Since morning, the maids were smoking meat and preparing food.
It was a fine day without a cloud in sight.
It was a perfect day to go out with Kian.
The maids who chose to accompany him to the picnic were also excited.
The picnic was to be held in a forest on the outskirts of the capital that was my house’s private property.
Outsiders wouldn’t be allowed in the area so we could enjoy the view leisurely.
I opened the window of the carriage wide.
The sky was an intense bright blue, and the wind that brushed my cheek was a soft caress.
“When we get there, let’s have lunch first.”
“Yes, Master.”
Kian answered with a bright smile that reached his eyes.
Certainly, Kian’s face had become noticeably softer than it was when he was first brought into the mansion.
A memory of that first night flashed through my mind.
-Didn’t you buy me to wait the night?
Back then, he looked like a hopeless zombie.
Is my plan to stop his radicalization going smoothly?
‘I sincerely hope so.’
Since the day the servant John locked Kian in a wine cellar, no particular incident has occurred.
If everything continues to flow peacefully, it may not be just a pipe dream to create a new fate for Kian.
The hopeful thought eased my nerves a little.
I looked out of the carriage window, relishing in the fresh breeze.
After a while, the main street disappeared, and a dirt road to the forest appeared.
It took us a long time to get to our destination after another bumpy dirt road.
When we got off the carriage, the green forest and the blue lake greeted us.
“Lady! Kian! Here it is!”
The maids who got off first waved.
Under a sizeable lush zelkova tree, the maids laid a large cloth and took the food out of the basket.
Roasted sausages, tarts, sandwiches, cakes, and fruits were served appetizingly.
Everyone picked up the food one by one.
Kian ate a sandwich in small, slow bites.
For some reason, an adorable herbivore came to mind.
I stared at him because he was so cute.
Said Kean, who felt my gaze.
“Is there something on my face?”
Yes. Handsome.
I must have nodded unconsciously at the thought.
Because Kian asked, touching his mouth:
“Is it here?” (Kkkkyyyyyaaaaa)
His long hands fumbled.
I spoke, trying to hold back my laughter.
“No, not there, a little lower····.”
“……?”
Kian wiped around his mouth for a long time. I couldn’t help but snort with laughter when he couldn’t touch anything on his hand.
I felt guilty for teasing him, so I confessed.
“Sorry I was kidding.”
Kian looked stunned when he realized he had been deceived, he looked as if he had been walloped in the head with a hammer.
“··· ··You’re mischievous.”
He had a disgruntled expression with slightly inflated cheeks. He was so cute that my face cracked into laughter.
***
The midday sun broke over the lake.
Every time the boots’ heels stepped on the soft soil, the smiling grass grumbled.
A tall tree rooted at the shore had red berries hanging from it.
It looked appetizing, so I tried to pick it, but the branch was too high when I reached out my hand.
When I was struggling while trying to balance on my toes, Kian stretched his arm over my head.
There was a ripe fruit in his hand.
“Here you are.”
“Thank you.”
“No thanks needed.”
His eyes smiled with a soft glow, and his silver hair scattered over his straight forehead.
He was initially a beautiful face, but when he laughed, I thought he had a halo.
It was fortunate that I wore a wide-brimmed hat. It covered my face.
I took a bite of the fruit Kian gave me.
The sweetness pervaded the tip of the tongue. Like the sweetness of the pulp, the time spent with Kian was very sweet.
“Kian, would you like to try that?”
I pointed to a boat tied to a small pier.
I got on the boat with Kian’s escort. Then Kian, who climbed in, slowly rowed.
We sailed across a large lake. The lake’s surface was filled with blue skies giving off the surreal sensation that we were swimming in the sky.
I rowed for fun.
Kian asked anxiously. “Don’t you think you should quit now?”
“No, I’ve always wanted to try something like this.”
But rowing wasn’t as easy as I thought. I felt my hands and mind weren’t in sync, and thanks to this; the boat was spinning in place.
It was hard for Kian to look
“…….Please let me do it. Please.”
Here I was proud, enough to claim I wasn’t so bad at rowing, but I must have been mistaken.
I’m I severely lacking in motor dexterity?
While seriously contemplating, Kian smoothly guided our boat to the pier.
He got out first and tied the boat tightly to the wooden post so that it wouldn’t shake.
“Hold my hand, my master,” Kian said, and thanks to his help, I calmly got off the boat.
When I set foot on solid ground, suddenly there was a cry from the forest side.
Then came the sound of light glistening and clicking in the bushes. I turned my head reflexively towards the place where the sound came from.
My eyes met with a man hiding in the bushes.