174 - Portrait and Mischievous Impulse
Now that the Recollection Festival is over, I cut my hair without holding back. Since the Recollection Festival requires wearing old-fashioned clothing, I had kept it long per Kalisa's wish to do elaborate braiding. Kalisa still seemed somewhat opposed to me cutting my hair, saying it would reduce her fun in styling it, but in the end she relented. However, she resisted until the very end against my request to cut it as short as Basilia's, and we settled on a length just below the shoulders as a compromise.
"It's back to the length it was when we first met," was Leonardo's observation. Indeed, it might have been about this length back then. Feeling a bit mischievous, I remarked that the way I address him had also returned to how it was back then. In the beginning, my tongue couldn't keep up, so I called him 'Leonyaldo-san,' but the distance was the same as 'Leonardo-san,' which I use most often now. Since the fact that my way of addressing him moved away from nicknames and 'Big Brother' was a result of Leonardo's own actions, I think it's fine to keep things this way for a while longer.
...Well, I've been thinking maybe I should forgive him soon, since being mean to him is starting to feel pitiful.
The other day, Leonardo handed me a thin box that was armful-sized, saying the birthday present he had prepared was finished. Given the precedent of a bear stuffed toy that occupied the bed, I thought it was a reasonably sized box for Leonardo, but when I thanked him and took it, the contents left me with an indescribable feeling. Inside the box was a truly heartwarming portrait of me at age nine, wearing a cherry blossom motif one-piece dress and smiling in the shade of a tree, with the puppy Kokumaro by my side.
...I don't remember ever striking a pose like that, you know?
Since I couldn't imagine Leonardo being able to paint, I asked about the mystery of how it was made on the spot. Apparently, based on the sketch he obtained in Lagarette, he searched for a skilled painter in Grenore and had them paint it. As for Kokumaro, who was already close to adult dog size, he apparently brought the breed information and for the one-piece dress, he brought the actual garment when commissioning it.
...I had no idea that sketch would be used this way.
In any case, I think the painting itself is wonderfully done, but I don't have the hobby of displaying my own portrait in my room and gazing at it. I promptly changed the designation to 'a belated birthday present for Leonardo-san' and returned it on the spot, but Leonardo started hanging the portrait in his room with delight, so perhaps he hadn't noticed the fact that the present had been handed back to him. Or maybe he was so pleased with the quality of the portrait that he couldn't bear to part with it.
...Thinking from my perspective still doesn't seem to be something that's going to stick with him anytime soon.
It wasn't candy anymore. It wasn't something overly huge anymore. I might give him points for that. But I wish he'd think a little more. I don't have the hobby of being delighted to receive a portrait of myself.
...Or wait, is this actually normal? Giving portraits as gifts?
Worried that maybe I was the strange one for judging by my own sense of values, I checked with Hermine, and apparently it's a normal gift among the nobility. They have their personal painter paint a portrait, showing off the painter's skill while praising the recipient.
...For Leonardo-san, this was actually a present he'd thought about in advance, wasn't it.
I felt a little bad about having sent it back on the spot. I briefly considered whether I should accept it after all and display it in my room, but I decided not to think about it. I understood that such customs exist, but I still don't have the hobby of hanging a portrait of myself in my room.
As always, other than going to the Menhishumi Church, I spend almost all my time at the residence. The reason I don't find it boring is probably because I'm the indoor type. Rather than going outside to look for fun, I find it more enjoyable to take lessons from Hermine at the residence or do embroidery. Lately, for some reason, Basilia has started sending me letters, so my letter-writing has increased. Since I often think about the content and write the replies myself, I think I've become almost completely comfortable with reading and writing in this country's language. Recently, rather than having Hermine check my letters for character or grammar mistakes, I've been consulting with her about whether the content is appropriate, and I can write almost entirely on my own now.
"Basilia-chan's nurse maid seems to be completely better now, deshu ne."
Her face was so swollen right after the incident that it was pitiful to look at directly, but apparently she's healed up nicely now. Her arm was also broken, but I hear the fracture healed in about a month. She seemed afraid to go outside for a while, but apparently she overcame her fear, rousing herself with the thought that if she stayed that way, she couldn't protect Basilia as a nurse maid.
When I read aloud from Basilia's letter, Kalisa smiled, looking slightly relieved as well. As a fellow nurse maid, she must have been worried about how the other woman was doing.
"...It seems William has been cut off by the country, deshu ne."
Leonardo never told me what happened to the kidnapper from Lagarette, but it was written clearly in Basilia's letter. This is probably the difference in approach between Jemian and Leonardo regarding education. Leonardo acts to keep unpleasant and frightening things away from my eyes, while Jemian seems to have a stance of letting Basilia see and hear such things in detail, including the darker aspects. I can't say which is right, but it might be important to build my own information network like Alf does.
