The Villainess in the Romance Fantasy Is Strange

30. Just the Two of Us to the Sea (2)

Jejungjeon (帝中the interior of the palace.

It seems that the emperor’s enormous power has been transferred as it is. In the guest rooms of Jejungjeon, where beautiful ornaments and antique furniture are lined up.

The head of the Eleves family, Macmillan von Eleves, is a close friend. He was chatting with Viscount Ludwig de Louis.

“Count, I heard that you were unable to attend the meeting held yesterday and the day before yesterday. If the Count, who doesn’t miss anything of the great and small of the empire, is away, did he have any urgent business?”

“Well, since my daughter wants to see my face for the first time in a while. She took a little time to visit her home.”

“If you are the count’s daughter……. Isn’t that Miss Leah, who always proudly said that?”

“Yes, I turned 17 this year.”

“Yes, what. That’s right, my daughter is the same age as Miss Leah, so I’m well aware of it.”

No matter how much it is. To see her daughter’s face instead of attending the meeting?

It wasn’t like this before, but as she gets older, she devotes her utmost sincerity to her daughter. Macmillan seems to really care for his daughter terribly.

“Oh, come to think of it, did your daughter get off to a good start?”

“I personally saw you off from home yesterday morning. As if looking forward to seeing the beach near the famously beautiful Viscount Louise with his own two eyes, he had a very happy smile right before he left his house.”

As she pictured in her mind her own daughter, who had left behind her words, ‘Thank you, Dad!’, Macmillan smiled heartily.

“Oh, is that so? That’s great. It’s hard to say with my own mouth, but the beach in our estate has a reputation for being beautiful. Perhaps your daughter will not be disappointed.”

“I guess so. I also went to visit often with my wife when I was young, so I know it well.”

“Don’t talk like that. Isn’t it a while now?”

“Me and my wife are now in their 40s, so what, Ludwig? Don’t be foolish for others to hear.”

“Yes, I am sorry. Old man.”

“Uh-huh, this person is all the way.”

Macmillan furrowed his eyebrows, and Ludwig grinned. Such a flawless appearance proves that the two of them shared friendship by immediately transcending the titles and ages that were divided into five ranks.

Ludwig smiled smirkingly as he looked at Macmillan, who had clear wrinkles on his arms.

“Count, did you hear the news?”

“News, what news?”

“Hasn’t the second prince, Vern von Edward, been confined to the imperial palace since he rejected the engagement? But actually, he didn’t live in seclusion, he secretly went out of the palace. So far, they have not been caught because they have set up a similar person as a stand-in. Instead, rumors are very widespread among the nobles who participated in the meeting.”

“Oh, you mean that.”

Macmillan replied as if it was nothing, shaking her head lazily.

Ludwig hesitated for a moment, then looked around him and asked cautiously.

“Did you know?”

“Everyone knows.”

‘I was the one who found a substitute for the second prince, so how could I not know?’

Concealing that thought, Macmillan nodded her head.

Ludwig opened his eyes wide and seemed surprised, but then he exclaimed as if he deserved it.

“hahahahaha, I’m sure the Count didn’t know what I knew. Why? Did Prince Bern hate meeting the fiancé that the imperial family had arranged for him so much?”

“Isn’t it true that high-ranking people have their own circumstances?”

“Huh, it’s only the high-ranking people’s circumstances….”

Viscount Louis sneered in silence, and after confirming that there was no one around, he added another word.

“Count Heo Myeon, do you know where Prince Bern has gone? Seeing that the imperial family didn’t make any big moves even though the second prince disappeared, it means that they haven’t gone too far and are still under surveillance. I can’t guess the destination with my head.”

“Don’t you think you are asking too many things empty-handed? Ludwig?”

The nobility’s unspoken rule, give and take. It meant that if you wanted to hear the answer to the question, you had to pay the corresponding price.

Ludwig pondered for a moment, then he waved his hand as if he was done.

“Ugh, that’s all right. Don’t listen And, in fact, I wasn’t even curious. My daughter’s soon-to-be debut is more important than Prince Berne, who is someone else’s business.”

