Chapter 15
The next morning, Diana finished a simple breakfast in her bedroom and headed out to the riverside in front of the hotel.
There were several areas along the Elten River where boating was available, and the most famous among them was the riverside in front of the Rovais Hotel.
At the dock by the river, yachts were lined up, waiting for guests.
“Your Highness! Over here!”
Grinelda waved brightly at Diana, who was arriving with Jerome.
She looked full of energy since morning. Her light dress, suitable for a boat ride, suited her quite well.
“As expected, green suits you, Lady Grinelda.”
“It’s all thanks to Your Highness’s excellent taste.”
As a token of gratitude for being invited to the hotel, Diana had given Grinelda several dresses. The one she was wearing now was one of them.
Her long braided red hair contrasted beautifully with the deep green dress, making her look even more radiant. Diana, inwardly pleased, smiled faintly.
“How is it, Dale? Does it suit me?”
Grinelda kept asking Dale how she looked in the green dress Diana had chosen, clearly loving it.
“I already told you. It suits you well.”
“Oh, really?”
Seeing Dale look tired from repeated questions, Grinelda pouted and turned away.
“Come with me, Grin!”
A flustered Dale hurried after her, and as Diana chuckled at the sight, something was gently placed on top of her head.
“……”
Diana slowly looked up at Ian, who had appeared without her noticing and placed a wide-brimmed straw hat on her head.
“I heard the sun will be strong today.”
He looked at her wearing the hat for a moment, then retied the ribbon attached to it.
“All done.”
With a satisfied smile, he walked past her and boarded the yacht after Dale.
Diana stared blankly at his retreating back, when Jerome’s cough came from behind her.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just… the ribbon is yellow.”
After saying that, Jerome quickly boarded the yacht as well.
Diana followed him with a confused expression. Only when she stepped onto the yacht stairs, holding the hem of her skirt, did she realize that her dress was yellow.
The moment she realized it, she met Jerome’s gaze—he was squinting at her—but Diana responded with an innocent face.
The yacht moved forward, cutting through the river current along the riverside. Across the river, a lively town full of citizens’ energy could be seen.
As Diana watched the town with a faint smile, Ian approached her side. He leaned on the railing next to her as well.
When Ian stood beside her, Diana unconsciously glanced at Jerome. He was chatting with the captain.
“You said I should stay right next to you today.”
Ian said with a slightly sulky expression.
“I didn’t say you had to stick right next to me.”
“Why are you worrying about your aide’s opinion?”
“…Jerome is misunderstanding our relationship. He’s quite meddlesome, so if we leave it alone, it’ll get even more troublesome.”
“What if it is a misunderstanding?”
At that, Diana looked at Ian. He was smiling playfully.
“…I prefer not creating misunderstandings in the first place.”
They stared at each other for a long moment.
He seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
Shortly after, when Dale came looking for Ian, he walked back toward where Dale was.
Diana watched from a distance as Ian and Dale talked.
In her previous life, he had been someone who refused to keep anyone by his side, and thus Ian had no one who could truly be called a friend.
As far as Diana knew, in the past she had been both his lover and his only companion.
Because of that, seeing him casually talking with Dale felt unfamiliar, yet strangely hard to look away from.
What kind of life had he lived in this timeline? Even though she wanted to distance herself from Ian, she also found herself wanting to know how he had changed.
He looked like he was enjoying his current life. Unlike before, he kept people around him and smiled more often, as if the place she once occupied had already been filled by others.
“Maybe… it would’ve been better for both of us not to meet at all.”
While Diana was lost in thought, Grinelda came up beside her. Her expression looked somewhat dark.
Looking past Grinelda, she saw Dale enthusiastically explaining something to Ian, completely absorbed in the conversation.
“If it comes to it, I’ll pretend not to see if those two fall into the water.”
“Huh?”
Grinelda panicked, and Diana chuckled.
“Men are sometimes very oblivious. Or maybe they just pretend to be.”
Ian, in particular, was the type who knowingly acted oblivious and pushed forward anyway. Or he would subtly enter someone’s space while carefully reading the situation. In any case, he was dangerous.
