A Thimble is an Oath of Purity
As to what a newly-weds’ family was like, of course even Lydia had a vague image of what it should be like.
From not knowing what love is to dreaming of getting married someday and building her own family, Lydia was just like any other young girl.
Because she had wanted to become a fine Fairy Doctor and had been advocating the existence of fairies, she had been treated as an oddball and distanced by men even as she came of age. But even so, she thought that if one day she would meet her one and only like her parents did, then she did not care even if she was turned away by men.
To have a small yet comfortable house, to send her husband off to work every morning with a smile. While leaving the cleaning and laundry to the maid, she would pay attention to ornaments inside the house and do some redecorations. Even if they could not be extravagant, she wanted to be particular with things such as the cloth, cus.h.i.+ons and the flowers decorating the rooms.
Certainly, it was the housewife’s job to think about the menu. After informing the cook of the dinner menu, she would use the extra time to knit a lap blanket.
Since the study can be chilly at night, he would definitely be happy.
For Lydia, because her father was the only man close to her, her image of her marriage partner was also a scholarly person. She had somehow thought that men are people who coop themselves up in a study.
But the current Lydia is leading a life of a newlywed which she had not even imagined.
What she should do as a wife was not to make the house comfortable but to dress up and be beautiful. To learn to be cultured and refined, and to socialize in accordance to social etiquette.
Even if she did not have any outings scheduled, manners and social life continued to follow her.
“Lady Lydia, I think it is about time you change your attire.”
Lydia’s lady attendant, Kelly, appeared in Lydia’s office.
Although it was an office for her as she continued her work as a Fairy Doctor even after marriage, there had not been many complicated consultations recently. She was just taking a short break after finis.h.i.+ng writing letters of thanks and greetings to other n.o.blewomen whom she was acquainted with in her spare time.
“Oh! It’s that time already?”
“Would you be changing here?”
“I’ll do that. Since there aren’t plans to go out today, I wonder if it’d be fine if I just left my hair like this.”
“Yes. Because the Master prefers it when My Lady lets your hair down.”
Kelly smiled gently while Lydia blushed a little.
It was probably because she had just gotten married, that she blushed at such a small thing. Lydia still did not understand how it felt like to be settled down as a married couple.
Everything was still confusing to her at the current moment.
There were dresses for mornings, afternoons and nights, which need to be appropriate depending on the time and location. Lydia had to get used to such a life of n.o.blewomen, in which it was natural for them to change attire multiple times a day, quickly.
For now, she was managing it somehow because of Kelly’s flawless help. It was all thanks to Kelly, who may be a year younger than Lydia, but was nonetheless a capable and enthusiastic lady attendant.
“How’s Edgar doing?”
“His friend is here for a long visit. It does not look like he will be leaving anytime soon.”
Speaking of the husband, the existence of which cannot be absent in a newlywed’s family, Edgar had been attending to his friend’s visitation since the morning, and seemed to be obsessed in the chess game.
Starting from there, marriage life differed from what Lydia imagined.
As the Earl, Edgar did not have a job and went about playing every day.
Certainly, to socialize is the job of the n.o.blemen, as their interests and hobbies grew their knowledge and the arts, as well as their culture. It was also the role of n.o.blemen to handle politics and diplomatic issues without any compensation.
Even as she understood it, it still felt odd to have a husband who had been enjoying games with his friend since the morning.
Though Lydia had married Edgar and became Lady Ashenbert, her senses as a commoner was not something that would come off easily.
Shortly after she changed from her relaxing loungewear into her afternoon dress, the cook came into her office.
“My Lady, for tonight’s dinner, would this be fine?”
The cook who was trained in France wrote the menu in French. Lydia was in the midst of trying to somehow read it.
Two soups, flounder cooked in Devil’s style*, salmon on bread with hollandaise sauce, stewed oxtail, lamb cutlet, duck with puree and pineapple sauce…
The list still continued but she gave up reading halfway.
Even if it was not a banquet, this was what a dinner for just the two of them would be every day.
Because the cook at the Earl household was skilled enough to cook for royalty, Lydia was in no position to comment on his work.
Although perusing the menu everyday was Lydia’s role, the Earl household was not one in which she could voice out her desire to eat Scottish home cooked meals, nor was it possible for she herself to whip up simple dishes.
“Yes, please go ahead.”
As she watched the cook leave satisfyingly, Lydia thought deeply about how marriage did not seem to be turning out as she imagined.
Shortly after she let out a sigh, it was the butler Tomkins who appeared this time.
“My Lady, I found the Lord’s vest’s b.u.t.ton.”
“Really? That’s great! Both of us tried very hard to search for it yesterday but we couldn’t find it.”
“By the way, now it’s the vest which I can’t find.”
“Oh, if it’s that I have it here with me. I’ll get started with mending it right now…”
As she reached out towards the vest which had been left on the sofa, the butler gently stopped her.
“Oh, no. The maids can handle that sort of thing, so please don’t hold back from instructing them.”
Tomkins provided guidance on many things while being considerate towards Lydia, who had not led a life surrounded by a large number of servants. While Lydia, who had just gotten married, was grateful towards this, she also felt that it should be fine for her to replace a simple b.u.t.ton even though she knew that this was the job of servants.
She remembered how her mother often mended her father’s coat. And how during those times, her mother had a serene smile on her face.
“Is it fun mending clothes?”
“This is special, and different from the sewing which the tutor gave as homework.”
But Lydia married into the Earl family. She cannot be doing redundant things and causing the maids to lose their jobs.
“Th-that’s right. Then I’ll leave it to them.”