“…… Debutant, are our daughters already that old?”

Macmillan opened her lips slightly, then slowly closed them at the passage of time that he felt anew.

“Yes, because I am 17 this year. But I’m worried. After her daughter’s debut dance, she has to seriously look for a marriage partner, but all boys from decent families have a fiancée. This, if she had known it was going to be like this, she would have done it in the womb.”

“… ….”

Marriage.

My daughter’s wife.

Macmillan twitched his eyebrows as he chewed over two words that were somehow jarring.

However, Ludwig must have misunderstood the intention behind Macmillan’s actions, and muttered as if he was very envious.

“Oh, what. Of course, the Count’s daughter is a good partner. You may not understand the worries of a guy like me.”

“…… What does it mean to have a good opponent?”

“There is a boy who always hangs out with Ms. Leah. Was she the third son of the Reinhard family? I heard from my daughter that she was so good at swordsmanship that she took the second place in her freshman class.”

“That child is Leah’s escort limb, not her fiancé or anything. Has he misunderstood something?”

“Yes? It can’t be. She’s the one her daughter says, she’s between the two of them in the academy…….”

In Ludwig’s mind, muttering, ‘Dad, this is a real secret…’ My daughter’s request, starting with ‘.’, Passed by.

“… ….”

Ah, that’s right. This is what she said she should never say.

Belatedly recalling his promise to his daughter, Ludwig abruptly shut his mouth, but the water had already been spilled.

Macmillan, who had been chewing on Ludwig’s words for a long time, raised the corner of his mouth in the most friendly way possible and smiled—it looked like a sly grin in Ludwig’s eyes, but—and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Ludwig. No, my close friend, Viscount Ludwig de Louis?”

“…… Yes?”

“I would like to hear more about the story I just told you.”

* * *

“Uhh, it’s a sakshin….”

After sitting in the wagon for half a day, my whole body feels sore.

I got off the carriage, loosened my stiff muscles, and measured the time.

It looks like it’s roughly lunchtime when the sun is up in the middle of the sky. As if the distance between Viscount Louis and Eleves was far, it was already early in the morning, but it was already this time.

“Hey, hey, hey…… !”

Later, Lia got off and started stretching noisily. She leaned on my right shoulder the whole time she was moving, and when she woke up after dozing off, she looked very refreshed, unlike me.

“Lia-sama, I will carry your bag.”

I said as I unloaded each person’s luggage from the wagon. Unlike me, who only packed simple things because the scheduled date is 2 days and 1 night, Lia has a full bag of what she brought so much.

Because Leah is a girl. I know what you need this and that, but no matter how much, isn’t this a bit much. I was about to tie her straps and put it on, but Leah came over and snatched her bag.

“Oh, no. It’s okay, it’s mine, so I’ll carry it.”

“It looks quite heavy, are you sure you are okay with it?”

“Ugh, it’s okay …… That, than that. When are we going to the beach?”

“I am all set. Would you like to go right away?

“Well, I need a hair tie, but…. Hey, would it be okay without it? Let’s go, Cain.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The beach, where Lia and I are going, and where water dragons are often seen, is not too far from here.

If you walk along the coastline for about 30 minutes, you will see a golden sandy beach. This is the resting place of the dragon, which is reputed to be the most beautiful and also the most dangerous in Viscount Lewis.

As you can tell just by looking at the name of the beach, this is a place frequented by water dragons, enough to be called a dragon’s resting place.

According to the story, water dragons love the sands of this beach so much that they are often sighted several times a day.

As an outsider who doesn’t know the circumstances, you might wonder why no action is taken on such a dangerous beach. There’s a pretty simple reason for this.

First of all, water dragons are the least violent among the dragon species. They don’t attack people unless they get close.

Secondly, water dragons are a Class A endangered species. There is no guarantee of subjugation even if one tolerable knight corps clings to it.

In other words, put it simply. It is said that he left it halfway alone because he could not waste the precious knights power on a water dragon that was not dangerous if he did not approach it.

“Huh? Cain, look at this. Is there a signpost or something?”

“Caution, this is the Dragon’s Rest. Access by unauthorized personnel is prohibited… ….”

