It was at this moment, while Asha was pondering the appropriate introduction, that Mariya, who had been listening attentively with a relaxed expression, suddenly stood up. Lise, who was pouring tea into teacups, also stopped in surprise. Mariya opened and closed her mouth several times before finally speaking.
“Mu, Mura Aylau…?”
The girl who had been timid just moments ago stood up abruptly, her face turning red with excitement. Asha was extremely bewildered by the situation, but Mura seemed somewhat familiar with it. She smiled lightly and reached out her hand towards Mariya.
“I’m Mura Aylau.”
“Goodness! My goodness! Is this a dream? My birthday? Oh, no, it’s not, my birthday is still far away…”
The Mariya who had just been nervous and stiff was nowhere to be found. She was busy covering her mouth with both hands. Mura managed to calm down Mariya and sit her down again.
“I saw your painting, Mariya. I was so amazed that I begged to meet you.”
“…!”
Mariya conveyed all her thoughts with her eyes alone. ‘Mura wanted to meet me? Is it true?’ Asha nodded her head.
“I thought it would be nice for artists to connect and share ideas. And I was also curious about the painter who painted the sign. It was so cute.”
“Well, that’s… Baroness Saratov told me that I had to taste it before I could paint it. The cake was so delicious. Thanks to that, I was able to paint such a picture…”
“Ah…”
Asha suddenly realized that she made a mistake when the topic of conversation suddenly went back to “Asha’s Chocolate Cake,” but there was no turning back now.
As the conversation about the chocolate cake started to heat up, Mura got excited too. The two of them sat with Asha in the middle and continued to talk animatedly about the taste of the chocolate cake.
“Enough! Stop!”
Asha raised both hands and waved them between the two of them, finally interrupting their conversation.
“Please stop talking about it like that in front of me… Just stop… talking.”
“Yes…?”
Mura chuckled softly in response, while Mariya didn’t quite understand Asha’s words but nodded in agreement nonetheless. Seeing her, Mura smiled even more.
“Mariya, the mastermind behind that cake is none other than her.”
“…Yes?”
Mariya didn’t seem to understand what she heard. Then, in surprise again, she opened her eyes and looked at Asha and Mura alternately.
“That… that cake? You made it, Your Highness?”
Asha looked like she wanted to scream. It seemed that Mariya had innocently shared her story without realizing the impact it had on Asha. Asha’s expression was a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. Mura, who had been enjoying Asha’s reaction, intervened a little late to help.
“I tasted the cake and was amazed, so I wrote a letter to her expressing my admiration. I recommend it for Mariya too.”
“Ah! Thank you for letting me know…!”
“Why are you thanking her for letting you know?! But…! The letter was nice…! But still, enough!”
It was not until Asha was about to throw up her hands in exasperation that Mura’s pupil, Ruth, laid down two canvases covered with cloth in front of Asha. When Mariya realized that they were paintings by Mura, her eyes began to shine.
“This is what Your Highness asked for.”
Mura winked and handed the canvas to Lise. Then she held the remaining canvas in her hands.
“And this one is a painting that I am giving to you… as a gift.”
Mura slowly unwrapped the linen covering the canvas. On the canvas, she had vividly painted a little girl wearing a soft sky-blue dress, standing near a terrace.
The pink hair seemed as if it were made of delicate peach-colored silk, and one could almost feel the texture of the dress. The light that passed through the window glass above the smiling girl’s face made it glow even brighter.
“Oh my… It’s so beautiful! It’s like the light is shining through from beyond the canvas. How is it possible to paint like this?”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it! I love it so much! I feel like if I touch the dress, it’ll feel soft and smooth. How did you…?”
Asha called Lise over in excitement.
“But is this really what I look like? Even when I saw the sketches, I was surprised. It looks a bit different from what I see in the mirror.”
“Oh, my, it’s the same as Your Highness.”
“R, really?”
Asha stared at the girl in the portrait. She definitely looked just like her, but she seemed more refined and lovely than what she saw in the mirror.
“It’s a really amazing portrait.”
Lise hesitated to touch the canvas, her fingertips moving carefully. Mura gave a small cough and flashed a sheepish smile.
There had been some tension between Lise and Mura due to Mura’s impolite behavior in the past, and that awkward atmosphere still lingered. But it seemed to dissolve in the presence of this incredible painting.
“Everyone will be moved when they see this! Ah, we should find a frame that suits this painting and hang it on the wall. I will take care of it.”
“Do you think so? That… Will that be okay?”
When Asha spoke with a troubled expression, Mura’s face twitched slightly. Unaware of Mura’s reaction, Asha continued to examine the painting and spoke.
“If I hang this beautifully painted portrait of myself in my room, people will think I’m a little… self-obsessed. Just a little.”
“What are you saying? Who would dare say such a thing?”
“Well, even if someone did, I would still want to hang it. It’s such a gorgeous painting. Thank you so much, Lady Mura.”
