She was so tired from trying to avoid eye contact with them all day.
Camilla sank back into the carriage chair and let out another long sigh.
'This is why money is good.'
She smiled at the comfort of the carriage, which lightly swayed. The occasional slight vibration was actually pleasant when she was tired.
She groaned and closed her eyes. She wished she could just sleep like this.
"Lady Camilla, we have arrived."
But after a while, the silent air was disturbed by the coachman's carefully spoken words.
Camilla quickly dismounted from the carriage, hiding her disappointment.
"…"
The sky had turned a deep red as the sun slowly set. Camilla, who had gotten out of the carriage, stared at the sky for a moment.
'Come to think of it, it's my first time seeing it.'
Shortly after entering Camilla's body, she had no time to leisurely gaze at the sunset sky.
It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but she's been living a busy life.
She has been trying so hard to survive.
'Though, the situation she's in is still not good.'
Still, the sky is pretty.
"Camilla."
Camilla was staring blankly at the sky when she heard a voice calling her name.
"Father?"
The Duke of Sorpel was at the entrance.
Camilla tilted her head as she watched him come toward her.
What was he doing here at this time of day? Who's coming?
Even so, it's not often that you'll be greeted at the entrance.
"Are you coming?"
It was a simple greeting. A very ordinary greeting to a daughter who had been to the academy.
But why…
"Camilla?"
"…"
"…! Camilla! What's wrong?"
Camilla's eyes suddenly flushed, and the Duke of Sorpel hurried over to her.
Camilla was equally baffled.
'This is crazy.'
Why was she crying?
Even Camilla herself didn't know why… why she was crying…
'Ah.'
It's her first time.
It was something she's never heard before in her life.
'Are you coming?'
Yes, it's her first time.
An unlit house that always welcomed her.
Whether she was living with her parents or in an orphanage, it was always the cold darkness that greeted her.
"…"
Camilla bit her lip; she felt like she was going to burst into tears if she didn't.
"Child, what's wrong?"
But the Duke of Sorpel's concerned voice as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders made her cry.
"Uh—"
"Camilla?"
The Duke of Sorpel's face hardened at the sight of his daughter sobbing like a child. What had happened at the Academy?
The Duke of Sorpel looked at Camilla with concern and eventually embraced her. He gently stroked her back.
The touch made Camilla cry out again.
She didn't cry when her mother died. She didn't cry when people gossiped behind her back.
Even when her father came to her and asked for money, she didn't shed any tears.
If anything, she smiled even more brightly, as if there was nothing sad in the world.
However…
'Are you coming?'
Those words made her burst into tears.
"…"
She cried so hard.
Camilla raised her bloodshot eyes to look at the Duke of Sorpel. At his still worried expression, she smiled wryly.
And then she said something she'd never said before in her life.
"I'm home."
The Duke of Sorpel stared at Camilla wordlessly for a moment, then gently stroked her hair.
"Welcome home."
Chapter. An Unexpected Meeting
She kicked the duvet.
Kick! Kick!
"Argh…"
How embarrassing!
Thump-thump!
Kicking the covers off of her, Camilla rolled onto her stomach and pounded her hand against her pillow.
She couldn't get out of bed without thinking about yesterday.
'Crazy, crazy, crazy.'
What a disgrace!
She vividly recalled the faces of the people who watched her walk up to the Duke of Sorpel with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Everyone's eyes were wide and their mouths were open, as if they were at a loss for words.
Even Ludville and Ravi looked at her dumbfounded!
'Why was everyone out at that time of day!?'
Thump-thump!
It seems like Donna didn't have to dust off her pillows today.
"What are you doing, huh?"
"…!"
As she wallowed in self-pity, Camilla flinched at the sound of a voice. She looked up quickly and saw Ravi staring at her with pitying eyes.
"How can you still be doing that? Are you not going to eat?"
"…I'll eat."
Part of her wanted to skip the meal, but she didn't eat anything last night. She was so exhausted that as soon as she entered her room, she fell right to sleep.
"Hurry up and get ready."
"…"
With that, Camilla let out a small sigh as she watched Ravi's back as he turned and left.
Okay, enough with the embarrassment. She can't starve when she's trying to make a living.
As she was getting ready to leave the room, there was an unexpected figure in the doorway.
"…?"
Ravi? She thought he left first…
"Snail."
"Since when have snails been this pretty?"
"...I'm just genuinely curious, where does your confidence come from?"
"My face?"
"…"
"…Okay. You don't have to make that face."
