Chapter 63

After seeing Aquasteed head off to work, Tiara Roses finished getting ready. Thinking that there were no special plans for the day, the idea of making a sweets map of the town popped into her head.

Stepping out onto the balcony of her room, she looked down at the castle gardens and the town. The moment when the sea reflected the morning sun and sparkled was Tiara Roses' favorite.

Recently, the town had become much more vibrant. There were more decorations using flowers, and the number of cute cafes had increased.

"I hope more sweets spread around."

Such desires arose in her mind.

Then, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't consulted Aquasteed about the ring. She had forgotten to tell him because he seemed so busy, and there hadn't been any significant changes.

She stared at the ring on her left hand, which had a gem that shone like the night sky. She wondered what the strange feeling she had noticed at the time could have been. In games, rings often serve as keys to open doors, prove one's identity, or act as magical items. Then, she thought—

"Could it be showing me where Lord Aquasteed is?"

After all, this ring was made by Aquasteed himself. It wouldn't be surprising if it had such a function... she thought. However, it might feel a bit like a GPS, which wouldn't be very pleasant.

"Since it's not easy to contact each other, it would be convenient."

Using magic to communicate was possible, but the communication spell was rather difficult. Therefore, Tiara Roses, who was not good at magic, couldn't use it. However, Akari, who sent letters, and Elliot, Aquasteed's aide, could.

While idly thinking about these things while looking at the ring, the light in the gem began to grow and shrink.

"Huh?"

At the same time, she felt as if the ring was being pulled by something. She wondered if Aquasteed was in that direction. However, the ring seemed to be pointing towards the castle gardens. Aquasteed should be inside the castle, working in his office. The directions didn't match, so she wondered what it could be indicating.

"But, I should go and check."

If the location was within the castle gardens, there shouldn't be any problems. Perhaps there was some kind of game event or hidden item. She decided to check it out and report back to Aquasteed if anything was found.

Deciding to act quickly, Tiara Roses called for Filine and told her she wanted to take a walk in the gardens. As usual, Tarmo would accompany her as a guard.

"Milady Tiara Roses, it's still a bit chilly in the morning, so please take this."

"Thank you."

While greeting the busy maids, Tiara Roses made her way to the gardens. The roses and Tiara Roses flowers, still glistening with morning dew, were beautifully blooming, making her feel luxurious from the start of the day.

Under the pretext of a walk, she pretended to admire the flowers while heading in the direction the ring was guiding her.

—Where could it be?

Normally, she wouldn't go very deep into the gardens. Therefore, she didn't really know how far the gardens extended. Probably, Tarmo would know.

Seeing Tiara Roses walking deeper into the gardens than usual, Filine asked, "How far are we going?"

"I'd like to go a bit further. Is that okay?"

"Of course, it's fine, but... Tarmo, does the garden continue beyond this point?"

Tiara Roses, who was also curious, asked Tarmo through Filine. Tarmo nodded in agreement.

"Beyond this point, there is a spring. It's surrounded by flowers and is very beautiful. However, it will take about twenty minutes to walk there."

"I didn't realize the garden was so large."

Filine expressed her amazement, and Tiara Roses agreed.

—Perhaps the spring is the event spot.

There was a possibility it could be pointing to a different location, but she also thought it would be nice to see a beautiful spring.

"Since walking isn't a problem, let's go, Filine."

When she expressed her desire to see it, Filine smiled happily. It seemed Filine also wanted to see it, which made Tiara Roses feel relieved.

They admired the flowers in the garden while confirming the direction the ring was guiding them. Fortunately, the directions seemed to match.

After passing through an arch of roses, they saw the spring. "It's just ahead," Tarmo announced, and Tiara Roses' heart raced.

"This is the spring—huh?"

Seeing the spring first, Tiara Roses stopped in surprise. The spring, about five meters in diameter, was murky and black. Despite the beautiful flowers surrounding it, the scene was decidedly strange.

—The ring must have been pointing to this spring.

Before she could think about what it meant, Tarmo stepped forward and said, "Please step back!"

"There might be dangerous drugs mixed in the water!"

Tarmo was anxious, and Filine looked worried.

However, Tiara Roses remained calm. She thought that perhaps the spring, usually clean, was seeking help and had used the ring to guide her.

As Tarmo observed the spring, she noticed bubbles forming in the center. Tarmo was checking the water quality and hadn't noticed yet. Tiara Roses focused her eyes, wondering what it could be. The bubbles grew larger and then splashed.

"—!"

Tarmo and Filine also looked at the center of the spring at the sound.

A creature struggled and emerged from the water. For a moment, they were confused, but they quickly realized the creature was drowning.

Tiara Roses took a step forward, but Filine immediately stopped her.

"Please stay back, it's dangerous! The water in the spring might be toxic!"

Filine pleaded in a desperate voice, warning her not to touch it.

"But, it might drown and die if we don't help it!"

