I Raised Snow White!

“Absolutely not!!!”

Swish, and the wrist of Fran that the Princess threw soared through the air. Without a second thought, Fran caught it, reattached it to her wrist, and looked at the Princess hiding behind my legs.

Well… If it was Fran, this was certainly her style of saying goodbye…

“Come on, Titania. You know Fran’s teasing isn’t a one-time thing, right?”

“……”

Seeing that this farewell would never end at this rate, I lifted the Princess hiding behind me and set her down in front of Fran. The Princess pouted and turned her gaze away, avoiding Fran’s eyes.

Every time Fran tried to meet her gaze, the Princess would turn her head in the opposite direction. Swish, swish, they turned their heads back and forth so much that the Princess started to look dizzy and wobbled in place.

Since no conversation seemed to be starting, Fran looked at me inquiringly.

“Would it be all right if I speak alone with the Princess for a moment?”

“…Alright, I’ll be outside the door, so let me know when you’re finished. Ainsel, you return to my earring.”

—Yes, understood. See you in a bit, Your Highness.

Even as I turned to leave the room, the Princess remained silent, clutching her skirt tightly, her head lowered. If she truly disliked Fran, she would have rushed to me, begging me not to go.

Could it be that what she truly hated was the idea of ‘parting’ with Fran?

Though it had only been about a month, it seemed the Princess and Fran had grown closer than I had thought. With the long hours spent together during dance lessons and Fran’s playful personality, she had constantly been teasing the Princess.

But perhaps…

The Princess, though young, had already experienced many goodbyes. So, wouldn’t it be painful for her to say goodbye to someone she’d grown attached to?

I slowly opened the door and stepped out of the room. Through the crack of the closing door, I caught a glimpse of Fran wiping away the Princess’s tears as they began to flow.

Seeing that sight, I felt there was nothing left to worry about.

As tears flowed down Titania’s cheeks, Fran gently wiped them away with her fingers. Squatting in front of Titania, Fran lifted her head and watched her swallow her tears.

“Your Highness.”

Even at Fran’s call, Titania continued to hiccup and cry. Watching her, Fran patted Titania’s head and offered a small smile.

“Do you remember the story I shared with you before? When I told you that I dreamed of harmony between fairies and humans?”

Titania nodded slightly. She recalled the time she had run away from a grueling lesson, building a secret hideout in a room where they’d shared stories.

“It may have sounded grand, but it wasn’t such an extraordinary dream. I simply…”

Fran’s hand, which had been gently patting Titania’s head, slowly moved down to stroke her cheek. At this touch, Titania lifted her gaze to look at Fran.

“I just wanted to become friends with humans. Back when I was still a fairy, I was a ‘house fairy’ who lived hidden in people’s homes, helping them out.”

Fran began to tell the story of her days as a fairy before she acquired a human body. Titania, swallowing her falling tears, quietly listened.

“A house fairy is a kind of fairy who lives in old houses, helping the humans who live there. Dressed in a white silk dress, they lend a hand with household chores or errands, striving to be of help to those they live with. All in the hopes of becoming like family or friends to them.”

Fran gave a little twirl, showing off her maid’s uniform to Titania. With a gentle swirl of her skirt, she made a graceful spin and then offered a courteous bow.

“But no matter how hard I tried, or how diligently I helped them, they never considered me family. After all, they couldn’t see me.”

A devotion with no reward, efforts with no recognition.

Recalling her time as a house fairy, Fran’s expression grew somber.

“That’s why I wished to become human. I wanted to truly be ‘family’ with them. I wanted to be ‘friends’ with them. So, I made a request to my father, ‘Dr. Victor Frankenstein.’”

Fran took Titania’s hand and placed it over her heart. Thump, thump. Feeling the beat of Fran’s heart, just like any other ‘human,’ Titania looked up at her.

“However, even though I gained a human body, it was still difficult to make friends with humans. To this day, I haven’t had any human friends. Perhaps because I’m only half of each, ‘half a fairy and half a human’? Everyone avoided me.”

“The other witches…?”

“They have a ‘business’ relationship with me. I treat fairies and receive payment for it. I am a ‘doctor’ for fairies. Calling them friends… That would be difficult. At best, they are ‘colleagues.’”

With the comment that everyone avoided her, Fran removed her wrist and waved it in front of Titania. Titania grimaced at the sight, and Fran reattached her wrist.

Then, placing her hand atop Titania’s head, Fran patted her gently and smiled. Watching Fran treat her more like a child, Titania puffed her cheeks a little.

“So… Your Highness is my first friend.”

