Episode 56: Desert-colored clothing
A few days after the
Royal Tea Party, I again received an invitation from Illywia for next month's
tea party.
There were two tickets
in the package.
It seemed that she
remembered Yuwen properly.
In the letter, she wrote
as follows:
The next time will be a
tea party that is smaller and has a calmer atmosphere than before.
Therefore, you can talk
to me more calmly.
You were lost.
I didn't want to have
to go through that misery again.
But now that I was
determined to reach the upper floors of the tower, I felt that I shouldn't be
frightened by such things.
The tower was
advantageous to the aristocracy. The connection with Illywia would definitely
give him an advantage in his quest.
If he refused the
invitation once, there was no guarantee that he would be invited again.
It was indeed a shame
to have to part ways with Ilywia in such a way.
Lynn was troubled.
(At least if I can
manage to get some clothes.)
So Lynn decided to
write a letter as follows.
“Thank you for the invitation
to the party.
I'm very happy.
However, when I attended the party before, I thought
that our clothes were not appropriate for the place. I think we'll look a
little out of place. Yuwen and I don't have the money or the means to buy the
kind of magical clothes that royalty and high nobility wear.
So, I know it's unreasonable to ask, but can you
lend us some clothes that we can wear to the event? I know it is a selfish
request. Of course, in return, I will do whatever I can to help you. If you can't,
please pretend you didn't hear about this request. I will give up my
participation this time and participate another time. Thank you very much.”
(Something like this.)
Lynn puts the letter in
a seal and writes the address of Illywia in magical language and casts a spell
to summon the fairy.
(Well, it's okay. The
huntsman uncle told me that it's not a bad thing to rely on others and receive
charity when you're in trouble. I'm sure Ms. Illywia will understand. If she
refuses, the relationship will be broken anyway. I have nothing to lose.)
"Fairy. Send this
envelope to its destination."
The envelope turned
into a blue flame and flew to the 90th level, Alfrud Prime.
After sending the
letter, Lynn felt an intense sense of disgust.
He felt as if he was doing
something ridiculous.
Since sending the
letter, Lynn had been restless in everything he did. Whether he was at the
academy or at work, he was constantly thinking about the letter he had sent to
Illywia, which made him feel restless.
What would Illywia
think of me? Would she see me as a shallow beggar and despise me?
Lynn was most unsettled
by the lack of news. If this was the end of her relationship with Illywia, then
so be it.
The hardest part was
that he had to wait until he heard back from her. I wanted to come to a
decision quickly and settle down.
A few days later, a
letter and a parcel arrived from Illywia. Lynn cut the seal of the letter with
fear.
"Dear Lynn.
I don't think it's a selfish request. I would be
happy to prepare costumes for you and Miss Yuwen. Please don't worry about
returning the money. If you have any problems, please feel free to ask me
anything. There will be no reservation between you and me.
From your friend, Illywia.”
Lynn opened the package
attached to the envelope and found a fine red imam's uniform inside. As soon as
he saw it, he slumped down on the bed and relaxed.
For the past few days,
he had been worried that Illywia would give him the evil eye.
(Illywia is a really
nice person.)
She is a born royal and
noble. Giving charity to the lowly is as natural as a mother giving milk to her
newborn.
The dark feelings that
people like Lynn have towards the upper class are never visible.
Her compassionate
charity is like the light of the stars in the night sky, raining down equally
on everyone, regardless of their status.
"So. Did you make
the princess pay for your clothes?"
Theo said in disgust.
"No. I only
borrowed them."
Lynn said as he prepared to attend the tea party in
his room.
He stuffed his ticket
and the clothes Illywia had sent him into his bag so he wouldn't forget.
"You can say that,
but ...... you."
Theo sighed.
"Are you sure you
still want to go to the Royal Tea Party in Wyngarde?"
"Of course. I've
been to the last one and found out. I know from the last time I was there that
Ms. Illywia has a tremendous influence. I'm sure I'll benefit from getting to
know her in order to get to the upper levels of the tower."
"It's just... it smells
kind of fishy to me."
