Chapter 8: At the Bottom of the Lake

Lilia was peeking out the carriage window, and the moment Earl Ralshen’s manor came into view, she squealed.

“Look, Miss Eli! That’s the Lady’s Lake. It’s just as large as the stories claimed. You can’t even see the coast on the other side from here!”

Her excitement coaxed me into glancing outside as well. There was a thin mist hanging over the water.

“It is written in Ralshen’s local history that the currents bring warm air down from the Urma Mines and the temperature difference often produces a haze over the lake’s surface,” I said. “Seeing it for myself, it seems they were right.”

Although I was genuinely impressed, Lilia gave me an exasperated look. “Lady’s Lake is so famous there’s even paintings of it. Can you give me a little bit more of a—I don’t know—sentimental reaction?”

“Oh, um...” I wracked my brain for something that would satisfy her. “Oh, I know! Qui Tash’s art piece, The Singing Lake, depicts this very body of water. He drew dozens of water lilies in it, painting them as if they were all competing to see who could sing the loudest. It was quite popular in the art world.” I was confident my answer would meet her expectations, but she only quirked a quizzical brow at me.

“Hold on a minute. If I remember right, that artwork depicted a girl in the shade of a tree and it looked like she’d collapsed there in tears. That then gave birth to the story of the Mourning Lake that was included in the book Ten Bizarre Art Mysteries, correct?”

“Correct.” I smiled at her. “That became the basis for the crying girl in A Hundred Tales of Mystery in the Capital.”

“Miss Eli...” Her eyes had gone eerily cold.

Flustered, I tried to explain. “But, um, the original source for the crying girl is actually said to be the heron. Herons gather near water and their cry resembles that of a human. Also, water lilies open in the morning and close by sunset, so they aren’t a type of flower that houses the emotions of the dead.”

Her gaze had turned frigid by now, and I was starting to panic, which turned into me rambling.

“Among Sean Markeld’s writings was a book entitled, Conversations from the Grave: Ghosts in Folktales. The number of ghost stories we have signifies the amount of guilt and self-condemnation people experience when other people die. In other words, it’s connected to various peoples’ ways of life and—”

“Excuse. Me. Miss. Eli,” Lilia said, sharply punctuating each word.

The way she was staring me down caused the words to hang unspoken in my throat.

She gave a breathy sigh, the lament in her voice making her sound mature beyond her years. “I understand well enough that your definition of sentimental is keenly linked to spirits. How in the world does a conversation about paintings wind up turning to ghosts? Now I can see all the grief His Highness and the others have had to endure.”

As Lilia mumbled to herself, I got a glimpse at her true concerns. “I worry that while you’re here, the lake’s name will change from Lady’s Lake to Spirit’s Lake. After all, you did manage to add more depth to some of the stories from A Hundred Tales of Mystery in the Capital by reenacting their scenes in real life.”

This was the first I’d heard of this. For what it was worth, the newest edition of the series was due to come out this summer, and I was anxiously anticipating its release.

Lilia’s expression turned serious as she firmly cautioned me, “You had better not go anywhere close to the lake alone while you’re here, okay? We don’t need them coming up with new ghost stories about a spectral figure appearing out of the mists.”

I couldn’t shake the sense she’d said something offensive to me just now.

My cousin stroked her chin and mumbled, “Perhaps it would be faster for me to spread ghost stories about Layshen Lake before you have a chance to do it yourself.”

Watching her try to devise ways to keep me out of trouble warmed my heart. In the wake of that conversation earlier with Duchess Rosalia, I had been in low spirits. Now it was only Lilia and I in the carriage, and she’d gone out of her way to speak to me normally, keeping the conversation upbeat. It was a drastic change, given how well she’d perfected acting humble and polite (as a maid should) in front of people.

Her concern was reassuring and prompted me to pull myself together. Rather than worry about the future, I needed to concentrate on my official duties in the present.

Lake Layshen was the official name for what people knew more familiarly as Lady’s Lake. It was one of the most famous bodies of water in Sauslind, and it had earned its nickname from a famous painting of the same title—one that became an overnight sensation. It was created by a renowned painter over fifty years ago, and the scenery it depicted no longer existed.

