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The Duchy of Cheness, home to the continent’s largest granary, was mostly sprawling plains. It was said that the plains here were larger than those of most small countries—a claim that felt less like an exaggeration and more like a daunting reality.

Anyway. Vast plains, expansive horizons, lush green grass. The Cheness Duchy offered an environment as good for horseback riding as the North.

“Guests! What do you think? The plains of Cheness are considered one of the Empire’s treasures!”

The environment might be too good, which was the problem.

“It’s wonderful. It really is like a treasure.”

“I’m glad you like it!”

The centaur let out a hearty laugh at Louise’s response from the front. Even Louise allowed herself a small smile in response to the centaur’s professional enthusiasm.

The centaur galloped effortlessly while carrying three adults. Most non-human races wouldn’t think of leaving the sanctuary, so those who did—especially ones actively working outside, like this centaur chauffeur—were extraordinary.

“Some people avoid traveling at night, but there’s a unique charm to it! Galloping under a starry sky can be a truly magical experience!”

But watching the centaur chatter away without pause while running at full speed made it clear she’d found her calling. Loving both running and talking, and getting paid to do both simultaneously? It was the perfect job for her.

“That sounds lovely but we work with horses, so I’d worry about the risks of riding at night while looking at the stars.”

“Oh my! I didn’t think of that! As an apology, I’ll give you a free ride if you come at night!”

This time, Irina, who enjoyed horseback riding, answered with a slight smile, and the centaur sighed as if disappointed.

And what was with the free service in the meantime? Was she a marketing genius or something?

“Oh, guests! Would you like to visit the sea? For a small additional fee, I can take you there!”

Oh?

That piqued my interest. The sea wasn’t exactly close to Santoria, yet she was offering to take us there?

“We’d love to, but isn’t it too far to run all the way to the sea?”

“No problem! We can use a teleportation circle!”

Her response was delivered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, making me laugh.

Well, of course. This wasn’t some remote backwater; it was a tourist hub in a duchy. Of course they’d have teleportation circles.

“Teleportation circles? Aren’t those expensive to use?”

Louise worriedly spoke up at the mention of teleportation circles, but the centaur shook her head, still wearing a hearty smile.

“No need to worry! The Duke has contracts with centaurs like me, so we get to use them at a discounted rate while carrying passengers!”

That was more information than I needed, but it was interesting nonetheless.

A contract between the Duke and the non-human races. Such an idea wouldn’t be easy to come up with even as the overseer of the sanctuary, but the Wise Duchess had implemented it without hesitation. Was this what they meant when they said genius and madness were separated by a thin line?

She’d be perfect if only she didn’t drink.

No matter how you looked at it, the Wise Duchess was clearly nerfed. Perhaps a sober Wise Duchess might be a challenge even for the gods themselves…

***

Although the trip to the beach was unplanned, I didn’t mind. There wasn’t anywhere specific we needed to be, and we’d saved a significant amount on the usual teleportation circle fees thanks to our centaur ride.

“Ugh, I’ll never get used to walking on sand…”

The centaur, who had been smiling consistently, frowned for the first time upon reaching the beach. Even as a passenger, I could see how difficult it was for her to walk. She seemed uncomfortable since her feet constantly sunk while carrying people.

“Ah! That’s one of the airborne ships once operated by Apels!”

Still, seeing her quickly return to smiling and acting as a guide made me sure she was the equivalent of the Gold Duke in the centaur world.

“I think its official name was ‘Glory of Apels’ or something! Isn’t it funny to see that glory stuck in the ground?”

“Indeed, it’s quite ironic.”

It was easy to agree. On this continent, naming ships after rulers or nations was considered an unspoken taboo. After all, no one wanted to deal with the embarrassment if the vessel sunk.

But Apels, in their overconfidence, named a ship after their entire nation, even calling it Glory. And the result? That Glory was grounded in the dirt. In a way, they might have predicted their own downfall.

“Thank you for the explanation. But walking in the sand looks exhausting—would you like to take a break?”

After looking at the (former) Glory of Apels, I offered the centaur trudging through the sand a break. While her friendly demeanor and detailed explanations made her an excellent guide, this was supposed to be a date for just the three of us. Having an outsider along for the entire trip was a bit… awkward.

“I appreciate the thought! But as someone who’s been paid, I must provide the best service to my guests—“

I slipped a few silver coins into her hand.

“Have a great time! I’ll be nearby, so just find me when you’re ready to go back!”

Watching the centaur quickly leave the beach while wagging her tail was oddly amusing.

“She’s an interesting person.”

