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Chapter 20
‘Good.’
Not only could she hold eye contact now—she could even look straight on without flinching.
Eila felt proud of her own growth and turned to Peroti with a smile.
“Shall we head back, then?”
“Yes.”
Peroti reached for her hand, and Eila, laughing softly, clasped it in return.
This was her very first female friend, and simply spending time with Peroti filled her with joy.
“I’m not very good at noticing things, so if something bothers you, please tell me right away.”
She said it half-apologetically, but Peroti’s answer came without hesitation:
“That lack of tact is part of your charm, Eila.”
It was such a candid reply that Eila had to smile. She wrote about Peroti often in her letters to Luca and Sada, never failing to mention her.
The Waterdrop Village was as much a resort as it was a place of study. It had plenty of vacation facilities, souvenir shops, and because the estates were clustered close together, the children of noble houses could mix freely.
Many nobles visited out of season, hoping for a “chance encounter” with the Crown Prince. Their children tried desperately to mingle with him, but—almost too cleanly—they were all turned away.
When Eila fretted about whether such behavior was rude, Carlos answered with his usual chill clarity.
“During the Sage’s lessons, it’s customary for only students to socialize. The content of our lessons cannot be discussed outside.”
Eila gasped.
“You mean… we’re forbidden to share the lesson content?”
A faint smile ghosted across Carlos’s sharp features.
“Have you already leaked something?”
“N-no! I mean—well, no one ever told me that, so I—”
Her flustered reaction only deepened his smile, and Eila felt her vision dim in mortification.
Suddenly, Peroti appeared at her side, linking arms with a bold sweep.
“Sir Carlos, please don’t tease my Eila.”
Carlos alone among the children bore the title of Sir, for he was the youngest ever knighted.
“My apologies. I had no intention to mock. In fact, the Sage always gives us a warning in advance: Do not share this outside these walls. Surely you’ve heard it?”
“Ah—now that you mention it, yes.”
“It’s a convenient excuse, really. If we allowed socializing, Waterdrop would be swarming with pests each session. Instead of study, we’d be buried in social calendars. This way, the lesson is preserved. So those intruding are the truly discourteous ones.”
Peroti’s words cut like a sharpened blade, drawing a line clear and firm.
Eila nodded, convinced. “I see.”
Carlos inclined his head slightly. “Forgive me. I only teased because your reactions are amusing.”
Eila gave him a wry smile.
“Then I’ll take it as a sign we’ve grown closer.”
Before Carlos could respond, Roland, who had been playing chess nearby, called out.
“Carlos.”
With that, Carlos excused himself with a courteous bow and departed.
Later, when the gathering ended, Eila tilted her head.
‘Now that I think about it, Roland hasn’t looked at me at all lately.’
Though their lessons with the Sage were once a week, they had far more gatherings outside. Sometimes twice in a single day—once with Peroti alone, then again with the others.
‘Yet he hasn’t even met my eyes once. Maybe he’s sparing me…?’
She found herself oddly grateful.
That night, as always, she opened her journal. Flipping through, she searched for entries about her friends.
‘There! Found one.’
Today… I don’t even want to know anymore.
Her face burned red. He hadn’t even written the words, just hinted—and that omission itself felt damning.
The entries continued, mentioning Peroti’s closeness with the Crown Princess, but at some point her name began disappearing from his notes.
‘And here are mentions of Coon and Carlos too. He really records every little thing. Even if it’s just my wild imaginings mixed in with Luca and Sada’s names, it’s better than nothing.’
She read for a long while before setting the journal aside to practice channeling the light into her hands.
As much as she wanted to shout from the rooftops that she’d met a spirit, she instinctively knew she shouldn’t.
‘I’ll talk to my sister when I get back. She’ll know what to do.’
Her thoughts drifted again to Luca and Sada.
‘Should I invite them here?’
Though the lessons discouraged outside mixing, it wasn’t unusual for students to introduce a friend or two. Everyone she met already knew her name—Solalune—so they bowed politely.
‘I want to show them Sada and Luca. I want everyone to meet them.’
So she wrote a letter, inviting both to Waterdrop.
The Fish Ornaments
When Sada received the letter, he jumped to his feet, sat back down, then sprang up again.
He raked his hair with both hands.
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
Eila wanted to introduce him to her friends. It was kind, but—was it really all right?
‘If it were up to me, I’d borrow money and set out this instant. But… she knows, doesn’t she? She must have sent this to Luca too. Is Luca okay with it?’
Gnawing his lip, he groaned and finally tossed the letter onto the desk.
“Steward!”
He didn’t ring a bell or tug a cord like a proper noble. He simply bellowed.
Soon, an old sailor-turned-butler limped in, his wooden leg bearing witness to his rough past.
“What is it, young master?”
Arms crossed, Sada gave the order:
“We’re leaving for Waterdrop Village. As soon as possible. Make the preparations.”
The Fish Ornaments
“Sada! You’re here!”
Days later, the first thing he saw as he stepped from the carriage was Eila’s radiant smile.
Then he noticed the boy beside her.
“Luca? You beat me here?”
Luca smiled faintly.
“The Ioran lands are closer, after all.”
“Well… true, but still.”
Sada shrugged it off.
“Anyway, it’s good to see you. Usually we only meet in spring—this feels refreshing.”
“It’s been too long,” Luca replied warmly.
Eila gestured eagerly. “You must be tired from the road. Come inside.”
Sada couldn’t help but gape at the Solalune estate. The elegance, the perfectly trained servants, the overwhelming wealth—his own rising house could never match such taste.
After settling into his room and changing, he learned Luca had arrived two full days earlier.
‘So he rushed off right after receiving the letter too. Looks like even the Duke of Ioran wants to strengthen ties with the Crown Prince.’
When he finally joined the others in the sunlit terrace, he was greeted by a feast of sandwiches, scones, and tea. Luca was already eating, and Eila poured Sada a glass of juice with her own hand.
He bit eagerly into a scone.
“So? What about the Sage? Did he look ordinary?”
Eila beamed, launching into vivid descriptions—the feathered headpiece, the embroidered band across his brow, the way he spoke.
She mimed his gestures with exaggerated solemnity, even lifting an oatmeal cookie as a prop.
“Observe these fruits carefully. Where did they come from, and where are they going? When did humankind first begin to eat them? And how… have they ruled us?”
She popped the cookie into her mouth with a flourish.
“Ruled us?” Luca asked, baffled, half a sandwich still in hand.
The children devoured the spread happily as Eila recounted more lessons: agriculture, water rights, the olive trade. Everything the Sage taught was sweeping, boundless, and mesmerizing.
Finally, she puffed herself up with mock-importance.
“And then—when a beast from the forest appeared—I drove it away, single-handedly.”
“You? How?”
Eila smirked.
“With my slingshot, of course.”
Both boys gaped.
Just then, a maid hurried in.
“My lady, Lady Peroti has arrived.”
Eila’s face lit up instantly.
“Perfect timing! Bring her in here—I want her to meet my friends!”
The maid hesitated before bowing. “…As you wish.”
That pause did not escape Luca or Sada. But Eila, oblivious, only beamed brighter.
Moments later, Peroti entered, her eyes sweeping over the two boys as they rose politely from their seats.
Eila stepped forward, smile as bright as ever.
“Sorry to call you straight to the drawing room. I wanted to introduce you—”
But Peroti lifted a hand, her smile poised, her voice cutting softly across Eila’s words.
“Eila. If you mean to introduce me to these two… please don’t.”
