Sugar Apple Fairytale - Volume 4 - Chapter 2.2

Challe ought to be somewhere in this house.

Anne looked around and listened for any sign of him. But the inside of the house was frightfully quiet, and she didn’t even hear any voices.

Following after Elliott, she entered the dining room from the parlor. There was a corridor to the right, with a door at the end of it. It looked to be Glen Paige’s room.

“Glen? I brought the girl who I told you about earlier.”

Elliott knocked on the door, and a quiet voice answered:

“Come in.”

The room was just as bright as the rest of the house. There was a wool carpet on the floor and a fire blazing in the hearth. The bed was placed near a large sliding glass window.

Sitting in bed was a man with light-brown hair who appeared to be in his forties. He was leaning back against the headboard. The man was slender, and attractive for his age. His facial features resembled Bridget’s. His light-brown eyes looked appropriately staid for his age.

Bridget was standing beside the bed. She looked like she had known Anne was coming and wore a tense expression. She also seemed like she had something she wanted to say to Elliott, more so than to Anne.

Elliott pretended not to notice her gaze and did not look at Bridget.

“I am Glen Paige. I serve as the maestro of the Paige Workshop.”

In contrast to his daughter, Glen was smiling.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Anne Halford.”

She curtsied slightly and bowed.

“I see, you are indeed a girl; there’s no mistaking it.”

Glen gave a wry smile.

“But perhaps that explains it,” he muttered, as if trying to convince himself of something.

Then he beckoned to Anne.

“Come here, come here. You must excuse the state I’m in. I have a heart disease, you see, and can’t make any sudden movements. I hear you’ve earned a royal medal. That’s just splendid. Skilled crafters are in demand at any studio, but once they become Silver Sugar Masters, by rights, they ought to strike out on their own or find work somewhere top-class. But I hear you intend to take a job at the main studio of the Paige Workshop. Not the Mercury Workshop, which is the largest, or the Radcliffe Workshop, the next largest—but ours, the smallest of the three?”

“Yes.”

“And your motive is that fairy that Bridget brought back with her yesterday, is it?”

Bridget’s eyes flickered.

“That’s correct. I want to be near him, at any cost. Mr. Collins was kind enough to invite me, so if I’m going to work, I’d like to do so here.”

When Anne gave that answer, Bridget gave her a ferocious look.

“If you do end up working here, will you give it your all?” Glen asked.

“I do not cut corners when it comes to my craft,” Anne replied.

Regardless of her motive, a job was a job. She had never intended to slack off.

“That’s good to hear. I’ll put you to work immediately, starting tomorrow.”

Bridget’s eyes went wide, and she looked at her father. “Father?! You’re going to let her stay here?”

“I am.”

“But she’s a girl?! You’ve always told me, haven’t you, ever since I was little, that girls can’t be candy crafters? And yet you’re going to hire her? Even though you wouldn’t let me? Why?”

When she heard those words, Anne looked at Bridget in surprise.

“In your position, it’s impossible for you, a lady, to become a candy crafter,” Glen Paige said. “That reality will not change. But this girl is not the daughter of a maestro, and her abilities have been recognized with a royal medal. She is a candy crafter. There’s no issue with hiring her. Do you understand, Bridget? You are a woman of standing, so you cannot do the same. I thought I would have made you understand that by now.”

As he spoke, Bridget bit her lip.

“Do you understand, Bridget? Do you understand the reason why you weren’t able to?”

“Yes…I do,” she answered meekly.

Surprised at what she had heard, Anne couldn’t help but stare at Bridget. When Bridget noticed her gaze, she looked Anne straight in the face but then immediately turned away in a huff.

Bridget wanted to be a candy crafter? But if I can do it, why can’t the daughter of a maestro?

She couldn’t understand Glen’s irrational objection to the idea.

Glen turned his gaze from his daughter back to Anne.

“Excuse me. Now, back to your new job. I’m going to make you the directing manager of the whole operation. The head candy crafter.”

Anne was very surprised to hear she would be the head crafter.

“Just like that?”

The role was normally performed by an experienced artisan, someone like Kat or Elliott.

“Rightfully, the head candy crafter ought to be Elliott. But because of my condition, I’m having him act as my proxy, handling the many duties of a maestro. Orlando has been acting as head candy crafter in Elliott’s place until now. But you are a Silver Sugar Master. It would be unthinkable for a Silver Sugar Master to work under the supervision of an ordinary artisan. If you are to work here, you must do so as the head candy crafter.”

“But I only just received the royal medal yesterday.”

“And once it is awarded to you, you are a Silver Sugar Master. Of course you should be expected to work as one. That’s the duty that comes with being given the royal medal.”

The responsibility of being a Silver Sugar Master. She hadn’t given it any thought. But naturally, such duties must exist.