The reason it was named Lady’s Lake was because a fortress was reflected in the water’s surface, surrounded by a colorful array of water lilies, creating the illusion of a noble woman. Prior to the painting’s popularity, people had regarded the fortress as boorish and austere. Its likeness in the painting, however, had changed people’s impressions and given it a more favorable reputation. Alas, the fortress was destroyed nearly forty years ago during the Continental Highway War. The current Earl Ralshen’s manor now occupied the site where the fortress had once been.

When we arrived, the young Earl Ralshen came out to greet us.

“Welcome, Lady Elianna Bernstein.”

The reason he greeted me first was because, as the crown prince’s betrothed, I was the royal family’s representative here. General Bakula, Duchess Strasser, and Lord Alexei were merely honored guests tagging along with me.

The earl and I exchanged pleasantries, and he invited us inside his estate. His full name was Earl Carl Ralshen, and like Lord Alexei, he was twenty-five years old. He had lost both of his parents in the Ashen Nightmare sixteen years prior. Afterward, he’d temporarily spent time in his grandfather’s (Lord Bernard) care, but after coming of age, he took his place as the head of their family.

He was a rather difficult man to approach, given the permanent scowl etched onto his face. Incidentally, his twin sister was also Lord Alexei’s late fiancée.

“I’m afraid it will be difficult for you to see Lord Bernard at the moment.”

As I spoke to the earl and confirmed his grandfather’s circumstances, an oppressive air hung over us. Lord Bernard, it would seem, was in even more ill health than we had been led to believe from their correspondences to the palace. Lord Alexei and Grandpa Teddy both wore grim looks on their faces, but that didn’t stop one of the ladies of the earl’s household from grinning at us and trying to lighten the air.

“In that case, perhaps we should gush among ourselves about some happier news. Lady Elianna’s wedding with the crown prince is fast approaching. Perhaps if we liven things up a bit with some similar good news, Lord Bernard’s health will take a turn for the better as well.”

The woman in question, whose boisterous tone ill-fitted the grim atmosphere, was the earl’s cousin. By appearances, she looked to be the same age. She was far more assertive than the earl’s wife, who stood quietly at her husband’s side.

Duchess Rosalia gave a cold smile. “I am most curious what you could be alluding to by saying ‘similar good news’?”

“Why, of course, I am referring to Prince Christopher’s right-hand man, Lord Alexei. He previously tried to secure an engagement with our house. Why not consider making a second attempt?”

“You say ‘second attempt,’ but unfortunately, no young lady of an appropriate age is present for such an arrangement,” the duchess said, quirking a brow. “And as his mother, I could hardly approve of him having relations with a woman such as yourself who has already been through several divorces.”

The lady’s cheeks rapidly heated at that barb, but Duchess Rosalia merely maintained the same businesslike smile she often used when conversing with nobility.

“More importantly,” she continued, “we are here on official business. Not to lose ourselves in girlish fervor over finding a new partner.” The duchess’s reproachful tone was enough to drive off the awkwardly upbeat atmosphere.

Afterward, the earl’s cousin fell silent while the rest of us engaged in light conversation. Despite the mention of his engagement, Lord Alexei kept an emotionless mask on his face, giving the impression that his mind was more preoccupied with other matters.

Duchess Rosalia and myself were weary with fatigue after the journey and opted to retire to our rooms to relax. Before I could go, though, I caught the expression on Grandpa Teddy’s face changing out of the corner of my eye. I’d seen this same look on his face countless times during our journey here. I suspected he wanted to speak to me, so I paused to wait for him. Now that we had arrived, he would have some reprieve from his escort duties, and the two of us could talk leisurely. Unfortunately, I lost my opportunity; Lord Alexei intercepted him, claiming he wanted to consult Grandpa Teddy about the memorial service.

A house servant guided me to my room, and for a short while, I was able to relax. Maids who’d accompanied me from the palace were gracious enough to offer massages to relieve my fatigue. Lilia had disappeared in the interim and made her reappearance shortly thereafter, having already procured information from the staff here.

