“It’s not really the duke who’s in trouble, but Baron and Baroness Yasnaya.”
This blunt response came from the chef of the duke’s estate, who wore a somewhat melancholic expression. Busy preparing an additional dinner upon the unexpected visit of Yekaterina, whom no one had anticipated, the chef was intercepted by other servants on his way back to the kitchen.
Everyone had been curious to know more about the situation when suddenly, the chef’s words caused the nearby servants to jump in surprise.
“T, that scared me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they were once the masters here…”
“But not anymore. It’s been, what, several years, hasn’t it? I’d say about ten, from my recollection?”
Though the chef’s words were indelicate, the servants glanced nervously around but did not refute his statement.
“That’s true.”
“Then what is there to worry about? We just have to do our job.”
“Well, General Yekaterina isn’t exactly your typical grandmother, but after what happened, how can she not worry?”
“It’s just that old man Geol…”
“If we get dragged into this mess, what will we do?”
“It’s not getting dragged into trouble that’s the problem. Her Royal Highness is injured. If we’re not careful, it could be seen as treason.”
In regions bordering nations, strictness often prevails over leniency. The servants who had served the ducal family for a long time were well aware of this.
“How do you think Her Royal Highness will react…”
“You’ve seen her the most. Why don’t you say something?”
The eyes of the servants gathered in the corner of the mansion, suppressed by tension, turned toward the chef.
“What do you think of Her Royal Highness? We rarely see her face around here. She’s either out in the garden briefly or always with the young lord… No, no, she’s with His Grace the Duke. If not, she’s said to be in the kitchen.”
“Considering this situation, if her feelings are hurt… What if she decides she never wants to come back here?”
“General Yekaterina came a little while ago, and she seemed to know the princess well. I wonder if General Yekaterina will be able to speak to her?”
Just then, someone patted their side. Everyone gasped in unison and turned in that direction. There was only light there. No, there seemed to be light, to be exact.
It was dark in the hallway of the large mansion on the far north end, with the snow-capped mountains at its back. It was night, but work had been rushed and the hallway was only half-lit.
At the end of the hallway, a young man and a young woman stood side by side, as tension painted the darkness.
Even from afar, one could see how the girl’s expressions shifted vividly – a face that seemed to relax, as if letting down her guard, could suddenly turn cold as if on the verge of a sharp retort. Then, like cream softening, a gentle smile would melt across her face, followed by a serious expression suggesting deep contemplation, as if grappling with a lifetime’s worth of worries, or a pout as if something had upset her deeply.
And there was the young man, studying each expression on her face intently. Two small birds fluttered over their shoulders but never flew far away, as if tethered to their presence.
In the darkness, even the small light looked special and warm. The only light around them must be the faint glow of the corridor, as if there were another light only there…
The two bickered about something, and the girl dragged the young man out of the mansion. It was a cheerful walk. The young man followed with a smile.
The servants, who had been silent for a while, spoke quietly one by one.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“I have to go to work. I didn’t finish everything because I had to join the search team this morning.”
“But hasn’t the kitchen been left unattended for too long?”
“Who was it that grabbed a passing person!”
“Oh, we need to turn on more lights in the corridor. Where’s Marco?”
“I’m hungry. Just one hot shepherd’s pie might give me strength. It had minced meat and what else, potatoes? Loads of them, all crisped up nicely.”
“Those who don’t know the taste, they’re the real deal.”
“A beer alongside might just be perfect.”
“Shall we have one each and then get to work?”
“No, I’m the one cooking, so why should you guys be the ones enjoying yourselves? Who’s going to make it for you?”
“Guys! Let’s go!”
“Wooohoo!”
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
Yekaterina wrapped up Ivan and Yelizay’s business and sent them on their way. She invited Asha to leave with her, but she declined and decided to spend a few more days in Sedvoyer.
To be precise, if she went back with this wound, the emperor and Alexei would surely worry, so she decided to stay until the blood drained from the wound before returning.
“I’ve decided.”
“Decided?”
Asha nodded earnestly. In front of them, a tricolored cat lying faceless in the basket was flickering its lime-colored eyes.
“This guy’s name is now Shunivalen.”
“Shunivalen?”
“Yep. It’s the name of a sweet that you crack with a hammer. It’s very hard to eat. He’s not a normal kid, either.”
“That makes sense when you think about it.”
“His full name is Choco-Schu-Caramel Shunivalen. His left paw is black from being dipped in chocolate and his right paw is brown from being dipped in caramel.”
“That’s a longer name than mine.”
Karnov gently rubbed the top of the cat’s head saying so. The cat lowered its eyes, enjoying his touch to the fullest, and jumped up to throw itself at Asha.
“Oh! It’s heavy.”
<Who’s arm is this little thing climbing into now?>
Despite the chick’s squeak, the cat only yawned once languidly. Karnov grinned.
“I see Shunivalen isn’t interested in me.”
“Oh… No. I won’t keep him!”
“Awww.”
“I said I’m not going to keep him!”
<She said she wasn’t going to keep you, you naughty cat, get out of her arms!>
“Meow.”