When she saw Ravi waiting for her, she couldn't help but smile.
Come to think of it, she's hardly seen his backside lately. At some point, he started walking at her pace, as he does now.
"…"
Ravi's gaze flicked to Camilla as he shifted his feet.
He frowned for a moment at Camilla's swollen eyes, then clicked his tongue and pulled something out of his bosom.
"Take it."
Swish—!
"Wha—?"
Camilla nonchalantly snatched it as it flew toward her.
"What's this?"
It was a bracelet. Blue gemstones were embedded in a thin gold band.
"Throw it."
"What?"
"Throw it at someone you don't like."
"Excuse me?"
Could you please explain it properly? What do you want me to throw? What's this bracelet?
"It's a magic bracelet."
"Magic?"
"It has the effect of tying them up."
"What?"
Was he suggesting to throw it at someone she doesn't like to tie them up?
Camilla looked back and forth between the bracelet and Ravi in disbelief. Why was he giving her this out of the blue?
"Don't have a fit, just throw it."
"…"
What's the correlation between her crying and the bracelet?
As she looked at him blankly, Ravi hurriedly walked away, perhaps embarrassed by what he had said.
The sight of it gave her a hunch.
'So uh…'
Did he think she cried because she was getting bullied?
"Ha…"
Camilla eventually burst into laughter.
"Brother! Let's go together."
"Why aren't you calling me properly?"
"But Brother…"
"…?"
"Wouldn't people criticize me more if I walked around with this bracelet?"
"Don't worry."
"Why?"
"Because you don't have a reputation to lose."
…Laugh, she'll just laugh today.
Ravi's harsh assessment didn't stop Camilla from smiling pleasantly. It was a somewhat sentimental morning.
* * *
'The spring flowers are falling.'
As summer approached, the campus was studded with blooming spring flowers. Countless petals were falling, blown by the wind, on the side of the lake where she stood.
[Miss, I think the water is very warm now.]
Camilla glanced over at Derrin, the butler ghost, who was smiling at her, trying to hide his nervousness.
"I think it's still cold—"
[No, no. Some people play in the water in this time of year.]
Camilla's gaze snapped back to the lake in front of her, a crystal-clear lake.
The quality of the blue lake—
'It looks really cold.'
She hates the cold.
[Lady Camilla—]
"I know. I know."
She knew.
The Spirit Lake.
That's what people called it. They say a spirit lived here or something.
The lake is said to be undiscovered, but it has many legends and is considered to be one of the symbols of the Fabler Imperial Academy.
'The problem is…'
She's supposed to dive in there—
'Why is it underwater?'
According to Herschel, a former Duke of Sorpel, this is where the damn egg of the Divine Beast was.
They say a place under an oil-lamp is dark[1].
The Duke of Sorpel has traveled all over the continent in search of the Divine Beast, but he has never come to this place.
She heard that Ludville was also a graduate of the academy, but perhaps he didn't have the pendant of the Divine Beast in his possession at the time.
'Or have you never been to the Spirit Lake?'
Due to its distance from the main building, it was surprisingly not visited by many people, even though it is a representative place of the Academy.
Well, even if it's not—
"Who's going to come when there's not a ray of sunshine? Maybe this dreary atmosphere is good…"
Camilla muttered in a tired voice as she looked at the trees.
The area around the Spirit Lake was said to be controlled by the spirits, so the Academy didn't dare touch it.
"Still, it's a place that represents the Academy in name and color, so it's something to pay attention to."
Camilla stretched her hand out toward the lake.
Slosh.
"…!"
It's cold!
She pulled her hand out of the water quickly. Camilla turned and glared at Darren.
"You liar."
It's not warm!
[Miss…]
"It's too cold."
[Sir Herschel has been waiting for a while now.]
"Tell him to wait a little longer."
[But Miss—]
"Let's wait a little while longer. Maybe it'll get warmer then."
[Hu…]
"Don't cry, I'm not falling for it anymore."
[…Okay.]
Glancing at the lake, which was so deep she couldn't see the bottom, Camilla shuddered and walked away.
Crunch.
"…"
A moment later, someone jumped out of the tree.
He stared in silence for a moment at the spot where Camilla had disappeared. There was a strange gleam in the man's eyes.
The man raised his head, Arsian's dark eyes flickering slightly.
"What was she doing?"
—————
[1] "등잔 밑이 어둡다더니" a phrase/proverb that basically describes something that someone fails to see even though he or she should. It's a common idiom that's used when something you've been trying to find was actually right under your nose.