Anne felt apprehensive. But even though she had no experience, even though she hadn’t done it before, she knew she couldn’t shirk her duty. Challe’s sacrifice had gotten her where she was. She couldn’t puff up with pride now and claim to have won the royal medal on her own power. If she ran away again, she would only prove herself unworthy of her title.

Challe gave me my royal medal. I don’t want to do anything wretched to show that I’m not qualified to have it.

Anne pursed her lips and nodded.

“I understand. I will work as the head candy crafter for the Paige Workshop.”

She decided that she would do her very best.

If that’s what she had to do, then she would do it. And now that she had resolved to take on this job, she would assume her position with pride and responsibility.

If that was the duty of a Silver Sugar Master, she had no choice but to accept it.

Glen saw her expression and smiled in apparent satisfaction.

“To hear Elliott speak of you, you’re like the first silver sugar. I’m expecting great things.”

“The first silver sugar?”

She didn’t really understand what Glen was trying to say. The meaning of the words the first silver sugar wasn’t clear.

Glen smiled slightly, seeing Anne’s confusion.

“You’d be better off hearing it from Elliott. Now, I’ll consider returning that fairy to you if your work lives up to our expectations.”

“Really?!” Anne asked excitedly.

Glen nodded.

“Father?!”

Bridget seemed just as surprised, and she clung to her father’s arm.

“Father! He belongs to me! How can you say that without even asking?!”

“You are the daughter of the founding family of the Paige Workshop, are you not? In the near future, you will get married to your fiancé, Elliott, and you will be the one to inherit the workshop.”

“That’s true, but that’s a different—”

“I don’t mind if you fancy and play around with a pet fairy before you marry. And Elliott is kind enough to permit it as well. But you cannot get married with that fairy in tow. Surely, you must understand that. Rather than worrying about keeping him, you ought to put that fairy to work for the sake of the workshop.”

Tears welled up in Bridget’s eyes as she listened to her father’s calm words. She looked over at Elliott for help.

But Elliott shrugged. “I don’t think I like the idea of a bride who comes accompanied by another man, even if he is a fairy.”

Bridget shook her head like she was going to throw a tantrum. “No way… No…no, you can’t! No way. You can’t just decide that for me.”

“Bridget,” Glen said gently, but in a strict tone. “Whose daughter are you?”

She looked at Glen with a start, then answered in a pained voice, as if stifling her emotions, “I am…Glen Paige’s daughter.”

“Then surely, you must understand how to act, for the sake of the workshop.”

Tears flowed from Bridget’s eyes. The pain in those green eyes full of tears pierced Anne’s chest. She really was in love with Challe. Anne was sure of it. The earnestness of a girl in love was obvious in those green eyes. It pulled at Anne’s heartstrings.

But Bridget’s romantic feelings seemed to conflict with her pride as the daughter of the Paige family.

“I get it… I am the daughter of the maestro of the Paige Workshop. But—” Bridget raised her eyes and looked at Anne. “If that girl isn’t able to do anything, I’m not handing him over!” she declared, before hanging her head and dashing out of the room.

Glen sighed and sank into the pillow behind him. He looked exhausted. “I’m sorry, Elliott. I never expected that girl’s emotions to be thrown into such turmoil before the wedding.”

“It’s not a problem for me,” Elliott answered quietly in a sympathetic voice.

“Anne. Work hard for our workshop. If you do that for me, I will definitely return that fairy to you. Then even Bridget will have to accept it. She is the daughter of the maestro of the Paige Workshop. That is a source of pride for her as well. She might cry about it, but she should do as I say. I’m doing it for her sake as well.”

Anne cheered up at the possibility of getting Challe back.

“I will do my best as the head candy crafter,” she replied.

But the image of Bridget’s tears was stuck in her mind. She felt a slight tinge of something akin to guilt.

Glen sighed deeply and closed his eyes. His thin jawline was pitiful to look at. “I’m going to rest a bit,” he said. “Elliott, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Sure thing. All right then, let’s go, Anne.”

Urged along by Elliott, Anne left Glen’s room.

Once they exited the room, Mithril, who had been sitting quietly on Anne’s shoulder, stood up and danced for joy.

“Hooray! Anne, you’ll be able to get Challe Fenn Challe back! And you’ll be able to do it without attacking that girl in her sleep, sneaking around like a thief, or threatening her at all!”

“Were you planning to do those sorts of things?!”

She was startled by the underhanded tactics that Mithril had apparently been thinking of.

“Then what were you planning to do, Anne?” Mithril tilted his head.

“Well…I hadn’t thought about it. For the time being, I guess I was going to try to follow her?”

Mithril sounded disappointed.

“Anne, your scarecrow brain is showing.”

There was really nothing she could say in response to that.

“I’ll be happy, too, if things go well, you know?” Elliott said as he hastened Anne toward the entryway. “At any rate, we’re placing our hopes in you, because we can’t manage on our own,” Elliott continued while heading out the front door and down the stone steps, walking in front of Anne.

