Stone Thrown into the Lake

The whole of Serium Castle was bustling. It was inevitable as the castle, which had felt crowded with an artist from the capital, welcomed the prince as a guest. It was unimaginable to the residents of Serium Castle that visitors would arrive at such a remote location.

Yvor Adela’s mood was not that good. If she had to name a reason, there were numerous ones she could provide. The first and foremost reason was that the unexpected visit from the prince was perplexing. Yvor recalled the events from a little while ago.

Sidis Murka said he came to meet her.

“This is the route towards Serium Castle, but I am unclear of the way towards the castle’s main gate.”

The body of the castle may be visible as it was built along the lake, but the entrance to Serium Castle was difficult to find. If they rushed towards the castle randomly, they would find themselves at the opposite side of the main gate, or face retaining walls that had been erected here and there.

“What is your purpose for visiting Serium Castle?”

Since Sidis did not reveal his name, she asked without regard for formalities. Duran stiffened his body for a moment as she let go of his hand. He looked at the man that suddenly approached with wary eyes. Seated atop a horse, he didn’t just look pretty.

The man had an unusually upright posture. Even Duran, who had no experience with horseback riding, noticed. An elegant line could be drawn, from his smooth-looking black hair, to the cloak covering his back, to his feet in stirrups. It was so elegant that Duran was annoyed. Yvor gently pulled Duran behind her as she stepped forwards, obscuring him from the man’s view with her own body.

“That is…”

Sidis, who was about to answer, said, “Oh,” and lowered himself from his horse. It was not polite to be seated on a horse while having a conversation, even if it was for a moment. “Excuse me.” he smiled and said, “I would like to meet the Lord of Serium Castle.”

Yvor was silent for a moment. In the past, Yvor Adela and Sidis Murka had their first encounter after she became the king’s mistress, which occurred four years from now.

This time around, there wouldn’t be an occasion to meet him, as she had no desire to become a serpent and ensnare the king again. She had specifically decided that she would not need to meet him. But he appeared in front of her. Yvor couldn’t figure out why this happened and how to judge this situation. But one thing was certain.

The future that she knows of has changed. But in which direction?

Yvor Adela, who disregarded her knowledge of the future while being obsessed with rediscovering and loving Duran, viewed the events before her regression as an untouchable past. To her, it was a past that should not be repeated, a past that had to be changed and fixed somehow.

However, with the appearance of Sidis, she then realised that the past events she went through will become the future she has to face. At that realization, Yvor Adela was left with the future looming ahead.

[Editor: So basically, Yvor thought of what happened before she died as something that has to be changed, mainly her neglect of Duran. But Sidis’s arrival was like a wake-up call that the events of becoming the king’s mistress are also approaching.]

“…You have already met.”

She replied mechanically, filled with an indescribable feeling.

“I am the Lord of Serium Castle, Yvor Adela of Salzmia.”

Sidis Murka was silent for a while.

“You?”

He asked as if he was very surprised. Yvor Adela, too, was surprised at the differences she had spotted, from his tone, his actions, and even his eyes. She could feel a clear difference, despite not having paid him any proper attention. The Sidis Murka that she remembers, was not a detached person that smiled apathetically. The dissonance between the Sidis of her memories and the Sidis before her made her somewhat embarrassed.

Sidis looked at her quietly. She was a woman he had never met before, so it was natural to not recognize her. After that realization, Sidis found something surprising again. It was surprising that he didn’t recognise her by himself. He laughed aloud at his discovery. Was Yvor trembling at the sight of him and hoping that she was the woman he was looking for?

“You?”

Sidis repeated what he had asked to himself. This time, the meaning was different.

“It is.”

Yvor responded sharply, embarrassed. The question itself was kind of rude.

“What business do you have with me?”

She continued.

“Um, that’s right.”

Sidis looked around for a moment, then laughed at his own absurdity. ‘What were you hoping to see?’ It was a question that was difficult to answer right now. He felt like waking up.

After riding for several days, the first thing he did when he met her was to ask for directions, not knowing her identity. It was something he had never done before.

‘But, yes.’

He said this soundlessly. In this moment, the very first impulse he felt was satisfied. He met the woman he wanted to meet, without even knowing that she was in front of him. A sense of accomplishment slowly crept in, filling his chest like a high tide.

Sidis Murka then realised that the woman standing before him was very beautiful, without a headdress and in modest clothes. Unadorned, with her golden hair braided simply, her upright posture holding commonly found wildflowers, and her slightly teary purple eyes. Yvor Adela herself, was beautiful.

Sidis Murka placed a hand on his chest and bent his body slightly forward.

“It’s nice to meet you, Yvor Adela, the Lord of Serium.”

As he finally spoke her name, Yvor bowed her head,  informed of his official capacity as a prince.

“You don’t have to greet me formally.”

Sidis spoke in a tone that quickly became familiar. The purpose of him coming here has now been accomplished. He wanted to meet her. ‘Lord Adela of Serium Castle, I’m here to meet you.’

“The journey back is too long for me to depart immediately, so I’d like to stay in your castle for a while.”

He laughed boyishly.

◇ ◆ ◇

Yvor Adela didn’t have much time to ponder over Sidis. Another uninvited visitor had arrived.

If it was bustling around lunchtime when Sidis showed up, the carriages and horses that reached in the middle of the night sent the occupants of Serium Castle in turmoil. A brown horse half a size larger than its peers, and a luxurious wagon pulled by five horses, raised dust clouds as it came crashing in. It looked like a storm.

In fact, to the residents of Serium Castle, their arrival was no different from a storm. The horse traipsed through the garden at full speed, trampling over the flower beds. The following wagon sped past the garden seats noisily. After stopping his horse from running wild, Ziark Dunmel’s lungs swelled as he took a deep breath.

“Where are you? Prince!”

Ziark groaned. When Yvor Adela looked outside at the commotion, he was still screaming like a whale.

“Prince! Where! Have you gone?! Do you know what happened because of you?! Did your personality change all of a sudden? Prince! Don’t hide, come out!”

As she frowned at his rudeness, the door of the carriage opened and a man stepped out gracefully. The face she saw was one she was familiar with. He was considerably younger than her last memory of him.

His platinum blonde hair, the same shade as Duran, was neat without a single strand out of place. He flicked the ends of his splendid cloak to tidy his appearance, and tapped the walking stick on the ground lightly. With a light smile on his lips, his expression and appearance was carefully calculated to fit the universal standard of beauty, making wrinkles look like embellishments to his face.

Yvor watched silently as the man lifted his gaze from the fussing Ziark. She stepped through the threshold unknowingly, meeting eyes with him. He held his walking stick out towards her. Before he called her, Yvor Adela spoke first.

“Father.”

The name of this uninvited guest was Ranan Elmund Gremory-Wundt-Salzmia. He was none other than the biological father of Yvor Adela and Duran Craig.

Sidis, who had banged his head countless times because the calls for him were so loud, was eventually caught by his knight.

“Did you miss me so much just because you didn’t see me for a few days, Ziark?”

At the words of the smiling runaway prince, Ziark made a face of wanting to punch Sidis right away.

“Have you become insane? It is clear that you have. Otherwise, how could such an accident have happened!”

“Well, it’s great to see you in good health too,” Sidis said softly.

The sound of cracking knuckles from Ziark’s fisted hand rang out. The image of his subordinate and friend spewing visceral smoke in the middle of someone else’s yard was not a pleasant sight, so Sidis patted Ziark on the shoulder.