Chapter 9: Mistle Lake

The long-awaited Mistle Lake.

At last, Father Citrine’s work had settled down, so with a few servants in tow, Faustina, Kane, and Citrine set out for a picnic together.
Ludmila and Elvira stayed behind.
Faustina had invited them yesterday, but Elvira gave the same answer as before, and Ludmila said she could not leave Elvira behind, so she remained at the estate this time.
The family’s exclusive carriage bearing the ducal crest was parked in front of the mansion.
Today, Faustina wore a violet one-piece dress suitable for easy movement and a wide-brimmed white hat.
A large sky-blue ribbon was tied from the side of the brim toward the front.
Her shoes were flat boots without heels.

While being seen off by the head butler and head maid, Faustina looked up at the sun shining in the sky.

Bathed in the dazzling sunlight.
Faustina smiled at Kane beside her.

“I’m really looking forward to it, Brother!”

“Yeah.
It’s my first time too, so I’ve been looking forward to it.”

Even when he accompanied Citrine to inspect the territory, Kane rarely went anywhere else, so he was secretly excited about today’s picnic as well.
After exchanging words with the head butler and head maid, Citrine turned to Ludmila, who had also come to see them off.

“We’ll be back before evening.”

“Yes.
Please be careful.”

“Mm.
Kane, Fauna, shall we get in?”

“Yes.”

With that cue, the two boarded the carriage.

Faustina and Kane sat side by side, while Citrine sat across from them.
After confirming all three were aboard, the coachman set the horses in motion.

As the carriage moved at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow, Faustina gazed out the window and then turned to Kane.

“I wonder what kind of animals live at Mistle Lake.”

“You’ll find out when we get there.
Father, will it be free time once we arrive?”

“As long as you don’t go too far, that’s fine.
But try to stay together as much as possible.
There are many docile animals, but that doesn’t mean they’ll never attack people.
And don’t approach them carelessly either.
Understood, Fauna?”

“Why only me?”

Pouting slightly in dissatisfaction, Faustina made a face, and Citrine smiled wryly.

“There are probably many animals at Mistle Lake that you’ll like, Fauna.
You mustn’t get too close and startle them.
If we don’t approach recklessly, the animals won’t do anything either.”

“Yes, Father.”

Faustina had no intention of approaching wild animals carelessly anyway.
It was enough to admire them from a distance.

She stared intently at the passing scenery, engraving it into her mind with a fresh sense of wonder.
In the past, she had never had the leisure to enjoy scenery like this.
Her mind had always been filled with thoughts of Bernhard and Elvira.
What could she do to make His Highness look at her, and what words could she say to make him smile at her the way he did at Elvira—those thoughts alone consumed her.

Shaking her head as if to cast aside those barren feelings from the past, she resumed chatting with Kane, hoping they would arrive soon.

It was no wonder Mistle Lake was famed as the clearest lake among those managed by the kingdom.
Seeing the enormous lake surrounded by abundant forests in person for the first time, Faustina’s pale yellow eyes sparkled as she carefully peered into the water.

“Amazing…
I heard it’s very deep, but it looks like the bottom is right there.”

What made Mistle Lake remarkable was not only its clarity.
It also had an abundant supply of spring water.
The lake was so vast that it alone could provide all the kingdom’s domestic water needs.

“Fauna.
That’s too close, it’s dangerous, so step back.”

“Yes.”

Called from behind by Citrine, Faustina reluctantly pulled away, telling herself there was still plenty of time.

Returning to where Citrine and the others were, Faustina sat on the picnic sheet spread out by the servants.
The basket they had brought contained sandwiches for lunch.

“Which one would you like, Brother?”

“Anything’s fine.
You can choose first, Fauna.”

“Then I’ll have the egg sandwich!”

Among all sandwiches, egg sandwiches were Faustina’s favorite.
They were simple—just sweet scrambled eggs grilled lightly and sandwiched between slices of bread with lettuce—but delicious.
She took a bite and smiled.

Besides the egg sandwiches, there were strawberry sandwiches, ham sandwiches, and lettuce sandwiches marinated in dressing.
The strawberry sandwiches were Elvira’s favorite, though she was not here today.
Between the beautiful lake and the strawberry sandwiches, Faustina thought again that it was a shame Elvira hadn’t come, and she took a second bite.

“Once we finish eating, we’ll have free time.
Fauna and Kane, stay together.”

