Asha, who turned fourteen, had grown about an inch since she came to the palace. Her previously skinny body became plump, and her hair sparkled with the luster of a ripe peach dripping with honey.
Her emerald green eyes became even more vibrant, like the midsummer sky, and although her always mischievous smile occasionally became more demure, her cheeks still had a rosy, youthful glow.
And she continued to bake cookies, cakes, and sandwiches in the kitchen, unwaveringly.
“Usually… is this where it starts? The picnic?”
Asha looked at Karnov, raising up her arms.
Now nineteen years old, Karnov’s black hair had become even darker, but his amethyst eyes had become transparent and radiant, like amethyst. And while he was not small even four years ago, during the time Asha grew an inch taller, he grew even taller.
Asha found this very unfair – how could they eat the same things and yet grow differently? – but there was no way to take away his height.
“You have to pack a lunch for the picnic.”
“…”
The lunch box was usually made in the kitchen, but Asha only looked at Karnov with her eyes wide open. Lise, wearing an apron behind them, was just smiling. It was face that had gotten used to a lot of things over the past few years.
“But I made a cake, at least, last night.”
Asha gestured with her chin towards the glass dome, under which a lemon cake covered with white lemon icing was displayed. Karnov sighed briefly and washed his hands in the sink.
“So, what should I make then?”
“The sandwiches first!”
The freshly baked croissant, generously slathered with butter, had been received from Pavel. Asha sliced it in half, spread the butter, added a layer of mustard, crispy lettuce, thinly sliced red tomatoes, crispy bacon, a sunny-side-up egg, and thinly sliced smoked ham imported directly from Kirelete Kingdom. With that, the sandwich was complete.
As Karnov watched Asha open the bread with both hands, he furrowed his eyebrows.
“Hmm. Isn’t the bread overpowering the fillings?”
“Try taking smaller bites.”
“Like this?”
“Hmm, a little more… I should wrap it in something like parchment paper.”
She finished by wrapping it in thin, dry parchment paper and tying a ribbon around it.
“For the yogurt, add some fig jam from last year and put it in a glass jar. And for the juice… orange juice!”
Asha divided the orange in half and handed one half and a citrus squeezer to Karnov. He held them in his hands, glancing at her. Meanwhile, Asha cut six more oranges in half.
“Are you going to make all of this?”
“Doing this reminds me of the old days.”
Asha held an orange in her hand and said with a friendly smile. Karnov couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding and couldn’t help but question.
“What else? What are you talking about?”
“When I first met you, Karnov. When I was a little younger, I thought if I were an orange, I would become orange juice in Karnov’s eyes. Clear and pure orange juice. Perfectly squeezed.”
“…”
“Are there too many oranges?”
Asha’s expression, filled with the meaning of trying to seem innocent, didn’t seem to have changed from when she was ten years old.
“I have to squeeze them all. I have to grind them all. I have to do it all.”
When Karnov aggressively twisted the orange to juice it, the tangy and sweet aroma of oranges filled the air. Meanwhile, Asha carefully packed a large basket with a few small clusters of grapes, freshly boiled water and a teapot, tea leaves, and teacups.
“There! It’s finally done! Now let’s go!”
Karnov complained that his hands smelled like oranges, but Asha ignored his complaint.
The large lake situated in the Imperial Palace was created by the emperor a few years ago in front of Taimir Palace. In the center of the lake, there was a small island with a white pavilion, reminiscent of a garden.
“The weather is so nice!”
Asha felt the breezy wind and pulled her hair back. Next to her, Karnov picked up grapes one by one and ate them.
“Alyosha was supposed to come, too.”
“Didn’t someone come from the north today? Sent by Marquis Oleg.”
“Yes, that’s why Alyosha couldn’t make it. He has to take care of that… I thought I should bring his sandwich later.”
“Then let’s postpone the picnic.”
Asha’s eyes widened as she selected a slice of cake to give to Karnov.
“I already called Karnov today. How can I do that?”
“You can just send me a letter.”
“Then I’m afraid Karnov will be too disappointed.”
“I won’t be.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I invited you and then canceled on the day of, and you won’t be disappointed?”
“No, not at all.”
“I see. But I will be disappointed, you know? If Karnov sends me a letter in the morning telling me not to come that day, I might end up crying and making an uproar, so remember that well.”
“…”
“Should we have sandwiches or cake?”
Karnov turned his head, fanning himself with his hand. Asha smiled mischievously and handed him a sandwich. Asha, who laid out a large cake next to Phoebe, who was snooping next to her, suddenly remembered something, so she looked around.
Just in time, Lise got up to check the boat in the lake. Asha, who confirmed that there was no one around, got close to Karnov.
“Karnov.”
“…It’s hot.”
“Hang on a second. I have something to ask. You still can’t talk to your spirit, right?”
“…I can’t do it.”
“Still? Alyosha seemed to be showing some progress lately. He said he sensed the presence of Fafnir.”
“I feel like I’m being condemned for my incompetence.”
“Perhaps there’s some truth to that…”
Asha alternately looked at the snack and Karnov with a serious look on her face.
<Seems like just feeding him what you make isn’t enough.>
In the meantime, the plump belly laid down and squeaked. Asha looked back at Phoebe.
“What should I do then?”
<Well, it’s simple. As I said from the beginning, increase physical contact a bit.>
“…Oh…”
“What’s wrong? What did your little chick say?”
Asha sighed heavily when Karnov asked with a squint.
“Something that goes against social norms.”
“What does that mean?”
This time, Asha straightened up.
