EMLF - 1
Sute Akuyaku Reijou wa Kaibutsu ni Otogibanashi wo Kataru
Book 1: A Thinking Reed
☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
I have been abandoned.
By my parents, my fiance, my country, I—Sylph Biebel—have been abandoned.
Having been cast aside, I was placed into a small cage by the kingdom’s soldiers and left deep, deep within a forest at the edge of the land, near the Kingdom of Dagenhelm. That kingdom is said to be home to a monster. Rumor has it that the lord of that land, the King of Dagenhelm, wanders beyond his borders night after night, devouring maidens, consuming them entirely, from the tips of their toes to the tops of their heads, from their organs to their bones, leaving nothing behind. And in doing so, he has lived on for thousands of years.
To be abandoned in a cage in a forest beside such a kingdom… it likely means that my life is already as good as gone.
Alone in the pitch-dark forest, I stared out into the darkness through the bars of my cage. The cold metal stole my body heat wherever I touched it, and the tattered rags I wore were hardly enough to shield me from the biting wind.
Why must I be made to suffer like this?
I, Sylph Biebel, was once the daughter of a duke in the Kingdom of Luxborn. I was the second child of the ducal family, living peacefully with my much older brother and my close, loving parents. As a duke’s daughter, I was raised to uphold dignity and to become a lady worthy of our family name. My studies were demanding, but for the sake of my future and my house, they never felt like a burden.
When Prince Mihail Luxborn-sama of the kingdom passed the age of eight, the selection of his fiance began. The candidates were all young ladies of proper lineage, status, and refinement. As a member of a ducal house with ties to the royal family, it was only natural that I, too, would be chosen as one of them.
However, despite being granted such an honor, I must admit—though it may be impertinent—that I held little interest in marriage or in Mihail-sama himself. Of course, I conducted myself appropriately so as not to disgrace my family or show him any disrespect. Yet my greatest wish was simply to learn more about things, and nothing beyond that.
My father and mother often said that the prosperity of our house and the unshakable strength of the ducal family must come first. But I could not agree. Those who possess too much power will one day fall. Those who look too far upward fail to notice the collapse beneath their feet. This was a truth that could be learned from history itself.
To know contentment—this, I believed, was the wisest choice of all.
My wish was not to marry the prince and become queen. It was an impertinent dream, but if it could come true, I wished to become a librarian at the Royal Library. It was the most exalted place in the kingdom, where all books, knowledge, history, and thought were gathered. I knew it was a dream that could never be fulfilled. My path in life had already been decided. Even so, I believed that at least dreaming was free.
I simply wished to cherish books.
I desired neither the prince, nor honor, nor status, nor wealth, nor favor.
Even as I received my education as a fiance candidate, I would secretly disguise myself as a commoner and visit the Royal Library. Being there was my only happiness.
That happiness changed one afternoon on a day of rest.
Deep within the Royal Library, there was a secluded bookshelf filled only with fairy tale books, as though hidden away. As usual, I was there alone, reading—when suddenly, a shadow fell across my book.
For a moment, I caught my breath. No one had ever spoken to me while I was reading here before. And while perhaps it was because they did not know my status, it was the first time someone had ever addressed me so casually.
Under normal circumstances, she might have been regarded as impertinent. Yet, the fact that she spoke to me so familiarly—as someone who was neither a duke’s daughter nor anyone of importance—and that she took an interest in the book I was reading, truly made me happy.
Her name was Kanna Copierne. She had been born a commoner, but her family had only recently been granted a title, making her the daughter of a baron.
Though I concealed both my status and my real name, I met Miss Kanna many times at the library. I used an alias—Cherciel—a name meaning “seeker” in an old tongue. Being called by that name by her filled me with joy, and yet, at the same time, I felt a pang of guilt for deceiving her.
In those secret meetings at the library, known to no one, we shared books we recommended to one another, read the same stories, and spoke of our thoughts. At times, she would tell me tales I had never known—Cinderella, Snow White, One Thousand and One Nights, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The stories she told were vivid and radiant beyond anything I had ever heard, and they made my heart leap with excitement.
They were truly, truly happy times.
Some time later, my engagement to the prince was decided.
I had known from the very beginning. Someone—a woman—of my status would never be permitted to work at the Royal Library. My small dream would remain nothing more than a dream.
It is not that I disliked Mihail-sama. It was simply that I felt no inclination toward it. My will, however, was never something that would be taken into consideration—not even a spoonful of it.
Even if I felt reluctant, I could never say so aloud. Outwardly, I caused no trouble and conducted myself, spoke, and behaved in every way befitting a fiance.