“Lady Lydia, if you are bored, how about doing some knitting? There is the knitting wool which we bought from the market the other day.”
As she said that, Kelly took out a basket with knitting wool from the closet.
It was a beautiful smoky green coloured knitting wool which she bought at the market as it caught her eye.
I see, if it’s knitting, then I would not be robbing the maids of their jobs, and it’d probably not be something that goes against the hobbies of ladies.
But. She had bought it on impulse when she thought that it was a colour that would match Edgar, but if she were to think carefully, there were not many things which Lydia could knit.
“Hey Raven, do you think Edgar would use a lap blanket?”
She tried asking the valet Raven, who happened to enter the room. Because Raven understood his master’s daily matters more than anyone else.
“There shouldn’t be a room which is that cold in this mansion.”
As Raven had declared so emotionlessly, Lydia had no choice but to force a stiff smile.
That’s right. Because here, there is no need to save on the firewood.
“My Lady… please don’t let it bother you. If it’s about making the Master happy, there are many other ways.”
Kelly comforted Lydia while she glared at Raven secretly, but obviously Raven did not mind or notice Lydia’s disappointment. Lydia quietly hid the basket with the knitting wool behind the cus.h.i.+on.
Raven, with his usual perfectly emotionless expression, placed a small box on top of the table.
“This is a present from Lord Edgar. He told me that he did not manage to pa.s.s it to you last night when he handed it over to me earlier.”
It was probably because the chess game would not be ending anytime soon that Edgar specifically asked Raven to pa.s.s the message.
Even after they got married, Edgar would give her small presents like this when he felt like it. This was not because he was a n.o.ble, but because he was a natural Don Juan… no because he was a person who was diligent in being considerate towards ladies.
Of course Lydia was happy, but in this case she couldn’t help but wonder what she could do for him.
Raven left the moment he finished his job. Perhaps because Kelly thought that she wanted to enjoy Edgar’s gift in private, Kelly left quietly as well. Lydia reached out to the small box which was wrapped in a lovely piece of cloth.
When she opened the lid, she saw that there was a white thimble inside.
A must-have for sewing, thimbles had been a charm as well as a toy to girls since they were small. Lydia also had a few thimbles which she received from her mother.
But what Lydia had before her eyes now was a thimble which was clearly different. She wondered if it was made of ivory. There were fine carvings on the small cup-like portion which was placed over the finger.
It’s a scenery of a forest. The deers were running about in the overlapping shades and the birds were flying about. It was a luscious forest, one in which she could almost hear the rustling of trees.
“It’s wonderful, how beautiful.”
Lydia sighed and fixed her eyes at the immensely intricate carvings.
Seeing as how splendid this was, it probably wasn’t cheap. The unique texture made her feel how seasoned the item was. She wondered if it was an antique.
Even so, a thimble would have no practical use here. Lydia heard that amongst the wealthy ladies, they had a hobby of collecting and admiring ornamental thimbles decorated with enamel and jewels, so this thimble was probably for admiring purposes.
It was something meant for ladies who do not need to sew. Lydia felt that it was a pity for the thimble to be given to her, a person who cannot become like a lady.
Having said that, it was also not as if Lydia particularly liked to sew. It was just that she wanted to do something for Edgar.
She wondered whether she just wanted to feel that she was really married by doing something like a normal wife would.
Because she was absent-minded, she ended up dropping the thimble when she tried to return it to the box.
She chased after the rolling thimble anxiously, but it still went beneath the sofa which was against the wall.
“Oh no.”
As she sighed, she somehow managed to push the sofa aside. But she couldn’t find the thimble. Instead, she found a small door which seemed to be hiding at the back of the sofa.
It seemed like the thimble had rolled through the s.p.a.ce underneath the door and went further inside.
“I wonder if a door had existed in a place like this.”
She did not remember and could not figure out its purpose.
Regardless, she opened the door, the size of which she could barely pa.s.s through when she bent down, and peered in. Although it appeared that there was something like a staircase connected, she couldn’t see well because it was dark.
It happened when she tried to peer in deeper. Just as she felt as though she was suddenly sucked in, together with the sense that the sky and earth had inverted, her vision went completely dark.
“That hurt….”
As she rubbed her back which got hit with the momentum of her tumble, Lydia somehow managed to sit up.
She was dizzy as her head was still spinning. Even so, as she hurriedly looked around at her surroundings, she found herself seated down within a dense forest.
She was surrounded by tall trees. Perhaps it was because the overlapping canopies had blocked out the sky, her surroundings were dim. The gra.s.s on the ground were warm and moist, so she felt that the surroundings were humid, as though she was enveloped by the transpiration of plants.
“What’s going on? Where is this…?”
No matter how she thought about it, she was probably not in the human realm. Yet it was also different from the air of the fairy realm which Lydia knew.
Though she would struggle to answer what and how exactly it was different if she were questioned, this place felt narrow and enclosed, exactly like how it’d feel if she was in a hole. The fact that it was dark and she couldn’t see the depths of the forest well also compounded the impression that she’d probably run into a dead end no matter which direction she went towards.
Even so, there was only one direction in which light vaguely floated amongst the trees. Although she was unsure if the faint white mist-like thing was truly light, Lydia unconsciously tried to head towards that direction.
“That’s right, where’s the thimble?”
She suddenly recalled and stopped in her tracks.
If she had also fallen into the same location as the thimble, then it should be somewhere around.
Thinking that it was something Edgar went through the trouble of buying for her, Lydia bent down towards her feet once more.
As she fixed her gaze towards the gra.s.s, she saw something pale white luminescing. It was very similar to the light she could see in the depths of the forest, but as she approached it she saw that it was that thimble.
