Her unusual smile just made me feel weird. Well, I couldn’t help it. It wasn’t polite of me to leave her like this when she’s holding me for longer than usual. Of course, I felt a little sorry about the mistake I made earlier too.

  “How old are you now?”


  “I’m three years old.”


  Layla looked at me a little surprised as if my looks and my age didn’t fit well. What? Well, I knew that there was no three-year-old who could speak as well and as good and as cute as I.

  “I see. You’re already three years old. It feels like just yesterday when I heard the news of your birth.”


  I didn’t notice it when she said it like an old man wet with remorse, but Layla seemed to know who I was for a long time. Oh, of course, she could tell just by looking at me. Still, I felt that the tone of her voice gave me a nuance that she knew my mother too. Who was this woman exactly?

  “You don’t know anything about how you were born, do you?”


  “Hmm?”


  She was smiling with interest. What the hell was she smiling for? I felt frustrated. Besides, Layla looked indescribably excited.

  “Do you know about your mother?”


  “You know my mother?”


  I had already thought of the possibility that she knew her, but did she really?

  Layla lowered her body in my voice. She sat down and held her head on her hand; this woman was pretty. She’s so pretty. If this was Earth, she would have been scouted for a Hollywood movie right away.

  “No one told you? I thought so. People tend to think keeping things from children is the safest way to raise them.”


  I knew what she’s trying to say. However, she’s clearly being sarcastic even though she’s smiling so beautifully. Well, she had a point. I could guess why they were not telling me anything about my mother so I couldn’t make any halfassed conclusions. In fact, even I wouldn’t want to tell a child the cruel truth behind their parents. If one crushed children’s dreams and fantasies, then they deserve to go to hell.

  “Do you want me to tell you?”


  “Will you tell me?”


  “Do you want to know?”


  A sweet, whispering voice. The sweetness seemed similar to Dranste’s voice. It sounded like the lure of the devil.