Sugar Apple Fairytale - Volume 7 - Chapter 7.2

At the sound of his voice, Anne raised her head and saw that the garland she had placed on Lulu’s chest was enveloped in a faint light that was different from the sun’s rays. And starting from the parts that were touching Lulu’s hands, the garland was crumbling, becoming beads of light that sank into her chest.

The sparkling light dissolving off the sugar candy entwined around the ends of Lulu’s hair, the tips of her fingers, and the ends of her eyelashes. It was pure and sublime, just like the radiant light that shone when a fairy was born.

Lulu opened her eyes. Swathed in light, her awakening was so beautiful, it made Anne tremble. She wondered how a creature as lovely as her could really exist.

“Lulu!!”

All at once, the candy crafters called the name of their teacher.

“Ah…you’re so loud,” Lulu grumbled, sounding irritated.

Then she glared sharply at Anne and the other candy crafters.

“I expected something sweet and delicious enough to impress me, but that’s not what I got.”

She turned to the astonished candy crafters, and though her eyes were still bleary, Lulu grinned at them.

“But it wasn’t bad. Listen up, pupils. It seems I still have a great deal to teach you.”

The snow around the Cocoon Tower had completely melted. In the circular garden, low star lily shrubs were in full bloom, covering the ground. Originally wildflowers, they had been gathered and planted there on the queen’s orders.

A spring breeze blew into the top floor of the Cocoon Tower. Gazing outside through the only window that opened, Lulu smiled.

“Marguerite doesn’t have to do such pointless things. Like going out of her way to make wildflowers bloom here,” she complained with a smile on her face.

Anne stared at her in fascination.

“The queen was so very happy to see you in good health again, Lulu.”

The fairy frowned in displeasure again.

“So that’s her way of making merry? She’s still just a little girl, Marguerite.”

Lulu had recovered somewhat after eating the sugar candy.

But shortly after consuming the candy, she’d grown pale again, which was a startling thing to see. So for nearly a month, the candy crafters had been making sugar candy for Lulu nonstop. It had obviously been strengthening her and keeping her alive.

The crafters would make sculptures for her and listen to her feedback. That was how they practiced and how Lulu gave them guidance.

Every critique that Lulu made was exact, and all her criticisms were worth hearing. She critiqued both their technical skills and their aesthetics. The candy crafters’ creations had already gotten noticeably more refined.

This was the first time that Anne had encountered this method of instruction.

Lulu did not teach them everything step-by-step. But she certainly was showing Anne and the others the way.

Without her guidance, they probably would have needed several years to reach the level they had attained in the past month.

In that brief period of time, both Anne and her colleagues had gained a considerable degree of mastery over their skills.

Hugh had also examined the sugar candy they were making and seemed to have concluded that it was about time for them to leave Lulu’s side. He had ordered the candy crafters to collect their things.

Then, the next morning, they had all gotten word to gather in the big room in the castle keep because Hugh was going to hand down new orders to all the candy crafters.

Anne wondered what they could be. She could be pretty certain that they had something to do with the promise between Challe and the king. That left her feeling excited and scared at the same time.

“Lulu, we all have to leave this place today. We decided it would probably be rude for everyone to come up here together, so I was told to come say good-bye for the whole group.”

“You’re their representative? Even though you’re the youngest?”

“They said I should do it because we’re both women.”

“Women, huh? Interesting. But I feel like you’re still just on the verge of becoming a woman, Anne.”

“…You’re probably right.”

That was only too accurate. Anne had no words.

“What about Challe?”

“He said he didn’t need to say good-bye.”

“He’s so cold, that Challe. But that’s fine. I didn’t want to say good-bye to him anyway.”

“Ah, and Mithril Lid Pod said he’s sorry for his weird misunderstanding.”

“Oh, that little water droplet? Sure. It’s no problem. It was a novelty to meet a fairy like that after so long.”

“Um…Lulu? Why won’t you leave this place? Now that you’ve got your wing back and all.”

As soon as Lulu had recovered, she had taken back her wing from the queen’s own two hands.

