Chapter 36
. How to Overcome Depression (9)
“His Majesty is taking a vacation for the first time in ages—we must see him off, of course!”
“Yes, indeed!”
And so, on the day of the trip—
When they arrived at the garden of the detached palace where they had arranged to meet, all the elders were somehow gathered there as well.
Iago, his arms folded and giving the suspiciously cheerful elders a wary look, quickly unfolded his arms when he spotted Ilena.
“Did you sleep well last night, Priestess?”
His tone was slightly formal with the ministers present, but his softened gaze was impossible to hide.
Ilena didn’t answer, merely nodding expressionlessly.
But her small hands were gripping tightly at the straps of the backpack she wore on her back.
Noticing that, a warm smile unconsciously rose to Iago’s lips.
It’s certain… this is ‘some.’
I’ve never seen His Majesty smile like that before.
That warm, fluttery atmosphere…!
The elders gazed at the two with fond eyes, as if scattering flowers all around, and called out:
“Then, travel safely!”
“If you’re enjoying yourselves too much, you can stay an extra day—of course, by the sea, that is!”
The elders all wore the same satisfied, smug expressions as they waved their goodbyes.
It’s really happening… we’re going on a trip.
Ilena tightened her grip on her backpack straps again and looked toward the strange-looking magic circle drawn on one side of the garden.
Traveling to the villa was simple—hardly even travel at all, since they would use magic.
If you tore a paper scroll while standing on the magic circle, it would instantly teleport you to the destination.
However, Otter had said with a firm expression that the “scrolls” were extremely expensive, so for a mere one-night vacation, they couldn’t bring too many attendants.
“Since when has something being expensive been a problem for the Kingdom of Lihue?”
Iago, looking baffled, started to retort, but Andre quickly cut in.
“The palace is already busy with preparations for the Founding Festival! And it’s just for one night anyway!”
“You’re already preparing for the Founding Festival?”
“…So Andre’s not coming?”
Ilena, secretly having looked forward to something like a noisy “family trip,” asked in a slightly disappointed tone.
“Ah! Lady Ilena! You were hoping we’d all go together! Then I’ll—”
“Andre has important work to do!”
This time, Otter hurriedly cut Andre off.
“You two should depart first. We’ll send the attendants over in the evening!”
“…Okay.”
As she took Iago’s hand and stepped onto the magic circle, Ilena turned her head once more.
“Andre. You have to come, all right?”
I wanted to drink carrot juice with him while looking at the sea… I’ll have to do that tomorrow.
Andre looked like he might leap onto the magic circle that very moment.
“Y-yes, Lady Ilena! I’ll come right now—!”
“Depart!!”
Otter’s urgent shout rang out, and Ilena’s vision flashed white.
A dazzling white light forced her to close her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, a completely different scene stretched out before her.
It’s like the Maldives.
That was Ilena’s first impression.
Akaha Beach, where the villa stood, looked almost exactly like the picture she had secretly stuck under her desk in the office.
A soft sandy shore that would surely feel plusher than silk under bare feet.
A sea not quite blue, but more like turquoise or mint, so clear it was almost transparent.
And in the middle of that sea, a single bamboo-built villa stood like a picture.
“It’s been a while. I used to come here often when I was a kid.”
Iago smiled, his expression relaxed. With no one else around, he was back to being “Bunny Iago.”
“Really? What were you like as a kid? I’m curious.”
“I was…”
Hand in hand, the two walked toward the villa, conversing warmly.
In their other hands, they carried their shoes, savoring the feel of the soft sand between their toes.
Ilena’s face was still expressionless, but her eyes roamed the sea restlessly. From time to time, she silently pointed at an unusual shell or sea creature she spotted.
Iago, though surely familiar with them, reacted with genuine wonder to each one.
He matched his pace to her slow, distracted steps, happy to walk leisurely alongside her.
When they finally reached the villa, they both noticed something odd.
“…It seems like no one’s here?” Ilena tilted her head.
According to Andre, the villa’s caretaker and the servants who had set out the day before should already be here.
Iago also looked unsettled as he took in the unusually quiet villa.
“…You’re right. Pedro usually stays here to take care of the place.”
It didn’t seem like anything bad had happened to Pedro—everything showed signs of meticulous upkeep.
Everything gleamed from careful cleaning, and there was even food set out on the table.
