Sugar Apple Fairytale - Volume 6 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

ONE FINAL ADDITION

Everything, including the hill and trees, was now covered in snow. Even the courtyard of Hollyleaf Castle was transformed into a featureless white square. The morning light reflected off the pure-white landscape, making Anne’s eyes hurt. At the castle, smoke curled into the air from the chimneys of the west wing. Anne suspected there was a fire in the hearth of every room except the workshop.

Hugh’s carriage brought them as far as the bottom of the hill, but the snow hadn’t been cleared from the path, and the carriage couldn’t make it up the slope. Without any other choice, Anne and Challe got out and climbed the hill themselves, kicking up the ankle-deep snow as they walked.

Anne was anxious. There were only ten days left until the First Holy Festival, and she wondered how the work was coming along.

They had made it back to Lewiston the night before, but it was past midnight when they arrived, so Anne and Challe spent the night in Hugh’s private residence in town. While there, Anne asked about the Paige Workshop’s progress, but Hugh only smirked and said, “Oh, it’s going pretty well.” No matter how many times she asked, he wouldn’t give her any more details.

Sweating with exertion, she cut across the courtyard and arrived at the big front door.

As soon as Anne stepped into the hall, she called out in a loud voice: “We’re back!”

Then removing the cape Hugh had given her, she said once more, “We’re back, everyone!”

For a moment, everything was silent. Then she heard a commotion from the east wing, and a flurry of footsteps approached.

The door leading to the east wing’s first floor flew open, and Mithril Lid Pod came rushing out.

As soon as he saw Anne and Challe in the great hall, he stopped in his tracks, looking shocked. Then tears welled up in his blue eyes, the color of lake water.

“Anne! Challe Fenn Challe!” Mithril bounded across the floor and leaped into the air, jumping straight into Anne’s chest. “I—I thought you two were goners already; I really did! I thought they would never find you!” he cried.

Grasping tightly at the fabric of Anne’s dress, Mithril ground his head into her chest as though checking to make sure she was real.

Anne hugged Mithril close.

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” she said.

Mithril glared sternly at Challe from Anne’s arms. “Hey, Challe Fenn Challe! Why didn’t you come back sooner?”

“I thought we were gone just the right length of time,” replied Challe, an apathetic look in his eyes. “I’d just about managed to forget your face.”

“Don’t joke around! You don’t really mean that!” Mithril jumped from Anne’s chest onto one of Challe’s shoulders and yanked his hair. “Can you even imagine how worried all of us were about you?! That guy seemed so strong, and he had Anne. Even knowing how powerful you are, I…!”

One moment, Mithril was shouting and pulling wildly at Challe’s hair, and the next, he sat down in a slump on Challe’s shoulder. Then he burst into another round of tears and started sobbing.

Challe shot him a sideways glance and said kindly, “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mithril Lid Pod.”

Mithril nodded repeatedly. Then he used Challe’s hair, which he was still holding, to scrub the tears from his cheeks. Challe looked a little disgusted.

After Mithril, Orlando emerged. The bandages covering the left side of his face were gone, and he was now wearing a leather eye patch over his left eye. King, Valentine, and Nadir appeared next. All of them stared with open mouths, like they couldn’t believe their eyes.

Following the candy crafters was Elliott. As soon as he saw Anne and Challe, he made his way over to Anne, stepping past the stunned candy crafters.

“Can’t you see you’ve startled everyone, returning out of the blue like this?” he said, shooting her his usual foolish grin. “…Welcome back, you two.”

“Mr. Collins, we’re glad to be back.”

Then the other candy crafters snapped out of their shock and rushed over to surround them.

“We’re back, everyone,” Anne said. “Orlando, has your injury healed?”

Orlando made a bitter face. “You’ll have plenty of time to worry about me later,” he said. “Are you in good health?”

“Yes, we’re fine.”

Nadir sniffled. “I thought the two of you were never returning… I’m so glad.”

