beyond the barrier, he moved carefully—treading on roots to avoid leaving marks in the remaining snow—taking a roundabout path toward the lookout hut.

 

Klaus saved my life. I must thank him properly—and say goodbye.

 

And besides… we did sort of promise to meet again. If he's waiting for me, thinking I might come, it would be cruel to leave him like that. Offering him my gratitude is simply the right thing to do.

 

So, simply to say thank you, and farewell—Lil climbed the steps to the hut.

 

Though the remaining snow was shallow now, the hut's foundation was made of stone to endure the deep winters when snow would pile high. The door was raised to remain accessible even then.

 

"Klaus… good day. It's Lil," he called softly, knocking on the door.

 

Two opposing wishes swirled in his chest.

 

He wanted to see him. Desperately. That was the truth. And yet… a part of him hoped the hut was empty.

 

Because Lil knew—truly knew—that the surest path to being a good child again… was not to see Klaus.

 

It wouldn't end with a thank-you. It wouldn't end with a simple goodbye.

 

And if it did, he knew… a part of him would be heartbroken.

 

I want something more. I want him to sin, to involve me in it. If Klaus were to press me, I'd have no way to resist. Powerless as I am, I'd be drawn into it by force. It wouldn't be my fault. Klaus would be the one turning me from a good boy into a bad one. It would all be his doing. I'm just... just here to thank him.

 

There were no sounds from inside the watchman's hut, and a wave of unease swept over Lil.

 

He had wished Klaus would be away—but now, that wish was unbearable.

 

He couldn't deny his rising desires. Twisting the truth couldn't deceive himself.

 

Nor could he deceive God.

 

God sees through the soul's depths, and Lil knew he bore two sins.

 

One was desiring what was forbidden between two of the same sex.

The other was weaponizing his innocence to shift guilt onto another, pretending to be a helpless lamb.

 

Without even the resolve to beg, Please fall with me, his desire still burned hot. So hot, he feared the butter in his basket might melt.

 

"—Prince Liladry."

 

The voice didn't come from the hut, but from the forest.

 

Startled by the unexpected direction, Lil jolted.

 

There was no mistaking that voice. It was Klaus's—deep, calm, clear.

 

He stood as he had yesterday, haloed by sunlight. His silhouette was a sharp cutout of shadow. The cloak concealed his figure so completely, he looked less like a man and more like a beast, perhaps a bear.

 

"Klaus..."

 

"I thought I smelled something nice. You've brought butter again, haven't you?"

 

"Y-yes."

 

"Is it for me?"

 

As Klaus stepped close enough for Lil to see his expression, the boy caught his breath.

 

Somehow, it felt like a test. Klaus knew the butter wasn't meant for him—was he trying to corner Lil?

 

Or perhaps he saw even deeper, understood Lil's desires, and guessed the butter had always been meant for him, asking only to tease.

 

"Is it for someone else?"

 

Klaus questioned again as he began to climb the steps.

 

Just exchanging words, just meeting his eyes—Lil could feel his mask of virtue beginning to crack.

 

It melted like sugar candy, sticky and cloying, impossible to peel away—changing into something hopeless.

 

Red like blood and white like snow clashed and mixed, and from their union emerged a deep scarlet more vivid than purity itself. Lil was dyed in that color—the color of his hooded cloak. And in that moment, he gained the courage to be a bad boy.

 

"I brought this butter because I wanted you to eat it. And today... I even brought a spoon."

 

Perhaps everything had been decided the moment he slipped the spoon into the basket.

 

No—perhaps it had started even earlier. From the moment he awoke this morning, he had been hoping for a chance to see him.

 

"How very considerate of you."

 

Klaus climbed the stairs, stood beside Lil, and opened the door.

 

Compared to yesterday, the guard hut was a little tidier.

 

In the center stood a pillar supporting the roof and ceiling, and beyond it, a bed could be seen.

 

"Will you be leaving right away? Or will you take off your red hood and stay a while?"

 

The moment those words were whispered behind him, the path of temptation unfolded in his mind.

 

That path led straight to the bed, and at its end awaited unforgettable pleasure.

 

"...I will feed you the butter."

 

Lil answered while still facing the bed, not turning toward Klaus.

 

The beautiful voice that tempted him toward the darkness was gentle to his ears, and the sense of joy outweighed the fear.

 

There was no option to turn back. This was the moment he'd been hoping for. His heart danced with excitement, and his blood stirred.

 

Placing the basket beside the bed, Lil lowered the red hood from his head.

 

He slipped his arms from the cloak, revealing his usual outfit: a pure white silk blouse, black shorts exposing his thighs, and black lace-up boots that reached to his knees. He sat down on the bed.

 

"Did you go out hunting?"

 

He asked, picking up the jar of butter.

 

 

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