~CHAPTER 40~
“My goodness, it’s truly beautiful!”
Elpenlira led the group to a lake that bordered the Empress Palace.
Anyone from Catalos knew the palace’s autumn scenery.
If you were a young lady who painted watercolors, this was a landscape you would have copied countless times.
Both sides of the faded white marble palace were covered in bright autumn leaves.
The great lake before the Empress Palace reflected the rolling red light like a mirror.
The sight of the sky, the building, and the autumn leaves blending and rippling together on the water was enough to stun even a cynic.
Artists from faraway lands visited Catalos without end to capture this view described as the most perfect collaboration between people and nature.
Dianu had seen the scenery often in paintings, but she had never thought she would actually see it herself.
She admired it with pure awe.
“It’s even more beautiful than I imagined…”
Elpenlira jumped off her white horse without anyone’s help.
“You can only see it before all the leaves fall, so you have to enjoy it now.”
“The lake looks like the Water Queen’s mirror.”
For some reason the area suddenly felt quiet.
Lost in the view, Dianu turned around.
Elpenlira and Sir Loisen were wearing curious expressions.
“Why are you both looking at me like that?”
Elpenlira shrugged.
“Nothing. My brother once said the exact same thing.”
“…Oh.”
“I loved that fairy tale. My brother used to read it to me all the time when I was little.”
It was a fairy tale passed down long before Catalos became an empire.
Every calm and clear lake in the world was said to be the Water Queen’s mirror.
Anyone who jumped in would wake up in another world connected by that mirror.
The main character of the fairy tale was a girl who milked cows, worn down by hardship and poverty.
She jumped into a lake and fell into a strange world where the people made her their queen and showered her in luxury.
But she slowly withered from longing for her family and the old cow she raised, and she eventually threw herself back into the lake.
The oral version of the tale ended there, but artists in Catalos had long added their own interpretations.
“Which version did you like, Elpenlira?”
“Hm?”
“The ending.”
Elpenlira looked out at the red-tinted lake, a small smile appearing as if she was remembering a pleasant memory.
“Of course the happy ending. She returns to her world, sells the jewels she brought back, and never has to live in poverty again.”
Elpenlira glanced at Dianu, who smiled quietly at how fitting that sounded for her.
“But my brother said he liked the version where the lake is just a lake and the girl drowns.”
Many people disliked that version for being unfitting for a fairy tale.
But Dianu thought she understood why Rision preferred it.
“Very much like His Majesty.”
“You think so?”
The heroine abandoned the people who loved her twice.
Rision would never look kindly on that kind of avoidance.
He was a man carved from duty and responsibility.
He even tried to fulfill his responsibility toward Dianu, though she could not agree with his methods.
Elpenlira didn’t scold Dianu for stopping mid-sentence.
She soothed her restless white horse’s mane and looked toward the Empress Palace beyond the lake.
“It’s too lovely a palace to stay empty forever.”
“…Someone will move in soon.”
Dianu was almost proud of herself for speaking so calmly.
But Elpenlira simply gave her a mysterious smile.
“Maybe. But my brother can be unbelievably foolish about strange things.”
“…What?”
“Isn’t that right, Sir Loisen?”
Sir Loisen avoided her gaze.
He looked troubled, but he did not deny it.
Dianu wanted to ask what she meant, but she didn’t get the chance.
Elpenlira took hold of her reins and started walking.
“You can dip your feet in the water over there. Let’s go.”
Before following the princess, Dianu took one last look at the Empress Palace.
She felt certain this would be the last time.
* * *
A pleasant walking path lined the lakeside.
There was even a small dock for boat rides, though there were no boats in sight since the Empress Palace stood empty.
While Sir Loisen tied the horses, Dianu and Elpenlira sat side by side at the end of the dock.
Up close, the clarity of the lake was even more breathtaking.
Dianu reached out and scattered her reflection.
The coldness of the water sent chills along her arms, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
“Not bad, right?”
“Yes. It’s wonderful.”
“Even when my mother was alive, this place was always empty. It was a space just for our family.”
Elpenlira swept back her windblown blond hair and pointed to a gazebo in the distance, carved entirely from white marble.