They’d been informed that, as a result of a discussion between the queen, the king, and the Earl of Downing, Lulu would now be permitted to leave. If she wanted to, she could depart the castle and live her life.

But Lulu had refused. She’d said she was staying. Everyone had found that strange, but she had replied that it would be too much hassle to leave at that point.

“I craved freedom all the more strongly while I was bound, but now that they’ve said I can go, I’ve somehow lost interest in leaving. Though I will go stroll around outside the castle.”

“But you were ready to try and escape back in the sugar apple grove.”

“That was just an act of rebellion. Don’t you think it would frustrating to be held captive for five hundred long years?”

“But still. After we all leave, who will make you sugar candies? Hugh doesn’t make candy for anyone other than His Majesty the King. And you don’t look like you’ve recovered enough to make it yourself, Lulu.”

“You’re right. Once you all leave, I probably won’t eat any more sugar candy.”

“Well then, I’ll make a little bit at a time and send it to you. I can entrust it to Hugh.”

“You don’t need to, Anne.”

With a smile full of affection, Lulu stroked Anne’s head.

“Even without more sugar candy, in my current condition, I have a year. With a year, I should be able to see how the future will take shape and how the vows between the fairy king and the human king are going to work out.”

“But that means—”

“Life can only be preserved via sugar candy for so long. A life extended by one year by a piece of sugar candy will only be extended by half a year the next time. And the time after, it will be a month. No matter how I might struggle, my life will eventually still reach its end. Eating silver sugar is only delaying the inevitable. If you understand everything you came here to learn, then I’m satisfied. Don’t fight things. It’s a natural process.”

She’s incredibly beautiful.

Anne felt a powerful tingling in the depths of her chest.

A noble life.

Just like Challe, Lulu harbored a special desire in her heart and was trying to stay faithful to it.

A miraculous, beautiful life.

“I wonder what you will see alongside the fairy king? You are the first silver sugar, Anne. So I have something to say for you and you alone. A secret that no one else in this world knows any longer.”

Lulu brought her lips close to Anne’s ear and whispered, “The first silver sugar was made from the first sugar apple tree. Seek out the first sugar apple tree. The chief silver sugar fairy ought to be there, protecting the first sugar apple tree.”

Anne’s eyes went wide. She didn’t really understand the meaning of Lulu’s words.

“In the exact center of Highland stands the first sugar apple tree. You can see it, but it’s invisible.”

“Lulu, exactly what does that—”

“So that’s where you were, Lulu.”

Just as Anne started to ask Lulu what she meant, Queen Marguerite came up the stairs. When the queen approached, Anne started to kneel. But the queen waved at her with her fan.

“It’s all right, Halford. You don’t need to kneel. More importantly, have I interrupted something?”

“No. Anne was just about to leave.”

With unnatural force, Lulu pushed Anne’s back, shoving her toward the spiral staircase.

Lulu hadn’t said anything about it, but Anne understood. What Lulu had just whispered into Anne’s ear couldn’t be repeated to anyone.

And she knew that Lulu had entrusted her with something very precious.

“What were you two talking about, Lulu?”

“What? Just small talk.”

The queen looked a little disappointed.

“You never tell me anything about yourself, do you? I’m always the only one talking.”

“Oh? I don’t really have any interesting stories that are worth telling, so I don’t, that’s all. Instead, let’s talk about you. You’ve got something you’ve been hiding from me, I gather,” Lulu announced to the stunned queen with a sadistic smile. “I’ve always thought there was something there, but what kind of relationship do you have with the Silver Sugar Viscount?”

The queen blushed a little, but Lulu had her gaze set on her, so there was no use denying it, and the queen opened her mouth to speak.

“Hugh paid regular visits to my family, the Cabots, as a candy crafter. I’ve known him since he was an apprentice. We were close in age, and often talked… When it comes to him, I…”

Then the queen looked in the direction of the stairs that Anne had descended.

