– 13 –
Are you that nervous to sit next to me?
I can’t help it though!
I don’t want to get involved with Leon.
And I already told you that I like you.
Just relax now.
However, despite my blatant declaration, Calix ended up sitting away from me, and Leon took the seat next to me.
Calix, even when I set the stage for you, you still can’t take a seat.
“Haa….”
A sigh escaped my lips.
Fine, this time you chose to sit far away.
Just remember, it wasn’t me who decided to sit next to Leon, Your Highness.
Resigning myself to the situation, I whispered to Aby as soon as they settled into their seats.
“Hey, Abby. Why didn’t you tell me the Grand Duke Leon and His Highness the Crown Prince were coming?”
“What’s up with you? Didn’t you already know and just pretended not to? Every year, the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke come to the first performance as representatives of the royal family. Lyn, why are you pretending to be coy when you’re actually happy?”
Abby replied confidently, as if I were the strange one.
Oh, my head.
She really doesn’t understand my true feelings at all.
It seemed like there wasn’t a single character in any novel who understood me like this.
*****
The opera held in the outdoor park during the day was quite impressive.
Of course, the commoners sitting far away probably couldn’t hear the singing very well, but it resonated loudly enough for our group, including the Crown Prince, who had the best seats.
After the first act ended, it was intermission time.
Ugh… I need to go to the bathroom.
“Abby, I have to go to the restroom.”
“The restroom? What are you talking about, a restroom at an outdoor performance?”
What do you mean, what am I talking about?
So, are you supposed to hold it during an outdoor performance?
I stared at her, not understanding what she was saying, and she frowned.
“You’re not planning to stand in that line, are you?”
Line?
Still not understanding Abby’s words, I looked in the direction of her gaze.
Oh, my God!
An enormous crowd of people was flocking to the restroom.
It seemed they had set up special seats for the nobility but hadn’t bothered to provide exclusive restrooms for them.
So, what are we supposed to do?
As if to answer my question, Abby stood up and whispered.
“I have a spot I’ve marked near over there in the bushes. Let’s go there.”
The bushes?
No way… she’s suggesting we have a public urination session?
That’s ridiculous.
What kind of noble ladies do their business in the bushes?
I frowned and looked at Abby, but she didn’t pay any attention to my expression.
“But… the restroom…”
I muttered hesitantly.
But Abby just looked at me like I was being weird.
“Lyn, are you planning to stand in line with the commoners? Look over there. All the nobles are heading towards the thicket. No one but nobles even goes near that area. The riverside thicket of Letian Park is known for this. Why are you acting so surprised?”
Oh, great.
I had heard that the gardens of Versailles were full of noble waste, and now this place was the same.
But with my urgency increasing, I didn’t have the luxury of being choosy about restrooms or thickets.
Reluctantly, I decided to follow Abby, who was already standing, and I stood up to join her in heading to the thicket.
“Kailyn. Where are you going?”
Grand Duke Leon asked.
I wanted to say, “I’m going to pee” but I couldn’t bring myself to say that…..
“I’m just going to get some fresh air by the river.”
Abby replied coldly from the side.
“Ah… Really, shall we go together then?”
Grand Duke Leon scrambled to his feet.
Where does he think he’s going?
What a clueless little thing he is.
Fortunately, Luke, who had at least some sense, stopped the clueless duke from getting up.
Huh?
Wait, where did Calix go while I was whispering with Abby?
I looked around.
Soon, I spotted him standing by the right side of the riverbank, talking to Rajiv.
Rajiv is always around. He must be a very loyal confidant.
Oh, but I’m in a hurry.
I need to go quickly.
I followed Abby’s lead and headed for the bushes.
*****
It was never easy to sneak into the bushes with a skirt that flounced around and relieve myself.
Other ladies might be used to this, but it was my first time doing this in such a skirt.
I needed to be careful not to get it dirty…..
After much struggling, I managed to keep my skirt clean and finish my business comfortably. Slowly, I began to make my way out of the thicket.
Huh?
Wait, where did Aby go?
I pushed my way through the bushes, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Abby?”
I called out, but there was no response. Having no other choice, I started making my way out of the thicket alone.
There’s no way I’m coming back to an outdoor venue like this again.
The restrooms are just too difficult.
Grumbling to myself, I pushed through the bushes.
“Ah!”
My foot slipped on something and I started to tumble sideways.
‘Splash!’
And before I knew it, I had fallen into the Letian River that was flowing nearby.
Unlike Kailin in the novel, I knew how to swim to some extent.
I went to the pool with my younger brother when we were kids.
But I had never tried swimming in a fast-flowing river while wearing a dress.
Plus, my feet couldn’t touch the bottom!