“But I don’t understand what’s being expected of me. Or what those hopes even are,” Anne said.

Even from behind, she could tell that Elliott was smiling a little. “We’re just bursting with anticipation. You might very well turn out to be the first silver sugar, Anne. That’s why I wanted to bring you here so badly, you see?”

She wanted to ask him what he meant by “the first silver sugar.” But Elliott was walking quickly and chattering away while still facing forward.

“Well—this is all your fault, Anne. There was no other way to get Bridget to reveal the whereabouts of your silver sugar, so the outcome was inevitable. But at the same time, I figured we could make use of your fairy. That’s why I kept quiet and let it happen. I knew that if Challe came here, you would likely come work for us, even if you didn’t want to.”

As she chased after him, Anne’s eyes went wide at Elliott’s words.

“Wait…that means…you took Challe in order to force me to work here?”

“I mean, I had to, because of how opposed you were to working at the main studio of the Radcliffe Workshop, you see? There’s no way you would have come if I had just invited you, right? Moreover, I knew that once you became a Silver Sugar Master, you’d be able to make it on your own just fine. I recognized your efforts, so I wanted to help you participate in the candy fair. I guess you could say we killed two birds with one stone.”

“You villain!” Mithril growled.

Elliott cackled with laughter. “So sorry for being one.”

Elliott looked to be headed toward the workrooms. He took a roundabout route that passed around the side of the main house.

“But why did you go to such lengths to make me come here?”

“I told you. I’ve got high hopes!” Elliott said as he abruptly stopped walking and turned around to face Anne. His eyes were serious.

“Hopes?”

“Yes. Not in your skills as a Silver Sugar Master or anything like that. Why, I’m a Silver Sugar Master, and I’m far from perfect. So I’m talking about ordinary hopes. Hope that something new might happen. And for the present-day Paige Workshop, that is a pressing matter.”

Hope. She was perplexed by the word. Anne wondered what on Earth Elliott and Glen expected from her.

“I’ll explain everything—come on.”

Elliott jerked his chin and signaled for her to follow, then took off walking again. Anne followed after him, when Mithril suddenly tugged at her hair.

“Hey, Anne! Look over there!”

Mithril was staring at something behind Anne’s back. When she turned around, she could see the eastern side of the main house. There was a row of five sliding glass doors along the terrace. Through one of them, she could see the profile of the person she had wanted to meet so badly that she couldn’t stand it.

“Challe!”

She was about to run over to him. But the very next moment, she noticed that Bridget was there as well, right in front of Challe. She was crying and clinging to him. And Challe was holding her in his arms.

Once Anne saw that, she froze.

Anne sensed Challe’s gaze straying over to her even as he embraced Bridget, as if he had heard Anne’s voice calling his name. But he immediately averted his eyes.

Something welled up from the depths of her heart. Her chest tightened, and her heart felt heavy.

Challe.

She wanted to call his name again, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

Anne was standing stock-still, and Elliott came up and stood beside her.

“Looks like Challe is doing a proper job playing the role of Bridget’s lover, eh? I’m impressed—splendidly done.”

It was hard for her to watch, so Anne turned her back to the window.

“You don’t find it unpleasant, Mr. Collins? You’re fine with your fiancée doing something like that?!” she shouted fiercely. She was getting angry for no reason, venting her frustrations.

Elliott also turned his back to the window and answered calmly, “It’s totally fine. I mean, I wasn’t particularly in love with Bridget anyway.”

“Uh…”

Elliott frowned.

“I envy you, you know? It seems like you really love Challe. I’ve never developed such feelings for Bridget. Of course, I do like her, but the same as any other girl. Because I like girls. I like to make a fuss over them and compliment them. But I don’t have those sorts of feelings for her.”

“So why are you two getting married?”

“Because it’s what Glen wants. And that’s the same as if I had chosen Bridget myself, isn’t it?”

“No way. That seems unfair to both of you.”

“Well, I don’t see what’s so unfair about it. Not since we’ve both agreed to it.”

“If it were me, I could never accept that.”

And it looked to Anne as though Bridget, at least, had not really accepted it, either. Most likely, she had to agree because of her social position. But her feelings were another matter entirely. No one seemed to have considered that.

“Well, the two of us have.”

“Is that really true?”

Anne stared Elliott in the eye and caught just a hint of hesitation showing through his cheerful demeanor. But the next instant, he was wearing his usual smile again.

“I’m annoyed, Anne, to be questioned so. But that attitude is precisely why I have such high expectations for you.”

Just then, there was another voice.

“Oh, Elliott?! You’re back!”

Anne looked in the direction of the voice and saw three people coming out of the workroom they had been heading toward.