Valentine rubbed Nadir’s back as he wiped a tear from the corner of his own eye. “Thank goodness. I’m so glad.”

Meanwhile, King’s face was contorting wildly, like he was barely managing to hold back his tears.

“It’s just like I told you,” Anne heard Kat say. “Nothin’ to worry about. They were always comin’ back!”

Kat sounded irritated as he emerged from the workshop with Jonas in tow, but in spite of his confident words, he smiled with noticeable relief.

Jonas stood behind Kat and avoided looking at Anne. But she could see his eyes were moist.

“We’re back, Jonas,” she said.

Jonas just grunted and turned away.

But then Anne saw the last young man to come through the door, and her eyes widened in shock.

“Keith?!”

The young man approached her with the same gentle smile he always wore.

“Thank goodness… Anne, Challe, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“Why are you here, Keith?”

“I’ve been helping with the job.”

“Can you do that?! Won’t Marcus get angry with you?”

Keith smiled impishly. “It’s fine. I’ve got an idea, you see.”

Anne looked at the faces of the candy crafters gathered around her. They had all come from the workshop. Despite how early it was, they had all already started working. They had done just as Anne believed they would and kept going the whole time she was gone.

Elliott and all the crafters of the Paige Workshop had been hard at work, with help from Kat, Jonas, and, to her surprise, even Keith.

Anne had been locked away in a fort in the wilderness for a little over a month, and she had spent the whole time freezing and anxious. Those memories, which had settled in a corner of her mind, were already fading like some fleeting dream. All the fear and tension began to melt away. Anne felt relief well up from the bottom of her heart.

We made it back. I can do my job.

She was so happy, she could hardly stand it.

“How have the sugar candy sculptures turned out?!” Anne asked excitedly. “How far has the work progressed?!”

Keith chuckled. “That really is all you think about, huh?”

Elliott smiled and winked. “That’s our head candy crafter. Before we celebrate her return, I think we’d better show her our work first, don’t you agree?”

Anne followed the others to the workspace in the east wing.

“All right, here,” said Elliott. “Take a look.”

He took Anne directly to the room beside the workshop, where they stored their finished candy sculptures. When Anne took a step inside, her breath caught in her throat.

“Isn’t it terrific?” Elliott threw out his chest proudly.

The room was filled to the brim with rows of towers made of sugar candy snowflakes.

There were some much taller than Anne, as well as half-sized towers and towers one third as large as the biggest ones. All stood quietly in the dimly lit room.

Anne looked back at Elliott, and he nodded.

“Mr. Collins,” she said, “these sculptures… How many have you made?”

“Right now, we have eight of the largest ones, ten of the half size, and ten of the one-third size.”

“You mean—”

“Yep. We have all the candy sculptures we were planning to make. We’ll be done in time, Anne.”

The moment Anne heard those words, a warm feeling surged up from deep within her chest.

She remembered their panic and despair when the silver sugar hardened, and how nervous and disheartened she’d been when she competed with Hugh. She recalled her happiness when Kat had come to help, and the confusion and hope she’d felt when she found Jonas. She thought about how worried she’d been staying with the fairies in the fort in the wilderness.

All sorts of thoughts ran through her head.

We’re going to make it.

So many things had happened, but they were going to finish in time.

“We’ve already reported our progress to the Silver Sugar Viscount. He even came by and gave us his approval.”

The night before, when Hugh wouldn’t answer her about the Paige Workshop’s progress no matter how many times she’d asked, he must have already known. Hugh really was a gentle and kind person, but he could be a bit mean sometimes. That was probably why Kat disliked him.

We’re going to make it!

Anne’s joy overflowed, and a big smile formed on her face.

There are ten days left before the First Holy Festival. We’ve got ten days to go, and everything is already finished.

Then she looked at the other crafters again.

Between Elliott, Kat, and herself, they had three Silver Sugar Masters, plus the four candy crafters of the Paige Workshop, as well as Jonas and Keith and, of course, Mithril.

