Am I a friend of Lady Europa’s...? I asked myself as images of her behavior, far beyond simple eccentricity, floated in my mind.
Kira and I fell completely silent. Lady Mamaropa must’ve noticed our reaction, because she gave us a small smile.
“My daughter is a bit...peculiar, so knowing she’s made two such wonderfully lovely acquaintances makes me happy.”
“Lady Mamaropa...”
Truthfully, “peculiar” was the understatement of the century, but...well, the motherliness of Lady Mamaropa’s gaze was unmistakable.
I swallowed. Could she be...normal...?
There were very few sensible people in this country. Around me, the most normal were Kira and Prince Oz. But Lady Mamaropa gave off similar vibes. Still, I couldn’t let my guard down! After all, she had raised Lady Europa of all people. There was a high probability of her being a weirdo pervert underneath all that gracefulness. Back when I’d first met Lady Europa, I’d thought her a lovely, fragile, sheltered young lady of the finest stock. That mask had shattered the second she’d learned of my identity...
One difference I could spot was that unlike Lady Europa, whose magic was strong, Lady Mamaropa seemed to have no magical aptitude whatsoever. But women with magical powers were rare in the first place, so this wasn’t unusual.
Either way, unless I said something, I figured Lady Mamaropa wouldn’t be able to tell who I really was.
But if I let it slip, it could be the end of me!
I steeled myself, trying to stay alert so I could grab Kira and flee at the first sign of trouble.
“Guh.”
It happened quite suddenly. Lady Mamaropa coughed, her delicate body swaying.
Oh no!
I instinctively reached out and caught her.
“L-Lady Mamaropa?” I said.
She didn’t respond. Her eyes were closed, and she was limp like a rag doll.
“What do we do, Kira?! Lady Mamaropa is dead!”
“Calm down, Evelyn. Can you crouch for a second?” Kira said.
“O-Okay,” I stammered, half crying. I crouched down and placed Lady Mamaropa’s head on my lap.
Kira brought a hand close to her nose, and said, “She’s breathing, so she’s alive. I think she just fainted.”
“R-Really? Is she going to be okay?” I asked tearfully.
“Yes. I’m not dead,” Lady Mamaropa replied serenely.
“Eek!”
She opened her eyes as though nothing had happened. Noticing my shock, she sat up with a remorseful air and gave a polite nod. “My apologies for frightening you with my sudden fainting spell.”
“It’s all right! A-Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m well. This happens frequently,” she explained, perfectly composed.
I was nervous, though. “Um, I can use healing magic. I could heal you, if you’d like?”
Lady Mamaropa’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Ah, thank you, Evelyn. You’re a very sweet young lady.” She smiled gracefully and shook her head. “But I’m fine. I’ve been frail from birth. It’s not something magic can cure, I’m afraid.”
“I see,” I mumbled, deflated.
Now that I thought about it, if this were something magic could heal, her daughter would’ve already done so. My offer had been unnecessary.
As if bothered by the gloomy mood, Lady Mamaropa said, “What brings you two here, by the way? Are you lost?”
“Oh, um, no. We came through the woods to see the Cradle of Jewels.”
Lady Mamaropa nodded. “Ah, so you ventured here from Semme.”
There was no one else around, but...surely a duchess would not be in the great outdoors without maids or guards?
“What are you doing here, Lady Mamaropa?” I asked, curious.
Her long lashes drooped. Had I asked something inappropriate? I fidgeted nervously.
Lady Mamaropa said quietly, “It embarrasses me to say, but I’m camping on my own to improve my stamina.”
“You’re camping?” I echoed.
“Do you know of the Summer of Evelyn Festival, held last month in the royal capital, Laster?”
That was a name I was not expecting to hear here. “Um, it sounds vaguely familiar.”
Not seeming to suspect my lie, she continued, “My husband and I took a carriage to attend, but I fell ill on the way to the capital and...in the end, we couldn’t participate.”
From what I remembered, the Duchy of Caté was northwest of Semme, about two days away by carriage. The roads around here were well maintained, but for someone like Lady Mamaropa with severe motion sickness, even travel by carriage was quite grueling. I felt bad that she hadn’t been able to attend.
Now that I think of it, Lady Europa wasn’t at the final ceremony...
Lady Europa, who had taken on the mantle of saint without hesitation, didn’t seem to have consulted her family about it. She must’ve informed them by letter. Lady Mamaropa had to have been looking forward to seeing her only daughter’s big moment... Maybe that disappointment had led to this camping trip.
“So, you’re outdoor camping for your health,” I said.
“Yes, exactly. I’ve been feeling well the past few days, so I took the opportunity and traveled here from the duchy, camping along the way.”
“You camped along the way?”
That was a lot wilder than I’d expected.
“The area around the lake is cool, and there’s no shortage of food or water,” Lady Mamaropa explained. “People don’t come here, so it’s quite safe. I plan on spending some time here to build confidence, then going to the Grand Basilica in Laster.”
I’d never heard of noblewomen camping outdoors, but she was Lord Jackson’s older sister, and the man practically lived outdoors.
Or maybe camping is popular among noblewomen! I wasn’t familiar with aristocratic customs just yet, after all. Maybe this was the latest trend?
Before I could ponder it any further, our surroundings suddenly grew dark. I looked up, confused, and a small droplet hit my cheek.
And the next moment, it was raining cats and dogs. Thick clouds laden with moisture had covered the sky out of nowhere.
It was so sunny a second ago!
As I brought my hands to my rapidly soaking head, Lady Mamaropa said, “You could shelter from the rain in my tent, if you’d like.”
She was pointing at a large tent that had been set up away from the lakeshore.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose,” I said awkwardly.
“We must aid one another in times of trouble,” she insisted, winking mischievously as she opened her parasol.
My heart did a thing.
She’s so intelligent! So elegant! So graceful!
And she was a duchess! Maybe I could hover near her and pick up some of her mannerisms by osmosis. I nodded to her, and she told us to follow.
“Hey, Kira,” I whispered, the sound muffled by the downpour. “Can you keep my status as a former saint secret from her?”
I didn’t know if she, like her daughter, had special feelings toward Saint Evelyn, but...it was best to be cautious.
“Okay,” Kira replied with a nod, evidently understanding what I meant.
The two of us followed Lady Mamaropa through the pouring rain.