Chapter 46: The Eldritch Godness and the Park

By train, it took about thirty minutes to reach Gärtner Memorial Park on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

"What a beautiful park!"

I couldn’t help but murmur as I took in the sight.

Neatly trimmed lawns. Flowers in full bloom. A serene lake dotted with boats and waterfowl.

"Is this your first time here, Iris?" Frieda asked.

"Yes, it is. I had no idea such a lovely place existed so close to the capital."

Today, instead of our usual uniforms, we were dressed in casual yet elegant dresses—practical enough for outdoor activities. Frieda and Emilia’s outfits were especially adorable. Good taste, good taste~.

"Emilia, be careful. If something happens again—"

"My apologies, Your Highness. I’m causing you concern."

"This time, let me protect you."

Leonhard was sticking to Emilia like glue. Ever since that incident, he’d become even more clingy. I really hope Emilia doesn’t get fed up with him… Though, half of this is probably my fault.

"Things have been rather dangerous lately. Even Director Erich—"

"What happened to Director Erich?"

"His home was robbed. He wasn’t hurt, but one of his servants was killed. He’s been on leave since then."

"I see…"

Felix frowned at Albrecht’s words.

"W-Well! The weather’s perfect for a picnic today, so let’s not dwell on gloomy topics!"

"You’re right, Lady Iris. My apologies."

Just for today, can we not talk about scary things?

"Since we’re here, we should definitely try the boats. There’s something wonderful about drifting on the lake, taking in the scenery."

"Agreed. It’s a classic activity here."

Frieda and Albrecht exchanged nods.

"How many people fit in one boat?"

"Two. Rowing takes quite a bit of strength, you know."

"I see…"

I’d never been on a boat in my past life either, so I was curious. But with my pitiful arm strength, rowing was out of the question.

In times like these, I should follow Klaus’s teachings— "Use others to your advantage."

"Lord Felix, would you like to ride a boat with me?"

"Sure, I don’t mind."

Perfect. He looks like he’s got the arm strength for it.

And so, we made our way to the boats. Since it was the weekend, the park was decently crowded, but luckily, there were still boats available. Score!

"Well then—"

I boarded the boat with Felix, Frieda paired with Albrecht, and Emilia ended up with Leonhard. It was amusing to see Frieda and Emilia smiling cheerfully while Albrecht and Leonhard rowed with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"It'll rock a bit—be careful."

Felix warned me before starting to row.

Ohhh! So this is what a boat ride feels like. The gentle swaying was actually quite pleasant, and watching the scenery drift by at a leisurely pace created a wonderfully soothing atmosphere.

"Lady Iris. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, very much so, Lord Felix."

"Good."

Huh? Did I look bored or something?

"Don't overthink it. I just wanted to make sure you were having fun. You're... not quite like other girls, so I wasn't entirely sure what you'd enjoy. That's all."

"Ah, rest assured. My tastes aren't so different from an ordinary girl's."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm."

Well, aside from my Eldritch Godness sensibilities making me bizarrely indifferent to gruesome corpses or soul-shaking terror. Those kinds of sanity-shattering things barely register with me—as if I feel nothing at all.

Other than that, I'm just your average commoner at heart~.

"......What do you plan to do after leaving the academy and the capital?"

Felix's sudden question caught me off guard.

"No concrete plans yet. I've reconciled with Father, so I might retreat to our family lands. Or perhaps I'll travel instead of staying in one place. Whenever I settle down, incidents always seem to happen around me."

It was true. If I lingered too long, people started having nightmares, cults stirred up trouble... nothing good came of it. Wandering might at least minimize the collateral damage.

"A life of constant travel won't be easy."

"I know... but it's better than burdening everyone else."

Not to mention sparing myself from more cult entanglements. Keeping them from catching up to me was priority number one—even if an endless journey sounded exhausting.

"Then I'll pray for blessings on your travels."

"To the gods?"

"To whatever power in this world might grant such wishes."

Felix shrugged slightly as he said it.

After completing a full loop around the lake, we returned to shore. So much fun~!

We strolled leisurely through the park before settling on the grass for our picnic. Spread out on a blanket, we unpacked simple lunches—nothing fancy, just sandwiches and light fare.

"Emilia! I had the royal chefs prepare these sandwiches especially for today! You must try one! There are plenty, so eat as much as you'd like!"

Leonhard's overeager offering was almost comical. At this rate, he'll start hand-feeding her...

"Th-thank you, Your Highness."

Emilia accepted the sandwich with flustered gratitude as Leonhard radiated enthusiasm. Seriously, Emilia, please don't get fed up with this man's overwhelming affection~. Be good to him~.

"This sandwich is delicious."

"Hehe. I'm glad you like it, Lord Albrecht."

Frieda and Albrecht were equally absorbed in their own little world.

"Well, it's just a regular sandwich, really."

"...Yeah."

Since I was currently living with Felix, none of this struck me as particularly noteworthy. Moving on.

"Today has been wonderful. I'd love to go out like this with everyone again."

Emilia smiled warmly as she spoke, but an awkward tension settled over the group when Leonhard eagerly added:

"Absolutely! We should do this more often!"

"Yes. Even in our third year, let's stay friends."

Emilia's cheerful declaration was met with uneasy silence.

"...? Is something wrong?"

"Well, you see, Emilia... I'll be leaving the academy after the Golden Festival in December."

"Wha—?! Wh-why?!"

My announcement visibly shook her.

"It's... family circumstances. There's no helping it. But even if I'm not at the academy, we'll still be friends!"

I flashed my most dazzling smile, but Emilia and the others only stared back with concern. Only Frieda and Felix wore expressions of quiet understanding.

"Then I'll write to you. No matter where you go."

"Thank you, Emilia."

But will I even be somewhere letters can reach after leaving the capital...? I'd like to stay in this world, at least~.

Please don't banish me to another dimension for no reason~! Spare me that much~!

...Well, "no reason" might not be entirely accurate...

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