“I think the fairy tale I saw at Natasha’s a while ago would be more interesting.”
Asha murmured, struggling to keep herself from sliding down. There was nothing great about the coming-of-age ceremony at the Imperial Palace.
It gathered young noble heirs, distributed flowers and jewelry, followed by an opera performance during the day and a ball in the evening.
Currently, the palace was hosting an opera performance. The opera singers and the orchestra were not bad, but the problem lay in the dated plot of the play, a long-standing melodrama starring the Otroph Kingdom – which had fallen a thousand years ago!
Only the royal family insisted on staging this story, once a year, during this ceremony.
“What did you see there?”
Asha mumbled as she touched the cuff buttons Karnov had been given at this coming-of-age ceremony with her fingertips.
“It was about a mercenary and a saint traveling together to fulfill their wishes… Maybe Karnov should give it a read next time.”
“If you sit like that, your back will hurt later.”
Asha twisted her body to alleviate the boredom while struggling to maintain a proper posture. Karnov remained seated, apparently unperturbed, calmly watching the tiresome opera.
“Aren’t you bored, Karnov?”
At Asha’s words, Karnov looked at her, his chin resting on his hand.
“Not really.”
“Is this interesting to you? Is it because you couldn’t enjoy fun things when you were little?”
It was even more surprising that it didn’t sound like a lie to say that it wasn’t boring, but Asha tried to stop grumbling and concentrate on the performance.
After the opera was finally over, Asha went out to the garden with Karnov. People merely glanced at them from afar, unable to approach or distance themselves.
Karnov carefully connected the spinning copper stud onto Asha’s shirt cuff, hiding it from sight. Then, he spread her fingers apart.
“It might smell of metal.”
Asha smelled metal on her fingertips, grimacing slightly, but then grinned playfully and pinched his arm.
“Ouch!”
“Please lower your voice, Princess.”
Karnov tutted. Asha chuckled softly and led Karnov to a secluded corner of the garden.
“Where are we going? Does your leg hurt?”
Karnov asked while being dragged along, but Asha shook her head. They stopped when they reached the innermost part of the garden, hidden by trees and flowers.
“Why are we here… Oh.”
A small table was placed in the innermost part of the garden attached to the palace where the opera was performed, hidden by trees and flowers. On it, a modest white cream-wrapped cake and a small box awaited them.
Karnov momentarily found himself speechless. In the meantime, Asha took out a small boutonniere that she had placed under the table. It was a palm-sized bouquet made with a lisianthus, a violet, and a little mistflower.
“Ta-da! Um… I was planning to give you something bigger, but come to think of it, there’s a ball afterward.”
“…What’s all this?”
“Oh? It’s to congratulate Karnov on your coming of age…”
Asha replied, touching the tip of the boutonniere with her finger. Karnov seemed strangely parched by the scene before him.
“It’s a strawberry cake. We were supposed to use cherries, but since it’s March, we decided on strawberries. That’s why we named it white forest cake. It’s a black forest cake that uses cherries.”
Asha explained, humming a tune that had just been performed in the opera, to congratulate those on coming of age.
“And this… It’s not really anything special.”
As Karnov silently observed everything, Asha stood on her feet, pinned the boutonniere to Karnov’s lapel, and then opened the small box herself.
“It’s said that onyx wards off misfortune.”
Inside were several layers of shimmering black silk threads, tied into a knot with a tiny onyx pendant, no bigger than a thumbnail.
“I made the knot myself. I practiced a bit, not sure if it turned out well, but you can make a wish while wearing it. I’m not sure if you’ll like it… Well, it seems like you do…”
Asha looked at Karnov fiddling with his onyx pendant and blurted out her words. Due to the things that had unfolded behind him, he seemed to be on the verge of being overwhelmed.
“But a thread bracelet? Then if it breaks…”
Karnov, showing no intention of wearing it, cautiously raised concerns. Asha hastily spoke.
“Ah! That’s the point. If the bracelet is broken, your wish will finally come true.”
“And if it doesn’t break?”
“It continues to ward off misfortune.”
Asha chuckled softly. Karnov, who had been merely observing the bracelet, finally put it on his wrist. Asha applauded enthusiastically.
“It suits you so well!”
Asha tidied up the knot of the bracelet on Karnov’s wrist, beaming with satisfaction.
“Karnov has everything else. Work hard, and good luck will come naturally, right? If we just block the misfortune, that’s perfect!”
“…”
“Oh, Karnov, do you like it that much? You can say it.”
“…”
“N, no… just say it. I beg you. I can’t keep watching otherwise…”
“What are you talking about?”
Karnov, wrapping his wrist with his other hand, spoke in a dismissive tone. Asha squinted her eyes, stared at Karnov, and finally burst into laughter.
“Okay, okay. Let’s eat the cake now, okay? I’m starving after being so engrossed in the opera.”
Karnov chuckled as he picked up the cake-cutting knife.
“When did you make this cake? I had no idea.”
Asha sighed as she saw the cake cut into pieces. It was because Karnov stayed in the same palace.
“That’s why I went to the kitchen every night.”
“I didn’t notice any footsteps passing by in the hallway.”
“I went out by the terrace.”
“…”
“Shamal helped me.”
“Shamal? Could it be His Majesty’s…”
“Yeah. Shamal is used to me. Shall we eat the cake now?”
Karnov thought about what else to say, but he stopped and cut the cake silently. It was a cake filled with white cream and red strawberries between chocolate sheets.
