Following the Glowing Blue Path
Sharing space did make Mia feel warmer, but maybe not at all in the way Abel had in mind. Heat ran through her reddened face, making her forget how cold it was. She forgot that she had been shaking just a few minutes earlier and started thinking things like, “If it’s just the two of us, maybe we can just live here.”
It wouldn’t be a big deal. He is, after all, my palace and paradise.
She couldn’t think of anything useful right now.
“Mia, look.”
“…Eh?”
She looked up at him because she wasn’t sure where he was going. It seemed like a good choice. Then, after taking a moment to admire his good looks, she looked where he was looking.
“That way. It looks like the water is going down.”
She could also see it. The level of the water had gone down, letting more of the bank show. If it was just a bit lower, they might have been able to walk through it.
“But…”
She looked up at the hole in the ceiling with sadness. The light that was getting through was definitely less bright. It was getting dark.
“The water is finally low enough that we can try to get out of here, but it will be dangerous to move around in the dark.”
Since there were tides, it was likely that there was a way out to sea. Mia didn’t want to swim through the dark sea at night.
“Hm… Of course, you’re right, but…”
Abel thought hard and crossed his arms.
“We won’t get anywhere if we just sit around and wait. We’ll get worse off the longer we stay here. Things are getting different. Let’s pay close attention so we don’t miss a chance to get away.”
Abel’s words turned out to be true. Just as the last rays of light from the ceiling were going out, he let out an excited whoop.
“Look, Mia! There! Water!”
“My! What…is it?”
She couldn’t believe what she saw.
The water’s surface was much lower than it had been before, but what was more important was that it now gave off a soft blue light. The light was too dim to be a torch or lantern, but it was bright enough to show them where they were and went on in a ghostly path deep into the cavern. With this light, getting around was probably easier than it had been during the day.
“This is our opportunity. We can’t let it go to waste. If we stay here, we’ll only get weaker,” urged Abel.
Mia thought for a moment. Theoretically, the best thing to do when lost or waiting for help was to stay put and save energy. The problem was that, given the people they’d come to the island with, it would be hard for the other people to try to save them.
Most of all, she was the group’s expert on how to stay alive. How could they get her attention if she didn’t do anything? She nodded because this self-made reminder of her skills made her feel more confident.
“Okay, then. Then let’s go.”
She took his hand when he held it out. Mia followed the path of blue light as Abel’s hand guided her. There were many holes in the walls where they had landed, but the glowing road only went in two directions.
In one, the water level went up, while in the other, it went down. Swimming in the cold at night was a death sentence, so they went in the direction of the shallow water.
“This ground is not flat. Be careful. Hold my arm, here.”
Abel kept stopping and turning around to check on her and say words of concern and support. It made her giggle.
“Abel, you are such a gentleman.”
Even though things were bad, he slowed down so he could keep up with her. Not only that, but he kept her hand in his, and his grip changed from soft to firm depending on what he thought about where they were. Almost like he was leading her in a complicated dance, she couldn’t help but smile.
“That was something my older sister always said. She told me that I should always be nice to girls, no matter what.
“Oh? Your older sister? You mean…”
Mia didn’t pay much attention to the Kingdom of Remno or its royal family in the previous timeline.
Abel was about the only person she knew of. It’s easy to see why, since she had spent all her time waiting for Sion to come to her.
Mia was different this time because she had done her homework. Why?
Because she had already made up her mind that Abel would be her husband. Mia had her sights set on him, so she used her newfound dating skills to do a lot of research before she met him.
“Princess Clarissa? Was that her name?”
She remembered that Abel had an older sister who was three years older than him. According to Mia’s research, this sister was a quiet, shy girl who didn’t say much.
Doesn’t seem to be the kind of person to tell him that…
His answer to her confused frown was to shake his head.
“Yes, that’s her name, but it wasn’t her. My oldest sister was the one who told me that.”
“Your oldest sister? Wow, I didn’t know you had another sister…”
“If you did, it would surprise me. She has died. About five years ago…”
Even though the ghostly glow had already made his face look blue, it got a little bluer.
“I loved her very much. She…was very nice. She was smart, but she was also strong. She had this aura about her that was very beautiful. I wanted to be like her. She said that everyone in Remno had the wrong way of thinking, so she wanted me not to be like them. to treat girls nicely…”
In the Kingdom of Remno, where discrimination against women was deeply rooted, there was once a powerful person who questioned the way things were.
“I’m not proud to say that I forgot for a long time… I had forgotten why I tried to treat women well… I thought it was just a quirk that I did. That I was doing it for no reason. It wasn’t, though. It was because of her. Her words have been with me all this time, guiding me like a compass.”
I had no idea that Abel had lost someone who had been so important to him… I wish I had known her…
She became thoughtful and asked, “This sister of yours… What was her name?”
“Valentina Remno. The kingdom’s first princess.”
“I see. Lady Valentina…”
Mia would have to wait a while before she could remember the woman with that name.
