Sugar Apple Fairytale - Volume 5 - Chapter 4.2

“You have one, too, Noah,” he urged.

Noah picked up a small piece, held it in his palm, and stared intently at it.

“This crest is wonderful, isn’t it?” he said.

“It’s meant to convey the pride of our house, after all,” replied Herbert. “The swords, the shield, and the lion symbolize strength, while the blue banner stands for mercy. The crest is meant to say, Follow us, for we shall use our strength to serve the common people with mercy. Although personally, I’m rather useless at handling a sword.”

“But, Master Herbert, you are strong of heart and deeply merciful.”

“Oh, don’t praise me so, Noah. Now, do you think I could get you to pretend like your previous move never happened?”

“That’s a different matter entirely. Thank you for the suggestion, but no.”

As he spoke, Noah reached out for the teapot on the edge of the low table, then moved to pour tea into the empty cup sitting in front of Herbert. But as soon as he tipped it, the lid of the pot came loose and fell off. It hit the teacup and broke it, and tea splashed all over the low table and the floor.

“S-sorry!”

Noah hastily tried to wipe up the tea with a napkin. But the liquid only spread further and made a miserable mess.

Herbert, his eyes wide, waved casually. “It’s fine, leave it. I’ll get someone to clean it up later. Now, let’s move to the other table.”

Despondent, Noah seemed to wilt. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay; it happens all the time,” Herbert said with a smile.

Noah hung his head deeply. “Master Herbert, why do you employ a useless fairy like me?”

“Useless? Don’t be silly. You’re plenty useful!”

“You’re lying. I can’t do anything.”

“You can, too. Listen, you’re the only one who will face me at this game on an equal footing, Noah. Most people get bored with how bad I am and quickly refuse to play with me. You and I are both equally terrible, and that makes the game fun!”

Noah glanced at his master with a resentful look in his eyes. “Master Herbert, those are not words of praise.”

“They most certainly are!” Herbert said, smiling.

The scene began to warp again.

Anne saw the same lesser hall. Herbert was sitting on the couch, just as he had been before, but he was clearly dressed for battle. The clothes didn’t suit him very well. He didn’t seem at all like a person who could draw his sword and kill a man.

Noah’s purple eyes were full of tears, and he was angry.

“Why are you leaving me behind?! Master Herbert!”

Noah was standing in front of Herbert across the low table. With a gentle expression, Herbert pushed the candy dish on top of the table toward the fairy.

“Here, Noah. Eat.”

“Master Herbert! Answer me, please. Why won’t you take me with you?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I need someone to look after the castle for me while I’m gone.”

“Anyone can do something like that. Are you leaving me behind because I’m not useful?” Noah’s voice trembled pitifully, but Herbert soothed him with a smile.

“Of course not. I want you to look after the castle. Here, eat. I want you to eat, too.”

There were four pieces of sugar candy left in the dish.

Herbert was extremely insistent as he offered Noah the candy, and the fairy eventually gave in. He picked up a piece and held it in his palm. Herbert watched happily as the candy crumbled and vanished.

“If they find this candy, they’ll probably smash it, too. Before that can happen, I want you to eat it.” Herbert calmly stood up. “Noah, protect the castle for me. But listen here, you mustn’t eat anything in this castle except what I have given you.”

“Huh?”

Noah widened his eyes, and Herbert gently put a hand on his head.

“Once the food is gone, leave this place, okay? You must not eat anything other than what I have given you here. If you want to eat, leave this place.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean just what I said. I want you to protect the castle, so I’m leaving you behind. This is an important job, and only you can do it. But I have one more order. Don’t eat anything other than what I have given you while you are here. If you want to eat, leave the castle. Understand?”

With his sword in hand, Herbert descended the stairs.

“Master Herbert?!”

He did not turn around.

Noah stared down at the three pieces of candy that were left in the candy dish. He picked up one of them and quickly tucked it away into the small pouch at his waist.

“I won’t eat this one,” he mumbled, biting his lip.

He gently squeezed the small pouch in which he’d placed the candy.

Somehow, Anne understood that Noah’s wing was in the same pouch—the wing that Herbert had returned to him. Anne’s chest ached. Noah’s pain was constricting her heart.

The scene of the warm hearth with the sofas and portraits suddenly became distant, and Anne’s vision grew dark.

Why are you showing me these things?

Her instincts told her that these visions were true. Someone was showing her what had happened in the past.

Then she heard the voice again, right by her ear.

“Young Silver Sugar Master, you who loves fairies. I want you to help him. Help that boy.”

Startled by the voice, Anne opened her eyes and jumped to her feet.

It appeared to be dawn, and the world behind the closed curtains was starting to grow lighter. But darkness still lurked in the corners of the room. Suddenly, a human figure moved, seeming to melt into those shadows.