“Karnov Neustadter, congratulations on becoming an adult!”
“…”
“So, I prepared one more special gift for you.”
Asha clenched her fist and pulled out another one for the last time. It was a box as long as an adult’s forearm.
“Hurry up and open it.”
Karnov, tilting his head with a smile, slowly opened the box. Inside was a slender glass bottle sealed with cork, filled with a transparent apricot-colored liquid with a hint of pink reflections.
“Is this… shaslings?”
“Yes! Now that you’re an adult, Karnov can also have it. Until now, I only gave it to General Yekaterina. But now I’ll give it to Karnov as a present!”
“…”
A gentle smile spread on Karnov’s face. Karnov slowly turned the bottle around, and as he looked at the tag hanging around the neck, he tilted his head.
“Five years aged?”
“Well…”
Asha quickly explained while fanning herself.
“I’m giving it to Karnov, but it’s kind of weird to give you what you made.”
“…”
“I started making liquor when I was ten years old. It’s a five-year aged… it has limitations. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.”
Karnov said nothing for a moment, then turned away from Asha.
“Karnov?”
Then Karnov burst into laughter. Asha opened her eyes wide. Karnov, who had always smiled faintly or rarely showed any expression, was laughing audibly. Around him, fragments of light seemed to scatter like petals.
“Did you make it by yourself without me knowing?”
“I saved it for this day.”
“Thank you, Your Highness Anastasia.”
“Ho, ho, ho. Congratulations on coming of age, Little Duke Sedvoyer.”
“I’m just a duke now.”
“Oh? Really?”
Karnov nodded when Asha, who covered her mouth with the back of her hand and pretended to be a lady with a big smile, asked with her mouth open.
“Yesterday, I had a brief succession ceremony to inherit the title.”
“Did you just say ‘brief’? When did you have it? You’ve been at the palace all the time!”
“I stopped by the mansion briefly.”
“You did that casually? Without telling me?”
“Oh.”
Asha, who had been opening and closing her mouth, tried to act as casually as possible while stroking the tablecloth.
“Your parents didn’t say anything?”
“No.”
Karnov answered calmly, hoping to sound indifferent.
“Now that they’ve transferred the title, they probably expect to enjoy their retirement in a warm southern region.”
“Aha!”
Asha nodded, and there was a hint of relief in her smile. But soon, she remembered the topic they were discussing and scratched her head.
“But, I only prepared a congratulatory gift for coming of age. What should I do?”
“Why would you give me a congratulatory gift? It’s unnecessary.”
Karnov said so as he cut the cake into two pieces. Asha shook her head, grabbed Karnov’s collar, and shook him.
“Still, still~!”
“Oh, there’s something I want. Actually, there’s something I really want to do.”
“Oh? What is it, what is it?”
Asha looked up at Karnov with her eyes glistening. Karnov put the strawberries on the cake in his mouth, savoring them for a long time; teasing Asha.
“What is it? Tell me!”
“Will you listen to it?”
“Of course, if it’s something I can do!”
“You can definitely do it.”
At this point, an uneasy feeling started creeping in. Asha rolled her eyes.
“Um… What is it?”
“It’s what Lady Natalya does to you every time.”
“Natasha? What does… No!”
Thinking ‘What does she do?’ Asha suddenly thought of one thing, and she took a step back. Seeing her reaction, Karnov made an exaggeratedly hurt expression.
“Can’t I?”
“No… I mean, why would you want to do that! I’ll give you a different gift. How about a lime pie?”
Karnov walked a step closer and shook his head. Asha cried out, swallowing her saliva.
“I’m about three bags of flour!”
“No, two teaspoons and about a cup? Something like that.”
“How would you know, Karnov!”
“I know. So, is it a no?”
“Oh…”
Asha sighed. How did this happen?
“You can…”
Asha answered with her shoulders drooping, but Karnov was unfazed. He walked up and grabbed her waist and lifted her lightly.
However, contrary to her expectation that they would spin around, Karnov simply held her tight.
“Oh? Is this it?”
Asha asked, looking down at Karnov, in a raised view. Karnov nodded.
“I’m going to do this next time when Your Highness the Princess is more active.”
“Are you saying you’re going to do this again?”
“Well, Lady Natalya did it so many times.”
“Natasha is strong. And if I don’t let her, she’ll be sad.”
“I’m stronger. I’ll be sad, too.”
“Karnov is already grown up.”
“I shouldn’t have done a coming of age ceremony.”
“Can’t you refuse if you don’t want to do it? That’s what adults do. But I’ll let you do it next time, whether it’s zigzagging or round and round.”
Karnov gently lowered Asha into a chair, and Asha, holding a fork, grinned at him. For some reason, Karnov found her face dazzling, so he had to turn his head briefly.
Asha urged him to quickly eat the cake. Karnov thought briefly that he would be able to hear Asha’s voice forever if he didn’t eat the cake, but he stopped the thought.
“Let’s eat this and then go to the ball with renewed energy!”
“Are you going to have a battle at the ball?”
“What are you saying? I might have come as Karnov’s partner, but I can’t dance with only Karnov, right? People are lining up to dance with me.”
Karnov snorted.
“If you dance with more than three people, you’ll have to endure twirling or moving sideways.”
“What did you say?”
“Who will you dance with if not me and Lady Natalya?”
Karnov speared a strawberry with a fork and fed it to Asha. Asha mumbled and said something – there are many people who want to dance with me! – but the sound was drowned out by the sound of her eating the strawberry. Karnov just laughed heartily.
