“I see. You were brave since childhood. By the way, I saw some broken stones in the corridor earlier.”

I talked about the crack in the decorative stone I had seen. Rashid immediately made a sullen face.

“I don’t remember.”

“They said you did it?”

“I don’t know. They must be remembering wrong. I’ll have it repaired.”

“Why? It’s cute and nice. Just leave it.”

“Is that better?”

“Yes.”

Rashid answered that he would leave it then. He seemed to have been pointlessly sulking.

“What did you do when you came here?”

“I climbed trees or went swimming.”

He answered readily. Rashid seemed particularly gentle right now.

I looked around, swinging our clasped hands back and forth widely. This forest held Rashid’s childhood memories. Looking at the trees, I imagined a boy climbing them, and looking at the clear water, I pictured young Rashid creating ripples through it.

“Who did you come with? Servants?”

“I came alone.”

“Wasn’t that too dangerous?”

Rashid smirked.

“The forest was in more danger than I was.”

Hmm, is that so? Trees do burn easily. If even a single spark fell on the dry leaves, the whole forest would quickly collapse into blackness.

But since childhood? Was he that capable even then?

“When did you first learn to use fire?”

“From when I first swung a sword.”

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him handle fire. Though I’m curious, asking him to show me here with all these dry leaves would result in the whole forest burning down.

“You must have been lonely coming alone.”

What made him, who was supposedly so cheerful in childhood and had a complete family, need to come here alone?

Though I’m curious, I decided not to ask why. Because I don’t know his solitude. I just felt a little sorry for the young Rashid who came here alone.

“Still, um, it’s an amazing ability.”

“Is it?”

“You’re a hero who will go down in imperial history.”

“I suppose so.”

Hmm. The conversation isn’t going any further.

“Weren’t you happy to get such incredible powers?”

“……I remember Father being particularly pleased about it.”

“He must have been happy to have such a talented son.”

“……”

“You were an outstanding child from a young age. I was just busy playing around.”

“What were you like as a child?”

“Well, I……”

I was an ordinary child who loved playing in the playground and reading fairy tales.

And Alisa was a quiet child. A pitiful and good child who missed her mother but couldn’t say so. A girl who always stayed silent under her father’s pressure.

‘Alisa was pitiful too.’

I shouldn’t be like that. I should raise children with love later. Well, if I ever have any.

“You?”

Rashid sharply caught my trailing words. I kicked at the dirt with my shoe toe as I trudged along.

“I was just ordinary. I liked fairy tales……”

“And?”

“I also liked good food……”

“Tell me more.”

“I told you I was just ordinary.”

Oh come on, don’t make ordinary people feel bad, you special person.

“And um, I liked going to the beach, maybe?”

“Have you seen the sea?”

“Yes.”

“It must have been a long journey.”

Hmm? No, wait. Alisa had never seen the sea. The distance from Count Legentia’s territory to the sea was quite far. Though not impossibly far, it wasn’t close enough for casual visits. Especially for a well-bred young lady.

“Ah, yes. Um, when I was very young.”

I tried to cover up what I had said.

“I’d like to see the sea someday.”

“The western sea is quite close from here.”

“How long does it take?”

“About ten days.”

“That’s not close at all.”

I walked slowly toward the water. The emerald waves sparkled as they reflected the light falling through the leaves.

“I wish the sea was this color.”

“It’s not.”

“Then what?”

“The western sea is deep, so it’s closer to dark blue.”

“I see. That’s nice too.”

The sea is good. Looking at that vast blue water makes me feel at ease. The world is this big, countless living things exist, and my trivial worries seem like nothing. That overwhelming feeling ironically made me comfortable.

“I’d like to live in a port city someday. In a white house overlooking the sea.”

I recall pictures I’ve seen before. Streets lined with modest houses with red, yellow, and green roofs. The sea and harbor. Fishing boats and lighthouse. If I have to live the rest of my life in this similar fantasy world anyway, such a place wouldn’t be bad.

Ah, but I can’t give up on the house in the meadow either. Should I compromise on something in between?

“Let’s head back.”

“What?”

Rashid let go of my hand and turned around curtly. His strides were long as he walked briskly.

What is it now? What’s bothering him?