Despite Phoebe’s onslaught, Shunivalen, the cat, did not blink at all. It flicked its front paws once, then scampered out of Asha’s arms and back to the basket. Asha grumbled, but pulled a handkerchief over Shunivalen’s head and left the room.
On one side of the garden grew a tree large enough to wrap around a pillar with a few adults clinging to it. Its bark glistened silver in the light, and its leaves, which made a ‘shaaaa’ sound in the breeze, were pale purple.
The servants of the mansion watched the tree with their mouths open when it was created overnight. Before long, the tree had spread like wildfire, a blessing from the spirits for General Yekaterina’s decision. Asha tapped the leaves at the ends of the branches. Karnov, who had been watching the scene, said.
“You’re going to teach the chef how to make the stew today?”
“I thought about it, but… I thought he might cry. Actually, he’s made stew a few times now. But I guess he wasn’t too happy with the results…”
Asha said, sounding a little sheepish. The chef didn’t understand why there was a difference between Asha’s pot of stew and his, and Asha couldn’t explain it. ‘A feeling’ was too harsh an answer for a chef who had worked in the kitchen all his life.
“So I decided to replace it with a cake instead. He said he hasn’t made a lot of cakes. I’ll do that today, and we’ll clean up in the evening.”
After giving the chef the recipe for the day’s cake, their time in the north was over. Asha’s wound had healed a few days ago.
“The chef must be disappointed.”
“No, he won’t be. You can return again next time.”
“Will I be able to come back again?” (Karnov)
“Why can’t you come?”
Karnov shrugged at Asha’s reply.
“Because I have to go to the capital and make sure I come back alive…”
“You’re talking nonsense again.”
Asha burst into laughter and said so, but Karnov was straightforward.
“It’s not nonsense. I’m serious.”
“Hmm…”
Asha crossed her arms and looked seriously troubled.
“That’s right. I’ve gotten rid of all of Karnov’s bullies, too. No, but it’s not because of Karnov that I got hurt. It’s the Shunivalen guy.”
“I couldn’t protect you.”
“Oh my! Oh my. Karnov was cool just now.”
“…”
“In the capital, I can protect Karnov. Trust me.”
“… Please bury me in a sunny place.”
“No, I’ll protect you! I’ve even made a list of things I’ll do, just in case.”
Asha pounded her chest as if to convince herself. Eventually, Karnov also laughed.
When Asha left with a fervent send-off from the duke’s people and got off at the railway station in the capital with Karnov, what was in front of her was a row of knights. Twenty people, even the commander of the knights.
“His Majesty has commanded us to follow your path.”
Anne spoke politely on behalf of Tarjei Nellin, the leader of the knights, who had no words. Tarjei lowered his eyes with a hard expression, then gave Karnov, who stood by Asha, a glance.
“Oh, it’s really okay. You don’t have to do this much…”
Tarjei did not answer that and spoke without taking his eyes off Karnov.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has sent a messenger requiring His Grace Duke Sedvoyer to come immediately.”
Karnov nodded calmly. At the same time, the road opened in unison. Asha half-jogged to the carriage, clutching the basket with the cat in her arms, eager to get away from the situation as quickly as possible. The carriage was ready, and Karnov, Asha, and Anne climbed in.
“Grandfather won’t be riding?”
“He said he’s not sure what he would say if he were present.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m severely injured.”
“The fact that you were injured is what matters. We were surprised, too. His Majesty was furious.”
“So he gave them all a beating. Didn’t General Yekaterina come back and say anything?”
“The important thing is not that, but the fact that Your Highness was injured.”
As the conversation between the two continued to linger uncomfortably, Karnov interjected. Asha pursed her lips.
“When we were young, we used to fall and roll over all the time.”
“It’s not for the fallen person to say. Besides, you’re almost grown up now.”
“Do you know what Constantin said as soon as he saw me? He said, ‘Oh! A pea!’ right away. It was the first time he saw me. Must be written on my face.”
“…”
“…”
“…The duke’s deputy has already been forgiven, so don’t scold him.”
There was an awkward silence in the carriage. Asha stroked the cat hard. The cat, Shunivalen, yawned leisurely.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
When Asha arrived at the imperial palace, there were also servants and people there to meet. Asha, who waved to Karnov, who was busy going to see Alexei, was immediately led by the chamberlain to the emperor.
Asha had already decided what she would say and give to the emperor when she met him. She had written to him about how things had gone well, but it would be best to tell him in person.
But when she saw the people waiting in the emperor’s office, she couldn’t bring herself to open the note in her pocket.
“Uh, Grandfather?”
The emperor gestured toward them without giving Asha a chance to say hello. Three healers began examining Asha from head to toe, while the chamberlain served hot tea. Lise, who had returned from vacation, looked at Asha with a half-crying expression.
“Grandfather, Grandfather, I’m fine, I’m fine, I really am!”
“She usually catches a cold at this time of year, so you should take a look at it, too.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Ha, Grandfather…”
“She sprained her ankle when she was young, so please take a look at that, too.”
“That was healed a thousand years ago…”
“I wonder if there’s any scarring left, or if it’s healed.”
“There won’t be any scars left, will there?”
“Someone please listen to me.”
Grandfather is so funny. Thanks for the update! I hope Karnov is fine 😭