P. 8
He was tired from all the running and slumped down to lie on the gra.s.s near the riverbank and mumbled with a sigh. It had been three days since he left Scotland , London was far away even with his speed which was his pride and specialty. “ Lydia , what was she thinking in going off without telling me?”
And he heard that she was even hired as a fairy doctor in London and it would be quite some time before she was going to return, but he could only reply that she had to be joking.
However, if it was the earl who had the power to have fairies yield to him, then there shouldn’t be any need to hire a fairy doctor.
“I will definitely find her.”
“A white moon, the queen’s white moon, a moon for the dear bridegroom….”
Curious, he lifted up his body and transformed into a beautifully handsome young man.
“Hey, young lady, you sure are in a good mood.”
“I’m trying to head to London , do you know if this is the right way?”
“I’m happy for you all. So, what kind of moon were you talking about in that song you were just singing?”
“Don’t be kidding. There is no way you can get the real moon.”
“Wow, how rare. Let me take a look.”
Since the tiny fairy was in such a good mood, it didn’t pay extra caution and pulled out a ring that had a milky, white s.h.i.+nning ‘moon’ attached to it and handed it to him.
P. 10
“Of course.”
He smiled back at her as he handed back the ring.
“Uh-huh, take care.”
“What a dull-headed fairy.”
He opened the palm of his hand and there was the ‘moon’ ring resting in his hand.
The place that Paul Foreman, who was wearing the best clothes he could rent, was stepping inside a place for the first time was a salon that was open to the fas.h.i.+onable social circles.
P. 11
The numerous paintings that were being hanged up on display in the s.p.a.cious hall were in the currently popular styles and were selected one after another by the Royal Academy . All shared a central theme on being based on a romantic story, and the design of the early period of the Renaissance was delicate and graceful with a fragile beauty and was hailed as befitting to the reign of England ’s beautiful Majesty the Queen.
However, as of the moment, there wasn’t any gentlemen who stopped to stand in front of his painting.
More than that, Paul’s attention was hooked onto something else inside the salon.
He had the picturesque beauty that could blur over the beautiful men and women in the paintings. When he moved, the air around that area also moved. It was like the light was following where he was going, making the shadows move as well.
P. 12
He reminded him of someone. It was like he was the future grown-up image of a young boy from his memories.
“Paul, what are you daydreaming about. This is your chance.”
The art dealer quickly pulled him. When the two of them came up to the young man, the art dealer spoke up in a deferential gesture like an art dealer would.
The name of the young earl, who was the hot subject of the ton’s gossip, was Edgar Ashenbert. He was said to have returned from overseas just this spring.
“Yes. The motif is the fairy queen from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.”
It wasn’t the power of the painting. Paul was surprised to learn that just having the earl gaze at it, it made the painting seem like it was starting to radiate a glowing light.
P. 13
It even gave the illusion like there was the faint aroma of a flower that was drifting out from the painting.
“Isn’t this theme a perfect match for my lord?” said the n.o.blewoman wearing a blue dress.
“Why, of course, the lord earl would know more about fairies than anyone in the ton. Even I, myself had chosen the best piece of work from the numerous paintings of fairies.”
The earl who was said to run an estate in the world of fairies looked over to Paul and gave him a pleasant smile.
He worried if it was the foolish attempt to try to win the favor of the earl. Though feeling a bit of diffidence, Paul was nudged by the art dealer’s elbow and so he managed to give his greetings as best as he could.
“Do you frequently do fairy paintings?”
“Have you seen one?”
He was being asked if he ever witnessed a fairy before. However, Paul was taken aback and confused if that question was a joke or serious.
“My lord, it isn’t nice of you to play fun with an innocent artist,” said the n.o.blewoman.
“If you saw you can see them, then I’ll will say I’ll believe them.”
“How flattering.”
The art dealer badgered him on from behind to hurry up and appeal his art more, but Paul was born an inarticulate man.