One of them was waving enthusiastically; he was an incredibly tall young man with short brown hair and a burly physique. He had a scar across his temple. He looked better suited for a job as a bodyguard than as a candy crafter. But his smile was generous and cheerful.

Behind him was another young man about Anne’s age. He had dark-brown skin and white-blond hair. His ash-gray eyes looked at her with curiosity. His physical features resembled Salim’s, Hugh’s bodyguard. Anne assumed that just like Salim, this man came from the kingdom on the mainland. He had a large, amber-colored stone hanging from his right ear, a continental-style earring.

Behind him was a golden-haired young man with gentle features that were almost feminine. He wore round glasses. Maybe it was because of the glasses, but he seemed smart and composed.

The three of them headed directly toward Anne and Elliott.

“Whoa, hey, who is she?” the dark-skinned young man asked immediately as soon as they got close. He seemed immensely curious and peered at Anne’s face without reservation. Anne was taken aback.

“Come on! Try to mind your manners a little bit now, Nadir. You’re being rude to the girl.”

The man who looked like a bodyguard grabbed Nadir by the scruff of the neck. Nadir was easily pulled away by his thick, muscular arms.

“But I’m curious! Oh, and she has a fairy!”

Not discouraged at all, Nadir stepped toward Anne and, without hesitation, grabbed for Mithril, who was sitting on her shoulder. Anne was startled, and Mithril stood up in a panic and hid behind Anne’s neck.

“Wh-what the?! What do you think you’re doing?! It’s not like you’ve never seen a fairy before!”

“I haven’t seen many that are as small as you are. I just want to look at you—come on out!”

“Are you a child?! And don’t call me small!”

Nadir reached out his hand again to try to catch Mithril.

Anne shrieked and ducked her head.

“Don’t try to put your hands on a girl’s neck!”

Nadir was once again seized by the scruff of the neck and pulled backward by a set of burly arms.

The young man with the glasses smiled and looked at Elliott.

“Elliott. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Elliott put his arm around Anne’s shoulders.

“This girl is Anne Halford. She is this year’s Silver Sugar Master. She’s sixteen. The youngest Silver Sugar Master ever. Starting tomorrow, she’ll be working here with us, as the head candy crafter. And this fairy helps Anne with her work. He’s Mithril Lid Pod.”

All three men were evidently surprised after Elliott’s explanation.

“Halford? That’s the crafter who made the candy sculpture for the former Duke of Philax, right? So she is a girl?” muttered the young man who looked like a bodyguard.

Nadir looked up at him and tilted his head. “We’ve heard rumors about her. And she’s sixteen, which means we’re the same age? But she’s a Silver Sugar Master? Why would such an incredible girl work here? Wouldn’t she normally go to Mercury or Radcliffe or something? If she was going to work for a workshop anyway.”

When Nadir said that, the young man with glasses gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Nadir. There’s something surprising about her other than her age, isn’t there?”

“What?”

“She’s a girl, right?”

“So?”

“Nadir. For your own good, why don’t you go to Sunday school next time? I’ll even go with you. Okay?”

“I told you. I don’t want to.”

Nadir brushed away the other young man’s hand with an annoyed expression.

The one who looked like a bodyguard ran a hand through his hair. He seemed a little uncomfortable.

“A girl… A girl? Elliott, man, does Glen know about this?” he asked.

Elliott’s expression turned serious.

“Yes. He does.”

“What made him decide to accept a girl?”

“Probably because she’s a Silver Sugar Master. This girl’s skills have been publicly recognized.”

“I guess that’s true. Well, that sure is amazing. A sixteen-year-old Silver Sugar Master, huh? He’d almost have to accept her.”

Then the young man turned to face Anne.

“If Glen approves of you, I’ve got no objections. How do you do? I’m King.”

“King?”

It was a strange name. She didn’t know how it went in the countries on the mainland, but at least in Highland, nobody would adopt a surname that sounded the same as the word for the monarch, since that would be discourteous. And if that was his first name, then his parents had some nerve.

Most people probably had the same reaction as Anne when he introduced himself. King seemed to be used to it, as he added, “That’s not my real name, mind you. I’ve forgotten it. Everyone just calls me King.”

Anne presented her hand for a handshake.

“I’m Anne Halford. Very pleased to meet you.”

King looked startled by Anne’s extended hand.

“Wh-what’s this?!”

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘what’? A handshake.”

Suddenly, King’s cheeks flushed red. Then looking flustered, he gripped Anne’s hand.

“Right, right! A handshake, of course. A handshake. Yes, shaking hands.”

King let go immediately, as if he had touched something hot.

“Umm, anyway, I hope we get along great! And the fairy over there, nice to meet you, too. Though, we’ve never had a fairy to help us with our work before.”

Mithril stuck his head out from behind Anne’s neck and standoffishly jerked his chin up in the air.

“I bet my job is way more important than whatever that guy over there does.”