“That’s great, I found it.”
As she felt relieved and picked it up, she heard a voice behind her.
“Excuse me. Are you the new owner of that?”
When Lydia turned around, a young girl wearing medieval clothes stood right beside her. The old fas.h.i.+oned clothes made Lydia feel that this girl was someone from a long time ago and was no longer alive.
The girl, who appeared to be about fifteen years in age and probably a person of some stature, looked at Lydia with eyes as though she was clinging on to Lydia.
“Yes but who are you?”
“The previous owner.”
I see. There were instances when a previous owner’s thoughts would remain on something old.
“But, it wasn’t mine to begin with. Because I wanted to return it to the original owner, I had been calling out each time it changed hands, but no one had noticed either this place or me…”
The young girl’s mature troubles, which were not compatible with her youth, had spread onto her melancholic expression.
“You’re the first.”
That was probably because Lydia was a Fairy Doctor. It was not rare for Lydia to cross the boundaries between the human realm and the spiritual realm unknowingly.
The young girl’s soul probably remained by the thimble as her soul manifested into her strong wish of wanting to return the thimble to its owner. And so, she pulled Lydia into this realm with the strength of that wish.
“Would you please grant me my wish? That was something which was forcibly s.n.a.t.c.hed from the original owner in the first place. I am fully aware that the thimble now belongs to you, but I had been waiting for hundreds of years so that I can somehow return it to that person.”
The young girl who entreated Lydia so, became teary-eyed as though she thought that Lydia was the only one she could cling on to.
“Don’t cry. It’ll be alright. It’s not as if I do not want to give this thimble up. I’ll help if it is something within my means.”
The moment those words left her lips, Lydia felt worried about whether she had been too unguarded towards something of unknown origin, but she couldn’t imagine that the young girl had malicious intent.
As if she was relieved, the young girl smiled with a blush.
“It’s great…, that the new owner is a young lady like yourself… Because there were many times when the thimble landed on the hands of missuses, which were also a source of worry for me.”
“Eh… but I’m married.”
The moment Lydia said that out of surprise, the young girl’s wide-opened eyes became clouded with disappointment.
“Oh no… If so, you would be unable to get close to that person.”
“Why can’t missuses do?”
“Because that person will only get close to people who are pure. If he realizes that you are not a virgin, you’d be in danger.”
“Danger?”
“That person has sharp claws. If a human who is not a virgin gets close to it, he’d probably tear her apart with those claws.”
“Is it such a fearsome magical creature?”
“No, I do not know of any other existence which is as gentle and loving as he.”
As Lydia gazed at the young girl who shook her head sideways vigorously, Lydia noticed something. Hidden by her black hair, Lydia caught a glimpse of a red ripped wound which extended from the young girl’s neck to her chest.
Taken aback, Lydia shuddered. The young girl pressed against the bosom area of her dress in panic, but because the wound was so deep, it was etched onto Lydia’s mind. It was clear that that was the wound which led to the young girl’s demise.
“Everything was my fault. It was because even though I had a husband, I hid that fact to get close to that person, and went to meet him countless times…”
Although that was unexpected, it should also not have been rare for girls to get married at fourteen, fifteen years old until a short time ago. This was especially so if it had been a political marriage, in which girls were married off while they were still very young. This may had been the case for this young girl as well.
But that was not the problem.
If she had hid the fact that she was married and gotten close…
“Were you killed by that creature…?”
The young girl’s figure suddenly trembled at Lydia’s words.
Even as she became dimmer, as if she was dissolving into the darkness of the forest, the young girl shook her head sideways desperately.
“No, this is my sin. I want to atone for it… I want to return the thimble to him and atone for my sins.”
With her fair and translucent finger, she pointed towards the depths of the forest. In the direction where it looked like white mist floated.
“It’s that creature over there?”
This time, the young girl’s finger was pointed at the thimble Lydia held.
“That is connected to that person by magic which cannot be severed. But, if you are a missus, then I cannot expose you to danger…”
“Hey, it should be fine if he doesn’t realize that I’m a missus right?”
‘That person’ did not realize that the young girl was already married. Wouldn’t it be alright if it did not realize that Lydia was also married for that one moment when she returns the thimble?
“Because I had deceived him once, he has been very cautious ever since…”
The young girl’s words couldn’t be heard any further, as her figure had also vanished like smoke dispersed by wind.
The young girl was an existence based on thoughts to begin with. She was probably unable to maintain the same form as when she was alive for long.
By the time she realized it, Lydia was standing in her own office.
As she thought, there was a small door by the wall and on her finger, was a white thimble.
*
Please read this chapter at Daydream Translations
“Give it up Lydia, I say, you should sell away such a strange thimble.”
Nico, who was seated on the desk, said so while crossing his legs and swaying his tufty tail widely. He stole a glance at the small door which had grown out of the wall as if it was something sinister. Lydia closed an old leather bound book shut, rested her chin in her hands and glanced at her fairy cat partner.
“If I were to do that, then who would fulfil that young girl’s wish? We wouldn’t know when the thimble would be pa.s.sed on to someone who could actually hear her voice.”
“It’s foolish of you to risk danger for someone who had died a long time ago.”
That may be the case but it was just Lydia to be unable to abandon someone who relied on her. While it’s different from the usual helping of a person in distress, since it involved an existence in the spiritual realm, Lydia thought that as a Fairy Doctor, that was all the more reason why she ought to help.
“Even so, I wonder what kind of species does a magical creature which uses a thimble belong to.”
Nico picked up the thimble which Lydia had placed on the desk with both hands. As he observed the thimble closely, his whiskers twitched unconsciously.
