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Chapter 71: The reflection in his eyes is not me nor his sister.
The door to the hospital room opens.
The face that peeked through it made the bed’s occupant’s face light up.
“Milch.”
Chuckling at the name, Natalia placed a tray with food on a small table next to Alejandro’s bed.
“Alejandro. It’s time for lunch.”
“Milch, at last. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
“I’m sorry. But I have a lot to do. I can’t stay here any longer.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Uh, and…”
Natalia could not say that she will leave right away.
“…well, I’ll just sit here and watch until you’re done.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
The sight of an eighteen-year-old man with a reasonably solid physique having difficulty speaking with a slurred tongue is somehow very disturbing.
Is Alejandro himself convinced, or is he not conscious of that?
The fact that he has the physique of an adult, that the woman in front of him whom he believes to be his sister is a stranger, that Zacharias, now a stranger to Alejandro, comes by from time to time to take care of his needs, and that he cannot see his father or mother at all. They all seem to be trivial matters.
However, Alejandro seems to wonder why Natalia/Milch calls him by his name. In the first place, if Alejandro really thinks she is Milch, he should be wondering why she can exchange words with him.
Alejandro would sometimes ask her why she didn’t call him “Big brother” as if reminiscing.
Natalia will then call him “big brother” to accommodate Alejandro, but next time she will go back to calling him by his name, and it will repeat itself.
Maybe it’s because the conversation is more conversational, or maybe it’s because the Alejandro of today is different from the Alejandro of the past, but even with Natalia in front of him, who he believes to be “Milch,” Alejandro’s behavior is different than in the past.
He does not abuse, cuss, or make fun of her.
He just calls her name happily, nostalgically, and lovingly. He begged her to stay by his side. That’s all.
But that’s just the thing that makes Natalia feel both amused and sad at the same time.
The current Alejandro’s emotions are aimed at her, but it was not purely her.
And it certainly wasn’t directed only at his real sister, Milch.
Natalia wondered how long she has been wearing Milch’s appearance.
At least as far as she can remember, Natalia had never heard Alejandro mention his sister.
Not until that moment on the bridge, just before she jumped into the river, when the name came up in an argument between the man who was chasing her and Alejandro.
She looked at Alejandro, who was drinking soup, with this thought in mind.
His mannerisms are still those of Alejandro before he lost his memory, sophisticated and mature.
What’s even more strange about him was that he could only remember up to a certain time when he was six years old.
But that’s another thing that puzzles Natalia.
Because six years old is also the age when Natalia and Alejandro met.
The Alejandro she remembers was not such an innocent-looking boy.
He was mature, pompous, a bit rough around the edges, but also kind, and extremely confident.
That is the Alejandro that Natalia knows.
Always has been, always will be, ever since they met.
“Hey, Milch.”
Alejandro pokes at the vegetables with his fork and looks at Natalia as if he is asking her a question.
“Can you play with me later?”
“Is there something you want to do?”
Although he was willing to accept the care of other nurses, Alejandro prefers to have Natalia come to him when possible.
It was as if he wanted to be pampered by his sister or mother.
It is so cute that it reminds her of her little brother that she left at home.
So Natalia is not clear on this.
Back then, Alejandro was not such an innocent laughing child.
He was never this honest about his wishes.
He was only six years old back then.
Alejandro, who Natalia met at that time, was a genuine six years old child, both in mind and body.
He had dark eyes.
And nothing was reflected in those eyes.
When I first met him, I was afraid of his eyes, but at the same time, I felt like he was my companion, and was somewhat attracted to him.
I thought that this boy in front of me might understand the feelings I had inside.
The despair of not being wanted by anyone.
“Hmmm.”
When asked what he wants to do, Alejandro tilted his head.
“I want to go outside in a wheelchair.”
“A walk. I think I can find time for that.”
“Really? Alright!”
“But, I have to clean up the dishes that the patients have eaten. I will help them with the dishes, and when I’m done, I will come back here.”
“Okay.”
Even though Alejandro is speaking like a child, Natalia responds in a very normal way.
Not in the language of children, but in the exact tone in which she used to speak to Alejandro.
But again, Alejandro doesn’t care about that either. Only Alejandro’s childish way of speaking floats strangely, and that is how the conversation is established here.
“Then, Milch. Come here when you’re finished.”
“Okay.”
So, when Alejandro finished his meal, she went down with his tableware, and Natalia went around to the other wards to collect the dirty dishes as well.
Today is Saturday, which means it’s the day when she helps out at the hospital in the morning.
Instead of helping out all day, she has free time later in the evening.
It is already the tenth month of the year and autumn is deepening.
In five months, she would graduate.
With the help of the Reinalpha family, she would be able to graduate from the academy without incident, but she is still worried about what to do after that.
It was the only opportunity given in Leopoldo’s favor. It was not an easy decision.
The process of removing her aristocratic citizenship and disassociating herself from Olsen’s parentage is underway, with some trouble from that side.
Once that was successfully completed, Natalia would become a commoner.
Although she has no desire to remain in aristocratic society, she could not say that she did not feel a vague sense of uneasiness, no matter how she tried to cover it up to herself.
Then, as promised, she put Alejandro in his wheelchair and took him outside. But just when she thought that she was feeling a little better in the crisp autumn air…
She received news of an unexpected visitor.