P. 15
“I would like to see some of your other works, Mr. Foreman.”
“Have you taken a liking to it?” Pus.h.i.+ng aside Paul who had gone frozen at the unexpected turn of events, the art dealer clambered forward.
“Oh, my, that sure is inexcusable. Is she your lover?”
“Impossible, I couldn’t believe it.”
“There is no way you wouldn’t be able to understand a woman’s feelings?”
“If you are all right with me, then I would be more than happy to.”
Paul thought that he reminded him of that boy. But, once he talked to him, his impression was completely different.
P. 16
If you sleep under a grafted apple tree, or imp tree, fairies will capture and take you away.
And like that, those who disappeared are said to become the bride or bridegroom of a fairy.
This butler of the Earl family was sitting behind a desk in one of the rooms of the earl residence and sealing one invitation after another that were stacked up on his desk.
For the present-day Britons, that name was only a figurative character from a fantasy novel that was written in the 16th century, but those who knew, knew that figure was modeled after the earl family ancestor.
Lydia was also helping out with sealing the envelopes as she was enjoying a conversation about fairies with Tomkins.
The bloodline of Lord Blue Knight, who was said to possess magical powers as the lord of the fairy lands long ago, had perished. However, in Tomkin’s family who had served the Blue Knight Earl, generation after generation, they were episodes of the earl relating to fairies that were also pa.s.sed down.
“It seemed like he nearly had to make his vows. But the earl knew of a magical spell. Using that, he managed to be released and returned safely back to the human realm.”
“Oh, is that true? Just what one can expect from a fairy doctor.”
A fairy doctor is a specialist in fairies and was able to see and talk with fairies. They even knew the traditional and proper way to socialize and deal with fairies that was nearly forgotten in the present-day 19th century.
Taking over after her deceased mother, Lydia had just started this job, and she was still an inexperienced fledgling, but she thought she had the motivation and pride of an expert.
P. 18
“Oh, Mr. Tomkins, you don’t know it?”
“I’m also curious. Tell me too, Lydia.”
“Tomkins, this is list of additional guests, all right.”
“Most likely. Will the food preparations make it in time?”
Tomkins took the unreasonable challenge that was thrown at him by Edgar like he was picking up the gauntlet. Well, undertook, really. It seemed like he thought saying ‘I can’t do it’ would be like waving a white flag as a butler.
But, Tomkins preparation was even more faster than that, so Lydia was surprised in awe.
What, gasped Lydia, stopping to pause in her task of sealing the invitations.
“Don’t worry, it isn’t just peers that will be attending.”
“And, besides, there isn’t going to be a need for acting formal. This isn’t a royal ball. Oh, yes, d.u.c.h.ess Masefield, you remember meeting her at the Opera house, right? The d.u.c.h.ess said she wished to talk to you about fairies again. Now that I think about it, did you know that her husband, the duke was cousins of your father’s teacher?”
Even if her father was renowned as a scholar and accepted for his peculiarities, his daughter shouldn’t be allowed to act improperly in front of a peer member that was connected to him.
“But, I don’t know how to dance.”
Huh?
“And, so, Lydia, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Was what she really wanted to scream out, but with Edgar in front of her smiling like that, Lydia was left with her mouth open and lost the will to speak.
“…..Why.”
He said it a matter of factedly, looking straight into her eyes, but Lydia could only feel like he was joking around with her.
Of course, Edgar didn’t have any knowledge in regards to fairies even though he obtained the t.i.tle of earl of the fairy world and there was a certain background to that matter.
The seventeen-year-old girl who lived in the outskirts of Scotland, couldn’t possibly refuse it after she received the official stamp of approval by her Majesty the Queen, and so, she finally had gotten used to having an office in a n.o.bleman’s grand house and living in the great city of London in these past three months.
He would speak sweet, heart-melting words to every single woman he met. He was a man who use his gifted looks and with his calculative mind to play himself up to appear as appealing as he could.
