DYPIOOP Chapter 21

Nymph's Gift

Though it was a mistake, it was still the responsibility of the guild masters to bear. They could only keep their mouths shut and find relief in the fact that no one had been injured.

"We're sorry, Your Grace. If you give us one more chance, we'll check everything thoroughly to ensure this never happens again."

Even at the couple's plea, Carvel remained unmoved.

"Only because no one was hurt will I end this with termination."

He offered a kind smile, but everyone present knew that expression held no sincerity. Elonia likewise maintained a rigid posture. The atmosphere seemed to demand it. Gnome, however, paid no attention to the unnatural tension. He was instead openly reading the documents on the table.

[The guild master's thorough! Cultivating farmland directly and consistently managing water quality—impressive!]

It seemed to be a better operation than expected. Nyx couldn't resist adding his own comment.

[Hmph. The conditions are good.]

It was a grumpy response, but coming from one so stingy with praise, it was the highest compliment he could offer. Gnome grinned wide enough to show his teeth.

[Land like this is hard to find. Nymph will love it.]

Nyx's cheeks puffed out sulkily. He seemed irritated at being left behind when she'd gone to the training grounds.

[Are you going to plant wild strawberries?]

[I'll eat those with the spirit mage. Nyx, you eat too!]

[Why is the spirit mage naturally included? When did this get decided without me?]

[Do we need your permission?]

[Of course. I found the spirit mage first!]

He declared ownership with considerable pride. Remarkably, this was news to her. Watching Gnome blink as if hearing this for the first time, she could tell it was just Nyx's mischievous teasing. Gnome, seemingly accustomed to this, answered while examining the confirmation document.

[But Nymph wants to help the spirit mage.]

[Isn't she crying again after meeting a wild boar?]

[No. She said she's friends with the wild boar now.]

[What's she going to do, being friends with a wild boar.]

Their bickering on the reception room table was noisy. Elonia pressed her lips together. One careless word and she might accidentally respond to them. Excluding Nyx and Gnome's conversation, the reception room was utterly silent. After debating at length whether Nymph would encounter a wild boar while picking strawberries, the two spirits apparently reached a conclusion and sat obediently beside Elonia. Nyx grumbled petulantly.

[No, I found the spirit mage first, so why are you sticking to her?]

He flew over and clung to her shoulder as if announcing it was his place. Unaware of this commotion, Carvel merely opened his mouth with perfunctory courtesy.

"While I regret the flooding, I'll end our dealings here."

"...Understood. Thank you for everything until now, Your Grace."

"You've worked hard."

The merchant couple withdrew more easily than expected. They'd grasped that he wasn't someone whose decision would change with pleading. As the couple retrieved their documents, Gnome's gaze followed. He blinked, seeming to consider something, then flew up lightly and gave her forehead a brief kiss. Immediately, memories flooded in like a tide. A tidy guild office with neatly organized documents and goods. Judging by the quantity, only diligence could maintain such cleanliness. There, the merchant couple was hearing news from a Haelton household servant. The longer the conversation continued, the more bewilderment colored their faces. As soon as the servant finished speaking, they immediately sought out an employee.

"What on earth is this about? The timber rotted?"

The guild master's voice echoed as if she were hearing it from inside a cave.

"I clearly separated the flood-damaged materials. How did this get mixed in?"

"I'm sorry. There must have been an error in the final inspection."

The man who appeared to be an employee bowed repeatedly to the guild master. The guild master rubbed his rough face with his hand, looking troubled.

"This guild rose through trust alone, generation after generation. Because management was difficult, we didn't expand our scale and only dealt with people we could trust. Now this incident threatens to destroy everything."

"I'm sorry."

"Someone who never made mistakes before, of all times..."

The man merely kept his gaze lowered like a criminal. After considering for a long moment, the guild master spoke firmly.

"You're dismissed."

Despite the harsh severance, he sighed deeply.

"I know your mother is ill, and you've worked here a long time, so I won't hold you responsible for compensation."

"...Thank you for everything."

"Enough. I'll check everything myself until the very end."

With the guild master's final dismissive wave, the memory gradually faded from her mind. When she came to her senses, the first person she saw was Carvel. The spot where the guild master had stood was empty. The deal was terminated, so they'd left. Business was business. There was no reason to continue a transaction that had caused loss. Knowing this, Elonia simply gave Gnome—who was grinning proudly—a look telling him to be quiet. In the now-silent reception room, Carvel said indifferently:

"Find another supplier."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Even at Greythur's response, Carvel's mood wasn't particularly pleasant. He wasn't immature enough to be irritable just because his schedule was disrupted. Changing suppliers wasn't particularly noteworthy either. But Carvel couldn't stop thinking about that moment when the fragment had flown. He thought of the training grounds with no safety measures.

