Chapter 4

Isabelle considered the solar eclipse that happened when she was six to be a turning point in her life. Ever since then, she met up with Lix every two weeks. Sister Maria didn’t like it, but she didn’t stop him from coming to see her.

One more thing changed. Before the temple had always been quiet, but now a group of priests started visiting regularly.

“Isabelle, we’ve got guests, so sit here quietly for a while. You can do that, right?”

“Sister Cecilia, who are those people?”

“They’re priests from the capital of Pilsburg. They came to inspect the temple.”

“To inspect the temple...?”

“Our temple is located in the Cardiego Duchy, which is far from the capital, so they came to check if Iris’ messages were being well conveyed. Don’t cause any trouble today, okay?”

Having spent all her life with the saints, Isabelle was quick to catch anyone feeling out of place. She looked at the priest who was leading the temple inspection. The round-bodied man was out in the garden, pretending to examine the scriptures on the building’s walls. Isabelle found it odd that he kept throwing glances at her. Little did she know that it was her presence that made him uncomfortable.

She hid behind Cecilia’s skirt and whispered, “Who is he? Why does he keep looking at me?”

“Are you talking about Father Mateo? He’s not looking at you. He’s looking around. He’s a priest of the imperial family, so he’s more faithful than anyone else.”

Isabelle didn’t believe her. As someone who grew up in the temple, she had always considered the word “faithful” to be synonymous with “good-natured.”

His gaze is evil, though.

The way he looked at her was similar to that of a poacher waiting for his prey to grow fatter. He stared at her, covered his mouth, and turned to talk to the person next to him. Judging from how he kept glancing at her, she could tell she was the topic of their conversation.

“I feel uncomfortable.”

“I don’t think he has any bad intentions... If you don’t feel good, go to your room. I’ll call you once he prepares to leave so that we can see him off.”

“Okay.”

Isabelle went up to the attic with her cheeks puffed up. After that, Father Mateo continued to visit the temple without warning and hold secret conversations.

Whenever he did so, Isabelle felt uneasy. These events repeated as time flew by.

***

By the time Isabelle turned ten, she was eagerly anticipating Lix’s biweekly visits. The baby deer had generously repaid her for helping him.

“Lix, today we’ll work on imperial history, the topic you have the most confidence in. Sit here. We have a lot of things to do.”

Isabelle tapped the blanket she had spread out near the bushes where they had first met. This place had become their hideout.

Lix, who had grown taller but was still shorter than Isabelle, sat down wordlessly. He was wearing a brown vest, a long-sleeved shirt, and pants that every farmer’s son would own at least one or two pairs of. After observing his oddly clean clothes, Isabelle laid down.

She was gazing at the sky when Lix suddenly held out a small bag. The savory smell of butter was oozing out of it.

“Lix, you don’t have to bring this every time we meet. You said you were uncomfortable living at your relative’s house.”

“So you’re not going to eat it?”

“Well, I didn’t say that.”

Isabelle opened her mouth and ate the cookies he gave her. While chewing, she rummaged through her bag and took out her homework for the day. For some reason, after meeting Lix, Sister Maria had developed a more traditional outlook. She had started teaching Isabelle strictly about the history and cultural norms of the empire. Before she merely had to read the scriptures with other children her age before going to bed, but now, she had to actually study them. As much as she appreciated Sister Maria’s enthusiasm to educate her, she also felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of assignments she had to complete.

“I would’ve cried if you weren’t here. Here, help me solve some of it.”

Isabelle laughed cheekily as she gave Lix a thick stack of papers. A breeze drifted through the bushes, complementing the stunning hues of the sunset. Lix stared at her hair for a while as it fluttered in the breeze before looking down at the pile of papers in his hands.

“It’s about House Cardiego.”

“Yes. I learned about the Cardiego Duchy yesterday. Now I know the three major families of the empire.”

Lix, who was usually prompt with his responses, went silent. Then the thing that Isabelle had been most worried about happened. Lix returned the blank answer sheet to her.

“Sister Maria gave you this task. If you really want to learn more, you’ll have to finish it yourself,” he said.

“But history is your best subject. You didn’t mind helping me when I was studying about House Pilsburg and House Ligelin.”

“Use this chance to learn about House Cardiego. The temple is also in the Cardiego Duchy, right?”

Isabelle was not well-versed in the history of the Cardiego Duchy, but she did know that its people were exceptionally patient. She waited anxiously for Lix to reconsider his decision.

It was then that they heard footsteps approaching. The pair turned toward the sound.

“L-Lix, do you have a minute?”