They had ten whole days and so many candy crafters.

Anne had a feeling they could complete something beyond what they had planned. They could do it, and she wanted to try. An idea bubbled excitedly to the surface of her mind.

“Mr. Collins!” Anne turned around to face Elliott. “We’ve got so many days left and so many candy crafters. I feel like we can make something more.”

When he heard that, Elliott grinned. “I had the same thought. Do you have anything particular in mind, head crafter?”

The most important thing was to perfectly execute the work required and expected of them. But if that work was finished, Anne couldn’t help wanting to go a step further.

What sort of thing will take our sculptures beyond what is expected and required?

“We can’t make anything other than snowflakes,” Orlando warned sternly. “We’ve got to consider the harmony of the works as a whole.”

Nadir stuck out his lip in a pout. “But just making more towers isn’t very interesting.”

Valentine nodded. “He’s right. The difference between having eight snow towers and ten isn’t that impressive.”

King grinned as if to hide the moisture still in his eyes. “If we’re gonna do it, I wanna show off. Let’s give it all we got!”

“Everyone’s sure energetic,” Jonas grumbled. “I’m dead tired. I don’t even want to think about doing more…”

At that, King smacked Jonas lightly on the back of the head. “Like I told ya, you’re still a rookie here!”

Keith smiled wryly. “Well, I can’t say I don’t appreciate how Jonas feels, but since this is a special occasion, I’d like to make something that will surprise everyone who sees it.”

We have to use snowflakes, but we can’t just make more towers. It’s got to be flashy—something that will surprise everyone who sees it.

Anne let her thoughts run as she stood there, quietly staring at the towers of snow.

These candy sculptures were art pieces meant to invite a year of good fortune for the whole Kingdom of Highland. She wanted them to summon as much good fortune as possible, and for each person who laid eyes on them to sing the praises of the Paige Workshop’s head studio.

We need something that won’t overextend us but that we can work on right up to the very last minute. And at the same time, we have to keep the sculptures looking perfect.

This was snow. It covered and purified the Kingdom of Highland, bringing the new year’s good fortune far and wide, to every living being in the kingdom—humans and fairies alike. No matter where someone was in the kingdom, Anne wanted this good fortune to reach them. She wanted them to feel it.

“That’s it…”

Anne finally hit on an idea. She turned to face the other candy crafters.

“Is everybody ready? Let’s show off!”

Now that he no longer had to worry about Anne’s safety, Challe slept well for the first time in a long while.

The following morning, when he awoke and went to the lesser hall, the candy crafters were just standing up from the breakfast table, heading to work.

“You overslept, Challe Fenn Challe! You just missed breakfast. I ate yours!”

Mithril stood on top of the dining table with his hands on his hips, cackling.

“Don’t eat someone else’s food without asking.”

“Bwah!”

Challe flicked Mithril sharply in the back with one finger, and the little fairy went flying off the table and rolled across the floor.

Having made it to the dining table, Challe rested his chin in his hands, still absent-minded from sleepiness, and brushed his hair out of his face.

Anne, who had been about to walk away with Mithril and the other candy crafters, turned back, as if just realizing he was there.

“Challe, would you like me to go to the kitchen and ask for your meal?”

“I can do it myself. Get going.”

Starting that day, Anne would begin her work alongside the other candy crafters. The cheerful expression on her face made plain how happy she was about the job.

“Mm. But are you all right, Challe? Are you tired?”

She came over and peered into his face with concern. He chuckled.

“What? You want an encore?”

“Huh?”

“You want to hug me again?”

Anne looked at him blankly for a moment before she realized what he was talking about, and her cheeks turned bright red.

“N-no! What?!”

“Then go. You have work to do, don’t you?”

Challe could still amuse himself teasing Anne like this, but ever since he almost kissed her that night in the fort, he had become hesitant to touch her.

