CH 4

Isabelle considered the solar eclipse, which occurred when she was six-year-old, as a turning point in her life. Since then, she has met with Riggs every two weeks. Even though St. Maria found it very undesirable, she did not stop Riggs from coming to see Isabelle. There was also another change – a group of priests began to visit the temple regularly.

“Isabelle, we’ve got guests, so let’s sit down properly. You can do that, right?”

“Who are those people, St. Cecilia?”

“They’re priests from the capital Pilsburg. They’re here to check if the temple is operating well.”

“To inspect the temple…?”

“Our temple, located in the Duchy of Cardiago, is far from the capital. So they came here to see if Isis’ intentions are being well conveyed. Don’t get into trouble today, okay?”

Isabelle, who had lived with a number of women, knew how to quickly notice someone’s discomfort. She looked at the priest leading the group for the inspection. The big-bellied priest pretended to savor a verse from scriptures adorned in buildings, gardens, or walls. However, what he really cared about was trying to hide his own discomfort.

Isabelle hid behind St. Cecilia’s skirt and asked small questions.

“Who is he, and why has he been watching me for a while?”

“You mean Father Matteo? He’s not looking at you, he’s looking around. Father Matteo is more faithful than anyone else because he belongs to the royal family.”

Isabelle could not accept St. Cecilia’s answer. To her, the word “faithful” was worth as much as “good-natured”.

But Father Matteo’s eyes are evil.

His glances at her reminded her of a poacher who was waiting for his game to grow fat. He stared at her, covered his mouth, and talked to the person next to him. His eyes had been directed at her several times, so Isabelle could see that he was talking about her.

“Saint, I don’t feel good.”

“If you feel bad, go stay in the room. I’ll call you when Father Matteo leaves so you can see him off.”

“Yes.”

Isabelle went up to the attic, puffing her cheeks. 

Afterward, Father Mateo visited the temple without notice and had many secret conversations. It was a very unwelcome thing for Isabelle. This kept repeating as time flew by.

***

Isabelle, who turned ten years old before she knew it, had a routine of waiting for Riggs every two weeks. It was because the baby deer gave her a lot of money.

“Riggs, today my homework is on the history of the empire you’re so confident about. There’s a lot to do, so sit down here.”

Isabelle tapped the blanket she had laid near the bush where they had first met. This place became the hideout for Riggs and Isabelle.

Riggs, who was quite tall but still smaller than Isabelle, sat down without uttering a word. He was wearing a brown vest with a long-sleeved shirt with pants that any farmer’s son would own one or two pairs of.

Isabelle laid down while observing his strangely clean clothes. 

As he looked up at the sky, Riggs popped out something. A pouch. There was a savory smell of butter coming from inside.

“Riggs, you don’t have to bring this every time. You said you live in an uncomfortable situation at a relative’s house.”

“So you’re not going to eat?”

“Well, that’s not what I said.”

Isabelle opened her mouth and ate the cookies that Riggs brought. While chewing, she didn’t forget to rummage through her bag to get her homework that needed to be done today.

For some reason after her encounter with Riggs, St. Maria has become more conservative, strictly teaching etiquette and the history of the empire. She also had to learn scriptures with children of her age, which she didn’t stop reading until bedtime. The number of assignments was enormous, so Isabelle was both grateful and overwhelmed by St. Maria’s passionate guidance.

“Riggs, I would have cried without you. You can solve it up to here.”

Isabelle laughed shamelessly as she gave Riggs a big chunk of her homework. The breeze felt good in the evening when the sun set.

Riggs looked at Isabelle’s soft hair for a long time, then turned to the papers in his hand.

“……it’s about Cardiago?”

“Yes, I learned about the Duke of Cardiago yesterday. Now I’m done with the three great families of the Empire.”

Riggs, who would normally give her the answers straightaway, was reluctant today. After a while, it turned into what Isabelle was most worried about. Riggs returned the blank answer sheet.

“Isabelle, this is an assignment that St. Maria gave to you. You have to improve your skills.”

“But history is the subject you’re best at. When I was learning about the Duke of Pilsburg and the Duchess of Raizelin, you didn’t say anything then.”

“Just study Cardiago for a while. The temple is also in the Duchy of Cardiago.”

The only thing she could remember was that the people of Cardiago were very patient. Isabelle was in dire straits and waited for Riggs to cancel his bluff, but only heard the sound of footsteps that seemed to be deliberately closing in. Isabelle and Riggs turned their heads toward the sound.

“Isabelle, Riggs… do you have a minute?”

