Seeing no one in the corridor, Sylvia moved the plates one by one with wind magic to the dining area.
The members, who spotted the line of moving plates, exclaimed in surprise and quickly arranged the table. Felix, smelling the delicious scent and about to leave his room, smirked upon seeing the moving plates.
The sight was amusing. He coughed and followed after seeing a turquoise head pass by.
“Good, good morning!”
Sylvia greeted without looking back. Felix felt equally embarrassed, staring at her slightly reddened earlobe and replying.
“Uh.”
The scene remained in his mind, and his gaze naturally moved from her earlobe down to her white nape. The two walked, conscious of each other, without exchanging words. Upon reaching the communal space, they found that the members had already placed the food on the table.
“Sylvia, do you know how surprised we were when the plates flew in?”
Even though they knew magic, it was rarely used in daily life here. Magic was strictly categorized for use, and offensive magic was rigorously controlled by law.
For example, in most castles, the use of offensive magic was strictly prohibited, though each castle had its own rules. Some nobles secretly employed offensive magicians as mercenaries for protection, and some abused their power.
Therefore, they were surprised to learn that Sylvia cooked using various elements, and they were quite astonished just now.
Seeing a magician use attack magic in daily life without harming others was a first for Hubert, Dennis, and the members, and they were surprised by that.
I mean, to think she used various elements for something as simple as cooking…
However, their thoughts were retracted upon seeing the food laid before them. What they considered simple cooking was just their way of doing it, and the food she presented to them was anything but simple.
Instead, a single dish could touch a person’s heart, cure an illness, or evoke memories.
Hubert silently observed his lord dining beside Sylvia, noting the ordinary actions and the natural curve of his lord’s lips…
It filled Hubert’s heart with emotion.
***
Keeping in mind that winter was not far off, Sylvia checked the remaining ingredients.
“Uh… First of all, I need to buy all types of meat. And… bread, salt, pepper…”
She muttered as she floated the ingredients in a line in the air, moving them according to her gestures and carefully packing them back into the subspace cypress container.
“It’s my first time in this country, I wonder what kind of cuisine is famous there?”
She mused about the upcoming visit to Caudatismum during the end of winter.
“And for tomorrow’s menu, how about trying fried oysters? Load the mussels with plenty of cheese, boil a stew with coconut crab and leftover chicken, lots of tomatoes…”
As she sorted the ingredients and murmured to herself, Clover landed on her head.
[Sylvia! I want to eat meringue cookies!]
[Ah, I was going to say that first!]]
Daisy flew over and perched on her shoulder, grumbling.
“Why fight when you can eat together?”
She gently poked Daisy’s soft cheek with her finger.
“So, Daisy, is there anything else you want to eat?”
As if waiting for Sylvia’s words, Daisy exclaimed.
[Of course! I want whipped cream!]
Sylvia quickly prepared whipped cream in response to the two fairies’ requests for particularly sweet treats. She also took out the always-ready meringue cookies and placed them in a bowl.
[Wow! Thanks, Sylvia!]
[It’s so delicious, Sylvia!]
She watched Clover and Daisy, who had hurriedly come down to grab the meringue cookies and were eating them with whipped cream smeared on their noses and cheeks.
“Is there anything else you want?”
Sylvia asked in a choked voice, to which Clover looked up with bright green eyes and Daisy with warm, sunshine-yellow eyes.
[This is enough!]
[I love whipped cream!]
Sylvia forced back the tears that threatened to spill, pretending not to notice. When Clover and Daisy had come in the morning, she had felt a surge of anxiety. That anxiety stemmed from a premonition, a scene, a dialogue that seemed all too familiar…
While sorting the ingredients, Sylvia placed everything back into the subspace, sat on the bed, and filled her eyes with the sight of the two fairies enjoying their food on the small table.
She promised herself never to forget, to always remember them…
The crackling of logs as they disappeared into the flames continued. The shadows of the fairies seemed to fade in the light of the fire.
Having finished all the meringue cookies and whipped cream, the two fairies fluttered upwards.
[Sylvia, like Lupinus and Calmia disappearing… we thought you’d be so sad… so we’ll say goodbye before we go.]
[We hope you won’t be too sad, Sylvia.]
The premonition of sadness was always accurate.
Clover and Daisy fluttered their wings and landed on Sylvia’s lap. Holding her hands with their small, adorable ones, the two fairies spoke.
[Thank you for bringing back pure memories to Felix, Siri.]