Challe stared vacantly at the fire burning in the hearth, his chin still resting in his hands. The flames brought to mind the color of Lafalle’s wing. His words, too, played in Challe’s mind.

“You’ll only make Anne unhappy.”

They wouldn’t leave his thoughts. Even though Lafalle had to be dead, like some kind of ghost, he had settled into Challe’s mind, along with those words. However—

Did Lafalle really die?

Challe hadn’t been able to find any of Lafalle’s clothing at the bottom of the fort wall where the other fairy had fallen. The bodies of dead fairies turned into beads of light and disappeared, but everything that Lafalle had on his person should have remained. And there had been nothing. Plus, Challe was not able to find the diamond Lafalle claimed to possess anywhere inside or outside the fort.

But he had fallen from such a great height. There was no way he had survived. He simply couldn’t still be alive.

“Hey, Challe? Are you really okay? What’s the matter?” Anne asked as he stared off into space. She sounded worried.

“I’m all right. It’s nothing.”

A few moments of awkward silence passed between them before a voice from the staircase interjected.

“About your breakfast… Shall I bring it to you?”

It was Bridget. Hesitantly, she stepped into the lesser hall. She kept both hands behind her back, as if she was hiding something.

“Challe, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll bring you your food,” she said. “It’s my job, after all.”

Bridget was working in the kitchen now, along with Danna and Hal, and Noah and Benjamin. She had been devotedly looking after the candy crafters. As always, she kept a formal distance from them, but it was clear she was trying to help. The others seemed to realize this and were treating her less coldly than before.

“Sure,” Challe replied.

Bridget nodded, but she didn’t move away. Instead, she stood there, fidgeting. After a few moments, however, she seemed to make up her mind and spoke up.

“Um, Anne…”

Anne looked surprised when she heard her name. “Oh, yes?”

“While I’m here, I’ll give this back.”

Bridget thrust the object she had been hiding toward Anne. It was Anne’s shawl. Anne’s eyes widened in surprise, but soon, she was smiling again as she received it.

“Thank you very much. I appreciate you holding on to it for me.”

As Bridget handed over the shawl, she muttered, “The candy sculpture of the little green bird that you made… Danna kept it for me. And then while you were gone, she gave it to me, saying it was mine. Right now, it’s decorating my room. Thank you.”

As she spoke, Bridget hung her head lower and lower, and her cheeks grew more and more red.

Anne blinked repeatedly and made a face like she’d just heard something unbelievable. But after a few moments, she put on a cheerful smile.

“That’s wonderful. I’m delighted that you have it on display.”

“I have that little kitten on display, too. Who made that one?”

“I’m not sure if I should be the one to tell you. If that person feels like fessing up, I think he will come to you himself.”

“Well, I can be pretty certain it wasn’t Elliott.”

Challe smirked at that. Bridget knew her fiancé very well. It was ironic, considering that neither member of the couple was particularly fond of the other.

Bridget heaved a small sigh.

“Elliott doesn’t pay the least bit of attention to me. He never even looks my way. The only things he cares about are the workshop and sugar candy. In fact, I don’t particularly want to marry him, either. That’s why I…I want to dissolve my engagement to Elliott.”

“Oh, but… Will that be all right?”

Hearing Anne’s question, Bridget lifted her face.

“I’ve always thought Elliott was an amazing artist. That’s why, when my father asked me to marry him, I thought I would be happy being with someone so talented, and I agreed. But I think, because my heart wasn’t really committed to the engagement, it’s been difficult for me. Instead, I believe my father ought to hurry up and adopt Elliott and have him take over as maestro. That would be a relief for me, too. Then I could start looking for a way of life that doesn’t make me so sad. Whether that’s marriage or something to do with the workshop.”

Bridget glanced at Challe as she spoke. Her eyes resembled Liz’s eyes after she grew up. They were the eyes of someone in love. But he could also see clearly from Bridget’s expression that she had given up on that love.

