𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟏
For dinner that day, there were fried potatoes mixed with ground meat, mashed potatoes, potato and bacon quiche, and potato salad. It was a meal filled with potato dishes from one end to the other.
During the meal, Eugene and Amane would appear together and start arguing about this and that. Mabel ended up giving them an earful; if they didn’t quiet down, they would go without dinner.
Mabel was a little unsure about how to handle Amane’s meal, but considering the favor he had done by helping her, Mabel decided to let him eat normally.
Since there were too many dishes prepared, Mabel also sent some to Amane’s attendants who were waiting in the tent. She received polite gratitude, saying “Thank you very much,” which left Mabel with mixed feelings as she returned to the reception room on the first floor.
‘Phew, I’m tired.’
Mabel sat on the sofa as if buried in it, but then she gathered her determination and sat up straight.
With a sewing box and an unfinished handkerchief in hand, she continued sewing with small, precise stitches. Amane suddenly appeared again, peeking in to see what Mabel was doing.
“Mabel, what are you doing this time?”
“Um, I’m embroidering the handkerchief for the upcoming Flower Festival.”
Before Mabel could finish speaking, Amane took a seat next to her. With a slight smile on his lips, he held a newly framed handkerchief and peered into the sewing box on the table.
“I’ll borrow this.”
“Uh, ah, yes!”
Taking a small needle in his hand, Amane skillfully threaded the red embroidery thread and began stitching. Mabel was slightly surprised by his skillful movements.
There was no sign of unfamiliarity as he held the needle. Amane smoothly embroidered flower patterns onto the fabric.
While Mabel was taken aback, Amane continued embroidering for a while. Then, he calmly opened his mouth.
“What kind of festival is this Flower Festival?”
“Well, It’s a celebration of the arrival of spring. It signifies the end of the cold winter and the beginning of a warm season.”
The Flower Festival is held once a year during this season.
During this festival, many tourists from other countries visit, and the streets are lined with stalls. Performers fill the streets, and plenty of food and drinks are served. It’s a bustling day for the city of Eakes.
What Mabel was making was also a product to be sold at the bazaar on the festival day.
“On the morning of the festival, we scatter paper flowers throughout the city. People then hang them on their chests and walk around the city; so it’s called the Flower Festival.”
“Hmm, interesting. But why artificial flowers? Wouldn’t real flowers be better?”
“W-Well, real flowers are expensive.”
Mabel smiled wryly, and Amane seemed to genuinely question it, tilting his head repeatedly.
Even during their conversation, their hands never stopped.
At first, Mabel was skeptical if Amane could really embroider, but he was steadily completing it.
“Amane-san, you’re quite skilled. It’s somewhat surprising.”
“There’s nothing I can’t do.”
Amane maintained his arrogant attitude as usual, but then he loosened his lips and continued, “I used to do it often, you know.”
“Even though I’m a prince, I’m still the eighth in line. When I was young and had no right to succession, I was no different from commoners. I didn’t even have servants and had to mend my own clothes.”
“T-That’s quite impressive.”
“You’re not that different either, are you?”
Mabel widened her eyes in surprise.
“Cooking, laundry, cleaning, It seems quite different from the princesses I know.”
“W-Well, yes.”
Mabel blushed and smiled shyly.
“I’ve always been told that I have no special talents compared to my sisters. So, I naturally started doing these kinds of tasks because I wanted to be useful, even just a little.”
“Weren’t you dissatisfied with being compared to others?”
“I used to hate it, of course. But my sisters are kind, and I love them.”
Besides, Mabel knew that she had her own magic. It wasn’t an exceptionally beautiful face or strong power, but it was something essential to be with Eugene.
Saying that, Mabel smiled and Amane quietly watched her. Eventually, he muttered, “You’re strong.”
“I’m still scared of my brothers,” he added softly.
“Your elder brothers?”
“Yes. They are like monsters, several levels above me. Honestly, if they were to appear, I wouldn’t be able to resist anything.”