“…I’m glad you like it.”
Mura let out a sigh of relief and smiled. Meanwhile, Mariya, who had been standing next to them, couldn’t take her eyes off Asha’s portrait, her expression filled with shock.
“I wonder how it looks in Mariya’s eyes… Uh, um.”
Silently, tears welled up in Mariya’s eyes as she looked at the painting. Thankfully, Mariya quickly wiped away her tears and fanned her flushed face.
“I–I’m sorry. It’s my first time seeing Lady Mura’s painting up close…”
“Really…”
Asha shook her head and extended small packages of cookies that had been prepared in advance to both of them.
“It’s a little embarrassing to say it’s a token of appreciation, but I baked these cookies myself. I hope you enjoy them.”
And just like a hunting bird, Mura swiftly snatched one of the cookies. It was a gesture that Lise would have reprimanded if someone else had done it.
“Is it true? You baked them yourself, Your Highness?”
“That’s right. They’re crescent-shaped cookies. I call them kipferl cookies.”
“I really appreciate it. I will eat them gratefully.”
Seeing Mariya’s enthusiastic reaction to the cookies, Mura, who had received the package, rolled her eyes.
“Her Highness’s snacks are absolutely delicious. If Mariya tries them, you’ll understand.”
“H-Haha… I’m so glad that Lady Mura says they’re delicious. In fact, what I asked Miss Mariya to do is also a picture of the packaging of the powder used to make this snack.”
“Oh! I see! That’s really impressive.”
Mura applauded and exclaimed. Mariya, feeling extremely embarrassed by Mura’s reaction, tried to cover her face.
“I–It’s a commercial drawing, so compared to Lady Mura…”
“Compared to me?”
Mura tilted her head.
“The kind of art I’ve been pursuing so far and Mariya’s art may be different. But we can’t divide them into superior or inferior.”
“…”
Asha smiled as she watched the subtle flow of emotions between the two, like a shimmering stream of pearl dust.
“And no matter what genre of art you create, it doesn’t determine the presence or absence of talent and skill. Talent is something that exists purely, and skill is something that shines in itself.”
Asha smiled and closed her eyes, as if observing the storm of sparkling particles that seemed to come bursting out of Mariya, even blinding her half-closed eyes.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
The emperor’s birthday party was held in a grand and splendid manner. More than last winter’s victory ball. The chandelier hung high and glistened brilliantly, and people dressed in fancy clothes offered gifts and bowed to the emperor. Yekaterina, acting as the proxy of Duke Sedvoyer, greeted the emperor and Asha as well.
“When the party starts, you’ll play a kerum game with me, won’t you, Your Highness?”
The emperor opened Yekaterina’s gift dryly and handed it to the chamberlain, narrowing his eyes.
“They say attachment grows with age. The old saying couldn’t be more true.”
“Are you saying that to me, Your Majesty?”
“…”
Yekaterina folded her wrinkled eyes and smiled and retreated. Since then, the other nobles came forward one by one to offer greetings and gifts. Thanks to this, Asha was able to exchange a meaningful glance with the Marchioness of Tataricha, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. And now, it was finally the turn of Marquis Oleg, the last of the nobles.
“May you be ever prosperous, Your Majesty.”
Marquis Oleg, who was planning to depart for the north, expressed his honor to attend the emperor’s birthday celebration, which was his last before leaving, and glanced briefly at Asha sitting next to the emperor.
“You must be very busy preparing to go north, thank you for coming all the way here, Marquis Oleg.”
“It’s an honor for me, Your Majesty. What can I say?”
With those words, Marquis Oleg presented a small box to the emperor. It was a not-so-large box adorned with a pale-colored ribbon.
As the emperor opened the box with an uninspired expression – sometimes his expression would disappear altogether as he opened gift after gift, contemplating how to express his gratitude in different ways – his expression changed for the first time upon seeing what was inside.
“What is this?”
“It’s a restored antique porcelain doll based on the Otropov era’s fashion from a hundred years ago.”
Marquis Oleg didn’t explain much. Inside the box, cushioned with white silk, was a porcelain girl only the size of an adult’s palm.
The porcelain girl with pale pink hair had rosy cheeks. The delicate folds of the girl’s dress, as she picked flowers in a meadow, were delicately portrayed. Flowers were attached to various parts of her dress, and a bird painted in a light yellow hue playfully bit at the girl’s hair, giving the impression of mischief.
Even Asha, who had been observing the birthday gifts with little interest, found the doll charming and delicate enough to make her eyes widen in admiration.
“Woah…”
Asha let out a cry of admiration, then glanced at the emperor, their eyes meeting briefly. She raised an eyebrow. The emperor, who had shown little response to any valuable gift so far, seemed noticeably pleased.
“This is truly a splendid gift.”
“If it pleases Your Majesty, then it is the pleasure of the gods.”
Asha was inwardly taken aback by the bright particles of light that seemed to gush forth from the emperor, full of joy.
