Chapter 45 – Aquarand

It was not only today. Lately, Ethea had often been feeling these unsettling moments.

Today, because she was alone, it was even more frightening. Even the music box sounded eerie, so Ethea closed its lid and deliberately went outside. At times when it felt this scary, it was better to go out into the yard and do something rather than stay inside alone trembling.

Outside was warmer than expected. There was no wind, and the sunlight was only just beginning to grow strong enough that she could feel warmth against her skin. The fresh air and pleasant sunlight gradually erased her eerie mood, and Ethea began sweeping the yard.

Just as she picked up the broom and headed toward the wall, something caught her eye.

“Hm?”

Someone had left three crabapples on top of the wall. They were perfectly ripe, bright red fruits.

“Lyle……”

This meant he wanted to meet.

And the only person who could send such a signal was Lyle.

Leaving the cleaning tools on the ground just as they were, Ethea went out of the yard. Then she ran briskly toward the crabapple grove where he would be waiting. With her mouth, she did not forget to grumble for no reason.

“It’s cold, so he should just come inside instead of making a fuss like this!”

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Sure enough, Lyle was waiting for her in the crabapple grove.

Judging only by his light clothing, he looked merely like a tall young man, and not at all like an Emperor. And in this early winter, only a single shirt and trousers? Ethea worried he might catch a cold like this, but assumed the Emperor’s physicians would manage that well enough on their own.

When Lyle saw her stop after running over, he ran energetically toward her. He could not hide his smile, seeming pleased that she had come out to see him.

‘He looks like an idiot. If I hadn’t seen the crabapples and hadn’t come out here, was he planning to wait like this all day? Wait. Come to think of it, was the reason I felt chilled earlier really because this fool had been secretly watching me? Perhaps trying to deliberately make me come outside by making me feel eerie with some mysterious power……’

Ethea’s imagination stretched that far.

“You came quickly, Etty.”

“Lyle. Have you been secretly watching me?”

At once, he flared up.

“What are you talking about? I’m not that kind of man. I’m not some pervert, so why would I be watching you?”

Ethea shrugged as she watched him bristle.

“You’re a bit selfish.”

“Ha. Me? If I were selfish, I’d have just barged into your house to see you. Why would I bother sending a signal asking to meet?”

“Well, I’ll believe you.”

For some reason, being with him felt as though she had returned to being sixteen after a very long time. They had not bickered like this back then, but the feeling was that kind of feeling. Because this conversation now was made of childish words that only people that age would say.

“Anyway, take this.”

Lyle held out to Ethea a pretty ivory-colored pouch. She had thought she smelled something rich and sweet from outside the pouch…….

“What is it?”

When she took it and looked inside, it was full of cookies and candies. And all of them were familiar luxury sweets. They were exactly the same as the snacks Lyle had brought out from the palace for Ethea in the past, when he had still been a prince. Needless to say, they were pretty, and looked very delicious.

But the words that came out were the opposite of how she felt.

“What is this? I’m not a child.”

“I didn’t bring them for you. They’re for Gin.”

“Oh.”

Ethea felt a little awkward.

Lyle asked with a faint smile,

“Why? Did you want some too? Now that you’re a mother, do you want to steal a child’s snacks?”

He was teasing her a little. At once, Ethea’s mood soured and she shoved the pouch back at him.

“Our Gin doesn’t eat sweets much because of cavities. Take it back.”

But he did not accept it, and instead pressed the pouch back into her hands.

“Just take it. Actually, I did bring it for you. You liked the palace sweets.”

“Forget it. I won’t eat them.”

“You’re sulking, aren’t you?”

“……”

“Wow. Are you really sulking?”

Ethea took a deep breath to calm her temper. In the end, Lyle put the pouch of sweets into her apron-and of all things, it happened to have a large wide pocket-then used both index fingers to pull up the corners of her mouth. He meant for her to smile, but that only made her glare at him more.

After lightly batting away his hand, which was trying to move the muscles of someone else’s face as he pleased, Ethea asked,

“But really, what is it?”

He had not come all the way here just to give her a pouch of sweets. If the busy Emperor had come in person, then it had to be because of something important.

“Rather than business, I was worried. I thought you might be overdoing it again. You mustn’t collapse.”

Now that she heard it, it seemed a little strange. It felt as though Lyle also knew she was home alone.

‘What. Could it be that he deliberately meant to give me time to rest? Is that why they all took the children out and went on their date?’

If that were true, then Lyle was very considerate. Ethea was grateful for that thought. She was grateful, but…….

She still could not let that feeling come out honestly.

“What is there to overdo?”

When she replied curtly, Lyle answered with a sigh, as if telling her not to lie.

“What do you mean, what is there? I know that taking care of Gin alone is hard enough. On top of that, you have to do all the housework by yourself, and I also know that whenever you get the chance, you study to earn a degree.”

“Who told you that?”

Then again. Who else would it be? Gin, of course. Ethea knew too that he was the only one who could have told him such things.

She had been studying material alchemy, the one thing she was reasonably good at, because she felt uneasy just raising a child.

And now Lyle knew that too.

“Rest once in a while. You need to know how to rest.”

Once again, at his worried words, the words that came out were the opposite of what she felt.

“I was going to rest, but then you came.”

“Oh.”

Perhaps her words made him feel awkward, because Lyle scratched his head.

“What I mean is, resting is resting, but today I’m saying let’s rest together.”

“I want to be alone.”

“Right, then……”

She had only acted mean on purpose, but Lyle immediately turned around. Was he really about to head back to the palace just like that? He was big in build, yet his back looked so pitiful. Was that fellow really the Emperor?

“Wait. Lyle.”

The moment Ethea called him, Lyle spun right back around.

“Yes?”

“I think resting together might be nice too. But what would we do? Did you have anything special in mind?”

At once, Lyle’s expression brightened completely.

“Well…… first, would you hold my hand? Ah, I mean, the scroll card is for two people, so our bodies have to be touching.”

“All right, sure.”

As Lyle instructed, Ethea took his hand. His warm hand wrapped firmly around hers, and he said,

“Now close your eyes. When you open them again, you’ll be somewhere very nice.”

“Hm?”

Just as Ethea asked back, she suddenly felt his long white hand come toward her and cover her eyes shut. His hand was warm and soft, and she liked it. It was a touch that naturally brought a smile to her lips.

“We’re going, Etty.”

His voice sounded so gentle. No sooner had he finished speaking than she felt her body being drawn somewhere.

Ethea was curious. When she opened her eyes again, where would she be?