Chapter 4 – The Dangling of the Garden Lake Part 2

It’s been days since I’ve seen another life aside from Lari, and without knowing it, I made a loud noise. And the dog, as soon as I disturbed its peaceful moment, was immediately alerted and growled low at me.

At first glance, the dog didn’t seem to be pleased with my presence. So instead of getting close, I only stood still and observed the dog. The white fur was glossy, and the body had a moderate amount of flesh as if it had an owner.

The dog didn’t falter its gaze and was observing me in vigilance. At the same time, the dog showed its teeth. It was snarling, an obvious threat. But somehow, I believed that it would unlikely bite me.

But I’ll have to ask first, if I ever get bitten, will I get rabies in this world?

“I won’t touch you.”

Rather than being scared of the dog, I walked too much, and my legs hurt, so I just fell unceremoniously while letting out a big huff.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

The white dog seemed it was taken aback by my actions. It’s my first time getting a pathetic look from a dog.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, the Second Prince’s Palace was flipped over.

It was because Elle, who had collapsed due to tiredness, eventually fell asleep on the grass.

Elle, who was sleeping soundly because she became tired of working out a little, woke up to the noise.

“Lady Elle!”

Lari, who was crouching before me in bed, was crying with snots and all.

“…… Why are you crying?”

Elle asked with a half-awake expression and found out that there were other people behind Lari.

“Who are these—”

“Uwaaa—!”

Lari’s crying became a wail. It was hopeless to ask her for the time being, so I just observed the people standing rigidly.

By the looks of it, these people were the Imperial Knights, each was holding a decorative sword that seemed to be quite heavy, and they looked terrifying even if they all wore bright, colorful outfits.

I was confused at first if I was in the right place, and yet I’m in my bed. But the Second Prince’s Palace doesn’t have any guards stationed around, so why are they here?

“I thought Lady Elle was gone! I was so scared!”

“What do you mean I’m gone?”

“You have fallen right in the garden!”

I clamped my mouth tightly. I didn’t fall, but I did fall asleep. I don’t know what to say at this very moment, so one Knight took a step forward and asked me directly.

“What happened, Your Highness?”

“…… It’s, uhmm.”

“Yes?”

“….. I was just—”

“Please speak loudly.”

Elle shouted with a bright red face.

“I WAS SLEEPING!”

“……”

“……”

The echoes of the word “ping” flowed into the bedroom for a while.

* * *

The Knights with dumbfounded faces left to return to their post, and Lari, what am I hearing right now? She had a blank look on her face before she laughed incredulously as if she had belatedly grasped the absurd situation.

“No, why did you sleep there….!”

I was guilty when I saw how damp and swollen her eyes were from crying.

While watching the sunrise, I eventually fell asleep right on the grass, but when I woke up, I was in my bed. I noticed out the windows that the sky was already getting dim. So, basically, I fell asleep for the whole day.

Usually, Lari would have woken me up, but I was so spread out looking lifeless in the garden that she couldn’t even touch me because she immediately felt sick, believing I’m dead.

I slept for at least ten hours. It was almost a new record. If I keep this up, I may never wake up one day.

“Sorry. I worried you.”

“….. Ugh! Lady…. I was scared to death…”

“… Sorry.”

I wouldn’t be able to go to bed for a while after having such a long sleep like that. Because I laid on hard ground, I was feeling a strain on my back.

However, I didn’t pay attention to it as I was in a hurry to change my dress. My dress had caught so much wet grass, and it felt a little sticky. I wanted to wash first, so I got up, and Lari quickly asked with a flash in her eyes.

“Where are you going?”

“To wash.”

Knowing Elle, who refused to be waited in the bath, Lari hurried into the bathroom, saying, “I will take care of the water.”

I told her in the beginning that she didn’t need to serve me in the bath, but when I said that, Lari was quite shocked.

I have been thinking this for a while now, but did the Duke take a bath all by himself?

As Irene Song, I bear in mind that taking a bath alone was the norm, so I immediately refused Lari.

After that, there was nothing much to say, but Lari, who has initially been expressionless, gradually became sincere and now was acting unusual. Also, there’s one thing that’s been bothering me…

“Lady Elle, the water is ready!”

“Lari, I have something to ask.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“Why did Lari come to this palace?”

If you are a regular Imperial Palace maid, there was no reason for you to come to this dingy palace.

At first, I thought that Lari was a bad apple amongst the palace maids. Because mostly, if you’re assigned to an unwanted palace, that meant you were being punished.

If you’re a wretched person, turning a blind eye to my ordeals was to be expected, and there’s no way you would notice other people’s pain.

But after seeing Lari cry because of me, it bothered me that I seemed to have the wrong impression.

Lari seemed speechless by the unexpected question. She also appeared hesitant to respond.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, then you don’t have to.”

“……”

“Just… thank you for today.”

“Lady Elle……”

“I’m gonna go wash up.”

“……”

“Oh, by the way, is there a dog in this palace?”

“Dog? No, I don’t think so?”

Hmm, so what was that dog I saw at dawn?

* * *

When I came out of the bath, my body must have loosened up to some extent, that I threw myself on the bed and was only staring at the ceiling for some time.

I already dismissed Lari for the night before I went into the bath.

For a while, I kept tossing and turning, and when I unknowingly fell asleep, I suddenly jerked myself awake, thinking I’d rather not fall asleep again.

I held a lantern as I went outside, dressed in only a white gown and a thin shawl.

I was thinking of finding the white dog I saw today.

Since Lari has never seen a dog here before, was it a dog raised in another palace?

I wouldn’t get my hopes up in finding it in this spacious palace. Besides, my original purpose was not to see the dog but to kill time until it’s okay to go to sleep.

It was better to have a clear goal than to just wander around.

I headed again towards the lake that I went to yesterday, just in case the white dog’s still there.

“W…who?”

There was no dog as I should expect, but a man stood in its place.

He was dressed in all black and donned in a black mask, which reminded me of someone.

My husband was dressed exactly like that on our wedding day.

“…… Husband?”

My goodness. I can’t believe wearing that dusky outfit was how he usually dressed.

But what’s my husband’s name?

I heard it during the ceremony, but I seemed to have forgotten about it. Regardless, the person who was assumed to be my husband didn’t even respond.

Instead, he took a cautious step back when he saw me about to approach.

“Excuse me, uh…”

I don’t know what I was supposed to be doing here at this moment, but since I met him, I might as well talk to him. But the man ran away into the bushes without looking back as if my words were a trigger.

“Huh?”

The hell? Do I look like I’m going to eat you or something?