Chapter 21
Earlier, in front of Roil, she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to act like someone clumsy and unfamiliar with the game. Did she do too well without realizing?
She tried to recall exactly what she had done, but her mind had been so preoccupied at the time that she couldn’t remember clearly.
Oh well. It should be fine. Roil might be sharp in some ways, but he was unexpectedly slow in others. Hopefully, he didn’t notice anything and just brushed it off.
Ellen quickly convinced herself.
Still… Isn’t it strange that the rules are exactly the same?
Even in Korea, a small country, the rules of this game varied from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Sometimes, even friends from the same school played by different rules, so before starting a game, they’d always agree: “This rule like this, and that rule like that!”
But to find the exact same game, with the exact same rules, in another world?
Ah. I should’ve asked who taught him the game earlier.
Ellen rolled around on her bed for a while before suddenly getting up, throwing on a shawl, and stepping out onto the terrace. Facing the dimly lit garden, she called out in a whisper so quiet it couldn’t be heard even from the adjacent terrace.
“Nesh!”
Without waiting to see if Nesh was coming, she returned inside and grabbed a note and pen.
✿ ✿ ✿
Something’s off with Ellen.
Roil, stretching his legs in bed before sleeping, thought of her.
Earlier today, Ellen had come to visit the Karzel estate, looking utterly bored and practically melting from it. So he’d taught her how to play with pebbles. But since then, she seemed kind of… spaced out.
At first, when he was showing her how to play, he didn’t notice because he was concentrating on the pebbles in his hand. But once he got used to it, he could tell—Ellen wasn’t focusing on the game or his hand movements at all. Her eyes and thoughts were somewhere far, far away.
When he finally noticed, he looked at her with concern. But whether she realized it or not, she had already started looking at his face with a far-off expression.
And yet, she quickly learned the pebble game, tossing and catching them like a pro.
Well, Ellen does pick things up fast.
Thinking back on how she always was, Ellen matured faster than her peers, was more composed than anyone, quick to understand, and learned things well. She was almost like someone who had lived two lives—just like him.
She really reminds me of Hye-seo, it’s uncanny.
That thought always came up when he thought about Ellen.
She acted recklessly, like a child, diving into whatever she wanted to do without much thought. But at the same time, she wasn’t thoughtless—he could see she genuinely cared for those around her, and that made it impossible to dislike her.
As the Emperor’s granddaughter and heir to the Quinter countship, there was probably little she couldn’t do. And yet, regardless of her status, her actions were bold and confident. At the same time, she seemed fully aware of her responsibilities.
A few years ago, when they first went to the Broun district market, if she hadn’t been there, at least one of the children would have surely gotten lost.
Whenever a friend strayed from the group, Ellen would go retrieve them while Roil kept the rest rooted in place. He smiled, recalling how she would grab her friend’s hand tightly and bring them back.
Hye-seo used to be like that too.
Back in elementary school, Hye-rim, two years younger, would follow her around like a puppy.
“Take me with you!”
“Why would I take you when I’m playing with my friends?”
He used to hear that exchange every day.
Hye-rim wanted to follow her sister in everything, and Hye-seo just wanted some peace to hang out. They’d bicker constantly, and Eun-ho would sit on the couch, watching, mumbling, “May the better one win.”
“Oppa, tell her to let me come!”
“Hey, watch what you say! I’m your friend, remember?”
When the fight spilled over to poor Eun-ho, he’d just smile awkwardly, cold sweat dripping, unable to take sides.
And yet, seven or eight times out of ten, Hye-seo ended up taking Hye-rim with her. After all the squabbling, she’d hold her sister’s hand tightly on the way and match her pace so she wouldn’t get tired.
Thinking of those distant days made Roil smile.
Whether it was Ellen or Hye-seo, both seemed self-centered at a glance, yet were considerate of others in quiet, impressive ways.
…Okay, time to sleep. If he wanted to be up for dawn training, he needed to sleep now.
Roil habitually slid his hand under the pillow, closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep.
Just as he was dozing off, he heard a tap at the window. He ignored it at first, assuming it was nothing.
Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap tap tap.
What the…?
It wasn’t the wind. The sound was deliberate—someone was clearly knocking on the window.
Roil reluctantly sat up.
“Nesh?”
Outside the window, Nesh—wearing her little necklace—stood balancing on her hind legs, tapping rapidly on the glass with her front paws.