“That female cousin of the earl—her name is Isabelle Thomason,” she whispered conspiratorially. “As Duchess Rosalia mentioned, she’s been divorced twice. She’s in the middle of her third separation right now.”

“Lilia, you’re incorrigible.” I didn’t approve of her curiosity in matters that had nothing to do with us.

She stuck out her bottom lip, pouting. “What? She’s the one who acted all pompous. You’re the representative here on an official appointment from the crown, and yet as soon as basic greetings were done, she ignored you completely. The woman doesn’t even qualify as a noble. How can she have the audacity to show such disregard to the crown prince’s fiancée? All I did was poke around a little, and the other staff were quick to tell me she acts like she owns the place—like she’s superior to the earl’s wife!”

Perhaps the grim mood on the journey had affected Lilia as well. She was acting like a beached fish who’d finally found water again.

“Besides,” said Lilia, “can you believe the nerve of her? She’ll soon be a three-time divorcee and she’s aiming for a duke’s son? She thinks she can be Lord Alexei’s wife? It would create outrage in the capital if other noble ladies were to hear. As part of Prince Christopher’s inner circle, Lord Alexei has a large number of devotees.”

“Well, I did know he was somewhat popular.”

It was the first I’d ever heard of him having “devotees,” but I did know that he was one of the most desirable and eligible bachelors in the kingdom. Unfortunately, as the epithet “Ice Scion” implied, he intimidated many of the young noble ladies.

“You simply don’t get it, Miss Eli.” Lilia shook her head, chagrined. “Lord Alexei appears cold on the surface, and he is, in fact, quite frigid when you get to know him as well. But that’s also a sign that he won’t yield to anyone, right? He shows the same aloof attitude to everyone no matter how great the power they wield, and that’s exactly what a lot of men and women appreciate about him—because he’s helped the little people by not being swayed. He may be a solitary ice demon, but he has a fanatic, albeit humble, following.”

Lilia, I have no idea if you’re complimenting him at this point or disparaging him.

“Thus,” she continued, “we have to eliminate any woman of ill conduct who approaches him. I don’t even want to imagine what his devotees might do to me otherwise when we return to the capital.” Lilia shivered at the thought.

It struck me as a bit odd that people would react so intensely to this when they had been much more mellow in the face of rumors that His Highness might take a concubine in the past. Not long ago, when Lord Glen was in the midst of marriage talks himself, everyone had found the whole thing amusing. Yet when it came to Lord Alexei, people turned hostile and the woman in question had to be eliminated.

These thoughts helped distract me and ease the anxiety weighing me down, and yet at the same time, each passing day made my heart squeeze tighter and tighter, constricted by a range of emotions. The prince entrusting this duty to me had left me feeling empowered in the few days preceding our departure from the palace, but something was different now. Each time I saw these places I’d only previously read about in books, I couldn’t help wishing the prince were by my side.

Thoughts came one after the other. What would the prince think if he saw this? Would he enjoy this cuisine? What would his impression of this handicraft be? If only the two of us could gaze together at the lake depicted in that famous painting...

It gave me the strange impression that he was actually here beside me, experiencing all of this with me, even though I knew that wasn’t true. Consequently, the lonely reality of his absence came creeping in on me during random moments throughout the day, unbidden. I put a metaphorical lid on those emotions and pushed them down as best I could.

Once my duties here were over, I could return to His Highness’s side with my head held high. I wanted to have memories and stories to share with him when that time came, so I decided to invite Lilia out on a stroll.

For her part, my cousin was still mumbling to herself. “What methods can be used to eliminate refuse like her? Option one: ignore her... No, that won’t work; she’ll only get an even bigger head on her shoulders. Option two: put her in her place through thorough criticism of her behavior... Hm, but she doesn’t seem too concerned with her lower status, given that arrogant attitude. Option three, the surefire technique: tell her that her mother’s as ugly as a monkey’s behind. Jean said this was effective against the imperial guard, but I wonder...”

