Chapter 32
When I saw Kyle take a step back and shrink his shoulders, I laughed.
He must be scared because I turned off the light.
No matter how much he pretends to be fierce, he’s still just a kid. Even I find the dark castle at night a little creepy.
“Are you ready to be surprised?”
I grabbed the handle of the old wooden door and pushed it open with all my strength. A soft light streamed in diagonally.
I held the door and nodded for him to go out first. Kyle hesitated, looking between me and the outside, then slowly stepped through.
When I followed him out, we reached the rooftop of the castle.
Warm night air brushed against my skin.
And above us, starlight poured down.
Kyle looked up at the Milky Way stretching across the sky, his eyes widening. The river of light cutting through the darkness looked like the sun shattered into thousands of pieces and flowing through the night.
“How is it? You could never see something like this in the city of Peln, right?”
I asked proudly, lifting my head to look at the sky too.
I had only seen a sky like this after coming here not long ago. The first time I saw it, I was shocked.
I decided right then that I had to show Darius and Kyle.
I want to show Darius too… but calling him out this late would be a bit much.
Tonight, I wanted to show this view only to Kyle—to cheer him up.
It seemed my plan worked. His sleepy eyes were now wide and bright, moving around busily.
“If you stand here long enough, you can even see shooting stars. Isn’t that amazing?”
He didn’t answer.
But the way he stared with his mouth slightly open told me everything.
You brat. You’re kind of cute.
“Come here, Kyle!”
I ran to the railing and called him over. He walked toward me slowly.
I pointed far into the distance outside the castle. Thanks to the bright starlight, the world below was faintly visible.
“Do you see that over there? That’s Lake Lagria.”
At the tip of my finger was a lake that reflected the night sky like a giant mirror.
Lake Lagria, surrounded by willow trees, was one of the most beautiful spots in Brante Territory.
“That’s the lake I said we’d visit.”
Kyle looked at it and nodded slightly.
Seeing his expression much lighter than during dinner made the tight feeling in my chest disappear.
I didn’t want his first impression of our territory to be unpleasant.
“How is it? Doesn’t looking at the night sky make your heart feel open? Do you feel better now?”
“I wasn’t upset.”
“Oh please. It was obvious.”
“Maybe I just felt sick from sitting next to that jerk Darius in the carriage all day.”
He couldn’t admit his real feelings, so he blamed Darius instead.
Still, I had always wanted to pull him away from that suffocating training ground—and from the duchy itself. I finally did it.
When I asked him before to visit even for one day, he refused coldly. So why did he agree so easily this time? I thought he would stay behind to train.
Well, maybe he came because the Duchess is here.
Thinking about how he used to cling to his mother made me picture a small puppy soaked in the rain. And his body was covered in scratches from training.
Poor thing. I’ll make sure he relaxes this week.
“Let’s play as much as we want for a whole week. The score is 26 to 26, right? Next time, I’ll take the lead.”
I crossed my arms confidently. Kyle snorted.
“No. I won the last land game. It’s 26 to 27. Don’t try to cheat.”
“Oh. You caught me? Your memory’s good. Anyway, we’ve always played on your home ground. Now we’re on mine. I have the advantage! I’ll show you a comeback.”
“Bring it on.”
Even his crooked smirk made me feel better. A laugh is a laugh.
We stayed on the rooftop talking about silly things—mostly me talking and him listening.
Under the starry sky, our childish bickering continued until late into the night.
***
The next morning, the second day of vacation began.
When we spread out a picnic mat by Lake Lagria and started eating, everything seemed perfect.
Even if there was tension between Kyle and Darius, my brother was close with Darius, and I was close with Kyle.
After the slightly awkward but fun meal, we headed to the dock to go boating.
That’s when the problem started.
We had two small boats that could hold two people each. The question was how to split up.
“I’ll ride with her!”
Kyle strongly refused to ride with Darius. He also refused to ride with my brother Simon and grabbed my wrist instead.
I was a little touched—even if I was just his second choice.
“You can’t put the kids together. That’s dangerous.”
“I agree. That won’t work, Kyle.”
My brother and Darius both shook their heads firmly.
Then Darius smiled bitterly and turned to Simon.
“I’ll ride with Lady Riez. Simon, could you take Kyle with you?”
My heart started beating wildly.
Boating with Darius?!
Can I really enjoy such luxury?
“…Fine.”
My brother reluctantly agreed.
Kyle let go of my arm roughly.
“Forget it. I won’t ride.”
“What? Kyle, we came all this way!”
“What’s so fun about riding a tiny boat like that?”
He turned around and walked away from the dock.
“Kyle!”
I was about to run after him when my brother grabbed my shoulder.
“I’ll go. You two ride the boat.”
“What? What are you going to do?”
Ignoring me, he ran after Kyle.
“Please, Simon! Sorry!” Darius called after him.
Now only Darius and I were left.
“Will they be okay?” I asked.
“Well, maybe it’s not bad for Kyle to get scolded by the King of Nagging for once.”
Darius replied playfully.
“He just wanted to ride with you. When we said no, he threw a tantrum. Please understand him.”
“Maybe he just hates my brothers more than he likes me.”
Darius laughed, paid for the boat, and stepped in first.
I took his hand and jumped into the boat.
The small boat swayed on the water.
The boatman pointed at the picnic basket in Darius’s hand.
“Be careful. Mischievous water birds sometimes try to steal food.”
“Understood.”
The rope was untied, and Darius began rowing. The boat slowly drifted away from the shore.
The dark lake reflected the blue sky and clouds. Other people were boating as well.
As we moved toward the center, cutting through the shimmering water like silver scales, the entire lakeside view came into sight.
But instead of enjoying the scenery, my eyes were fixed on my favorite character in front of me.
More precisely, on the muscles and veins of his forearm exposed beneath his rolled-up sleeves.
“It’s a breathtaking view. Like a painting.”
“Yes… it’s beautiful.”
I agreed while staring at something completely different.
His face is so pretty, but his body is so strong. That’s unfair.
“I understand why you said it would be a waste earlier. It’s a big loss for Kyle to miss this.”
Darius stopped rowing for a moment, staring blankly at the view.
Thanks to that, I got to admire his side profile freely.
His golden hair shone in the gentle breeze. He was only wearing a simple white shirt and black pants, but he looked perfect.
This is like a photoshoot. I wish I had a camera.
After a while, Darius looked forward again and met my eyes.
Floating on the wide lake with my favorite character felt unreal.
Just like that day we secretly ate food in the garden together.
His lips slowly curved into a smooth smile as he began to speak.
