“But the villa alone was big enough, and It’s been hectic. My grandfather comes and looks at the portrait and keeps me from doing my work.”
“What work do you have to do?”
“I’m a busy person, too.”
Asha’s playful words drew smiles from those around her. Even the emperor couldn’t help but smile, but quickly erased it and spoke sternly.
“You were too busy to even think about a wish?”
“Well, if you put it that way! I did think about it!”
Asha clenched her fist and spoke with determination, then quickly relaxed her hand, gauging the emperor’s reaction. The emperor raised an eyebrow.
“Tell me.”
“Will you really grant any wish?”
“Only if it’s something I can grant.”
The emperor seemed pleased. Asha rolled her eyes hesitantly, and then grabbed the emperor’s hand firmly.
“Grandfather.”
“…Go on.”
“There is one thing I am preparing with Baroness Saratov.”
“Other than the patisserie?”
“The patisserie wasn’t my doing! In fact, Baroness Saratov did all of it.”
“Let’s assume that’s true. So, what are you preparing?”
“It’s still… embarrassing to say. I’ll tell you when the result is out. Anyway, it’ll be ready soon! It’s almost done.”
“But?”
“So when it’s finished… it’ll probably be in the autumn.”
As it was currently summer, she meant it would be soon. The emperor patiently waited as Asha hesitated and circled around with her words. As Asha took a deep breath, she continued quickly.
“My mom’s and dad’s birthdays are in the winter, so I want to go see them!”
“…”
“Can’t I?”
Asha looked up with hopeful eyes at the emperor. The emperor, with his eyes lowered, silently contemplated Asha’s words. Asha quickly added on.
“My parents say it’s fine through letters, but… that house leaks when it rains. The roof must be full of holes now because the house is old. There are only two chairs, so my father always had me sit on his lap during meals…”
“…”
“I want to see how they’re doing… Can I go see them?”
Her parents were a constant concern for her. While she gained money through various contracts with Baroness Saratov, she had no knowledge of her parents’ bank account to send them the funds.
When she secretly looked into it, she found out that her parents didn’t have a bank account in their names at all. Even if they did, her parents wouldn’t have touched a cent of Asha’s money.
After a long silence, the emperor opened his eyes and gazed at the portrait of Asha he had been viewing. The portrait vividly depicted Asha, with her back turned, smiling brightly.
“…Didn’t I say I would grant any wish? It’s not a difficult thing for me to do. What were you hesitating about? I may not know what you and Baroness Saratov are working on, but once it’s finished, we’ll talk about it.”
Upon hearing those words, Asha spread her arms wide and laughed joyfully.
“Grandfather is the best!”
“…”
“…”
And nothing happened. Asha lowered her arm with a disappointed expression. The emperor, in rare confusion, seemed taken aback by Asha’s words and the subsequent silence.
<Oh, oh. Asha, Mikhail has never done something like that before, so you have to tell him step by step.>
At the sound of Shamal, who had been silent all the time, smiling and whispering, Phoebe, who had been dozing while revealing her plump stomach in the cage, jumped up.
<What, what. Why do you keep talking to my kid! Can’t you just buzz off?!>
<You have such a bad habit, I don’t know how we can fix it.>
As Asha sighed, looking around the cage, Phoebe and Shamal started a fierce battle within the cage. Just as the small yellow feathers began to fly, Asha shook her head and looked at the emperor.
“Just now, it was the perfect time for a hug.”
“Really?”
“I’ll do it again, so you have to do it properly.”
Saying that, Asha straightened her neck and raised her arms again, as if cheering with all her might.
“Grandfather is the best!”
“Anyway, you have quite the way with words.”
The emperor leaned down and gently picked up Asha. And quietly, slowly, patted Asha on the back. After that, yellow feathers fluttered.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“I… Can you please stop staring at it?”
Asha said restlessly beside him. Karnov, who had been quietly appreciating Asha’s portrait on the wall for a long time, straightened his back.
“Hmm.”
And then he stared at Asha. He looked as if he was contrasting the original with the replica. Asha fanned herself quickly, trying to cool down from the rising heat.
“Now that I’ve shown you this, will you… lend me the painting?”
As soon as the emperor gave his permission, Asha immediately sent Phoebe to Karnov. It was to request the borrowing of the painting by Mura, which he owned. It didn’t take long for Phoebe to return with a reply.