But Anne didn’t find the figure frightening. Somehow, she knew exactly who it was and what his intentions were.

“Wait!”

Without meaning to, Anne cried out to the figure. But it quickly dissolved and disappeared.

The voice that had whispered, “I’m glad you’ve come,” on the day they arrived at Hollyleaf Castle; the sound of breathing she’d heard from time to time; the voice in her dreams; and the figure that had just dissolved into the shadows right before her eyes—they were all the same person.

“Master Herbert.” She mumbled his name in confirmation.

He’s asking for my help.

She was convinced of it.

He needs my skills as a Silver Sugar Master.

Silver Sugar Master was a title given to artisans who could make beautiful sugar candies. Such candies gave fairies strength and extended their life span.

Anne was being asked, as a Silver Sugar Master, to help save Noah.

The rain continued to fall, never weakening, and the sky was dark all throughout the afternoon as thunder kept rumbling.

The withered garden in front of the castle flooded. The force of the water cut deep grooves through the garden here and there and ran through them like gutters.

The night after she saw Herbert’s shade, Anne made another piece of sugar candy once her work was done for the day. She made another one the following night.

She showed them to Noah each morning, but on both days, he turned away. Naturally, he wouldn’t take any other food, either.

Whenever Anne was at Noah’s bedside, she held his hand as much as possible. She feared that he would disappear if she didn’t. She worried about leaving him alone overnight, but she had to sleep, too. She couldn’t do anything that would disrupt her work.

When he saw her struggling, Challe unexpectedly offered to spend the night by Noah’s side. Though he was silent on the matter, for some reason, he was very kind toward the boy. His behavior was clearly different to the rough way he always treated Mithril Lid Pod.

The following morning, Anne offered Noah another piece of sugar candy. It was the fourth piece that she had made for him.

That day’s candy was shaped like a blue butterfly. But as expected, Noah turned away. Anne cast her eyes downward, disappointed again. Challe touched her shoulder lightly. She looked up and saw his beautiful black eyes staring down at her. It was as if he was silently reminding her to be patient.

Anne set the candy down on the side table and spoke with deliberate cheer.

“Well, I’ll bring breakfast up, okay? Let’s eat together, the three of us.”

Then she left the room.

Orlando and Valentine, the early risers, were already at the dining table in the lesser hall. Elliott, King, and Nadir were sure to get up before too long.

Starting that day, their work would enter a new phase. They had all the snowflakes they needed, and they planned to start assembling them into towers. The other candy crafters seemed excited about it and had agreed to start their work earlier than usual.

But unfortunately, Anne was up too early. Breakfast wasn’t ready yet.

She headed to the kitchen to let Danna and Hal know that she would take portions for herself, Challe, and Noah up to her room again that morning.

The door leading into the kitchen stood halfway open, and warm steam and the smell of the charcoal in the stove came wafting out from within.

“Ah, oh no!” came Danna’s voice. “The sugar has clumped up, and I just put in a huge amount! What do I do now? It’s going to be ridiculously sweet. I’m not sure it’ll even be edible. Hal, what do you think?”

“We won’t be able to tell, so you’ll have to get someone else to try it.”

Anne peeked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Danna, Hal. If you want my help, I could taste it for you.”

“Anne!” Danna’s face lit up with delight for a moment, then she suddenly blushed. Bashfully, she fiddled with her frilly apron. “Oh, no, the thought of you tasting something I’ve ruined… It’s too embarrassing…”

“I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself while cooking, you know.”

Anne stood in front of the pot on the stove. Simmering inside it were walnuts and dried fruits. It sounded like Danna had added quite a lot of sugar. Anne ladled up some of the sauce, put it in a small dish, and tasted it. But it wasn’t unpleasantly sweet.

“This is fine. It tastes good. Everyone’s exhausted, so something sweet will be perfect.”

She reassured Danna with a smile, and Danna fidgeted even more.

“…I’m so glad…,” she said.

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it… I’m just happy it turned out all right.”

Danna was acting much too embarrassed, which made Anne blush as well. Hal smirked.

“Thank you very much, Anne,” he said. “By the way, did you need something?”

“Oh, yes. I’ll be taking three meals up to my room. I thought I would tell you.”

“For the boy, yes? Has he still not eaten?” Hal sighed. He sounded disappointed. Then he set a small jar on top of the counter and plunged a pestle into it, vigorously breaking up the contents.

“Hal? What are you doing with that?” Anne asked curiously.

Hal frowned. “This is sugar, the cause of Danna’s mistake. I don’t know why, but it’s all clumped up. She tipped the jar to add some sugar without paying enough attention, and a chunk splashed into the pot. It’s my first time seeing sugar harden like this. I didn’t spot it until yesterday. It probably hardened little by little from the bottom, and I didn’t notice until it got to the top.”

