2 — To the Seaside Territory

Once we returned to the villa, Mr. Fisalis and Rohtas started to seriously debate the whole “Viola Sapphire” deal. Seriously? Even Fennel, the villa’s butler, joined in while they discussed the matter in the drawing room.

They’re actually serious about this. And I’ve learned from experience that no one can stop Mr. Fisalis when he’s on a roll. And with this, even Rohtas is all for it! There’s no way I’ll get them to stop.

“They’re crazy for thinking of putting my name on a gem,” I muttered, distributing the hair decorations and brooches we’d bought as souvenirs from the general store to the servants (only for the women, of course). I gave them out to Anise, the duchy’s former head maid—who was the head servant here at the villa, apparently— and the housemaids, plus Stellaria and Rosa. I couldn’t bear to listen to any more of the “Viola Sapphire” discussion, so I’d escaped to the dining room. I would’ve loved to retreat into the servant’s break room instead, but unfortunately, I didn’t know where it was. I couldn’t get in, anyway.

“The young madam’s eyes are this exact color, so it’s no surprise that he’d want to name them after you. Look, they’re beautiful,” Anise said, soothing me with a gentle smile as she held up a hair decoration studded with little sapphires. Even if they were trash gems, they were still beautiful and bright.

I mean, YEAH, they’re basically the same color as my eyes, but... “The sapphires definitely are beautiful, but none of them will sell if they’re named after me. Since they’re so nice, why not call them ‘The Queen’s Sapphire’ or something like that?” I suggested with a smug look, thinking I’d come up with the perfect solution.

“Her Majesty’s eyes aren’t sapphire-colored.”

“Ah... oh, yeah.”

Stellaria quickly shot that one down. Her retorts are just as cool as her mother’s... Sniffle. I’ve never seen the Queen’s eyes up close, so I wouldn’t know.

“And there isn’t a soul in the palace who doesn’t know your name now, Madam.”

She’d been a lady-in-waiting at the castle up until a bit ago, so she must be telling the truth. But why the heck would my name be famous!? “...Um, what are people saying about me?” I asked out of morbid curiosity.

“They say you’re an ephemeral beauty, and a perfectly-mannered lady besides. You have a beautiful figure, and you’re so stylish that you can pull off any of Madame Fleur’s dresses easily. You’re also a proper lady on the inside, great at dancing and conversation too. And most importantly, you’ve captured the affection of Duke Fisalis himself! You’re said to be the belle of high society. And since you so rarely show your face, they call you the ‘Illusory Belle.’”

The words coming out of Stellaria’s mouth made me feel faint. That’s got to be a completely different person! Oh my go—

My vision went black, and I felt dizzy.

“Ah, Madam!” Stellaria rushed to catch me as I staggered with a shiver.

“Who are they talking about? Not me, right? Ah, you probably mean Miss Iris. Or maybe Miss Verbena?” Rubbing my temples, I finally managed to squeeze out the words, but...

“I’m talking about you, Madam!”

Straight out. She just said it straight out, again. That’s DEFINITELY not me. This must be what they mean by rumors running wild. Now that I think about it, Dahlia said she heard similar things circulating in high society... So it’s already gotten to the point where the ladies-in-waiting in the palace have heard about it. This is absolutely humiliating. “Illusory”!

“Oh, everyone will want gems named after someone so wonderful!” Anise was still smiling brightly, but I really wasn’t all that good!

“I’m not nearly as amazing as they say! Ah, geez, I can never be seen in high society or the palace again. It’s just too embarrassing. That’s it—I’m gonna retire right now and live my life in seclusion.”

And having a sapphire named after me on top of all that? Ahh, this is painful. If I’m “illusory,” then I’m gonna do as illusions do and vanish from sight!

“Oh, don’t say you’ll retire! There’s still lots to do in the world,” Stellaria chided me.

“And if you wear the sapphires, you’d be a walking advertisement for them, Madam. It will make them even more popular! Once we get back to Rozhe, let’s have some accessories made for you,” Rosa said, joining in. “Should we start with a necklace or earrings? Ah, but a ring would be wonderful as well. Ria, what do you think?”

