The day after the signing ceremony, Lou and I left Marsche in a hurry along with Gillain.
I hadn’t even had a chance to explain what was going on to Tabuchi, Yamada, and Yoko, but I knew Tabuchi would give them a good explanation. I’d have to write a letter when I got the chance.
We left from the harbor in Marsche and headed to the continent of Celt on a large Galéan military ship. The waves were high, maybe because of a low pressure system coming in, and I was feeling seasick.
“This is when you ask Miyu for help!” suggested Lou.
“Miyu, help me!” I shouted. “Calm the sea! Our sails are going to break!”
The sea became calm amidst the pitch-black clouds.
“I’m impressed,” said Lou.
“She is the ruler of the eastern sea, after all!”
“Oh, I see Lady Serephione can even control the weather! Lovely.”
I turned around in surprise to see Regueid standing there, grinning. Behind him, numerous Galéan officials were staring at me, white in the face.
“Monsters marry monsters...”
I couldn’t tell who had said that.
Monster... I’d been called that in the book. Lou growled, ready to jump down from my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Lou. I’m honored to be compared to Gillain.”
“Hey! Fio—I mean, Lady Serephione! His Imperial Majesty wants you!” Sakaki was waving at me from the cabin. I headed over to him with long strides.
Galé was located in the south of Celt. It took about two weeks to reach from the large harbor in the southeast of Marsche. Judore was located in the midwest of the continent, bordering Galé.
This was my first time back home in about two years.
Welcome back, me.
We decided to stay in Galé until we had more information about Judore.
In the novel, I had been Gillain’s mercenary, and now I was his fiancée. Did that difference constitute a departure from the plot of Wild Rose, or was it still within the bounds of the plot?
Lou had already left by this time in the book; I was left all alone in the cramped barracks. My days consisted of either fighting or staring at the wall from my bed, but my heart had long since gone numb, so I didn’t even register loneliness. The only person I’d had to talk to was Gillain.
Now, I’d settled down in a detached palace a bit away from where Gillain lived in the middle of Galea, the capital city. Gillain had prepared a room in the imperial palace for me, but I turned it down because living in the palace would bother me. The detached palace had been neglected for a while, but I settled on it because Lou said its atmosphere was clearer than the others’.
The Galéan nobility wasn’t jealous of me since I’d gone through so much pain. Gillain assigned Sakaki to be my guard since we knew each other, and Asu came every day to extort treats out of me. Regueid mentioned assigning me a lady-in-waiting, but I flatly refused, since I’d be too nervous wondering if she was a spy.
Galé’s climate was pleasant—warmer than Judore’s. The drafts didn’t even bother me. In my detached palace, where we wouldn’t attract attention, I covertly gathered materials with Lou, learned fire magic from Asu, cooked with ingredients that Sakaki brought me, and went back to Gillain at night to take care of everyone.
“Sere, what’s this thick blue liquid?” Gillain asked.
“It’s a smoothie I made with nutritious herbs I picked in the forest, anti-poison mushrooms, and banana. This is sure to take those dark circles away! Don’t worry, I used Appraisal on it! I haven’t tasted it, though!”
“A ‘smoothie’...?”
“This is your fiancée’s love for you, Gillain. Go for it!” Asu teased him.
“This is your responsibility to your fiancée, Gillain,” Lou piled on. “Don’t leave any in the cup!”
“Hm? Lou, Asu, you want some too? Here you go!” I offered.
“Uh...”
“Oh, and Sakaki? Here!”
“I, um...”
At times, when I couldn’t take Gillain’s dark circles away, I kissed his eyes as a charm, just like I used to do for my papa. I tried brushing my fingers over them instead to see if it would have the same effect, but I couldn’t change the charm, maybe because I’d already set it as a kiss. It was a little embarrassing, but you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs... I couldn’t just let Gillain die of overwork!
“So? Have your eyes stopped feeling tired?”
“Yeah. Thank you.” He hugged me tightly, and his magic surrounded me. I felt like I might get addicted to coffee from the sheer strength of it.
“Ah, he’s marking you.” Asu snickered.
“What do you mean?”
“Anyone with magical talent will notice his magic on you and know not to touch you.”
“Hmm, but sometimes I get attacked in the woods.”
“Sorry,” Asu apologized. “Galé is big. Unfortunately, that means there are some idiots here.”
Soaking up both Gillain’s and Asu’s magic constantly, I felt like my own magic was being boosted. I felt just as protected as I did when I was in Judore. It made me a bit self-conscious.