I read the warning text on the signpost and raised my head.

From far away, you can see the beach.

“Looks like we’ve come a long way.”

“…… Huh.”

Holding hands with the nervous Lia, we moved closer towards the beach.

One step, two steps, three steps.

The smell gets stronger with each step. This strange smell, like a mix of salty and fishy smells, is probably a pheromone left by the water dragons that come and go here as if it were their own home.

After passing the golden sandy beach, we settled down a little away from the blue sea where the bottom was clearly visible.

Looking around, you can see the calm waves rolling in the sea and shells scattered all over the beach.

If you look only at the atmosphere, it might be a picture-like seaside scenery that only appears in foreign movies, but this is the realm of Class A dangerous water dragons.

If I get caught in a surprise attack after being intoxicated by the beauty, Leah could be in danger, let alone my body. When I think of that, the back of my neck goes into strength.

“Lia-sama, you don’t know when and where a water dragon will pop out, so don’t be vigilant. No matter what happens around here…….”

“Cain. Can I go pick some flowers for a minute?”

“…… Ah yes. You see.”

He slowly let go of the hand he was holding tightly and nodded shyly.

“But you can’t go far. As you know, this is the realm of water dragons-“

“Yes, yes. I know, I know. I’ll be within 50 meters, so can you stop nagging and turn around? Get me some clothes to change into.”

“Yes.”

“…… Oh, you can’t look at me until I say I’m done. Even if you hear footsteps, you must never, never look at me. Understand?”

“Okay.”

The sound of Lia’s footsteps, which had repeatedly begged for trust, faded away.

I slightly turned his head and watched Leah, who was walking with something in both of his hands, disappear behind a cleft in the rocks. I slowly got up from my seat.

Since Leah is a girl, it will take a while, so let’s take advantage of her absence to do something.

“Let’s see, my bag… ….”

Muttering to herself, she opened her bag and pulled out a swimsuit and a magic tool that served as a parasol.

The world I am in is a romance fantasy world where historical research is arbitrary, so almost all the tools women need are prepared in the form of ‘magical tools’.

“Is this how you do it?”

I clicked the button attached to the end of the long stick. Then boom-! With a loud sound, a white and red parasol brim popped out.

I dipped a parasol stick firmly into the sand, and using it as a cover, I took off my clothes and changed into a swimsuit.

“…… After, done.”

An umbrella and a swimsuit. At first glance, it might seem like he’s trying to make you feel like you’re at the beach, but that’s not the case.

Since this area is near the sea, the sunlight reflecting back and forth is no joke. You don’t know when the water dragon will pop out, but won’t your skin get burned if you keep basking in the sun while you wait?

It doesn’t matter to me because I’m a man, but that’s not the case with Lia. The parasol is prepared for Lia, and the swimsuit is my own secret plan for an underwater battle with a water dragon.

This is the seaside, so wearing the academy uniform or casual clothes that are made of materials that absorb water is no different from fighting with a penalty.

In that case, it would be much better to just wear one of these comfortable boxer swimsuits.

“Ugh.”

I tried lying down on the spot to see if it was well covered by the sun. The face, neck, upper body, waist, and thighs are covered, but the lower part of the calf protrudes.

“Hmm….”

Is sunscreen necessary for perfect sun protection?

Did I bring a magic tool that acts as sunscreen-. At that moment, I was thinking about doing something leisurely.

──Rubbish.

Above my head, covered by a parasol, I heard someone’s presence.

“…… Uh hmm! Hey, Cain?”

It goes without saying that the owner of these footsteps and voice is Leah.

I immediately jumped up from my seat and tried to raise my upper body. Before that, Leah quickly came over and covered my eyes with her hands.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t even see Lia properly as she stood still.

“Lia-sama?”

“Now, wait a minute. Just stay there for a second. Let me prepare my heart…….”

Suddenly, what kind of mental preparation?

I was very curious, but I had my eyes covered so I wasn’t sure what was going on. While I was in a daze, Leah cleared her throat and withdrew her hand.

“…… Whoa, yeah. You can see it now.”