Chapter 58
The second day of the Founding Festival.
I spent the entire day in the Administrative Department’s office making medicine.
Before I knew it, it was already time to go see Sordim.
“…Sir Rail?”
When I spoke toward the window that opened into the hallway, a head popped up as if it had been waiting for me.
“Yes!”
If I didn’t shake off that knight outside the door, I wouldn’t be able to go see Sordim….
“I think you can clock out now. I’ll finish up and head back in on my own.”
“I’ll escort you to the Divine Beast Palace.”
“Ugh….”
As expected, I’d have to go to the Divine Beast Palace first, wait for Rail to leave, and then head to the lake.
It was a dark night with a waning moon.
Carrying the bag I had prepared, I left the Divine Beast Palace. The main palace was still bright with light spilling out from the banquet hall, but the lake lay in shadow, untouched by moonlight.
I slipped off my shoes and dipped my bare feet into the water, splashing lightly. Even with Seran’s blessing, I couldn’t escape the biting chill.
“Ah, whatever.”
I kicked off from the ground and dove straight in. The white spray subsided, and my vision cleared a little. But with the moonlight so faint, the world was still dark. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to check on Sordim properly like this.
If I went to the bottom, he should be there. I thrashed my arms and legs, trying to descend deeper into the lake.
That was when a rough grip seized my wrist.
A huge, solid hand. Calloused and all too familiar. Before I could even lift my head to see who it belonged to, my body was being pulled swiftly upward through the water.
“Puhak!!”
Dragged onto the shore, I gasped for air, my lungs suddenly filled with it. The chilly night clung to my wet skin.
“Cough! Cough!”
Water had rushed up my nose from being yanked so quickly, burning my sinuses.
I brushed my wet hair out of my eyes and rubbed at them, trying to see who had pulled me out. The only person who should have known I was in the lake was Seran, but the build was far too large to be him.
My groping hand touched something solid—warm, and pounding with a fast rhythm.
“What exactly… were you doing just now?”
A low voice pressed into my ear. Then I realized whose hand had pulled me up.
“Sir Croyt…?”
I stared up at Ethan in stunned silence, dazed beyond words. It took me a while to realize my hand was pressed against his chest.
“W-why are you here, Sir Croyt?”
“That’s what I want to ask you, Lady Linnegrim. What were you doing alone by the lakeside at this hour?”
At his question, my body stiffened. Had he noticed? Had he seen Sordim in the lake? Even if it was dark down there, Ethan was a Swordmaster. With senses beyond those of ordinary humans, he might very well have detected Sordim.
“Uh, that… Sir Croyt…”
I swallowed dryly. I was already preparing to kneel and beg him to look the other way. Just once.
But before I could bend my knees, Ethan spoke first.
“No matter how hard things are, you mustn’t give up on life!”
“…What?”
So Ethan was… completely misunderstanding. He thought I’d tried to take my own life in the imperial palace lake.
“N-no, Sir Croyt. That’s not it.”
“Not it? I saw you dive into the lake. And you didn’t resurface for a long time. When I went in after you, it didn’t look like you were skilled at swimming, either. So tell me, how else am I supposed to take it when someone with poor swimming skills throws themselves into a lake on a dark night, alone?”
“Uh…”
He wasn’t wrong about my swimming. And yes, I had come to the lake late at night to avoid people’s eyes. But I wasn’t alone. Most importantly, thanks to Seran’s blessing, I could breathe underwater—there was no danger at all.
“Was it because of excessive work? If that’s the case, I’ll petition Duke Nilsson. Since you entered the department on my recommendation, I bear responsibility as well.”
“Eh? No, no! It’s not like that! I don’t have much work. I can handle it!”
“Then why—”
“No, no no! Sir Croyt! Please, just listen to me. I didn’t jump in for the reason you think!”
Frustrated, I pounded on Ethan’s chest—the chest of the man who still had his arms tightly around my waist.
“First, l-let go of me…!”
As I twisted away, my eyes met his. Droplets of cold water fell from his short hair onto my cheek. The air was chilly, but the arms holding me were burning hot.
“P-please… let go….”
His intense gaze made me turn my head away. I was having dangerous thoughts. He had no right to be that handsome and that well-built…!
Hoping my flushed cheeks wouldn’t be noticed, I wriggled out of Ethan’s arms. Yet I could still feel the pounding of his heart beneath my hand. With only a thin, wet shirt between us, the heat of his body had been far too clear.
“So why did you dive into the lake?”
“Ah, th-that? It was nothing! Just… just…”
What excuse could I give? That Seran had entrusted me with his precious beast and asked me to check its condition? I’d be insane to say that. The man before me was the commander of the Holy Knights, who valued the palace’s safety above all. If he found out, Sordim would…
The dreadful thought sent a shiver down my spine.