'I should take this opportunity to overhaul the training grounds' facilities.'

Thanks to Elonia selecting the rotted wooden swords, training would continue. Training that would have stopped if not for her. Even if the facility became slightly inconvenient due to renovations, it seemed acceptable.

Late in the evening, a gift arrived at Elonia's room.

"My lady! It looks like a gift came from the imperial palace!"

Amy spoke with considerable excitement and fuss.

"I clearly saw a carriage with the imperial flag enter!"

"You could see that in this darkness...?"

"Of course. My eyes are excellent."

She followed Amy's gaze outside, but aside from occasional patches of moonlight, only the carriage's outline was barely distinguishable. Amy lingered by the door, not even certain it was actually for Elonia. Listening for footsteps beyond the door, she whispered in a small voice, worried it might carry to the corridor.

"At this hour, only a gift would come from the palace."

Now that she mentioned it, it made sense. The gift list she'd seen before the ball hadn't included anything from the imperial family. The Espidia Empire couldn't possibly slight House Haelton. Not only had they distinguished themselves in war, but Haelton was the house that had provided the most support and sacrifice without hesitation. Their name was held in high esteem not just in the palace, but among all imperial citizens.

'I wonder if everyone knows that Duke Haelton found a fake spirit mage.'

Soon enough—knock, knock. Someone tapped on the door. A polite voice followed.

"A gift sent to Miss Elonia Devney from the imperial palace."

Amy, who'd been openly waiting by the door, deliberately took a deep breath and opened it slowly, one beat delayed. A neat-looking imperial advisor who'd come as the palace representative bowed politely. He adjusted his glasses and withdrew a letter he'd brought. Ahem—clearing his throat, the advisor began:

"A message. I wanted to convey this upon hearing the joyful news of both the spirit mage's emergence and the marriage."

She'd expected something grand when she heard a carriage had arrived. But what the imperial advisor actually produced was a small, antique box. He refolded the letter he'd spread open, then handed both the box and the letter to Amy with an additional comment.

"—this is what Her Imperial Highness Princess Aselir Espidia has conveyed."

The moment she heard that name, Amy let out an awkward exclamation.

"The, the princess sent this herself! What an honor!"

Her expression and movements stiffened so rigidly she looked ready to topple over with a push. It was a topic she'd noticeably avoided since first arriving at the ducal estate.

"Please tell Her Highness I'm grateful for her consideration."

Elonia handed over a letter containing ordinary thanks. Having received an appropriate response, the imperial advisor departed cleanly with polite farewells. Click—as the door closed and footsteps faded, Amy hurriedly lifted the gift and asked:

"Where should I put this?"

"It's a gift, so I should at least open it once."

"Y-you're going to?"

She who usually handled tasks briskly showed bewilderment whenever anything involving Aselir came up. There was definitely something there. Watching Amy's behavior, Elonia asked with a suspicious expression:

"Are you acting like this because Her Highness Aselir and His Grace previously discussed marriage?"

Amy's eyes widened. She asked carefully:

"You knew?"

"Yes."

As Elonia nodded matter-of-factly, Amy exhaled a sigh of obvious relief.

"Oh my. I thought you didn't know! You seemed unaware when you first came to the estate."

She'd only learned recently. Saying so would make Amy more uncomfortable, so Elonia held back. Amy, looking considerably more relaxed, placed the gift on the vanity.

"It was difficult for me to tell you when His Grace hadn't mentioned it himself."

If even Amy knew, it must be a more widespread rumor than expected. Elonia, having lived far from ducal affairs, had been completely ignorant. Thinking she no longer needed to hide it, Amy continued talking endlessly. After glancing around alertly, she covered her mouth with one hand and spoke carefully.

"Her Highness is such an elevated person, and she doesn't know the internal circumstances of the ducal estate. Just in case something goes wrong later..."

Amy's mouth worked awkwardly. It seemed difficult for her to add commentary about royalty. Simply put, Aselir was as good as confirmed for the next emperor. Marriage to her could be an opportunity to become empress consort. Moreover, the other party was Aselir, rumored to be the most beautiful woman in the empire. Was it consideration for the late empress from House Haelton?

'From what I saw at the palace, they didn't seem like people who worried about such issues.'

Not that Carvel seemed the type to insist on marrying for love either. She was living proof of that. Amy grumbled:

"When Her Highness Aselir sent marriage proposals, other houses watched nervously too. I thought His Grace's marriage prospects would be completely blocked."

"Is there some reason he needs to marry quickly?"

"Well, he has no heir!"

Elonia closed her mouth.