‘Why are you so scared,’ Mabel swallowed her words, but Amane, who had finished embroidering, handed her a handkerchief with a gentle smile. On the white fabric, a large red flower bloomed proudly.
It was the first time she had seen such embroidery. Perhaps it was a unique pattern of Kytha.
“Th-Thank you.”
“Even though you don’t want clothes or jewelry, you accept this happily.”
“W-Well, that’s because…you went through the trouble of making it.”
Amane chuckled.
His expression was kinder than any she had seen before――maybe he originally had a very simple personality, Mabel speculated.
Beside Mabel, Amane continued speaking.
“Hey, Mabel. Don’t you feel like we can understand each other?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“We are similar. We have surpassed those above us and have come this far by doing what we should.”
As Mabel looked into his beautiful orange eyes, she instinctively averted her gaze. When she tried to create some distance, Amane closed the gap.
“Even though you refuse gold and jewels, you accept this amateur embroidery with joy. Your attitude is truly admirable. I thought it was for the sake of the country, but my feelings have changed. I have genuinely become interested in you.”
“You don’t have to be! Really!”
“Even if you’re the eighth princess, you’re still a member of the royal family. I won’t let you suffer.”
“Can you listen to me?!”
Ignoring Mabel’s outburst, Amane chuckled.
Mabel furrowed her brows, trying to figure out whether he was teasing her or being serious, while Amane squinted his eyes.
“Besides…I am human.”
“…?”
“I did some research. Mages are quite long-lived, aren’t they?”
The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed.
As Mabel remained silent, Amane continued speaking calmly.
“Whether it’s a hundred years or two hundred, even as you age, they won’t change.”
“That’s…”
“They might grow tired of you as you grow old and love another woman. Can you endure that?”
Mabel couldn’t say anything in response to Amane’s words.
Because it was something that had been on her mind as well.
When I become an old lady, Eugene-san will surely remain the same. I don’t know if he will still love me like he does now.
Nevertheless, Mabel wanted to believe in her feelings for Eugene.
“Honestly, I don’t have confidence. But I love Eugene-san. I can’t abandon the present out of fear of an unknown future.”
“I see…”
With a wry smile as if he had been rejected again, Amane finally stood up from the sofa.
He turned to Mabel, who was pouring out her frustrations, and flashed a bright smile, revealing his white teeth.
“Let’s give up for today. But I’ll come back to woo you.”
“I told you, I don’t want that!”
As Amane waved his hand playfully towards Mabel, he left the room.
Left alone, Mabel tightly gripped the handkerchief Amane had made, her face showing a complex expression. But eventually, she quietly lowered her gaze.
The flashy embroidery seemed to reflect his vibrant personality. However, each stitch was carefully sewn, and it seemed that there was no falsehood in the words that he had experience in sewing.
‘I can tell he is a good person, but…’
Having only seen Amane’s flamboyant side, Mabel felt a slight sense of familiarity with the simple handkerchief.
“…”
At night, Eugene became anxious about what Amane might be doing to Mabel and went downstairs. There, he discovered the two of them in the parlor.
Feeling irritated, he turned his feet away, but upon hearing their conversation, Eugene couldn’t move from that spot for a while.
After Amane left the parlor, Eugene rushed up the stairs as if escaping.
(Is being a mage really that long-lived?)
As if shaking off Amane’s words, Eugene walked quickly down the long corridor.
Finally reaching his own room, he closed the door and went straight to his desk. He roughly opened the thick book that had been closed. The sound of flipping pages echoed, but what he was looking for didn’t appear, and he found himself biting his lip.
‘No, it’s not here, something else…’
Hastily closing the book, Eugene stood motionless in front of the towering bookshelf, neatly lined with no gaps.
However, Eugene knew that the answer he was seeking was nowhere to be found.
‘What should I do…’ He covered his face with his palm in thought.
It felt as if he was trapped in an inescapable darkness worse than the New Moon.
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