Chapter 71

Marielle was staring intently at the fishing line that didn’t budge at all.

The next day, after traveling by carriage from the capital, they arrived at Lake Haginoru, a vast lakeside area in the northern region, after staying overnight at a royal-approved inn.

Everything she saw along the way was brand new, and the sense of freedom without her parents and the excitement of traveling with her beloved Alro made Marielle thrilled the whole time.

"Isn't this fun, Alro!"

Just seeing such a joyful Marielle made Alro feel incredibly happy.

They tried exotic foods and saw things they had never seen before in the towns they passed through.

"Oh, it's so much fun, but it's also overwhelming!"

Marielle's exclamation made the people around her smile warmly.

When they saw the ice covering the entire lake, they were overwhelmed by its vastness. Seeing the tents set up on the ice, Marielle's eyes sparkled.

In the distance, the snow-capped mountain ridges were visible. Amidst this white landscape, the tents were made of colorful fabrics.

Inside, it was like a small room with chairs, a table, and a tea set.

In the center of the tent, there was a hole in the ice, and they were supposed to lower the line to catch fish.

The idea of being able to enjoy fishing so easily was thrilling.

Marielle was delighted to see the scene just as she had heard it would be.

When she sat down, she was wrapped in a blanket, so she wasn’t cold at all.

She was given a line and sat in a chair, drinking tea while fishing.

Because not too many people were allowed inside, only the former king, Marielle, one servant, and Alro were in the tent.

The guard knights were patrolling the entire lake, making it feel like a small expedition.

—In such a setting, the tent was warm and felt like a secret base, full of excitement for a child.

"Alro, are you not cold?"

She was wrapped in a blanket, but Alro was standing, wearing a coat, with a red nose.

"No problem."

Alro probably wouldn’t sit down even if she suggested it.

"Grandfather, when do I pull the line?"

"When the line is tugged. You'll know right away."

"It's not happening anytime soon..."

Marielle yawned widely. She was so excited that she didn’t sleep much the night before.

Seeing her granddaughter looking sleepy, the former king, Yutus, smiled with kind wrinkles around his eyes.

"—It's better to be quiet. Fish are very cautious."

"Yes, sir."

"Since there's less food in winter, you shouldn’t have to wait long—look."

Immediately, Yutus raised his hand.

A fish was pulled up, struggling violently at the end of the line.

"—Wow, amazing!"

Marielle peered into the hole, full of expectation. But her line showed no reaction.

There were several holes.

Marielle tried lowering her line into other holes a few times, but the fish didn’t come quickly.

"Marie, if you move too much, the fish will run away."

"But..."

Yutus chuckled, thinking it might be too early for fishing.

"Alro, can you hold this for a moment?"

"Yes."

Marielle handed the line to Alro and reached for a snack.

"—Alro, have you done this before?"

"No. This is my first time fishing."

Alro peered into the hole. Of course, he couldn’t see anything through the thick ice.

Alro's serious gaze at the water's surface made Marielle laugh as she watched his profile.

Alro's black eyes seemed to sparkle.

"—Ah, Princess!"

Alro's hand was shaking.

Alro handed the line back to Marielle. Feeling a definite tug, she pulled hard.

A large fish was pulled up onto the ice and jumped up.

"Yay!!"

Marielle was thrilled, even though she didn’t touch the fish, just feeling the sensation of catching it.

"Alro, can you take the fish?"

"Yes."

Alro, despite being a first-timer, grabbed the fish and removed the hook with surprising skill.

"Alro, you're amazing. You caught it so quickly."

"No, not really..."

Seeing Marielle's joy, Alro looked happy too.

They continued to catch fish together, ending up with a total of six.

As the sun began to set, they decided to pack up.

"That was so much fun. Thank you for bringing me, Grandfather."

"No, no. I was the one who enjoyed it. It wouldn’t have been as fun if I had done it alone. In the end, you caught more than I did."

Yutus had caught four, while Marielle had caught six.

"Two will be served for dinner tonight, and the rest will be smoked."

"Yes. I'll take them as souvenirs. —Ah, since I caught the fish with Alro, I'll eat them with Alro too."

Yutus glanced at Alro, who looked flustered and shook his head.

"No, no, I—"

"Don’t you want to eat the fish I caught?"

"N-no..."