“Tell Glen,” said Challe, and Bridget cocked her head. “Tell him that you’ve thought about your life and about the workshop, and that you’ve decided to dissolve your engagement to Elliott. Then recommend that he move forward with adopting him. Tell him. I’m sure Glen will understand. And then you can have peace of mind.”

“But…”

Bridget was still a little lacking in courage, so Challe said exactly what he thought to her: “You’re a good person.”

“…Thank you, Challe.”

Bridget smiled bashfully. Relieved, Anne smiled, too.

The feeling of silver sugar against her hands was pleasant. The twice-milled silver sugar had improved in quality, and whenever Anne touched it, she was filled with joy.

The other crafters had completed all the snowflake towers they had planned to make while Anne was gone.

Now, over the next ten days, they would create something beyond what they had planned. Though they were under no obligation to do so, the crafters were enthusiastic about taking their work even further. They were doing this out of pure love of the craft.

Orlando and King had already started kneading silver sugar dough. Orlando’s technique was exceptional. He didn’t put all that much power into it, and yet the silver sugar quickly gained luster. He had a characteristic way of pulling his hands back, and he seemed to use just the right amount of force, so even if someone else imitated his style, they wouldn’t be able to produce the same luster as quickly. The silver sugar he kneaded was glossy and pulled into fine strings, as if he had woven it out of a bundle of silk threads.

King bent low over the vials of colored powder lined up on his workbench and eyed them intently one by one, as if interrogating each in turn. Once he found the right one, he abruptly picked it up and added it to the silver sugar—carefully, a little at a time. Then he kneaded. After that, he added another different colored powder and kneaded again. When he was done, his silver sugar dough was a delicate, pale hue.

“Hey, this one’s good to go, Jonas!” King shouted as he moved the finished dough to the workbench in the adjacent room.

“Ah, got it.”

For a moment, Jonas looked annoyed, but he soon set his face into a determined expression and picked up a rolling pin. Smoothing out the kneaded sugar dough on top of a stone slab, he rolled it out uniformly, so thin that it became translucent.

He was only moving the rolling pin monotonously back and forth, but looking at his eyes, it was clear that he was concentrating hard on using just the right amount of force. He worked earnestly and silently, flattening out the silver sugar dough.

Once the dough had been rolled into a thin sheet, Valentine and Elliott cut it precisely into snowflakes. They used their tools with great precision and didn’t waste any dough.

“I really like going with a girl when she’s picking out a dress, you know?” Elliott said. “The way they put on one after another, deciding one is great and another’s awful. Somehow, it’s just thrilling to watch. Don’t you think? Hey, isn’t it exciting?”

Though there was no waste in his movements, Elliott was full of idle chatter.

“I don’t agree,” Valentine answered. He already sounded fed up. “Or rather, I’ve never had that experience.”

“Oh, it’s so much fun. Give it a try sometime, Valentine. I know, you could get Anne to let you go shopping with her. Hey, Anne. You like to have someone there to help you choose, right?”

Anne and Keith were carving patterns into the snowflakes Elliott and Valentine had cut out. She was sitting across the table from Keith, using paring knives of various sizes to make minute, regular, lacelike patterns radiating out across each snowflake.

Their tools tended to get cluttered, but Mithril was quick to put them back where they belonged so that when one of the crafters went to get one, it would be there when they reached for it.

“Yes, I guess I do. Whenever I can, that is.” Anne’s hands slowed only a little as she answered.

Keith smiled gently. “If you asked me to, I’d go with you,” he said.

“Listen—you hear that, Valentine? Keith enjoys it, too! All right, next time, you ought to go shopping with Anne. It’ll bring a little spice to your life, I guarantee it.”

“Argh! Just shut up already!” Kat, sitting next to Nadir by the window, had been carving fine details into the tips of the snowflakes. He stood up, needle still in hand. “Can’t you shut yer trap for a minute, Elliott?!”

“I wasn’t even talking to you, Kat.”