“Is that so? We’re expecting great things from you, so come on out here. I’m Nadir.”

Nadir’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Mithril withdrew behind Anne’s neck in a hurry.

“No way! I’m probably going to get choked to death if a rowdy guy like you gets his hands on me!”

The young man with glasses extended his right hand to Anne with a wry smile.

“Very wise, my fairy friend. I am Valentine. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Anne.”

“Ah, very nice to meet you.”

When they shook hands, Valentine smiled, looking a little perplexed.

“You’ve got small hands. You really are a girl.”

I am. I’m female. It’s true.

She sighed quietly. But the one saving grace was that none of the men seemed to harbor any malice toward her. If anything, they seemed bewildered.

“Well, introductions are done. Including me, and Orlando, who was going back to the main house earlier, you’ve met all the crafters at the main studio of the Paige Workshop.”

Anne was shocked to hear Elliott’s words.

“Huh? There are five crafters? What about apprentices?”

“There are none. Oh, but we do have two fairies to help with housework in the main house. That’s it.”

“So let me get this straight. Only five of you?”

“Correct. Five people.”

There are only five crafters at the main studio?!

Including the apprentices, there had been over fifty crafters at the main studio of the Radcliffe Workshop. But here, there were only five. Despite how little Anne knew about the internal affairs of the factions, she was aware that such a small number at a faction’s main studio would normally be unthinkable.

“Now I think you understand our situation. The Paige Workshop is in critical condition. We have only five crafters, and our orders for sugar candy have decreased considerably.”

Anne’s mouth hung open, but no words came out. She couldn’t imagine how a faction with such a long history had fallen into this predicament.

Then Elliott casually said something even more unbelievable.

“We’re hoping that you can rebuild the Paige Workshop, Anne. We’re counting on you.”

Anne was utterly dumbfounded.

Bridget came bursting into the room. As soon as she had closed the door behind her, she moaned, “Elliott is so cruel! He keeps saying he’s doing things for my sake, yet he brought that girl here. And my father just decided… Elliott, and my father, too—everyone thinks only of the workshop. No one ever thinks about me. It’s always been this way…with everyone.”

Challe was standing by the window. He could tell something had happened. But he wasn’t particularly interested in whatever was going on with Bridget. He gave her a fleeting, sidelong glance, then immediately shifted his eyes back to the scenery outside.

The room was stifling, and he couldn’t get used to it. But he found the view soothing.

“Everyone is so cruel!” Bridget shouted.

She struck the top of a display case beside the door with her hand. One of the small glass ornaments on top fell to the floor and shattered.

“You’re making quite a fuss,” Challe grumbled.

Bridget approached him briskly.

“Elliott brought Anne Halford here.”

So she came? There was no need for her to come.

A feeling akin to annoyance arose in him. But at the same time, the anticipation of being able to see Anne made him feel like something was burning bright deep within his frozen heart.

“You’re happy, aren’t you…? I can tell.”

Bridget spotted the subtle change in Challe’s expression, and her voice wavered.

“They say Anne’s going to work here,” she continued. “She’ll probably be staying in this very house. And if she performs her job well, my father said he would give your wing back to her.”

Challe raised his eyebrows when he heard that.

“That’s only if she’s able to revive the workshop. But it’s not going to be that easy to do. Neither Elliott nor Orlando managed it. What do they think a girl who just became a Silver Sugar Master yesterday can do? There’s no way she can pull it off.”

Bridget sounded like she was trying to convince herself. As she spoke, tears flowed from her jade-green eyes.

“So you still belong to me. That doesn’t change just because she’s here. Don’t you dare go see her! That’s an order. You are absolutely not to see her. If you do, I will punish you!” Bridget shouted.

In addition to Bridget’s irritated voice, Challe heard another one.

“Challe!”

It was Anne’s voice. He realized it with a start. At that same moment, Bridget launched herself at him.

“Don’t meet her. Don’t see her. That’s an order! Don’t you dare go see her; that’s an order!”

Challe held Bridget in his arms as she repeated herself, but he directed his gaze out the window. Anne was there. She was motionless, staring at him. Her hair, the color of barley grains, swayed lightly in the breeze.

Looking at her earnest face was heartbreaking, and he averted his eyes.

Anne.

He wanted to call her name.

After a few moments, it looked like Anne met up with some other candy crafters. She headed toward one of the workrooms with them and disappeared from his field of vision.

“Take me to my bed.”

Bridget continued to cry. She seemed like she was tired of standing. Challe did as ordered and picked her up in his arms.

They were in Bridget’s private chambers. It consisted of two adjoining rooms, and there was a bed in the back room. Challe laid Bridget on the bed, which was alongside the wall.

“Don’t leave me.”

To stop him from going, she grabbed his hand and ordered him to stay. There was nothing he could do about it, so he took a seat on the bed.