“First friend…”

“Yes, my first friend. Despite all my long years as both fairy and human, you are the only ‘human’ who has called me a friend.”

When called her “first friend,” Titania felt a tickling sensation in her chest and lifted the corners of her mouth in a slight smile. Not missing this opportunity, Fran gently pinched the Princess’s cheeks and lifted the corners of her mouth with her fingers.

Fran laughed as she looked at Titania’s funny face.

Brightly, radiantly.

“Friends send each other off with smiles when they part. That’s what it said in the book I read. So don’t cry. I’ll come visit again even if there’s no invitation.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, and next time, I’ll bring lots of delicious food and toys from where I live. Or perhaps some unique items I received as gifts from other witches. So—”

Fran gently hugged Titania and patted her. At that, Titania’s eyes reddened, her tears welling up as if they were about to spill over.

“Next time we meet, please greet me with a smile, Titania.”

“Alright…!”

Burying her face in Fran’s shoulder, Titania smiled through her tears.

“You have to keep your promise to come visit…!”

“Are you really okay with not receiving anything? I’d like to give you something in return for treating Ainsel…”

“It’s alright. I didn’t do it expecting anything in return.”

Fran shook her head at my words and slowly opened the wardrobe door. When I asked why the wardrobe served as her passage, she explained that it was a “Fairy’s Shortcut,” a “path” that regular witches use to travel.

With something so convenient, they could meet even if they were far away… If I could learn that “shortcut,” it seemed like I’d be able to sneak out of the palace, so I asked her to teach me…

‘The Fairy’s Shortcut is truly complex and treacherous. If you misstep once, you could wander it forever. It’s a difficult method, so I recommend learning it after you’ve gained more knowledge as a witch.’

Fran shook her head, saying it was too soon to teach me.

As she stepped up to the wardrobe, Fran turned and looked down at the Princess. Still reluctant to part, the Princess pouted and glanced at Fran.

Watching her, Fran reached out for one last handshake. The Princess, who feared her wrist might come off again, gently took Fran’s hand and shook it up and down.

“Next time, I’ll come up with an even more surprising joke for you, Titania.”

“…No need.”

Hearing the Princess’s sassy reply, Fran smiled even wider. After their hands parted, Fran stood inside the wardrobe and looked at me.

“Vivian, Ainsel. I’ll see you next time.”

“…Yes, stay healthy until then.”

—Thank you so much for treating me. See you again, Frankenstein.

With that final farewell, the wardrobe door closed. When I opened the wardrobe again, Fran, who had been inside, had vanished without a trace.

“…It really is a Fairy’s Shortcut.”

For about three days after Fran left, it was hard to see the Princess at all. Ainsel did her best to comfort the Princess, who seemed so down and unable to do anything, filling the gap Fran had left.

Perhaps it was because she had to part so soon with a friend she had just made. The Princess even asked me to tell her one of Fran’s jokes, despite how much she had disliked them.

Since I couldn’t do things like pull off my wrist or spit out screws, I showed her some simple finger tricks instead… But that clumsy act seemed to make her miss Fran even more, and the Princess let out a deep sigh.

But as they say, time heals all. Or maybe she was just getting used to it, but gradually, the Princess filled the void Fran left with memories shared with Ainsel and me.

As time passed, the Princess slowly regained her smile. Though she missed Fran, she no longer wept with longing as she had at first.

I didn’t know what they had talked about, but whenever I asked if she missed Fran, the Princess always answered this way: It was fine, because Fran had promised to come visit.

Watching the Princess grow both physically and emotionally, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming joy. Perhaps this was how parents felt watching their children grow. Sometimes, it was a joy so intense, it was almost troublesome.

In this way, the Princess turned seven, and the ‘Spring Main Event’ came to a close.

It wasn’t perfect, but I felt it was a successful ‘declaration’ all the same.

Everyone attending the party hall saw the Princess turn seven, and everyone in the kingdom knew her name.

The name ‘Titania Snow White.’

The more time I spent with the Princess, the more the timid child from before gradually disappeared, and she began to shine brightly, just like her original self in the story.

Sometimes, she was so mischievous that it caused trouble for everyone around her.

And so, three years flew by in the blink of an eye.

“Princess Titania, what hairstyle would you like today?”

“I’m thinking of trimming my hair, which has grown down to my shoulders… But Mother wouldn’t allow it, would she? What do you think, Ellie?”

“Hehe, I’m sure Her Majesty the Queen would grant all of the Princess’s requests.”

“Hehe, I think so too.”

The seven-year-old Titania grew to be ten, and I, who had been twenty, turned twenty-three.

Spring passed for the Princess, and summer approached.