“It’s still distracting! Goin’ on about choosing or not choosing women’s clothes. Yer idea of entertainment is stupid through and through!”

“Well now, sounds like you were listening after all, Kat. Could you possibly be jealous? Do you want to go shopping with Anne, too?”

“I’m not jealous, and I’m not going! So you can just shut up!”

“Well, all right.”

Anne and Keith watched Elliott shrug at Kat, then looked at each other and started giggling. Fuming, Kat picked up his needle again and stabbed the pointed end into the delicate tip of a snowflake.

Only Nadir and Kat could manage the fine work required for the snowflake crystals’ edges. The other crafters could get it done if they really tried, but it took ten times as long.

Each of the crafters focused on one stage of the process.

They made snowflakes ranging from the size of a person’s hand to a person’s face. Their colors were based around pure white and included pale purple, pink, green, and blue. The inside of each snowflake was carved with delicate, complex fretwork, and they were engraved with dainty patterns stretching from their centers all the way to the very tips in order to powerfully refract light.

The crafters produced snowflake after snowflake, working rapidly.

The more they could make, the better. Everyone understood that, so even while they exchanged pointless conversations and yelled at one another over silly things, their hands almost never stopped working.

They continued even during meals. For lunch, they ate sandwiches brought from the kitchen in their spare moments.

They worked after dinner, too, continuing until almost midnight.

On the sixth day of their final project, Anne and Elliott set out for the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell.

The city of Lewiston was blanketed in snow, and there were many overlapping wagon-wheel tracks on the roads.

They met Father Brooke at the rectory behind the church. He seemed aware of the various disasters that had befallen the Paige Workshop and was amazed to hear that the expected sugar candy sculptures were all finished.

“Incredible.”

He was at a loss for words.

They gathered in a small room near the entrance to the rectory, which served as Father Brooke’s office. It was furnished with a table surrounded by four chairs, and along one wall stood shelves holding a cluttered mess of papers and books. Anne and Elliott sat down next to each other, facing Father Brooke.

With a humble expression, Elliott began, “The sculptures are finished. So we’d like to discuss the lead-up to the First Holy Festival.”

“Ah yes. Of course.” The priest looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. “Including today, there are four days left before the festival. Starting tomorrow, the sanctuary will be closed to regular worship in preparation. And so, let’s see… How about you bring the candy sculptures the day before the festival?”

“If you’re stopping regular services tomorrow, would you mind if we start preparing our sculptures then?”

“Do you need that much time to bring them in?”

Ordinarily, the sugar candy sculptures for the First Holy Festival were made at a workshop and simply carried into the sanctuary. Even sculptures that were difficult to handle could be brought in and installed in a single day at most.

“We’ll need three days. If you can give us three days, I promise we can deliver something greater than anything the Paige Workshop has made so far.”

Elliott sounded a little like he was bluffing, but Father Brooke considered his words.

“There is no precedent for it, of course. Preparing the sugar sculptures has never taken three days.”

“That might be so,” said Anne, refusing to back down. “But you, the head priest, chose the Paige Workshop, didn’t you? So please have faith in us.”

After thinking for a few moments, Father Brooke slowly raised his head.

“We questioned whether the Paige Workshop would finish its candy sculptures in time, and yet you managed it, just as you said you would. So I believe we can trust you to do as you say this time as well, as you prepare your final piece.”

“Yes.” Elliott nodded firmly.

“Very well. Starting tomorrow and for the following three days, I ask that the Paige Workshop prepare its sugar candy sculptures.”

At Father Brooke’s words, Anne and Elliott shared a look. Elliott grinned, and Anne nodded back at him.

The two of them hurried back to Hollyleaf Castle and headed straight for Glen’s room.

Glen was sitting up in bed, leaning against his headboard and reading a bunch of letters spread out across his lap. When Anne and Elliott entered, he greeted them with a quiet smile.

