Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 54: It’s the Sea!

A letter arrived from Coral.

When I opened the envelope, a pretty pink letter paper appeared.

I knew we were going to exchange letters, but I didn’t expect one to arrive so quickly.

Reading the contents with excitement, I called Ruby with a puzzled expression.

“...Miss. Would you take a look at this?”

***

After scanning the letter with me, Ruby tilted her head.

“So, Coral is inviting us to her house?”

“Yes. It’s clearly addressed to Ruby and Amber in the letter.”

While our residence was relatively close to the capital, Coral’s house was in the farthest outskirts of the city.

According to her, she had lived in a house overlooking the sea since she was young.

I had once jokingly mentioned to Coral that I wanted to visit the seaside, and it seemed she remembered and sent the invitation.

At the mention of the sea, Ruby casually remarked.

“...So, it’s basically in the middle of nowhere.”

“That seems to be the case. Much more so than here.”

“Hm... Amber, do you want to see the sea?”

When she asked, I answered enthusiastically.

“Yes. I’ve been feeling a bit cooped up lately anyway.”

“...Alright. Let’s take a trip, then.”

“Really? Are you okay with that?”

“I’m not particularly interested in the sea or anything, but I can’t let you go alone.”

Ruby didn’t seem particularly thrilled, but she agreed to accompany me on the trip.

***

I told Merilda about our travel plans.

When she heard we were heading to the countryside, she looked alarmed.

“The seaside...? Will you be alright, Miss Ruby?”

Merilda looked at Ruby with a concerned expression.

“I’ll be fine. Amber will be with me.”

“That’s what worries me even more...”

“...”

“You do know it’ll take at least a full day by carriage, right? And you might need to stay for several days.”

“Yes. We’re planning to stay for a few days.”

After discussing it with Ruby, we decided on a three-day trip and started packing accordingly.

As I packed clothes to change into, I asked Ruby.

“Miss, have you ever been to the sea?”

“No, never.”

She explained that unless someone lived near the seaside, they rarely had a chance to see it.

Thinking about it, this world didn’t have cars or proper transportation, making long-distance travel challenging, so it made sense.

“What about you, Amber? Have you seen the sea?”

“When I was in middle school...”

I cut myself off mid-sentence, covering my mouth.

What was I thinking? Why would I mention middle school here?

“Middle school...? What’s that?”

Ruby looked puzzled, unfamiliar with the term, so I shook my head and replied.

“...I’ve never been to the sea either, Miss. Haha.”

She looked a bit suspicious but didn’t press further.

“Right? It’s not something you get to see often.”

Sometimes, words would slip out without much thought, like just now.

...Maybe I’d gotten too comfortable being around Ruby.

After packing our bags thoroughly, Merilda inspected our belongings.

She adjusted our outfits with a serious expression and asked.

“You’ve packed enough water for the trip, right? And spare undergarments? And if you encounter any dangerous adults...”

Feeling a bit embarrassed by her endless concerns, I said.

“...Merilda, we’re 17 now.”

“...Oh, right. Time flies. It’s amazing. I still remember when you two wet the bed.”

How long ago was she talking about? And for the record, I never wet the bed.

...Did I?

Merilda looked at us with a slightly worried expression and said.

“It’s your first long trip, so I can’t help but worry. Please, take care of yourselves, both of you.”

“Yes, Merilda.”

After bidding her a brief farewell, we got into the carriage.

‘A countryside seaside... I can’t even remember the last time I went.’

It was just leaving the city, yet I couldn’t understand why I felt so excited.

Was it the idea of breaking from routine?

Of course, lounging in bed with Ruby, reading novels, was fun, but it couldn’t compare to the thrill of traveling.

Ruby, a serious homebody, already had her lips pouting.

She was probably thinking longingly about her soft bed.

We traveled nearly a full day, including breaks, before arriving.

As we got closer to our destination, the faint scent of the sea tickled my nose, and I heard the cries of seagulls.

When I opened the window to let in the sea breeze, the nausea I’d felt from the long ride disappeared.

“Miss, look over there! It’s a seagull!”

“...Really?”

Ruby didn’t seem particularly interested.

Her eyes had been glued to her book for a while.

[ Kee-ruk, kee-ruk! ]

A young seagull flew close to the carriage, showing interest.

The seagull began circling the window, seemingly curious about us.

‘How cute!’

Come to think of it, I’d seen scenes on TV of people feeding seagulls snacks.

On impulse, I grabbed a leftover cookie and extended my hand out the window.

“Hey, seagull, want some?”

[ Kee-ruk? ]

The seagull snatched the cookie in an instant and swallowed it whole.