P. 21
She also knew that those words of Edgar that sounds so appealing to the ears was only just his means to get what he desired from people.
If it was his wish to simply want to take around and show off a rare girl who was a fairy doctor, then it should be good time that he would grow tired of it.
“Moon spell?”
“Miss. Carlton, it that the magical spell that was said to be used by the Blue Knight Earl?”
“I see, since fairies are known for being loyal to the promises they make. So, our lord was also set free from captivity thanks to that.”
P. 22
“I’m persistent, so I won’t give up that easily. I’ll do anything I have to in order to present you with the moon.”
“…..I meant that you should only say that to your main love interest.”
You mean the woman who is in front of you at the time.
“Eh….”
“You said you wished it would work on me as well. Who did you ward off?”
“So, you were proposed by a fairy.”
“I feel like I was beaten ahead. So there was another man besides me who fell in love with you that much.”
P. 23
P. 24
“Huh?”
“Of course there wasn’t! They were all creeped out by me because I was always hanging around with fairies. I received something near a love letter from a boy only once. And that was only a dare that was going on in his group of friends!”
There was no need to say what actually happened to him.
Sure, there could be cases like that, but she couldn’t believe that it was the same in her case. Only, Lydia was amazed that Edgar didn’t laugh at her story.
But, she was confused at herself for being relieved at not being laughed.
When their eyes met, she didn’t know what to do and was perturbed. And yet, in the calm part of her mind, she reminded herself that he would use this same trick on anyone to deceive them.
P. 25
She imagined that he really knew that Lydia wouldn’t be drawn to him however smooth he could talk.
Or, was that just Lydia’s imagination?
“But, you know, I actually want to thank the fact that there were only clumsy boys around you.”
Perhaps that could have been why Lydia couldn’t really build up the strength to fight it.
The voice that interrupted was Raven’s.
Left with no choice, Edgar let his hands go of Lydia to turn over towards Raven.
Is that really something that should be the first thing to teach?
I see, said Edgar as he furrowed his eyebrows. For one thing, Raven wasn’t telling a joke. Before he met Edgar, he was trained not to have any emotion and was said to be treated like a tool, so it must be difficult for him to take a hint.
“That depends on the time and situation. You have to adapt to the circ.u.mstances…. Oh, no, it’s all right, since you were able to decide that Lydia was troubled just now.”
“So, Slade you say….., ahh, that art dealer. Open it. It’s good timing. I was wanting to show it to Lydia.”
Despite herself, Lydia leaned it to look at it closer.
P. 27
“It was done by a young painter, but I took a liking to it.”
“Now, I didn’t mean the artist but the painting. I thought this fairy queen looked like you, so I wanted to keep it by my hand it at all costs.”
“There’s nothing about her that looks like me.”
There he goes again.
“I know, let’s have the painter make a painting with you as the model. It would be the most fitting to hang in this house.”
“You just have to sit in a relaxing position. It’s a great idea. If it was you in a painting, then you wouldn’t be angered if I kiss you, right?”
P. 28
“St-stop it!”
“Why?”
“It’s not like I was going to use it for an obscene reason.”
“Were you imagining something more than a kiss?”
“Oh, I’m not your toy. Making me to learn how to dance and telling me to be a model, if you can’t give me the moon, then it’s all impossible!”
However, it would never work on Edgar, as he was looking at her amusingly as he could be.
“What, I’m going to practice with him?”
“Yes.”
You have to be joking.
It wasn’t like he hated him as a person, but anyone would want to stay away from any possibilities that might spark the blood-thirsty killer in him that he said was difficult to control himself.
It looked like the moon spell had the opposite affect on Edgar.
Quadrille, Waltz and Gallop. Lydia was completely confused and struggling hard with the first steps of the dances she was learning for the first time.
P. 30
“I-I’m sorry…”
He never uttered a word of pain, and he didn’t show it in his expression, but in that small moment of breath, Lydia was sure he was angry.
And, because she was thinking of something unrelated, she made another mistake.
