章節 204: She Speaks of Her Past
"The teachers just watched it all happen. It felt like a thousand hands were grasping at me, not because they wanted me, but because they wanted the things my brother and I had. And they were willing to stain their hands to get it. Cold-hearted, calculating, manipulative, and selfish, every single one of them."
"That certainly sounds quite difficult." Keith agreed.
"Brother had to work, so he couldn't take care of me as much as he wanted to." Robin continued. "And that was something my uncle-" She shivered. "- he used that fact to get legal custody over me. But he was the worst in the lot..."
Kenmei listened quietly as Robin slowly narrated what had happened. She had been locked in the cellar, berated and extorted by her cousins, harangued by classmates. There was nowhere she could go to find peace, either in her schoolbooks, or in her bedroom, or even in a bathroom.
Everything came to a head once she had entered her teenage years. Her uncle got the idea to sell her off as a bride to Dawkins, who had been taken over by the Trader, at that point.
Every day after school, Dawkins came to visit. He brought over dresses and complimented her long hair. And he talked about how he looked forward to when she was old enough to marry. There was no one she could turn to for help. There was no one she could rely on.
Robin could bear it no longer. She tore up the dresses. She cut off her long hair, and she ran away that night, to her brother's house. When he heard of what had happened, he hatched a plan to get custody back from her uncle.
He had her wear a hidden microphone and placed a hidden camera on her school uniform button. He also used some connections and got some cameras placed with a clear view of the top of the school building. Robin went to school the next morning, while her brother watched everything happen from his desk at work.
As expected, her cousin and uncle showed up to make a fuss, and she led them up to the school roof. With both video proof of his attempted murder, and audio proof of his plans, both he and Dawkins were arrested. Only, Dawkins had a heart attack mid-court hearing. Her uncle was sent to jail with a life sentence.
"And then?" Keith asked. At this point, neither Robin, nor Keith realized Christian had halted just outside the room door.
"Then... my brother began taking vacations often." Robin replied. "I threw myself into self defense training and learned how to fight. I travelled to distant lands learning the different ways of the sword. I learned how to cook, how to make things, how to draw and craft and rescue people. I learned from the best of them."
"And then?" Keith asked.
"And then I became friends with this one girl for a single day." Robin smiled warmly. "She was terminally ill, but she still did her very best even up to her last moments, doing what she always dreamed of doing. And that day, whether by chance or by miracle, I was there to help her. After that, I wanted to try living normally, like that girl whose eyes sparkled when she talked about the things she treasured. I felt like I had lost something important, something that could light up my eyes the way that hers had. So, I got a job of my own. I was all ready to get started on it but then...."
Robin chuckled. "Then, I found myself here."
'A girl? Could it possibly be....the one Robin fell in love with?' Christian wondered.
Keith sat forward in his chair. "Sounds like you've had a rather rough time of it." He said.
"It's in the past." Robin replied. "I guess you were right. Somehow, it doesn't bother me anymore."
"You don't have to call me uncle. I understand that, after all that happened, that word might be somewhat distasteful to you." Keith said, trying to be considerate.
'Uncle!? Oy, Keith, what are you trying to do?' Christian thought in surprise.
"You know..." Robin looked at Keith. "I kind of WANT to call you uncle, now. That person wasn't human. But, you..." Robin smirked mischievously
"I guess you're all right, for an uncle." She joked. "At the very least, you're human."
"Thank goodness for that, then!" Keith chuckled. He felt relieved that Robin's personality hadn't been twisted by what she had gone through.
"So, when are you going to tell them?" Robin asked.
"As soon as I can find a good opportunity." Keith replied. Christian realized Keith was almost done talking with Robin, and took the opportunity to silently retreat before he was caught eavesdropping.
"I suppose I'll leave you to rest up, Dear Nephew of mine." Keith said, emphasizing the 'nephew' part.
"I'll see you later, Dear Uncle of mine~!" Robin laughed.
"Dear dear! Where do you get that cheeky side from?" Keith shook his head in mock surprise.
"I believe it, came from your side of the family, uncle~!" Robin teased.
"No way! Unbelievable!" Keith jokingly denied as he left the room with the tray-full of dishes.
----
Out in the hallway, Keith encountered Christian heading towards Robin's room.
"Hmm? You're looking particularly cheerful right now, Keith." Christian said, pretending like he had just arrived. "Did something good happen?"
"Oh? You could tell, huh?" Keith asked with a bright smile. "Here, follow me to the kitchens and I'll tell you all about it."
Christian paused, before eventually deciding to follow Keith down the hallway away from Robin.
'I'm not letting you have alone time with Robin that easily.' Keith thought, pleased at his own genius, with a flicker of mischief gleaming in his eyes for a moment.
----------
Robin waited until Keith had left, then looked down at Skye.
"Any word from Hikaru?" She asked.
"Nope. Nothing!" Skye shoot its tail. "I'll definitely let you know once she says anything though!"
"How is everyone? Are they okay?" Robin asked.
"They're fine, but...it seems like there's a lot of people that collapsed after you beat the demon king yesterday. Many of them have woken up, but it seems like they've lost their memories." Skye informed, scratching at his ear.
"...The victims?" Robin surmised.
"Most likely-ah~ that hits the spot!." Skye arched its back pleasantly. Robin had found the itchy spot behind Skye's ears.
"Thank you for letting me know." Robin smiled down at Skye. Skye looked up at Robin's smile, which was tinged with sadness.
"It's not your fault." Skye said, lifting its head to lick Robin's hand.
"I know. But, those people are gonna have a difficult time after this." Robin sighed. "Despite, logically, I know that it's not my fault, I still can't help but sympathise."
"Oh! That's a new word! What does sympathize mean?" Skye asked.
"That....is a bit difficult to describe." Robin leaned back against her pillows, looking up at the bed curtains as she thought.
"It means seeing someone in pain or difficulty, and thinking 'you are just like me'. Since you see that person as the same as you, imagine yourself being in that situation. It makes you want to help make things better, at least for them."
"Why?" Skye asked.
"Because you would want someone to do the same thing for you if you were in their place." Robin replied.
"There are so many people that pray for help. There are so many who desire to be saved. Sure, we can't save all of them. But I would still want to answer, even if they are only calling out in their hearts."
"Sympathy, huh...Robin, your heart is really kind." Skye noted.
"Huh? Where did that come from?" Robin asked.
Skye's eyes narrowed pleasantly. "You care about so many people that you don't even know, just because seeing them in pain is like seeing yourself in pain. That's really kind. Nobody in the forest lives like that."
Robin recalled what she had told Keith earlier. "No....I am not kind." She denied. "There are people that even I can't forgive-people whom I never wish to see myself becoming. If I was truly kind, I would be able to care even for those people. But I can't."
"You really are strange. isn't it obvious to care for your friends and hate your enemies?" Skye asked.
"But true kindness goes beyond friends and enemies." Robin looked out the window at the nice day.
"I don't understand, but if you say so." Skye said, as it jumped off the bed and left the room.
Robin sat there silently, once more lost in thought.
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