“You seem to be speaking as if it’s okay to break some social norms, Karnov.”
“It is the courage of the deputy commander to be able to do it when necessary. What’s the big deal?”
“Well… It’s like… Holding hands or, um… Something like that.”
“Oh, really. I told you not to say those words or express it in that manner.”
“Well, then what should I say? If I directly say physical contact, it sounds even weirder!”
“What’s weird about it? That’s the correct term!”
“The content itself is so unspeakable that it feels like it’s trying to avoid censorship by deliberately picking strict words from the dictionary!”
Karnov rubbed his face and then changed the subject. He lifted Phoebe up.
“Hey, little chick. So, what should we really do?”
<I’m telling you, it’s true! If you have physical contact, it will…!>
“Why are you acting as if you’re talking to each other?”
Asha rescued Phoebe from Karnov’s hand and moved her onto the picnic mat. Then she crossed her arms and let out a deep sigh.
“Actually, it’s not that I don’t regret it.”
“What do you mean, regret?”
“When I was ten years old, I didn’t know anything about Karnov… Should I have touched you like that?”
“I really just told you not to talk like that just a moment ago. And when you were ten, you weren’t a clueless little kid either. You were quite skilled at teasing people.”
“But now, it’s really different! Are you saying we should act like that when we’re alone? That’s really weird. And do you expect us to confidently act like that in front of others? If we do that then we’ll need to get married.”
Karnov looked down at the fourteen-year-old girl who spoke that way and sighed.
Asha clenched her fist tightly and spoke.
“I believe that personal sacrifices should not be made for the sake of grand endeavors.”
“There are times when sacrifices are inevitable. Reality doesn’t always go according to idealistic expectations.”
“I know that too. That’s why I want to create a society where individuals don’t need to make unnecessary sacrifices.”
“…By feeding them snacks?”
“Yes!”
“The fact that this is a reasonable argument is even more surprising.”
With that response, Karnov massaged his forehead.
“How about practicing the waltz then?”
“What… What? Suddenly, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the ‘contact where nobody sacrifices’ approach you mentioned. Like practicing the waltz.”
“Oh… Right, waltz practice, that’s a good idea. What else is there? Horseback riding practice?”
“That would be good enough.”
“Great! Then if I practice too much just with Karnov… it might be a bit… how about practicing with someone else as well?”
“With whom are you planning to practice?”
“If you want to hide a tree, shouldn’t you hide it in the forest?”
Asha held the paper that had wrapped the sandwich and waved it like a fan, giggling like a lady. Karnov looked at her with cloudy eyes.
“Why are you doing this to bother someone else again?”
“Bothering someone?!”
Karnov rose from his seat as Asha pouted.
“W-What? Are you running away because you think I’m bothering the kids?”
“What do you mean run away? Weren’t you the one who called for a boat ride today? We should ride the boat.”
Karnov said so, reaching out to Asha, who was still sitting.
“Oh! Right, that’s true. We were going to ride the boat. Phoebe is here… Oh.”
Just as Asha was about to say that Phoebe might be taking a rest, she noticed that Phoebe had fallen asleep, snuggled up on the boat. A small smile crept across Asha’s face. Phoebe seemed to be full and content after eating a lot and dozing off with the gentle spring breeze. Asha took out a handkerchief and gently covered Phoebe with it, then took Karnov’s hand and stood up from her seat.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“So Marquis Oleg said that he would come to the capital this summer with the successful amapa fabric he wove last year.”
As the messenger, who was speaking, finished talking and glanced up, the crown prince, who was looking out of the window, turned his gaze very naturally toward the opponent.
Because of that, only Cyril, who was standing behind him, noticed that the crown prince was paying attention to other things, not the messenger’s words.
“Marquis Oleg has made great efforts. He must have faced many difficulties in cultivating amapa for the past few years, so it is only natural to extend our hospitality.”
“If the crown prince is in favor, Marquis Oleg will be pleased.”
“There shouldn’t be any problems with the Noctis Elves, right? Even though we have a peace treaty, it may not be easy.”
“No, the elves have been actively engaging in exchanges and assistance. They have provided great help with the cultivation of amapa…”
“That’s not an easy task either. Marquis Oleg deserves credit for that.”
Alexei signaled the messenger to leave after saying that Marquis Oleg would be given a prize when he arrived at the capital. The door closed quietly, and Cyril, who was next to him, said quietly.
“Why didn’t you ask to postpone the picnic?”
Alexei realized that Cyril had noticed his distraction throughout the day. Alexei chuckled, mixing a trace of embarrassment with his sigh.
“Asha said she baked a cake last night, so it’s a bit late to suggest postponing it.”
“But still…”
Cyril trailed off. He saw the disappointment clearly written on Alexei’s face. At the same time, the candle on Alexei’s desk flickered, as if expressing that disappointment on his behalf.
Alexei smiled at the candle.
“Did Karnov arrive?”
“Yes, they both went to the lakeside in the palace a few hours ago, together.”
“Hehe. I suppose I have to let it go once. I bothered him enough last time.”
“Is that so?”
Alexei only smiled, then carefully scanned the document left by the messenger.
“By the way, I heard that Marquis Oleg’s daughter was ill. She must have gotten a lot healthier while resting in the north.”
“Is that so?”
“I think she’ll come to the capital with the marquis this time.”
“She just turned seventeen this year, didn’t she? It seems Marquis Oleg is trying to find her a friend.”
“A friend… It seems the Grand Duke Sedvoyer, who is currently in the north, has a similar idea.”
“What?”