To their surprise, Bridget was by his bedside, preparing tea. Elliott put his hand on her waist and said, as if scolding a troublesome child, “Now listen, Bridget. I thought I told you we didn’t want you going into Glen’s room.”

Bridget started to open her mouth, but before she could say anything, Glen raised his hand slightly.

“Oh, it’s all right, Elliott. It’s good that Bridget is here. More importantly, do you have something to report?”

Elliott and Anne stood by the bed, while Bridget moved tactfully over to the window and gazed at the snowy scenery outside.

Anne had heard that when she and Challe went missing, Glen had started suffering from fits due to the terrible shock. After that, his condition had swung from better to worse, then back again. Around the time the work on the planned candy sculptures was nearly complete, his condition had finally stabilized, and ever since Anne and Challe had returned unharmed, he had stopped suffering from the fits and seemed comparatively well. Well enough to be sitting up, at least.

“Starting tomorrow and for the three days remaining before the First Holy Festival, we will be going to the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell in order to prepare our sugar candy sculptures.”

“For three days? Starting tomorrow? Why do you need so much time? One day should be plenty to carry in the sculptures.”

“We’re not just carrying them in. We’re preparing something extra.”

Glen’s expression brightened, and his eyes lit up with expectation. “You’ve got something up your sleeve, don’t you, Anne?”

“Yes. We all do. So come see it on the day of the First Holy Festival. As long as you’re well enough, please come to the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell and take a look for yourself. Come see what the Paige Workshop has prepared for the festival. Orlando, King, Valentine, Nadir, and all the rest of us made them because we want you to see them, Glen.”

At Anne’s words, Glen’s smile grew.

“I’ll go. I wouldn’t miss it,” he said. “Even if you all can’t come to get me, I’ll go there on my own.”

Elliott flashed him a sympathetic look that made his eyes appear even droopier. “Just sit tight until we come to pick you up, please. I’m afraid you really will try to come on your own, Glen.”

With another smile, Glen lifted his gaze.

“So you’re giving me orders now, Elliott? Sit tight, old man, he says.”

“I never called you old, but I must insist that you wait patiently.”

“Well, I guess I’ll do as you say. You are my son, after all.”

“Your son? You mean your future son-in-law, surely?” Elliott cocked his head in puzzlement, and Glen slowly shook his head.

“No, I mean my son. Once the First Holy Festival is over, Elliott, I intend to start the procedure to adopt you. It will mean taking the Paige family name in place of the Collins name, however. Do you have any objections?”

Elliott was stunned. He didn’t know how to answer.

Bridget, thought Anne. She must have told him, all on her own.

Anne looked at Bridget, who was still standing by the window, gazing out intently. Her awkwardness was charming and sweet.

“I’m dissolving the engagement between you and Bridget. Instead, I intend to take you as my adopted son. This is also what Bridget wants. She spoke with me, and I finally understood.”

Glen’s gaze dropped to his hands.

“I considered your engagement the best path forward for Bridget and for the Paige Workshop,” he continued. “You both accepted it, so I thought I didn’t need to worry. But it seems I was wrong. According to Bridget, I’ve been too overprotective of her. And then out of concern for her future, I tried to make her walk a path I’d chosen. I’ve been made to realize that this was my own parental selfishness, wanting peace of mind for myself. For the first time, instead of throwing a tantrum, Bridget has expressed her thoughts to me clearly and with a level head.”

At Glen’s words, Bridget stuck her lip out in a pout. “It’s hardly the first time!” she insisted. “I just rarely talk about my feelings, that’s all.”

Elliott, who had been completely taken by surprise, finally seemed to gather his thoughts and turned to face Bridget.

“But, Bridget, are you all right with this? If I take the Paige family name and become the next maestro, won’t it be difficult for you to stay? You and I will be related only by name, after all. And if I get married, you’ll be in a difficult position.”