The dance teacher who guided them as he played with a violin was a thin man. He spoke with an excessively high-pitched voice.
The one who was relieved at the teacher’s suggestion was probably Raven more than Lydia.
“Whoa, now, Lydia, what are you doing?”
“Can’t you guess by looking, I was dancing.”
Instead of being angered at Nico’s wry comments, she grew depressed by thinking he was right.
“It was more like a lethal weapon than a dance.”
“Don’t be bothered. If it was a task ordered by the Lord Earl, then he would take it on even if it was torture.”
“Uh….., excuse me.”
“Ah, I’d forgotten. Lydia, is the earl here?”
“This young lady says she has business with the earl.”
“It is my pleasure to meet you, Fairy doctor.”
“Yes, please call me Marygold.”
“What kind of business do you have with the earl?”
From her polite att.i.tude and the relief of hearing that she was a harmless fae species, Lydia nodded without giving it much deep thought.
“I am not very good at it.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not able to transform into an adult.”
“I think that should be all right. Ah, I still have dance practice, so, Nico, you lead the way.”
P. 33
The fairy instantly turned back to her small form and grabbed onto Nico’s tail.
Pressed on by the teacher, Lydia once again stood in front of Raven.
The teacher started to clap to a beat. Mixed by that rhythm, the tiny fairy’s voice reached her ears as she was about to leave with Nico.
What?
Could that fairy be the messenger of that queen?
If so, and Edgar ends up accepting that, then it means he would have to marry a fairy.
“Miss. Carlton, watch out.”
She tried to push him away, but stepped on the hem of her skirt and went falling forward.
She crashed into Raven and the both of them toppled over, making her completely squash him under her.
“Oww….., ah, s-s-s, I’m so sorry, Raven. Clumsy me….”
“Ahh, are the two of you all right?”
Just then, Raven’s emotionless face that was right in front of Lydia as she was fumbling around slightly changed with a lift in his brow.
Uh-oh, he finally lost his patience?
She saw a flas.h.i.+ng image of Raven whipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out a knife. At that moment, she heard the railing voice of the teacher.
P. 35
What? Why does the dance teacher know about Prince?
“Nooooo!”
More than the heated noise that came after that, the scream that Lydia let out from seeing what had dropped in front of her eyes could have been louder.
It looked like the teacher escaped from the window leaving his finger behind that was cut off by Raven.
Ever since she came into the picture with Edgar, she was constantly fearing for her own safety.
To begin with, Edgar was in a position of escaping from a mysterious organization that had a man called Prince as its leader and it seemed like he was planning on starting a war with them.
P. 35
The thought that, maybe, I should resign, crossed her mind, but this was a decent job as a fairy doctor.
If she were to return to Scotland, she would be called a freak just like she had always been and would be waiting for job offers that may or may not come.
“Yes, he called me, Prince’s dog.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Then, why don’t you tell them that the two of you are also against Prince?”
“But, Lord Edgar, if they knew about me, then wouldn’t they know about Lord Edgar as well?”
“Yes, that could be so. Let’s take precautions, just in case.”
Not only that, she sensed the hint that he was planning his revenge against those who had their hand in tormenting him, but for the time being, he was in a joie de vivre, enjoying the new life that he won.
It was outrageous to have to be targeted by the enemies of their enemy.
She wasn’t sure what else she could do to help besides her job as a fairy doctor, but since she was involved in making Edgar become the earl, she hoped that he would contribute and nurture the earl family line.
P. 38
As she was running that through her mind, Lydia realized that Raven had his hand bandaged.
“I was just grazed.”
If it was Raven, normally, he wouldn’t get himself injured when he was going against just one man.
“Weigh on top? Well, now….. I think I’d like be the practice partner starting tomorrow.”
“If-if it was you, then I wouldn’t be able to practice calmly.”
“Huh….? That’s impossible! I hate how you have ulterior motives!”