The small, tender voices echoed simultaneously, and Sylvia’s eyelids finally drooped. Large tear drops fell silently like snowflakes, landing on the back of her hands. The slight warmth from their hands vanished in an instant.
“Sob…”
Unable to lift her drooping eyelids, Sylvia burst into tears, her hands remaining still as she continued to shed tears like beads of glass.
Then, hurried footsteps approached.
“Siri!”
The one who rushed to her was Felix. He had lain down to sleep but couldn’t fall asleep, tossing and turning while thinking of Sylvia from the morning. Fiddling with the tips of his ears that had turned red again, he felt a sudden emptiness in his heart that quickly filled up.
It was as if something borrowed had been returned, a feeling of something originally his returning. The silence of the fairies, who would have continued to make noise beside him, gave Felix a sense of déjà vu as well.
He sprang out of bed and ran out of the room, his pace quickened by wind magic, driven by the sound of Sylvia’s sobs.
Upon seeing her pitiable figure, he ran to her and took her into his arms. Although she was always strong beside him, Sylvia felt so small and fragile in his embrace.
Thinking of her grieving again over the departure of the fairies, his heart tightened.
“Sob, Feri… Clover and, sob, Daisy have…”
“I know.”
Felix hugged her shaking body tightly. He gently lifted her to sit on his lap and sat down on the bed. The two remained silent for a while.
Hearing her sobs finally diminish, Felix felt relieved. Sylvia, with trembling lips, looked up at Felix.
“It, it won’t be… that everyone leaves, right?”
Not just Lupinus, Calmia, Daisy, and Clover, but also Poppy, Asta, Eryngium…
“You, you know, right?”
Sylvia realized only at the second farewell. The fairies were surely connected to Felix. Though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, she felt it.
Felix found himself unable to respond to her words, as he didn’t know the exact reason either.
When he was isolated in the palace, the fairies appeared out of nowhere. At that time, he was young and too mentally frail to cope with the solitude. His life consisted of sitting blankly on his room’s bed, except for the occasional visits from his stepmother who would check if he was still alive and leave with a frightened expression, showing no other reaction.
Mentally deteriorated, he couldn’t see his surroundings or expect any change. He feared he might die in madness without actually dying.
Would he go mad like his grandfather and only then find death?
That’s all he thought about when, miraculously, the fairies came.
Their bright and happy faces introduced themselves to him, touching cheeks and holding hands, and Felix gradually found the strength to revive.
That’s why he couldn’t answer Sylvia’s question now.
He didn’t know how they had found him or why they were leaving.
But seeing Sylvia’s sorrowful and pitiful expression, instead of answering, he acted on his feelings and leaned in. Like a red wax seal dropped on an envelope, he pressed his lips firmly and long beside her soft, red lips.
Watching her turquoise eyes widen in surprise, Felix stared intently and whispered with his lips against her skin.
“I’m here, Siri.”
Even if all the fairies disappeared, he would be by her side.
For as long as possible.
★★56. The novel is still in progress★★
“Somewhat regrettable, isn’t it?”
“Indeed… Given the effort we put into building it, it seems a waste to just leave it behind.”
“Should we try to fit it into the subspace?”
The Croban mercenaries had finished their preparations and stood in front of the igloo, each sharing their thoughts.
This winter felt a tad bittersweet. Knowing that after the long summer passes, they would return, people still found themselves sentimental over leaving the igloo behind.
“Let’s just leave it.”
Felix, leading his beloved horse, spoke. The horses, like their owners, had grown plumper from the warmth and care they received in the igloo, thanks largely to Sylvia’s generous feeding.
At Felix’s command, the mercenaries showed a hint of disappointment. Felix signaled to Sylvia and added,
“We can build another igloo next winter. There’s fun in making it anew each time.”
With that, he slightly lifted one corner of his mouth. Hubert, Dennis, and the mercenaries all froze at his smile, standing statue-like in front of the ice house. Felix, ignoring the frozen mercenaries, helped Sylvia onto her horse.
“Thank you, Feri.”
Though she could easily mount with the aid of wind magic, Sylvia had become accustomed to his assistance and simply offered her thanks. Once Sylvia was seated, Felix gently climbed up behind her and ordered the still-petrified mercenaries,
“We head straight for the kingdom, following the path.”
Hearing his deep voice, the mercenaries snapped back to attention.
“Yes!”
They mounted their horses in unison and began swiftly navigating out of the forest.
