Chapter 17.2

The forest is dense with trees and dimly lit.

There are no markers to indicate right, left, or the path you have taken. If I go too deep into the forest, I might get lost.

Taking out my knife, I proceeded deeper, clearing the scaffolding so that I could easily see the path I had come from.

The edible grasses, mushrooms, and nuts seemed not so different from those in the Duke’s forest.

I also found some forest strawberries. There were many small strawberries growing in the forest. These were probably raspberries.

I was relieved to see some familiar plants and flowers. I thought it would be better to pick the ones I didn’t know well for now and check if they were edible later, so I put the ones I saw into my bag at random.

The weather was not good, but the wildflowers and nuts were growing well, and I was able to pick a lot of them in my bag.

Collecting them is fun, and before I knew it, I had reached an open area.

It was a lake with crystal clear water.

It was not so big as the left side of the lake. It was large enough to see all the way to the other side of the lake, and looked too big to be a pond and a little too small to be a lake.

I wondered if this was the lake that Astaroth had mentioned.

I stopped and sat down on a fallen tree to take a rest.

This is where Cronaea and the other water nymphs used to live. The surface of the lake was not shaking, and there was no sign of life.

I wondered if I could catch something by casting a fishing line. If it’s a fish, it’s not as hard to get as a beast.

Sheathing my knife, I stared blankly at the lake.

I’m getting a little tired…

Sometimes a break is necessary.

“..Where are you going, stupid woman? Are you planning to run away?”

I thought I heard a low growling voice, and a large figure suddenly appeared next to me.

It was Gilbert-sama with an expression that proved he was angry.

Really, the fluctuations of his emotions are very easy to understand.

It’s adorable to think that he went out of his way to chase me.

“Good day to you, Gilbert-sama. Gilberto-sama looks so nice in the sunlight.”

“You don’t have to compliment me, I know very well that you don’t mean what you say.”

“Oh, I’m sure I mean it.”

“No need to be so coy now.”

Gilberto-sama is sulking.

I’m sure he still holds a grudge against me for lecturing him on how to be a king when I first met him.

“There are times when Gilbert-sama also goes outside.”

“What do you mean?”

“The two names of being a reclusive virgin prince are…”

“I told you not to flatter me, but don’t go out of your way to pick a fight with me, you stupid woman.”

Gilbert-sama’s tension seems to have been relieved by my small joke.

Gilberto sighed in shock.

The fact that he didn’t get angry at my small joke is proof that he has grown up. When I smiled to praise him, he averted his gaze.

I understand that my angelic smile is too dazzling for him to look directly at me, but it’s better to look at it properly.

Missing me, even for a minute or a second, would be a great loss in his life.

“I went to check on you to see if you were awake, but you weren’t in the room, and the damn snake is bothering you again, and you’re slinking off into the woods, what  really up to?”

“Thank you, Gilbert, for rescuing me.”

“..all of a sudden…”

“I am feeling very well. Thank you for saving me and not leaving me to suffer from the poison, even though I showed my ungraceful appearance.”

I hadn’t thanked him properly yet, so this should clear things up.

It is very important to say thank you.

It is one of the smallest human courtesies.

“..I thought you didn’t like it so much that you ran away.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Lydith, I’m sorry about the… Cronaea.”

“No, I just cleaned up the basement and the front hall a bit, so there’s no problem about it.”

“If that’s what you think, good. Now, about that snake…”

“Astaroth has been very good to me. He understands very well that I belong to Gilbert-sama.

Gilbert’s eyes suddenly widened.

He seemed to be upset.

He will be my husband, so I am happy that we can be friends like this.

I should tease him a little more.

“Gilbert-sama, yesterday’s therapy, I don’t remember much about it, even though you touched me. Please… give me my first time properly.”

I put my hand on his thigh and peered into his face.

I thought that Gilbert-sama would be embarrassed and run away, but he stared at me without saying a word, and I felt a little embarrassed when I said that.

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