Volume 9 Chapter 4 Jellyfish Appear At The End Of August
I filled a bucket with clams and added seawater so the clams could stay lively, and the bucket got super heavy.
The tide, which was slowly going out, started coming back in, and waves rushed toward us.
The white foam waves crashed into the small pool Sir Stefan dug, trying to take little Eir-Eir away to the sea, so I quickly scooped up Eir-Eir and Nel-Nel.
Holding the two of them, who were soaking wet, made my clothes all drenched.
But my skirt was already wet, so I didn't mind too much.
"Pumpkin..."
"That was scary, Eir-Eir. The sea is beautiful, but it can be scary. Be careful."
"Fried horse mackerel."
"Nel-Nel too. Even a small wave can sweep little ones away."
As I stepped into the waves that reached up to my ankles, I got covered in seawater.
The clear surface of the sea sparkled in emerald green. It was cold and fun and beautiful, but I couldn't catch any more clams.
The pool Sir Stefan made was changing shape and getting buried in the sand by the waves.
The sea is huge.
You can catch fish, octopus, seaweed, salt, and all sorts of things. Compared to the sea, both Sir Stefan and I feel so small. The salty breeze blowing through my hair and the constant sound of the waves.
The scent of the sandy beach and the smell of the sea.
The fluffy white clouds that look like they're bubbling up from beyond the horizon.
All these things make me forget about my usual──troubles for a while.
"Sir Stefan, we caught a lot of clams. Thank you!"
"It's strange how digging in the sand brings out creatures... I didn't know digging holes could be this fun."
"Digging holes is fun, right? The sea is fun. But, Sir Stefan, you shouldn't go into the sea at the end of August."
"Why?"
"Because jellyfish sting..."
Getting stung by a jellyfish hurts.
Last year, while I was staring blankly at the sea, Mr. Tsukuyomi told me that jellyfish are scary.
"Lydia knows a lot."
"Maybe it's because I'm daydreaming, but when I stand quietly, people seem to worry and tell me all sorts of things. Like the aunties at the market and Mr. Tsukuyomi."
"That's because you're adorable, Lydia. Everyone just wants to take care of you."
"Sir Stefan knows me from when I was little, so he thinks that way."
Sir Stefan and I returned from the shoreline to the dry beach where Dad and Ms. Famine were waiting.
The beach felt nice, unlike the hot summer, and Dad and Ms. Famine were curled up sleeping.
Eir-Eir and Nel-Nel suddenly charged in.
Ms. Famine, startled and covered in sand and seawater, stretched her tail and hissed, then swatted Nel-Nel with her front paw, smack smack.
Dad said in a calm voice, "Stop it, kids," shaking off the sand from his body.
"We caught a lot of clams! Let's have a light lunch at the market and then head home. Sir Stefan, is it okay for you time-wise?"
"Ah, it's fine. But going to the store looking like this, won't it be a bother?"
"There's a seaside house right before the market where we can eat, and they have chairs and tables outside, so it's fine if we get wet or sandy."
We headed towards the seaside house.
At the water Magic Stone tap in front of the seaside house connected to the market, we washed our sandy feet and hands.
When I turned the faucet and the clean water flowed out, it felt refreshing to wash off the sticky seawater.
"Wow, it's cold!"
The seawater felt nice, but the fresh water felt great too.
"Eir-Eir, Nel-Nel, let's wash you up."
I splashed Eir-Eir and Nel-Nel, who tried to escape, and dried them off with a towel I had in my bag.
They weren't completely clean, but the sand and seawater were mostly gone, and they looked better.
"Sir Stefan, you should wash your hands too. Are your boots okay?"
"Boots are all good. I make sure to wear ones that are tough and waterproof, so they can handle the snowy mountains. You never know when something might happen, right?"
"So you're always ready to get lost in the snowy mountains..."
"Or, I'm always ready to go help Roxas if he gets lost in the snowy mountains."
"Sir Roxas really shouldn't go to the snowy mountains..."
Even getting lost in the bamboo forest is tough. The risk of getting lost in the snowy mountains is way higher. Gotta be careful.
I pulled Sir Stefan's hand and dipped it in the flowing water.
When I helped wash it like I did with Eir-Eir and Nel-Nel, Sir Stefan looked a bit embarrassed and looked down.
"...Until now, I thought it was my job to take care of Lydia. But I never thought the day would come when Lydia would take care of me..."
"Sir Stefan always tries to take care of everyone. I think it's okay to be taken care of sometimes."
"Not really. I've lost a few years of my time. There are many things I'm confused about and don't understand. I've been relying on Lucian and Ciel a lot lately."
"Both of them are older than you, Sir Stefan, so I often rely on them too. They feel like adults, you know?"
"I'm sure both of them are looking forward to seeing Lydia in her dress. Of course, Lydia looks cute in anything."
"Hehe... Thank you. It makes me nervous when you say you're looking forward to it... but right now, I'm not alone. I'm not scared."
As I wiped Sir Stefan's hand with a towel, I remembered things from the palace and the academy.
I was always alone. Sneaking around.
Francois was next to Sir Stefan, and I had no place because everyone disliked me.
I would go to the backyard alone to hide and kill time until I was picked up, or I would stand aimlessly at the edge of the great hall.
During those times, even though I wasn't doing anything wrong, my chest always felt really cold inside.
It felt like a block of ice was shoved into my chest.
At the same time, I felt guilt and shame about being alone, and all sorts of bad feelings would make my body tense up and my legs freeze.
But now, it's different.
"Ah, Lydia. I won't leave you alone anymore. There are so many people by your side."
Sir Stefan said that and gently held my hand.
As he pulled me closer, he hugged me tight. The sound of water dripping from the faucet echoed in my ears, splash splash.
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