The first woman from Greek mythology, Pandora.
Her name means “the one who has received everything.”
Unfortunately for her, she was also given curiosity by the gods.
Unable to resist her overwhelming curiosity, Pandora ignored the warning to never open it and secretly took the jar out to open it wide.
How maddening it is to say that a jar made to be opened shouldn’t be opened?
A spear and a shield.
Literally, a contradiction.
Thus, the jar was destined to be opened someday.
Even if it wasn’t her.
If she had any sin, she was merely the one who committed it.
Disease, poverty, calamity, death, hatred, sorrow, loathing, rage, greed, jealousy.
Within the jar were all the wicked things the gods placed to bring humanity to suffering.
And at the very bottom of these horrible evils, for reasons unknown, there lay a small hope.
The primal desire of humankind for the unknown, a small gesture to solve it.
But the price for that small action was far too great.
In a very short time, when the jar was opened, everything inside poured out in an instant, and by the time a shocked Pandora closed the jar again, the evils had spread throughout the world.
She struggled and tried, but those things had long become something she could never gather back like water spilled on the sandy shore.
Eventually, humanity had to live in agony for a lifetime, torn apart and divided because of one person’s small curiosity.
Even as they were swept away by the great flood sent to extinguish humankind, they continuously blamed each other.
The story seemed to end with such a sad conclusion.
But what remained was that only hope couldn’t escape the jar and remained trapped inside, never to come out.
Right.
Hope could not escape.
Forever, it remained trapped back in the box without ever getting out.
Leaving us with the little lesson that “curiosity comes with a price,” the fictional tale, whether true or not, ended happily with humankind believing that there might still be hope stuck in that box.
Why?
Even though hope was clearly trapped in the jar and couldn’t spread to the world, why could people endure day by day, thinking of a hopeful tomorrow?
How come, among the evil calamities that collapse the world, something called ‘hope’ existed alone?
What if that thing called ‘hope’ had been released from the jar? What would have happened to the world?
All those curiosities need not be thought about.
The story had already concluded with everyone living with smiles and hopeful tomorrows.
What we have to think about is no longer there.
Right.
So,
‘What if’, ‘Why’, ‘How come’.
Such, useless curiosity.
Absolutely, must not be thought about.
Whoosh
Look, it’s looking over here again.
“……..”
“……..”
I’ve lost count of how many times this is, an intense gaze felt from right next to me.
I wondered if there was going to be a hole in my face from such an obvious stare that didn’t care about the surrounding reactions at all.
Cold sweat was already trickling down my forehead.
The owner of that gaze was Remi Akaia.
The very person I was avoiding the most right now, her being a memorable number one.
By the way, my assessment of her has been steadily declining as the days go by.
Furthermore, the questioning looks from a few people who sensed the uncomfortable atmosphere between her and me made my head ache even more.
First of all, she is royalty, and I am a mercenary.
Plus, I’m just a commoner.
I held my head with both hands, feeling the stress throbbing here and there, and muttered to myself.
Why is she doing this to me?
Could this all be some kind of new bullying? Discrimination because I’m a mercenary? This ridiculous thought was circling in my head.
Well, I knew roughly why.
“—because of this, it’s known that it led to the golden age of the empire’s policies under Emperor Di Buonaparte—”
“………”
Especially, Remi Akaia’s gaze became fiercer each time the accessory I wore on my wrist occasionally peeked out of my sleeve while I was writing.
My hands and feet flinched as if trying to recall something.
She stared at me relentlessly.
Her actions, which had been so unpredictable since the entrance ceremony.
When I realized she was paying attention to this instead of me, I was truly shocked.
I thought my heart sank so hard that I could hear a thud.
“……Bu…o…napa…rte…”
Scratch, scratch.
I heard the pleasant sound of a fountain pen gliding over the rough surface of the paper. Looking down at my wrist,
there it was, a bracelet made of beautiful, colorful flowers I’d never seen in my life.
Specially crafted just for me; it fit snugly on my wrist as if it belonged there all along.
The warmth emanating from it was my driving force to endure each day filled with anxiety, alone in a foreign land.
Those flowers, which were undoubtedly artificial, seemed to emit a faint fragrance, but perhaps that was just my imagination.
I could interpret this attention as mere curiosity about a rare accessory, but with so many pricks in my conscience, it wasn’t that easy to think comfortably.
…Because Alice made this for me.
That’s right. I currently possessed a bomb.
If it were to explode, not only my life but all the lives of those I knew could be at risk—such a dangerous bomb.
I was holding onto that ticking thing close to my heart.
Ugh…
I wondered if I should carry it around unseen; I had thought about that before.
But this was the precious bracelet Alice made for me, blooming forever, crafted with care as a welcoming gift for my mercenary initiation.
She said I should always wear it; I wouldn’t need to worry about it wearing out and breaking.
The one-of-a-kind bracelet made only for me.
My one and only treasure.
‘—Really, congratulations!!’
‘….. Alice.’
The emotion I felt when I first received it was beyond words.
I felt like I was flying in the sky, and at the same time, something welled up within my chest.
Because the image of Alice staying up late to craft my gift naturally appeared in my mind.
So I couldn’t laugh or cry.
All I could do was wear a twisted smile and let tears flow down my cheeks, expressing my maximum gratitude to Alice.
Accidentally broke it? I couldn’t wear it and just looked at it. Alice approached me with a bright smile and adorable hands to put the bracelet on for me.
If lost, she would make it again anytime.
If I didn’t like it, I could throw it away.
Hearing Alice murmur those quietly, I vowed to never part with that bracelet as long as I lived.
Right.
Surely, Alice wouldn’t say anything if I didn’t wear this bracelet.
Though saying it was a promise was just a delusion I made in my mind.
But still,
I could never let go of this bracelet.
Well, since I’ve already been found out,
It’d actually be suspicious if I suddenly stopped wearing the bracelet after attracting attention; it wouldn’t look normal.
Besides, for someone to figure out the connection between me and her supposedly deceased younger sister from just a bracelet seemed like a huge leap.
So I resolved to just let it be.
…With time, even this excessive attention would fade away.
…Phew.
With fear in my heart, I hurriedly fled.
Without looking back.

“This is where Sia Unnie is.”
Before long, we will cross paths.