Mia looked wide-eyed at the messenger at her door. The girl, who worked for Esmeralda, brought a message that completely caught Mia off guard.
āEsmeralda wants me to go with her on a cruise?ā
āYes. Every summer, Milady goes out to the Sea of Galilee. The water is calm and easy to navigate, and the many islands in the area are great places to spend the summer. Please read this letter of invitation for more information.ā
After she said what she needed to say, the girl bowed and left.
Mia smiled as she looked at the letter in her hands.
āI have to say, this is so herā¦ā
If the invitation hadnāt been so bold, it would have been annoying.
Esmeraldaās guts in acting like she hadnāt just tried to stop the building of Academy City was almost admirable. In spite of it, Mia was amused. Anne, on the other hand, wasnāt so happy.
āUnbelievable! āHow can she act like nothing happened after all she did to get in our way?ā she roared in a rare fit of anger. Anne was a kind person. It wasnāt easy to get her angry, but Esmeraldaās invitation did the trick. Mia looked at her faithful servant and shook her head.
āThis sort of thing always happens, Anne. Itās not important enough to get angry about.ā
Esmeralda was not going to admit that she tried to cause trouble. Unless they could show her solid proof, she would definitely act like she didnāt know. And act like sheās hurt by the accusation at the same time.
After all, playing dumb was a nobleās pastime.
āButā¦ā
āDonāt worry. Weāll never forget what she did, but itās not important enough to make a big deal about right now.ā
If anything, the letter she was holding was a much tougher situation.
āAre you going to decline this invitation, milady?ā
āThatās a good question,ā Mia answered.
Mia thought about what was going on. Based on what she knew about Esmeraldaās personality from the other timeline, this was probably part of a scheme.
But on the other hand, she might just want to go out and have some fun. She thought the chances were about the same. This could be her way of saying sheās sorry for what she did.
It would be silly to just go along with the plan. Honestly, there was no reason to help Esmeralda as long as it was possible that she was trying to trick her into a trap, even if it was a silly one.
Saying ānoā was the best way to avoid all risks. Butā¦if she really just wants to do something fun or if this is a way for her to say sorry, it would be awkward to say no.
Mia knew Esmeralda was a girl who changed her mind a lot.
She could be plotting someoneās downfall one day and then invite them to a party the next, as if she had forgotten what she had done the day before.
What was bothering Mia right now, though, wasnāt Esmeraldaās passing fancy, but something much closer to homeāsomething that had to do with Mia herself.
In the Princess Mia Chronicles, that partā¦
I wonderā¦
She remembered the passage where she beat a gigantic man-eating shark into submission.
Itās clear that she didnāt think much of this little story.
It was probably the result of a lot of exaggeration, layer upon layer, until the story was so far from reality that it might as well have been made up.
Even Iām not crazy enough to think I can defeat a monster like that, but it seems likely that Iāll have to swim at some pointā¦
Assuming that the story in the book was based on a real event, the context of the story strongly suggested that Mia had fallen into the sea first.
If so, I should learn how to swim firstā¦
Mia loved taking baths, but she couldnāt swim. If she had been able to, Rafina would have told her off for swimming up and down the big bathing pool in Saint-Noelā¦ which would have left her with a deep psychological scar that would have made it impossible for her to ever enjoy a bath again.
It turned out that swimming like a brick sometimes helped. She wasnāt alone, though. Tearmoon was an inland empire, and swimming wasnāt part of the culture there. Few nobles would be able to do much more than a dog paddle if they fell into the water.
In any case, it showed that Esmeralda could swim. Mia had the chance to learn from a pro. Was it really a good idea for her to turn it down? It could be the only chance she gets.
She rubbed her forehead and crossed her arms a lot before she came to a decision.
Right. I donāt know what the trap is, but since Esmeralda thought of it, it probably isnāt that bad. When I really think about it, she doesnāt seem like the type to be Serpentyā¦
So, Mia chose to put her faith in Esmeralda. In particular, she put her faith in how much air Esmeralda had in her head.
After all, all that buoyancy has to come from somewhere, and she seemed to float better than Sapphias, so she can tell when she sees an airhead.
And Iām seeing one. I think Iāll be all right.
Mia was a very sharp observer when it came to the gaseousness of the head.
Well, at least that of other people.
As a safety measure, Mia told the student council the next day what she was going to do over the summer. What she didnāt expect was for this decision to set off a chain of events that would lead to a summer that she would never forget.
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