“Yeah. I wonder if all centaurs are like that?”

Louise and Irina seemed to feel the same way, smiling slightly.

Probably not. If the entire centaur race were this cheerful and approachable, they likely wouldn’t have survived Apels’ era. Plenty of species that tried to be friendly with humans ended up being exploited or worse. It was a sad but true history.

“For now, let’s just enjoy our time together. She must’ve had a hard time carrying all three of us, so she deserves the rest.”

But those thoughts could wait. Right now, the priority was savoring this rare opportunity for the three of us to spend time alone.

***

Getting off the saddle was bittersweet. It was a precious time when I could legally cling to oppa, even hugging him from behind.

But I couldn’t justify exhausting someone who had already worked so hard. And now that the centaur had left us alone, it was just me, oppa, and Louise—a perfect chance for some intimate time together.

This might be even better.

As I thought about it, I realized something. I’d never had a pleasant experience with oppa at the beach. Sure, we’d gone to the seaside during last year’s school trip to the Duchy of Boyar, but back then—

“Waaaaaah! Hic, huuu, huuuung!”

The memory made me shake my head furiously. No, no, no. That was not a good memory. Not at all.

As a noble, a lady, and a person, I’d completely lost my composure in front of him. I’d sobbed, wailed, and made a scene. And let’s not even talk about what happened after… It was a nightmare and the only memory I had of being at the beach with him.

I need to cover it up.

It almost felt like a mission. If I didn’t create new, happy memories to replace that humiliating one, I’d never be able to return to the beach again.

Of course, just coming to the sea on a date with oppa was already half a success. All that was left was to stroll along the shore, dip our feet in the water, and try some local snacks. That would be enough to bury my trauma for good.

It would’ve been nice if we had swimsuits.

Greed raised its head slightly, but I forcefully suppressed it.

Asking for too much at once usually backfired. Swimsuits could wait until next time. There would be plenty of summers to spend with oppa, anyway.

“Ah. You’re back, oppa.”

I turned to see oppa approaching with drinks at Louise’s voice.

Huh…?

As soon as I saw the drink in his hand, I froze on the spot.

***

It seemed that working with lunatics for so long had made me lose my grip on common sense, too. A normal person would’ve had at least a shred of awareness.

“Look, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was trying to figure out what to get and ended up getting something that matched your hair color…”

Irina silently stared down at the lemonade I handed her. Facing her silence, I poured all my energy into making a desperate explanation.

“…”

Unfortunately, it had no effect. Irina, who seemed to have entered a state of silence due to the mental shock, showed no reaction to any excuse.

You idiot.

Self-loathing washed over me. I didn’t understand at first when I came back and saw Irina looking so stiff, but then it hit me: giving her lemonade was an unforgivable mistake.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if I was just giving her a drink. But we were at the beach, and I was the one who handed it to her—the person who had witnessed her most humiliating moment last year.

It must’ve felt like I was teasing her. Honestly, she’d be justified in thinking so.

What should I do now?

I’d already made an excuse to step away from Louise under the pretext that Irina seemed to be getting motion sickness, but Louise would start to get suspicious if we stayed away for too long. I needed to wrap this up quickly.

But how could I fix this situation fast…?

“Oppa.”

“Y-yes? Go ahead.”

Thankfully, Irina finally broke her silence.

“I’m fine. Lemonade tastes good, after all.”

The empty look in her eyes told me everything: she was trying to erase last year’s incident from her memory entirely. Or rather, she was desperately pretending it never happened.

Irina, who had been suffering from extreme humiliation and despair, had finally started to escape from reality.

“…Yeah, that’s right. It’s delicious.”

Because of this, I could only give an ambiguous answer. Any more apologies or excuses at this point would only emphasize last year’s incident to Irina. That might push her from silence to tears.

I’m sorry.

No matter how much I thought about it, this was insane trolling. From Irina’s perspective who was at a sensitive and delicate age, she showed a side of herself that she couldn’t even show to her family in front of the person she loved.

Not only did I fail to help her forget that humiliation, but I even made her remember it again. I was the worst kind of bastard.

“L-Louise must be waiting. Shall we go back—?”

So, I swept her into my arms as a form of apology before she could finish her sentence. If I’d stirred up shameful memories, the least I could do was try to balance it with something positive.

“Let’s tell Louise we’re staying like this until the motion sickness passes.”

Irina nodded blankly at those words.

Actually, this was also something that had happened immediately after her humiliating moment last year, which might risk triggering more bad memories. But now that we were in a relationship, wouldn’t it feel like a sweeter, more comforting memory?

I wanted to believe so.

***

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