The day I had been looking forward to finally arrived.

A trip to the sea!

After stuffing my bag full of items, I came down the stairs to find Isabel sitting on the sofa.

My plan to leave early in the morning to avoid running into her was instantly thwarted. Isabel stared intently at me as I changed into outdoor shoes.

Her gaze was so sharp that my hands trembled slightly as I tied the laces.

“You’re leaving early. The maids aren’t even up yet.”

“I made plans to meet Roger early. I’m sure I told you yesterday. Did you not sleep?”

“I couldn’t fall asleep. By the way, you know most of the kids attending the camp are nobles, right?”

“How do you know that?”

My heart sank at Isabel’s words. Could it be that she looked into the camp? I’m currently pretending to attend the camp but actually going on a trip to the sea.

“Never mind. Don’t embarrass the Marsen family by making a fuss, just stay quiet and calm. Also, be careful of Professor Brutagne, he’s a bit of an oddball.”

“An oddball?”

“You’ll know when you see him.”

She spoke as if she knew the Brutagne University astronomy professor well, whom I would meet during this camp schedule.

“Even if that professor says strange things to you, never take it to heart. He’s a unique person who thinks idealistically about problems that have no answers.”

Isabel gave her final advice before entering the room. I tilted my head at her somewhat anxious appearance and stood up. Opening the front door revealed a sky that was just beginning to dawn.

“Anyways, have a safe trip.”

Isabel’s voice came through the gap of the door that wasn’t closed.

“Yes, I’ll be back!”

* * *

As if heralding the arrival of spring, the winter garden was filled with a green hue, but the weather was gloomy and dreary.

“Lize, Lize Marsen!”

Roger’s voice could be heard from afar. He was climbing up the hill carrying a bag that looked even heavier than mine.

“Let’s go together!”

Even though the hill’s slope was gentle, Roger kept stopping to catch his breath. Because of that, it took a long time.

“I’m going ahead!”

“Wait! I’m almost there!”

Almost there, my foot.

“Huff, I told you to wait…!”

Before I could leave first, Roger squeezed out every last bit of strength to run over. Upon reaching me, he roughly exhaled for a while and even dry heaved.

“You have poor stamina, Roger.”

“N-No, I don’t. I may have low stamina, but my arm strength is great. Wanna feel it?”

Roger held out his arm in front of me to regain his pride. Although thinner than Yurik who frequently wielded a sword, Roger’s arm was surprisingly firm and muscular.

“How is it? Solid, right?”

“But did you come alone? Without a maid?”

“I did ride in the carriage with a maid, but we parted ways at the bottom of the hill. I carried this heavy bag all the way up from there by myself.”

Roger proudly showed his bulging bag. Seeing it up close, there was a significant difference in size compared to my bag. For a moment, I forgot that our destinations were the same.

“Don’t tell me you packed your entire household?”

“About five sets of clothes.”

Five sets of clothes even though we’re only staying for a day? But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Also, my mother packed some snacks. I brought cookie sets and tea sets too. And since artists usually gain inspiration by the sea, I brought about two notebooks to record it.”

“Two whole notebooks?”

“Recording is important. The quill pen I brought is something my father purchased while performing across the continent, it’s very expensive. The ink set has twelve different colors. Of course, I brought all those colors too. Ah, and what else did I pack… I can’t remember…”

It would be strange if the bag wasn’t heavy. Listening any longer would only make me nag, so I hurriedly moved my feet.

“Hey, let’s go together!”

Roger chased after me.

The Penton household wasn’t far from here at all. Just as the roof color of the Penton estate was clearly visible ahead, we would soon reach the main gate after a short walk.

Roger alternately looked at the Penton household and the Marsen household roof beyond, then opened his mouth.

“It’s really close.”

“That’s right. If the winter garden wasn’t in between, the estates would be side by side.”

“You call this place the winter garden. Anyways, that guy is lucky to live nearby.”

Roger muttered in a small voice. Is he saying it’s nice that the winter garden is close, or is he saying it’s nice that our estates are close to each other?

“Huh? It’s Yurik.”

After passing through the winter garden, we could see Yurik in front of the Penton estate’s main gate.

“Yurik!”

“…Lize!”

When I waved my hand and called out to him happily, Yurik smiled brightly as well.

But that was short-lived. As soon as he saw Roger next to me, he immediately frowned. Roger’s expression wasn’t much different. The two, who didn’t get along, glared at each other warily.

“Were you already preparing?”

When I asked, Yurik snatched the bag from my hand.

“It might rain in the afternoon, so I wanted to leave early. I’ll load the bag onto the carriage. You don’t need to take anything out, right?”

“Hey, load my bag onto the carriage too.”

Roger also held out his bag to Yurik, but Yurik completely ignored it.

“Tsk, that jerk.”

“I guess Yurik couldn’t hear what you said.”