“If we’re talking about something which likes needlework, could it be something like a leprechaun?”
“Small kind fairies do not have claws that could tear people apart.”
Since a while ago, Lydia had been looking up on what kind of person would the initial owner of the thimble be.
She thought that if it was connected to the thimble by magic then it should certainly be a creature with a deep affinity to needlework, yet such fairies were mostly species which were small.
On top of that, if one wasn’t a virgin one would not be able to get close to it?
Lydia, who was deep in her thoughts, noticed a hand placed on her shoulder, and hurriedly tried to turn around.
“You’re extremely devoted towards your work.”
Bright blonde hair softly drew close to her eyes.
“To think that you didn’t notice me no matter how many times I called out to you.”
Just as she thought that his voice was whispered into her ears, she felt his lips against her cheeks.
“Edgar…”
It was the elegant figure of a beautiful young man who was reflected in Lydia’s golden green eyes. His pa.s.sionate ash mauve eyes were so beautiful that she unwittingly gazed into them.
Before their marriage, she was unable to look at him properly in the eye like this. Although she still felt slightly shy, she came to think that it was fine for her to gaze at him.
“Those awful friends of mine finally went off. I’m sorry I made you feel bored.”
“No, not at all. Many things happened since this morning, and even now I am investigating into someth…”
It was the truth and Lydia who had replied cheerfully thought that it would have been better for Edgar to spend time with his friends without a worry. However, Edgar placed his index finger against Lydia’s lips, as if he wanted to interrupt Lydia’s words.
“It’s alright even if it’s a lie, but won’t you tell me something like without me, you were nearly bored to death?”
“Ah…”
I did it again.
Lydia would somehow just miss the point to make Edgar happy.
However, as he looked at Lydia who was depressed, Edgar smiled happily.
“I was joking. But Lydia, at the very least, please do not chase me out now by saying that you are busy.”
Lydia, who did think a little about wanting to concentrate on what she was investigating, faltered. Edgar, who had probably seen through her, flashed a teasing smile and just as Lydia thought he was helping her up as he pulled her hands, she fell into his arms.
He embraced Lydia, who was unable to move, without restraint, and entwined his fingers in her hair.
“There shouldn’t be any work you need to rush isn’t it? Since I’m the one who decides on that.”
“Edgar, hang on…”
Lydia, who was thinking that Nico was watching, tried to distance herself from him, but he appeared to be enjoying that and embraced her tighter.
Lydia tried to resist further and just when she was getting desperate, Edgar released the strength in his arms. As a result, the two of them stumbled and fell onto the sofa.
“That’s dangerous.”
“That’s because you let go of your hands suddenly!”
While it was good that he tried to help her up, the moment she thought that her body had floated lightly, Edgar had seated her on his lap.
After they got married, Lydia experienced first-hand Edgar’s abilities as a lady-killer. She had found him to be quite high-handed before that, but now she realized how much he must have held back in reality.
Because she would end up the way he wanted if he came within one yard of her, she had no choice but to give up.
“Are you pleased with the present?”
“Eh, yes…”
“An acquaintance who was an antique dealer showed me that. It was quite a lucky find wasn’t it? The craftsmans.h.i.+p is fabulous and I thought that it’d be something you like.”
When his finger which had been stroking her cheeks, moved naturally and lined up against her chin, the distance with him shrank suddenly. Lydia was in a situation where she could only close her eyes.
But the current Lydia could not do so.
That’s right, that thimble. I need to return it to the original owner somehow.
“Hey, wait.”
As she panicked, Lydia pushed against his shoulder with both hands.
“Why?”
“Erm, I’m sorry, but I want you to stop with the kisses for some time.”
Although she had thought a lot about how she would deliver the thimble, at the current moment, this was the only thing that came to her mind.
She would pretend to be a virgin. Since she had to deceive a magical presence, it would probably be better for her not to let it sense the presence of a man.
“How long is ‘some time’?”
“Erm, about two weeks?”
She tried to say something random.
“I’m not allowed to kiss your lips for such a long time?”
Then, it’s fine if I were to kiss here? Edgar gestured so by sliding his finger tip towards her bosom from above her dress.
Lydia resisted having nearly let out a scream. She had come to be able to tell herself that this was her husband and not a pervert, but if it was outside their private room, she couldn’t help but be conscious of people’s eyes.
“Erm, that too, for some time… can’t we sleep in separate rooms?”
The moment she said that, Edgar furrowed his brows deeply. Suddenly, he had a serious expression on his face and he peered into Lydia’s eyes.
“Lydia, please tell me honestly. What about me do you not like?”
“It’s not that I …”
“Was it because I didn’t extinguish the lights the other time? I understand, from now on, I’ll do as you say.”
“Edgar, erm..”
“I’m fine with trying the modest methods recommended by the church. But even you prefer how we usually express our love for each other much more…”
“Seriously! Hear me out properly!”
Lydia unintentionally raised her voice as she wanted to stop Edgar from going out of control. Edgar didn’t have a sense of shame.
“Hey Earl, it’s not that simple. The problem Lydia is facing came from you bringing something unnecessary in.”
Perhaps because he was exasperated, Nico interrupted while throwing a sideway glance at them.
“What did you say?”
Thanks to that, Lydia was released from Edgar. Finally, she was able to position herself at a distance at which she could have a proper conversation with Edgar.
“Edgar, the thing is, the thimble you gave me has a bit of a story that comes with it.”
After she finished telling Edgar the whole story, Edgar let out a sigh as he folded his arms.
“No, I can’t let you go.”
“That’s right Earl. Stop Lydia firmly.”
Nico agreed as well, but...
“Obviously I can’t bear with it for two whole weeks!”
