I hurriedly fled from the The Room of Reflection, changed into different pajamas, draped my wet clothes over the laundry basket, and escaped to my bed.
[Quartz! Can’t you hear me?]
No, I can’t hear you. I can’t hear anything.
I neither see nor hear anything.
‘Hingg.’
The problem is that I can see and hear too well.
Something came out of the pocket of the wet clothes I had thrown on the laundry basket. The only thing in the pocket was the stone my grandfather had given me…!
‘Did Grandfather give me something strange…?’
It wasn’t a stone or a gem.
I cautiously pulled down the blanket and shifted my gaze to where it might be. It wasn’t bright, but thanks to the nightlight, I could see the surroundings.
Before I knew it, it had climbed onto the storage cabinet near my bed and was eyeing a matchbox the same size as itself.
‘It’s the same color as the stone.’
It was a color that looked like white paint mixed with a few drops of blue. It resembled a lizard in shape, but its face and eyes were large, and its four legs were thick, giving it the feel of a country dog.
The spiky protrusions on its back looked like transparent water. The spikes shimmered like water droplets, following its movements.
Another notable feature was…
[There’s no way you can’t hear me! Quartz! Quuaaartz!]
It was a chatterbox that spoke in human language.
It seemed to lose interest in the matchbox and headed back toward me. I quickly pulled the blanket over my head.
‘Is it some kind of creature? I’ve never heard of a creature that can turn into a stone before.’
There was no memory of such a creature in my mind. I wondered if Grandfather knew about this.
Since it’s nighttime, I’d have to secretly ask Uncle Callet in the morning instead of Grandfather, without the relatives knowing.
[Quartz!]
“………”
The stone started hopping on the bed, calling out to me. It looked like it was smaller than the size of two of my fists put together, but its voice was as loud as a Mandrake’s scream.
[Quuaaartz!]
Ugh. What a noisy thing.
…Wait a minute. At this rate, someone’s going to hear and come in, right?
Dad’s in the next room, and Theon is in the room across from me. What if Theon comes in at this hour?
‘My allowance!’
I quickly got up and grabbed the stone.
“I can hear you. I hear you!”
[I knew it.]
The stone’s large eyes narrowed mockingly.
“Why do you keep calling me?”
[Because you’re pretending you don’t know me.]
“Who are you?”
[Aqum! Your friend!]
The stone pounded the bed with its tail, looking frustrated.
Since when did I become friends with a stone…?
It seemed like I wasn’t the only one confused.
[But Julia, why are you so small? The last time I saw you, you were much bigger, with wrinkles everywhere. Now you look like a kid. Do humans get younger?]
“Julia? You mean Julia Quartz?”
[Yeah.]
“She’s my grandmother…”
My voice trailed off. A question that had been lingering was just about to be answered.
“If you lose it, you’re in big trouble.”
Grandfather boasted as he gave me the stone, while Uncle Callet’s reaction was one of shock. Could it be…?
“…Is this Grandmother’s keepsake?”
This water lizard…?
***
At the same time. Lassek let out a dry laugh as he listened to a report from his aide, Callet.
“That can’t be right. They’re blaming Reytan for something a maid stole?”
Lassek had left the training center earlier and spent the entire afternoon outside, returning to the mansion late in the evening.
But something was off in the way his first wife, Priscilla, when she’s greeted him. He had Callet investigate what had happened in the afternoon, and what he found was rather absurd.
It seemed like Marian and Priscilla had already made their move against Reytan.
“Even a seven-year-old would know that’s ridiculous. Don’t you think?”
“That’s right, my lord.”
“But Marian didn’t claim the sapphire just for show. She must be plotting something more.”
It seemed this was just the first step in Marian’s scheme to trap Reytan.
Callet, who shared the same thought, asked,
“Shall I investigate further? There’s a chance Young Master Reytan might fall into her trap.”
“Leave it. He should be able to handle something like that on his own.”
It was an unspoken rule in the Travel family that the head of the household would not intervene in the internal affairs of the mansion, especially when it came to the successor’s selection.
Lassek tossed the letter he had been holding onto his desk and leaned back in his chair.
The letter was something Reytan had received from a priest today, promising a blessing on the day the holy sword’s rampage would be stopped.
How ridiculous.
He would tolerate their arrogance only until the alchemists’ research was complete.
But right now, more than that…
‘That head of hers keeps coming to mind.’
Lassek thought of his youngest granddaughter, whom he had met today.