[This is the third letter.
If you show me your portrait first, I’m happy to lend you the painting.]
The letter was rather rough and very brief, like Karnov.
The introduction of “This is the third letter,” was now understandable, but the content of the letter was a bit strange.
If Asha’s wishes were fulfilled and the exhibition was held, everyone would be able to see it, right? Even if not, surely he wouldn’t withhold the painting from her?
But it didn’t matter if there were about three more words in the letter that she didn’t understand. As long as Karnov lended her a painting of Mura’s!
“Hmm. All right.”
“Really?”
“Of course, because I promised. Apparently you didn’t just ask me to lend you one. You must have contacted the Marchioness Tataricha and Baroness Saratov, too?”
Asha opened her eyes wide.
“How did you know? I was just going to ask.”
“Did you contact Viscount Ceilistria?”
“Oh… no. I’m not that close to him. I don’t think it’s right to ask for a favor.”
Although she saw Grisha, the son of the house, at the tea party, he had been passive and she was too preoccupied with Natalya, making it difficult for them to form a close bond.
“I can ask outright for you?”
“You act all nonchalant when you’re actually willing.”
Karnov chuckled as he glanced at Asha, not wanting to offend her.
“Then I’ll talk to Viscount Ceilistria.”
“You, Karnov?”
Asha blinked and tilted her head. Karnov looked at Asha and turned his eyes to look at Asha in the portrait.
A painting of a girl with a smile on her face looking in their way. It was as if she had captured a moment of her life and locked it away.
“We have some connections there as well. It’s not a favor or anything, and he would probably gladly lend it to be alongside the emperor’s portrait for the exhibition.”
“Karnov…!”
Asha looked up at Karnov with a face full of emotion. Karnov, who looked back at Asha, flinched a little.
“Well… Cough. If there’s anything I need to do, I’ll do it, Your Highness.”
“Oh! That’s right! Anything you say! I’ll listen to it all!”
Asha assured him, pounding her chest. Karnov, gazing at Asha in that manner, spoke with a serious face veiled in sincerity.
“Wish ticket.”
“…Huh?”
“A wish ticket. It would be nice to have a ticket that comes with a signed oath, promising to grant any wish.”
Asha’s lips twitched.
“Oh, no… You can just tell me what you want. I’ll grant it right away.”
A wish ticket? Karnov didn’t seem to be demanding anything from her, but the word itself felt incredibly burdensome.
“It feels like you’re using a scary loan shark’s IOU.”
(E/N: “IOU” is a colloquial term for an “I owe you” note or a document acknowledging a debt owed.)
“I want to say it later, not right now. But it would be troublesome if I claimed something you didn’t know.”
“That’s not how it works!”
“Well, if that’s the case, then just give me the wish ticket.”
“Oh… I mean…”
Why did it turn out like this again? Asha pondered for a moment, scratching her head, before finally being pushed by Karnov’s gaze and gripping the pen.
“Anastasia grants Karnov one wish…”
As Asha wrote the words on the thick paper typically used for cards, she hesitated.
“I… I have to write a deadline. How long should I give it?”
“You’re going to write down a deadline?”
For some reason, Karnov’s reaction seemed to make it impossible to write down a deadline, but Asha decided to be bold.
“Yes! Fruits spoil if you leave them for too long. And there needs to be a deadline so that you don’t forget to use the wish. I don’t want to owe anyone either.”
Asha declared with determination in her voice.
Karnov crossed his arms and remained silent before nodding.
“All right.”
“In that case, by next week…”
“Oh well.”
“By… two weeks from now?”
“Ten years.”
“Ten years?!”
Asha exclaimed in surprise. Karnov raised an eyebrow in response to her outburst.
“Why?”
“Oh, no. It’s too long.”
“I’m not saying you have to repay a loan, Your Highness, but can’t you show that much kindness, as a princess?”
“It’s not that I can’t… It’s just…”
“Then how about fifteen years?”
“Te, ten years. You have to use it within that time frame. If even a minute goes by, I won’t grant it. Got it?”
Asha said firmly, as she filled in today’s date, the phrase ‘ten years from now,’ and the date ten years in the future.
[…Promises to grant within the given timeframe…]
“You left out ‘anything.’ You said you would grant ‘anything.”
“…”
Asha bit her lips tightly and looked at Karnov before adding the phrase.
[Promises to grant anything.]
