“Hic.”
Startled by my father’s yell, which I was hearing for the first time, I inadvertently let out a hiccup.
In my memory, my father was always rational and acted logically. He might have become slightly sensitive when it involved me, but because I knew his tender smiles that he occasionally showed were sincere, it was alright.
But this… I clenched my dress tightly and finished my thought.
This is totally unlike my father.
“I told you and Via as well, to stay in your room as much as possible until dinner time. But why didn’t you listen, causing this situation to happen!”
My father, who scolded me sternly, seemed somewhat anxious. It was as if he looked like a criminal unable to prove his innocence, restless and uneasy.
“The outside is dangerous for you, Seri, so I said to always be careful! Is this simple request really that hard?”
“…….”
I did not respond to my father’s words filled with resentment. More precisely, I couldn’t. Because what my father had given was not a request but an order.
As I closed my mouth, a brief silence followed.
Eventually, as my father’s expression softened, he glanced at his hand which was gripping my shoulder as if he was about to twist it off, then he showed a look of embarrassment.
“I didn’t mean to scold you like that. I’m sorry, Seri. I just…”
I silently watched my father rambling.
Normally, I would have brightened the mood by smiling and telling him there was no need to apologize because he was speaking up for me, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like doing that today.
Suddenly, I had a thought. If it were not my father standing before me but Ruth, would I have been able to express my feelings more comfortably?
After hesitating for a long moment, my father, removing his hand from my shoulder, swept his hand through his hair and turned around.
“I’ll leave now. See you at dinner.”
Watching my father’s retreating back as he left my bedroom without another word, I felt a lump in my throat.
Trying to ease the inexplicable tightness in my chest, I punched lightly at my chest, suddenly yearning to see the lake I had visited with Ruth.
Looking at that vast expanse of blue water seemed like it would help me breathe a little easier.
“…The lake.”
Muttering under my breath, I instinctively pulled out a magical stone from under the armchair.
Even though it wasn’t Wednesday, if I went quickly and came back, no one would know.
I’ll be back in just a short while.
No sooner had I resolved to go than a breeze flowed from the magical stone.
***
A refreshing breeze brushed my cheek.
“……”
I stood behind a large willow tree, staring blankly at the blue lake.
The clear, shining lake was beautiful today as well. So beautiful, I wondered if it might be harboring the moon.
Without daring to approach the lake, I just stood still, when suddenly, a variety of floral fragrances from somewhere tickled my nose. Breathing in that scent deeply reminded me faintly of a flower ring placed on the nightstand in my bedroom.
“Ruth.”
As I thought of him, my vision suddenly blurred.
Only now did I realize the unnamed emotion was sorrow.
“Heugh.”
The sorrow that rose to my throat finally burst, like a downpour in the midst of summer, tears flowed down my cheeks without stopping.
“Sniff, sob.”
My legs gave way, and I leaned against the willow tree, letting out the sobs I hadn’t allowed myself in the mansion.
How long had I been there?
“Serbia?”
Through my blurred vision, brilliant platinum hair appeared. It was Ruth.
Why did he have to come now……
I covered my face, marred by tears, with both hands, and fervently hoped he would just pass me by as I murmured,
“……don’t look.”
“Why does your voice sound like that? Did you cry, by any chance?”
However, either my wish did not reach the heavens, or Ruth didn’t intend to distance himself; rather, he kept getting closer.
“Don’t mind me.”
I snapped at him more sharply on purpose, but he didn’t care as he made his way to me.
“Serbia.”
Instead, he called my name tenderly, like comforting a crying child. Then, he covered my hands, which covered my face, with his own and just stayed like that.
The warmth transferred from the back of my hand made me feel odd. A wave of emotion surged within me.
“Please, just don’t mind me and go on your way!”
Unable to bear the strangeness anymore, I swallowed hard and in the end, couldn’t help but push Ruth away.
“S-sorry.”
I apologized immediately after regaining my senses.
A wave of late regret washed over me. The source of my regret was not so much the fact that I had acted this way towards someone for the first time, but rather the anxiety that Ruth might be disappointed in me for showing such a side of myself.
“…….”
He glanced down at my pushed-aside chest and cocked his head.
“Do you want to hide from me? Why?”
“……”
My lips were sealed in response to Ruth’s question.
I wanted to be unseen rather than hide.
