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Chapter One: A Secret Boat
Louise was lying on her bed. She was dreaming that she was back in her homeland, a three day ride away from the Tristain Academy, where she was born.
The young Louise in her dream was running around near the house, eventually hiding in the bushes of the labyrinth-like vegetation to hide from her pursuers.
“Louise, where are you? Come out now!” shouted her mother. In her dream, Louise was being reprimanded due to her poor results in magical studies. She was constantly being compared with her sisters, who had much better results than her.
Louise saw a pair of shoes that appeared below the bushes.
“Miss Louise really is hopeless at magic.”
“I completely agree. Why can’t she be like her two older sisters who are very good with magic?”
Louise, upon hearing those words, felt sad and dejected as she bit her lips. The servants started to look for her in the vegetation. Louise tried her best to escape. She retreated to the place she called the “Secret Garden” – the central lake.
The Secret Garden was the only place where Louise felt at ease. It was tranquil, with no one else around. Flowers bloomed everywhere and birds gathered on the benches near the lake. And in the middle of the lake there was a small island on which a small house made of white marble rested.
Next to the island was a small boat originally used for leisure, but now derelict and forgotten. Her older sisters had grown up, and were busy studying magic. Her father, who had retired from his military duties, now spent his time mingling with the nobles nearby. Her father's only pastime was hunting wild game. Her mother's only interest was to teach her daughters and she could not care less about anything else.
Therefore, besides Louise, no one ever came to the forgotten lake anymore, much less remembered that small boat. That is why whenever Louise was reprimanded, she would come to this place.
In Louise’s dream, the younger version of her jumped onto the boat and snuggled into a blanket that was prepared earlier.
As she hid inside her blanket, a noble clad in a cloak appeared from the mist-covered island.
The noble was about sixteen years old. In Louise’s dream, she was only six years old, a ten year difference lay between them.
“Have you been crying, Louise?” His face could not be seen as it was covered by a large hat.
But Louise knew exactly who he was: he was the Viscount, the noble who had just inherited the lands around her homeland. Louise felt warm and fuzzy inside; the Viscount was the man of her dreams. They had often frequented banquets together and, furthermore, their fathers had already made an engagement.
“Is that you, Viscount-sama?”
Louise haphazardly covered her face; she did not want the man of her dreams to see her crying. It would be embarrassing.
“I was invited by your father today regarding the engagement.”
Hearing this, Louise was even more embarrassed to the point that she did not even dare lift her head up.
“Really? But that would not be possible, Viscount-sama.”
“Louise, my small and dainty Louise, do you dislike me?” the Viscount said in jest.
Louise gently shook her head and said abashedly, “No, it’s not that. It's just that I’m still young and unready ...”
The face hidden underneath the hat revealed a smile and extended a hand out to Louise.
“Viscount-sama.”
“Lady, please take hold of my hand. Quickly, the banquet is about to start.”
“But…”
“Have you been scolded again? Don’t worry. I’ll talk to your father.” the Viscount said.
Louise nodded, stood up and reached for the Viscount’s hand. What big hands, aren't those the hands that she had always dreamed of holding?
Just as she was about to grasp the Viscount’s hand, a sudden gust of wind blew the hat from the Viscount’s head.
“Eh?!” Louise looked at his face, perplexed. Because it was a dream, Louise had returned to her sixteen year old self.
“What... What are you doing?”
The person underneath the hat was not the Viscount, but her familiar, Saito.
“Louise, come quickly.”
“It doesn’t matter whether I come or not, why are you here?”
“Don’t be so narrow minded, haven’t you fallen for me already?” replied Saito, who was impudently dressed in the Viscount’s clothes.
One had to wonder where he got that much confidence from.
“Don’t be stupid, I was just muddle-headed that time, you better stop dreaming!”
“Stop making up excuses, my Louise.”
“Who is 'your Louise'?!”
Saito pretended not to hear her at all, and instead, came closer to Louise.
“What are you trying to do, you idiot?!”
Ignoring her complaints, Saito proceeded and lifted Louise, who was in the boat, into his arms.
“Why is it you?” Louise asked in frustration while punching Saito. But Saito did not get angry at all, instead his grin became wider. This made Louise slowly turn red from embarrassment. She did not know the exact reason, but she felt good in Saito’s arms. This made Louise even more anxious.
Saito, lying in his bed, slowly opened his eyes. The twin moons in full circle shone onto the room, lighting it up brightly. Louise, sleeping in her bed, moaned as though she was having a nightmare.
Saito prayed that she would continue to sleep. He quietly got up and slowly approached the sleeping Louise.
“What is it partner? Not Sleeping?” Derflinger asked Saito quite abruptly.
“Shhhh...” Saito turned around and put his index finger onto his lips.
“Don't want me to speak? Why not?”
“Shhhh...” Saito shook his head, once again drew his middle finger across his lips and stared at his partner, Derflinger, with annoyance.
“I won’t forgive you for giving me the cold shoulder. My partner wakes up in the middle of the night without telling me a reason. This makes me angry and depressed!”
After saying this, Derflinger moved and shook his body, like he was really angry. What a difficult sword.
Awakened by the rattling of the sword, Louise turned around and opened her eyes.
Saito’s heart skipped a beat.
Sitting up, Louise started to scold Saito.
“Don’t be so full of yourself! You better do some cleaning up, don't you see the dust gathered everywhere? Don’t tell me that you have done it already, you slow-witted fool. You’re such a dimwit!”
Saito’s body was frozen solid, as though the “Harden” spell had been casted on him.
But after Louise finished scolding Saito, she lay down once more and slept. Apparently, she was just talking in her sleep. Even in her sleep, Louise was ordering Saito about. Saito felt simultaneously relieved and saddened.
Derflinger, who was watching Saito all this time, gave a hapless sigh.
“She’s talking in her dreams, huh? But it doesn’t seem to be music to your ears, Saito.”
Saito stared angrily at Derflinger, who had almost spoiled his plan and quickly walked towards him and said, “You better keep quiet, you idiot!”
“You’re really too much, I shall not forgive you! If my partner wants me to be silent, then I will definitely be silent! But for suddenly waking up in the middle of the night and being so sneaky about it, you’ll definitely suffer retribution even if you tell me your reason now.”
Derflinger’s sense of curiosity was the same as his partner's. It seemed that he wanted to know Saito’s reason for waking up in the middle of the night no matter what it took.
Saito sighed, and then pointed to the sleeping Louise.