CH 83

*******

The afternoon of the castle, which had been quiet and peaceful, became tumultuous as they welcomed the congratulatory group and arranged the gifts sent by the emperor. However, in Canaren’s room, it was a different world from the busy castle where workers were running around.

Yulif’s strict decree that if anyone spoke to the duchess about the congratulatory group, they would be expelled from Pionia. Employees would sometimes pass by Canaren’s room for no reason when they felt that they wanted to run away. It was because they had such a strong impression that even if the world were to be destroyed right now, it would be okay here as if nothing had happened.

Canaren was living a normal daily life under Yulif’s strict protection.

After persisting for several days, the Neola was almost at the final stage.

It was sprinkled with very finely ground gem powder, and an amethyst was woven into a sparkling white thread. The net was very dense and strong. It seemed that even the slightest misfortune could be easily filtered out. It was worthwhile to carefully weave each strand with a lot of effort.

It would have looked a bit boring if only thread was used, but thanks to the amethysts sewn here and there, it was no problem to use it as a wall decoration. Canaren sewed one last amethyst and tied a knot. Her fingers, which had been full of strength throughout the construction of the net, were trembling.

“Done!”

“You’ve completed it? Can I see? Can I see it?”

“Not yet. The feathers haven’t been attached, and the underside needs to be decorated a little more.”

“I can’t stand it because I’m curious. I just want to see it now!”

“No! I’ll show you when it’s finished. Roana needs to fix the watch.”

“It’s terribly complicated… ugh.”

Roana, who sat across from her, groaned and fell to the table.

“Cheer up. Roana can surely do it with your dexterity.”

Canaren brushed Roana’s messy hair with her hand and examined the Neola as a whole.

The jewels woven into the net were deliberately selected— amethyst. Whenever the jewels that resembled Yulif’s pupils reflected the sunlight and shone transparently, it felt as if she was looking into his pupils, and her heart was pounding.

Of course, the color was similar, but Yulif’s eyes were much more mysterious and fascinating. She couldn’t get enough of them. It was good even if she fell in love with those eyes and couldn’t get out of it forever. No matter how skillful a craftsman was, it was clear that no human hand would ever be able to create a jewel more beautiful than Yulif’s eyes.

‘But it looks a bit empty.’

Now all she had to do was hang the feathers under the frame and she was really done. Canaren’s face brightened as she was thinking about putting feathers on the Neola. Soon, the feathers were tied with thread, and a number of beaded yellow jewels were threaded into the knots.

Was it citrine or topaz? Yulif explained this and that in the village, but she couldn’t remember it well. At that time, Canaren had no choice but to focus on keeping Yulif away from her friends.

Yulif didn’t know her thoughts and even tried to show his magic to her friends.

“Canaren, why do you look like that? What’s wrong? Can I help?”

“Yes? How do I Iook?”

“You look very angry like a cute baby duck.”

Only then did Canaren realize that her lips were sticking out like a duck, and she hurriedly released the expression. The sound of Roana squeaking and holding back her laughter made her cheeks and her ears lit up red. Turning her head, she avoided Roana’s eyes and swung out the finished Neola.

“It’s all done!”

“Hey, what will it look like when it’s finished? Oh oh. The net is really strong and nice. The color is pretty.”

“Is it okay? Are there any strange areas?”

“There can’t be any strange area! Seeing that Canaren’s sincerity and love are abundant in every single knot… Are you going to give it to our lord?”

“…Why do you ask when you know?”

“I want to make fun of you, Canaren! By the way, I envy our lord. I also want to receive something like this from Canaren. A gift made with love, one stitch at a time. How good it feels!”

Roana clasped her hands together and rubbed them against her cheeks, making a fuss. Love… It’s correct. She was thinking of Yulif the whole time she made the Neola. 

Hoping that the Neola she had created would prevent misfortune from coming to Yulif and make him happy.

But when she actually listened to someone else, she became very ashamed. Canaren sneakily brought the Neola back towards herself.

“I especially like the feathers adorned with yellow jewels. If I was the lord, I would think of Canaren every time I see that.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Don’t you think so? Won’t the lord kiss the feathers and beads every night thinking of you? …Oh, right. He won’t have to. He can see your face in bed as much as he wants…”

“What, what, what, what are you talking about? Roana!”

Canaren ran to Roana and covered her mouth. Hmph, mmhmph! Roana quickly became quiet, but Canaren’s face never cooled. Rather, the image of Yulif holding her feathers and kissing it quietly came to mind, and her neck began to turn red.

‘What to do, ah I don’t know!’ Canaren punched Roana on the shoulder. ‘This is all Roana’s fault. Bad Roana!’

*******

The next morning, Canaren waited for Yulif in the dining room. She wore a pastel-toned pink dress and had fresh flowers in her hair. She also bathed in water with a drop of rather fragrant rose oil rather than soothing lavender oil. She was a little embarrassed because she thought she seemed to be showing off in an empowering outfit, but her desire to look pretty was greater.

The maid, Roana, and Derek, whom she met briefly on the way, all put their mouths together and complimented that she was pretty, so at least she wouldn’t look ugly.

Canaren patted the corner of the box, which was well hidden between her lap and the table.

‘When will Yulif come?’

Inside the box were several items, including the Neola that was completed yesterday. They were all handmade by her using her feathers. She was planning to hand over a present at the time when the table was being set up for dessert.

Since all these things were things that Yulif had never seen before, she needed to explain in detail— what their names are, how they could be used, what effects they have, and what their origins were.

So Canaren was sitting in a seat diagonally close to him, not in a seat far away from him.

The candle in the candlestick on the table burned. As a result, the inside of Canaren’s mouth also dried up from tension. Her mouth was dry enough to give her a sore throat, but her heart was racing like crazy and she couldn’t drink water. Swallowing dry saliva, she alternated between the unopened dining room door and her box lying on her lap. Then, unable to contain her anxiety, she asked Roana, who was standing behind her like a shadow.

“Isn’t Yulif not coming today?”

Roana knew that the emperor’s congratulatory group had arrived.  She didn’t think Yulif would skip breakfast with Canaren and eat with them, but something urgent might have arisen.

Roana carefully selected her words so that Canaren would not be disappointed. She knew better than anyone that Canaren had been looking forward to this morning so much that she had trouble sleeping

“Well… I think he’ll be here, but he is late. Shall I go and find out?”

“Can you please? I’m sorry to bother you, Roana.”

“I’m not bothered. I just happened to feel antsy. I will go for a walk…”

At that moment, a door that seemed to never open opened. Canaren, who was about to get up, remembered the box, hid the box in the empty seat next to her, and got up carefully.

After a while, Canaren’s face, which had bloomed brightly like a flower, turned white.

“…Yu-Yulif?”

Yulif was not alone. An unknown woman was walking next to him. Yulif’s gloved hands supported the women’s small, slender hands.