Gulp.

After a moment, the seagull’s wing movements became awkward.

[ Kee-ruk, kee-ruuuk...! ]

‘Huh...?’

The seagull, screaming mid-air, wobbled before plummeting helplessly off the cliff.

“Seagull...!”

I leaned out of the window and called for the seagull, but I never saw her again.

‘Sorry, seagull...’

And so, my brief memory with the young seagull came to an end.

***

When the carriage finally stopped, Ruby closed her book and called me.

“Amber. It looks like we’ve arrived.”

“...”

“What’s with that expression?”

Ruby looked at me, horrified by the devastated look on my face, and asked.

“...The seagull... It ate the cookie and fell...”

“What?”

While Ruby and I exchanged this nonsensical conversation, a familiar voice came from behind the carriage.

“Oh, who’s arrived?”

A clear, soft voice rang out.

It was a voice I’d heard since I was young but never grew tired of.

There was only one person I knew with such a voice.

I stepped out of the carriage and came face to face with her.

“Diana?”

Diana, wearing a lady-like hat and a white dress, her beautiful blonde hair fluttering, smiled at me.

“Why are you here, Diana?”

“I was invited by Coral. Were you as well, Amber?”

“Yes, Miss Ruby and I were also invited.”

It turned out Coral had sent letters to all the club members.

Diana grabbed my hand cheerfully and continued speaking.

“Amethyst said she couldn’t come due to family circumstances, and the others seemed busy with their own matters.”

“That’s a bit disappointing. It would’ve been more fun with more people.”

Diana shook her head at my words and replied.

“Still, I thought I’d be alone, so I’m really glad you two came.”

From what she said, it seemed the only people who came to Coral’s hometown were Ruby, Diana, and me.

Ruby’s voice called out from inside the carriage.

“Amber, who’s outside?”

Ruby, who got out of the carriage late, met Diana’s gaze.

Diana greeted Ruby with a bright smile.

“Nice to see you, Ruby. This is the first time since the break.”

Ruby looked at her with a dark expression and muttered.

“...Annoyance...”

“Pardon?”

Unlike the ever-smiling Diana, Ruby exuded a gloomy aura.

The atmosphere felt a bit uneasy from the start.

After sending off the carriages we arrived in, the three of us picked up our luggage and got moving.

“Let’s see, there’s the village sign over there...”

I unfolded the map enclosed with the letter and looked for the marked location of Coral’s house.

We passed the signpost with the village’s name and followed the dotted line she had drawn on the map.

As I led the way with the map in hand, Ruby asked worriedly.

“Amber. Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Of course. Trust me, Miss Ruby.”

With a confident face, I marched forward, only to stop at the X marked on the map.

“This is it!”

When I looked up from the map, a steep cliff stretched out before me.

“Ahhh...!”

Terrified, I screamed and fell back onto my rear.

One more step, and I might’ve ended up like that seagull earlier.

As I sat trembling on the ground, Diana kindly helped me up.

“...Would you like me to lead the way, Amber?”

“Yes, please.”

Thankfully, Diana found the correct path, and we eventually discovered what seemed to be Coral’s house.

Among the houses we passed in the village, Coral’s was by far the largest.

As she had said, her house was built so close to the beach that the protruding deck touched the sandy shore.

Wow. The deck practically led right onto the beach.

It was undeniably a romantic and unique structure for a house.

“Oh, Amber! Miss Ruby and Diana, you’re here too!”

As we approached the house, Coral, sitting on the deck, waved at us.

Coral wore an oversized white t-shirt paired with very short shorts.

At a glance, it was almost misleading enough to think she wasn’t wearing any pants.

As I approached her with a smile, I was slightly taken aback.

“Huh? Coral... Is that you?”

“Yeah. Why?”

The pale skin I remembered from the academy was gone, replaced with a healthy, tanned complexion.

Coral noticed me staring and, looking a bit embarrassed, placed a hand on her cheek.

“Oh, this... I tan really easily...”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

It had only been two days since the break began.

But she already looked as if she’d been tanned all along.

“Here, see for yourself.”

Coral lowered her t-shirt slightly off her shoulder, revealing the white marks left by her swimsuit near her collarbone.

“Wow, you’re right. Only the area under your clothes is still pale.”

As I continued to stare, Coral blushed slightly.

“...Amber? Staring so intensely is kind of embarrassing.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Coral greeted Ruby and Diana, who had walked up behind me, with a smile.

“Thank you all for coming. I’m sure it’s going to be a fun break.”

Coral beamed as she warmly welcomed us.

The cicadas buzzed in the nearby forest, and the waves crashed gently against the shore.

It was summer.