We buried Rapunzel’s body in a sunny spot. For her who couldn’t escape the kingdom, we chose a warm forest where sunlight streams through. Just in case wild animals might dig up the grave, Ariel cast a spell around it so water spirits would attack anyone trying to disturb it.
I stood silently by her grave for a moment. I reminisced about our short but intense memories together. Closing my eyes to never forget her face and voice, I recalled that kind girl. Even trapped in the tower, instead of lashing out at the world, she tried to save someone by sacrificing herself.
In the end, when she lost control of her emotions, my girlfriend chose to end her life so as not to become a curse.
I fiddled with the golden bracelet Rapunzel made for me as a final gift.
Though I’ll never see her again, she’ll live on in my memories and heart. Her fragments have already left an unforgettable painful mark on me.
“Take care.”
I said, suppressing the urge to cry, forcing a bitter smile, and moved on.
Because no matter how hard and painful, we must always move forward.
I vowed one last time looking back at Rapunzel’s grave.
Future endings will be filled only with happy ones.
There will be no more tragedies like this.
……
“Geez, there’s nothing to eat?”
I said clutching my rumbling stomach. Ariel shook her head, her sunken cheeks showing despair.
[Unfortunately, I have no ingredients to make delicious food for you, Prince]
“Ugh, I should’ve grabbed some food when I caused chaos in the kingdom.”
It’s been two days since we’ve eaten. Thanks to Ariel, we had water, but strangely, there were no edible plants in this endless forest. Previously, we occasionally found mushrooms or fruits, and even saw some wild animals.
But as soon as hunger hit, everything vanished as if by magic.
Elise seemed fine fasting for a couple days. Watching our weakness, she suggested eating bugs, but remembering those bug-eating internet faces, I just couldn’t do it.
Still, Elise insisted roasted bugs taste good while demolishing every tree around looking for them. Ariel tried to stop her in shock, but Elise ignored her, focused on the hunt.
“Hmm~ This is strange~”
Elise muttered while shaking wood chips off her fist. Seeing no bugs on her hand or among the debris, Ariel and I sighed in relief.
“Haha, seems like even bugs don’t want to be eaten by us.”
“Hmm~ Unless they’re talking bugs, it’s weird not to see any normal ones on the road.”
[Surprise! The crazy woman actually said something reasonable]
Looking back, she does make key points sometimes. Elise smiled at Ariel’s comment.
“I’m perfectly normal, little girl.”
[Shock! Does she really believe that?]
“I ate all the bugs around here before. Talking ones too. No matter how many I ate, more kept coming. That’s how resilient bugs are. You can k*ll them all day and they keep coming.”
[Don’t underestimate them!]
Elise ignored Ariel and continued.
“But look at now. Not even animals or edible mushrooms and fruits are visible. Not a single bug.”
“…Indeed strange. Maybe we entered a forest under a magical spell? It doesn’t make sense we haven’t escaped after two days.”
“Magic. That’s possible. To break it, we need to find the wizard and separate his neck from his head. Little princess, do you sense anything?”
Ariel clenched her fist, glared at Elise, glanced at me, then sighed deeply to control her anger.
[Shut up if you’re useless. Your ignorance disrupts my concentration]
“Heh~ If our little princess says so, I guess I should~”
Elise put her arm around my shoulder while watching Ariel like an amused spectator.
Ariel wanted to punch Elise immediately but controlled herself, closed her eyes, and focused. A soft blue magic aura surrounded her before she opened her eyes.
[As expected, Prince. This is an enchanted forest. Similar to a barrier, once you enter, connection to the outside world is cut off]
“So the only way to break the spell is to find the wizard?”
“Kyaaak, if this little one could break it, it would’ve been done already. Let’s find the wizard and rip off his head like I said.”
Elise laughed as Ariel created a water blade and threw it at her.
“Aaaaah! What are you doing!”
I pulled Elise aside to dodge the attack. Surprisingly compliant, she had a peculiar look on her face.
“Ariel! Even if you’re angry, throwing a blade like that is dangerous!”
“I’m fine, love~ She can’t even scratch me with that.”
Ariel silently mouthed “tsk” then shook her head.
[No. I was going to tell you about the wizard’s traces. Look over there]
Following Ariel’s finger, we saw a water blade stuck in the forest path not far away. There was something pierced by the blade. A familiar shape we often saw in reality.
I cautiously approached to confirm what I saw. Pulling out the water blade, I reached for the object.
Soft and fluffy texture. It even smelled freshly baked and was surprisingly tender.
This is a large piece of bread. Though tempted to take a bite, I resisted in case it was poisoned or a trap.
“What, a piece of bread?”
Elise examined the bread in my hand carefully then tilted her head.
“Is this a clue?”
[Of course the musclehead wouldn’t know. These traces lead to the wizard]
Wait. Traces? More than one?
Ariel looked down on Elise then pointed another direction. There were quite a few bread pieces lined up that we somehow missed.
Elise picked one up and swallowed it immediately.
“Eh? Wait! How can you just eat that!”
“What? Isn’t it delicious?”
[Frustrating! Stupid! Those are clues left by the wizard! Even though it looks like normal bread, there could be hidden dangers or spells!]
Elise smirked while picking up and chewing another piece.
“I’m fine with this much. And you guys are hungry, right? I’m testing if it’s poisoned or enchanted for you. Well, except for some dirt.”
Elise handed me another piece. Though Ariel signaled not to eat it, I couldn’t resist the hunger anymore. My whole body lacked energy and felt like there was a hole in my stomach. I needed to fill it quickly or I’d go insane.
So I ended up eating it.
The warm, soft texture and savory taste spread in my mouth. The empty feeling in my stomach was slightly filled, and an involuntary smile appeared on my face.
“It’s delicious!”
“Right? Tastes better than expected.”
As Elise and I started eating the bread scattered on the road,
[What are you doing! I told you not to eat it! Prince, don’t fall for that crazy woman’s tricks!]
“Mmm, but it’s already done. And if it was poisoned or enchanted, something would’ve happened by now, right? Ariel, try it too.”
Offering her a piece, Ariel hesitated with a troubled expression. But her starving nose reacted first, flaring, and eventually she closed her eyes tightly and took a bite.
Her eyes widened after swallowing.
[It’s delicious! No poison or deadly magic! Safe!]
Saying that, she joined us. Though we didn’t understand the situation yet, there were plenty of clues. Following and eating them would surely lead us to the wizard, so we continued satisfying our hunger.
How much time passed? After eating the last piece, we suddenly came to our senses. Despite eating quite a bit, the hunger remained. But now, instead of the savory smell of bread, a sweet fragrance stimulated our saliva glands.
“Wow, what a strangely shaped house.”
Lifting my head at Elise’s words, there was a magnificent gingerbread house in front of us.
