Chapter 53
Sophia’s eyes widened as she asked,
“…A good plan? What do you have in mind?”
Serena, feeling delighted just at the thought, blinked her deep pink eyes and said,
“Call Silas. Let’s take the carriage and go for a walk out there. We’ll be back late at night, so pack a lunch too.”
She intended to make him so restless that he wouldn’t be able to go out or clean up in secret until everything was restored.
“I’m off. Please take care of what we talked about earlier.”
Serena waved her hand out the carriage window.
“Understood. Travel safely.”
With Edward seeing them off, the carriage departed from Rosegold Castle.
Once the castle became smaller in the distance, Sophia turned to Serena and asked,
“Um… Lady, where are you going?”
She had followed Serena out but had no idea where they were headed.
Since the entire area was a wasteland, running straight ahead would lead nowhere. Where could she possibly be going?
Only Silas knew the destination. Serena sipped the juice she had packed for a snack and replied,
“To the lake.”
“…Huh?!”
Sophia was taken aback.
She vaguely remembered hearing earlier that going there could be dangerous, possibly even deadly, and that she shouldn’t go near.
“I just couldn’t resist. I’ll just take a quick look from afar. I won’t get close, so don’t worry.”
She had no desire to die again.
She had gained a lot, and now had responsibilities to bear. This life, which she had received as if by miracle, had become precious to her.
“I was feeling down because of Daisy, but when I saw the lake, I calmed down. I thought if I went once, it might make me feel even better.”
It wasn’t a lie. Strangely, just looking at the lake had soothed her mind.
“I understand what you mean. It’s scary, but a blue lake in the wasteland… it is beautiful. I was also enchanted earlier and stared at it for a long time.”
Sophia had originally discovered the lake. She blushed, admitting she had lost track of time because of it.
“Still, since it’s so scary, you’ll just look from afar, right?”
“Yeah, I understand. I’ll stay far away, just looking from a distance.”
Although they knew it was far, the lake was even farther than they expected. Despite traveling fairly quickly, it took over an hour to reach.
The entire Rosegold territory was a wide, unobstructed plain, so they could see the lake, but it was difficult to judge the exact distance.
And it looked completely different from the view at Rosegold Castle. The lake was vast and expansive, so large that the end could not be seen, and Serena was awestruck.
“This is a lake, right? It’s not… the sea, is it?”
The lake Serena knew wasn’t this large. It was so massive that she couldn’t close her mouth, thinking it might be the sea she had only seen in books.
Squinting to try and see the end, she could barely make it out. The lake was impressively huge.
Serena quietly admired the lake, which even had a small island in its center.
She thought it might be her imagination, but seeing it up close made her feel calmer than ever.
“It’s so beautiful… and yet it’s called the Lake of Death…”
Sophia’s voice, standing nearby, was a mix of admiration and regret.
“It’s unreal.”
“Truly.”
While the girls marveled at the lake, Silas approached, having securely anchored the carriage a little ways off.
“I never imagined there would be such a magnificent lake in a wasteland as vast as this.”
Unlike Serena and Sophia, who stayed over twenty steps away from the lake, Silas, unaware of the danger, strode toward the water.
Reaching out as if to touch it, he startled Sophia, who ran to stop him.
“Silas! Stop! Don’t go any closer!”
“…?”
Silas instinctively stopped and turned, confused. There was only one step left between him and the water.
Serena quickly approached him as well.
“You can’t touch it! If you do, you’ll get sucked in and won’t be able to escape!”
“…Really?!”
“Yes. Several people have already fallen victim to it.”
Serena’s gaze was fixed on the lake. Untouched by anyone, the water was dazzlingly blue and transparent.
Standing so close, it felt dangerous enough that merely looking at it could pull you in.
‘I need to step back quickly.’
Serena turned away from the lake just as she was about to chase after Sophia, who was scolding Silas.
Suddenly, a light appeared before her.
“…?!”
Startled by its sudden appearance so close, Serena instinctively stepped back.
“Uh…?”
But there was no ground beneath her feet. Before she could react, her foot sank into the lake.
Sophia screamed, and Silas reached out.
“Lady―?!”
“Lady!”
Expecting the worst, Serena instinctively closed her eyes—but strangely, she did not feel herself falling into the water.
No, it was as if something soft was supporting her feet from beneath her shoes, preventing her from falling.
Cautiously opening her eyes, she saw Sophia and Silas, both pale with shock. None of them could speak at the unexpected situation.
“Ah… ah… the lady is standing on the lake…!”
Silas broke the silence, repeatedly checking Serena’s feet as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Lady! Are you okay?!”
Hearing Silas’ worried voice, Sophia finally regained her senses and tried to rush toward Serena.
“No!”
Serena shouted urgently.
“Absolutely not! You heard what they said earlier! Don’t go in!”
“B-But, Lady! You’re standing on the lake!”
“Th-That… I don’t know either…! But you mustn’t go in! What if something happens?!”
But why was she floating?
Frozen in place, afraid of doing anything wrong, a light appeared suddenly in front of her again.
“Eh?!”
Startled, Serena stepped back. Sophia and Silas barely stopped themselves from rushing into the lake.
Incredibly, Serena was still floating on the water.
Without time to be shocked, the light circled around Serena’s face and slowly flew toward the small island in the center of the lake.
“D-Do you see…?”
Serena pointed at the light, and Sophia and Silas nodded.
“Isn’t this the light we saw when we came to Rosegold…?”
“Yes. It suddenly appeared before me, and I lost my footing.”
Like when they met at the library, the light paused in place, spinning as if telling her to follow.
If she hadn’t already stepped into the lake, she wouldn’t have followed—but now she was already in it.
Even stepping on the surface of the water, she couldn’t avoid following it.
Still, cautiously stepping forward, the light picked up speed as if waiting for her.
“Lady!”
Serena turned to hear Sophia’s worried voice calling her.
No matter how much she reassured them, their anxious and frantic expressions only made her feel calmer.
Splash, splash.
Walking in place on the lake to show it was safe, Serena smiled, signaling that nothing would happen.
“This is actually the third time I’ve encountered this light. Every time, it leads me where I need to go. So it’ll be fine this time too. I’ll be back soon. Don’t follow; stay put. Understood?”
“Lady…”
Sophia trailed off. She wanted to follow but had been told repeatedly that it was impossible.
All she could do was watch and pray for Serena’s safety.
“Understood. Please be careful and come back safely!”
“Yeah. You and Silas too.”
Waving her hand, Serena followed the light and slowly moved forward.
Fortunately, walking on the firm surface of the lake without sinking, she soon reached the small island in the center.
As if the light’s guidance ended there, it vanished like smoke as soon as she reached the island.
“Wait!”
She reached out, but it had already disappeared.
“What on earth is it?”
It appeared and disappeared suddenly, not seeming like a living creature. Though it had helped her before, Serena wondered why such a strange thing would aid her.
“Lady―! Are you okay―?!”
Standing still, staring at where the light had vanished, Serena heard Sophia calling out, checking if she was alright.
The distance was significant, but the open terrain allowed them to hear her faintly.
“I’m fine!”
Serena called loudly, waving her hand, then turned to look around.
‘It seems like there’s nothing here…’
Surely, the light didn’t appear to show her how to cross the lake.
Still, having crossed already, she decided to explore. As she wandered around the small island, Serena stopped dead in her tracks at something she couldn’t believe in the very center.
“What… is this…?”