“Ah, wait……”

Just as I stood on tiptoe to hurry after him.

[……sa.]

I heard the wind. At the same time, the mud by the water’s edge, slippery with moisture, slid and my body tilted. As if the water had grabbed my ankle, my body fell backward.

“Huh?”

The thought that this shouldn’t happen crossed my mind for just a moment.

Splash!

I fell straight into the water.

“Alisa!”

The blue water splashed up transparently and pulled me down forcefully. From my back to my head, my whole body was submerged.

Everything moved slowly. The water embracing me was as cold as winter. All I could see was the sky wavering with ripples. The forest. Ah, a scene I’ve seen before. The fluttering sound of startled birds flying away spread like tinnitus.

“Kyaah!”

My back hit the bottom and bounced back up.

I hurriedly sat up where I had fallen. The water was shallow. It barely reached my calves. My head and back hurt from hitting the ground, and it felt like the skin was torn and bleeding where it had hit the rocks.

Rashid ran over and was about to jump into the water, but seeing that it only came up to my elbows as I sat there, he knelt down instead. His pants got dirty with mud.

“It’s shallow, I’m fine.”

I waved my hand, meaning don’t come in.

But Rashid didn’t listen. He reached out and pulled me up. His arm got wet from my clothes.

“That’s why I told you not to go near.”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose……”

Always nagging.

I awkwardly stood up. Though I had fallen in such shallow water, my whole body was soaked from falling backward. The chemise dress that had been nicely puffed up now hung limp with water.

Strange. It felt like something had grabbed my ankle…..

“I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Yeah. That scared me. Ugh… it’s cold.”

I followed him, stumbling out of the water. The wind was cool, and with wet clothes, it was hard to move and my body shivered.

Rashid took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders.

“Your clothes are getting wet too.”

“I’m worried you’ll catch another cold.”

Right, that could happen.

He adjusted the collar of the coat he had put on me. Rashid’s clothes were large, and even though I was already wearing one coat, it was still plenty roomy. Rashid pulled the right lapel until it reached my left shoulder, wrapping me tightly in the coat.

“Don’t take it off until we reach the castle.”

Even after helping me onto the horse, he reminded me once more to keep the collar tight. The inside of the coat was already getting damp with moisture. I was careful not to lean back too much, thinking it would be unpleasant for both of us if I clung to him.

Unlike on the way there, Rashid rode slowly. During the return journey, I rambled on about various unnecessary things. Though Rashid told me to rest quietly, I just wanted to talk.

But gradually I ran out of things to say and my energy faded, so I ended up being quiet as Rashid had wanted.

“Alisa.”

“Yes.”

I looked around as I answered whenever he called my name.

The wind that brushed my cheeks was cold. The yellowed vegetation whispered in dry voices as it caught the wind. I closed my eyes while listening to those secret conversations.

* * *

The two returned to the mansion as the sun was setting.

The maids were startled to see Alisa soaked and rushed to help remove her wet clothes and shoes. They fussed over her seemingly fragile lady, worried she might catch a chill from the western wind or fall ill in this unfamiliar land, and hurried her to the bathroom.

Soon a maid sent word through a messenger that Alisa had no serious issues. She also made sure to report that they had prepared everything properly—a hot bath, warm clothes, hot soup, and a comfortable bed. Rashid finally felt relieved.

‘My heart nearly stopped.’

It was very rare for him to feel this way. Rashid thought they should never go to that forest again. Who would have thought that the seemingly peaceful pond would try to pull in his wife’s ankle? He didn’t care anymore about the place he had once cherished as a spot for solitary self-reflection.

He worried about how cold she must have been, riding on horseback while soaked, and whether she might fall ill with another cold. For some reason, she seemed to be getting physically weaker. Well, she looked like she could be blown away by the wind just by looking at her.

Then suddenly remembering Alisa’s water-soaked body, Rashid shook his head. The white fabric had clung to her, revealing the curves of her body underneath.

‘This is ridiculous. I’m not some pubescent boy.’

Rashid found himself quite bewildering. Hadn’t he long passed the age where such silhouettes would make him blush?

She was gradually becoming too much of an unexpected existence. It wasn’t just that she was interesting to observe anymore; now she was becoming troublesome because he cared too much.

* * *