There stood Lavi, a girl from the village who was studying scriptures with Isabelle. Her hair was adorned with pretty pink flowers, and she was wearing a long dress. She usually didn’t wear those kinds of clothes as she found them uncomfortable.

“Lavi! Are you here to say goodbye?” Isabelle exclaimed as she got to her feet and headed toward her friend.

Lavi and her family had plans to relocate to the Ligelin Duchy next month, a place considerably far from the Cardiego Duchy. Isabelle was glad to see her because it was unusual for them to come across each other outside of their classes.

Meanwhile, Lix’s gaze fell on the small envelope in Lavi’s hand. His eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what it could be about.

“Lavi, if you’re going to say goodbye to Isabelle, I’ll step aside.”

Isabelle noted the sudden hardening in her childhood friend’s voice and cast him a disapproving glance. Why was he being so cold to a friend who was moving away?

“Lavi, shall we talk over there?”

“Isabelle, um, actually... Can I talk to Lix alone?” Lavi’s face was red as if she were asking for a shameful request.

“Sure, go ahead and talk comfortably.”

Isabelle waved her hands. Lix stood up and looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, but she pretended not to see it.

Will Lavi tell Lix that she has feelings for him?

Given the current circumstances, that seemed to be the case. Isabelle knew that Lavi had eyes for Lix. She probably wanted to tell her crush how she felt before leaving the village. Nobles and commoners alike could agree to marry someone as long as they were over the age of ten, so there was a good chance that the two would eventually tie the knot.

I hope they get engaged. Since they’re both my friends, I’ll be able to go over to their house freely, right? It must be nice to have someone to welcome you when you come home at night. Isabelle was a little excited. It would be great if she at least knew what kind of girls Lix liked. I’m sure he’s just like other boys—he must have a crush on someone. Perhaps he liked Lavi.

Isabelle, who had been patiently waiting, finally broke her restraint after three minutes and tiptoed toward her friends. After praying to Iris to forgive her for eavesdropping, she hid behind a tree. Then she heard an icy, steely voice.

“Let me make this clear again. I don’t want a girlfriend.” Lix paused before continuing. “I won’t accept your letter. I hope you adjust well in Ligelin.”

The coldness in his voice shocked Isabelle more than when he had fallen into a frozen pond. Her mouth hung open as she watched Lavi burst into tears and flee the scene.

I didn’t know Lix could be so harsh. He must really not want a girlfriend. His eyes had a sharp look about them—for a split second, his crimson orbs took on the color of blood.

Isabelle resumed her position on the blanket. After a while, Lix returned with a flat expression on his face, as if nothing had happened.

“What did you and Lavi talk about?” she asked.

She thought he would scowl and accuse her of eavesdropping, but to her surprise, Lix merely chuckled. The sight of his smile brought her indescribable joy.

“Are you curious? Do you really want to know?”

“Lavi left without saying goodbye, so I was wondering if something happened.”

If Isabelle sat there doing nothing, he might find out that she had overheard their talk, so she began to fidget with the grass. Feeling uncomfortable under Lix’s intense gaze, she kept breaking flower stems until there was a pile before her.

When she started making a flower crown, Lix said offhandedly, “Lavi left crying. I guess she’s really upset about having to move to Ligelin.”

Isabelle was speechless. Anyone would be able to tell that Lix was the reason for Lavi’s tears. Why is he so tactless? His rejection must have hurt Lavi.

Isabelle couldn’t help but feel upset on her behalf. She set down the half-completed flower crown, grabbed Lix by the hand, and began to speak passionately.

“Friends are meant to love each other, Lix. If you love her, you shouldn’t have been so mean to her.”

“You were listening.”

Isabelle flinched and averted her eyes to the distant mountain, feeling guilty. She sensed Lix’s discerning gaze upon her.

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

“Of course. She’s still my friend even if she’s moving far away, just like how you’d still be my friend if you went somewhere far.”

It was such an easy question that Isabelle had no trouble answering it. Then her face hardened as if she had come to a startling realization.

Isabelle thought of Lavi, who had been sobbing into her arm, and added with a sulky face, “If you needed a friend, you should’ve accepted her feelings. Girlfriends are a little different from normal friends.”

“I know.”

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

Lix’s face fell, and Isabelle immediately felt regret at the sight of his downcast expression.

“I’m sorry, Lix. I’ll never tease you for having no friends again.”

“You’re really my only friend...”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I know that I’m the only friend you have.”

Isabelle patted the tearful Lix on the back. The realization that he had no other friends except for her must have hit him particularly hard because he buried his face in her shoulder for a long time.

Lix must really hate the idea of dating someone. He doesn’t like making friends either. He’s different from other boys.

It was then that Isabelle acquired a firm grasp of Lix’s personality.