Chapter 108
Daykin let the corners of his eyes droop in an exaggerated pout, testing me with a pitiful expression. I had originally intended to give it to him, so there was no reason to say no, but for some reason, the more he said he wanted it, the more my ears burned with shame.
I tried to say a firm “no,” but in the end, my lips clamped shut. The words I finally managed to eke out, barely audible, were, “You can have it.”
Daykin beamed as if he had been given the world.
“Thank you. Ailee, wait here for just a moment. I have to go somewhere. And don’t you dare give those rapeseed flowers to them. Got it? From now on, all gifts are for me alone. Or at the very least, I get them first. You promised.”
“I-I never said I promised,” I mumbled.
…I didn’t.
Daykin clutched the handkerchief as if it were the most precious thing in the world and rushed out. He was moving so fast I couldn’t possibly have followed.
…Considering the storm that was about to break, I should not have let him leave.
***
Daykin grinned at his mother. He and Minerva had arrived home at almost the same time. Minerva had told them to have fun together, graciously giving them time to be with their dear daughter-in-law, saying she would call them for dinner.
But who knew he would repay her graciousness like this?
“Ahem, where do you think you’re putting your hands? You can’t even stare at it. Just quick glances. You’ll wear it out.”
Minerva suppressed her anger and glared at Daykin.
“Did my dear daughter-in-law really give that to you as a gift? You didn’t just take it from her?”
“Surely you don’t think I would do something so barbaric.”
“It’s precisely because I don’t trust you that I ask.”
“I’m hurt.”
The mother and son’s gazes clashed in mid-air. Finally, Minerva rose from her seat.
“Where are you going? To our room? What are you going to do there?”
“Come to think of it, it’s quite rude of me to be home and not even see my dear daughter-in-law’s face.”
“You can see her at dinner. My wife and I will be spending some quality time together until then.”
Minerva blithely ignored her son’s words. Daykin, as if he had expected to be ignored, just shrugged and followed her.
***
Now that Daykin had seen everything, I no longer had the will to hide the handkerchiefs. I just spread them out on the table and stared at them.
Since I’d given one to Daykin, I should give the others to his mother and father. But would they like them? Daykin was the type to be overjoyed even if I gave him a bouquet of cosmos, so I had expected he would like this, but…
I was lost in thought when I heard a knock, knock at the door, followed by my mother-in-law’s voice.
“My dear, I thought I’d see you for a moment before dinner. May I come in?”
“Yes?”
I was so startled that a foolish “Yes?” was all that came out. My mother-in-law must have taken it as permission, because she immediately opened the door.
Oh, no. I’m not mentally prepared for this!
Daykin followed her in. It was easy to see that he was the cause of all this. I shot him a glare, then stood up hesitantly. Since things had come to this, I decided I might as well just give it to her now. I picked up a handkerchief and greeted her.
“Did you have a good trip?”
“I did. And were you well, my dear?”
“Yes, I was fine. Um… while you were away, I embroidered this handkerchief for you. It’s not much, but it’s a g-gift.”
“Oh, my. To think you prepared such a gift.”
My mother-in-law smiled happily and took the handkerchief carefully. Daykin, who had been watching from behind, had already moved to my side.
“You should return to your room now, Mother. We’ll see you at dinner.”
“My dear, this rapeseed flower is so lovely. It’s the prettiest and most precious one I have ever received. Now, let’s see.”
My mother-in-law rang a bell and summoned a maid.
“Please call for someone with replication abilities. As quickly as possible.”
“I already sent a servant to call for one on my way to see you, Mother. They should be here by dinnertime.”
“Even a broken clock is right twice a day, I see. Well done. I’ll have it replicated so I can have one for display, one for safekeeping, and one for personal use.”
“Yes, yes, do that. In any case, are you not leaving? Is it proper for you to barge into a newlywed couple’s chambers like this?”
Why were they fighting again? And why were they replicating it? My face burned with embarrassment. At the same time, I felt a pang of guilt. If I were in a body that could continue to live, I could just say, There’s no need to replicate it, I’ll just make you another one. But I couldn’t.
I didn’t know she would like it this much.
I had thought she would have a muted reaction, that it was just a handkerchief. The duchy was overflowing with all sorts of fine things I had never even seen before in my life. Compared to all that, my embroidered handkerchief was utterly insignificant. That’s why I had been so hesitant to give it as a gift.
My lips twitched, but in the end, I kept them closed. The truth was, I had nothing to say even if I opened them. So it wasn’t that I didn’t speak, but that I couldn’t.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I tried to mediate the fight between Daykin and his mother. The short, sharp war of words finally ended when my mother-in-law announced she had something to do and left the room.
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