However, everything changed with a certain event. It was none other than the transfer of my friend, Miss Kanna Copierne, into our academy. At first, Miss Kanna had not attended the same academy as I; she had studied at one for commoners. But as her baronial house grew in influence, she transferred into our academy.
I was delighted. Yet at the same time, I felt anxious. If she were to learn of my true status, would she leave me? If she were to discover that Cherciel—the commoner girl who loved stories—was in truth the daughter of House Biebel, a family second only to the highest ranks of the kingdom, would she be disappointed in me?
Those fears proved unfounded.
Miss Kanna spoke to me just as casually as ever.
And that made me very, very happy.
Through me, Miss Kanna came to know Mihail-sama as well. I was pleased by this. Though it may have been improper of me, while she was speaking with him, I was spared from having to attend to him myself. I did feel somewhat guilty, as if I were imposing upon her, but fortunately, she—beloved by all—seemed to get along well with Mihail-sama. Reassured, I spent that time in the library instead.
Without thinking. Simply, thoughtlessly.
Ah… but I was a fool.
Humans are a thinking reed.
A reed that does not think withers away and turns to dust.
And I had forgotten that.
By the time I realized it, everything was already too late.
What I had held slipped from my hands all at once.
At one of the many parties held in the royal castle, something felt different that day. The glittering, resplendent hall was the same as ever, and yet—the gazes, the whispers—they drifted through the air like needles pricking at my skin. Bearing that pressure, I made my way to my fiance, Mihail-sama.
What greeted me, however, were words laced with disgust, and a look of contempt.
He did not answer my question, instead hurling abuse at me. The chancellor’s son, who always stood beside him, also looked upon me with reproach.
It was not only the two of them. At that party in the royal castle—every person, every noble—was watching us. Murmurs spread like ripples across water.
I was surrounded. Every one of them was a person of power, heirs to political families who attended the same academy as I—people who would shape the future. And each and every one of them seemed to look down on me with scorn. It was as though I had been forced onto a stage without warning—confused, my throat burning. It felt like a bed of needles, as though I alone had not been given a script or lines to follow.
The voice that cut over my trembling words was one I knew well. It should have been gentle, smiling warmly, weaving stories softly, laughing like the chiming of bells.
It was the voice of my dear friend.
The more I spoke, the more I realized I was losing any place to escape. My desperate words were met with ridicule, as though the people here were condemning a criminal. And yet, I could not understand the situation at all.
Why would I ever bully Miss Kanna? She is one of my very few friends—my one and only friend from before I entered the academy.
There was no way I could have felt any jealousy. If anything, I had gladly yielded His Highness to Miss Kanna. But of course, that was something I could never say.
My voice was cut off—by Miss Kanna herself, of all people.
Why? She should know. She knows I secretly visit the library after school. She alone should know who I truly am.
In a voice filled with anguish, she showed the bandages wrapped around her arms and legs. At the sight, murmurs of concern and sympathetic sighs spread through the crowd.
Not a single person there even considered the possibility that Miss Kanna Copierne might be lying.
I froze.
It was as if I had been struck by magic, my entire body turned into a cold, dull lead.
For the first time, I understood—despair is a cold thing. It seeps in from beneath your feet and slowly drowns your heart.
With those words, I understood everything. I had no choice but to understand.
I did not want to believe it. I wanted to keep believing this was all some kind of mistake.
And yet, I understood.
I had been set up—by my friend, Miss Kanna Copierne.
Because she alone knew. She alone knew that I had concealed my identity, used a false name, and gone to the Royal Library as “Cherciel.”
Even if I tried to search for any record of my visits, nothing would appear. I had long since been frequenting it under the guise of a commoner.
Miss Kanna, you said that with a smile, didn’t you? Was that smile, in truth, one of mockery, directed at me for foolishly entrusting you with my secret?
She knew there was no way for me to prove I had been at the library. That is why she must have been certain of her victory.
Ah… now, with my body grown so cold, I can see it clearly. The corners of her lips, raised ever so slightly beneath that sorrowful expression.
Yes, she must be pleased. For over a long stretch of time, she had carefully devised this plan to ensnare me, and her foolish prey had walked straight into the trap.
To her, the sight of me—dazed and hollow, intoxicated by our make-believe friendship—must have been utterly laughable.
The young nobles surrounding me hurled crude accusations. My fiance—no, my former fiance—held Miss Kanna by the shoulder as if to comfort her. Though I had spent years building relationships with them, not a single one stood at my side.
Even I, who am not particularly adept at forming bonds with others, had believed I had taken the time to build connections with them. As those who would one day govern the nation, we had striven together, sharpening one another.
