ITHMF 23

Chapter 23

“Kyraan!”

“You’re here?”

I arrived at the cave today as well, greeted by Kyraan’s hospitality.

I naturally walked into the cave and took the potion I’d brought. As soon as I confirmed my legs had formed, I sprang to my feet. Kyraan, who had naturally taken my hand, slowly led me out of the cave.

Today’s weather on land was bright as well. He smiled lightly at my excited expression and asked in a low voice.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

At that, I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought. There wasn’t anywhere in particular that came to mind, but I was still deliberating.

Should I suggest going back to the hill we visited last time? No, we just went there a couple of days ago. Then should we just wander around the downtown area? Hmm, I’m not really in the mood for crowded places today…

When I couldn’t make a decision easily, Kyraan cautiously made a suggestion.

“If you’re okay with it, want to come to my house?”

“Your house?”

“It’s more of a villa than a house, though.”

“Is it really okay for me to go there?”

“Of course. Actually, my mother wanted to see you.”

“Me?!”

I was so startled that I looked up at Kyraan’s handsome face.

It was quite unexpected that the Duchess wanted to see me.

Well, she might be curious about the friend her son had made, but…

Currently, the Duchess had been steadily taking healing potions and had recovered much of her health. According to Kyraan, she could now take walks as freely as before.

Just thinking about going to meet the Duchess made me nervous even before we arrived. Kyraan noticed my stiff posture and grinned.

“You don’t have to be that nervous.”

“I-I’m not nervous.”

“You seem like you are?”

“I don’t know any of the human etiquette at all. Will I be okay?”

“You’ll be fine.”

He reassured me, saying his mother wasn’t the type to care about such things.

Still, I couldn’t shake my worries. Kyraan and Pheron were fine since they were my age, and Tanteon already knew my true identity, so I didn’t particularly worry about etiquette with him.

But suddenly going to meet the Duchess, who was among the highest-ranking nobles?

In the original work, Kyraan’s mother wasn’t described in much detail, so I was a bit tense.

“If you’re too worried, we can go another time.”

“Huh? No, it’s fine. Let’s go!”

If I had to meet her eventually, it was better to do it now. Since I was still young, I could use that as an excuse for being clumsy with etiquette. As long as I wasn’t openly criticized for being a mess, I figured it would be fine.

After walking a bit from the cave, I saw the carriage Kyraan had arrived in. Before long, we arrived at the Ducal villa.

The villa, painted in a deep maroon color, had an old-fashioned appearance even from the outside. By the time we were about to get off, my hands were sweaty from nervousness.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll do my best!”

“You don’t have to be that nervous though…”

The name “Duchess” carried a tremendous sense of pressure. It felt like I’d be judged from head to toe the moment I met her. That was the image of the Duchess I had in my head.

Actually, the Mermaid Kingdom also had a class system, but it didn’t mean much. So having only learned about noble society through books in both my past life and this one, I just kept growing more anxious.

All the way to the reception room following Kyraan, the servants kept staring at me with expressions that said, “Who is that child?” I avoided their gazes and just followed Kyraan closely.

“You’re here?”

As we entered the reception room, Pheron greeted us as if it were his own home.

Huh? Why is he here?

I looked at Kyraan with a flustered expression. But he also seemed unaware that Pheron would be here, asking in a bewildered tone.

“…Why are you here?”

“I came to hang out. Hi, Serenel.”

“Oh, hi.”

He greeted me so casually that I ended up responding without thinking.

Wasn’t he supposed to have returned to the palace?

Usually, royalty would return to the capital shortly after the Flower God selection. So by now, at the tail end of the festival, he should have already arrived back in the capital.

Seeing Pheron so relaxed, Kyraan let out a sigh.

“You’re free?”

“Yeah. I’m completely free. Father gave me permission to stay and play more at the Ducal estate.”

“I didn’t give you permission.”

“As long as I say it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Kyraan let out a hollow laugh at Pheron’s bold words. Even I found it absurd, so I could only imagine how Kyraan felt.

But he couldn’t just kick Pheron out. Not just because of his status, but above all because the two were friends. Pheron seemed to know that too, grinning playfully.

“…By the way, Serenel, you know.”

Just then, Pheron’s finger pointed directly at me. I tilted my head and asked.

“What about me?”

“Are you acquainted with His Majesty?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“No, His Majesty told me to get along well with you.”

Saying that, Pheron even mimicked what Tanteon had said. I hadn’t met Tanteon that many times, but he mimicked him surprisingly well, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Pheron smiled proudly and continued.

“And you’re Leric’s sister, right? Father said we should maintain good relations with the Edmont royal family. That we’ll have a very close relationship with them going forward.”

It seemed Pheron had heard roughly about us from Tanteon. Though he probably didn’t know about the mermaid part.

I nodded.

“Well… that could be the case. Considering my brother is staying in the Empire for quite a long time.”

“Right. Leric’s abilities are just that good! Especially his knowledge of ancient languages and magic that supposedly existed in the distant past—scholars are practically burning with interest. They’re all dying to meet him just once, you know?”

