By Zephyria 
Tuesday.
As soon as the etiquette class ended, I went to find Marianne and headed for the street lined with jewelry workshops. On Friday, no matter where you looked, the street was packed with people, but not today. People walking on the street were sparse, and the ground was more visible than people. The sun-drenched street was paved with neat stones, shimmering in a silvery-gray hue. The street selling jewels seemed like a jewel itself.
A little way off, a wide awning was hung in front of the open door of the Grim Brothers’ Jewelry Shop. As with most jewelry shops, the large door of the shop, which had no windows, was wide open, and cheerful laughter echoed noisily from within.
“What is this, Grandpa! It’s so ugly! Is this something you sell here?”
“Ugly? It’s my favorite design. Look, there’s a butterfly motif carved here on the side.”
“You didn’t make this, did you?”
“….”
“Ah, looking again, it’s pretty. Can I have one too? How much is it?”
“This one here is a genuine sapphire, and this one is a pearl, and this one here is another….”
“Uh, uh. You’re talking too much. How much is it?”
“35 gold.”
“I’m not buying!”
“Hey, I’m not selling either! That’s it! I’ll just wear it myself for the rest of my life.”
“Wow, are you sulking? You look like you’re sulking right now.”
A high-pitched voice, filled with laughter like a whistle, was familiar to my ears.
As a courtesy, I knocked twice on the open door and poked my head in. The old man sitting in a low armchair turned to Ikyun and jumped up. Marianne, who was sitting on a small auxiliary chair at an angle, just smiled. I smiled back at his welcoming face, returning the greeting.
Only Iver Marcus was flustered and in a panic.
“Your Majesty! What brings you here without notice?”
“Ah. Should I have contacted you first?”
“No, no, no! Just a moment, I’ll get you a chair, no, no. What can I get for you?”
“You don’t have to be so surprised, Grandpa. It’s obvious I came to see you, right?”
“Yes.”
Although I gestured to decline, the old man insisted on bringing tea and disappeared through the door behind the shop’s display counter. Since his presence didn’t fade even as he bustled away, I let him be and turned to Marianne.
“You said you were busy, but you look like you’re having fun?”
“I’m incredibly busy right now. Can’t you see this?”
Marianne playfully held up her palms upwards with both hands and pointed to one side. Naturally, I followed the child’s gesture and shifted my gaze, then let out a scoff.
“What… is this?”
“I’m trying to pursue a more modern aesthetic, and this is what happened. Is it cute?”
“…Modern?”
Do statues wear clothes these days?
The statue that Iver Marcus had coveted and I had carried over was originally a statue made of pure white jade. The carving, so delicate that it didn’t look like it was made by cutting and scraping, with each eyelash meticulously rendered, shone with a clear white light from head to toe.
But now the statue stood draped in a red and blue shawl over its shoulders. That wasn’t all. It wore a small hat, seemingly woven from reeds, on its head, and a peculiar-looking pair of colored glasses perched on its face. The way small, soft pieces of cloth were placed wherever these items touched the statue, ensuring no tiny scratch was left, was quite impressive.
The elegant-looking saint was nowhere to be seen; instead, a clown stood alone.
While I stared blankly at the statue, the old man, who had prepared the tea, bustled over carrying a tray. His wrinkled hands placed old, polished snacks and tea ware on the table. He tried to pull up a chair, but I waved him off and pulled one closer for myself.
Meanwhile, Marianne, who had been smiling and helping with the setup from her seat, acted mischievously.
“See, Grandpa. Even His Majesty the Crown Prince doesn’t like it. I still say that beige cloak from earlier was pretty.”
“Count, when you get older, you’ll find those dull colors unappealing.”
“Ah, that’s really unbelievable! It’s not because of age.”
“Ahem. Then, I shall leave the two of you to converse….”
“What are you talking about? We can’t kick out the owner of the shop. Sit down. Michael, is that okay?”
“Yes.”
Watching her, one would believe Marianne was the owner of this jewelry shop.
“So, why is it wearing these clothes?”
“It’s a very, very precious item. Doesn’t it look like someone would want to steal it? I dressed it up a bit to give Grandpa Marcus some peace of mind while he naps. Look here. I even inscribed theft prevention alarm magic and tracking magic on it.”
“Ah.”
“At first, he didn’t want to, but once he started, he got really into putting strange things on it. I had trouble stopping him. Want to see this? Starfish-shaped glasses!”
“…They suit you well.”
“Haha! Why do you dislike it so much? Michael, you should try them on too. They’ll suit you perfectly!”
“No, I’m fine.”
While exchanging trivial chatter, I tapped the slightly creaky chair with my hand to adjust its leg height. Nothing had changed since my last visit, yet the surroundings felt strangely empty.
As I looked around, I saw the high stool in front of the display cabinet, and something came to mind.
“Wasn’t there one more person here before?”
“Ah, yes, there was.”
“Is there not now?”
“Yes. I was a bit bothered by people constantly coming and going, and also, there was less work. I gave him his letter of recommendation and severance pay and sent him off.”
