Chapter 63
After seeing Isaac and Nero off, Monica stared silently at the closed door for a while. Eventually, she sat down in a chair and swung her legs for no particular reason.
The reports she'd been working on lately had all been compiled and mailed to Minerva, and the joint research was waiting on Raul's data.
For once, Monica had time to spare.
The house was dead quiet without Isaac and Nero.
(Lana said she was making stops all over on business before returning to Southdoll, so she won't be back for a while...)
Monica stopped swinging her legs and, on a whim, flopped face-down onto the desk. The coolness of it felt pleasant against her cheek.
Tomorrow was the Ashelpike Festival.
Monica had never been particularly interested in the custom of giving candy to people close to you, but this year, she had secretly been thinking that she might as well give some to Lana and Isaac. But of all times, everyone was away.
She should have bought the candy sooner. If she had, she could have given some to Isaac and Nero, even if it was a day early.
Monica sighed with her cheek still pressed against the desk.
It had been a long time since she had remembered what loneliness felt like.
Usually, when she was feeling down, she immersed herself in mathematical formulas or magical formulas. But since the weather was so nice, perhaps she should go out for a little while today.
(That's right, maybe I'll practice going out by myself...)
She would return the novel she had borrowed from the library, look around a few stalls and booths, then eat a fried pie on the way home.
For a homebody like Monica, going out simply to "wander around," rather than for work or to restock her supplies, was a small adventure.
(If I find a nice shop, I want to tell Lana about it...)
Lana was always showing Monica wonderful things, so perhaps Monica could show Lana one of her own favorites for a change.
(Today, I'll go look for one of my favorite things.)
Monica stood up from her chair with a little burst of determination, changed into a blouse and skirt for going out, and neatly braided her hair again.
Finally, she put on her vest and jacket and stood in front of the mirror.
The vest was one she had bought recently, with embroidery along the edges. Even this sort of small fashion choice was a modest adventure for Monica.
"...Yeah, good."
With one nod, Monica opened the front door.
＊ ＊ ＊
Thirty minutes after heading into town, Monica already felt her resolve starting to crack.
Perhaps because the Ashelpike Festival was tomorrow, there were more people in town than usual.
Candy stalls and wagons had appeared all over the place. Even the port town, usually filled with the scent of sea air, was now saturated with a sweet aroma.
With this many people around, wandering aimlessly was going to be difficult.
(M-maybe I should just take my time at the library today...)
Monica was already considering changing her plans when she was jostled by a passerby and staggered.
"Eek!"
"Whoa there."
As Monica stumbled and nearly went face-first into the cobblestones, a pair of broad, muscular arms caught her.
"Are you all right, madam!"
"Ah, ah, um..."
When Monica looked up, she stared in surprise at the person who had caught her.
The person who had caught Monica was a large man with short-cropped black hair. It was Antony. His younger brother Theodore was standing beside him as well.
"I have to say, that was perfect timing! Did you see that, Theodore? That's what it means to show your manly side!"
"You've been waiting for a chance to talk to her for quite a while, though."
"The very art of judging the perfect moment is what it takes to show one's manly side! A man raises his standing by speaking to a lady at the most dramatic moment!"
Antony, with his loud voice and imposing build, was exactly the type of person Monica found hardest to deal with, but that didn't change the fact that he had helped her. Monica bowed her head.
"Th-thank you very much!"
"I'm glad you weren't hurt. By the way, isn't Lady Lana with you today?"
"Yes, Lana is away for a while."
When he learned that Lana wasn't there, Antony visibly looked crestfallen, but he quickly seemed to recover. "Oh, that's right," he said, rummaging through his pocket.
"Miss Monica, let me give you this."
"...?"
"It's a day early for the Ashelpike Festival, but that hardly matters. Ice that won't melt."
As he spoke, Antony placed a paper-wrapped piece of candy in Monica's palm.
Monica looked from the candy to Antony and back again, then hurriedly thanked him.
"Um, thank you very much."
"Heh heh heh. Be sure to write your name on the glass ornament you give me in return."
"...? Glasswork? Your name?"
The Ashelpike Festival was a day for exchanging candy with people close to you. So why had he suddenly mentioned glasswork?
As Monica looked puzzled, Theodore gently cut in.
"In our hometown of Randor, we give glass ornaments to people we like in addition to candy."
Apparently, it had started when the Glassworkers' Guild of the Kingdom of Randor began selling glass ornaments for the Ashelpike Festival, saying, "If they call it ice that won't melt, why not glasswork too? It's similar."
The custom gradually evolved into giving glass ornaments to someone you liked as a token of your feelings on the Ashelpike Festival.
"So, basically, it's a commercial strategy by the guild that has nothing to do with the legend. It caught on in our country and became established."
"I-I see..."
Theodore's explanation was rather blunt, but the Kingdom of Randor was home to many engineers, so it was a fairly convincing explanation.
According to him, around this time of year, the Kingdom of Randor had just as many glasswork stalls as candy stalls.
"Um, and what does writing your name have to do with it...?"
"Glass ornaments are usually small—about the size of a coin—but instead of handing one over directly, you secretly slip it into the pocket of the person you're interested in."
"...Secretly?"
Why go to such roundabout lengths?
As Monica tilted her head, Antony struck a theatrical pose and began to speak.
"On the Ashelpike Festival, you find a glass ornament secretly slipped into your pocket... Ah, who could possibly be harboring feelings for me? Could it be that lady? No, no, perhaps that young noblewoman I passed a moment ago... It wouldn't be so bad to be tossed between hope and disappointment over it... but I want to be sure to return those feelings, so I'd appreciate it if you wrote your name on it!"
"Brother, you've never received one before."
"Surely the clothes I wore before made the pockets hard to spot! But I've taken no chances this year—I prepared a coat with obvious pockets!"
Saying this, Antony slapped the pockets of his coat repeatedly, making sure Monica could see them clearly.
He seemed to have completely forgotten that the Kingdom of Ridill had no custom of giving glasswork to the person you liked.
"Ah, um... well..."
After learning about the custom of Randor, Monica was thoroughly at a loss.
If such a custom existed, she felt bad accepting the candy so casually. As Monica fidgeted, wondering if she should return it, Theodore leaned over and whispered so his brother couldn't hear.
"My brother's been handing out candy everywhere we've gone today. You're number fourteen, so... look."
Following Theodore's gaze, Monica saw Antony pressing a piece of candy into the hand of a girl selling flowers. So that made Monica number fifteen.
"So you don't need to worry about it. Oh, I'll give you some too."
"Here you go," Theodore said, handing her a lollipop.
Unlike the round candy Antony had given her, this one had been hardened in a flat mold and shaped like a dog.
"It's doggy-shaped. Hehe, cute, right?"
"...Um, thank you very much."
"You're welcome. By the way, are you heading somewhere today?"
"I was thinking I'd just wander around... but..."
As Monica answered, nervously twisting her fingers, Theodore's eyes, usually narrowed into a smile, opened slightly as he fixed them on her.
With his eyes open like that, his gaze grew slightly sharper, making him look a little like his brother.
"Once you're done with what you came to do today, you should head home early. Especially after dark, you must stay home. And be thorough about locking up."
Though his mild tone hadn't changed, there was a forceful insistence beneath it.
As Monica looked at him with lowered brows, Theodore gave her a gentle, soft smile and said,
"Tonight is sure to be a noisy one."