C152
The Baslein Castle perched on a coast lined with ships and had an imposing blue roof.
After a while, the group I had brought passed through the drawbridge and entered through the city gate, where the Basleins and their daughter welcomed them.
The Marquis of Baslein gave a pleasant smile.
"Pleased to meet you, Princess Deborah Seymour. I heard that you built a summit at an early age. Not only that, but you even developed formulas used by battle mages. You've worked hard."
"It's overrated."
"Please, sit as if you were in your own home."
"Thank you for the invitation."
As a token of my gratitude for being in debt to the Marquis of Baslein, I presented him with a box of high-quality magical stones as a gift.
Since advanced magical stones are a valuable resource everywhere, Marquis Baslein was very happy.
"By the way, I heard that my nephew-in-law is a legendary magical swordsman who had only been heard of. I can't believe you've been hiding that fact."
Marquis Baslein, a warrior with a strong sense of victory, seemed to feel a deep sense of betrayal because Isidor had been hiding his skills.
"Let's have a deep conversation."
Isidor was led by the Marquis with a somber face. The marquess, clicking her tongue, led me into the castle.
"Follow me this way. I'll guide you to the annex where the guests stay."
"Eh? The clothing is special."
As I followed her, I unconsciously noticed a man and a woman walking in the garden with a unique outfit I had never seen before.
The man looked like an imperial man, and the woman had an exotic appearance as if she were a foreigner.
While watching them, the marquess whispered.
"The Baslein Territory hosts a large port where ships dock, so guests from different regions stay here throughout the year. That couple are traders between Ferdin and the Empire."
She said.
"And all the guests will attend a dinner in Baslein on Friday night."
"I was invited at this time on purpose."
"Perhaps it will be useful for the princess to gather information about the Principality of Ferdin and related contacts."
"Thank you very much for your concern."
I said sincerely.
"I also appreciate the princess for coming all the way here. I wanted to show Arabelle, who is about to enter the academy, how actively the princess works."
When our eyes met, the girl standing right next to her mother swallowed nervously, and I smiled.
"Thank you for the invitation, Arabelle."
"Yes! Have a comfortable stay, Princess Seymour."
She greeted me with a flushed face, and the marquess smiled slightly.
"You must be tired from traveling through the gate, so for today, relax and rest."
The room the marquess provided was pleasant, and above all, the wide sea and rows of ships visible through the window were impressive.
As I leaned out of the window with the fresh sea breeze, I quickly went down the stairs after finding Isidor, who was released by the beastly marquis, as I remembered what he said before.
"There's a beach famous for its white and pure sand around here, so let's go together when we have time."
As I had arrived in a beautiful seaside city, I was thinking about both working and sightseeing.
In my previous life, my grades and part-time job affected me, so I never took a proper trip when I was in college.
Even a light trip to Jeju Island was a distant story for me. That's why I was a bit excited, as if I were on a backpacking trip.
"That white sand beach. What if we go now?"
"I usually come to the territory, and I have some resistance, but isn't the princess tired?"
"I'm fine."
I didn't feel tired at all, either because I slept deeply all the time at the gate or because of the divine power.
"The sunset is the most beautiful at this time of day."
Isidor gently squeezed my hand as he spoke softly, and I squeezed his warm and large hand.
"It's a bit far, shall we walk? Or take a carriage?"
"I want to walk if possible. There's a lot to see."
When I left the castle and walked toward the beach, I observed a quite large commercial area and noticed a long line of stalls.
He and I stopped at intermediate stalls to eat snacks and look at various products.
As I walked along the coast curved like an arch for a while, the thick sand grains gradually turned as white as snow, and I was drawn to the mysterious and beautiful landscape.
When I took off my shoes to dip them in the sea, Isidor grabbed them right away.
I advanced slowly, feeling the white sand grains barefoot, then stumbled as the soft sand slipped down.
"Would you like me to carry you?"
Before I could answer, he playfully smiled and lifted me up like a princess.
He started running fast towards the sea, and I tapped him on the shoulder.
"If you throw me, I'll be very angry!"