Her bright green eyes, her cheeks still chubby with baby fat—there wasn’t a single part of her that wasn’t round.
Especially her head. It fit perfectly in his hand.
“…….”
For some reason, his hand felt empty.
Lassek briefly grabbed the armrest of his chair, then released it.
This isn’t the feeling I want.
“Callet.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“When we resolve this business with the statue, how much will we have lost, thanks to that reckless boy?”
“The alchemists estimate it will take one year to develop the technology for an unsinkable ship. If we include the expected losses until then, it would equal Young Master Yossel’s achievements over the past four years.”
“That’s quite significant.”
Six years ago, he wouldn’t have expected anything from him. Reytan was the kind of person who would quietly shoulder the blame without complaint and return his accomplishments.
“Let’s see, then.”
Lassek lifted one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
“Let’s see if a man who’s become a father will have his filled bowl of rice taken away.”*
*Can he defend or hold on to what he has (symbolized by the ‘filled bowl of rice’). It’s a challenge to his ability to protect what he’s earned or achieved.
***
[Quartz is dead-!]
The stone, Aqum, burst into tears when it heard of Grandmother’s passing. It large watery eyes filled with tears like a fountain, and they fell in steady drops.
I’m worried it might collapse.
“Aqum, drink some water.”
I offered it a glass of water but then pulled it back. Aqum was smaller than the glass.
[Travel killed Quartz!]
Regardless of that, Aqum didn’t even glance at the glass and continued to wail so loudly it hurt my ears.
At first, I worried that it cries would wake everyone up.
‘Didn’t Aqum say that, until now, only Grandmother Julia and I could hear it? Dad hasn’t come to my room, so maybe it’s not a lie.’
That was a relief, but what about my eardrums?
To preserve my hearing, I had to stop Aqum from crying. I decided to try to engage it in a conversation about something that might interest it.
“Hey, I’m curious about something. Do I really resemble Grandmother that much? So much that you got confused?”
[You don’t resemble her at all.]
Aqum stopped crying instantly and denied it. Wasn’t it being a bit too serious?
[It was just the energy that made me mistake you for her. Other than that and your eyes, you’re nothing like her. Julia was a calm person.]
“…Oh, really.”
Aqum stared at my face, tilting it head in confusion.
[Your hair color is different too. Pink? Then whose daughter are you? Julia had two sons. Brown? Reytan?]
“You know Uncle Brown?”
I was startled.
Uncle Brown was the illegitimate son born to Grandmother Julia and Grandfather before they were married. He wasn’t listed in the Travel family records and was my dad’s older brother.
How does Aqum know about him?
[Hmm. So you’re Reytan’s daughter? I thought so. Reytan was even more troublesome than Brown. How are the two of them doing?]
Aqum’s short, stubby tail wagged in excitement.
“Dad’s doing fine. Uncle Brown….”
I slowly raised both hands to cover my ears before continuing.
“He passed away seven years ago.”
[What-?!]
Even though I had covered my ears, it wasn’t enough. As expected, Aqum burst into tears again at the news of Uncle Brown, and I had to console it until dawn. I eventually fell asleep, unable to fight the drowsiness any longer.
When I woke up—.
“Morning…”
“You should eat. Did you sleep well?”
“Uh! Dad? Um… By any chance, did you see a lizard in my room? I brought one in last night…”
“I didn’t see anything.”
Only Dad, who had come to wake me for breakfast, and I were in my room.
7. The Pearl Earrings and the Relatives
“It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
The notebook and pen scattered across the floor in the Room of Reflection, the wet pajamas left hanging, and the glass of water on the bed.
All traces of last night were still there.
The only thing missing was the stone Grandfather had given me.
“Where did it go?”
After breakfast, Dad and Theon went out to practice swordsmanship.
Pretending to play alone, I secretly searched all over the stone house, looking for Aqum.
It might have transformed into a talking lizard, but it could be a keepsake from Grandmother. And if Grandfather finds out I’ve lost it—.
‘Oh no. I have to find it quickly.’
To make matters worse, I had plans to go out in the afternoon.
I was running out of time and feeling the pressure.
“Young miss, are you going out? You shouldn’t wander too far.”
“Yeah! I’ll just play in the front garden!”
While the maids were busy working inside the stone house, I wandered around the garden, softly calling Aqum’s name.
‘Hmm?’
From beyond the dense hedges that acted as a fence, I heard voices.
“You got that, right? Harty? When the frog appears, you throw this at it.”
It was the voices of children.