Having only swum in a pool before, I panicked as soon as I realized that my feet couldn’t touch the ground in the river’s strong current. My mind went blank, and I forgot everything about swimming. My body stiffened completely.
“Mom!”
I screamed instinctively.
“M-Mom…!”
I flailed and gulped down water….
“Somebody help…!”
But there was no one on the densely wooded riverbank.
It was clear that the bush was considered a restroom for the nobility, as Abby had said.
Ah…….
Even if my luck was terrible, I thought I’d at least live until twenty-four or maybe even avoid death with some effort….
Unbelievable, I was going to die before reaching twenty-four.
In my previous life, I died in a car accident. In this life, I was drowning.
Even as I struggled at the brink of death, I couldn’t help but feel an immense pity for myself.
As I flailed in the water, I began to lose consciousness.
In my fading awareness, I thought I glimpsed Calix’s face for a brief moment before it vanished.
Calix…
That was my last conscious thought.
*****
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in my bed at home, with my father and Luke looking down at me.
“Lynn!”
Ah…! I’m not dead.
I felt a wave of relief wash over me, realizing I was still alive.
“Father. Luke.”
“Lynn! Yes, yes. Lynn…!”
My dad sobbed and clutched my hand, not sure if he was overcome with emotion or relief.
“I’m alive….”
“Of course, there’s no way you would die! My daughter, I would never let that happen.”
He’s crying… My father is really crying.
Seeing my father’s face, unable to hold back his tears, made me feel strange.
Luke, my brother, spoke up from beside me.
“Oh my God! Lynn, you better not go to Letian Park again, you fell in that river twice….”
Ah! That’s right.
Kailyn from the novel also fell into that river, and so did I!
Oh!!!
Calix?
At that moment, I remembered seeing Calix’s face just before I lost consciousness.
“Who saved me?”
“Don’t you remember? His Highness the Crown Prince saved you.”
“Oh…”
So, it was Calix who saved me.
Calix saved me again.
In the novel, the girl Kailyn lost consciousness after falling into the water and didn’t remember who saved her.
Although Calix was the one who caused her to fall, he was also the one who saved her. But she only remembered him as the person who made her fall into the river.
Since the incident was considered a nightmare and no one wanted to discuss it in detail, Kailyn only remembered Grand Duke Leon, who visited her every day at the duchy after the incident.
Unlike her, I knew everything, and it was fascinating to realize that Calix had saved me again, just like in the novel.
“What about His Highness the Crown Prince? Is he hurt?”
“His Highness… Well, he was worried because you hadn’t woken up. Saving someone from the water wouldn’t hurt him.”
Luke said.
“Oh… right.”
Now that I thought about it, it made sense. I was worrying about an invincible amphibious hero.
After a while, my father and Luke left my room, saying I needed to rest.
Left alone, I found myself thinking about Calix again.
Thinking about how both Kailin in the novel and I in this reality were saved by Calix made me feel a newfound affection for him.
Despite trying to hide his feelings, it was clear that when he saw me drowning, he lost all restraint and rushed to save me.
Calix had probably just managed to overcome his negative feelings and started visiting the park again, only to witness me falling into the river once more…..
I wonder how surprised my male lead was without being able to see it?
I’m sorry….
Since I’m sorry and grateful, perhaps I should pay him a visit?
Finding an excuse to visit Calix, I was filled with hope about the potential progress in our relationship.
*****
Calix had been receiving reports from Templar Captain Rell about an international spy organization.
They had traced this organization while investigating the recent unrest and conflicts in the border region with the Darkus Empire.
As he pressed his forehead and listened intently to Rell’s report, Calix suddenly interrupted.
“That’s enough for now. Continue the report tomorrow morning. I need some time alone.”
Interrupting a report on such an important matter…!
Captain Rell was momentarily taken aback by the Crown Prince’s unusual behavior but soon gathered his documents and left the office.
Once alone, Calix leaned back in his chair, tilting his head towards the ceiling with his eyes closed.
However, his expression soon turned into a frown.
The chief attendant entered the office without being summoned.
Judging by the unannounced entry, he had something to report.
“Your Imperial Highness, there is a request for an audience.”
“An audience?”
A look of overt displeasure appeared on Calix’s face.
Audiences were scheduled for specific days and times.
It was not customary to request an audience with the Crown Prince at any given time. Who could it be that the attendant was breaking protocol to inform him about?
Besides, he was in a very bad mood right now.
“Lady Kailyn Brockburg, honored member of the Duke of Brockburg’s household, has come to see you, His Royal Highness.”
At the servant’s unexpected reply, Calix suddenly felt his head throb even more.
Here was the very woman who had caused his headache.