Declared Edgar with an outrageously serious expression as he raised his elegant brows.
“That’s your reason?”
“Of course I can’t allow Lydia to do dangerous things either. Let’s return the thimble to the antique dealer.”
“No we can’t. If we did that then that girl won’t ever rest in peace.”
“I won’t be able to continue living if something untoward were to happen to you.”
Although this wasn’t the first day for Edgar to exaggerate things, it was also not as if Lydia herself wanted to meet with danger.
“That’s why I’m saying that, to err on the side of caution, let’s keep a distance for a while.”
“But there isn’t any guarantee that that would fool the creature isn’t it? If something untoward happened to you even as I bore with it, I’m the one who won’t be able to rest in peace.”
That was the point that Edgar was persistently fixated over. That being said, Lydia also became defiant as she couldn’t let go of her own persistence.
“Then you don’t have to bear with it. If so, I can go right?”
“What did you say? Lydia, if you put it that way, it’s as if I’m some l.u.s.tful narrow-minded man with that as my sole objective.”
“That’s exactly the case isn’t it.”
At the moment when Nico muttered that...
“Erm, can’t I be of service?”
Kelly opened the door quietly.
“I’m sorry that I overheard your conversation. But if that’s the case then I think that everything will be resolved if I deliver the thimble.”
Edgar unfolded his arms and walked towards Kelly smilingly.
“I see, it should be safe if it’s you.”
*
As she pa.s.sed through the small door in the wall behind the sofa, Kelly found herself standing in the midst of a deep forest.
“Hehhh, I’m impressed. It may be a closed-off world but it’s perfect. Seems like this thimble has pretty strong magic.”
The grey coloured cat at Kelly’s feet said so while standing on two feet.
“Mr. Nico, does this mean that its owner also possesses strong magic?”
“Probably. In any case, let’s go.”
Even as he said so, Nico embraced his tufty tail in both hands and tried to hide himself behind Raven.
Lydia had insisted on coming along as she was worried for Kelly, but because Edgar just wouldn’t consent to it, Kelly’s chaperone became Nico and Raven.
Kelly, who found it difficult to handle Raven who was not only emotionless and unfathomable but also someone difficult to strike up a conversation with, in all honesty wanted to reject him as a chaperone.
But according to Lydia, it seemed like the creature had made a mistake in judging whether someone was a pure maiden. In other words, that meant that it was possible for it to attack even real virgins.
Once she heard that, she felt uneasy about approaching the magical creature alone.
Raven, who handled his job as a valet easily and was also a faithful bodyguard to the earl, was in any case skilled. As long as she bore with the fact that his character was difficult to deal with, he should be someone rea.s.suring to have as a chaperone.
Raven stood at the front of the party and stepped forth without hesitation. Kelly also braced herself as she grasped the ivory thimble tightly and advanced towards the depths of the forest.
They walked towards the vague floating white light which they heard about. As the branches which overlapped repeatedly over each other made the forest dark and it was extremely silent without even the sound of the wind, they felt keenly that this wasn’t a forest from the real world.
Kelly had volunteered herself for the sake of the married couple who were her masters, but to a normal young girl like her who had not experienced the world of fairies before she knew Lydia, the surroundings alone were enough to make her legs nearly freeze from fear.
“Ms. Kelly, are you truly a virgin?”
At that moment, Raven said that abruptly.
“Wh-…”
Kelly, who was at a loss for words, felt her face turning hot from the anger and embarra.s.sment welling up bit by bit.
“Wh-…..What do you mean by that?”
“Since you are well-informed about married life to the extent of knowing many ways to please a husband, I thought you would have experience in that area.”
“I do not! That… In any case, it is part of the duty of a lady attendant to be attentive towards the relations.h.i.+p of the married couple.”
Kelly had reb.u.t.ted so vigorously that her braids could have stood on its ends, but Raven had seemingly doubted her openly, and spoke up plainly again.
“If you are hiding the truth, it’d be troubling for me if you do not come clean now. As I’ve been ordered to protect you, I need to be mentally prepared.”
“Hey Raven, this isn’t something you ask ladies directly. Moreover, Kelly is a virtuous woman.”
As expected of a cat… no a fairy who proclaims himself to be a gentleman, Nico was much more polite.
“Ex- exactly! How rude!”
Raven, who had been looking at Kelly with composed eyes, finally relaxed his questioning gaze.
“… I understand. If Mr. Nico says so.”
Only Mr. Nico has credibility?
As I thought, this person is hard to deal with. Kelly, who thought so, forgot about her fears because of how agitated she became in the argument earlier.
Kelly, who had been walking rapidly, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Something had fallen from above.
The moment she verified what had landed on her shoulder out from the corner of her eye, she let out a shriek.
“Kyaaa! A li-lizard!”
She anxiously tried to brush it off, but the fast moving lizard entered from the nape of her neck and slipped into her clothes.
“No!”
Fl.u.s.tered and at a loss, Kelly tried to run off but Raven grabbed her braids.
Because it was unexpectedly forceful, Kelly was shocked and tried to escape.
As she struggled, her legs got entangled and she collapsed onto the ground. Just as she thought that, she found Raven bent over her.
Kelly froze as she was pinned down by Raven who slipped his hand into her collar without saying a word.
“Wh-What are you doing! Please stop, I’m… a virgin. I’m not lying! Don’t treat me like some loose woman!”
At the same time she shouted, she suddenly felt free. As she timidly opened her tightly shut eyes, she saw Raven picking up the lizard in front of her eyes.
He threw the lizard away with his usual emotionless expression.
“Th-… Thank you.”
