The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 48
「We don’t have time, let’s go quickly.」
“Where to?”
「There are many places in Jupiter Castle. If you’re going to live here from now on, you should familiarize yourself with the geography in advance. Do you only want to get acquainted with Cassis’s bedroom, bathroom, and study?」
Evelyn hesitated again, but since it was fundamentally sound advice, she had no choice but to follow.
As the two were leaving the area around the roots of the World Tree, a faint vanilla scent clung to the hem of her clothes. Like a gift.
Following Ruba diligently proved worthwhile. She learned everything about what lay in the north, south, east, and west directions of the Hall of Glory where she resided with Cassis. It was somewhat difficult to commit everything to memory, but she thought that after traversing these paths a few times, her feet would naturally remember the way.
The watchtower they visited, the agora, sacred grounds, large warehouses, the grand palace where various festivals were held, temples, the directions to the four gates leading outside the castle, the barracks where knights were stationed, the quarters and stables…
“There’s quite a lot here.”
Evelyn stuck out her tongue. The village where she had lived was populated by similar people who mostly engaged in agriculture, so she rarely had opportunities to see such diversity.
「Of course. The Hall of Glory is the king’s residence, so the surrounding area is kept spacious. Also, many elves live between the outer and inner castle walls over there. It’s to prevent congestion that would occur if everyone wandered around the castle day and night.」
“I see.”
「Phew, let’s head back. Oh right, there is a public library, but you don’t really need to go there. There’s a study inside the Hall, isn’t there? It’s quite spacious, so you should be able to find most things there. But come to think of it, everything would be written in Elvish. You don’t know the language here well, do you?」
“…No.”
This time she didn’t blush. The book she had received from the maid back then must have been in the Imperial language as a special consideration. She could only assume it wasn’t the maids’ idea but rather due to Cassis’s thoughtful care.
「Elvish is difficult, but when you get the chance, try to learn it bit by bit. You’ll be living here from now on, so not knowing would put you at a disadvantage.」
Keeping Ruba’s words in mind, she returned to the bedroom, moving her quite painful legs. Though she couldn’t even read letters yet, she hoped to become proficient someday.
It seemed like such a long day, perhaps because she had been wandering around since early morning. Although the sun had not yet set, it felt that way to her.
Ah, right. What was that?
Having rushed out to follow the unicorn immediately after waking up, she hadn’t had time to examine what was placed on the bedside table. The bedroom remained unchanged from when she left.
She moved her slightly heated feet and approached it.
“Hmm… Oh, it’s in the Kingdom language?”
Unfortunately, the note was written in the Devran Kingdom language, which she wasn’t familiar with. Most comfortable with the Imperial language, she struggled but began to read haltingly.
“Ev…lyn, Ruwia…? No, a white horse named Ruba will come to get… you in the morning. Hmm, this is… Jupi, Jupiter! It’s a mys…terious being even in Jupiter. You can follow it without worry. And…”
She read the last part in one breath. From Cassis.
Roughly, it seemed to be about Ruba, who had taken her to the World Tree. If she had seen this before leaving, she wouldn’t have worried and paced anxiously several times. Still, the thought of having gone out with a legendary unicorn was so remarkable that a smile naturally spread across her face.
Beneath the note was a neatly folded set of clothes, but Evelyn didn’t even think about unfolding them, instead tightly embracing the note addressed to her.
‘Lord Cassis’s handwriting…’
As she clutched it to her chest, a strong, heart-pounding emotion rushed through her, similar to when he had placed his lips there. But strictly speaking, it wasn’t exactly the same. It was quite different from the peculiar feeling she experienced when he had embraced her. This is so precious. This… since it was given to her, she could keep it, right?
Thump, thump!
The moment she thought about possessing Cassis’s trace entirely to herself, her heartbeat pounded so loudly it echoed in her ears, drowning out all other sounds no matter how loud they might be.
Just a simple note. A kind note meant only for her. She never thought she would receive anything like a love letter in her lifetime… Indeed, it was Cassis who stirred her emotions.
‘I wonder, could this be love? Am I in love with Lord Cassis?’