“Drumming now, are we?”
He laughed and opened the window just a bit, letting Nesh slip inside. After closing the window again, he picked her up, and as if it were routine, Nesh tapped his cheek with her paw.
“This is just your greeting, right?”
Used to it by now, Roil simply leaned his face closer.
He shook her paw a couple of times like a handshake, gave her a treat, and untied the note from her necklace.
“Your sister sending midnight errands now?”
He unfolded the note.
Who taught you the pebble game you showed me earlier?
What the heck?
Roil stared hard at the note. It didn’t seem like a code—just a direct question. But why ask this now? Is it important?
Still staring at the note, he walked over to the desk, sat down, and picked up a pen.
But what should he write? Pen in hand, he found himself frozen.
No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t write—it was that he couldn’t write the truth.
Actually, I’m not Roil.
It’s called gonggi.
Well… there’s this place called Korea.
I had a friend named Hye-seo…
The world is wide and full of things you don’t know…
I learned it crawling around on the floor as a kid…
Aaaaagh! No, no, no!
He crumpled each half-written page in frustration.
What on earth was he supposed to say?
Should I just say I made it up?
That was… very tempting.
He had nothing else to say, and no way to explain it. Wouldn’t it be simplest to just lie?
I was really bored one day and came up with it on my own.
He scribbled that onto the note and let the ink dry for a moment. Nesh had jumped onto the table and was waiting.
Roil hesitated as he tied the note to her necklace.
…No. This doesn’t feel right. It’s not just an excuse—it’s a lie.
He untied the note and ripped it up.
“Wait just a second, Nesh.”
He decided to be honest. Partially.
“Be careful out there, Nesh.”
Roil patted her once more and let her out the window. She circled once around his room before flying off toward Quinter.
Watching her shrink into a speck, Roil closed the window and returned to the desk. He gathered all the crumpled papers and tossed them into the fireplace.
As he watched the papers turn to ash, he thought of Ellen’s note. Now that he reflected on it, he used to flinch every time he saw one of her notes…
Clenching his fists as he stared into the now-ashen fireplace, Roil rubbed his face with one hand. His eyes twitched as if tears were welling up, so he pressed both palms to his face.
“Aaah…”
A choked sound escaped him.
It had already been years since he came here. And he still missed Hye-seo.
If only I’d treated her better. If only I’d shown how much I cared…
✿ ✿ ✿
“Ria!”
“Diana!”
Gloria leapt off her horse. Diana, who had been waiting, rushed over with equal excitement, and the two embraced joyfully.
Behind them, their husbands, Gerald and Rett, walked over briskly. The two men shook hands firmly and clapped each other on the arm in greeting. Their hands were so large and thick that even the lightest slap made a deep thunk sound.
“It’s hard to get a glimpse of you these days.”
“Seriously. We’re practically pen pals now, always communicating through couriers.”
They both chuckled.
The two couples had gathered for a long-overdue hunting trip in the Karzel forests.
The Karzel household had arrived first and set up camp in a shallower part of the forest. Gloria and Diana, Gerald and Rett, each took their own tent. They agreed to meet again after checking their gear.
“Diana, are you ready?”
Gloria tested her bowstring, checked her arrows and throwing knives again, then walked over to Diana, who was examining the blades of her daggers.
“Yup. I prepared everything at home. Besides, you barely use daggers during a hunt—except for skinning. You’ll be doing all the catching anyway. What’s there for me to prep?”
Diana slid the daggers back into their sheath at her hip.
“That’s why I’ve always gone hunting with you. I really can’t stand skinning animals.”
Gloria grinned playfully.
“Exactly. The great Princess Gloria used to turn away and look elsewhere every time it was skinning time.”
Diana linked her arm with Gloria’s.
The two strolled around the camp, watching the knights and maids handle various tasks. As they walked, one maid followed each of them at a respectful distance.
“Hey, I don’t recognize that girl.”
Gloria glanced at Diana’s maid and whispered.
“Oh. Amber went back to her hometown.”
“Her hometown?”
“Yeah. She’s getting old, and she said she wants to retire. I told her she could.”
Gloria nodded. Amber was quite old, after all. Sometimes she even felt bad making her work, so she’d call other maids in her place.
Diana turned and spoke to her maid.
“Sheila, greet her. This is Countess Gloria Quinter. You’ll be seeing her often, so don’t make any mistakes.”