“When I was born, my father gifted her that pavilion.”
“I see…”
“After they both passed, no one else used it. So Edrick and I claimed it. He even gave me a ring there.”
Dianu didn’t know how to respond.
Elpenlira didn’t seem to expect an answer and rested her chin on her knees, continuing quietly.
“My brother always gave me whatever I wanted, except permission to marry Edrick. Aunt Ellaris married an ordinary man, but apparently I’m not allowed.”
Dianu stayed silent.
“I thought if I held out long enough, he’d have no choice but to accept…”
Elpenlira’s eyes were as calm as the lake’s surface.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Ravelan Arasas must be a good man, right?”
The words were so unexpected that Dianu couldn’t hide her shock.
Elpenlira tilted her head, studying her with a crooked smile.
“My brother wouldn’t approve a marriage for the sake of the continent’s peace if the man wasn’t decent. He must be honorable, brave, and a gentleman.”
Rision Catalos adored his only sister.
There was no way he would marry her off to a worthless man, even if the fate of the continent depended on it.
Elpenlira surely knew this already.
She simply needed time and the right moment to say it aloud.
A chill ran down Dianu’s spine.
It felt the same as when Erin had spoken for the first time.
“But I can’t go to Arasas.”
Dianu was not naïve enough to show disappointment.
Elpenlira stared down at her reflection as she murmured:
“…There are still too many things here I must resolve.”
She looked back at Dianu with a smile that held no warmth.
“Teacher. I believe a person must repay everything they receive.”
Dianu said nothing.
“Whether it’s kindness or revenge.”
Was it a coincidence that she resembled Rision when he spoke of finding the true killer of Edrick Loisen?
Dianu didn’t know.
* * *
After chatting and humming songs while taking in the scenery, the princess and her tutor eventually had to get up.
Sir Loisen insisted they return to Oak Palace before dark.
Holding their reins, the three walked along the path.
They happened to pass the pavilion built to celebrate Elpenlira’s birth, and Dianu slowed her pace.
The intricate marble carvings and round roof were beautiful.
She could easily imagine why Edrick Loisen had chosen this place to give Elpenlira a ring.
Just then Dianu sensed movement.
The pavilion sat on slightly higher ground, surrounded by trees, so they hadn’t noticed anyone until the figures stepped out.
Elpenlira and Sir Loisen frowned, but they didn’t need to drag the intruders out themselves.
Two people walked out at the perfect moment.
Dianu blinked.
“Your Majesty…?”
Elpenlira chimed in beside her, sounding incredulous.
“What are you two doing here?”
Walking side by side were Rision and Adelayisa.
Rision stopped in front of them and slowly looked Dianu over.
His gaze passed quickly enough not to be rude, but it left her stunned.
She even forgot to bow.
She had imagined meeting him again only after preparing herself, practicing how to greet him gracefully, not freezing like a deer before a predator.
After staring at her for a long moment, Rision finally inclined his head.
Dianu lowered hers in a hurry.
Adelayisa broke the silence.
“I didn’t expect to see the three of you here.”
Wearing a hat and holding a parasol, she looked like a lady going on a casual stroll.
But every piece of her outfit, from the fabric of her dress to the ribbons on her hat, was clearly the finest quality.
Dianu suddenly realized she wore borrowed clothes that didn’t fit properly, her hair tied back in a simple knot.
Her shoulders sank before she knew it.
‘Was he staring because of my clothes?’
Maybe he thought it disgraceful for her to walk around the palace dressed so plainly.
Standing next to the perfectly elegant Adelayisa made her feel even more out of place.
Rision escorted Adelayisa down the steps.
“Lira. What brings you here?”
“I should be asking you that. What are you doing here with Adelayisa?”
Dianu noticed the flicker of discomfort on Rision’s face.
“…We had matters to discuss.”
Adelayisa nodded with a faint smile.
The meaningful glances they exchanged looked almost affectionate.
Dianu didn’t understand any of it.
Rision Catalos and Adelayisa Belua, alone together, without a guard or attendant, speaking privately in the secluded pavilion of the empty Empress Palace…
‘…What…’
