We met shortly before the incident that led to my confinement in the tower. My relationship with the servants was already terrible. I hated being around them, so I snuck out of the palace for a walk. That was when I met him: Wilhelm Radford.
“What are you doing here?”
I immediately knew he was a son of some noble family. After all, he was dressed in fine clothes inside the palace. Who else other than a nobleman’s son would wear such attire?
I chose my words carefully: “I had some free time, so I came for a walk.”
“Ooh, what a coincidence. I’m free, too! What’s your name?”
“Ria. And you?”
“My name’s Wilhelm. Why are you in the palace, Ria?”
“I’m here to accompany my father at work. What about you, Lord Wilhelm? Why are you here?”
I wasn’t exactly lying. My dad did work at the palace.
“I also tagged along with my father to greet the king. But I got bored, so I snuck out,” he said with a chuckle.
“Do you come here often, milord?”
He shook his head. “No, this is my first time.”
“Wh-whatever’s the matter?” I asked.
“You’re very formal. Are you scared of me?”
“No, I certainly am not.”
“Then speak to me as you normally would.”
“Y-yes, milord. Oops! I mean, okay.”
“Great! Then let’s go explore together!”
He grabbed my hand, and we ran off.
I have to go back, I thought. Nobody can know I’m here!
Even so, I couldn’t resist. It had been way too long since I spent time with someone. Since everyone in the palace knew about Heart Realm, no one besides my parents would talk to me.
Wilhelm and I ran around the forest on palace grounds. Since I hadn’t been outside all that much before, everything was new to me. A nearby stream caught my attention.
Our estate has a stream of its own… I can’t even begin to imagine how big this place is, I thought, comparing it to experiences from my past life.
The crystal-clear stream was visible even from a distance. It flowed smoothly, and cute little fish swam in the water. I rarely had the chance to see pure, natural waters in my former life.
Wilhelm and I hopped across the stones rising from the water’s surface. “Be careful,” he said.
Despite his warning, I was too captivated by the river’s beauty. I stumbled and nearly fell.
“Watch out!”
His hand shot out to pull me up, but he wasn’t strong enough, so we both tumbled headfirst into the stream. I landed right on top of him.
The first thing out of his mouth was, “You okay?!”
It was my fault he ended up in the river, yet he was immediately worried about me. His concern warmed my heart.
“I-I’m okay,” I said. “Thank you for taking the fall.”
We were both drenched, our pretty clothes ruined. The situation was so ridiculous that I burst out laughing. Wilhelm began to laugh, too.
The sun sparkled above us, shining brightly.
“That was an amazing fall!”
“Ha ha, yeah. We’re both soaked! But the water’s cold, so it feels nice.”
After a while, we got up on the sunny riverbank to wring out our clothes.
“I’m sorry I dragged you along and put you through all this,” Wilhelm said.
“Oh, no! You did tell me to be careful. It’s my fault for not paying attention. Besides, it was really fun! Especially since I rarely get to come outside.”
“Really?” Wilhelm looked confused for a moment, then nodded in understanding. “Oh, I get it. Your parents must be very strict, Ria. I hear some families don’t let their children outside at all.”
Ah, those noble children are like me—they aren’t allowed outside.
“No, I’m not allowed outside because my magic is too strong,” I explained. “So today is special.”
“Your magic is too strong? I’m jealous! Better to have powerful magic than none at all.”
“Not really… Magic can hurt people sometimes. That’s why I’m not supposed to be out here playing with you. I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who asked you to play. I’ve been fine this whole time, see? Nothing to worry about. If I get hurt, that’s on me. I don’t regret spending time with you, Ria.”
“But I…”
“Hmm. What do I have to say to get you to believe me?”
I didn’t need to believe him; I knew. Every word he spoke was genuine, reflected in his thoughts. The real problem was that I didn’t like hearing his thoughts. Not because they were bad—in fact, his heart was so pure it was almost pleasant. But the more we bonded and I came to trust him, the more it hurt to hide the fact that I could hear his inner voice. Even just telling him I had strong magic was pushing it.
Just how would he react if I told him I knew what he was thinking? Would he find me creepy and avoid me like the servants do? Fearing the worst, I couldn’t help but brood over these thoughts.
“People tend to lose heart if they keep hitting a wall over and over. But someone once told me that God only gives trials to people he knows can overcome them. I have no doubt you’ll master your powerful magic one day, Ria!”
“You think so?” Though I didn’t feel any more confident in myself, I appreciated the sentiment.
Sensing eyes on me, I looked up. Wilhelm was staring straight at me.
“Um, Wilhelm, is there something on my face?”
“Nope, I just realized something.”
“What’s that?”
“You have such fair skin, Ria. I’ve been curious about it ever since we met. It complements your blonde hair really well. You look pretty, just like the moon.”
Pretty? Me?! His words made my face flush with heat. C-calm down… It’s not like he really means I’m pretty. He’s saying the same thing a makeup salesperson does when they’re like, “Your skin is so nice! Do you use any special serums? Our foundation would look great on you!” I rattled off excuses to stave off the embarrassment.
“D-do you go outside often, Wilhelm?” I blurted, desperate to change the subject.
“Nah. Though I guess I do accompany my father and my older brother a lot.”
His response calmed me down a bit. “I see… That sounds nice. I’d love to explore different places, too.”
I wanted to spread my wings in the outside world at least once. I was lucky enough to have been born into a different world. I wanted to see all sorts of things. But if I went to a city, I could already foresee myself getting overwhelmed by all the voices I’d hear because of Heart Realm.
“I’ll take you out one day, Ria. Anywhere you’d like!”
Once again, his words had my face red-hot. Still, I was overjoyed to hear those heartfelt words. “Okay… I can’t wait.”
And so, our brief encounter came to an end.