Chapter 207:
First Grandchild
We were on our way back to Druid’s parents’ shop from the merchant guild. Druid had realized his mother was the only person he’d told about the journey ahead—he’d been so busy that it had just slipped his mind. And though he said his mother would definitely have told everyone for him, this sort of news really needed to be delivered personally, so we were on his way to his father’s shop to do just that.
“Hey there, what’ll it be—oh, it’s you, Druid. Hello, Ivy, come on in.”
Druid’s father, mother, and sister-in-law were all there.
“Sorry to disturb you during business hours.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Doluka’s making us some tea for our break right now. He’s doing it of his own volition.”
Is it just me, or was there an emphasis on the words “of his own volition”?
“I guess people really do change,” Shurila said. “Just when I’d given up on him, he went and surprised me.”
Ooh, I’ve never seen Shurila smile like that before. It’s a warm smile, embracing all things… Urgh, it’s hard to explain in words. But one thing was clear: She was very happy.
“There’s some news I wanted to share with you all.” And then, his face tense with nervousness, Druid announced to his family that he would be leaving Oll to travel with me.
“I see…you’re leaving on a journey…” His father looked surprised at first…but his face quickly melted into a smile.
“What? Didn’t Mom tell you?”
“Did you know?” Druid’s father asked his wife.
“Yes, I did, but I forgot to tell you.”
“Um, darling…” Druid’s father sighed. His wife just shrugged her shoulders innocently.
“Ivy, are you sure about all of this?” Shurila asked.
“Huh?” Sure about what?
“Being with Druid when he’s dealing with so many problems. Won’t he just get in your way?”
Druid’s mother and sister-in-law really were a pair of straight shooters. They were very much alike.
“It’s not a problem at all, ma’am. My dad takes very good care of me.”
Everyone else’s eyes popped open at the word “dad.” My heart raced a little when I explained to them that we’d registered as a family.
“Did you really? Wow, I’m proud of ya, Druid. Look at this sweet daughter you’ve got yourself!”
“Since she’s Druid’s daughter, that makes her our first grandchild!”
Druid’s parents were unusually excited, a sight that startled their son.
“Yeah, you guys wouldn’t shut up about how sweet Ivy is,” Shurila chuckled with a tired shake of her head.
Oh no…I can feel my face turning red.
“This really is wonderful news,” Druid’s mother said. “Ivy, make sure Druid—no, make sure your father—takes good care of you, okay?”
Takes care of me…
“That’s right. You need to let him care for you like a princess.” Now Druid’s father was sounding just like his mother.
“Listen, Ivy. It’s okay to let other people take care of you,” Druid said, continuing his parents’ theme. For some reason, I felt like I was being besieged.
“Er…I’ll try.”
“You’ll try to let other people take care of you? Ivy, you really are too good for your own good.” Shurila roughly tussled my hair.
“What’s the ruckus all about? Druid? And Ivy?”
“Hello, Mr. Doluka,” I greeted him.
“Hi…” Doluka nearly whispered to Druid.
“Er, hi…” Druid nervously stammered in reply.
Everyone looked happy to see the two brothers exchange awkward greetings. The whole scene made me feel a little uncomfortable…but in a good way.
Shurila broke the silence. “Hey, we’ve got some big news for you!” She proceeded to tell him that Druid and I would be leaving on a journey. Doluka looked surprised by the news, but in the end he smiled and made Druid promise him to tell him all about it when he got back.
We wound up staying for dinner, and I cooked together with Druid and his mother. I don’t know why, but Doluka served as our assistant. (Shurila was there, barking orders at him from the sidelines.)
As we worked, Druid and I talked in hushed whispers about how much Doluka had changed. His mother overheard us and whispered, “Seriously, it’s been an amazing transformation to see.”
Doluka and Shurila’s relationship looked a lot more relaxed than it used to be. It actually made me blush a little, seeing them as a happy couple for the first time.
After dinner, as we were settling down to relax for the rest of the evening, I approached Shurila and bowed my head.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Shurila.”
