"……What a good child."
Peril gave a faint smile.
"I just need to bring you the root of the World Tree, right?"
"For now."
For now? Did he want something more?
As I furrowed my brows, Peril spoke as if he had been waiting.
"There's a child I'm keeping an eye on."
"……."
"It’d be even better if you could take care of her while you're at it."
I had a hunch, but decided to pretend I didn’t know.
"Who might you be referring to……?"
"Idette. She's like a foal that could bolt off in any direction, and it's driving me mad."
Peril’s face was full of smiles as he said that.
It gave me chills to witness his pure smile for the first time.
At this point, Idette seemed more formidable than the emperor.
Surely it hadn’t been long since Peril woke up, but when had he become like this…….
Rubbing my goosebump-covered arm, I nodded.
Of course, if the teacher says so, I must obey.
* * *
It was somewhat understandable that Peril was worried about Idette.
From now on, the path Idette had to walk was nothing but a thorny one.
And today was precisely the day the first gate of that thorny path would open for her.
"It’s been a while, Lady Bianca."
Hestia spread open her fan and gave a gentle smile with her eyes.
"Have you been well?"
"Fortunately, I’m feeling much better."
I gave a brief reply and looked around for Idette, who stood awkwardly. Once she spotted me, Idette quickly smiled.
Hestia, having noticed her, turned away almost immediately and pretended not to see.
In the original story, there were three incidents where Idette almost died, and one of them was today.
"The weather's so nice, I asked my father for a special favor."
Hestia, wearing a pleasant expression, gazed out at the lakeside. The lake, glinting under the sunlight, was truly beautiful.
"Oh my, Your Highness!"
Johanna gushed at the sight of the ornate boats.
"If two people ride each, the numbers would be just right……."
Hestia’s eyes turned to Idette.
"Oh dear, one person’s left over."
Idette forced a smile and spoke up.
"I’m fine."
In the meantime, Johanna came over to me.
"Lady Bianca, shall we ride together?"
I remembered that in the original story, Bianca had ridden with Johanna. But since I’d also received a request from Peril, I couldn’t ignore Idette.
Never had I envied Rayler on her trip so much.
"I’m sorry, Lady Johanna."
I apologized to Johanna and approached Idette.
"I’ll ride with Lady Idette."
At my words, Hestia’s expression gradually hardened. I met her gaze with a faint smile. Next to me, Idette tried to dissuade me, saying she was fine, but I was not.
Because the boat Idette was supposed to board was going to sink beneath the surface.
Teacher Peril, are you watching?
I’m really trying my best…….
"I didn’t expect Lady Bianca to be acquainted with Lady Idette. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy the boat ride as planned with Lady Johanna?"
Apparently, Hestia had no intention of dragging the young lady of the Marquisate underwater with her, so she tilted her head skeptically.
"I grew quite close with Lady Idette during the hunting competition."
"What a shame. I thought Lady Bianca and I would get along well. Weren’t we in similar positions?"
Hestia had lost Erkishian, and I had lost Ricardo to Idette.
That might have been true for the original Bianca, but things had changed now.
"How could I be similar to the noble princess? That’s too generous of you."
Hestia turned her head as if telling me to do as I pleased. Then she gave some instructions to her attendants.
It seemed like she was giving directions regarding the boat Idette would board.
Seriously, playing around with someone’s life is a bit much.
As Hestia was having the boat repaired, I turned my gaze to Idette, who was standing behind me.
Idette opened her mouth with a touched expression.
"You really didn’t have to go this far……."
Her harmless face did make me feel a little guilty.
"If you ever get into a tough spot, you can use my name anytime. You can even go around bragging that I’m your closest friend."
Like Peril, or Peril Edwin……
Thinking I was joking, Idette let out a small laugh.
* * *
The calm lake was peaceful, filled with the laughter of the ladies.
Except for me and Idette.
‘You dare take revenge like this?’
While the other boats had attendants rowing for them, ours didn’t have a single one.
〈We brought the right number of attendants. What a shame.〉
From the start, there had been no plan for an attendant to board Idette’s boat. What a petty princess she was.
Sweating buckets, I rowed hard while Idette, seemingly suited for rowing, wore a cheerful smile. As I stared at her intently, Idette spoke up with a sheepish expression.
"I used to go boating quite often in my hometown. It was my grandmother’s only hobby."
"I’m glad I ended up on the same boat as you, Lady Idette."
At my words, Idette's cheeks flushed pink. But only for a moment—her face soon darkened.
A moment later, Idette carefully opened her mouth.
"Lady Bianca, there’s something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"……Unlike the noisy rumors, there’s nothing going on between me and the Duke."
What followed was quite a surprise.
As I blinked in a daze, Idette continued in a quiet voice.
"I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now."
"……."
"I can’t go into detail right now, but the Duke and I……."
Just then, the wind blew.
I brushed my windblown hair aside and turned my head. The rippling surface of the water looked a bit unstable.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt it—others enjoying the boat ride were also starting to head back.
"……Shall we go back?"
At my words, Idette nodded cautiously.
But more than that—so it wasn’t what I had thought between Ricardo and Idette.
My head grew muddled. Was this only Idette’s view?
If not, did that mean their feelings hadn’t progressed much? I couldn't make sense of it.
……But Ricardo clearly looked like he had feelings for Idette. Even at the banquet, he had only eyes for her.
Besides, I had the original story.
A book that described the reasons why Ricardo couldn’t help but fall in love with Idette.
I paused my thoughts and turned my gaze to the shimmering lake. Though it wasn’t the sea, ripples spread across the surface as if there were waves.
No, more than that……
I couldn’t take my eyes off the lake, as if something had enchanted me.
I was sure I saw something. Was it just my imagination?
Chills crept up my spine.
"……Lady Bianca?"
Idette called out to me, puzzled. I quickly looked away from the water, pretending nothing was wrong, but my mind was in chaos.
What did I just see?
……Could it have been a water ghost?
And then, it happened.
The boat tilted sharply.
"Lady Bianca!"
Idette called out in a shrill voice as I lost my balance, but it was no use. She, too, followed me into the lake just like in the original story.
'……Ah, damn it.'
Wasn’t the boat supposed to be fixed?
My body sank below the surface. Just as my vision turned pitch black, my feet touched the bottom.
"……!"
I cautiously opened my eyes. I had definitely gone under, but I could breathe just fine.
It felt like I was trapped inside a room. I reached out clumsily, but touched nothing.
……Where on earth is this?
Just then, a silhouette appeared.
Was it Idette?
The moment I took a step to rush toward her, a vision surged over me like a wave.
I stared, frozen, at the familiar illusion.
* * *
"Idette’s coming to the palace today too, I heard."
Roam snickered and tapped Ricardo’s arm.
"Shouldn’t you go? The princess seems pretty irritated about it."
"Don’t be ridiculous."
Ricardo brushed off Roam’s words.
"What? Don’t you have feelings for Idette?"
"……."
"The only women you’ve gotten close to are Bianca and Idette. Well, Bianca was the one clinging to you one-sidedly, anyway."
Roam continued in a grumbling voice.
"You’re the one who asked how to break off the engagement."