“Looking at Halford, I’m reminded of the day my marriage was decided. When it happened, I made a request of Hugh. I told him I wanted him to make me a piece of sugar candy. But he refused. ‘I am employed by your father, Count Cabot, not you,’ he said. I was so disappointed and sad. I ran right out of the castle, all the way to a field in the depths of the forest where even our gamekeeper rarely went. I fell to the ground and wept, hoping no one would ever find me.”

“But it’s when you don’t want to be found by anyone that you are most likely to be found.”

“You’re exactly right. In that field, there was a woman. She appeared to be camping outdoors. She was riding in an old boxy wagon. And she had a tiny little girl with her, a girl with big round eyes. She very kindly consoled me. And she gave me a beautiful candy sculpture of a flower. She told me that it would bring me some exceptionally good fortune, so I shouldn’t worry. And sure enough, it was such a beautiful piece of candy that I believed it.”

“And did the sugar candy have any effect? Did good fortune come to you?”

The queen smiled bitterly.

“I wonder. When I went back to the castle holding my sugar candy, Hugh laid eyes on it and insisted I tell him where I got it from. The fact is that I forgot to ask the woman for her name, but I deliberately snubbed Hugh and said that I wouldn’t tell him. He seemed annoyed by that. It was really a splendid work of sugar candy, so that probably frustrated him as a candy crafter. Not to know the name of the person who had made it, that is. That felt good… That girl. When Halford first showed her face at the Royal Candy Fair, initially all I thought was that it was rare to see women candy crafters. But I soon remembered that woman in the woods, and that made me feel like I should support women in the candy craft. Because that one time, Hugh’s frustrated expression was so very amusing to me. Just getting to see his face like that was probably a stroke of good fortune in itself.”

“Oh-ho! So even you behaved like a child once upon a time, eh?”

“It was mere youthful indiscretion. Surely even you must have such memories?”

“Oh yes, indeed I do. Over five hundred years ago, I was in love with my own king.”

The features of the obsidian fairy resembled those of the last fairy king, who had been red in color and noble, beautiful, and kind. That had made her happy to see. When she touched the fairy who Riselva had left behind, it was as though she was touching the king again, after five hundred years.

“I was a child then. I’m no longer an awkward young girl.”

“No, you still are.”

“From your perspective, I’m sure someone like me will always remain an unseemly young girl. But I’ll forgive you for saying so. Because I’m very happy that you are staying here, Lulu.”

“Well, as long as you’re here, I’ll never want for a conversation partner. You have grown up a little bit, after all.”

“Lulu. What worries me about you staying here is the matter of sugar candy. If we kept just one of those five crafters here, to make candy for you…”

“It’s all right, Marguerite.”

Lulu gently cut the queen off. She peered out the window.

“I’ve seen a lot of people pass. So now, this time, I think it might be nice to have someone else see me off.”

Just then, Lulu noticed something. And in spite of herself, she laughed out loud.

“So that’s where those guys went. Oh, and Nobody is with them, too, huh? Nobody… Oh, what was his name? He told it to me, but I could never remember it. It was like Susie, or Stefan, or something…”

In the doorway of the castle keep, which Lulu was looking down on, stood Anne and Keith. Stella, Elliott, and Killean were there with them. Challe was there, too. And on his shoulder was the annoying fairy made from a drop of lake water.

Once the candy crafters saw that Lulu had noticed their presence, they all bowed to her.

Challe and Mithril looked up at Lulu.

Even if the five candy crafters and the Silver Sugar Viscount taught the fairies’ techniques to human crafters and fairies who had the disposition to become silver sugar fairies, Lulu herself would probably not be able to teach them.

Consequently, the fairies’ expertise would surely be lost over time.

But it was necessary to keep on teaching the techniques and to keep on putting them to good use.

While others were transmitting them from human to human, from fairy to fairy, someday a new master would be born. That unknown individual would guide the others and raise the art form to a new level.

It might take a long time. But if they could teach her techniques to as many people as they could, there would be less of a chance of those techniques being forgotten.

And then, little by little, the art would be developed again, to the level that Lulu had achieved.

Don’t let the skills die out. Then pass those skills into the hands of fairies. I’m counting on you.