"An inquiry was made to the Saenard Kingdom, but the reply was that no such person exists in their country, to."
I seem to recall he mentioned being from a baron family, but they discarded him quite easily. They claimed there was no noble in their country who would intrude into another nation and cause a kidnapping uproar.
...Well, I think I'd make the same judgment too.
I don't know if he was ordered by someone or if it was his own initiative. But if someone intrudes into another country, causes a kidnapping uproar, gets captured, and an official inquiry comes to the country rather than a private one, there's no other answer than to say they don't know such a person. The Saenard Kingdom was at war with this country just a few years ago. There was even a possibility that William's rampage could have started another war.
"Since it was confirmed he's not a noble of the Saenard Kingdom, they proceeded without holding back to have a talk... in other words, torture?"
If he's not a noble, there's no problem in treating him however they like, so Jemian probably moved to the most straightforward method. Basilia's letter only says "they are having a talk," but looking at the context, ominous words lurk beneath the surface. Nine times out of ten, they're probably torturing him.
...Even so, I have to say, I'm not sure it's appropriate to tell Basilia-chan about that, Jemian-sama!
While it's troubling to have things hidden from me in an overly protective way like Leonardo does, is it really alright to show such dark aspects so openly to one's own daughter? I'm worried about Basilia's future.
The letter continued with ominous phrases like "once the background has been thoroughly investigated, there's no reason to keep him alive." I really might need to worry about Basilia's future. Jemian's educational policy didn't seem like a very good environment for Basilia's moral development.
...Oh, so they do make a private inquiry to the baron family as well.
William was cut off by the country, but I want to believe his family is different. If there's something that could be used as a bargaining chip with the baron family, then William would presumably be kept alive for now.
...But still, Jemian-sama is scary.
He seemed like a gentle gentleman in front of me, but when I think back carefully, I received something like a warning from Sukebei too. That the relationship with Leonardo is delicate and I need to be cautious.
...He did come across as a gentleman who loves art, though, you know?
As I recalled Jemian's face, the thought of the art gallery he treasured was dragged along with it. In the gallery decorated with various paintings, Jemian gave me an embroidered picture. That picture is now displayed in my room on the third floor.
...A picture done in embroidery, I kind of want to try that myself.
I think I can manage the cost of fabric and thread. The money I'd set aside for the handkerchief I was supposed to give to Aurelia someday was almost all still there. If there's a problem, it might be that I have no artistic sense.
...I wonder if they sell simple starter kits for beginners. Or I'd be happy if someone could draw an under-sketch for me.
Just as I was thinking that far, a mischievous idea suddenly came to me. I did have one acquaintance with artistic sense.
Ever since Basilia started sending me letters, Dietfried somehow started sending me letters too. I'm a little curious about where the information is flowing from to create this correspondence situation.
"...I can't read it."
The letter delivered from the city of Mandez via Iridal had a beautiful envelope, but when I opened the letter paper, it was filled with cryptic symbols that required time to decipher. The reason it was cryptic was not because it was written in ancient language or English. Quite simply, Dietfried's handwriting was terrible.
"...Could it be Iridal's strategy, I think? To make Dietfried-sama study, having him write letters to you, young lady, to drill reading and writing into him... I think that's the strategy, deshu."
"I see. That the reader is me motivates Diet, and Iridal's goal is to make him learn reading and writing, which means..."
It's probably a letter I can feel free to offer up to Hermine. If I thought of it as a private letter from a public figure, I might hesitate to show it to others, but this is purely part of Dietfried's studies. There's someone far more suited than me to grade it in this residence.
"Hermine-sensei, would you be willing to grade a letter from Dietfried-sama, deshu ka?"
"I am no longer Dietfried-sama's teacher, you know..."
Despite saying that, Hermine gladly took on the grading. Apparently, she was moved by the fact that Dietfried, who wouldn't even try to learn basic letters when she was teaching him, had become able to write letters, however clumsily. The capable steward who raised the triplet sisters is truly impressive. The fact that by keeping him at the Mandez residence, they were able to completely separate him from the wet nurses and servants who raised him probably played a big part as well.
I put the letter paper, which had been corrected so much by Hermine that the paper looked red, back into the envelope. As for me, I slipped in a message card with just one line. "I can't read your messy handwriting." I myself think this is cruel for Dietfried, who is probably looking forward to a reply to his first letter. But I've learned well from my short acquaintance that I must not be lenient here. Being cold toward Dietfried is just about right.
...I hope next time he writes in handwriting I can actually read.
As I handed the letter to Kalisa to send, I was a little surprised to realize I'd naturally thought that. I thought he'd caused me quite a lot of trouble, but apparently I've decided I wouldn't mind being involved with Dietfried a little more.
I couldn't make it to the summer martial arts tournament. Next time will probably be the summer martial arts tournament.
I'll fix typos and errors another day. I've found and corrected some typos and errors.