Kelly managed to say that while she was still stunned for words midway.
“It’s fine.”
Raven replied curtly.
As she gradually became conscious of the words she had just shouted, Kelly felt so embarra.s.sed that she wanted to run away.
“It’s dangerous to run off blindly.”
“…You’re right.”
She endured the urge to run away. She had a role to fulfill, as ordered by her masters.
Kelly got up while being conscious of Raven who was staring intently at her with one knee still on the ground. The distance from him shortened yet Raven did not attempt to avert his eyes.
Raven, who always looked at things unreservedly, was someone difficult to deal with, but for some reason, Kelly wanted to look at him in the eye now and she did so. When she looked at him up close, she saw that his dark green eyes were surprisingly beautiful and was drawn towards it.
Somehow, her heart throbbed and she felt breathless. Her face became hot and she felt lightheaded.
She wasn’t used to Raven’s exotic facial features in the beginning, but if she took a closer look, she found it charming.
The more Kelly gazed at him, the more Raven gazed at her further. Could it be…? That he was interested in her?
Picture
“Hey, there’s fried fis.h.!.+ It smells great!”
She heard Nico’s voice, but Kelly couldn’t take her eyes off Raven.
“Uwah, it’s full of cooked food that looks delicious. Raven, Kelly, come quickly!”
Cooked food? In the middle of such a forest?
Even though she thought something was off, Kelly was dazed. She felt that the person in front of her was like her ideal prince.
By the time she realized it, she was stretching her arms out towards Raven.
At the moment when she was about to close her eyes,
“Ms. Kelly, there’s gra.s.s stuck to the tip of your nose.”
Huh?
She woke up from the dream at once. No, it probably wasn’t just her imagination that she felt like a spell had been lifted.
Was it…. magic?
“What’s going on? The cooked food disappeared! Urgh, I haven’t even taken a single bite!”
She saw Nico stamping his foot as he yelled.
Just as she thought that Raven had stood up with great momentum, he threw his gaze towards the depths of the forest as if he was on the alert.
(Who goes there?)
Then, they heard a voice that sounded like it shook the trees.
Despite being surprised and feeling like her body had shrunk, Kelly recalled her job and replied hurriedly.
“Erm, we are not anyone suspicious. We came because we have something to deliver. It’s your thimble.”
(Thimble? I do not know anything of that sort.)
“Eh, but…”
(You people came to hunt me. Even if you pretend to be pure it’ll only be futile. I’ll tear you into pieces if you come near me.)
“I’m pure.”
Kelly said so strongly but the magical creature snorted.
(A person who was bewildered by the magic of temptation is pure? Just earlier, you were even about to give yourself up to a man.)
A magic of temptation? Kelly was left gaping at the impact of those words.
If that’s the case, that meant that she nearly threw herself at Raven because of magic.
That’s sly.
Mr. Nico was food, yet I … doesn’t that look like I’m hungry for men!?
Kelly turned bright red out of anger and shame.
She felt the coldness of Raven’s gaze. No, it may well be how it’s like usually.
“In any case, please accept this. A certain young girl wanted to return this to you no matter what…. Kyaa!”
Something white and large came at her suddenly and Kelly dropped to the ground.
(Do you want to be torn apart that badly? You defiled being.)
She couldn’t see the owner of the voice clearly because it was shrouded by light. But when that thing ran through, the trees made loud noises before they were torn and fell on top of her.
What Kelly saw as she remained crouched in order to guard against the branches and leaves falling upon her, was Raven carrying Nico and about to run off.
As I thought, Mr. Nico takes priority over me.
She desperately tried to get up on her own. Suddenly she felt her arm being pulled and she lifted her face.
Is he helping me?
Raven carried Kelly, whom he pulled up, and Nico under his arms and ran off.
As Kelly desperately moved her legs, she felt slightly that Raven was reliable.
*
Please read this chapter at Daydream Translations
I wonder if Kelly and the rest are fine.
Lydia was waiting for them while being worried in her office at the mansion.
“You don’t need to worry because Raven’s with her.”
But there’s no way Raven would be able to battle the magical creature upfront. Being on this side of the wall, she was unable to sense anything that might be happening to them on the other side of the door in the small wall.
“I think I should check on them after all…”
At the moment when she was about to get up, the small door opened with a great force.
Raven ran into the room while carrying Nico under his arm and dragging Kelly in.
“Lord Edgar, Lady Lydia, please escape.”
At the same moment as he said that, another shadow jumped out from inside the door.
After releasing Kelly and Nico, Raven turned around to face that. Lydia watched wide-eyed at the magical being that appeared.
Its entire body appeared to be glowing in white. Its goat-like body was covered in long fur and it had a tail like a lion’s. Its hooves which were spilt into two were large and the tips made one think of a sharp silver blade. Its eyes which were so large that it stood out looked like embedded lapis lazuli.
It was a presence so overwhelming that it was clinched to describe it as beautiful.
It was an appearance she had not seen before. No, she felt that she had heard of it somewhere.
It was the magical creature’s roar that interrupted Lydia’s thoughts as she tried desperately to recall. The vases and cups in the room shattered while the windows rattled loudly.
“How exactly… did things turn out like this?”
“It said that it doesn’t know anything about a thimble…”
As Kelly appealed to Lydia with a voice that sounded like she was about to cry, Raven added on.
“Furthermore, it seems that Ms. Kelly is not pure.”
“That’s a lie! There’s something wrong with that magical creature’s eyes!”
The magical creature ignored Kelly’s screams and as it looked around cautiously at the humans in the room, he rested his eyes on Edgar.
(Are you the master? The foolish human who’s trying to hunt me?)
“No!”