Bridget turned over to lie face down, then she buried her face in her pillow and kept crying.

She was the only daughter, a direct descendant of the founding family of the Paige Workshop. She had been cherished her whole life.

But in actuality, she had been abandoned alone on a high pedestal as the world kept moving around her.

That had probably always been the case the whole time Bridget was growing up. She had looked down from on high while events took place in spaces that had nothing to do with her, and no matter how she felt, there was never anything she could do. So when she did take action of her own, all she could do was recklessly follow her feelings, because she didn’t know any other way to successfully get things done.

Just like a child.

A long time ago, about twenty years earlier, a certain noble owned Challe. The seven-year-old boy who lived in the castle back then was similar to Bridget. The things she did and said were just the same.

For some reason, that child had also taken a liking to Challe and had never wanted to leave his side. Now Challe understood that the boy had probably been lonely. He had probably wanted Challe to be nice to him.

But the child didn’t know how to show his love, flew into a fit of anger at the slightest thing, and damaged Challe’s wing. Enraged, Challe grew even more obstinate. That child must already be an adult, he thought.

Bridget had stopped crying by the time the sun started to set. But she didn’t show any hint of lifting her face from the pillow. Once the sun had fully sunk in the sky, there was a knock at her door. Elliott announced that dinner was ready. But Bridget remained lying face down on the bed and shouted back that she didn’t want any.

Challe remained on the bed and stared out the window for a long time.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed. In the dark room, the moonlight fell across the floor in the shape of the window frame.

Bridget had said that Anne had been entrusted with the job of rebuilding the workshop. Even Challe could imagine that it would not be an easy task.

If Anne could accomplish the job, Challe might regain his freedom.

But he didn’t like that such a responsibility was being forced upon her. By all rights, she should be doing whatever job she wanted. There had to be one that would be more suitable for her.

Outside the window, the roofs of the scattered workrooms shone white in the moonlight. Judging from the position of the moon, it looked to be close to midnight.

Something was moving across the dark landscape. A slim silhouette with small limbs was walking toward a workroom.

Challe was startled. That had to be Anne. When he strained his eyes, he could see the white puffs of her breath.

Anne entered the workroom with a serious expression, as if she was mulling something over.

In spite of himself, Challe stood up from the bed. Bridget appeared to have tired herself out from crying and had fallen asleep. She didn’t seem likely to wake from a slight sound or movement.

Challe moved into the adjacent room, opened one of the sliding glass doors, and stepped outside.

He had been ordered not to see Anne. If Bridget found out, he would most likely be punished.

The moment they arrived at the house, Bridget had hidden his wing. She was probably afraid of Challe stealing it back. If she learned that he had ignored her order, she would surely retrieve the wing from its hiding place and use it to torture him. She didn’t have the nerve to kill Challe. But if she let her anger get the better of her, she would not hesitate to make him suffer.

However, he had to speak with Anne.

I have to send her away.

Even as he walked off determined to do just that, he was thinking of something else.

I want to see her.

A revitalization of the main studio of the Paige Workshop. That was apparently Anne’s job.

Anne had been a Silver Sugar Master for only two days. Moreover, she had never trained at any studio before. For the most part, she had polished her skills by watching and imitating her mother, Emma. A task as audacious as reviving the main studio of the Paige Workshop seemed far beyond her reach.

But Anne had to do it. If she could pull it off, Challe would be free again.

That thought motivated her. She didn’t have the slightest desire to abandon the task before her.

Anne had been provided with a room on the second floor of the main house.

She’d eaten dinner with Elliott, Orlando, and Mithril in the dining room. Elliott had talked a lot, but Orlando had hardly said a word. He wasn’t purposely ignoring Anne; rather, it seemed like that was the attitude he took toward everything.

Glen had eaten in his own chambers, and Bridget had not appeared for dinner.

She hadn’t seen Challe, either, but it seemed like that was for the best. If she saw him, her chest would hurt again, and she would have trouble thinking of anything but Challe.

Since right now, she needed to figure out how she should proceed with the job she had been assigned.

Ultimately, her success was connected to freeing Challe.

She was sure he had been terribly anxious the past two days.

Mithril said he was tired, then immediately went to bed and fell asleep.

Anne got in bed with him.

Their room was old but clean. It had lacquered wooden paneling and plaster walls. Everything was solidly built, so the room’s age added to its charms. She had no complaints about the bedding, which consisted of a mattress made with plenty of soft, fluffy cotton, and a warm woolen blanket. She had even put on nightclothes, which she normally did not wear when camping outside, before getting into bed. They were comfortable, as they were not constricting.

Even so, she couldn’t fall asleep.

She tossed and turned, then ultimately gave up and sat up in bed.

No matter what I do, I can’t fall asleep, so I may as well go take another look at one of the workrooms.

