Two Lovers Heading to Etle
Shuri, the dedicated personal maid who had served Ariel for many years, had a lover of her own—one she had been with for quite a long time. His name was Ronan Billiard. As the son of the man currently serving as the Grand Ducal castle’s gardener, Ronan was somewhat curt on the surface, yet gentle at heart. He tended to yield to Shuri in most things, always showing her quiet consideration.
He had been summoned quite suddenly on a day when the sky was brilliantly clear. He and his father had been tending the garden together, both as work and as instruction, when he spotted a single white bryony in full bloom. The flower reminded him so strongly of his lover’s face that he had been contemplating picking it as a gift when Shuri appeared, calling for him with an urgency that made her stomp her feet in place. Today, of all days, she looked unusually excited.
Ronan had been reluctant to leave at first—there was still work to be done—but his father gave permission. He changed his clothes and stepped out of the castle, only to find her waiting for him in civilian attire. Because they saw each other so often within the castle walls, they were usually in their work uniforms. Seeing her dressed so differently made her look endlessly lovely in his eyes.
“What’s this about?”
His tone was, as always, rather blunt. Emotions rarely showed on Ronan’s face. Yet Shuri, long accustomed to his manner, simply broke into a wide smile and began bouncing on the spot.
“Actually, the young lady went to Etle with the young master today!”
“Etle?”
The familiar name made Ronan tilt his head. It was a well-known tourist destination, and the two of them had visited it together before. Still, he couldn’t see what connection there was between the Robeheim heiress and her lover traveling to Etle and the fact that he and Shuri had left the castle early. They certainly weren’t planning to follow and watch over them.
“Yeah! So I thought, why don’t we go after them?”
“……”
She really meant it. Ronan pressed a hand to his forehead, inwardly scolding himself for underestimating her. I’m sorry, my lady. To think that his failure to properly educate his childhood friend—now his lover—had led to this. He offered Ariel a silent apology before opening his mouth again, at least willing to hear her out.
“Do you even know where they went?”
“Ehehe, I have my ways!”
“……?”
Unless she had planted a tracking spell on them, he had no idea how she could possibly know. But Ronan knew better than anyone that Shuri was not the type to boast without basis, so part of him grew genuinely curious about her method.
Sensing the questioning look in his eyes, the petite maid shrugged her small shoulders, then proudly produced a single sheet of paper.
“‘Notable places in Etle…?’” Ronan read the largest letters at the top aloud, his head tilting further to one side.
Shuri lifted her chin with an almost haughty expression, as if to say listen carefully, and continued her explanation. Had Ariel seen this, she would surely have found it irritating and delivered swift punishment.
“I wrote the exact same list and gave it to the young lady. Hehe, so if we just follow this, we’ll end up in the same places!”
“You really have guts, don’t you?”
Ronan shook his head in disbelief. What would she do if they were caught? And even if they weren’t, he couldn’t fathom what meaning this reckless escapade was supposed to have. More than anything, he worried whether she had properly finished her duties before leaving. She could be scatterbrained at times, but she was usually meticulous about work. Even so, his unease refused to fade.
“Did you get permission? What about your tasks?”
“The young lady told me to take the day off?”
“Ah……”
At that, Ronan let out a low sigh. If the mistress herself had ordered rest, then resting was the correct course of action. Especially for a personal maid—her lady’s words carried more weight than gold. It seemed there was legitimate justification after all. To stop this dangerous outing, he would need a different approach.
After thinking for a moment, he brought out his ultimate weapon.
“What will you say if the young lady catches us?”
“T-that… I haven’t thought about it yet……”
“Haa.”
Wondering if this girl had truly reached the age for her coming-of-age ceremony, Ronan let out a deep, weary sigh as a wave of skepticism washed over him. She used to be calmer when she was younger. The older she got, the more impulsive she became. Had someone been a bad influence?
“…We can’t?”
“Of course we can’t. If the young lady finds out, both of us will be in serious trouble.”
“She… wouldn’t forgive us?”