“Let’s have all of them made! And a dress to match, of course.”

“You’re right! Maybe in blue, same as the sapphires?”

“No. White, so the blue accents really pop.”

“Oooh~, Ria, you’ve got such good taste!”

“Bright colors only suit young ladies.”

“Grannies like us can’t wear them well, after all.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re both still young!”

“I wish we could see Madam dressed up so lovely.”

“Come to Rozhe sometime~!”

They launched into a rousing round of girl talk, forgetting all about me. Even Anise and the housemaids joined in, so everyone was in high spirits. Looks fun. They’re not talking about themselves, after all. Rather than my retirement from high society, they’re gearing up for my next dress and accessories instead. They’ll probably call for Madame Fleur and the jeweler Pommier the moment I get back. What if they’re already waiting for me? I actually can see that happening, unfortunately.

“Ahh, yeah. Uh, let’s all calm down a bit, okay...” Well, saying that calmed me down, at least.

“I want to go to one of our enclaves next,” Mr. Fisalis said the next morning as we ate breakfast.

“Enclave?” I’d heard that the Fisalis family held territory other than Le Pied, but I didn’t know where any of it was. I tilted my head, asking where he wanted to go.

“Yes. We have a few, actually, but I thought we could start with our territory by the sea.” He pointed to the spot on the map that Rohtas quickly laid out.

What. The sea!? So the family has a foothold somewhere that nice, huh? Amazing! The capital is far inland, so since I grew up near there, I’ve never been to the ocean. My family didn’t have the money for trips, after all☆ Could you really call going to our family territory once a month a trip? It’s only half a day’s carriage ride, after all~! That was inland too, and we didn’t have any enclaves either, so I never got to travel anywhere else.

I’d only ever seen the ocean in pictures, so I was suddenly super hyped. “I’ve never seen the sea, so I really want to go!” I insisted, clenching my hands into excited fists.

“That’s great. The sun is quite bright out there, so you’ll be able to enjoy the beautiful cobalt blue ocean.”

“That’ll be great!”

Sparkling, beautiful sea! I’m so excited!

Since I was so excited about it and we had the time, it was decided that we’d spend a few days in the villa by the sea. It was half a day’s carriage ride there, so we’d end up a full day away from Rozhe in the end. After breakfast, we quickly got ready and left for the villa.

The sun’s bright light looked somehow different as we headed over the beautifully maintained highways. Rather than “bright,” maybe “blinding” was a better description. I was shocked by the realization that something like sunlight could change with your location, but apparently the reason it was blinding was actually the town itself.

Everything in the town was white, and it all reflected the sunlight back at us to a dazzling degree. Unlike the reddish walls of Le Pied, this place was covered in white plaster. All roofs and balconies in sight were blue, and they only served to make the town look even brighter.

This territory was called Le Cœur de la Mer.

“This is the Fisalis’s port. Flür uses it for commerce, so we often see ferries from the Kingdom of Amber and trading vessels from other foreign countries. If you’re lucky, you can sometimes catch some interesting-looking foreign boats,” Mr. Fisalis explained while I sat with my face plastered to the window, awed by a view I’d never seen before.

As the carriage rocked down the coastal road, I could see lots of different boats of varying sizes anchored in the harbor. That must be the trade center, just like Mr. Fisalis said. So, they’ve got international trade too, huh? I see why the duchy is so rich.

Mr. Fisalis looked out the window, seemingly searching for something, before he plopped back down on his seat in defeat. “I can’t see any foreign ships there today. I’d like to show you one while we’re here, but unfortunately, I can’t make any promises.”

It seems that he’d been looking for interesting boats. Oh, don’t feel bad. I’m just happy you tried! “It would be nice to see one! Where is the villa, anyway?”

“Farther down the road... on top of that hill there. The scenery is breathtaking. Behind the building is a steep cliff, with the sea right at the bottom of it. The view over that cliff is something else. It’s one of the things I really wanted you to see. And the sea breeze feels wonderful this time of year.”