The old man replied as he politely poured tea into my teacup.
Although the teapot wobbled slightly, his posture and demeanor were quite refined, fitting the noble etiquette of the Sierran Empire. He must have been well-educated, having lived with relatives when he was young.
Marianne was the same. Although she clinked her teacup with a casual attitude, she faithfully followed the basic rules of how to place the teacup handle and the shape of her fingers holding the saucer.
The old man continued.
“Before, I had to keep the shop open for twelve hours a day just to make ends meet. But now, I just open the shop when I feel like it. I sleep in late, then wake up and eat a hearty meal, and when the sun is out, I go for a walk.”
“A walk? Where to?”
“Just, I walk around the streets. I walk until I’m tired, then go into any shop and buy something to eat, sit there, and when I have the strength to walk, I walk back to the shop. I go east, I go west. I just go.”
As he spoke, a peaceful happiness filled Iver’s wrinkled face.
When I first met Iver Marcus, I thought he was a man who looked truly sorrowful. The old man, who had lost his only son unexpectedly, was small and gaunt. I can still vividly recall him standing like a crumpled piece of paper, his wrinkled hands trembling, his face cast in shadow.
But now, he had a face creased with laughter, as if wearing a clown mask.
“In my seventy years of life, I’ve never walked aimlessly on the street during a weekday afternoon until now. I’ve never entered an unknown shop just because I was curious about the taste, without considering the price, and this is the first time I’ve sat idly for half a day watching a fountain.”
“….”
My breath catches for a moment.
I, too, have never wandered the streets aimlessly during a weekday afternoon. Even when I looked at the lake, I lived hoping that the vast water would bring me new enlightenment.
I thought I had lived by letting myself go with the flow, like running water, but did I truly have no time to pause and rest?
It’s fine for me. But I wish Ruben could live a slightly more leisurely life. Can I create such an opportunity for him? As I pondered this, the old man in front of me still had a beaming smile.
“Now, I only have one worry.”
“…What worry do you have?”
“What more could an old man like me wish for? If only I could see a grandchild, plump like a little colt, that would be my greatest wish.”
Marianne, who had been listening beside me, raised her voice, “Oh, dear.”
“Grandchild, what grandchild! You have to see the stars to reach them! The workshop owner is unmarried right now!”
“Now that I have plenty of money, I’ll reduce my work, no, just until I make His Majesty’s wedding ring, then I’ll be inducted into the Hall of Esteemed Artisans and make one or two pieces a year.”
“The workshop owner can’t even talk to women?”
“…I can now!”
“With Vivian? Oh, dear. How can you compare a young relative 18 years your junior with a woman of your own age? It’s truly astonishing.”
“Oh, the Viscountess said she would introduce me! I’ve been relying on that and praying three times a day! Please don’t say anything disappointing, okay?”
“I was going to do that too? But he himself doesn’t want to. Oh, forget it. Give up, give up. You can’t control how your children turn out.”
At that, Iver clasped his hands together as if in prayer and bowed his head towards the statue. His mumbled words were like a prayer. Iver Marcus’s gaze, fixed on the statue that had lost its original sacred appearance due to being wrapped up, was quite affectionate.
“Saras will watch over us, and it will come true. It definitely will. Before I close my eyes….”
“…Saras?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? This is a statue of the God of the Saras River.”
The Saras River was the name of the wide river that stretched long from the northeast to the southwest of the Sierran Empire. The abundant crops of Yeldidus all came from the fertile land along the Saras River. The spirit of the Duke Yeldidus Family was also born in the Saras River, and a tributary of the Saras River flowed right next to Earldom Ernhardt.
And the only god I had never met was the river god, Saras.
“The river god Saras symbolizes abundance and fertility. That’s why parents who can’t conceive go to the Temple of Saras to pray. They sell statues that look just like this there. Although they look a bit cheaper.”
“…Cheaper?”
“Saras statues are usually carved from jade. They sometimes have various colors mixed in and are usually small. It’s very difficult to obtain a solid piece of jade this size, with few inclusions, that can be carved. The largest is about the size of my forearm?”
Marianne, who had been explaining various things, crossed her arms and turned to face Iver Marcus. Her mischievous smile and teasing tone were quite annoying.
Even though the listener looked crestfallen, his voice didn’t sound truly sad, so I let it be.
“The workshop owner is all grown up. Let him live as he pleases.”
“No matter how old he gets, he’s still my child. Once I’m gone too, he’ll be alone. He doesn’t even know how to take care of his meals and is obsessed with raw stones. Will he even be able to function as a human….”
“Marriage is for people who can function well as humans, not for those who can’t!”
“Still, doesn’t he look handsome?”
“Ew. Hmph, I won’t say any more.”
“…No, if that boy would just tidy up this seaweed-like hair, he’d be quite dashing!”
So, this was what this old man regretted before he died.
What could be more affectionate than a parent worrying about their child? I now understood why, among so many statues, he coveted only this one and wanted it.
With it wrapped up like this and the shop open less often, he would be less conspicuous to people’s eyes. Thinking this, my heart felt a little more at ease.