The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 75

「By the way, it’s nice that the weather has cleared up properly for spring. Now that the season of endless winds has passed, the flowers will grow well without bending. Um… you don’t need to look so worried. Jupiter’s sanctuary can regulate the rain, wind, and sunlight that passes through. Your tree should be fine, I think, though I’ve never gone in to see it.」

“…Yes.”

After saying this, Ruba gritted her teeth in a way Evelyn couldn’t hear. The source of her displeasure was directed at this seemingly powerless nymph’s protector.

Cassis has become quite mean lately. The king of the elves, whom she had run into while lingering in front of the Hall of Glory, had once again issued a petty warning to her, sacred unicorn or not. Something about not letting it slide if he kept intimidating or scaring her?

How vexing, that irreplaceable fellow. As Ruba glared with her large eyes, Evelyn tilted her head.

“Um, Ruba. Is there a problem?”

「None! None at all. Ahem, anyway, these carrots are delicious. Carrots grown directly by the spirits Cassis keeps and even washed by them are truly the best. Others are all dry and not so good.」

Evelyn smiled so broadly that dimples formed in her cheeks.

“I’ll prepare it again if you ask. Next time, double the amount.”

「Ah, when the weather is this nice, we should be going on a picnic outside the castle.」

Picnic… huh.

Evelyn’s thoughts flew to her hometown, far beyond the thick castle walls, reachable only after a long journey. They said it took a full day to get here on horseback, but she couldn’t guarantee how long it would take on foot. Devran, which she left so suddenly, felt very distant now.

When she was young, she didn’t know about the fancy picnics of noble ladies that appeared in books she read with Faye. However, she had enjoyed plenty of picnics as simple play. Despite the village head’s scolding to behave properly, when the good season came, she and her friends would rush to the hills and low mounds.

‘Right… We had fun without grand parasols, bonnets, fruit-infused liquors, or expensive snacks. I miss it a little.’

I wonder if Faye is enjoying married life. She must have been worried since trouble arose not long after her wedding. Actually, though nothing has been clearly resolved yet, if we were to meet face to face, I’d want to tell her everything is fine.

‘…I should ask someone to send a letter later. I need to let her know I’m doing well, with some embellishment.’

The moment picnics were mentioned, Evelyn shut her mouth tight, looking visibly downcast to anyone watching. Does she not have experience going on picnics? Ruba, thoroughly misunderstanding, made a promise she couldn’t keep.

「Hey. Let’s go on a picnic outside the castle soon. That’ll work, right?」

“Is that allowed?”

Cassis’s advice not to suggest outings beyond the castle? Who cares! Who does he think he is to dare give orders to a unicorn? If I want to do something, I’ll do it.

Ruba, who had boldly made an empty promise, snorted proudly.

「Yes. But ‘soon’ doesn’t mean right away. Wait.」

Evelyn already knew the reason why.

“Is it because of the festival that will open in the castle soon?”

「Yes, that’s right. Soon the Aika Festival for the sentinels will begin, so it’s better to keep castle gate traffic to a minimum. Outsiders can come too, which is why the guards have been on edge lately. Though this year, with the tight schedule, there will probably be fewer visitors.」

Festival… Evelyn’s thoughts once again flew to the village where she used to live.

While picnics could be arranged anytime with just a couple of people paired up, festivals needed to be organized by the village, so the situation was different. Therefore, in their tiny rural village, there weren’t any specially organized festivals.

Even in the books Faye brought, such things only occasionally happened in the capital where precious princes and princesses lived. However, villages had their own ways—she’d heard that in villages with larger populations, they held fun festivals every year with flower carriage rides and cheese-making competitions. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t envious of what she’d learned about other villages through hearsay.

“Um, Ruba. Do all the elves living in the castle attend this festival?”

「Huh? Not everyone. Some have to guard the castle or have other duties, so it’s common for people to miss it. For example, sentinels on watch duty, knights, or the current king. The previous king would finish most of his work before the Aika Festival and join in just fine, but I’ve never seen the current king attend.」

‘I see.’

Evelyn felt a little sad. Cassis always seemed buried in work and official duties. While she appreciated how attentively he cared for her, she wondered if he might take just one day off to participate in this festival.

Without even daring to think she herself might join the Aika Festival, she asked casually.

“So, what do they do at the Aika Festival? Hmm. Let me guess. Perhaps they choose an extremely beautiful elf, like the divine statues displayed in the temple…”