“I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t say anything.”
“That’s the same thing!”
“You never asked.”
“What?”
“You never once asked if I was the owner of the mana stones.”
“...You really can talk, huh.”
Ravi ground his teeth at the sheer nerve of it, remembering how she’d kept her mouth shut even while he’d been practically hopping in frustration, unable to get his hands on any mana stones.
“Do you not remember what you said before? You told me I had to butter up that bastard Arsian if I wanted to get mana stones! Huh?”
“I was giving you some friendly advice so you’d get along better with other people and—ah, ow!”
“I’m so touched I could cry, you know that?”
“It hurts! Ah...!”
Camilla cried out in pain as Ravi grabbed both her cheeks and squeezed, but he only let go after quite a while.
She stepped back a pace, cupped her cheeks in both hands, and glared hard at him.
“Son of a...”
“Son? Son? You’re still not done being scolded, clearly.”
“Would you like one more mana stone, dear brother?”
Ugh! Seriously! He should be grateful he had such a good little sister!
“You’ve got some nerve, too.”
“What now?”
“Why did you buy a mine this time?”
He’d heard that the final price of the mine at this auction had been astronomical.
He still couldn’t quite believe that the one who’d calmly paid that amount wasn’t anyone else—it was this brat.
She hadn’t relied on the ducal house’s power; she had paid that enormous sum purely with her own means.
“Why else?”
“...?”
“I bought it so my dear brother can live off me for the rest of his life.”
“...”
“Just wait. I’ll make sure you go through life without so much as getting your hands wet.”
“...It’s not like I’m exactly getting my hands wet now.”
Ravi, who had been staring at her like he couldn’t believe her, ended up letting out a brief laugh.
Why did her ridiculous, boastful words sound so good to him, anyway?
RUMBLE!
Lightning flashed outside the window at that moment. Thunder followed, and both Camilla and Ravi turned their eyes toward the window.
“It’s going to pour.”
“Looks like it.”
The summer rainy season was just about to begin.
****
SHHHHHH—
The rain that had started in the early evening did not stop even after night fell.
Camilla finished a cup of warm milk tea as she watched the lightning and thunder outside the window, then went to bed.
“Ah, this is nice.”
She felt like she was going to sleep very well tonight. She was long past the age of losing sleep over thunder.
Strangely enough, at some point she had started sleeping better on nights like this.
‘Should I call it a kind of relative sense of relief?’
Unlike outside, the inside of the blankets felt safe, and that made her sleep better than usual.
DRIP... DROP, DRIP...
But not long after she slipped under the covers, a very annoying sound started to dig into her ears.
Drip, drip—water falling.
She might have ignored it if it were just the sound of rain, but things were different if that sound was coming from inside the room.
This place wasn’t some old thatched house. There was no way the roof would leak just because it was raining.
DRIP... DRIP...
And what if that sound was slowly drawing closer and closer to where she was?
“...Fuck.”
Camilla opened her eyes and muttered a quiet curse as soon as she did.
Because there was a presence leaning in right up to her nose.
“It’s already humid enough because of the rain.”
Clicking her tongue and grumbling briefly, she simply pulled the covers back over herself as if nothing had happened.
[Um...]
The one standing by her side—the water ghost—could not hide her confusion.
[Are you sleeping?]
“Yeah.”
[You’re just going back to sleep?]
“Yeah!”
[...]
She’d gotten a hint back at the mountain stream. She’d realized this human had nerves of steel.
But still, she had never imagined Camilla would calmly try to go back to sleep even after seeing her pop up out of nowhere like this.
At the very least, shouldn’t she ask why she’d come?
[Hey! Are you seriously sleeping?]
“...Hey?”
When had they gotten so close that she could call her “hey”?
“I should just drag you out right now.”
[...]
“Don’t make noise.”
Camilla’s eyes on the water ghost were downright murderous. Even before, she hadn’t gone easy on anything that came to bother her sleep at night.
And if that entity happened to be a ghost she wasn’t particularly close with, she had zero intention of cutting it any slack.
“Who told you to come yelling in the middle of the night? Did you bury your manners when you died too?”
[D-Don’t you want to know? Why I came to find you?]
“Not at all.”
[But still...]
“If you say even one more word from now on, I’ll take it as you begging to be dragged out like last time.”
[But...!]
“Sss.”
[...]
In the end, the water ghost had no choice but to shut her mouth.
“Stop splashing water all over the place and sit quietly in a corner.”
With that, Camilla completely stopped paying any attention to the ghost.
The water ghost’s face twisted in confusion again as she watched.
She’s really sleeping? Really?
But the thought that she might truly get grabbed and dragged out by the other ghosts like last time if she kept it up meant she couldn’t bring herself to ask anything else.
[Can you stop glaring at me already? I did stay quiet all night, just like you said.]
“I hate feeling damp more than anything.”
[That’s because it’s raining outside!]
“And you’re doing your part on top of that.”
