I Don’t Want A Prince In My Life - Chapter 17. Naming

The griffin was an imaginary creature with the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a lion.

No, I thought it was an imaginary creature. Until today.

“Hey, stop!”

The griffin, a former furball, rubbed its sharp beak against my face.

To be honest, I was scared.

After all, his body was as big as a hunting lodge.

If he were to poke me with his sharp beak, I would be dead for sure.

But in response to my words, it dropped its tail sadly.

It seemed that the tail of a lion speaks eloquently of its emotions.

“Hey you, are you sure you’re that furball?”

The griffin nodded its head repeatedly, as if to say, “How can you ask that?”

To be honest, it was scary to see its sharp beak moving up and down over and over again, but the gesture had something in common with the furball.

“How long are you going to call it a furball, anyway? It’s been protecting you for a long time.”

I was surprised when Leili told me that.

It was true that I didn’t realize that this griffin had been by my side for a long time.

Even if what the witch was saying was a lie, I didn’t know how I was saved by her being by my side while I was in the forest.

I hadn’t felt any intention to call him “furball” until today, but when she said that, I instantly felt bad.

“What’s your name?”

When I asked for its name, the griffin turned his neck in annoyance. Leili let out a squeak that sounded as if she were laughing or in pain.

“It has no name. It only regained its form after its powers were restored. Give it a name, and it will be your friend for life.”

Her words were somewhat prophetic, and I looked up at the griffin once more.

Maybe it was my imagination, but his eyes seemed to glow with anticipation.

It was certainly not right to call it a furball, and if it didn’t have a name, he would need one.

“Well, then… Hepatica.”

It was the name of a flower that I liked.

It’s a pretty blue-purple flower that blooms through the white snow.

It’s not the kind of flower you can plant in a flowerbed, so I’ve never told anyone about it.

“Your name is Hepatica.”

And with that, the griffin flapped its large wings happily.

Then, a gust of wind like the one that had just occurred broke out around us.

“Hey, stop…”

My voice was easily drowned out by the heavy wind.

The simple dress I was wearing fluttered.

I felt like my life was in danger.

If I didn’t get blown away, I’d have to give this birdie a hard time.

“Oh dear, it seems he doesn’t listen very well, just like you.”

For some reason, only Leili’s voice could be heard clearly in the wind.

I was about to glare at her and tell her to do something about it, when a light that was still stronger than the midsummer sun pierced my retinas.

I was startled, and then I passed out.

****

When I woke up, I saw a strange face in front of me.

For a moment, I thought it was Leili because like her, he had silvery-white hair.

But on closer inspection, it was even whiter than silver. And unlike Leili, this person’s hair was cut shorter to shoulder length, and his eyes were a familiar blue-purple color.

A boy with slightly sharp eyes.

It seemed I used the boy’s lap as a pillow.

“Oh…Ceci up…”

The boy waved his hands around as if in a panic.

He seemed to have a speech impediment, but perhaps by “Ceci” he meant me?

“Oh, you’re finally awake?”

Suddenly, Leili appeared from behind the curtain. When I saw the curtain, I realized that I was in a place that was not a hunting lodge.

“Ceci, good. I thought she…never woke up.”

He was probably about twelve years old.

The child, whose speech was too childish for his age, stroked my forehead with his warm hand.

I wanted to retort, “Don’t touch me without permission,” but seeing the tears in his eyes, I reflexively kept my mouth shut.

“Uh….”

When I opened my mouth to ask who the boy was, I realized that I was very thirsty.

This meant that I had to moisten my mouth to speak properly.

As I was biting at the mouth, Leili noticed my change before the boy did.

“You’ve been asleep for a long time,” she said. “Give her some water.”

When Leili said that, the boy stood up as if in a panic.

Then, as a matter of course, my head fell off the boy’s lap.

For a moment, I seriously thought I might die, but luckily what was under my head was a well-cushioned bed.

In other words, I was lying on the bed this whole time.

Still, the boy made many mistakes despite his beautiful appearance.

Even now, he was looking at me with a look of shame as I groaned from the shock.

“Well, well, well. Cecilia, don’t be so angry. Hepatica has been worried about you for a long time.”

The name Leili spoke was the name I had given the griffin just before I lost consciousness.

The boy got down from the bed and looked at me and Leili with a wary look on his face.

My brain was already at its limit.

I held my head in my hands, wishing I could just pass out again.

***

(*The griffin transformed to the boy?)*