Episode 25
Even though I had come out wearing a swimsuit, I felt a bit embarrassed to play in the water like the children.
Vitrain extended his hand to me.
“The water is very refreshing, Your Majesty.”
I took Vitrain’s hand and walked to where the shimmering lake water touched my toes.
Vitrain let go of my hand and knelt on one knee, beginning to untie my shoe laces as he spoke.
“It’s best to leave the shoes aside.”
“No, it’s fine, Duke Vitrain.”
I tried to pull my foot away, feeling awkward about showing my bare feet to someone who wasn’t a maid, when a water play ball flew over and hit Vitrain on the back with a thud.
“Sorry, Duke Kidmillan! Can you throw the ball back?”
Lothania shouted cheerfully, while Melbrid scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.
It seemed Melbrid had thrown the ball at Vitrain on Lothania’s orders.
Vitrain took a deep breath and stood up with a smile that reached only his lips. Picking up the ball from the ground, he turned to me and said with that same smile.
“I’ll handle this first.”
“Handle?”
“Please wait here, Your Majesty.”
With that cryptic remark, Vitrain waded into the water where the children were playing. Instead of throwing the ball back, he grabbed Melbrid by the waist and tossed him into the air.
Melbrid soared up and then splashed down into the water with a big splash.
The water was only waist-deep for the children, but I still took a step forward, worried Melbrid might be hurt. However, he quickly surfaced, spitting out water and grinning widely.
“Do it again, Duke!”
What?
Vitrain, without a word, threw Melbrid into the air again.
Melbrid flew up with a laugh and plunged back into the water, laughing even louder.
Seeing this, Lothania slowly approached Vitrain.
“Me too! Throw me too!”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Vitrain tossed Lothania into the air as well.
“Lottie!”
I shouted in surprise, but what came back was the sparkle of the sunlit water and Lothania’s bright, laughing face.
Now, Lothania and Melbrid were lined up, eagerly asking Vitrain to throw them again.
I couldn’t understand why children enjoyed such rough play so much.
Despite being thrown dozens of times, neither Lothania nor Melbrid seemed to tire. They jumped around Vitrain, asking to be thrown again.
Eventually, Vitrain stopped tossing them and started whispering something to the children.
Then, all three of them simultaneously turned to look at me.
I had a bad feeling about this.
Lothania ran up to me with a bright smile, grabbing my hand and pulling me along as I hesitated and tried to step back.
“Mother, come play with us!”
“No, Lottie. I’ll just play here.”
“You said I could teach you to swim.”
“On second thought, maybe I should learn to swim some other time.”
Despite being just twelve, Lothania’s strength was surprising, and she pulled me into the water.
As we reached Vitrain, he extended his hand with a childlike grin.
“Duke Vitrain, don’t do it. That’s an order.”
Vitrain chuckled as he approached, and I backed away, trying to issue another order as sincerely as possible.
“Vitrain, I said don’t do it. Vitrain? Are you listening to me?”
“It’s much nicer.”
“What is?”
“You calling me by my name.”
“I’ll keep doing that, so don’t come any closer. I don’t want to be thrown.”
I was serious, but Vitrain laughed heartily.
“How could I possibly throw Your Majesty?”
“That’s the right attitude. I almost doubted your loyalty.”
“Isn’t the water refreshing now that you’re in?”
The grinning eagle with dimples asked cheerfully.
Hearing his reassurance that he wouldn’t throw me, I finally felt the coolness of the lake water.
When I nodded, Vitrain tossed Lothania and Melbrid into the air in turn and then threw the water play ball far away.
Watching the kids splash and chase the ball made me laugh.
“They look like puppies. How can they be so excited?”
“Children love it when you play with them physically.”
Vitrain laughed softly as he stood beside me.
Since he wasn’t married, he must have been talking about playing with the niece he mentioned before. I found myself looking at him anew.
Could he be more family-oriented than I thought? I always assumed he was a fickle eagle, but this was a surprising side of him.
Though he lacked fidelity, the family-oriented eagle played well with the children. Meanwhile, I amused myself by splashing around a bit before coming out to sit on a bench by the lake.
The water play continued after lunch.
Vitrain finally emerged from the water after helping Lothania succeed in doing a double somersault dive.
“Playing with children is more exhausting than fighting in battle.”
Vitrain said, dripping wet and laughing.
Vitrain, who looked perfectly capable of tossing the children for three more days and nights, exaggerated his exhaustion.
Seeing Lothania laugh so brightly for the first time, I praised Vitrain’s effort.
“Lottie seems very happy. You’ve done well, Duke Vitrain.”
“Didn’t you say you’d drop the title?”
“Right, I did. Vitrain, is that better?”
Vitrain, pleased to hear his name, smiled contentedly.
His sculpted body, visible through his wet, clinging white shirt, kept drawing my gaze, so I turned my head towards the children.
Lothania and Melbrid splashed in the clear, blue water, their laughter ringing out in the sunlight.
For the first time since coming to Belpator, I allowed myself to feel truly happy.
As Vitrain, who was watching the same scene, spoke in a low voice,
“Wouldn’t you like to live like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I meant, wouldn’t you like to live like this, away from the power struggles and politics? Peacefully, without worries.”
He was right. More than anyone else, I had longed for a quiet, peaceful life.
Yet, here I was, the Empress of a great empire, grappling with beasts.
Lost in these thoughts while gazing at the sparkling lake, Vitrain continued in his pleasant voice,
“I wish to live like this. Apart from breaking free from the bond of the oath, I neither wanted nor needed anything else.”
Though his words were comforting, I wondered why he spoke in the past tense.
“Didn’t need? Does that mean it has changed now?”
“I wish for Your Majesty to stay by my side.”
I turned to look at Vitrain.
He sat on the ground beside the bench, his blue eyes gazing up at me like the lake’s waters.
The sound of the children’s laughter carried on the cool breeze coming off the water.
Though it was a romantic confession, asking me to stay by his side in this beautiful moment, I didn’t feel thrilled but rather uneasy.
Anyone who has lived a life bound by another’s hand knows that an opportunity too perfect is the most dangerous.
Only a month ago, this man had warned, with cold eyes, that the Serpent and the Dog would kill me and Lothania.
He had kissed my hand with cold lips, telling me to choose him if I didn’t want to die.
What had changed over the past month?
Vitrain’s eyes were uncharacteristically gentle, yet this sudden shift only made me more alert.
“You speak as if you’ve fallen in love with me.”
“May I dare say that?”
Vitrain asked softly, with a smile.
I stared straight into his blue eyes, avoiding the snare of his charm. Having never seen the eyes of a man in love, I knew at least they wouldn’t look like this.
Waiting for my answer with bated breath, Vitrain looked more like an eagle on the hunt than a suitor.
I slowly leaned closer as I rose from the bench, and when my face was close enough to his, I whispered so only he could hear,
“No, don’t say it, Vitrain. I dislike liars.”
I didn’t miss the flicker in his blue eyes at our close proximity.
With Vitrain frozen for that brief moment, I turned away and stood up.
“Lottie! Time to come out now.”
“Can’t we play a little longer?”
“The sun will set soon. Didn’t we plan to go see the festival after dinner?”
“Oh, right. The festival!”
“Are you ready to stop playing now?”
“Yes!”
Lothania, clutching the water play ball, hopped out of the water with splashes. Holding her hand, I returned to the palace.
Melbrid stuck close to Lothania, and Vitrain returned much later after we had entered.
After bathing and changing clothes, we gathered in the dining room for dinner. Lothania and Melbrid were excited about the festival, but Vitrain remained silent.
