Old Castle by the Lake 3
The next day, the Director, the Marchioness,
and Karin went out to a nearby town. Ashren-sama and the Marquis
went on a long horseback ride.
I was invited to join the Director and the others,
but I chose to stay behind alone, saying I wanted to take a walk around the
lake.
「Now then, I wonder if this is enough
preparation.」
I packed various things I thought would be necessary into a
backpack I borrowed from a maid. I also asked the chef to make a sandwich for
me to eat for lunch, and placed it at the very top of my luggage so it wouldn't
get crushed. I prepared a slightly large canteen. Alright, my luggage is
perfect with this.
For my outfit, I prioritized ease of movement and wore a
knee-length dress I had bought, paired with lace-up boots. I tied my hair back
at the nape of my neck and threw on a long-sleeved jacket to prevent bug bites.
「Wow, this is an incredibly
uncoordinated outfit.」
My eyebrows naturally drooped at the sight of my own
reflection in the mirror. The sense of season and taste were completely
scattered. I don't really mind, though.
I checked once more to make sure I hadn't forgotten
anything, said "I'm heading out," and left the villa.
「I guess I'll head to the lake for
now.」
Needless to say, it's so close that you arrive immediately
just by turning right after leaving the villa. Since that area is rocky, I kept
walking along the edge of the lake until the ground under my feet turned into
gravel mixed with pebbles. Basking in the spring sunlight, the surface of the
lake sparkled brilliantly. Even though it's this beautiful, I wonder why the
water here cannot be drunk.
After walking for about ten minutes, I reached a place where
a small sandy beach spread out. I took off my shoes there, rolled my skirt up
to my thighs, and entered the lake. Of course, I had already confirmed that
there was no one around.
「Cold!」
I had expected it, but perhaps because it was morning, the
water was colder than I thought.
As I stood there, small waves washed up, and my toes
gradually got buried in the sand. I enjoyed that slightly ticklish sensation.
For a while, I looked at the tops of my feet wavering at the bottom of the
lake, but there was no particular itchiness or pain. No irritation, either.
When I twisted my body to look at the soft skin behind my knees, there was no
reddish tinge.
When I made the new medicine, I checked for any strain on
the skin on the inside of my wrist where the skin is thin. The reason I tested
it on the skin behind my knees this time... was simply because I wanted to
enter the lake. There is no particularly deep meaning to it.
「If you drink it, your stomach will
hurt, right.」
In other words, you won't die. I gathered my skirt with one
hand so it wouldn't touch the lake's surface, scooped up some water with the
other hand, and without hesitation, put it in my mouth.
To check the taste, I rolled the water over my tongue in the
manner of wine tasting, and finally spat it out with a ptoo. It lacks
refinement, but since no one is watching, it should be safe.
「I see. I've figured out the cause of
the stomachaches.」
Since tiny fish were swimming around my feet, I thought it
wasn't poisonous, but so that's how it is. In that case, the fact that the well
water cannot be drunk also makes sense.
「Now then, that makes the small
island in the middle of the lake even more mysterious.」
Ever since I heard the story last night, I've found it
strange. Why is there an old castle on the island?
After all, the lake water cannot be drunk, and neither can
the well water. The drinking water used at the villa is brought all the way
here.
If that's the case, how did the people living in that old
castle secure their drinking water? Since it's called an old castle, a fair
number of people must have lived there. Why would they go out of their way to
build a castle in a place where drinking water had to be transported by boat
every single time?
「I'm curious.」
When there's something I'm curious about, I can't be
satisfied until I investigate it; that is the nature of a researcher.
Fortunately, there's a rowboat at the pier jutting out into the lake, and since
it's a lake, there are hardly any waves. The distance to the island is also...
probably fine, I think.
Getting out of the lake, I took a towel from my backpack,
carefully wiped my feet, and put my boots back on. Then, I started walking
toward the pier.
I chose the boat furthest in the back among those lined up
at the pier, and when I timidly stepped in, it swayed unsteadily.
「Eek.」
I instinctively crouched down and hooked my arms over the
edge of the boat as if clinging to it. I waited in that posture for the swaying
to subside, then let go of the edge, leaned out, and reached for the rough rope
tying the boat to the pier. However, it was tied tighter than I expected and
wouldn't come undone easily. Rather than just being tight, I suppose I should
say it's a unique way of tying it.
「...What are you doing?」
After five minutes of struggling with the rough rope. An
exasperated voice came from above my head.
「Ashren-sama! Why are you here!?」
「My brother said he would go to town
with Karin and the others after all. So I came looking for you, thinking
we could take a walk together or something, but... you intend to go quite far
for a walk, don't you.」
「...Since the weather is so nice, I
thought I'd eat lunch on the boat.」
Considering Karin had told me I shouldn't go to the
island, I felt it would be better to play dumb here.
「That's a lot of luggage. Is that all
food?」
「...You get hungry when you're
surrounded by rich nature, you know.」
「Those are shoes that look like you
could even wade through bushes in them.」
「...」
「Your canteen is huge too; no
problems with hydration, huh.」
That face looking at me with narrowed, grinning eyes seemed to
know exactly what I was trying to do. I had no choice but to give up, realizing
I couldn't gloss over this anymore.
「...Are you coming with me?」
「That is my line. Do you have any
experience rowing a boat?」
「I do not.」
But I feel like I can do it even without experience. From
the looks of it, it seemed easy.
「You have a surprisingly reckless
side to you. No, considering you followed me to this country just from me
calling out to you, I suppose your reckless nature is guaranteed.」
Ashren-sama
hopped lightly into the boat and untied the rough rope in the blink of an eye.
Apparently, there's a special knot used by sailors.
「Shall we go, then? We're heading for
that island, right?」
「Yes.」
As I nodded as if resigning myself, Ashren-sama
looked down at me with satisfaction. Since it has come to this, the initiative
is probably in Ashren-sama's hands. But I wonder since when he had been
watching me. When I peered into his ice-blue eyes questioningly, his lips
curved wickedly as if to say he saw right through my thoughts.
「How did the lake water taste?」
「...You have tasted it before too,
haven't you, Ashren-sama.」
「When I was a child. Today, I was
able to witness something quite stimulating.」
「Please forget that right this
instant.」
Thinking that he had seen all the way up to my thighs, my
face grew hot. But since he was surely watching from a distance, he shouldn't
have been able to see clearly. Right. Surely. Probably.
「I didn't think you had the hobby of
a peeping tom. Please erase it from your memory.」
「It was force majeure. Or
rather, you were far too defenseless. It was nerve-wracking for the one
watching.」
No, call out to me at that timing, then. Watching secretly... as expected, he really is two-faced.
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