“Huh?! What?! Er, why are you sorry? And please stop bowing, Ivy.”
I’d felt remorseful for so long that I apologized before I even got a chance to explain myself…and now I’d gone and confused her.
“Um, it’s about those rice sweets you wanted to make. I’m sorry I wasn’t any help at all.” I’d promised to help her brainstorm some ideas, but nothing had come to mind, and then I got preoccupied with packing for the journey.
“Oh, please, don’t worry about that. It was my idea anyway, so it’s my job to come up with something!”
“But I promised I would help you…”
It had been bugging me the whole time. She was so nice, offering to make a rice pastry with me, and I hadn’t been able to think of anything. And now that the cooking classes had settled into a calmer rhythm, Shurila and Druid’s mother had taken on the task of dessert-making, but I’d abandoned them.
“Really, don’t worry about it, Ivy. You’ve already done more than enough to help us. The cooking classes are going very well, too. We’ve got regular students and a steady source of income from it.”
Wow, I didn’t know that. That really is pretty incredible. “Miss Shurila, that’s amazing!”
“Thanks, Ivy. But you’re amazing, too.”
“Huh?”
“Without you, we wouldn’t have even thought to start a cooking class. You’re the reason we have one now, Ivy.”
Cooking classes had never existed in this world, so I didn’t blame her for not getting the idea on her own. And I wouldn’t have even thought of it myself if I didn’t have memories of my past life.
“You helped set the wheels in motion for so many good changes in our lives, Ivy,” Shurila said. “We’re very grateful.”
“Yeah, the town wouldn’t have come to embrace ryce if not for you, Ivy,” Druid’s father chimed in. “Thanks to you, the people are going to make it through the food shortage. We can’t thank you enough.”
Everyone is so nice… I need to make sure they know how I’m feeling right now.
“Um, well, I had a lot of fun doing all those things with you. Thank you very much.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say, so some pretty cliché phrases tumbled out of me. It really was difficult putting my feelings into words, but everyone seemed to understand me anyway.
Shurila gently ran her fingers through my hair. “We’ll be waiting for you and Druid when you get back.”
“Thanks!” It was such a good feeling, having warm people to come home to.
Druid and I decided to cut our visit short since we needed to go back to his house to pack for our trip.
“Good night. And let us know when you’ve set a departure date.”
“We will,” I answered. “Good night.”
We waved goodbye to everyone—they’d all come outside the house to send us off—and then left for Druid’s house.
“Ivy, I’m going to make arrangements to sell my house tomorrow. It’ll probably go through within three days.”
“Wow, can you really sell it that quickly?”
“A real estate agent is going to buy it off me, and apparently it’ll be an easy sell. But if that doesn’t work out, I guess we’ll just have to wait patiently.”
“Wait patiently…” Does that mean our journey might get postponed?
“If the agent says the house won’t sell, I’m prepared to let my father handle the transaction.”
“That’s a lot to ask of him.”
“I know, but I think he’ll be okay with it. I’m going to let the buyer name their price.”
Hm? But wouldn’t that mean Druid is going to take a loss?
“Because so many people are moving into this town, housing prices have gone up. All the houses close to mine are going for higher prices than before, so I’m pretty sure I won’t lose any money on the sale.”
That’s Druid for you—he’s thought of everything. “So I guess once your house is sold, we’ll go on our journey.”
“Ivy…”
“Yes?”
“Did we forget that we’re getting the new magic stones appraised?”
Oh! That’s right. We were going to have them appraised through Druid’s mentor.
“When do you think we’ll get the results? Master and his gang all seem really busy.”
“Yeah, and I’d feel bad rushing them.”
What should we do, then? If they take too long with it, that’ll put us behind schedule. Wait…is that somebody coming? They look a bit nervous…and like they’re in a hurry.
I stopped walking and turned around. When Druid noticed, he did the same, and we both gasped at what we saw. It was Dolgas. When he realized we’d spotted him, he stopped in his tracks, keeping a little distance between us.
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