Chapter 54

Can I really do as I please? I don’t want to go back to Acrab yet. There is still a month left before the new, life-altering event and I wanted to enjoy a little bit of peace before that happened. I don’t know if my life right now can be called peaceful but still, it feels good.

Anyway, this was a time where I needed to focus on myself. Even if I had, accidentally, made an antidote to treat my own symptoms, I didn’t know if it was going to be effective. I didn’t even know the amount I should take for it to treat my symptoms. Kaichen hadn’t analyzed the ingredients of the antidote yet.

“You’re still studying the antidote I made, right?” I asked. “And after taking the test, I have to learn magic properly… because I have a lot of things to do in this house….” I paused. “I want to stay here a while longer. Can I?”

Kaichen’s frown softened. “Do as you like,” he said.

His voice was soft, almost gentle. I realized that he was relieved and thankful that I had said something that perhaps he had wanted to say. I smiled brightly, hugging the books he had given me.

“Then, Teacher, please study the antidote I made! I will study hard too!” I closed my eyes and laughed like a fool. I was so glad I didn’t have to leave for Acrab and even happier that I get to stay with Kaichen a little longer. I was also happy about Kaichen’s warm side that he occasionally showed. Why is he so adorable sometimes?

I jumped out of my seat, hoping he wouldn’t change his mind about me staying. ‘I will… go water the garden. I will interrupt you no longer!” I couldn’t wave because my hands were full of the books he had given me. So, I bowed, said goodbye and rushed out of the lab.

After I reached my room, I shut the door and laughed maniacally. It was a joy that I couldn’t hide. This was some good news finally. I placed the books on my desk. It was a step, a tiny step, of acceptance from Kaichen’s part. The fact that he taught me how to combine ingredients before meant he was willing to teach me. He was willing to help me.

I couldn’t suppress my happiness today. And I didn’t want to. I wanted to tell everyone and everything. I wanted to shout it out to the yellow-leafed willow tree that I saw outside the window. I wanted to yell at them that I finally did it! My efforts weren’t wasted. If I put in more dedication and effort, perhaps I can become his official disciple. Once and for all. There was still hope. “As expected, gaining his favor through cooking was the right thing to do!”

In the afternoon, I decided to go to Sharatan village and cook something delicious for dinner. I hummed to myself joyfully.

* * *

The carpentry shop in Sharatan village was very small compared to those in Acrab. I had now adapted to the weather here. So, I came out wearing loose clothes and not the robe I used to wear that covered my face. The clothes here were usually very open. It covered the chest and left the stomach bare. It looked a little like the clothes worn by princess Jasmine in Aladdin. Anyway, I liked them better than the fancy, elaborate gowns in Dalia’s closet back in Acrab.

I made my way to the crafting station and began hammering.

“Dalia! What are you doing coming into my studio as you please again?!” said Hanmer’s booming voice.

I smiled. “I was making a bench for the house.”

“This is the workshop where I work. If you need stuff, you need to place a request for custom-made order.”

“I wanted to do that because that’s easier for me too!” I said, jokingly. “But your skills are terrible.”

Hanmer was a middle-aged, good-natured man with a shaggy beard that suited him. He was large and had a huge hammer to match his personality. How is it that all craftsmen are always sleeveless? Hanmer put the hammer down on the floor, pulled a chair and sat down. He took a large swig out of his flask. He gulped the chilled beer and cleared his throat.

Alcohol was the most popular beverage in Sharatan village. In this heat, everyone had a flask of chilled beer or wine to take a drink.

I stopped hammering and rubbed my sore arms. “Why don’t you stop drinking like a goat and watch what I do? Who knows? Maybe you could improve yourself.”

“Why should I?’

“Well then… do continue to be terrible at this.” Hanmer and I had become very good friends. I smiled at him and continued hammering.

Hanmer crept close to where I was working. I chuckled. “Where on earth did you learn such a skill?” He asked after working and watching me work for a while.

The fact that I was from Acrab, city of craftsmen, and also the Countess Alshine who ruled the city, was something only Kaichen and Julius knew. Most people didn’t even know that Acrab had been trapped under time magic for a hundred years. How could I explain to him that I had plenty of time and I had used it to learn the crafts of the craftsmen of Acrab over the course of a hundred years? Even if I did, he would not have believed it.