Seeing no one in the corridor, Sylvia moved the plates one by one with wind magic to the dining area.
The members, who spotted the line of moving plates, exclaimed in surprise and quickly arranged the table. Felix, smelling the delicious scent and about to leave his room, smirked upon seeing the moving plates.
The sight was amusing. He coughed and followed after seeing a turquoise head pass by.
“Good, good morning!”
Sylvia greeted without looking back. Felix felt equally embarrassed, staring at her slightly reddened earlobe and replying.
“Uh.”
The scene remained in his mind, and his gaze naturally moved from her earlobe down to her white nape. The two walked, conscious of each other, without exchanging words. Upon reaching the communal space, they found that the members had already placed the food on the table.
“Sylvia, do you know how surprised we were when the plates flew in?”
Even though they knew magic, it was rarely used in daily life here. Magic was strictly categorized for use, and offensive magic was rigorously controlled by law.
For example, in most castles, the use of offensive magic was strictly prohibited, though each castle had its own rules. Some nobles secretly employed offensive magicians as mercenaries for protection, and some abused their power.
Therefore, they were surprised to learn that Sylvia cooked using various elements, and they were quite astonished just now.
Seeing a magician use attack magic in daily life without harming others was a first for Hubert, Dennis, and the members, and they were surprised by that.
I mean, to think she used various elements for something as simple as cooking…
However, their thoughts were retracted upon seeing the food laid before them. What they considered simple cooking was just their way of doing it, and the food she presented to them was anything but simple.
Instead, a single dish could touch a person’s heart, cure an illness, or evoke memories.
Hubert silently observed his lord dining beside Sylvia, noting the ordinary actions and the natural curve of his lord’s lips…
It filled Hubert’s heart with emotion.
***
Keeping in mind that winter was not far off, Sylvia checked the remaining ingredients.
“Uh… First of all, I need to buy all types of meat. And… bread, salt, pepper…”
She muttered as she floated the ingredients in a line in the air, moving them according to her gestures and carefully packing them back into the subspace cypress container.
“It’s my first time in this country, I wonder what kind of cuisine is famous there?”
She mused about the upcoming visit to Caudatismum during the end of winter.
“And for tomorrow’s menu, how about trying fried oysters? Load the mussels with plenty of cheese, boil a stew with coconut crab and leftover chicken, lots of tomatoes…”
As she sorted the ingredients and murmured to herself, Clover landed on her head.
[Sylvia! I want to eat meringue cookies!]
[Ah, I was going to say that first!]]
Daisy flew over and perched on her shoulder, grumbling.
“Why fight when you can eat together?”
She gently poked Daisy’s soft cheek with her finger.
“So, Daisy, is there anything else you want to eat?”
As if waiting for Sylvia’s words, Daisy exclaimed.
[Of course! I want whipped cream!]
Sylvia quickly prepared whipped cream in response to the two fairies’ requests for particularly sweet treats. She also took out the always-ready meringue cookies and placed them in a bowl.
[Wow! Thanks, Sylvia!]
[It’s so delicious, Sylvia!]
She watched Clover and Daisy, who had hurriedly come down to grab the meringue cookies and were eating them with whipped cream smeared on their noses and cheeks.
“Is there anything else you want?”
Sylvia asked in a choked voice, to which Clover looked up with bright green eyes and Daisy with warm, sunshine-yellow eyes.
[This is enough!]
[I love whipped cream!]
Sylvia forced back the tears that threatened to spill, pretending not to notice. When Clover and Daisy had come in the morning, she had felt a surge of anxiety. That anxiety stemmed from a premonition, a scene, a dialogue that seemed all too familiar…
While sorting the ingredients, Sylvia placed everything back into the subspace, sat on the bed, and filled her eyes with the sight of the two fairies enjoying their food on the small table.
She promised herself never to forget, to always remember them…
The crackling of logs as they disappeared into the flames continued. The shadows of the fairies seemed to fade in the light of the fire.
Having finished all the meringue cookies and whipped cream, the two fairies fluttered upwards.
[Sylvia, like Lupinus and Calmia disappearing… we thought you’d be so sad… so we’ll say goodbye before we go.]
[We hope you won’t be too sad, Sylvia.]
The premonition of sadness was always accurate.
Clover and Daisy fluttered their wings and landed on Sylvia’s lap. Holding her hands with their small, adorable ones, the two fairies spoke.
[Thank you for bringing back pure memories to Felix, Siri.]
