Seeing that story, Shade finally understood a little:
"Your mother now is your stepmother?"
He returned the book to the little girl. She pursed her lips and nodded, but did not explain further. Shade could naturally guess most of the story, but as an outsider, there was not much he could say:
"Thank you for answering my questions. So, would you like to see a magic trick?"
Shade spoke as he stood up. When the little girl looked up at him curiously, he reached into his pocket and quickly pulled out a red apple:
"Look, I made an apple appear!"
"I know! The apple was already in your pocket!"
The girl said with a laugh.
"Correct, so it belongs to you."
Shade handed the apple to the girl in the hospital bed. After taking it, she softly thanked him. Just as Shade was preparing to leave, she asked again:
"Sir, do you think the prince in the story, the one who can change a girl's life, really exists?"
That was not an easy question to answer. Shade thought for a moment before asking:
"Then do you believe that the fairy who turned the girl into a princess really existed?"
The girl shook her head without hesitation:
"Of course she didn't. If Fairy Tales were real, she should have been punished long ago."
The girl did not explain who "she" referred to, and Shade did not ask. He smiled and praised her:
"You're very clever. Since the fairy does not exist, why would the prince exist?"
Before the girl could speak, Shade continued:
"I know you are not really asking about a prince. You want to know whether someone will take you away from this home someday."
The girl's eyes widened as she looked at Shade. He continued:
"Of course someone