After the monster outbreak was resolved, and with Theobald fully recovered, we all went on a clamming trip.
My uncle, Theobald, Theobald’s friend Mikhail, along with servants, maids, and guards—quite a large group of us boarded a boat, and I was thrilled.
The clamming I knew involved walking along a shallow beach and picking shells from the sand, but here in the frontier, we sailed out at dawn, waiting for the tide to recede. Then, we’d descend to the sandy seabed to collect the clams.
“Wow, so many clams! And look, there are fish too!”
Armed with tools, I harvested flatfish hiding in the sand and small fish from the tide pools. When I dug into the sand, I also found plenty of clams and scallops.
My small bucket, perfect for a seven-year-old, quickly filled up. I was having so much fun.
As I wandered around, my foot got caught in the sand, and I nearly fell, but Mikhail caught me just in time.
“Thank you, Lord Mikhail.”
Mikhail was royalty from a neighboring country, staying at the marquis’ estate to recover from a riding accident that had left his legs paralyzed. Of course, I cured him for 1,000 lirins—naturally. Ahem.
Though his legs were healed, his muscles had weakened, so he remained at the marquis’ estate for rehabilitation. Being the same age as Theobald, they had become good friends. While Mikhail chatted easily with Theobald, he was a bit distant with me, perhaps due to our age difference, and there seemed to be a slight wall between us.
With a playful bow, I ran off in search of my next catch, my short legs scurrying along. Time was limited, and we could only stay on the seabed while the tide was out.
Mikhail, watching my retreating figure with a pained expression, muttered,
“Why is it that when I see Lilygen, I get chills down my spine? My heart starts racing too.”
“Maybe you don’t like her? Sometimes looking at something you dislike makes you feel that way. Mikhail, you’re the youngest in your family and didn’t grow up around children, so maybe you’re just not used to little ones like Lilygen,” Theobald offered, sounding as if he were answering a riddle.
Mikhail nodded.
“Ah, that might be it. That makes sense.”
As Theobald smiled cheerfully and Mikhail accepted the explanation, those around them let out quiet, sympathetic sighs.
A week later, when Mikhail was preparing to return to his home country, he gave me a large emerald, the same color as his eyes.
“Even though you only charged 1,000 lirins, as royalty, he still has to maintain appearances,” Theobald whispered to me with a smile, and I accepted the gem graciously, thinking how difficult it must be to be royalty.
The servants who witnessed the scene sighed deeply, their expressions filled with pity.
Later, when Theobald and I got engaged, Mikhail finally realized that I had been his first love.
It would only be a short time before Mikhail rushed back to the marquis’ estate.
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