"I also really want to see you angry."
"Don't do it!!"
He acted as if he was going to throw me into the sea immediately, but surprisingly, he gently lowered me in front of the water.
I had the strange sensation that a bunch of fine sand pushed by the waves was entering through the toes of my feet.
While walking on the shallow waves, leaving footprints, I sat on the sand to watch the sunset.
Then, I looked at the sky, where clouds passed, changing color every moment, endlessly.
The sky I see now will be remembered for a long time.
"It's beautiful."
"......"
"It seems like someone is constantly painting the sky with a brush."
While watching the sunset dyeing over the white sand, I exclaimed many times with an excited voice.
Then, at one point, I looked at his face as he approached and swallowed dry saliva.
"When I saw fireworks in the past, I thought the princess watching them was more beautiful."
He gently stroked his lower lip with his thumb.
His face, up close, was so beautiful that it took my breath away.
I closed my eyes slowly, and he soon pulled my chin and kissed my lips.
At that moment.
Splash-
While I was frantically absorbed in the soft feeling he gave me, a huge wave crashed against me, and suddenly he and I were hit by the water.
As I rubbed my eyes, Isidor suddenly turned his head, and the tips of his ears turned red.
The skirt wet by the waves clung to the silhouette of my body.
I dressed as lightly as possible for a long journey, and it was hotter than in the capital, so I didn't even wear a vest.
Isidor also didn't have a coat to cover my body.
"... Let's go back to the castle first."
I murmured while my wet body huddled, and he quickly stopped me.
"Dry yourself inside. I'll bring clothes."
He pointed to the villa in front of him.
"Is it okay to go to that place?"
"I took charge of that villa last year."
"It's private property. It's a nice place, but there's no one there."
With an obvious belated understanding, I put on my shoes and walked to the villa.
---------------------------
Although the villa was well-kept, there were no signs of life, and the indoor air was dull.
As the sun set, it quickly became cold, so I shivered and clung to my wet clothes.
After a while, Isidor appeared, breathing heavily, with a cloak that seemed to have been hastily bought at a nearby stall.
"Are you very cold?"
As I trembled, he asked me anxiously.
"Milord looks very cold."
"There's a lot of wind outside."
He brought a chair and lit the fireplace in the villa's living room with magic.
"So, let's dry ourselves first and go out."
I quickly approached the fireplace and sat down.
"Warm."
While drying the clothes, this situation was both absurd and funny, so I burst into laughter. Isidor also let out a cough that seemed to contain a laugh.
"What is this all of a sudden?"
"I know."
"Who would have thought the waves would come so suddenly and so forcefully."
"Then, why don't you use this? I managed to get it by going back and forth between the stalls several times."
He kept recommending a red cloak that a girl would wear.
"It's even worse if I wear it over wet clothes."
"That's not the problem...."
Erasing his words, he continued to take off his white shirt from his hard and muscular body, focusing only on the lit fireplace.
Isidor, who was skillful and carefree in everything he did, seemed clumsy in this aspect. I shivered as I watched him and realized how the clothes clung to my body.
The silence became as sharp as a knife. Unexpectedly, my heart began to beat with tension, and my ears went deaf.
The warm fireplace began to feel hot, and I felt a tickle in my throat.
"... After all, we're dating."
I licked my lips and murmured in a very small whisper, and he, who had only looked at the firewood, turned his gaze toward me.
His emerald eyes fluttered violently, full of flames.
I spoke slowly.
"It doesn't matter...."
"It doesn't matter."
He ruffled his wet hair as if to suppress something.
Water droplets dripping from his blonde hair fell onto the carpet.
"If you knew what I was thinking, you wouldn't say such a thing."
"Sometimes the duke ignores me."
Looking at his trembling eyelashes, I teased him as if possessed by something.
Anyway, the debutante is just a formality, and my age as a magic student was that of an adult in my previous life.
He narrowed his eyes. I felt he was smiling with his eyes because his aegyo-sal was doubled.
"..... Would you like to stay here a little longer? I'll heat the water."
At his question, I stopped for a moment and then nodded slowly