“Okay.
Fauna, is there anywhere you want to go?”

“It doesn’t look like there are any swans around, like Father mentioned before.”

“If we wait, they might come down to the lake to rest their wings.”

“In that case, may I look into the lake a little more?
It’s so beautiful that I’d like to watch the fish swimming.”

After finishing lunch quickly, Faustina and Kane returned to the lakeside.

“It makes you want to jump right in.”

“Don’t you dare.
Even if it looks shallow, it’s sixty-three meters deep.”

“What!?
That deep…?”

There were four lakes in the kingdom with clarity comparable to Mistle Lake.
Among them, Mistle Lake had the greatest volume of spring water.
In terms of clarity alone, there were lakes that surpassed it.

“If we get the chance again, I’d like to see an even more beautiful lake next time.”

“Mistle Lake is already beautiful enough, but now you’ve made me curious.
It’d be nice if Elvira and Mother came along next time too.”

“Mother would probably come if Elvira were with her.”

“I won’t deny that.”

Kane smiled wryly.
As the next duke, Kane bore great expectations, especially from Ludmila.
Loved in a different way than Elvira, Kane could not read his mother’s coldness toward Faustina, the only child who resembled their father.
He had a certain suspicion, but if it were true, he felt sorry for Faustina.
Even if the adults had their own issues, it was all from before Faustina was born.

“I don’t want that to overlap.”

Kane’s murmur did not reach Faustina, who was absorbed in watching the small fish.
The two repeated the pattern of stopping to watch and then walking again.
After making their way around the vast lake over time, Citrine, who had been sketching, came over.

“Did you find any interesting fish?”

“The lake is so clear that we could see all the fish underwater, and we got completely absorbed.”

“I see, I see.
I’m glad I brought you here.
It’s not the season right now, so it’s just us here.
Sometimes it’s nice to relax like this.”

“I heard it’ll take about ten more days before Their Majesties return from the neighboring country’s ceremony, so Fauna.
You haven’t neglected your review and preparation, have you?”

“I’ve been doing it!”

Even while avoiding Bernhard’s visits, she was properly keeping up with her queenly education.
When Kane teased her, Faustina puffed out her cheeks, and Citrine laughed lightly.

“Hahaha.
Her Majesty’s evaluation of you is very good too.
Keep up the good work, Faustina.”

“Yes!”

As Citrine’s broad back returned to sketching, it overlapped with her memories of the past.
The last time she had seen that back was when she was disowned from the ducal house.
She still remembered, word for word, what her father said to her when she was expelled.

“…I’m sorry.
I didn’t notice.”

What kind of feelings did her father harbor when he scolded, struck her name from the family, and disowned his daughter who committed a grave mistake at the very end?

The back that had once seemed so large in her childhood had looked so small and frail then.

—If… if I really died in my previous life, did I at least avoid causing trouble for anyone at the very end?
Well, I was disowned from the ducal house, so it probably never reached anyone’s ears.

As she stared absentmindedly at her father’s back, Kane called out to her.
She had drifted into the past again.
Regaining her composure, Faustina suggested they go look for animals this time.

“We might even see swans resting their wings.”

“Yeah, you wanted to see swans, didn’t you?
But I don’t see any anywhere.”

There was no white in the vast greenery surrounding the lake.
Only Citrine sketching nearby could be seen.
At Faustina’s slumped shoulders, Kane gently stroked her cheek, avoiding her head because of the hat.

“I’ll ask Father to bring us again next time.
For today, let’s make it a fish-watching day.”

“That sounds good.
Oh!
Brother, want to make it a contest?”

“A contest?”

“Whoever finds the biggest fish first wins!”

“Heh.
All right.
Then what should the penalty be?”

“Eh, a penalty?”

“It’s more motivating that way.
Let’s see… since you’ve been eating too many snacks lately, Fauna, we’ll restrict your snacks for a while.”

“!?”

—No snacks!?

Snacks were the highlight of her day.
With that at stake, Faustina had no choice but to get serious.

Even though she proposed the contest herself, the moment snacks were on the line, she burned with determination not to lose.

The outcome went without saying.
Kane won.

On the carriage ride back, Faustina, now facing a period of restricted snacks, felt her initial joy turn into sorrow in an instant.
Smiling wryly, Citrine said he would ask the cook to prepare desserts with reduced sugar for her.

Even so, Faustina’s reply was utterly lifeless.