Page 35 of Everdoll

“Why do you always want to be the evil queen?”

I asked. We were lying in the Olinds’ garden; I had made a butterfly in a different color, and we were testing its wings. But at my question, Mina stopped playing with the blue butterfly and turned to me.

She chuckled. I thought I’d get used to her laughter—after all, Mina was someone who laughed a lot—but every time her lips curled upward, I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

“You’re funny, Remi.” she murmured. “You’re the only one who noticed that.”

I swallowed. I liked being her “only one”, but I had no intention of letting on.

“So? Why do you?”

Her laughter slowly died away, and her eyes grew wistful.

“The other kids said I’m good at being the bad character, it’s not fun without me.”

“You always make up the games?”

She nodded, then brought the butterfly and placed it on my head. “Jasna said I have a big imagination. It’s a good thing?”

As her fingers gently brush through my hair, like she pet a cat, I fell silent. A warmth spread to my ears, burning me, and I couldn’t lift my head.

“Yes, it means you’re smart.”

“Like you?”

I didn’t reply, then hesitantly, I murmured.

“Do you like it? Being the villain all the time?”

“They influence the story most, so it’s fun.”

“But… Do you really like it?”

I insisted, and Mina’s hands stopped. She stared blankly, then gathered strength from somewhere, she stood uphn, almost like she was running away. She walked past me and headed toward the villa wall.

She leaned her back against it and crouched down, stretching her legs out. I also reached the wall and sat down right next to her. Our shoulders brushed.

“Hey, answer me. You don’t like it?”

It was unbearable that there was something I didn’t know about Mina. I had to know everything. To keep every detail of her hidden inside me.

However, she averted her gaze again.

“Actually, Remi…” she began hesitantly. “Sometimes I feel like I’m on a theater stage. That’s why playing the evil queen isn’t hard for me. As long as people love it, I can keep playing the role. It’s okay for me.”

“A stage?”

She smiled lightly. “My father is the cruel king, you are the prince-like handsome boy everyone admires, and I am…” she paused, her gaze dropping. “I’m… very talented. I have so many masks. My role changes according to people’s wishes. I can’t control when the curtains go up or down. All I know is they drag me there, pressure me to take on my role properly, and… If I don’t, the only thing waiting for me is disappointment.”

Mina could really play a lot of roles, and I was always impressed by her intelligence and passion, but… Wasn’t she happy about that? I glanced at my side, and seeing the tears gathering in those amber eyes, I tried to understand the ache forming in my chest. They didn’t suit her beautiful face. It felt like an unsettling, unnecessary technical glitch. Even with her reddened eyes, she looked endearing, yet I found myself preferring her smile.

“Because…” Her voice trembled, but she tried to speak with a smile. “People can only love me this way. If I’m perfect, if I keep shining, they’ll love me. They’ll open their hearts to me, and we’ll grow closer. They… They won’t be ashamed of me. I want to make people happy. I want everyone to smile, but if I’m embarrassing them… How can I do that? How can I make them happy?”

“You don’t have to.”

Without a second thought, I cupped her chin and gently turned her face to my level, her glassy eyes widening. Almost instinctively, my fingers brushed up against her lashes, lifting them slightly. Her face twisted with an unpleased emotion. Seeking revenge, she also reached out and took my face. I grasped her fingers tightly, pressing her palm against my cheek.

“You don’t have to act around me.” With my whisper, I caught her gaze dropping to my lips, listening carefully. “I’ll love you even when you’re not shining.”