Lydia anxiously stepped forth. She raised the thimble she took over from Kelly.
“We were requested by a certain girl to return this to you. She said she was your acquaintance in the past, the young girl who lost her life because she was already married.”
(I don’t know that.)
“Because that girl wants to seek your forgiveness, she departed while leaving only her thoughts in the thimble.”
(You say that that thimble belongs to me? Which finger am I supposed to put it on?)
That’s true. But that girl had indeed said so.
“Erm, in any case, let’s talk.”
(Are you a pure maiden?)
“Erm… Ye-yes.”
“Lydia, you can’t.”
As she was about to walk towards the magical creature, Edgar held her back in a small voice.
She tried to tell him “It’ll be fine”,
But suddenly, the magical creature made a large jump over Raven and came face to face with Lydia.
(I will not trust the words of humans a second time.)
A second time? Meaning he did believe once?
The silver claws came at her right before her eyes.
Stop….!
At that moment, Lydia felt she heard a faint voice coming from the thimble.
In an instant, the thimble radiated the same light as the magical creature and Lydia saw the young girl’s figure within that light.
The young girl was seated beside the magical creature which was laying asleep sprawled atop of gra.s.s. She stroked the fur happily.
In the forest where even the magical creature dozed serenely, the human shadows that stealthily approached without a sound were those of hunters.
The girl who noticed was shocked, and she panicked.
Stop…!
As the magical creature resisted by struggling, its sharp claws tore the young girl beside it apart. Even so, the young girl tried to stop the hunters but the resistance was futile and the magical creature was captured.
And so, the magical creature’s horn was broken off from it.
Oh, a horn…
This beautiful magical creature had a horn that extended in a straight fas.h.i.+on as if it would pierce the sky. On the forehead that has nothing now.
It’s a unicorn.
The legend goes that a unicorn’s horn can treat a thousand illnesses. It has been said that since the past, unicorns had been targeted by those in authority frequently.
She did not realize it because there wasn’t a horn. But its appearance and trait of not going near anyone other than those who are pure, did indeed point to a unicorn.
Lydia, who had been in an illusion for an instant, came back to her senses in a jolt when she felt an impact. She had fallen to the floor as Edgar held her in his arms.
“Edgar!”
Noticing that there was a large tear in his clothes at the tip of his shoulder, Lydia let out a scream.
“Don’t worry, it’s only my coat that got torn.”
Even as Edgar said so, he quickly enveloped Lydia within both arms. By the time he was about to take shelter behind the desk, Raven had jumped forth right in front of the magical creature.
The magical creature stopped moving suddenly.
Rather than say that it wavered, it was more like it had narrowed its eyes as it became absorbed in thought.
I see… it’s about that girl.
The magical creature had probably seen the same illusion shown by the thimble.
(That girl was genuine and gentle. Because her soul was so pure, I did not realize that she was not a virgin. But that was a decoy. By making me lower my guard, the girl’s husband tried to hunt me.)
“She did not know that she was being made used of. She admired you from the bottom of her heart so she should not have had any intention to lure you into a trap.”
Lydia said so desperately. If she stopped, there was a chance that everyone here would be sacrificed.
(No one would know that.)
“I know. Or rather, if that’s not the case, she would not have been able to keep her feelings for hundreds of years in order to try and return this to you. This is your horn. Try touching it and you should be able to sense the truth.”
(Then I’ll sense this truth you speak of. I only trust those who are pure. If you say that you are so, then come over here.)
Once again, it displayed a posture of aggression. Lowering its head, it scratched the floor with its hooves.
Lydia tried to stand up. Edgar did not let her.
“Let me go, Edgar. If I refuse, it will only enrage him.”
“I don’t want to. Your purity already belongs to me doesn’t it? If a unicorn acknowledges you, then where does that leave me? I don’t want anyone to deny the fact that we’re husband and wife.”
Right after he said so resolutely, Edgar took the thimble out from Lydia’s hands.
“Raven!”
Saying just one word, Edgar threw the thimble towards Raven. Appearing to have understood all with just that, Raven caught the thimble and faced the unicorn boldly.
“Then, please trust me.”
The unicorn did not move. It continued to stare at Raven’s eyes.
Raven approached the unicorn slowly.
You huh. …You do appear to not have any desires…
The unicorn relaxed its aggressive posture slowly like Raven, and Raven reached his hand out towards the unicorn’s forehead.
Lydia, who watched on with bated breath, saw that the moment the thimble touched its forehead, the surroundings were covered by pure white light.
(Yes, that’s it. This is mine… That girl did this for my sake…)
In the mist-like light, what rose up faintly was probably the thimble and the past of the young girl snuggling close to it.
There were the figures of people in grief as they surrounded their young mistress who lay in bed on the verge of death.
The man who appeared to be the husband was unconcerned.
Someone who was probably her family, went close to the bed quietly and placed a white thimble on the finger of the young girl whose soul was about to depart any moment.
Someone from her family had probably accepted her final request and stole a portion of the horn from her husband. The thimble was made from that.
Along with the white light which disappeared, the afterimage vanished.
As the air quivered like the faint smile of the girl whose wish was granted, the unicorn’s mane quivered as well.
(I wonder if a human’s purity resides only in its soul.)
The unicorn which had recovered its pure white horn and returned to its complete appearance, stood still at its spot for some time and eventually disappeared.
The door in the wall disappeared as well.
*
“I wonder if it was made into a thimble so others would not realize that it was a unicorn’s horn.”
“That’s true, since it’s something that would not raise suspicions even if a lady were to keep it like a treasure.”