After making up her mind, she slipped out of bed so as not to wake Mithril.

She put on a shawl over her nightclothes and lit a lamp that was in the room. She carried it with her as she stepped outside. Her loose hair danced gently around her shoulders in the wind. It was cold, and she was able to see her own breath.

The workroom was an oblong building. It had a shingle roof, and its walls were made of stacked round stones. It was a single-story structure, but the loft was spacious with enough room to crouch and walk through it.

She opened the wooden double doors that functioned as the entrance and exit, then walked inside.

Lamp in hand, she advanced slowly from the front of the building toward the back. The workroom was long and narrow. Space stretched out between her and the darkened far end, where the light from the lamp didn’t reach.

Along one wall was a row of barrels for storing silver sugar.

On the opposite wall were racks for drying sugar apples after they were cooked down.

There were four stone tables for making sugar candy. A cask for cold water was next to each of them.

Compared with the main studio of the Radcliffe Workshop, there weren’t any enormous cookstoves or millstones. Instead, there were ten stone mortars, a little bit larger than those for household use. And in the very back, there were five large stoves, around the size of those probably found in the kitchens of taverns. Reasonably sized tools were neatly arranged in the spacious workroom.

Anne liked the fact that the equipment was of a moderate size, as that made them well-suited for refining silver sugar.

By refining a small amount at a time rather than making a huge quantity all at once, they are able to work more carefully and do a meticulous job, which raises the quality of the silver sugar. There were seven similar workrooms at the studio. They were probably able to refine a large quantity of silver sugar by subdividing the work, while keeping the batches small to preserve the quality of the sugar.

If the people working here understood that and had set up their equipment accordingly, then it meant the Paige Workshop was quite careful about its sugar refining.

So then how did they end up in their current predicament, where they have only five crafters?

She puzzled over the question as she looked down at one of the old stoves that had been in use for many years.

Orlando had shown her around that evening, so she had already seen it once. But she had wanted to take another look. The place was deserted and modest, but somehow, it resembled the workspace of the Silver Sugar Viscount in the Silver Westol Castle, in that the atmosphere was quiet and solemn. Perhaps it was because the intentions of past crafters had seeped into the worn mortars, workbenches, and various tools.

The workroom at the main studio of the Radcliffe Workshop did not have the same ambience.

When Anne brushed against the edge of a stove, it felt cold. She suddenly wanted to touch silver sugar.

Then the question arose again.

Why do I want to make sugar candy so badly, I wonder?

Just then, she heard the front door creaking. Startled, she held her lamp aloft and whirled around. The shawl she had been wearing over her shoulders fell to the ground as she moved.

A tall, slender figure stood in the doorway, bathed in moonlight.

Under the moonlight, the figure’s pale skin, characteristic of fairies, looked even paler. The ends of his hair and eyelashes, as well as his lone wing, glittered like they had been sprinkled with silver powder. Like a blade made from polished obsidian, his features were sharp yet shiny, and handsome enough to send a shiver up Anne’s spine. It was the person whose name she had wanted to call that afternoon, the person she had wanted to be next to in spite of herself.

Anne was glued to the spot, stunned by this unexpected reunion.

Challe frowned.

“Don’t prowl around dressed like that. It’s aggravating.”

“…Ah—”

Anne looked down at where Challe was staring, scanning her shoulders and chest.

She was wearing loose, white cotton nightclothes. There was some simple but cute lace decoration around the sleeves, hem, and bust, which she liked. She had tied a ribbon to tighten the neckline, but perhaps because of all her tossing and turning in bed, it had come undone.

Her right shoulder was fully visible, and her chest was also exposed to quite a perilous extent.

“Ah! Uh, hang—hang on!”

Anne hurriedly set her lamp down on the edge of the stove and turned her back to Challe.

She tried to quickly fix her clothes. She tugged firmly at the ribbon and covered up her shoulders and chest. But her fingers were numb with cold, and she couldn’t tie the ribbon well.

And just when I finally ran into Challe, too!

She felt ashamed of how disheveled she looked.

She heard Challe’s footsteps approach, then stop behind her.

“Why did you come?” he said coldly and accusingly.

Anne flinched. It felt as if she had been rejected.

Just as Mithril had said, Challe probably didn’t need any help from Anne.

But he had relinquished his freedom for her sake. That was an unchangeable fact.

Even if he rejected her help, there was no way she could give up.

“I know you got the location of my silver sugar from Bridget. I’ve been told you handed your wing over to her for that purpose. So I came to help you, Challe.”

“I’m not foolish enough to expect help from you. The matter with the silver sugar was my own decision. It had nothing to do with you. More importantly, is this where you want to be? Isn’t the first year after you become a Silver Sugar Master a crucial time period? Or are you so stupid that you don’t even understand that?”

Challe’s words were calm, succinct, and blunt.

