A Small but Certain Happiness (5)
After a few moments of awkward silence, Ashley sank into her chair.
Theorad felt terrible for embarrassing her. He returned the doll to its shelf and approached her.
“By the way, what's in that bag?”
Changing the subject seemed the only way to rescue the conversation.
Ashley was annoyed at his clumsy attempt to escape the moment. At the same time, she was grateful for it.
She breathed out, letting the embarrassment fade, and took hold of the bag by its corners.
“Things for playing house.”
“Playing house?”
Theorad blinked.
Ashley smiled and opened the leather case.
Inside were four shallow wooden boxes, a thermos and an umbrella. There was also a square indentation in an otherwise empty space—perhaps where she had kept one of the witches' communication notebooks.
But what were the boxes for?
Did she bring some magic device to deal with the elf?
Each box was made of fine hardwood engraved with a swan, House Pelgaroin's emblem. They clearly weren't ordinary containers.
Theorad took a seat opposite her.
“You mentioned being hungry.”
Ashley moved the boxes onto the table one at a time, along with the thermos. She closed the bag and slipped it beneath the table.
Only then did Theorad begin to understand.
“You brought us a packed lunch?”
“Yes. I thought it would be nice to relive our memories. And…”
“And?”
She couldn't very well say she'd been practicing to become a good bride.
“Nothing. Never mind.”
She opened the boxes in succession.
In the first were fine utensils from the Pelgaroin household, laid neatly over a linen napkin.
The second held sandwiches cut in half for easy eating. A strand of edible plant fiber held each thick sandwich together. Crispy bacon, tomato, romaine lettuce, mayonnaise, cheese and ham were layered generously between the bread.
Just looking at them made Theorad hungry.
The third box contained grilled salmon steak and salmon sashimi.
The cooked fish was accompanied by rings of onion and halved cherry tomatoes, seared until juicy.
Beside it, the raw salmon lay in a separate compartment. A partition and some kind of protective magic kept the heat from reaching it.
The grilled salmon was still steaming, although Ashley had carried it all this way. That, too, suggested some carefully applied preservation magic.
Her cooking is wonderful, and she can even use magic for this?
Whether she'd been taught or worked it out for herself, she had plainly devoted serious effort to the meal.
The fourth box was full of fresh fruit: mangoes, strawberries, apples, grapes and bite-sized pieces of tomato.
Some of the apple slices had been cut into adorable little rabbits.
She went to all this trouble… for me?
Ashley was a daughter of one of the Empire's most distinguished families. She could have lived without ever doing the housework herself, and there was little reason for her to learn more than the basics of cooking.
Yet she'd practiced, made mistakes and tried again until she could prepare a meal like this for him.
Theorad was moved. He knew perfectly well that cooking wasn't a skill mastered in a day or two.
Still, praise could wait until he'd tasted it.
He picked up a sandwich.
“Thank you. I'll enjoy it.”
Ashley swallowed nervously.
She'd served Theorad meals before, but never one she'd prepared with so much care.
He took a bite.
The ingredients blended beautifully: the crisp freshness of romaine against the tender bread and richer filling. It was delicious.
“Hmm.”
Without offering a verdict yet, he set down the sandwich and lifted his fork to try the salmon steak.
Its surface was lightly crisp, the inside tender. The flavor lingered pleasantly.
Next came the sashimi. The cool slices seemed to melt in his mouth. It was a dish worthy of the chef at his own manor.
When he'd sampled everything, he smiled.
“It's delicious. Truly delicious.”
“R-really?”
Ashley's cheeks flushed. The knowledge that her work had pleased him was almost more happiness than she could contain.
“Why would I lie? The presentation is elegant, and the flavor excellent. It deserves to be called a delicacy.”
For a nobleman, it was praise of the highest order.
Ashley felt as though her heart had flown above the clouds.
She wanted to spread her arms and ask Theorad to hold her close. But she stopped herself. She didn't want him to think she'd forgotten every lesson of decorum.
She drew a steadying breath and cleared her throat.
“I'm glad you liked it. I was worried I hadn't shown you my best work.”
“That wasn't your best? Are you saying you can cook even better than this?”
“O-of course!”
It was a lie. She had used nearly every skill she possessed in making these dishes.
Still, if she studied cooking whenever she had free time at the castle, perhaps one day she truly would be better.
Before he could ask more, Ashley straightened and became serious.
“Sir Theorad. I'd like to tell you what I've learned about elves.”
Theorad stopped with his hand over the sandwich.
So that's why…
Leaving the manor and bringing him somewhere the escorting knights couldn't easily overhear was more than a pleasant date. Ashley had chosen a place to give him sensitive information.
He glanced toward the window, then nodded.
“It wasn't easy,” Ashley began, “but I gathered enough material to form a rough picture of the Great Forest. As you know, it's enormous—almost comparable in size to the Empire itself.”
It was said that a person who entered without a guide could wander forever and never find a way out.
Ashley raised a hand and held out three fingers.
“Ibella of Light, Aglo of the Shooter, and Jacqueline of Eunwon. Those are the three clans said to govern the Great Forest. They revere the World Tree and a guardian spirit called Senia.”
She lowered one finger.
“The Aglo and Jacqueline clans reportedly live closer to the forest's borders. The elves captured by slave hunters, and those seen outside, seem to come from those two clans.”
“Then you mean…”
“Yes. The elf at your manor may belong to the Ibella clan.”
Ashley continued, choosing her words with care.
“I couldn't find any record of red eyes among the Aglo or Jacqueline clans. It's more reasonable to consider an Ibella origin than to assume someone deliberately erased every relevant document.”
“Then do you know why she'd leave her clan and the Great Forest?”
“No.”
Ashley sighed.
“The other clans are obscure enough. The place where Ibella's people live is almost completely hidden, and I found virtually nothing about it. But I suspect the elf held an unusually high rank among them.”
“Why?”
“Elves are generally more gifted with magic than humans. Even so, the power of the elf staying at your manor is extraordinary.”
She met his gaze.
“The artificial-rain magic—you perfected it with her help, didn't you?”
Theorad nodded without speaking.
“Then my suspicion makes sense.”
Ashley explained that ancient records described an age when humans and elves exchanged knowledge, with humans learning much of their magic from the elves.
Some texts spoke of exceptionally powerful elves, even those older than the woman living at Deharem Manor.
“But among everything I found, there wasn't a single account of one completing such great magic overnight. That makes her skill nearly without equal.”
According to the traditions Ashley had studied, elves revered nature, and their social order placed great weight on strength—especially magical strength.
Their apparent peace with humanity might therefore have another explanation besides an innately gentle disposition.
“The records suggest the elves refrained from war because Senia, the guardian spirit at the pinnacle of their order, didn't wish to slaughter humans. The clans honored that will and remained within the Great Forest.”
If magic determines status among them…
Theorad followed the reasoning.
An elf who could complete an extraordinary spell like artificial rain almost overnight might stand at the very top of her clan.
And the person at the top would be…
“Queen.”
Ashley pressed her lips together, convinced by the conclusion she'd reached.
“I believe the elf was the head of the Ibella clan.”