Following where he was pointing, I saw a building that must have been the villa. It sat on top of what looked like a hill from the land, but was apparently a sheer cliff on the side facing the sea. And that sea breeze! The location is amazing! If it’s enough to impress Mr. Fisalis, the view must be incredible too, but I definitely can’t let myself lean too far towards it. Danger level MAX.

The Le Cœur villa was even more compact than the Le Pied one, and was painted white to match the town. It was a beautiful, breezy manor, with the sun illuminating the flowers and greenery surrounding it. Inside, it was quite cool. Though it was the same kind of well-used building as our manor in Rozhe, it was built with just the Fisalis family in mind and the furnishings were casual, making it a calming space.

“It’s not very big, huh? I like how it looks made just for the family!”

I immediately had Mr. Fisalis give me a tour, looking it over. Why does it feel so nice? Ah, I see. It’s because it’s about the same size as my family home! So that makes it feel more familiar. And it’s not lavishly furnished, and the things that are here are very casual, so I won’t have to worry about them. I get it! It looks like home!

“This villa is separated into a main house and outbuildings, so when we have guests, we use those. They’re lined up along the cliffs,” he explained.

“Lined up... You mean there’s more than one?”

“We’ve got one building with a big hall for entertaining guests, and a few little cottages to house them. But my parents aren’t very social, so they haven’t seen much use lately.”

So, the outbuildings are leftovers from a previous duke who was more flashy. The main house is small, but the grounds sure aren’t. Gotta hand it to rich people... Wait, how many times have I thought that on this trip? I mean, I thought they were plenty rich back in Rozhe, but this trip is putting them on a whole other level.

“Now, you’re probably tired from the trip, so we’ll leave exploring the town and looking at the guest quarters for tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

After we’d made a full lap of the villa, we ended up standing outside the room prepared for us. Nope, not arguing anymore. I’ve given up. Just as I was about to touch the doorknob, Mr. Fisalis stopped me. Huh? Am I not supposed to go in? I looked up at him, confused.

“You can see the evening sun sinking into the ocean from our room. It’s got a different charm than the sunset in Le Pied, but it’s just as beautiful,” he explained, putting his hand on the knob instead.

The sun sinking into the ocean? What does he mean? “I wanna see, I wanna see!” I looked up at him, excited, only to receive a mysterious smile.

“Okay. Go on in,” he said, throwing the doors open, giving me a panoramic view of the evening sun sinking into the sea. But rather than just a window, the whole wall facing the sea was made of glass. It made the wall look like a giant painting of the ocean sunset. We’d even caught the exact moment the sun had started to sink below the horizon, and the sea was shining orange.

“Wow! It’s so beautiful!” I dashed full speed right up to the window. Not gonna go out on any balconies—way too dangerous.

“Why not step outside?” Mr. Fisalis suggested as I plastered myself against the glass. He chuckled, opening the door to the balcony.

Even the door is made of glass! So fancy! “Nah, I don’t want to risk getting blown into the ocean by a stray gust of wind.”

“You don’t need to worry there. The rails are high, so you’d have to make quite the effort to get over them and fall. Ahahaha! You really say the funniest things, Viola.”

Looking closely, I realized the railings were about to my chest. Guess I’m safe, then. “It’s just my first time being this high up,” I said, trying to defend myself. How far down was the surface of the water from here? I’d be too terrified to look down.

“Let’s go outside, since we have the chance. It’ll be fine. I’ll hold you.” He pulled my hand, leading me out onto the balcony.

The wind wasn’t as strong as I’d been worried it would be, so it didn’t look like I was about to be blown off. And I had Mr. Fisalis behind me as a lifeline, to boot! I’d be able to enjoy the sunset without fear.

“I won’t hold back, then,” I said, grabbing the rail as I admired the sunset, and Mr. Fisalis gently shielded me from behind. Perfectly safe sunset viewing.

It’s so pretty... I don’t think I’d ever get bored of this view...

...

Wait, isn’t he really, really close?