"Even so, there's no need for you to help, Milady Tiara Roses."

"…!"

However, she couldn't ask Tarmo to jump into the potentially toxic spring to save the creature. She didn't want to let the animal die. There were no long poles around to grab it with.

Tiara Roses bit her lip, thinking if she could use the blessing of the Sea Fairy King to help. She had a sudden realization.

The decision was quick once she realized it. She saw Tarmo, who was about to jump into the spring with his sword drawn.

"Tarmo!"

"Yes!"

"Step back. I won't allow you to jump in."

"—!?"

Tiara Roses handed her shawl to Filine and ran and jumped into the spring.

"Milady Tiara Roses!?"

Ignoring Filine's desperate cry, Tiara Roses swam to the drowning animal. She quickly embraced the animal and turned back to Tarmo and Filine.

"What are you doing! Tarmo, quickly help Milady Tiara Roses!!"

Filine, fearing Tiara Roses might drown, tearfully pleaded with Tarmo. However, Tiara Roses, who had just jumped in, stopped them.

"I'm fine," she said while swimming, and made her way to the shore where Tarmo and Filine were.

"Milady Tiara Roses, what are you doing!?"

"Don't touch me, Filine."

"!"

She stopped Filine and Tarmo, who were about to pull her out of the spring.

She pushed back her wet hair and frowned at her waterlogged dress.

"You shouldn't touch this water."

"But, Milady Tiara Roses, you touched it…!"

"I'm fine because I have the blessing of the Sea Fairy King. It protects me from any liquid toxins."

The pinky ring on Tiara Roses' left hand was the ring of the Sea Fairy King. As she had mentioned, it neutralized any liquid toxins and protected the wearer.

Even if she was poisoned in her food, it wouldn't affect her.

Therefore, she had jumped into the spring to protect Tarmo.

She was the only one who could enter the spring unharmed. She explained this to the two, but Filine's worried gaze didn't disappear.

"It's not just about the toxins…! Please don't do such reckless things anymore!"

"That's right. Even if there are toxins, it's not your job to jump in."

"…I'm sorry."

She thought she was fine, but it seemed it wasn't that simple for the two of them.

"Let's clean the dirty dress for now…"

"…Thank you, Filine."

Filine used water magic to clean the dirt off Tiara Roses. Filine, who had received the blessing of the Sea Fairy, was skilled in water magic, which she mainly used for cleaning.

However, she couldn't dry the clothes, so they needed to hurry back to the room.

After cleaning the animal she had saved with water, a mysterious creature with black fur and curled horns appeared. It was about the size of a cat, a perfect size to hold.

The fluffy fur was very soft, and it looked like a Pomeranian covered in fur.

"…I've never seen such an animal before?"

"Yes…."

Tiara Roses gently wiped the water off the animal with her shawl and examined it closely. The unfamiliar appearance made her wonder if it was a type of fairy.

"Milady Tiara Roses, please return to your room for now. I'll take care of the animal."

"That's right. Tarmo, please—ah!"

When she tried to hand the animal to Tarmo, it started to struggle and escaped from her arms, darting into the rose bushes.

Tarmo immediately tried to chase it but couldn't find it.

"…The knights will search for it. Let's return for now."

Tiara Roses' safety was more important at the moment.

The suspiciously colored spring and the mysterious creature indicated that something unusual was happening.

"I understand. I'm sorry, I held it too loosely."

"It's not your fault, Milady Tiara Roses. Please don't worry. Let's warm you up now."

Tarmo, as her guard, couldn't leave her to chase the animal. They needed to return to the room and ensure Tiara Roses' safety first.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Tiara!"

"Lord Aquasteed…"

After taking a bath, Tiara Roses found Aquasteed waiting in her room, looking worried. He immediately hugged her, saying, "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm fine because I have Pearl's ring."

"Absolutely… Don't do such reckless things even with the ring. When I heard Tarmo's report, I thought my heart would stop."

Aquasteed sighed, saying that even multiple hearts wouldn't have been enough.

He sat Tiara Roses on the sofa and gave her a warm cup of tea. Even though she had taken a bath, he wanted her to calm down.

He also prepared cookies and sat next to her.

"By the way, did they find the animal…?"

"No, not yet. Tarmo is leading the search within the grounds, but it might have left the castle."

"There are mountains behind the castle."

It was possible that the animal had come from there.

They would search for a few days, but if it wasn't found, they would conclude it wasn't in the castle. However, the water in the spring was more concerning.

"Nothing like this has ever happened in the castle. There are many knights, and it's unlikely that a suspicious person could have entered."

Investigations were ongoing, and Aquasteed said they would find the cause soon.

Therefore, Tiara Roses was told to stay put until the issue was resolved.

"I won't get in the way… Oh?"

Suddenly feeling a gaze, Tiara Roses looked out the window.

There, the animal she had saved from the spring was staring at her intently.