But saying I wanted to hide wasn’t completely wrong either, so I couldn’t find any words to answer.
Ruth, seeing me like this, quietly smiled and turned around.
What is he trying to do?
As I looked at his unexpected behavior with suspicion, Ruth said,
“From now on, we’re playing hide and seek.”
Hide and seek?
I looked at Ruth, who suddenly suggested playing hide and seek, with bewilderment.
At my overt gaze, he let out a soft laugh and continued.
“You hide, and I seek.”
Ah.
A small sigh escaped me. I felt like I understood why he suggested playing hide and seek.
So that’s why he asked. If I wanted to hide.
While I was trying to fathom his true thoughts, Ruth put a period at the end of his statement with a laugh-filled warning.
“So try your best to hide, Serbia. No matter where you hide, I can find you.”
That he can find me no matter where I hide…
I mulled over his playful warning and chuckled softly.
“You sound like a prince from a fairy tale.”
What Ruth said really did sound like something a fairy tale prince would say. That made it feel even more unreal.
If I were to hide inside the Obelton Duke’s mansion, could Ruth find me as he said?
Thinking up to that point, I shook my head vigorously.
Even though he might have been born into nobility, the Ruth of now is nothing more than a young boy wandering the forest. Thus, it was impossible from the start for Ruth to find me hiding in the mansion.
Of course, in fairy tales, the prince would somehow find the lady, whether she was locked in a tower to the west or trapped under the sea.
However, where Ruth and I are is not a fairy tale but reality. This means we shouldn’t chase after fantasies anymore.
“Sigh.”
I took a deep breath and calmed my feelings.
As the surging sadness subsided somewhat, I finally realized the situation I was in.
Ah.
A short sigh naturally escaped through the slightly parted lips.
No matter how distressed, I shouldn’t have left the mansion on a day that wasn’t Wednesday. And for such a silly reason as wanting to see a mere lake.
I must return before my family senses something odd and realizes I’m gone.
I wiped the moisture from my eyes with my fingertips and lifted the corners of my mouth as much as I could while looking at the back of Ruth’s head.
“Thanks to you, my tears have stopped, so now I can return to the mansion. Thank you, Ruth.”
It was sincere. Not pretentious, like something I wanted to say to my father but couldn’t.
“……”
As I expressed my gratitude, Ruth fell into silence, seeming deep in thought.
I stared at him for a moment, then released the grip I had.
Then, the mana stone in my grasp revealed itself.
The mana stone, with its enchanting blue light, seemed to shine even brighter than usual, perhaps because of the sunlight.
It was the moment I was about to send mana into the mana stone, thinking of my bedroom, with my eyes filled with its sparkling light.
“Why do you always…….”
Ruth stopped in the middle of speaking and clasped his empty hands. Then, he sighed and brushed back his hair.
“No, it’s alright. Just go. Don’t make it any more difficult.”
“Huh?”
I looked at Ruth, puzzled by his words, then I snapped back to reality at the faint sound of water.
“Yeah, alright then. I’ll leave now. See you in a few days.”
After saying this, I bid farewell to Ruth, who was muttering to himself, and then closed my eyes.
With my vision blocked, I finally noticed an odd sound that I hadn’t been aware of before.
Thud, thud, thud.
It was a calm yet majestic sound of drumming.
***
Before I knew it, the place I opened my eyes to was inside the bedroom.
“Phew….”
I looked around the bedroom bathed in the reddish light streaming through the window and felt relieved. The interior of the bedroom being the same as when I had gone to the lake meant that nobody had sought my bedroom from then until now.
Thankfully, I wasn’t found out.
I murmured to myself as I heaved a sigh of relief.
Today was the first time I had made such an impulsive decision, swallowed up by the emotion of the moment. Perhaps that’s why I felt even more anxious.
I glanced at the wall clock to check the time and walked toward the armchair.
Maybe because I had cried for a while at the lakeside, but I was subtly overcome by drowsiness. Since there was some time left before dinner, I planned to hide the magic stone and catch a bit of sleep.
“Huh?”
The moment I lifted the cushion of the armchair with that thought, my mind went blank, and my body froze.
“How could…”
I trailed off, overwhelmed by sudden confusion.
The ivory robe, which had been neatly tucked under the cushion of the armchair until before I went to the lake, had vanished without a trace. As if it had never existed there in the first place.
oh no