The small, tender voices echoed simultaneously, and Sylvia’s eyelids finally drooped. Large tear drops fell silently like snowflakes, landing on the back of her hands. The slight warmth from their hands vanished in an instant.
“Sob…”
Unable to lift her drooping eyelids, Sylvia burst into tears, her hands remaining still as she continued to shed tears like beads of glass.
Then, hurried footsteps approached.
“Siri!”
The one who rushed to her was Felix. He had lain down to sleep but couldn’t fall asleep, tossing and turning while thinking of Sylvia from the morning. Fiddling with the tips of his ears that had turned red again, he felt a sudden emptiness in his heart that quickly filled up.
It was as if something borrowed had been returned, a feeling of something originally his returning. The silence of the fairies, who would have continued to make noise beside him, gave Felix a sense of déjà vu as well.
He sprang out of bed and ran out of the room, his pace quickened by wind magic, driven by the sound of Sylvia’s sobs.
Upon seeing her pitiable figure, he ran to her and took her into his arms. Although she was always strong beside him, Sylvia felt so small and fragile in his embrace.
Thinking of her grieving again over the departure of the fairies, his heart tightened.
“Sob, Feri… Clover and, sob, Daisy have…”
“I know.”
Felix hugged her shaking body tightly. He gently lifted her to sit on his lap and sat down on the bed. The two remained silent for a while.
Hearing her sobs finally diminish, Felix felt relieved. Sylvia, with trembling lips, looked up at Felix.
“It, it won’t be… that everyone leaves, right?”
Not just Lupinus, Calmia, Daisy, and Clover, but also Poppy, Asta, Eryngium…
“You, you know, right?”
Sylvia realized only at the second farewell. The fairies were surely connected to Felix. Though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, she felt it.
Felix found himself unable to respond to her words, as he didn’t know the exact reason either.
When he was isolated in the palace, the fairies appeared out of nowhere. At that time, he was young and too mentally frail to cope with the solitude. His life consisted of sitting blankly on his room’s bed, except for the occasional visits from his stepmother who would check if he was still alive and leave with a frightened expression, showing no other reaction.
Mentally deteriorated, he couldn’t see his surroundings or expect any change. He feared he might die in madness without actually dying.
Would he go mad like his grandfather and only then find death?
That’s all he thought about when, miraculously, the fairies came.
Their bright and happy faces introduced themselves to him, touching cheeks and holding hands, and Felix gradually found the strength to revive.
That’s why he couldn’t answer Sylvia’s question now.
He didn’t know how they had found him or why they were leaving.
But seeing Sylvia’s sorrowful and pitiful expression, instead of answering, he acted on his feelings and leaned in. Like a red wax seal dropped on an envelope, he pressed his lips firmly and long beside her soft, red lips.
Watching her turquoise eyes widen in surprise, Felix stared intently and whispered with his lips against her skin.
“I’m here, Siri.”
Even if all the fairies disappeared, he would be by her side.
For as long as possible.
★★56. The novel is still in progress★★
“Somewhat regrettable, isn’t it?”
“Indeed… Given the effort we put into building it, it seems a waste to just leave it behind.”
“Should we try to fit it into the subspace?”
The Croban mercenaries had finished their preparations and stood in front of the igloo, each sharing their thoughts.
This winter felt a tad bittersweet. Knowing that after the long summer passes, they would return, people still found themselves sentimental over leaving the igloo behind.
“Let’s just leave it.”
Felix, leading his beloved horse, spoke. The horses, like their owners, had grown plumper from the warmth and care they received in the igloo, thanks largely to Sylvia’s generous feeding.
At Felix’s command, the mercenaries showed a hint of disappointment. Felix signaled to Sylvia and added,
“We can build another igloo next winter. There’s fun in making it anew each time.”
With that, he slightly lifted one corner of his mouth. Hubert, Dennis, and the mercenaries all froze at his smile, standing statue-like in front of the ice house. Felix, ignoring the frozen mercenaries, helped Sylvia onto her horse.
“Thank you, Feri.”
Though she could easily mount with the aid of wind magic, Sylvia had become accustomed to his assistance and simply offered her thanks. Once Sylvia was seated, Felix gently climbed up behind her and ordered the still-petrified mercenaries,
“We head straight for the kingdom, following the path.”
Hearing his deep voice, the mercenaries snapped back to attention.
“Yes!”
They mounted their horses in unison and began swiftly navigating out of the forest.