Lulu stuck her hand nimbly out the window and waved it from side to side, slowly and calmly.

When she did, the star lilies filling the open space of the round garden moved, swaying in unison even though there was no wind. They waved back and forth, as if they were wishing good luck to the people about to step out into the future.

“How sweet. Are you doing that, Lulu?” The queen sounded a little surprised.

“One of my powers is to make plants move. I can only move them a little, as much as the breeze, you see, so it’s not terribly useful. Even so, it comes in handy for saying good-bye.”

Lulu no longer had enough strength to focus on the distant future. Maybe that was why she felt slightly relieved. She’d been able to pass the heavy burden she’d been carrying on to the fairy king and her pupils.

“This is good-bye, to the fairy king and his companions. And to my final class of unworthy pupils.”

From the following day onward, the queen would be her companion, and she could spend her time going for walks and having leisurely conversations.

When the end came, she would be able to hold on to both of her own wings.

No matter how carefully she had been kept, she had unmistakably been held captive for the past five hundred years. But things were different now.

The air was a little chilly, but it carried the fragrances of spring. The smells of new shoots and of flowers. It smelled good.

My final days won’t be so bad.

A smile escaped her lips.

Even though there was no breeze, the cute yellow flowers all waved in unison. It was like they were whispering good-bye. Anne understood that it was a send-off from Lulu. She was sure that everyone else there understood it, too.

After waving, Lulu had quickly withdrawn from the window. She didn’t make another appearance after that.

A few moments later, Elliott stretched and addressed the other candy crafters.

“Well then, should we all head for the reception room?”

The crafters walked off in succession, and Challe followed them.

The other candy crafters and Mithril still didn’t know the truth about Challe. Only Anne was aware of his position, but she’d been warned—not only by Challe himself, but also by the Earl of Downing and by Hugh—not to reveal it to anyone.

“Good idea. We wouldn’t want to be late, not for the Viscount’s summons.”

Killean walked off with a strained expression, replacing his monocle as he went.

Elliott teased him, “He is your beloved Silver Sugar Viscount, after all.”

“I’ll thank you to stop phrasing things so that it sounds like I’m emotionally attached to the Viscount. He is the maestro of our faction…”

“Sure, sure, of course!” Elliott responded insincerely.

Killean wrinkled up his nose. He looked like he was about to lose his temper.

“You’re unbelievable. Quit joking around!”

Then Stella said, “All he does is joke around—it’s in his nature.” He sounded bored.

“You’re very perceptive, aren’t you, Stella darling?”

“……See?”

Anne was watching and laughing along when suddenly Keith grabbed her hand. She stopped, wondering what was going on, and turned to face him. Keith was wearing a serious expression.

“I want to talk to you. I don’t know what we’re about to be told in there, but before that, come with me, please,” Keith whispered.

Quietly but quickly so that Elliott, Killean, and Stella, who were walking ahead of them, wouldn’t notice, Keith pulled Anne by the hand around a corner and down a nearby corridor.

“What’s the matter, Keith? And why here? Is this a delicate conversation?”

Keith made Anne stand against the wall, and he put his hands on her shoulders.

“Anne, we talked about you and I establishing a workshop together. Do you still think we should do that?”

“That’s what this is about? Well, it’s going to be delayed because of everything that’s happening, but when all of this settles down, I still think I’d like to work together. But…what about you, Keith?”

“I feel the same way. I want to build a workshop with you. That hasn’t changed. But I’ve got one more hope as well. I want to become your partner in work, but at the same time, I also want to become your partner in life.”

Anne looked at him blankly. She didn’t immediately understand the meaning of his roundabout statement. Keith saw that and smiled bashfully.

“Do you understand? Do you get what I’m trying to say? I’m in love with you, Anne. I think we will find happiness together if we move through our work and our lives together. I want to make you mine.”

Is this…a love confession?

Anne had previously received a marriage proposal from Jonas. But that had been right after Emma’s death, when things had been so chaotic, and Anne had never quite figured out whether Jonas himself had actually been serious.