The rain was still pouring down outside. It didn’t look like there would be any clear skies for a while.
“So, why did you come?”
Camilla asked, her voice dripping with annoyance as she looked at the water ghost standing in front of her.
[Well, the thing is.]
“What?”
[Can I ask you something first?]
“What?”
[Why are you suddenly talking down to me?]
Camilla let out a short, incredulous laugh at the ghost’s question.
The water ghost was someone she already knew. She was the prickly water ghost from the stream, the one she’d seen when she’d taken the children on a picnic.
The one who’d been dragged away, kicking and screaming, by Zeno and Derrin...
“Back then, I was the one intruding on your space.”
Right now, you’re the one barging into my space without permission. Why exactly should I bother being polite?
“If you don’t like me talking down to you, you can leave. Right now.”
Honestly, she’d really prefer if the ghost would just leave. The reason ghosts came to find her like this was always the same.
[Just grant me one favor.]
There it is. There it is.
“The rain’s making my mood even worse.”
She’d had a feeling, and of course she’d been right.
As usual, Camilla acted like she hadn’t heard a thing. She could already tell how much of a headache a favor from someone who’d died with such a deep grudge that they’d become a water ghost would be.
[Please, just listen to my request!]
“I wonder when the rain’s going to stop.”
[Hey!]
“Maybe I should have some tea.”
[Find my child.]
Camilla, who had been deliberately ignoring her, froze.
“...Your child?”
[Yeah. My child.]
Tears instantly welled up at the corners of the water ghost’s eyes.
[Please... Please, find my child.]
Hearing that desperate, tear-choked voice, heavy with pleading, Camilla finally let out a short sigh.
****
“We’re having a party at our house soon. If you’re free...”
“Do you like tea? We just received an extremely rare tea at home...”
“My father brought back a very unusual animal. We’re all getting together to see it this week. Lady Camilla, won’t you come as well?”
“Lady Camilla, tomorrow...”
Sweet-smelling food attracts bees, flies, and all sorts of bugs.
Watching the swarm of people drawn in by the sweet scent of money, Camilla kept clicking her tongue on the inside.
She’d expected it, but still—people had been coming to see her nonstop since morning. Even during class, letters and gifts kept pouring in.
“Lady Camilla, my father has long wanted to meet the young lady of the Ducal House of Sorpel—”
TAP.
“What the hell?”
The young man who had been talking to Camilla slapped away the hand lightly tapping his shoulder with an annoyed flick.
TAP TAP.
But when the hand tapped his shoulder again, his face twisted in irritation.
“Seriously! I was talking first!”
He was busy enough to drop dead; who the hell—
“Gah!”
He spun around, ready to start a fight, and his face froze solid.
“Move.”
A short, low, deep word.
But the impact was huge. Everyone crowding around Camilla instantly scattered to one side.
“Still not going?”
The one who had spoken was Arsian.
“Do you still have business here?”
“N-No!”
“None at all!”
Anyone who’d been hesitating just in case started shaking their heads furiously.
No one waited for anyone else. They all scrambled away in a rush.
Camilla was genuinely impressed by the sight.
“You really are human insecticide.”
“What are you talking about?”
Camilla let out a brief chuckle and asked:
“What brings you here?”
“It’s time.”
“Time?”
“Club time.”
“...”
“Why?”
She really wanted to ask him.
‘Why are you so dedicated to club activities?’
In her case, it was something she had no choice but to do as a replacement for her major classes.
“Arsian.”
“What?”
“Doesn’t your swordsmanship instructor say anything?”
Anyone who needed to know already knew that Arsian had joined the Service Club. It was obviously something the Academy instructors had heard about.
“Say what?”
“Something like, you should focus on swordsmanship?”
“He hasn’t said anything.”
Well, you did have to pick your battles depending on who you were talking to.
‘The swordsmanship instructor values his own life, too.’
Letting out a short sigh, Camilla rose from her seat.
“Huh?”
When she left the classroom, Petro was standing there.
“Did you come together?”
“Are you insane?”
“I also came to escort Camilla, but that man went in first, so I waited outside.”
“Hey!”
“What now? I didn’t even say your name.”
Are you two seriously still fighting over what to call each other?
Shaking her head slightly, Camilla walked ahead, doing her best to keep just enough distance to make it look like she wasn’t with them.
CLACK!
“...! C-Camilla!”
A short while later, as Camilla opened the clubroom door and stepped inside, she first heard Laila’s flustered voice.
“You’re here?”
The voice that followed made it immediately clear why Laila looked so rattled.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m here to join this club.”
Rania was sitting in the clubroom.
“Join? This club?”
“Yes.”
She greeted them as if she were already a member here. It looked completely natural.
“I’m sorry, but we’re not planning on accepting any more new members.”
“Oh, really?”
“Right, President?”
“Huh? Ah... Y-Yes?”
The club president, who was used to Laila always being gentle, couldn’t hide his dismay at her firm ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) tone and answered awkwardly.
“That’s strange.”