There stood Ravi, a girl from the village who studied scriptures with Isabelle. She wore a pink flower in her hair and a long dress. She doesn’t wear it often, saying it’s uncomfortable.

“Ravi! Are you here to say goodbye?”

Isabelle stood up and headed to her friend. Ravi and her family were scheduled to move to the far-off Duchy of Raizelin next month. She was glad to see Ravi because she couldn’t easily see her unless it was for class.

“Ravi, if you’re going to say goodbye to Isabelle, I’ll get out of your way.”

Isabelle was suddenly unhappy with her stubborn friend. What’s the point of being like that to a friend who’s moving away?

“Ravi, shall we go over there and talk?”

“Isabelle, can I talk to Riggs for a second?”

Ravi’s face was red as if she were asking for a shameful favor. 

“Of course. You two talk comfortably.”

Isabelle waved her hands. Riggs, who raised his body, looked at her and made a very absurd face, but pretended not to understand. 

Is Ravi confessing to Riggs?

Under these circumstances, that seems to be the case. Isabelle knew that Ravi had been keeping an eye on Riggs for a while. She would soon leave Cardiago to head for Raizelin, so it would be normal for her to want to convey her heart.

It’s a world where aristocrats and commoners alike can promise their future as long as they are over 10 years old, so maybe they would get engaged.

I wish they would get engaged. Since they are both my friends, wouldn’t it be nice?

How nice it would be to have someone who welcomes you home even if you stayed out late into the night. Isabelle had a subtle expectation. She wished she knew Riggs’ taste in girls.

I’m sure Riggs has a girl he likes just like other boys.

Maybe Riggs’ ideal type is Ravi. Isabelle, who tried to wait patiently, couldn’t last more than 3 minutes. She moved sneakily.

She prayed to the goddess Isis, closed her eyes, and hid behind a tree. A very cold, unfriendly voice was heard.

“Again, I don’t want a girlfriend or anything.”

“………”

“I won’t write a letter. I hope you get used to Raizelin.”

Riggs’ voice was stiffer than when he fell in the frozen pond. Isabelle watched Ravi leave with her mouth open.

I can’t believe he was so forceful. He really doesn’t want a girlfriend.

Besides, his eyes were so sharp. For a moment, Riggs’ pretty eyes were not crimson, but rather the color of dark blood.

After a while, Isabelle was back at her blanket, and Riggs returned with a calm face as if nothing had happened.

“Riggs, what did you talk about with Ravi?” Isabelle asked.

I thought he would be serious, but for some reason, Riggs laughed a little. She felt an indescribable joy in his smile.

“Isabelle, do you want to know what we talked about? Did you want to hear it?”

“Ravi ran away without saying anything to me, so I was wondering what was going on.”

Isabelle started to touch the rabbit grass because she thought she would give herself away if she stayed still. It’s too much to ask for Riggs to stare at flowers, so it’s been awhile since she has done this.

By the time she started making flower crowns, Riggs spoke lightly as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Ravi ran away crying. She must be very upset about moving to Raizelin.”

Isabelle choked. Anyone who saw the situation would have said that Ravi’s tears were due to Riggs. 

Why is he so tactless? Ravi must have been hurt because she was flatly rejected.

She was distressed. Isabelle put the wreath down for a while, then grabbed Riggs’s hand and began preaching seriously.

“Friends should love each other, Riggs. You shouldn’t have answered so harshly if you love Ravi.”

“You overheard it?”

“······”

The prickly Isabelle looked at the distant mountain. She could feel Riggs staring at her with a mature expression.

“Isabelle, look at me. Are Ravi and I the same to you?”

“Well, no matter how far Ravi is moving, she’s my friend. Even if you move far away, it’s like you’re still my friend.”

It was such a natural question that Isabelle spoke very fluently. Then his face hardened as if he had been shocked. As she remembered the crying Ravi, Isabelle spoke with a sulky face

“If I needed a friend like that, I would accept Ravi’s confession. Girlfriends are a little different from other friends.”

“I know it’s something different too.”

“Then why did you do that? I have a lot of friends, but you don’t Riggs.”

At the moment, Riggs looked heartbroken. His face was so grim that Isabelle felt sorry.

“I’m sorry, Riggs. I won’t make fun of you for not having any friends again.”

“I, I’m really the one you…”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I should know better that you have only one friend.”

Isabelle patted Riggs on the back with tears in his eyes. For a long time, he was hugged with his face buried on her shoulder as if the grief that he had no friends except her was exploding.

I guess he really hates having girlfriends and dating. He doesn’t like making many friends… and he is different from other boys.

It was the moment when Riggs’ inclination was determined in Isabelle’s mind.