“Of course. That goes without saying.” Bridget turned away and stared out the window again. “But it’s better than getting married to you, Elliott. If it becomes too difficult for me to stay, I’ll find someplace else where I can live comfortably on my own. I’ll manage.”

“How cruel… To think you hated the idea of marrying me that much.”

“If that was true, I wouldn’t have gotten engaged to you in the first place. I think you’re an incredible person, Elliott, and I respect you. I like you. Really, I do. I just don’t want to marry you. I’m sure you feel the same way.”

At that, Elliott broke into a smile. It wasn’t his usual joking grin, but something more natural.

“You’re right. I don’t feel a burning desire to marry you, though I do like you. I like your pretty hair, your cute face, and your lovely dresses. And I like your girlish selfishness. It’s charming.”

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then smiled awkwardly.

The First Holy Festival was right around the corner.

Outside the window was unending white. Snow covered everything, and a new world was coming. That was how it felt to Anne, at least.

“So now, it’s on to the arrangements for the First Holy Festival,” Glen said. “We can work out the rest of the details after that’s over. I’m sure the festival preparations will be a significant undertaking—not only for the candy crafters but also for the fairies. Everyone will have to work together, of course. Anne and Elliott, you go on ahead. Then in three days, come back to get me.”

Anne and Elliott nodded in unison. Then Anne rushed over to Bridget and took her hand.

“You come, too, Bridget. Please! If everyone doesn’t work together, we won’t make it. We need your help!”

Bridget cocked her head. “Me too?”

“We need everyone in the Paige Workshop.”

“W-wait a second!”

Anne ran off toward the lesser hall, pulling the bewildered Bridget along by the hand.

Soon, everyone but Glen was gathered there. All the fairies, the candy crafters, and Bridget and Challe. They each took a seat at the dining table or lined up against the wall. Anne walked to the very center of the hall.

“It’s settled. Starting tomorrow, we will begin preparing our sugar candy sculptures in the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell’s sanctuary. We’ll carry in the ones we’ve already finished and, at the same time, begin work on our final tower. I’ll need everyone to help out.”

Anne turned her gaze toward Bridget, who was standing by the wall, then looked at Challe where he stood leaning against the brass railing.

“Bridget, Challe, I want the two of you to assist the candy crafters with their work in the sanctuary.”

“Is it all right for me to help them?” Bridget asked, surprised.

“Yes, please do.”

Bridget nodded, looking happy and a little bashful.

“You too, Challe, okay?”

“I will,” Challe answered, curt as always.

“I’d like to ask Danna, Hal, Noah, and Benjamin, as well as Cathy, to remain here and look after Glen, and to prepare food for us. I think we’ll end up staying overnight in the sanctuary for the next three days. But we’ll need to eat. So if possible, I’d like to ask you to make three meals a day and bring them to us.”

When Anne turned to face the fairies loosely clustered near the stairs, Danna and Hal looked at each other and smiled.

“Yes, we’ll do it,” Hal said. “Right, everyone?”

Benjamin, who was sitting atop his shoulder, smiled buoyantly.

“Mm, okay! I’ll cook. I love cooking.”

Only Cathy, who had been sitting on the banister, puffed her cheeks out, looking a little dissatisfied.

“Does that mean I’ll be separated from Master Jonas?” she asked. “But I have to lay out his clothes, set things up so he can brush his teeth before bed, fix his hair after he wakes up in the morning, and all sorts of other things.”

Jonas blushed a little when she revealed how much she pampered him. “Cathy, I can do all those things myself. You stay here,” he ordered brusquely, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Everyone burst into laughter, and Jonas only grew redder and redder.

“Well then, everyone,” Elliott said, stepping into the middle of the hall as it filled with the echoes of their laughter. “Let’s follow the instructions of our head candy crafter. And I’ll say this in Glen’s place, as the current proxy maestro—” His expression turned serious as he lowered his voice and said pointedly, “Keep working hard right to the very end and don’t let up.”

The air in the room crackled with tension. They had work to do.