“Hardened?”

Anne peered into the jar.

Sure enough, the yellowish sugar, refined from sugarcane, had formed lumps all throughout the jar.

“You’re right,” she said. “I’ve never seen this before. Why is the sugar—…?” She suddenly stopped. “Don’t tell me—?!”

“Anne?”

Anne rushed out of the kitchen. She ran quickly up the stairs to where Elliott and the other candy crafters were gathered in the lesser hall.

“Everyone, come with me!”

Too impatient to even explain, Anne said only that before running off toward the second floor of the east wing. The others saw the expression on her face and must have judged that this was no trivial matter. The candy crafters followed her immediately.

The second floor of the east wing was where they were storing their silver sugar.

Anne pulled the door open and burst into the room. Quickly, she opened the lid of the nearest barrel of silver sugar.

The surface appeared to sparkle more than usual. She touched the sugar and attempted to scoop some out. When she did, her fingers slid right across the surface. It had solidified.

Anne went pale. She was speechless. She reached out once more with trembling fingers, but sure enough, the sugar was hard.

The other candy crafters peered into the barrel as well and gasped. Immediately, Elliott started shouting.

“Check them!” he hollered. “Check the other barrels, all of them!”

At the sound of his voice, the candy crafters scattered around the room. They opened lid after lid.

“No good. It’s all solid,” Orlando said in a daze.

King let out a low groan.

Nadir’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

Valentine muttered, “I see. The humidity and…the heat… But I never imagined something like this…”

Silver sugar hates humidity and heat. When the temperature rises higher than that of the human body, it gets sticky and hard. Add in moisture on top of that, and it solidifies. In order to keep silver sugar free-flowing, it has to be kept in a cool environment where the air is always dry.

The weather in the Kingdom of Highland is usually perfect for that. The air is dry through all four seasons, and the summers aren’t typically that hot.

This climate was the reason why the refining of silver sugar had flourished in the country and why they could make sugar candies. That wasn’t possible in other countries on the continent, and Anne had heard that refined silver sugar went bad quickly in such places.

But for the past four days, a strange rain had fallen nonstop. That must have raised the humidity sharply. And the high temperatures probably hadn’t been good for the silver sugar, either.

The damp barrels had hardened gradually from the bottom up, until finally, even the surfaces were solid.

“Why didn’t I notice until it got this bad?!” Anne bit her lip in frustration. She was upset with herself.

In a place like Highland, it would normally be unthinkable for silver sugar to go bad. Even if a barrel of it got wet in the rain or absorbed a bit of moisture, thanks to the climate, the sugar would soon dry out and flow freely again.

But it was a different story when the humidity in the air itself went up so dramatically.

No one could have predicted this. But if they had been checking the barrels from the bottom to the top during the four days when it had been raining, they might have been able to take preventative measures before the sugar hardened too much.

Mithril perched on the rim of the barrel that Anne and Elliott were peering into, wearing a solemn expression.

“Anne. The silver sugar is—”

“At this rate…we won’t be able to use it,” she said.

They had barely started making their sugar candy sculptures. That very day, they were finally going to start assembling the snowflakes they had created. But they were still only on the first sculpture. Anne wasn’t sure how they were going to keep working, especially since they had so many sculptures left. With the silver sugar in this state, they simply couldn’t make any candy.

All sorts of thoughts filled her mind at once, confusing her. She felt hopeless.

They wouldn’t finish in time for the First Holy Festival. The thought made her want to cry. Tears gradually welled up in her eyes.

Just then, Elliott spoke.

“Don’t cry, head crafter,” he whispered in a quiet voice so that only Anne could hear him.

She looked at him with a start. Though he was staring at the silver sugar with a stiff expression, his tone was the same easygoing one he always used.

“Well, we’ve got to do something about this. I wonder what would be best?”

He raised his head and looked around at the candy crafters. He had on his usual playful expression.

He’s right.

The person in charge couldn’t give in and start crying. The people following her would get anxious and apprehensive. Before she could cry, she needed to pretend everything was fine and think about what they should do next. That was the job of the workshop’s proxy maestro and its head crafter.

What do we do? What can we do?

Anne touched the solid silver sugar once more. She scratched at it with her fingers and extracted a round clump, which she set in her palm. When she squeezed it tightly, it broke apart. It wasn’t impossibly hard. They could work with this.

Anne raised her head.

“Everyone, let’s bring all the firewood we can find up here, to the second floor of the east wing, and try to rapidly heat up and dry out this room! We’ll get rid of the moisture in the silver sugar. Then we’ll bring the hand mills from Millsfield and grind the dried-out product one more time!”

Elliott nodded. “That’s probably all we can do. Well then, everyone. Hurry!”

At that, the crafters took off running.