I will definitely need to scold Jean later.

One of the maids opened the door for me, and as I was about to step out, I froze. On the other side was the young Countess Ralshen, loitering in front of a number of my perplexed guards.

“Oh,” Lilia blurted, coming to her senses.

The earl’s wife gave us a troubled smile, and an awkward silence hung in the air.

~.~.~.~

“So Mister Sean spent his time here studying art rather than writing?”

The other woman answered my query with a subtle smile. “Yes. The family head at the time had a great interest in the arts and was proactive about helping those with promise show their skills to the world. I’ve heard that, at one point, our manor was filled with young, artistic prodigies. Mister Sean Markeld took inspiration from those youths and learned the basics of painting himself.”

“How fascinating.” I was so impressed by her story that my body trembled.

The whole reason I had invited Lilia out for a stroll was to search for traces of Mister Sean Markeld. Countess Ralshen had kindly volunteered to show us around when we bumped into her outside of my room, and the tension in the air had mostly faded. Presently, I was gazing at a number of anonymous paintings lined up in one of the corridors.

One of Mister Sean’s works may be among them. Or perhaps some famous artist’s work is hidden among these.

My heart was pounding with an excitement I usually only experienced when visiting a library.

Lilia stood behind me, mumbling, “If Mister Alfred saw this, I have no doubt he’d start appraising each one.”

Admittedly, my brother’s fondness for art was second to none. He had a talent for pointing out hidden treasures, even ones unsigned by their creator. In that regard, Alfred resembled our uncle, though the latter’s interest lay in searching ancient ruins rather than hunting down treasures.

“Yes, I can see the former earl really adored art,” I said.

Although it was normal for nobles to adorn their houses with paintings from famous artists, this manor was rare because the pieces here were all done anonymously. If the sheer number in this corridor were any indication, the earl truly had adored creativity.

“Indeed.” The young countess gave me a hesitant smile. “The well-known piece Lady’s Lake was what made our land so famous. Consequently, the former earl felt compelled to become a patron for the arts, and he successfully sponsored many talented people. Unfortunately, the Ashen Nightmare broke out and he, along with the artists and Mister Sean, took ill. Ralshen became known as a land of death where the population rapidly dwindled.”

I fell silent, my heart panging with the mention of that plague.

The Ashen Nightmare was said to have spread to Ralshen from the neighboring Azul Region, but medical researchers suspected the sickness had actually originated in the fallen empire’s former territory. According to them, it had festered in the north and then traveled over the northern mountain range via air currents and expanded its reign of terror across Ralshen and Azul. Countless rivers flowed through the Azul Region, and trade by boat had proliferated there. This, many claimed, was what had caused the plague to infest all corners of our kingdom. But Azul was not alone in its suffering; Ralshen also suffered an enormous number of casualties.

The earl’s manor rested at the center of Ralshen, whose geography consisted of difficult terrain peppered with numerous mines. The difficulty of logistics here was why Sauslind had assumed enemies wouldn’t invade from this part of the border. That miscalculation cost us dearly in the Continental Highway War.

I kept my lips pursed.

A lack of information on the plague as well as doctors to effectively treat it had had catastrophic consequences on Ralshen, which were further exacerbated by human bias and erroneous speculation. It was for that very reason that my father, Marquess Bernstein, had made such a concerted effort to finance the maintenance of the kingdom’s highways.

I let out a soft sigh, gazing at the paintings in front of me. Many of them depicted scenery and flowers—namely, water lilies—but I also discovered a portrait.

“Is this...the former earl?”

The man in question resembled Earl Carl Ralshen, whom I’d met a bit earlier, though this man was far older. He was drawn beside a woman with a gentle smile on her face.

“That’s right,” the countess answered with a nod. She gazed warmly up at the painting in question. “I only married into this family two years ago, so unfortunately, I didn’t know the late earl personally. It’s only thanks to this portrait that I’m able to see what he looked like.”

“I see...” Thinking of the deceased made me reflect fondly on my own mother, whose face I now saw only in my memories.