I did not want to believe that everything I had built over time could collapse so easily, undone by the lies of a single girl.
At last, I understood the unease I had felt upon entering this hall. This was to be the condemnation of a wicked woman. A spectacle where they could cast stones without consequence, intoxicated by the thrill of standing on the side of justice. It was naked malice.
No hatred welled within me. No anger rose to the surface.
What remained was resignation and the faint remnants of happiness.
Even if she never meant it so, the time I spent with her in the library was, without a doubt, happiness to me. Even if it had all been nothing more than a comedy of Coppélia.
TL Note: Coppélia refers to the ballet Coppélia, where a girl (Swanhilda) pretends to be a doll, and much of the story revolves around deception, illusion, and something that appears real but isn’t.
Within it, there had certainly existed the modest happiness I had longed for.
Dressed in ragged clothes I had never worn before, fitted with a suffocating collar around my neck and heavy shackles on my ankles, I could do nothing but receive the words delivered to me from within my cell.
My engagement to Mihail-sama had been annulled. In its place, it was said that Miss Kanna had become engaged to him.
My name had been stricken from the House of Biebel. I had stained the ducal name. My parents, who always looked upward, must have wished to sever ties with a daughter who would only hinder them as quickly as possible.
Thanks to Miss Kanna’s unparalleled kindness, I was spared execution. That a crime as grave as attempting to kill the future queen would not be punished by death could only be called an act of mercy. The label of a jealousy-maddened duke’s daughter would, regardless of truth, never be removed.
How many days had passed since then, I wonder. One day, the door to the underground cell suddenly opened. Beyond the blinding light, I saw Miss Kanna standing there through the bars. Sitting on the cold stone floor, I looked up at her.
The voice that slipped from her lips was far removed from the one I knew—hard, cold, strangely pretentious and superficial.
Through the bars, she gently caressed my cheek, as though cherishing me.
Yes, I know. She is cherishing me—the foolish, helpless, pitiful me who will soon die.
Is she truly the person I once knew?
Where has Miss Kanna Copierne, with her sunlit smile, gone?
The woman before me twisted her face in amusement—devoid of any beauty. It was unmistakably the face of a ‘villain.’
I did not need to be told. She was the heroine, and I, who stood in her way, was the villainess.
But what had I done?
She smiled—smirked.
My friend was no longer there.
She probably didn't feel even a shred of condolence.
In high spirits, she left the cell.
If my existence itself was a sin, then what should I have done?
What should I have done to be happy?
Her words clung to me like a curse, refusing to let go.
A few days later, just as she had said, I was left alone in the forest of the Kingdom of Dagenhelm—the land dwelled by a monster.
Darkness sank deep into the forest. A strong wind blew, and from somewhere came the low growls of beasts.
The land of a monster. A forest closer to death than anywhere else in this world.
Surely, this must be the entrance to the underworld. The monster that would devour me—the demon of judgment. It was just like a story. This, no doubt, was the scenario Miss Kanna had written.
There was nothing I could do. I simply waited within the cage for the demon of judgment to come.
It was not that I had done anything. Perhaps it was simply wrong that I had been born as a ‘villainess.’
Was I truly a villain? What had I ever done to Miss Kanna? What could I have done to avoid becoming a ‘villainess’? There was no one to answer me. If she is the heroine, then so be it. If she is to marry Mihail-sama, then I offer my heartfelt congratulations. If this world exists upon her script, then why could I not even be placed at the edge of its pages? I have no interest in being the protagonist. I do not desire the spotlight. Was I not even allowed to live—simply because I was a ‘villainess’?
I reached my hand out from within the cage. Though my arm could slip between the bars, there was no escaping. With nothing else to do, I stretched out aimlessly, and my fingertips brushed against a small, withered twig.
I did not believe I would survive this place. Still, I wished to be allowed at least a sliver of hope. Guided by the faint moonlight, I used the twig to write words upon the ground.
Please, may some kind soul find me.
The me who was neither a duke’s daughter, a criminal, nor a villainess—
To confirm whether she had truly been devoured by a monster—or not. If she had somehow survived, they were to kill her on the spot.
But that proved unnecessary.
The cage Sylph Biebel had been placed in was utterly destroyed. It appeared to have been broken from the outside. The iron bent and twisted, the bars torn apart. Not a single drop of blood remained.
Sylph Biebel had been devoured by the monster of Dagenhelm, without leaving behind even a drop of blood or a single strand of hair. That was the report delivered to the kingdom.
Sylph Biebel had been eaten alive.
And not a single person doubted it.
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