Only then did Mayana realize something was wrong and rushed to Ariante. She threw all the remaining bread crumbs into the lake. As the fish tried to leap into the shallow water, Ariante stepped back with a more frightened expression.

“Princess!”

Ariante looked at Mayana with a surprised face. Her eyes were blank, as if she had been dreaming while awake. Ariante’s hands were very cold, and her cheeks were too.

Mayana quickly wiped Ariante’s feet with a thin handkerchief from the basket she had brought and wrapped her small body with the shawl she had.

“Princess, what’s the matter? Are you cold? Are you feeling bad?”

Ariante, who had tightly closed her lips, shook her head.

Seeing Ariante’s eyes wet and red, Mayana was even more confused as she stroked Ariante’s cheeks, tightened the shawl, and made a fuss. But Ariante’s trembling didn’t stop easily.

“Princess, what’s wrong with you?”

“I want to go back.”

“What?”

“I want to go back! I want to go home!”

“Princess!”

Ariante, who had been scrambling with her feet, shook off Mayana’s hand and ran towards the forest. Mayana, confused, followed Ariante running after her, the basket on one arm. Ariante, who ran over vines and tree roots like a squirrel, was hard to catch.

“Princess! Go slowly, you’ll fall!”

Mayana’s voice shook the wide forest of the duchy.

(This is a time separator.)

Back at the mansion, Ariante closed her bedroom door so that no one could enter and did not come out. No matter how much Mayana knocked and spoke from outside, there was no response.

“Princess, I brought some warm chocolate. Won’t you have it?”

A cold silence was the only reply. Mayana sighed, looking down at the cup. The steamy white chocolate had cooled to lukewarm, and an unsightly film floated on the surface.

She turned her body, giving up on calling Ariante. Greta, who was trimming the flowers in the vase behind her, looked at Mayana with a pitiful expression.

“Still no answer?”

“I can’t break the door down, I’m going crazy.”
Mayana, who had placed the silver tray on the table, clutched her forehead.

Grete asked as she wiped the bottom of the vase with a dry cloth.

“What on earth happened?”

Mayana gave a hollow laugh.

“I want to know the most, Grete. What on earth is it? You were so excited when you said you were going to see the fish in the morning.”

“Fish?”

“I’m talking about the lake in the forest. There are big fish bubbling there. It seemed like carp or something like that.”

“The lake?”

Grete’s eyes widened. She put down the cloth with which she was wiping the vase, looked around nervously at the empty surroundings, and quickly approached Mayana after closing the door that was slightly open.

“What’s the matter, Grete? You’re scaring me.”

“Mayana, did you take the young lady to the large lake inside the forest?”

Mayana nodded her head. What was the big deal about that? She hadn’t dropped the child in the water, and she only wanted to show her the fish, but she couldn’t understand why Grete was making such a face.

Grete said,

“Does the Duke know about it?”

“The Duke? No, he doesn’t know. No, it’s something unknowable. But he probably doesn’t know.”

“I hope so.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Mayana asked, seemingly frustrated. Grete looked around again with anxious eyes, trembling her lips, and whispered to Mayana in a lowered voice, as if someone might be hiding and listening.

“You shouldn’t take the young lady to that lake. If the Duke finds out, he’ll be furious and drive you away.”

“No, why on earth?”

“Because…….”

Hesitating, Grete spoke in a small, squeezed voice.

“The Duchess fell into that lake and passed away.”

Thud, a noise was made. Grete screamed in surprise. But it was just the sound of the chair shaking as Mayana stood up from her seat.

With an unbelieving expression, Mayana’s lips trembled, and she turned suddenly to look in the direction of Ariante’s bedroom. She was worried that Ariante might have heard the noise and come outside. Fortunately, the door to the bedroom was still stubbornly closed.

Mayana asked,

“What is… what are you talking about? The Duchess fell into the lake and passed away? Was it an accident?”

“Perhaps… no, I don’t know. Everyone talks like that, but she might have done it herself…….”

This was an even more shocking story. Was the reason why she couldn’t find the Duchess’s portrait anywhere in the mansion because of that? Because she had done the dishonorable act of taking her own life?

“Why did that happen…….”

Grete said,

“Who knows? It’s just a story I’ve heard. Be careful, because if you talk about this and are caught by Miss Kosha or Butler Jocelyn, it won’t end with just a scolding. Anyway…… for that reason, the young lady must not go near the lake. Do you understand me?”