"Marie really cares for that attendant, doesn’t she?"

"Yes."

"Alro, you said you were from an orphanage... Have you always been in Fandrag?"

Cynthia had told him that Alro's father was a wanderer.

Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, Alro tensed up.

"W-well, I... don’t really remember..."

"I see."

Yutus stared at Alro intently.

"What is it, Grandfather?"

"No, I just thought it was rare to have such dark hair and eyes."

"Alro's eyes are indeed a beautiful black, but dark hair and eyes aren’t that rare, are they?"

They are common among commoners without magic.

Yutus wore his usual gentle smile, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"No, I just meant it's good that you're in Fandrag."

In the neighboring country of Sharn, dark hair and eyes are considered ominous.

Cynthia had told him about Alro's unfortunate background, and if his father was from Sharn, his appearance alone could be a reason for discrimination.

Still, it was clear that Alro was devoted to serving Marielle.

His current nationality is Fandrag, and as long as he is registered in Pensilnia, he should be safe.

"Please take good care of Marielle."

"Yes, I will."

Alro bowed his head.

---

The next morning, Marielle and her party were walking on the ice. It was the third day of their trip.

They had received invitation letters from the surrounding nobles every day since the former king and Marielle arrived.

Some even came to visit, but they were stopped by the knights and servants, so Marielle didn’t know how many had come.

Ignoring these, Yutus and Marielle spent their time together, but Yutus seemed a bit tired after three days of travel. He had been feeling unwell since this morning and was now resting.

They planned to spend the day relaxing and head back to the capital tomorrow.

With nothing to do, they decided to play on the ice.

It was still early morning, and a light mist was rising.

Six Pensilnian knights followed Marielle, who was walking slowly, supported by Alro to avoid slipping on the ice. While it would be more stable to be supported by a knight, it wouldn’t be as fun.

"—Why don’t you slip, Alro?"

"Perhaps it's the result of training."

While he still didn’t have the muscle to meet Marielle's standards, he could walk steadily by focusing his strength in his lower body.

"The ice is so slippery. It's completely different from snow."

"Would you like to try a sled?"

"That sounds fun! Let's borrow one."

Just as they were talking, they heard a distant wolf howl.

Wolves in the mountains weren’t unusual. This was a rural area, and livestock could be eaten at night.

A few knights could handle a pack of wolves.

—However.

The white figures running from the other side of the lake made the group tense up.

"What is that...?"

Marielle pointed. It wasn’t a wolf. It was larger.

"Princess, let's go back."

Alro quickly took Marielle's hand.

"What? I can't see well because of the mist."

Before she could focus, the knights lined up in front of her.

"Princess Marielle, it's a polar bear. It's heading this way, so let's go back to the village."

A polar bear? A wild animal, then.

"Are polar bears dangerous?"

"No problem. I can take one down alone. —But just to be safe."

One of the knights released fire magic in that direction, trying to intimidate the bear.

While the knight said he could handle it, it was unusual for a bear to attack humans.

It would be better to join the village's knights. The village was about a ten-minute carriage ride away, surrounded by walls and guarded by soldiers.

"There's no need to panic, Princess. We still have a good distance."

"Okay."

With Alro's reassurance, they started walking slowly toward the carriage.

Two knights stayed behind, while the other four accompanied Marielle.

"Wait. There's more."

One of the knights raised a warning voice.

Following his gaze, they saw another shadow in a different direction.

"What? What is that?"

"That... is another bear, perhaps."

The mist made it hard to see, and it wasn’t just one. It looked like a group. Bears don’t usually travel in groups.

"Let's retreat."

The sound of the animals' roars made her heart race.

Marielle and Alro walked quickly.

Just as they were about to reach the shore and step on solid ground, they heard an unfamiliar sound.

A low, grinding sound. It came from under their feet. At the same time, the ice beneath them shook.

"Princess!"

Losing her balance, Alro caught her in his arms.

The ice was moving—no, it was cracking.

Looking around in shock, she saw that the distance between her and the knights had widened. As she wondered why, her body was jolted.

The knights were running toward them, but the distance was increasing. —The ice was moving.

The knights on the shore were rushing over, and some were even jumping into the lake.

The knights were all far away. Marielle clung to Alro, who held her tightly.

The ice beneath their feet gave way.

The two were thrown into the cold lake.