The earl’s family was preserved in a number of family portraits, and it was evident through these how they had once been.

Lilia was gazing up at them as well when she paused and asked, “Um, is that young girl there Lady Lindsey Ralshen, perhaps?” Her voice sounded hesitant, as if she knew she was bringing up a sensitive topic.

She must have heard about Alexei’s late fiancée during the course of the trip.

When the countess nodded, Lilia glanced away, her lips pinched tight.

Countess Ralshen forced a smile at her. “You must be thinking she looks like Lady Isabelle, yes? From what I’ve heard, the two so resembled each other in childhood that people mistook her and Lady Isabelle for twins.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. And now that his sister has passed away, my husband has a habit of overlooking Lady Isabelle’s behavior because of their resemblance.” She hesitated, glancing at me. “Um, on that note... Lady Elianna, I’d like to apologize to you on behalf of this house for any offense she may have caused.”

I stared back at her. As I suspected, she had overheard our conversation in the room. It must have been weighing on her this whole time. Part of the issue lay with me; I lacked the commanding aura one should possess as the betrothed of a crown prince.

Nonetheless, I accepted her gesture and returned it with a question of my own. “I heard that Lady Isabelle is a cousin from the earl’s mother’s side?” I had heard she wasn’t of the Ralshen line but had basically been raised up alongside Earl Ralshen and Lady Lindsey.

The countess hesitated at first but eventually answered my question. According to her, Lady Isabelle was the daughter of the late countess’s younger sister, who had stayed with the earl’s family after falling ill. Consequently, she also passed during the outbreak of the Ashen Nightmare.

“Lady Isabelle’s mother was...” Countess Ralshen paused, licking her lips. “Well, she became pregnant without ever sharing who the father was. Lady Isabelle has faced many hardships during her youth because of that. My lord husband and his sister were the only ones to stand up for her, and the three of them became very close, from what I hear.”

It made sense. All of them losing their parents to the plague had no doubt deepened the strong ties they already shared. And because of how close they’d been since they were kids, Earl Ralshen gave Lady Isabelle’s audacious behavior a pass. That was what his wife was implying.

Behind us, Lilia snorted in dissatisfaction. Obviously she disagreed and felt the need to express it.

As we strode down the quiet corridor together, I decided to voice another question that had been niggling at the back of my mind since we’d arrived. “I’m sorry if this question seems inconsiderate, but has our arrival here left the manor short-staffed?” There were surely people busy looking after Lord Bernard’s well-being, but the halls still seemed unusually deserted.

“No,” the countess replied, looking apologetic. “A cold seems to be making the rounds among our servants, so they have all taken time off to recover. If you find yourself inconvenienced by the lack of staff, please don’t hesitate to let me know and I’ll see that you’re taken care of.”

I reassured her that it wasn’t a problem, but it weighed on me. I’d heard similar stories of colds breaking out on my way here. Perhaps that was only natural; such illness was common in the winter months.

As I mulled the matter over in my head, we started to turn the corner, only for one of the earl’s manservants to cut us off.

“Terribly sorry, but my lord is currently in the middle of a meeting.”

A meeting?

I blinked at the man. Only seconds later, a voice came booming down the hallway, and I swallowed hard when I realized the content of the conversation.

“...you have some nerve coming all the way here, Alexei Strasser!”

A side glance at the countess told me this had to be her husband, for her face had gone deathly pale.

Which means Earl Ralshen and Alexei must be speaking privately right now.

The latter’s voice was too quiet for us to pick up from such a distance, but whatever he had said must have caused offense; the earl’s voice echoed down the hall, trembling with anger.

“You don’t know what I’m referring to? You sure have gotten clever at playing word games. Did you really think you could waltz in here after ten years and pretend as if nothing had ever happened? Not one day has passed that I haven’t thought of my sister and how she died.”

His voice fell low, like a chill creeping across the ground straight toward us, and when his next words followed, they were an icy grip that seized us all by the throat.

“Alexei Strasser, you drove Lindsey to her death.”

An air of doubt hung over us.