The horn belonged to the unicorn but the thimble belonged to the girl. The fact that the girl wanted to return that to the unicorn may be because she wished to go to its side.
To the young girl who had married young, the unicorn must have been the first person to whom she felt attracted to. If such feelings cannot be considered pure, indeed, what can be?
It seemed that the unicorn had also realized that. The young girl’s soul probably received salvation.
That night, Lydia had a quiet dinner together with Edgar at the mansion as if all the ruckus in the afternoon had not happened.
The only thing which was different from usual was that they had dinner in the parlour of their private room.
Edgar arranged for it to be that way, saying that he wanted to relax slowly, but it was probably unfortunate for the cook to have his work arranged on the table all at once like that of a commoner’s dining table.
There being no need to wear an evening dress, with them distributing the food themselves and conversing with each other at a much closer distance than usual, Lydia felt earnestly the fact that she and Edgar had become one family.
It was probably because tonight’s dinner scene was close to the family atmosphere which Lydia had imagined.
“Lydia, do you like this style of having our meals?”
Edgar may have asked that because Lydia was more relaxed and having a better appet.i.te than usual.
“I wonder… Because Father is the sort who usually does not spend time on meals, our dining table tends to be casual.”
“Since you’re the mistress here, it’s fine for you to say what you want to change.”
“But the meal here should actually be served in order while watching the timing so that we find it delicious as we eat, isn’t it?”
“Then, should I ask for the meals to be made such that it fits such a meal setting?”
If we did that, I feel somewhat apologetic towards the chef.
“I think it’s fine if we do that once in a while. But I want to get used to the life that you’re used to.”
Edgar smiled. Because Lydia would also be happy when Edgar showed her a happy face, it’s not as if the life of an aristocrat was not enjoyable.
“This is delicious.”
As he said that, Edgar moved the fork with the roast hen towards Lydia’s mouth.
“That’s bad manners.”
Edgar was able to act affected perfectly in occasions which he’s required to be so, yet when it was just the two of them, he becomes thoroughly casual and this made Lydia perplexed.
But he looked like he was having fun like a child.
“Don’t you ever feel like doing something that’s considered bad manners? Isn’t it good if we are a couple who can accept each other doing silly and childish things?”
Though he may appear to be joking around, his words easily overlapped with Lydia’s heart.
Because no one was watching, in the end, Lydia’s cheeks were stuffed.
The life of aristocrats were such that even within the mansion it was always considered to be a public area, so it was only in the private room that they could be alone as a couple.
And so, Lydia thought earnestly.
Although to Lydia, Edgar was as good as someone she could love yet be unrequited, he had wished for her and they got married. That in itself was an ideal life that was like a dream, so the fact that the way they spent their day was different from what she imagined was just a trivial matter.
Even for Edgar, married life with Lydia was probably different from what he had imagined. Because he had welcomed a Fairy Doctor as his wife, things like having unicorns jump into the mansion happen.
Even so, Edgar’s dream was probably similar to Lydia’s. The image of daily life may be entirely different, but they thought that the most important thing was that the two of them could be together.
"It’s delicious right?”
“Mm.”
When she smiled honestly, she was pulled towards him and a kiss fell on her head.
“I feel bad for the cook but to me, this is the best meal.”
“Hey…”
Lydia pushed him back because Raven happened to enter the room at that moment.
Raven who came to serve sweet wine after the meal, placed that on the table quietly before leaving quickly so as not to interrupt.
The event today was resolved harmoniously thanks to him. Lydia wanted to thank him, but kept quiet because she thought that to Raven, his pride as a servant meant that he ought to erase his existence in this situation.
“Speaking of which, I wonder if Raven is really a virgin.”
When Edgar muttered that suddenly, Lydia looked up towards him while seated beside him in surprise.
“Huh? I thought you knew?”
Otherwise, it was unthinkable that he’d make Raven approach the unicorn. However, Edgar laughed nonchalantly.
“Because there’s no way I’m with him twenty four hours a day. But if it’s Raven, no matter what my order is, he will fulfill it. I thought that if I told him to be pure he will try to be pure.”
That’s unreasonable.
But if it’s Raven, it may not be impossible.
Though she did not know if Raven had pushed himself through or if he was truly a virgin, in any case, the unicorn had acknowledged him.
“Speaking of which, Kelly is depressed for not being acknowledged as pure. It seemed like Raven had also doubted her so I wonder if the rift between them is getting wider.”
Edgar chuckled.
“It’ll be fine. Raven is actually getting along with Kelly.”
“I wonder.”
“It’s gotten slightly cold. Shall we have our after meal drink by the fireplace?”
The seasons had progressed to one where the coldness outside soaked into one’s body as the night fell. Speaking of which, no one came to replenish the firewood in the fireplace. It was probably due to that that they felt colder than usual.
Edgar, who took Lydia’s hand as they left the table, sat on the sofa.
Lydia, being led on by Edgar, leaned against him. Because as she did that she felt warm, she did not feel the need to stir up the fire in the fireplace.
“I hope that you’ll knit a lap blanket for me.”
As he whispered that playfully in Lydia’s ear, he gazed at her with pa.s.sionate eyes. To Lydia, who had imagined that men were colder, such days were also unexpected.
“Erm, so you heard from Kelly?”
“Yeah, something large enough for the both of us to use would be good.”
I see. It must have been because Kelly had advised him that Raven, who was faithful in his work, did not come to warm up the room.
Kelly may not have noticed but Raven recognized Kelly’s work.
“That’s right. Alright.”
Lydia’s days were full of happiness because everyone around her were helping them. Lydia smiled as she felt so.
[1] Devil’s style in cooking means the food is served with a very sharp and hot seasoning.