C 67
The maid, having tried her luck, wiped her face impatiently several times, then buried her face in her palm and took a deep breath.
"That is... something like that exists..."
"Something like what?"
"That, Duke Collin... People like Young Duke Etham... You know... Should I say there's a place?"
"A place?"
"So... products like dolls, pictures, models of those people are manufactured at a low cost... Simply... there are people who are passionate about collecting things from the person they like..."
The maid sighed and took out a pendant locket. Inside the locket pendant was an image of Duke Collin.
He was looking somewhere with slightly softened eyes, not the same sharp look as usual, but with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.
"This is one of only 7 medallion pendants from His Excellency, Duke Michael Collin's limited edition collection. There's a place that collects and sells these things."
"...Do you like my father?"
Richard Collin looked at the maid in astonishment.
The maid shook her head embarrassedly.
She even hit her chest with both hands. She stomped her feet and bent down to meet Richard Collin's gaze.
"That's not... it's not like that! Such a thing exists! Doesn't he like to collect cool stuff too? Like that, Duke Collin is handsome, very handsome, so... Let's say they make dolls that imitate them, or pictures of these wonderful scenes, and share them with people who admire them...?"
The maid who was explaining was about to burst into tears. Tears welled up from her flushed face.
Richard crossed his arms and nodded as he watched her, whose earlobes were burning bright red, probably out of embarrassment.
"You mean it's not a preference for the opposite sex?"
"Yes! Of course. The lady is here, and the young master too. I don't like them rationally. It's just craving things that are out of reach... That kind of envy! Something like that."
"Is that so?"
Richard nodded.
"So, what does that have to do with this?"
"There... There are models like this."
"Like this?"
"Yes, the Suin named 'Eirin,' right? These days, she's becoming a rising star in the 'market.' The number of goods is also gradually increasing."
"Do they have things like this?"
Said Richard Collin, holding the rather elaborate lizard-shaped wooden piece.
"Yes, there are plushies and recent photos. If you register as a seller, you can manufacture and sell them yourself."
"...Is that so?"
Richard lowered his eyes slightly.
"Because it's lonely without BamBam...."
Wouldn't it be nice to at least buy a fluffy doll?
"It's okay, guide me."
"...Yes?"
"Guide me, I have to go."
The arrogant young man clicked his tongue and said.
"Guide me, to the market or whatever it's called."
She didn't know she would bring the young master there, so the maid just pursed her lips with a tear-stained face.
"Aren't you going to do it?"
Faced with the threat of the boy who raised his eyes fiercely, the maid finally nodded while crying and eating mustard*.
(*N/T: This expression is used when you do something you don't want to do.)
Subsequently, Richard Collin becomes famous in the "Market" with the nickname "Heart."
* * *
"Eirin."
Callan Etham, who had been visiting since the morning, suddenly appeared with a proud expression.
"Your request is complete!"
"Already...?"
"Yes, already!"
Hasn't it only been a week?
In response to my curious look, Callan Etham looked at me with a smile.
"Oh!"
I quickly hugged him tightly.
Then Callan Etham embraced me and spun me around in place.
"It was a bit difficult and complicated, but not impossible! Because your brother is amazing!"
"Yes...! My brother is the best!"
Callan smiled.
"Really? Aren't I great? Silian couldn't do anything. I did it all."
I nodded as I watched him pound his chest with his fist. He hugged me and hurried to the back of the garden.
In the backyard, a small flower bed was surrounded by a pure white, transparent membrane.
Inside, the white glacier was solidly frozen, and on top of it, frosty white flowers bloomed majestically.
It was a beautiful flower with leaves that were even slightly transparent, as if they would melt at a touch.
It wasn't just one flower; it seemed like there were over a hundred snow and ice flowers in full bloom in the flowerbed.
The sight of hundreds of snow and ice flowers in full bloom left me truly speechless.
"You must keep your promise!"
"Yes! Starting tonight, I'll go to my brother's room every night."
"Yes...! I'll prepare warm milk."
Callan Etham nodded happily, the corners of his mouth quivering.
A hundred of them would suffice for the study.
"But what are you going to do with this?"
"Um, some kind of flower seeds?"
"Flower seeds?"
Callan Etham looked at me with a strange expression, and I nodded in response to his question.
"Cheer up! For now, you should get some sleep."
"Yes, thank you!"
I didn't know how he had done it, so when I hugged him once more, Callan Etham smiled broadly.
"I'm more grateful. You've helped me so much."
Callan Etham waved his hands and quickly disappeared, as if he were truly tired.
And that afternoon, I received a bunch of jade and deep-sea flowers.
Callan Etham's hundred snow and ice flowers were truly beautiful.
"......"
"Why, don't you like them?"
The Duke Miriel, who had come to pick me up triumphantly, asked with a terrifying frown.
"Oh, no."
A sea of fire and water appeared to the side of the Etham family's vacant lot.
I was speechless in the face of the huge sea and the enormous lava contained in a transparent glass box.
"Grandfather... you..."
"I couldn't move a volcano, so I moved the lava. I put a spell on it to maintain the temperature inside."
"......"
"I just brought the sea. It was a simple task. It only took some time because it was a bit far away."
The Duke Miriel said in a light tone as if it were nothing.
There were things that really looked like deep-sea fish in the box as if they had been taken from the depths of the sea.
And here and there, I saw the flowers I was looking for. The problem was that I couldn't pick them.
"Do you see this?"
Had he noticed my thoughts?
Duke Miriel led me to the side of the transparent glass box and pointed to somewhere.
There was a small area resembling a sensor where you could place your palm.
"If you put your hand here, the flowers will come out one by one."
"...It's a vending machine for fresh flowers."
In a more futuristic fantasy world than the 21st century Korea where science has developed, I was simply speechless.
"But, what are you trying to do with this?"
"I'm going to make flowers!"
"Flowers? What flowers?"
"Dragonia!"
As soon as I finished my words, Duke Miriel's expression darkened.
"Grandfather?"
"...Dragonia is known as a panacea, so you want to save the second prince with it?"
"Yes."
"Certainly, if that's the case, you could save him."
"Yes, I don't know if I can."
Duke Miriel looked at me, pursed his lips several times, then swallowed his words and burst into laughter.
Then, he ruffled my hair with his large hand.
"I hope you succeed."
The voice that came out like that was so kind that I had never heard it before, but somehow it seemed bitter... I opened my eyes.
It was as if he was giving encouragement to a child who was still immature.
"Yes."
I looked at him silently and nodded.
From that day on, Lillian and I met almost every day to study the flowers, make them bear fruit, and plant the fruits over and over again.
During that time, there was no contact from Enosh.
However, there were cases where Lucilion was often called to the imperial palace.
I didn't know what they talked about, but he went to see Enosh two or three times a week.
He also brought gifts and letters for me and Lillian.
Meanwhile, I had to maintain frequent correspondence with Richard, slept with Callan to fulfill my promise, and took lessons from Hill Rosemont.
As the autumn approached, we managed to fertilize the jade and snow flower, and we also managed to obtain the "Jade Snow Flower."
And before the winter of that year, we also managed to fertilize the "Snow and Jade Flower" and the "Deep Sea Flower" and planted 100 seeds.
And at the beginning of winter... we finally obtained dragonia seeds.
It was the fruit of long and hard work.
