Chapter 169

Playing in the water was really fun.

I can’t even feel how fast time is going.

I frantically splashed water, and on the contrary, I avoided the water that Maya was spraying.

Then again, it was late afternoon when we smiled at each other like puppies in the rain.

As the sun set on the horizon and the sky turned orange, we sat facing each other near the small bonfire the butler had made.

“…… Oh, it’s warm.”

I muttered in a tired voice.

Earlier, I was just going to bask in the bonfire without changing clothes, but the maid advised that I would catch a cold if I wore wet clothes.

So I changed into neat clothes again.

After that, I was basking in the bonfire to dry my hair.

Then I suddenly thought.

It was really fun today.

But I guess I’ll have to go back before it gets dark.

‘Before I came here, I had talked about going to Maya’s house through a nanny in kindergarten in advance. But if I stay too long, they will worry.’

Moreover, it was disrespectful to Maya that I, as a guest, stayed up so late.

Having reached that point, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Hey, I guess I should go back to the Marquisate now. It will be dinner soon.”

At my words, Maya, who was sitting on the other side with a blanket covering him, was startled.

“What? Ah… … That’s right. It will be dinner soon.”

Then he asked carefully.

“But, aren’t you going to have a barbecue as you promised me?”

“Um, yes. Then I’ll just eat the barbecue and go.”

In fact, the grilled fish was something I was also looking forward to, so I was a little sad to go home right away.

“That’s a relief! Then I will tell the butler to prepare it right away.”

As Maya said, the preparations for the barbecue were completed quickly.

When I came to my senses, I realized that five fish skewers were cooking with a sizzling sound over the bonfire we had just been warming up to.

‘Oh, it smells delicious!’

Even though it was just sprinkled with a little salt, it smelled really good, probably because it was grilled right away.

“It’s hot, so be careful.”

“Yes, Young Duke too, please eat carefully.”

The butler handed us the cooked skewers. Maya cleaned it up again and put it on the plate in front of me.

This unusual workmanship seemed to be something he was quite familiar with.

I heard that fishing was a hobby in the kingdom before coming here, but did he live near a river or a beach?

‘Oh, it’s even more delicious than that!’

Following Maya’s advice, the hot, steaming fish meat was cooled by blowing it in the air.

When the steam no longer came up, I cut it with a fork and ate it, hmm.

It really tasted fantastic.

‘It melts in your mouth!’

Addicted to the soft and fluffy texture, I took one or two bites and ate one in no time.

‘No, have I already eaten this much?’

The moment I found out about it, I was astonished.

Just then, Maya gave me more fish and spoke to me.

“Is it good? If you want to eat more, I will give you some more.”

“Thank you! But I think that would be enough.”

If I didn’t stop Maya, I thought I would eat all five fish by myself so I hastily declined.

Then Maya removed his hand and smiled.

“I’m glad you liked it. I used to like to cook and eat the fish I caught myself.”

Used to, he said? Does that mean he doesn’t really like it right now?

For some reason, Maya’s words seemed a little strange.

Perhaps it was because he noticed my expression, Maya started explaining to me.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong! Of course I still like it. But I haven’t been able to fish for a while before coming to this villa not long ago.”

“Yes? Why?”

He said it was a hobby he loved so much, and I wondered what was the reason he couldn’t do it.

Meanwhile, Maya’s expression suddenly darkened at my question.

It was obvious that something bad came to mind.

“That, actually. There’s a big river right next to Duchy’s Castle. I’ve always been fishing there since I was very young.”

Listening to Maya’s words, the situation was like this.

Duchy Tuitte was in a fertile estate like a noble family with a royal lineage.

Besides, it was said that it was not a bad place to live because it was right next to a big river.

Because it is located in the northern part of the continent, the winter is a little long and the temperature is usually low.

“But a year ago, the weather suddenly changed. That wide river has turned to ice all over.”

The problem was about a year ago.

Suddenly, a severe cold struck only the Duchy’s estate, and winter continued for over a year.

“No, how did that happen?”

“That’s right. I don’t know either. People say it became a cursed land, but it might be true.”

In the end, it was said that the castle became quite bleak as more and more people left the estate one by one, and the employees who stayed in the castle were quitting one by one because they couldn’t stand the weather.