Anne fervently searched for the words that would refute Challe’s excuses. But pitifully, she only found simple ones.

“It certainly has something to do with me.”

“I acted on my own. It doesn’t concern you.”

“Even if you say that, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t concern me. I’m telling you—I’m definitely going to set you free, Challe. I’m going to save you.”

“You must be stupid. Anyway…look at me.”

Challe sounded irritated.

“Stop calling me stupid!” Anne got flustered and struggled to tie her ribbon. “So maybe I am an idiot. But in this case, what I’m doing is not stupid.”

“I told you to turn around and face me,” Challe repeated himself.

At Challe’s words, Anne became even more flustered.

“But the ribbon—”

“Who cares about that? Let me see your face.”

His tone was getting harsher.

“The ribbon… I can’t get it—”

“Hurry up!”

Suddenly, Challe grabbed Anne by the shoulders and spun her around. He drew her toward him and clicked his tongue.

“Is this the problem?! Let’s get it done, then!” Challe spat as he grabbed the ribbon at Anne’s chest and nimbly tied it.

“Th…thank you.”

Why had he so generously tied her ribbon for her, despite being so irritated and angry? She didn’t understand, but for the moment, she just thanked him.

Challe seemed startled by her thanks. He looked down at the ribbon between his fingers and grimaced, as if he had done something truly terrible.

“I had to, because you wouldn’t turn around to face me,” Challe angrily mumbled, letting go of the fabric.

She hadn’t thought it was such a bad thing to not immediately look at Challe. But if it had made him that upset, she felt bad about it.

“Sorry. But my ribbon—”

“Forget it.”

It seemed like Challe was showing a small degree of self-loathing. Compared with when she still had her back turned to him, his harsh tone had quickly disappeared.

“Oh, Challe. Anyway, I’m going to help you.”

“You’re still saying that?”

“This once, I won’t do as you ask. Listen, I want to be with you. I want the three of us to be together, Mithril Lid Pod, you, and me.”

“You’ll get used to not having me around.”

“I don’t want to get used to something like that!”

“Don’t be naive. If that’s your only reason, then get out of here.”

“That’s not the only thing!!”

Her voice grew louder.

“I have to save you, Challe. If I don’t, I won’t be able to say I became a Silver Sugar Master under my own power!”

Challe’s expression changed. He had heard something totally unexpected.

“If I leave things as they are, I will always feel as if I became a Silver Sugar Master by borrowing your strength, Challe. That’s why I’m determined to use my own strength to help you. Then we’ll be even. And I’ll be able to say with pride that I became a Silver Sugar Master under my own power!”

Her assertion did not skillfully convey her feelings into words. But it was the best she could do.

After a brief silence, to confirm he had heard her correctly, Challe asked, “Your own power?”

“That’s right. I want to be able to say I became a Silver Sugar Master fair and square.”

Challe had sacrificed himself for her sake; she couldn’t leave him in his current state. She wanted to be with Challe. And on her pride as a candy crafter, in order to say she had become a Silver Sugar Master on her own, she couldn’t let his sacrifice stand. If she could use her own strength to get Challe back, then she could protect her pride and say she had become a Silver Sugar Master on her own.

“I have many reasons for wanting to save you, Challe. So I can’t just give up. Even if you don’t want my help, even if you get angry, I’m going to do what I want. What’s more, it’s not impossible. Glen told me that if I can rebuild the Paige Workshop, he will give me back your wing. I don’t need money or have to use violence or anything like that. I can help you with my abilities as a candy crafter. So I have to do it.”

Challe sighed deeply.

“You have your pride as a candy crafter. Is that why you don’t want to be in my debt?” Then after a brief silence, he said quietly, “You really are an idiot.”

“Idiot? Again?”

She was about to open her mouth to lecture him when he pulled her into an embrace.

She could feel the shape of his cold, slender fingers on her back through the thin cotton and his warm breath in her hair, which slipped down over her ears.

“If you say you’re doing it for your pride, then I can’t drive you away.”

Through the thin fabric, she could sense the strength in his chest and arms as he embraced her tightly. Her face grew hot. She didn’t know what to do; her body stiffened, and she couldn’t move.

“Anne.”

Challe brought his face to her ear and whispered her name. His voice was like a long sigh that melted her down to her core. It was nothing like the sweet voice he used to tease her sometimes when he was being deliberately mean.

Anne felt herself go weak in the knees. Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

“I’ve never been rescued by anyone before. How am I supposed to act? What should I do when you say you’re going to save me? Tell me.” Challe asked.

“I—I don’t think the person getting rescued needs to do anything. If you could just wait in the meantime, that would be good,” Anne answered, her voice trembling.

Challe hugged her even more tightly. It was hard to breathe.

“If you say to wait, then I will.”

“Okay…please do.”

“I will wait for you.” Challe whispered the words like a vow.