“Really? I’m glad he’s doing well.”

Hearing about Leric from Pheron was somewhat welcome. There were many stories that hadn’t been in his letters, so it was interesting too.

It seemed Leric had a more solid position in the Empire than I’d thought.

Well, Tanteon wouldn’t fail to give him that kind of treatment. At least he knew Leric was a mage.

Realizing I was curious, Pheron spent quite a while talking about Leric and the capital. Then, when the conversation seemed to be dragging on, he smoothly changed the subject.

“Anyway, let’s get along well from now on. I haven’t done anything to upset you, have I?”

I shook my head slightly.

“Of course not. We haven’t even met that often yet.”

“Still, you never know. If I ever do something to hurt your feelings, just let it slide this once.”

“I told you, you haven’t. Actually, I was surprised you gave me permission to speak informally.”

“Really?”

At my words, Pheron’s eyes went wide. I smiled slightly and nodded.

“Yeah. Usually royalty and nobles think titles and such are really important. Up until recently, you probably just thought of me as a foreigner, so I was surprised you said that so readily.”

Slowly nodding, Pheron said with agreement.

“That’s true. Honestly, that’s why it sometimes feels suffocating. Not being able to speak comfortably with friends.”

Pheron clicked his tongue, saying the adults were making too big a deal out of it.

In the original work as well, Pheron was counted among the most people-oriented emperors in history because of his generous and egalitarian thinking. I thought to myself that those destined to be benevolent rulers really do show their potential from a young age.

“Well, I do understand why they consider it important. It’s like an order deeply rooted in noble society. But I still don’t like it.”

Shrugging, Pheron nudged Kyraan as if asking if he agreed.

Kyraan gave a half-hearted acknowledgment, looking annoyed. Then, as if surprised, he asked me.

“By the way, Serenel, do you have siblings?”

“Huh? Yeah. I have one older brother. Didn’t Pheron ever introduce you?”

Pheron cut in from the side.

“He probably wouldn’t be interested in Leric anyway. I offered to introduce them before, but he said ‘what’s the point’ and turned me down.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Ian’s not usually interested in people. That’s why I thought it was amazing when I first met you. And even that—Ian sought you out first to become friends… You’re really something special in many ways.”

“Stop your useless chatter.”

When his rambling went on too long, Kyraan lightly hit his arm.

Pheron pouted his lips at Kyraan’s scolding and muttered something under his breath. Listening closely, he was grumbling about why he was the only one getting treated like that.

These two really are always the same whenever they meet.

Leaving Pheron behind, I casually glanced toward the door and asked.

“By the way, when will the Duchess be coming?”

After asking, the nervousness that had subsided somewhat while talking to Pheron started creeping back up.

Kyraan, as if remembering he’d forgotten to ask because of Pheron, pulled the bell cord. As if waiting for the signal, a butler appeared.

“Where is Mother?”

“Madam is currently taking a walk in the garden.”

“Really? When did she leave?”

“She just stepped out. You might need to wait a bit until she finishes her walk.”

“I’ll go escort her myself.”

“Yes, understood.”

The butler offered to guide the way and stepped aside near the door. Kyraan said he’d be back soon and stood up, then looked at me and said.

“If he says anything weird, just ignore him.”

“Wow, you’d say that right in front of me? Don’t you think the person hearing that might get offended?”

“Not really.”

Kyraan shrugged and left the reception room.

Pheron stared at the closed door and grumbled about how cold-hearted he was.

Then his eyes met mine directly. Hmm, this is the first time we’ve been alone together. What if it gets awkward?

I subtly averted my gaze, but fortunately, Pheron spoke to me again in a friendly manner.

“It’s your first time meeting the Duchess, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not like I’d have any reason to meet the Duchess.”

“I suppose. You’re from another kingdom, after all.”

Pheron nodded understandingly and patted my shoulder, telling me not to worry.

“She’s a good person, so you don’t need to be that nervous.”

“That’s a relief, but…”

I sighed and tried to calm my trembling heart. I tried not to be nervous as he advised, but it wasn’t easy.

Meanwhile, maids who had entered the reception room set up the tea table.

“Please wait a moment. Madam will be here shortly.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

At the news that the Duchess would be coming soon, my heart started beating even faster. They said she was a good person, so if I could just relax, I felt I could make a decent first impression.

Thinking I should move around a bit to loosen up, I sprang up from my seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Just sitting still is hard. Please understand if I’m restless.”

After asking Pheron for understanding, I slowly began to walk.

To distract myself, I looked around the reception room interior.

The first thing that caught my eye was the luxurious wallpaper. Along the walls, I could see display cabinets showcasing tea sets, fine dinnerware, and various ornaments.

The ornaments looked somewhat aged, but rather than appearing worn, they had a certain elegance to them.

“These look really old.”

I lightly tapped the ornaments with my finger—very gently, in case they might break.

Looking at all the fascinating items one by one, my tension naturally faded away. My mind felt much more at ease than before.