Chapter 27: Princess Mia... Lives It Up! (More Foreshadowing...)

The Emerald Star left port with Mia’s group aboard. Its numerous sails caught a brisk wind, and the yacht steadily gained speed. The sky was a cloudless blanket of blue, and sunlight streamed down unimpeded. The summer was a cool one so far, but the sun’s glare was still fierce. Bathed in its light, Mia’s hair shimmered with equal intensity. A salty sea breeze blew across the deck, and her argent strands fluttered in its wake. She stood at the bow, her arms outspread, and laughed with delight as she felt the wind on her skin.

“This is wonderful! It’s like I’m flying!”

Mia, when boarding the Emerald Star, had forgotten to take her grievances about the yacht with her. They now sat on the shore, lonely and abandoned, while their master thoroughly enjoyed sailing on what was supposed to be a “budget craft.” She could be forgiven for letting herself go though. Her recent days had been an ongoing cycle of exercise and dieting, which had caused a steady accumulation of stress. The liberation of the sea proved too tempting, and she couldn’t help but get a little carried away.

Well, maybe more than a little...

A particularly large wave rolled into the vessel from the side, causing it to heave. Water splashed across the deck, and the whole boat leapt up as though it’d suddenly crested a hill before dropping back down.

“...Eh?”

Mia, who’d been leaning over the side, was caught completely off guard—not that she could have reacted any better even if she was prepared—and thrown off the deck...

“Watch out!”

...Only to be pulled into a protective embrace in the nick of time.

“Oh, moons, that was close. Thank you very much— Eek!”

She squealed when she craned her neck to glance backward, for the pair of arms wrapped gently around her belonged to none other than...

“A-A-Abel?!”

Upon recognizing her rescuer, her eyes immediately sent a signal racing from her optic nerve into her spine so quickly that it bypassed her brain. On pure reflex, she activated the emergency fail-safe of all young, self-conscious girls.

Abdominal muscles engaged. Flattening belly.

Abel, completely oblivious to her reaction, let out a breath of relief.

“You know, you can be surprisingly childish sometimes, Mia...” he said softly.

“Wha— Abel! Were you watching the whole time?” Her cheeks reddened as she recalled her overeager actions that almost led to her falling off the yacht. “O-Oh, you...big meanie! You could have at least said something if you were watching me...”

“I would have, but... I sort of forgot.” He scratched his cheek, failing to meet her gaze. “You were...just too enchanting a sight.”

“Hnngh!”

She clenched her fists, feeling the heat spread through her cheeks. Her heart rose, as if still carried by the prior wave, and threatened to take leave of her chest.

C-C-Can he even hear himself? How can he say things like that with a straight face? Moons, Abel! I swear! Sometimes, you just have no clue!

After venting her frustrations in silent soliloquy, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

Okay, I have to remember that I’m older. I’m the big sister here. Abel is younger. He’s just a kid. Just a kid. Just a kid. Just a kid...

After reciting the incantation a few times in her head, she put on what she hoped was the irreverent air of the unflappable big sister she desperately strove to be.

“My, for the supposedly smooth Prince of Remno, that sure was a cheesy line.”

It came out a little awkward, her voice cracking just a little too often to be entirely convincing, but she deserved some sympathy for her poor performance. Abel’s charm was simply too much. Projecting casual confidence was a tall order when her brain was turning to mush.

Abel quipped back with a grin.

“Oh? I thought the Great Sage of the Empire liked her cheeses. After all, that’s why I serve my lines with them,” he said as he placed his hands on her hips. “Pardon me, milady.”

“Huh? Waaaaaah!”

He proceeded to pick her up and place her on a platform further toward the boat’s prow.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

“Take a look for yourself.”

He motioned in the direction they were sailing. She sheepishly obeyed, turning around to look to the front of the boat.

“Wow...” she said as a gasp escaped her. “It’s an even better view from up here!”

A few clouds had appeared in the sky, dotting the blue canvas with puffs of white. The sun shining through them painted kaleidoscopic patterns of light and shadow across the surface of the sea. A wave, taller than the last, rolled through the boat, throwing up droplets of water that glittered like gems. The ever-shifting coruscation was a mesmerizing, almost magical, sight.

“How is it up there? Feels even more like flying, doesn’t it?”

“It certainly does. This is simply breathtaking.”

She beamed at him, but soon puckered her lips and looked away.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Um, when you lifted me just now... Did I feel, um...heavy?” she asked, fidgeting nervously with her fingers.

Abel blinked at her a few times before breaking out into laughter.

“Heavy? You? Come on, seriously?”

“Huh? B-But...”

“The reason I’ve got my hands on you right now is because I’m worried you’ll just float away on the wind. You’re light as a feather.”

“I... You... Hnnnngh!” She held her flushed cheeks and squirmed at his honey-laced words. “A-Abel, you absolute scoundrel! I know what you’re doing! You’re just buttering me up! I’m on to you!”

He grinned.

“Are you now? Good. Then you’ll know to come to me for your dairy needs. I’ve got all the cheese and butter you’ll ever want.”

At the end of her saccharine exchange with Abel, she found herself filled with a sense of fulfillment.

I’m...really living it up right now!

Indeed, Mia was living it up. Upper than ever before. She relished the bliss of the moment. Luxuriated in it.

Which was why she failed to notice how the white clouds in the distance, as if grimacing at the P.D.A., had begun to take on a gray tint.