Gentle as ever, Ethan draped his dry uniform jacket over my shoulders. But his eyes still demanded an explanation.
“I-it was something I lost!”
“Something you lost?”
“Yes, I dropped something into the lake! I was trying to find it.”
“You can’t even swim well, and you went in yourself? Why didn’t you ask for help—”
“I can swim! Earlier, the water was just too cold so I froze up for a second, that’s all. Normally I swim really well!”
“…So. Did you find what you lost?”
My empty hands said otherwise.
“Ah, not yet. I thought maybe I could find it, but obviously it’s impossible in a lake this big, right? Haha! I’ll just give up!”
“…If it was important enough for you to dive in, it must have been precious. I could—”
Before he could move closer to the lake, I clung to his waist. I could feel his back muscles contract through the thin shirt, startled by my sudden grip.
“N-no, Sir Croyt! It wasn’t anything expensive! Just one of those things you get attached to, you know? That’s all!”
“If it’s something you’re attached to, all the more reason—”
“I can just buy a new one! Please, let me! I was getting tired of it anyway. I’ll replace it!”
Fortunately, my desperate lie seemed to convince him, and his suspicion eased.
“Next time, ask someone for help. Even if you can swim, being alone is dangerous.”
“Yes, I’ll remember that.”
“Lady Linnegrim, don’t look away. Look into my eyes when you answer.”
I rolled my eyes around instead of obeying. If I looked straight ahead, I’d see his chest through the wet shirt. If I met his eyes, I’d have to face his damp, striking face. Either way, it was too much stimulation.
“This is why beautiful women are…”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Anyway, why are you here at the lake, Sir Croyt?”
Thankfully, he followed my awkward attempt at changing the subject.
“Ah, I went to the Divine Beast Palace to bid you farewell when I heard you were suddenly leaving for the Eastern Sea… but you weren’t there. So I went looking. That’s when I saw you dive into the lake.”
“What? What did you just say?”
“You weren’t at the palace, so—”
“No, no, before that.”
“I said I heard you were leaving for the Eastern Sea, so I came to say goodbye.”
“Who?”
“Well, you, Lady Linnegrim.”
Let’s put this together.
Because I was supposedly leaving for the Eastern Sea, Ethan had gone to the Divine Beast Palace to see me off. But I wasn’t there. Rail said he had escorted me back earlier. So Ethan began searching for me. Then he saw me jump into the lake and followed after me.
“The whole sentence is wrong! Who said I was going to the Eastern Sea?!”
“What? You’re not?”
“Of course not! I’ve never even heard of such a thing!”
“But Lord Seran Drekié said he was officially hiring you as the clan physician of the Drekié family.”
It felt like being struck over the head.
Who? Seran Drekié? The Seran I know?
“What the hell is this?!”
My shout echoed across the lake.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said I want to hire Linnegrim as the physician of our Drekié clan.”
Lunaris’ headaches never gave him a day’s rest.
Regardless of whether the divine beast before him pressed a hand to his forehead, Seran continued speaking.
“Barging in like that… utterly absurd.”
“I thought I should at least observe the minimum courtesy. Maybe I should have just taken her with me?”
“And why would you say such a thing?”
Unlike when dealing with Linnegrim, there was no trace of a smile on Seran’s face. Meeting Lunaris’ gaze directly, he said:
“I need Linnegrim.”
“We need her too. She’s a member of the Administrative Department of the palace.”
“The Administrative Department, huh. Since we’re on the subject—its duty is to serve the divine beast clans, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then does that mean ‘divine beast clans’ refers only to the Liwhiela family? Are the troubles of other clans irrelevant?”
Cheap wordplay. Lunaris narrowed his eyes.
“And what troubles are the Drekié clan facing? If your reasons are convincing, I’ll send Linnegrim to the Eastern Sea. But only as a temporary assignment.”
“So you’re refusing to let me hire her? A pity.”
“We should follow her wishes… but clearly you don’t care what Linnegrim thinks.”
Bang! The doors slammed open. The ones who barged in were Teahn and Tehinra, who had been eavesdropping outside.
“That damn sea snake never asked a human’s opinion!”
Teahn immediately lashed out at Seran. Tehinra, no different, looked at him with weary contempt, as if decades hadn’t changed him at all.
“You haven’t changed a bit.”
Seran stared coolly at the two who were fuming.
“And you two still bark just as much. Noisy.”
“That bastard!”
“Teahn, calm down. As Lunaris said, we should first hear what troubles Drekié is facing.”