Her complete lack of countermeasures made him want to rap her tiny head with his knuckles, but Ronan barely held himself back. I’ll have to take a firmer stance. It didn’t seem she would listen to words alone. He would need to show her through action. The moment he turned to head back into the castle—
Grab.
“I-it’s been so long… I just want to have fun together… okay?”
“……”
Shuri’s small hand, which couldn’t even fully wrap around his wrist, caught him and held him in place. She looked up at him with the pitiful, wide-eyed gaze of an abandoned kitten, pleading silently. Ronan stared down at her for a long moment before his head finally dropped in defeat.
Taking that as surrender, Shuri let out a bright “Yay!” and instantly returned to her cheerful self, hopping up and down on the spot. No matter how ironclad a man’s defenses might be, one look from the woman he loved could reduce them to nothing. Such was the bittersweet fate of every man.
Compared to other parts of the North, the climate in Etle was relatively mild. Even so, “mild” only meant warmer than Hespania; it was still northern territory, and to people from other regions it felt quite cold. Nevertheless, this made it a popular tourist spot among northern residents. The dimensional stone connecting it to other regions was also only about forty minutes away by carriage, which helped its reputation grow steadily.
When Ariel arrived in Etle, the corners of her mouth refused to come down from the moment she stepped out of the carriage. The weather was comparable to that of Ardenum, where Edgar’s family home was located. She had dressed lighter than usual, and given her usual sensitivity to cold, the fact that she could endure it so comfortably spoke volumes.
“The weather is really nice, isn’t it?”
“It is. It’s exactly the kind of day you like.”
Thanks to having grown far more resilient to cold than before, this kind of weather felt positively welcoming to Ariel. She stretched with a satisfied groan and glanced around. A full smile still bloomed across her face, her eyes curved into gentle crescents. To Edgar, she looked like a single flower in full bloom.
“Mmm…! So where should we go first?”
“Didn’t Shuri write a list for you?”
“She did, but you might want to go somewhere else.”
Ariel had emphasized this point repeatedly during the carriage ride. Today wasn’t simply about her having fun—it was a day to repay Edgar, who had always done so much to make her happy. She also needed to tell him some things she hadn’t been able to say before, but that could wait until later.
“Go wherever you want. Anywhere is fine with me.”
He was grateful for her thoughtfulness, but Edgar knew almost nothing about Etle. Ariel had at least picked up some information through hearsay, while he was a complete outsider. Asking someone like him where he wanted to go would only leave him at a loss. It would be far better to head to the verified locations Shuri had written down.
Besides, from what he could tell, Ariel already had somewhere in mind.
The moment he finished speaking, Ariel stepped close and took his hand. There had been one place on Shuri’s list that kept catching her eye. Now that she had his permission, she had every intention of going there without hesitation.
“You’re sure it’s okay?”
“I already said yes.”
After confirming one last time, Ariel immediately began pulling him along. Edgar followed with a faint smile, matching her pace. They decided to save Etle’s famous “Unfreezing Lake” for later. Its most striking scenery only appeared after sunset, so this was merely a strategic retreat for now.
“How did Shuri know so much about this place anyway?”
“Hm? She said she came here with her lover once.”
“That explains it, then.”
Edgar gave a small chuckle and nodded in understanding. Once you visited a place with someone you loved, it was impossible to forget. He had also heard that Shuri, much like Helene, kept a daily diary. Both precious memories and painful ones were recorded there. She must have written about her time here with Ronan as well, and then passed that knowledge on to Ariel. Thanks to that, the two of them could simply enjoy the sightseeing in comfort.
Hm?
While walking beside Ariel rather than behind her, something tugged at Edgar’s senses. It wasn’t bloodlust—more like a heavy gaze. Yet when he looked around, nothing stood out. Is it just my imagination?
Perhaps he had grown overly sensitive after everything that had happened recently. Or maybe there really was someone watching them. Edgar had no way of knowing for certain, but he decided to stay alert. He turned his attention back to Ariel and continued walking, never dreaming that the watchful eyes belonged to another pair of lovers just like themselves.