“……Lise. It’s really not weird. I didn’t see. I really didn’t see.”

The sweat dripped from Yurik’s forehead as he hastily made his excuses. Perhaps my expression had been too transparent.

“So what did you see? If you didn’t see anything, were you imagining things?”

“……”

“What are you imagining? Speak up.”

Roger kept asking, either obtuse or deliberately pushing. Yurik, of course, had no intention of providing a satisfactory answer.

Yurik shot Roger a look and let out a deep sigh. Meanwhile, Roger, who had been sulking, seemed to instantly cheer up and chattered away.

Annoyed, Yurik reached back and sharply slapped Roger’s head. Roger, not the type to take a hit lying down, kicked Yurik in the side.

“What are you doing?”

“You hit me first!”

“That’s because you were asking weird questions!”

“Weird questions? They were perfectly normal!”

A scuffle broke out. It wasn’t like the old days when fists flew freely. Now they only slightly struck each other’s bodies with their arms and legs. It was closer to playful banter.

“……Can we stop now?”

The problem was that I, having chosen a poor seat, was also getting caught in the crossfire.

“This rock! How can your hand be so hard?”

“You’re just too weak. Emptyheaded as you are, you’re also lacking in muscle.”

I might have been the one who was hit the most.

“This damn rock!”

“This idiot!”

“Stop it……. Just stop it!”

After filling our bellies, we passed the time with dice games and the board games we brought along.

The sky darkened quickly, but the storm was still underway. Even though the wind weakened, we couldn’t know when the storm would roar back. The weather was that fickle.

“Looks like Lise wins again.”

“Did you cheat or something?”

Both Yurik and Roger couldn’t hide their disappointment as they looked at the triumphant me.

“How could I cheat in a dice game? I’m just lucky.”

Luck that doesn’t exist in reality. At least it should be fair in games.

“Then, I’ll be looking at the chessboard.”

The moment I left my seat, the game began anew. The battle for second place started.

“Hey, rock. Want to make a bet?”

Before rolling the dice, Roger grinned mischievously and proposed to Yurik.

“What’s the wager?”

“If I win, you have to tell me what you were imagining earlier.”

“……What?”

Roger seemed quite curious about Yurik’s lie. Yurik, caught off guard, glanced at the board. If anyone was slightly more likely to win, it was Roger by a small margin.

Usually, Yurik wouldn’t hesitate to take such a bet, but now he was quiet. His slightly reddened face revealed his thoughts.

If he rejected Roger’s proposal, his ego wouldn’t allow it. Yet accepting it made him anxious about the future.

“What, why are you quiet? I’m rolling.”

“Wait!”

Just as Roger was about to roll the dice, Yurik swiftly intervened.

“Why? Afraid you’ll lose?”

“That’s not it! Something else! If you agree to keep it a secret, we’ll pretend it never happened.”

“No.”

Roger spoke decisively, and Yurik became even more desperate.

“Then I’ll tell you two things, two!”

“Don’t want to.”

At this moment, they both seemed their age. Their childish actions were cute and amusing, when suddenly we heard a thump from above. All three of us looked up toward the secondfloor railing.

“Yurik!”

Mrs. Fenton halted on the stairs and urgently called out to Yurik.

“……Mother?”

“Could you fetch a bucket of cool water? The maids are busy taking care of Yune.”

“Is Yune very sick?”

“She’s running quite a fever.”

Mrs. Fenton’s voice sounded urgent, indicating that the situation wasn’t good. The game was suspended.

Yurik stepped outside to fetch water, and watching him go, I put down the chessboard I had been holding. I had thought it strange not to see the maids for so long. Was Yune suffering from more than a mild fever?
Yurik, who had brought water in a bucket, quickly ascended the stairs. Roger and I exchanged glances briefly before following Yurik.

“Yune, are you okay? Huh?”

As soon as we reached the top, the worried voice of Lady Fenton could be heard.

“Mother, I’ve brought the water.”

“Thank you, Yurik.”

Quietly entering the room, I discovered Yune’s face drenched in sweat. Her lips were dry, and her complexion was pale. It was evident that her condition was serious.

Lady Fenton soaked a towel in the water Yurik had brought and wiped Yune’s face. The other maids were also busy changing her sweatsoaked quilt and cleaning her body.

Still, when Yune didn’t seem to improve, an anxious maid spoke up.

“I think we need to go to the hospital, ma’am.”

“But…”

I followed the lady’s gaze out the window. The wind was light, but the sky remained overcast. The carriage still had not been repaired.

Even riding horseback to the village would take time. Carrying a feeble Yune on horseback was problematic. Numerous issues made it hard for the lady to decide to go to the hospital.

“If the young lady’s condition worsens…”

“I know. But the hospital will close soon, won’t it?”

“In that case, we will ride horses to bring a doctor.”