Raven, who was requested for a reply, thought for a moment, and earnestly responded with “Probably.”
“Ahh, jeez! What are you asking! Stop it already!”
P. 39
“Since it would be embarra.s.sing for Lydia, tell me later in secret.”
“Don’t yes to that!”
Her mind was filled with disbelief.
At that moment, the butler appeared with a message.
Ahh. Edgar let out a voice similar to a sigh of breath.
“Certainly. Another thing, there is a small, young lady who is asking if the earl is not available to see her yet.”
Lydia remembered and raised her chin up. When she remembered her responsibility as a fairy doctor, her feelings of Edgar being unreasonable completely flew out of her mind.
“Oh, so she’s your acquaintance? I haven’t met her yet. Just when Tomkins came to notify me, we heard your scream.”
He gave her a questioning look, but he still nodded. After he sat down onto the sofa, he told the butler.
Miss Marygold had completely lost her energy from when she first came in with high spirits, appearing in quite a depressed manner.
“She said she couldn’t change to an older form than this.”
She doubted that. He seemed like the type to put on a good face even to an infant.
“My lord, I was entrusted from my lady to bring you the promised gift. It was the thing you desired when my lady had asked for your hand in marriage in the past.”
Edgar couldn’t catch what she meant and so Lydia explained.
“Ahh, that story you were talking about with Tomkins. ….So it was true. Which means, Miss Marygold, is your good lady a fairy queen?”
“Is she pretty?”
What are you getting enthusiastic about.
“But, is the queen as small as you too? Then, that’s difficult for me to get aroused.”
P. 42
“What, so your kind doesn’t have that kind of thing? Then, there’d be nothing for me to enjoy…..”
If she let the two of them talk, then things were going to get off-track. Lydia pinched his arm and interrupted the two of them.
“Yes. ……But it has….., been stolen!”
“Stolen you say? There sure are such evil miscreants. Young lady, would you please tell us of what happened? We may be able to be of some help….”
Lydia snapped at him and turned towards the small girl.
“Oh, no. We really did obtain the moon. Are you certain to say that the moon hanging in the sky is the real one? Because the moon that our majesty had found truly does changes its phases.”
P. 43
Lydia was desperately trying to evade this and send her back and yet Edgar was carelessly opening his mouth.
What Marygold took out, looked like an ordinary rock from any side of the road.
“It was stolen by a fairy? Then, it would be impossible for us humans to get it back.”
“I was stopped and talked to as I was heading on my way. Ahh, it was my fault to show the ‘moon’ at that time.”
“Oh, Marygold, isn’t there any way you can return back to your kind?”
“But, there is nothing you can do if it was stolen. I’m sure she would forgive you.”
“Create? That was something extremely rare, made by the miraculous power of mother nature….”
P. 44
“No, the moon is the moon, there exists only one moon on this earth.”
“Her queen isn’t a fairy of the moon, but more close to a fairy of the moon s.h.i.+ne. A group of small fairies like her kind are embodiments of the near-by field flowers or bugs or small animals and are personifications of something in the landscape. The highest among those fairies are usually a queen that represents the moon.”
Edgar went on and on in a terribly good mood.
Marygold lifted her tearful face up like she was a little relieved. She was a good-natured field fairy. Lydia decided that if it was something like that, then there shouldn’t be a problem.
P. 45
P. 46
Out of nowhere, Nico plumped down onto the table near-by. Nico twitched his whiskers and then rubbed his nose.
After he said that, he looked over to the small rock that was placed on top of the table.
“I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling. And, besides, this rock has mold on it.”
Lydia also had a slightly bad feeling.
“My lord, what shall we do about the forgotten item of the instructor.”
What he left behind: four fingers. The sight of that which was burnt into Lydia’s eyes, that unbearable memory flashed back into her mind.
Lydia saw the heartless side of Edgar in that instant, and in that moment, she had the dreadful feeling that everything was going to tumble to a bad direction, and she shook her head fiercely to shake that thought away.