But most of all—
“What’s that?” Ilena said flatly.
When they opened the door to the largest room, they found a huge bed that could easily fit three or four people.
On top of it were rose petals scattered about, and two pairs of towel-folded doves facing each other.
“That’s some craftsmanship,” Ilena remarked, recognizing Pedro’s handiwork.
But unlike her indifferent reaction, Iago’s face turned redder than the sunset.
“Th-they…!”
“What’s wrong?”
“D-doves are… in the Kingdom of Lihue, they’re a symbol of marital harmony… They’re usually placed in the bedrooms of newlyweds…”
Realization flickered across Ilena’s face.
That was when a loud sound came from Iago’s chest.
With a sharp motion, he pulled a small, round bead from his pocket, held it near his mouth, and barked a word.
“It’s me.”
[Ah, Your Majesty!]
Otter’s lively voice came through the bead, loud enough for Ilena to hear. She had never heard him so excited—his speech was even slightly slurred.
[You’ve arrived safely at the villa, I presume? The thing is… um… actually—]
[Say it’s broken! Broken!]
A voice in the background whispered loudly enough for both of them to hear.
Like a parrot, Otter repeated stiffly,
[The thing is, the teleportation circle suddenly broke down! So… it looks like we can’t come tonight.]
“Then I’ll ride there on horseback right now—”
[No! Th-there’s no need! The mages say it should be fully repaired by tomorrow!]
[Please relax and enjoy your time, Your Majesty!]
[Lady Ilena! Sorry we couldn’t join you! Please have a wonderful time together!]
[Your Majesty, fighting! Heheh.]
Otter, Andre, and even the elders’ voices came through one after another. From the sound of it, they might have been having a drinking party—Ilena could practically smell the alcohol through the bead.
“You—!”
Click.
The connection cut off.
Iago stared at the communication stone in his hand, looking dumbfounded.
Ilena, on the other hand, chuckled softly, almost fondly.
“So… this time it’s the ‘Trust me, babe—we’ll just visit the island’ operation, and then the boat breaks down?”
So that’s why Otter’s plan had seemed unusually delicate and elaborate—Andre and even the elders must have joined in on this “woo the priestess” mission.
“S-sorry, Ilena. I really don’t know what’s gotten into them…”
Ilena looked steadily at the flustered man, two heads taller and twice as broad as she was.
For some reason, being alone with him here didn’t scare or anger her.
She summed up the situation briskly.
“It’s fine. You didn’t know either.”
“Huh? Y-yeah, that’s true.”
“And there’s no way to get back right now. We’ll be back at the palace tomorrow anyway.”
…No way to get back?
Iago tilted his head inwardly.
Of course there was—there was no way the teleportation circle was actually broken, and if he ordered it, his subordinates would obey. He could find other ways too, if he wanted…
But I don’t want to. Why?
He felt strangely certain he shouldn’t let this feeling pass unnoticed.
Then Ilena suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling him from his thoughts.
For a moment, Iago thought his heart had been pulled up along with it.
“Instead of just standing here, let’s enjoy our trip.”
Her face was the same languid, expressionless one as always, but Iago could clearly feel her happiness.
Yeah. As long as Ilena’s happy, that’s all that matters.
All his doubts melted away, and he found himself smiling softly with her.
“Alright. Shall we go to the beach?”
“Mm. There’s a swimsuit over there.”
Ilena pointed at the thin scrap of fabric lying next to the towel doves.
“T-that’s…! Th-that’s not a swimsuit!”
Those sly old foxes!
Iago’s face flushed bright red again.
“It’s not?”
It looks like a bikini.
When Ilena started toward the bed, Iago shouted in panic.
“No, no! Not that—here! In the south, people wear this to swim.”
He hurriedly opened the wardrobe and pulled out a short, one-piece-style outfit made of waterproof material, along with bamboo snorkeling gear.
“Oh, I see. Then what’s that for?”
“Sw-swimming!! Shall we swim? This villa is built right over the coral reef, so there are tons of fish in the sea.”
“…We can see fish too?”
Ilena immediately forgot about the bikini-like scrap of cloth and picked up her small silk bag, heading for the door.
“Let’s take this too. Andre packed snacks inside.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s go.”
As she turned away, Iago discreetly tossed the tiny piece of fabric out the window.