“Don’t defend him, Lize. That jerk heard me loud and clear.”

Roger grumbled while looking at Yurik’s back. I really hope the two of them can get along during this trip…

Contrary to my wish, Roger approached Yurik who was loading the bags. Behind the carriage, Yurik and my bags were side by side.

Roger briefly set his bag on the ground, then moved Yurik’s bag to the front. And he placed his bag next to mine.

“It feels more stable this way.”

Roger looked pleased with himself.

“What are you doing? I’m the one loading the bags.”

“I’m just helping out. You didn’t seem to be utilizing the space well.”

“I never asked for your help though.”

“This is all out of my goodwill. Do I have to be asked to offer help?”

Yurik and Roger clashed again.

They’ve been competing over trivial matters before, but now they’re even making a fuss over bag positions. Yurik moved Roger’s bag to the front and placed his own bag next to mine. Then Roger threw Yurik’s bag back to the front.

“This is better.”

“What are you talking about? This is better.”

How many times did this behavior repeat? Watching them engage in this petty fight was more frustrating than the two actually doing it.

“…Why don’t we just put my bag in the front?”

I finally intervened.

I placed Roger and Yurik’s bags nicely side by side. That felt the most stable and looked the best.

“This is the best. Right?”

When I spoke with a smile, the two were dumbfounded and at a loss for words. Even if they wanted to argue, they couldn’t say anything because the spot I chose was indeed the best.

“Oh my, when did you arrive?”

At that moment, Duchess Penton and Yune, who had been out of sight, appeared. Along with her bag, Yune was holding her most cherished skull doll. Upon seeing the carriage, Yune spotted me and ran straight over.

“Big sis!”

“Yune. Roger is here too, you know.”

When Yune only greeted me, Duchess Penton pointed it out. Only then did Yune’s gaze, nestled in my arms, turn towards Roger.

Instead of a greeting, she merely nodded slightly, wary of Roger. Roger also didn’t approach first, feeling awkward that Yune was being cautious of him.

“Big sis Lize. Is that person riding in the carriage with us too?”

Before getting on, Yune tugged at my clothes and asked.

“You mean Roger? Yes, of course.”

“Then can big sis sit next to me? I want to sit between mom and big sis.”

Is Yune very uncomfortable with Roger?

I had noticed it before, but even though Yune was very sociable, for some reason she would become a mute lamb in front of Roger.

“I think it would be best to depart quickly before it rains, ma’am.”

“Children, you heard him. Hurry and get on.”

At the coachman’s words, the duchess urged us to move.

The carriage was large and spacious inside. It was roomy enough to fit five people with one seat to spare, so there was hardly any bumping of legs.

“We’re departing!”

With the coachman’s words, the wheels began to turn.

* * *

It was about a three-hour journey.

Duchess Penton and Yune fell asleep, while I examined Baron Kito’s chess game records. The baron had won all the games in the past month except for one stalemate.

“They said the baron was the quickest to secure a spot in the final playoffs.”

Yurik, who was examining the records with me, spoke.

“As expected, he’s incredible.”

“So he might come to the village in a week.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He has to wait until the final playoff candidates are determined. I guess he has some free time until then.”

“That’s good news to hear. I was curious about Baron Kito’s face too.”

When Roger chimed in, Yurik chuckled.

“The baron doesn’t even know your name. And he’s such a busy person that even if you throw a tantrum wanting to see him, you won’t be able to.”

“Even the Bakus family? If he’s not ignorant of the arts, he should know of the Bakus family.”

“Then you should bring your father. You’re the son of the Bakus family, not representing the Bakus family.”

“What? Even if I don’t represent the Bakus family, I’m still the heir.”

“You’re just the heir, right?”

At this point, if those two don’t argue, it feels like thorns will grow in my mouth. Slipping away from the bothersome quarrel, I pulled back the curtain covering the outside. The carriage had been shaking for a while, so I thought the wind might be strong.

A tree branch flew and stuck to the window. Sensing the unusual weather, I opened the window and poked my head out to survey the surroundings. There were no buildings or houses nearby. Only the sea, our destination, could be seen ahead.

‘Will it be alright?’

I closed the window and sat back in my seat. Roger and Yurik, still engaged in their quarrel, paid no attention to the outside conditions.

Some time passed. The carriage shook excessively.

−Bang!

“What was that? What’s going on?”

Just as I felt uneasy, something blown by the wind must have collided with the carriage, creating a loud noise. Startled, Duchess Penton and Yune opened their eyes, but it was too late. Before they could assess the situation, the carriage began to tilt to one side.

“Ugh!”

“Madam!”

The maid who had been following behind opened the door and frantically gestured.

“Hurry, hurry and get out! The carriage seems like it’s going to tip over!”

Beyond the door, strong winds and rain could be seen along with the surging waves.

A storm had hit.