But Keith wasn’t the type of person to say something like this in jest or to try to butter her up as part of some scheme. He was serious. She was speechless.

“Wh…why me?”

“You’re a good crafter and a good rival. The first person I’ve met who is talented enough to make me anxious. But after watching you work for so long and thinking about it, I finally realized something. You’re a girl…and I want to protect you. Of course, you don’t have to answer me right away. We don’t even know what kind of orders we’re about to get from the Viscount. But once all of this stuff is over and done with, I’d like you to give me your answer.”

Then Keith slowly turned his head and looked toward the corner of the corridor.

“Did you hear that? Challe? Mithril Lid Pod?”

Challe was standing where the hallway turned a corner. He was looking sullenly in their direction.

“I love Anne. I want to make her my wife. I want us to work together and live together. I want to protect Anne.”

“Are you serious?!” Mithril shouted from atop Challe’s shoulder. “You really want a skinny, scrawny scarecrow like Anne?! Someone like you could get a much more glamorous, beautiful woman, someone intelligent and clever. Don’t tell me that’s not the dream!” He seemed agitated.

“I love Anne just as she is.”

“That skinny, scrawny scarecrow?!”

“That’s right.”

“It’s…a miracle.”

Anne hung her head at the conversation between the two of them. She’d thought that Keith was here to confess his love for her. So why was she being insulted so badly? It was a complex mix of feelings. But surely, just as Mithril said, it had to be a miracle for Keith to suggest that he wanted to be with her.

With a blank expression, Challe asked Anne, “And your answer? Will you give yourself to this boy?”

“I don’t… This is all so sudden…”

Challe was standing right there in front of her. Whenever she looked at him, she didn’t feel the slightest interest in loving anybody else. Her feelings were still pulling her to Challe, as they always had. Even though she knew she would have to fall in love with somebody sometime, she was filled with nothing but confusion, even after hearing Keith’s confession.

“I’m not in any rush,” Keith said gently. “Well, should we head to the reception room? The Silver Sugar Viscount will have arrived by now.”

The reception room was spacious and stark, with stone walls and a stone floor. It seemed like it usually went unused, and it was filled with dusty, dank air.

Challe stood off to the side of the room, and Mithril concealed himself inside Challe’s jacket.

As Challe feigned calm and awaited the arrival of the Silver Sugar Viscount, he stared intently at Anne and Keith from behind them.

The candy crafters had all assembled and were chatting about this and that, but Keith was constantly by Anne’s side. Anne seemed perplexed by him standing so close to her, but she didn’t look uncomfortable.

Keith had plainly said that he wanted to make Anne his own.

A man who could stand right in front of her and tell her his feelings of love without averting his eyes was probably a man worthy of Anne’s affection. In the event that Anne loved Keith and chose him to be her spouse, Challe would just have to protect the two of them so that she and Keith could be happy. But that would be very painful.

Mithril poked his head out from Challe’s pocket.

“Hey, Challe Fenn Challe.”

“Don’t come out.”

Challe pushed him firmly back down, and Mithril grumbled as he resisted, but he settled down before too long. Then Challe heard Mithril’s voice from inside his jacket.

“Listen, earlier, Keith said that he loved Anne, didn’t he? What do you think about that?”

“I think he has strange tastes.”

“I know, right? She’s totally flat, and lanky, and her head is a little bit… Wait, wait, wait! Hang on, that’s not the issue! What do you think about Anne hooking up with somebody else like that? I’ve wanted to ask you this for a long time now. How do you feel about Anne?”

“She’s a scarecrow.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it! Are you in love with Anne?”

He hadn’t expected Mithril to ask him such a thing directly, and he couldn’t give an answer. He didn’t want to say no, and yet he couldn’t say yes, either.

If what Lulu had said was true, and the differences between fairies and humans wouldn’t lead Anne to heartbreak, then he never wanted to let her go. But that depended on where Anne’s heart lay. If her heart was with Keith or another human, then no matter how much he might love her, it wouldn’t matter.

