Chapter 5 – In which Saffra is tasting apples
“My Lady, what dress do you wish to wear today?”
“Oh, a dress…”
Saffra, whose hair was currently being assaulted by a very poor comb, thought for a moment considering what she had to do today.
“White one. The one whose fabric gets dirty easily.”
“Yes…? Are you sure, My Lady?”
“Yes, very sure.”
The two ladies-in-waiting who were assembling her today’s outfit looked at each other a bit bewildered, but nodded and continued their work.
“My Lady… Tilt your head, please…”
The third lady-in-waiting, who was fighting a lonely fight against Saffra’s hair, whispered.
Saffra obliged.
Her eyes were half-closed, making it look like she was day-dreaming, but in fact Saffra was carefully observing the three servants who busied themselves around her.
‘Mmm… What would you expect from young girls who get to work for a rich lady… But there are no signs of evil or wicked intentions… My past self had done at least one thing right.’
The past’s Saffra was meek and docile, a girl who wasn’t able to stand up for herself and did everything people made her to do.
Her life was filled with helplessness.
But it seemed that as sensitive as she was, she couldn’t bear to spend most of her time around people who held wicked inventions towards her or others, so her servants were chosen carefully.
Those girls were nice.
But the question was could those nice girls hold a knife?
“My Lady, we’re finished!”
“The earring…”
“Ah!”
The second earring, which somehow got lost in the hassle, was quickly found and put on Saffra.
“Now we’re done My Lady!”
Two girls smiled and one just quietly nodded.
Saffra also confirmed her look in the mirror.
It was quite good, not her style, but her style was 300 years old, so maybe it was better that way.
“Okay, good job.”
“Thank you, My Lady!”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you…”
She smiled as she looked at their cute little faces.
“Then with this done, please fetch me three apples and three knives.”
“Uh?”
“My Lady, but you haven't eaten breakfast yet?”
Two talkative birds were confused, but Saffra just smiled.
“Mm… I’m a bit hungry… didn’t get to eat anything yesterday.”
“Ah!”
As if girls understood something, they quickly nodded their heads and tried to hide their sour expressions.
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“We will fetch them immediately!”
And as they said, they were back in a few minutes.
Saffra who put three apples in front of her said:
“Do you want to play a game?”
“A game?”
The three girls’ eyes sparkled a bit.
“Yeah, I’ll say a word and you will try to sculpt it on the apple with those knives.”
“With those knives?”
The girls looked at the butter knives they brought. They couldn’t bring any sharp object to a lady's room, so it was all they had here.
“It’s fine if it doesn’t look good, this game is just for fun.” Saffra reassured them. “Then let's begin. The first word is…”
A dark spark passed through her eyes.
“Lightning.”
Soon three imaginations of lightning were carved on three apples.
Saffra nodded and then continued with another prompt.
Leaf.
Fish.
Apple.
Moon.
Etc.
During this entire time, she paid close attention to girls’ hand movements, judging their abilities with blades.
And finally, the last test:
“Flower.”
“Um…”
“I don’t think I have enough space to crave a flower.”
Two girls looked at their barely holding apples with helplessness, but the third girl, the one who was always quiet, looked at her apple in thought and then…
She picked it up, cut it in half and carved flower petals out of the inside fruit.
A beautiful flower bloomed under her knife.
‘Excellent pressure control…’
Saffra gazed thoughtfully at the girl, Craya, as she flashed a smile.
“It’s very pretty.”
Craya bowed her head in an expression of happiness, but Saffra’s gaze didn’t leave her. She continued her words:
“In fact, I like it so much that I’ll ask Miss Craya to accompany me today.”
Like that her today’s attendant was selected.
“Uum, I thought it was for fun…”
“It was for fun. All of you did great. Can you bring me some salt now?”
“Are we going to play with salt now?”
“No, I just want to eat those pretty apples.”
Saffra yet again received confused gazes, but she didn’t explain.
After she received salt, she sprinkled it on the apples.
And then she ate the petals of a salted apple flower with great satisfaction.
*-*-*
Knock knock.
Sangria knocked on the door.
“Please come in.”
The person behind the door answered with a young, but dry voice.
Sangria promptly entered, his eyes shining as if will-o’-wisp burned inside them.
What welcomed him inside first were piles of manuscripts, thickly covered in spell formulas and magic research. Then were the piles of used up alchemy ingredients. Then some more piles of papers and then finally… a thin boy beyond the enormous desk. The desk was also covered in documents.
Actually, it was inappropriate for Sangria to call him a boy, as a person before him was superior to him both in rank and age, but looking at that person’s complexion, Sangria couldn’t help but think about children he came across at streets when running away from clutches of the guilds…
“Did something happen?”
The boy’s, lord Crimo’s, face turned anxious when he saw Sangria enter.
He must have thought that something happened to his younger brother.
Well, something did happen, but it wasn’t something Crimo should be worried about.
Sangria flashed a reassuring smile as he closed the door, before he spoke up.
“I’m here to report good news My Lord. Young Master Vern recovered and is free from the curse.”
Crimo stared silently at his lips for a few seconds, before he jumped from his seat.
“Did you find the cure?!”
“I didn’t.” Sangria caught the papers, which were sent flying, with magic as he continued. “Young Master Vern did and his state improved overnight. His mana system is still a bit unstable, and his body is weak, but it seems that all he needs now is good rest… and maybe some new clothes.”
He added as he remembered the bloody ghost he saw when he entered the room.
“Vern did it…”
Crimo mumbled in disbelief and then sighed heavily. It felt as if a great baggage was taken off his shoulders. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then said:
“Please make sure it’s kept a secret. We can’t let anyone know that Vern recovered.”
“Yes, I suspected that much, so I came here in secret.”
“Yes, excellent…”
Crimo’s words blurred at the end, as he fell into thoughts, probably thinking how to ensure his younger brother's safety.
Sangria decided to remind him about an important issue, before he ventured any further into his thoughts:
“My Lord, what about Young Lady Hibis?”
“Ah!”
Crimo’s eyes opened wide, as if he remembered only now.
“That… I’ll inform her myself, don’t worry about it and keep Vern safe. Don’t let him do anything stupid.”
“As you command.”
Sangria bowed and then left Crimo’s office.
He could hear the faint sound of a pencil scrubbing against paper. This time it sounded just a little more energetic than previously.
As he sneaked through dark corridors, back to Vern’s room, he thought:
‘Lord Crimo didn’t ask how Young Master Vern did it… that much is expected, as I didn’t elaborate on that either.’
In mage’s society it was basic courtesy to not dig deeper into someone’s magic secrets unless they themselves offered to disclose it.
Of course, it was a rule that wasn’t well adhered to, but one should at least pretend.
‘You can’t berate a cat for eating a fish if you put it in front of him…’
Sangria mumbled to himself as he remembered the young master, who didn’t even seem to try to come up with an excuse.
He obviously couldn’t contain his curiosity when not only Vern come up with a method to lift the curse that tormented him for the last ten years, he also seemed to turn into a different person.
‘His mannerism didn’t change but…’
If Sangria had to describe it, it felt as if a bucket, which contained little will to live, was suddenly overflowing.
The desires that weren’t there were suddenly burning like the sun.
He wanted to see what that sun planned to burn.