“I meant I’m willing to be on Your Highness’s side. You like Lord Dale, don’t you?”
Grinelda looked stunned at Diana.
“How did you know?”
“How did I know, I wonder.”
It wasn’t something extremely obvious, but it wasn’t exactly hidden either.
“Y-you must keep it a secret…”
Diana wondered if it could really stay a secret, but she nodded anyway.
“They seem quite close. Did you and Lord Ian know each other since childhood?”
“No. We met Ian for the first time at university. Those two were roommates all along. Even so, at first they didn’t seem to interact much, but one day Dale started talking about Ian all the time.”
Grinelda spoke as if venting her frustration.
“From what I’ve seen, Ian has everything Dale admires. He’s good at sports and has leadership skills. But that’s exactly why I don’t like him! Dale is… perfect just as he is. He’s far better than that arrogant guy!”
“Is Lord Ian arrogant?”
Diana imagined Ian acting arrogantly with a smug face. It wasn’t that hard to picture, and she let out a small laugh.
“…No, not really. I’m just jealous of him. I wish Dale would pay as much attention to me as he does to Ian.”
“Hmm…”
Diana glanced past Grinelda and noticed Dale stealing a look at her.
“You don’t need to worry.”
Grinelda looked out at the sunlight reflecting on the waves, deep in thought. Then she suddenly asked,
“Do you have someone you love, Your Highness?”
Diana blinked, slightly startled.
“You do, right? The way you saw through my feelings so quickly—there’s no doubt you’re some hidden expert in love.”
That’s not something you’d just assume…
Diana didn’t know how to respond. She had never talked about something like this with anyone, and certainly never expected it to be Grinelda.
“…I did.”
After a long pause, the answer came out, and Grinelda became intensely interested, leaning in with sparkling eyes.
Diana felt pressured, as if she had to elaborate.
“Hmm… but I’m not sure anymore now. That person has forgotten everything about me. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say none of it has happened for him yet…”
Even Diana didn’t seem to fully understand what she was saying and shook her head quickly.
“No, forget I said that.”
“How can I forget something I already heard? Please tell me more!”
Grinelda was more persistent than expected. She kept following Diana, asking her to continue, and Diana reluctantly began speaking again in fragments.
“That person… he’s someone I shouldn’t meet this time. I don’t intend to meet him either.”
“Why can’t you meet him?”
“That’s…”
He destroyed my country, my family, me…
“…Because he was the one who abandoned me first.”
Diana tried to suppress the emotions rising in her throat.
“Do you know what that feels like? I hate him so much, and I want him to hurt just as much as I did. I get so angry seeing his face, not knowing anything! But at the same time… I feel like it might be better that he doesn’t know anything…”
“Your Highness…”
Diana bit her lip as she caught her breath. The more she spoke, the more everything buried deep inside her surged to the surface like muddy water.
“If it’s a painful past… maybe it’s better if at least one of us suffers less. There’s no need for both of us to live in hell.”
Just like this. Keeping distance. Watching so he doesn’t make the wrong choice.
I will protect the kingdom, and you will return to where you belong.
“I don’t need revenge or anything like that. I just… want to protect people.”
Her tangled emotions turned murky like disturbed water. She quickly turned her gaze toward the bow of the ship to calm herself.
“Your Highness…”
Grinelda called her softly, sounding pained.
“Sorry. I must sound like I’m not making sense. I think I’ve gotten too comfortable with you.”
Grinelda shook her head firmly.
“That man is a bastard!”
“Huh…?”
“How dare he forget Your Highness? How dare he leave only you suffering! If he has amnesia, tell him to get treated immediately!”
“……”
“Make him come right here, kneel, and beg for forgiveness!”
Grinelda shouted, more angry than Diana herself.
“Isn’t that what Your Highness wants too!”
“……”
“Make him unable to forget you! Make him suffer and regret until he begs for forgiveness!”
Diana felt tears welling up without realizing it.
“After that, you can do whatever you want. Keep loving him, or abandon him like he did to you. You have that right!”
“…You’re right, Grinelda.”
Diana covered her face with both hands.
“The truth is, I… want him to remember me.”