"Fishy?"
"Don't you think
it's too good to be true? I can't believe you are suddenly being treated so
well by a princess. It's one thing to be invited to a tea party, but to have
your clothes arranged for you?"
"Miss Illywia is a
good person."
"No, I don't think
she's a bad person either, just......"
Theo slurred his words unusually. It seemed even he
himself couldn't pinpoint the source of his discomfort.
"Well, anyway. I
guess there's nothing scarier than free stuff.”
"It's okay. You're
such a worrywart, Theo.”
"You're bold in a
strange way, you know.”
"That's a terrible
thing to say. Oops. It's time to go out. I'm off.”
Lynn was about to
leave, but Theo followed him out the door and insisted.
"Look. The royal
family is a nest of conspiracies. A bad comment can be fatal. Try to keep your
conversation as casual as possible. If the topic of money and politics comes
up, give a vague answer to muddle the waters. If someone is pushy, reject them
outright. Don't get too involved."
Lynn felt that the
people at the party were looking at him differently than before.
In the past, the moment their eyes met, they would
look at him with a questioning stare, but this time, when Lynn greeted them,
they would smile back.
Lynn tried smiling at the girl who had run away when
he approached her before.
She looked embarrassed, but smiled back at him.
Lynn chuckled.
He wondered if she would remember him.
He realized that clothing is the most basic unit of
identification.
Yuwen was swimming around the hall like a fish out
of water.
She was a beauty in her own right, and as long as
she was dressed well, she was as gorgeous as the children of a high class
aristocrat.
She was wearing a rose-colored dress that
represented double petals, just like a real rose.
As she walked, the petals scattered and came into
alignment again, repeating endlessly.
Whenever she passed in front of me, everyone turned
to look at her and admired her charm.
Yuwen also began to inspect the upper class nobles
and began to make eyes at the men who seemed to be influential.
As Illywia had said, the party was smaller and had a
more relaxed atmosphere than last time.
The floor was filled with soothing music.
The people attending the party were not wearing as
much glitter as last time, and their expressions were more relaxed. They seemed
to be not only of good family background, but also of relaxed personalities and
smart people.
They didn't hurry to get into Illywia's business and
burn with jealousy.
However, it seemed difficult to form a close
relationship with them.
When Lynn spoke to them, they responded pleasantly.
But it was a step backwards.
They seemed to already know Lynn's background.
As much as possible, they avoided topics related to
Lynn's birth and upbringing, and chose topics that would be less offensive.
They were very careful not to go too far into each
other's affairs, even though they considered Lynn to be Illywia's favorite.
Lynn, too, was sensitive to the mood of the moment
and showed a natural adaptability.
In order to be able to have a casual conversation
with them, he tried to emphasize the businessman aspect of himself.
"I've recently
started a business association with a friend. We've devised a way to purchase
goods at low prices. We're planning to be officially recognized by the Mage
Association."
"Really? A trade
association?"
"How on earth do
you procure goods at such low prices?"
"I can't give you
the details, but I've found a way to legally purchase goods without
taxation."
"You must be very
clever."
"So you were
invited to the Royal Tea Ceremony because of your talent."
"No, I met Lady
Illywia when I was a member of Magrillheim."
"You were a member
of Magrillheim?"
"You seem to have
a bright future."
"Oh, no. It's
nothing. I was only invited once by chance. The quotas in Magrillheim are very
high. You're supposed to hunt monsters in the Yellow Zone while in the Blue
Zone. ......"
"Hahaha, that's
terrible."
"Hmm. You're good
at jokes, aren't you?"
Lynn continued his rambling conversation. People
started to talk to him.
Yuwen saw this and was inwardly impressed.
(This guy is
surprisingly clever.)
As Lynn was making
small talk with the senior nobles, he heard people murmuring.
He looked towards the
buzzing and saw that Illywia was walking towards him.
She was wearing a deep
blue dress and had an enigmatic smile on her face.
Next time: Episode 57,
"A Conversation Between Two People”
0 Comments:
Post a Comment