Challe wanted to tell her where his own heart lay and ask her where hers was. If he knew that her feelings were with someone else, he would resign himself to that. He was sure he could carry on, biting back his pain to preserve her happiness with that other person.

He wondered if she would really give him an honest answer. Or if she would be baffled by his words and tie herself in knots trying not to hurt him.

But if he didn’t discover how Anne felt, then Challe would never be able to sort out his own feelings. If that happened, he feared that his self-control could fail, and as much as he wished for Anne’s happiness, he might hurt her by pulling her to him and making her his own.

Even at that moment, he could hardly stand how badly he wanted to touch her, to hold her. The moment he had heard Keith’s confession of love, he had even felt something akin to rage toward the young man.

“Challe Fenn Challe?”

Just then, the door to the reception hall creaked. The person who pushed open the heavy oak door and stepped into the room was the Earl of Downing. Following him came the Silver Sugar Viscount, Hugh Mercury.

When the candy crafters saw the Earl of Downing, they all rushed to take a knee. The Earl of Downing and Hugh glanced over at Challe, who was still standing by the wall, then slowly walked over to stand in front of the crafters.

“Raise your heads.”

At the Earl of Downing’s order, the candy crafters all looked up in unison.

“I’ve heard everything from the Silver Sugar Viscount. It sounds like you all have mostly completed your training in the candy techniques and have acquired the skills to make sculptures of a certain quality. Allow me to commend you on a job well done. Now, then. Initially, we gave you orders that you were not to speak a word to anyone about these techniques or about the one who taught them to you. However, circumstances have changed. In accordance with a decision by His Majesty the King, the restriction on teaching the techniques you have learned to others has been lifted.”

Except for Anne, all of the candy crafters looked puzzled.

Despite the fact that they had been so strongly warned that these techniques must be kept secret, the ban had been suddenly lifted. It was only natural that they were suspicious about what might have happened.

“You all, who were selected from each of the candy factions, are to take upon yourselves the duty of returning to your factions and disseminating these techniques. Furthermore, the maestros of the factions will be ordered to allow a certain number of fairies to enter their workshops as apprentices from now on. In the event that those fairies acquire an appropriate degree of skill, you all will teach what you have learned here to them as well.”

“Take fairies as apprentices? To what aim?”

Killean seemed confused and looked up at Hugh as if looking for guidance from the maestro of his faction. But the one who answered him in a solemn tone was the Earl of Downing.

“To produce new silver sugar fairies.”

“Produce”?

Anne sensed something cold in those words. Produce was too similar to the words of the fairy dealers and fairy hunters, who treated fairies like objects. She wondered whether his word choice was simply due to the peculiar etiquette of a politician or whether it revealed that he, like many others, really thought of fairies as mere commodities.

Challe frowned and fixed his gaze on the Earl of Downing.

“And for those of you who do not belong to a faction, Halford and Powell, we have a different job for the two of you.”

After a signal from the Earl of Downing, Hugh slowly stepped forward.

“You two, follow me. We’re going out looking for fairies who have the right qualities to become new silver sugar fairies separately from the factions.”

The Earl of Downing seemed to feel Challe’s eyes on him and turned toward him. He stared back at Challe, as if to counter his gaze. There was a defiant glint deep in the eyes of the old retainer.

Elliott was peering at Hugh and the Earl of Downing with an uncharacteristically skeptical and harsh expression. He looked like he was trying to puzzle out what was in their hearts.

Though Killean still seemed perplexed, he was looking at Hugh and Hugh alone, as if he was trying his best to believe in him.

Stella seemed like he was in a bad mood. He didn’t seem willing to go along with these peculiar new orders.

Keith nodded, and there was a powerful light shining in his eyes. He looked ready to do his very best, no matter what task lay ahead.

Anne felt somewhat uneasy. Though she wanted to believe the men before her, for some reason, her instincts were making her anxious. Her face reflected her conflicted emotions.

Will the human king keep his vow?

It must be time for His Majesty, Edmond II to hold an audience. Somewhere far off in the castle, a fanfare played. The sonorous sound lingered deep in her ears.