Old Castle by the Lake 2
And so, the long vacation arrived.
The territory, located three hours away by carriage from the
Royal Capital, was a place rich in nature with gentle hills, a lake, and
a forest spreading to the east.
Borrowing Ashren-sama's hand to step down from the
carriage, I took a big stretch.
「It is a nice, tranquil place. The
sky is so clear and blue.」
「The stars look beautiful at night.
In the past, I used to swim in that lake.」
To think there was a time like that for Ashren-sama
as well.
「You have such well-ordered features
even now, so you must have been a cute child.」
As I stared intently at his noble face and imagined his
childhood, Ashren-sama let his eyes wander somewhat uncomfortably.
「...I have been thinking this for a
while, but are you unaware of it? Or could it be you are actually highly
calculating?」
「What are you talking about? Please
do not make me work after coming all the way out here.」
I learned that resting is important since coming to the Kanista
Kingdom. Sleep deprivation causes a lack of concentration and lowers work
efficiency, and a change of pace is also necessary. Wait, huh. Ashren-sama
is letting out a deep sigh. I wonder what is wrong despite such wonderful
scenery.
「Layla, you know, the very top of the house is an attic, and you
can sleep while looking at the stars from there. Let's sleep together tonight!」
Karin stepped
down from the Marquis' carriage and came running, hugging me with that
momentum. She is too cute.
「That sounds lovely. Marchioness
Naturi, would that be alright?」
「Yes, I insist you do.」
I asked Marchioness Naturi, who was walking up behind
Karin. She is five years older than me, and her soft, feminine
atmosphere is similar to Aisha's, but she has a strong core and it seems
the Marquis is surprisingly under her thumb.
The two-story building standing at the edge of the lake
surface is the villa of the Naturi Marquis Family. Even though it is
called a villa, it is about the size of my family home, so as expected of a
Marquis family.
Built with calm-colored bricks and a red pointed roof, the
villa's first-floor terrace jutted out over the lake. The Director told
me that when they were children, Ashren-sama and the Marquis used to
jump into the lake from there.
After bringing down our luggage and taking a breath, the
servants prepared a meal for us on the terrace. Dishes using vegetables
harvested around here and rabbit meat. I had never eaten rabbit before so it
was my first time, but perhaps because it was prepped well, it was soft and
easy to eat. Once we finished dining and bathing, Karin promptly came to
my room. Wearing a pure white nightgown with frills, Karin tugged on my
sleeve, her cheeks dyed pink as if she couldn't wait any longer.
「Layla, let's go to the attic quickly.」
「Yes, alright.」
I threw a gown over my nightwear and grabbed a pillow. Led
by the hand by Karin, who was similarly holding a pillow, we climbed the
stairs to find a small door slightly lower than my height.
What is this, it's just like a secret base. I can see why Karin
is so excited.
When I bent down and opened the door, a mattress was laid
out on the brown wooden floor beneath the moonlight shining in from the ceiling
window. Karin hopped onto that mattress, though it was a mystery how it
was brought in through that small door.
Next to her, as she bounced over and over as if enjoying the
boing of the springing mattress, I also took off my shoes and climbed
onto it.
Because the roof was triangular, the walls slanted upwards,
aiming toward a peak overhead. On that wall were two large fixed windows, and
pale moonlight poured into the room through them.
When I placed down the pillow I brought and lied down on it,
the window framed the night sky like a painting, with stars of various sizes
shining brightly. A night sky that felt less like it was going to fall on us,
and more like we were going to be sucked into it. If I strained my ears, I
could hear the sound of a faint wind rustling the leaves, and the hooting of an
owl in between.
I have only been able to welcome such calm nights since
coming to the Kanista Kingdom. When I was in the Jilgista Kingdom,
I was exhausted every day, and only slept like a log when I got home. I never
had the time to gaze at the night sky like this.
Karin placed
her pillow right next to mine and lied down similarly. The sweet scent unique
to children and her soft, fine hair brushed against my cheek, and a smile
unconsciously broke out on my lips.
「Layla, there's an island in the middle of the lake, right?」
Under the starlight, her ice-blue eyes—the same as Ashren-sama's—sparkled
brightly.
「You mean that island thickly
overgrown with trees?」
「Yes, you know, inside that forest,
there is an old castle.」
Karin gently
told me, bringing her face close to my ear as if whispering a treasured secret.
Even though it was just the two of us in this room, I couldn't help but let out
a laugh.
「A secret castle. Have you ever been
there, Karin?」
When I lowered my voice to play along, Karin happily
snuggled up to me.
「No, Father said I am not allowed to
go. That island is cursed! And inside the castle, a beautiful princess is
sleeping, waiting forever for a prince to come.」
「Oh my, the prince better hurry then.
The princess will become an old lady.」
「Jeez, Layla! You don't age
while you're asleep, so it's fine.」
But the prince will age, you know. Hmm, but being kissed
while you're asleep and forced to marry that person... I wonder if the princess
is actually okay with that?
「And you know, the water in this lake
is cursed, so you must not drink it.」
「Eh, it's water you can't drink? Then
what about the water used for cooking? I drank the black tea normally, you
know.」
「That's water brought from far away
and stored in a water jug. We use the lake water for baths, but all the water
we consume comes from the water jug.」
「What about well water?」
「We have one, but she said you can't
drink that either. Mother said it will make your stomach hurt.」
Water you cannot drink. Water that causes stomachaches when
drunk. But the lake I saw from the terrace was so clear that you could see the
bottom.
「And yet it cannot be drunk.」
Why? What could be considered the cause? As I let my
thoughts wander, the sound of gentle breathing reached me from next to me.
That's right, she must be tired after traveling so much
today. I am tired, too. I'll think about the lake water tomorrow.
After gazing at the sky full of stars once more, I also slowly closed my eyes.
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