Kays Translations

Chapter 25: A Change in Awareness

Seeing Licia’s delight gave Ren a firm sense of relief. She unquestionably liked the gift; every gesture she made proved it.

“It would be a problem if you actually died, so should I find you something else?”

It was not a particularly manly joke. Relief had given him a little room to breathe, however, and the quip slipped out–perhaps also as a way to conceal his embarrassment.

“No. Absolutely not. I’m never, ever giving it back.”

Everyone nearby was intensely curious about the present, but no one was tactless enough to interrupt them.

Then Licia made a request.

“Ren, would you put it on for me?”

He hesitated to touch her hair in front of so many people, but the request had come from Licia herself, and it was her birthday. Ren took the ornament from the box and raised it toward her hair.

Something like this, perhaps.

Her hair was so carefully maintained that he did not even need to run his fingers through it. He only had to choose the proper position for the ornament adorned with the Platinum Feather.

At last, everyone saw it gleaming against her silk-like hair.

That was the moment the hall erupted in astonishment.

“Wha–?”

Lessard’s eyes widened first.

“W-Weiss! Is that not a Platinum Feather? Where in the world did Ren obtain it?”

“I-I do not know! An item that rarely reaches even the Imperial Capital should never have appeared in this town–unless… Boy, was that why you went to the Adventurers’ Guild that day?”

Weiss finally understood. He remembered advising Ren when the boy was troubled over Licia’s birthday, and he remembered Ren heading to the guild immediately afterward.

Ren must have been searching for a Platinum Feather ever since.

“He did not buy it. He found it himself…”

Lessard was even more amazed by Weiss’s conclusion.

Unaware of their exchange, Licia looked at Ren with a shy smile.

“Does it suit me?”

“Yes. It suits you very well.”

Ren answered without hesitation.

Under everyone’s gaze, Licia seemed to shine even more brightly. The ornament sat just behind one ear, reflecting the chandelier whenever she moved.

“Father, look! Ren gave me this beautiful present!”

“Y-yes. It suits you splendidly. It truly is an extraordinary piece… I never imagined he would prepare something of that caliber.”

Lessard continued staring in disbelief. Licia, concerned only with the compliment, happily displayed the ornament to the servants. Each time someone praised it, she turned toward Ren with a smile that glittered like a jewel.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

Afterward, Lessard and Weiss questioned Ren about where he had found it.

He answered only that he had been lucky. In this world, luck was the sole commonly known explanation for obtaining a Platinum Feather. Perhaps because of that, neither man pressed him further, and Ren did not need to admit that he knew the actual method.

Later, the celebration moved from the main residence to the balcony of the old manor, where Ren and Licia held a small after-party of their own.

“I can’t believe I was able to have a birthday like this. It feels like a dream.”

Licia’s voice carried through the night. The party had already ended, but she had proposed that the two of them continue for a little while.

“Father and Weiss were truly astonished.”

“They questioned me so thoroughly that it was exhausting.”

“Of course they did. You gave me something this wonderful. Father was bound to be curious.”

She reached for the tea Ren had brewed. He had cleaned the old balcony and carried out a new table, giving the space the atmosphere of a tiny evening salon. The Platinum Feather swayed in Licia’s hair as she smiled.

“Lady Licia.”

“Yes?”

She looked lovely beneath the star-filled sky.

“When you invited me here, didn’t you say there was something else you wanted to do?”

Immediately after the party, she had mentioned one more matter. Now she nodded and lifted something from beside her feet.

“This is for you.”

She placed an object wrapped in pure white silk on the table.

“It took me longer than I expected, but I chose it properly.”

Ren had never imagined receiving a gift from the birthday girl herself.

“May I look?”

Even in the dim light, he could see how red her cheeks had become.

She looks exactly as nervous as I did a little while ago.

Licia nodded without speaking and lowered her head. Seeing her anxiety, Ren felt he should unwrap it quickly and tell her what he thought.

The silk was surprisingly soft. Beneath it lay a white-sheathed dagger.

Is this…?

It reminded him of the fieldcraft dagger Weiss had given him–the one capable of producing sparks when the base of its handle was struck against its sheath. Ren had lent it to Licia during the battle with Yelquq, and it had been lost afterward.

“The dagger you promised to return.”

Licia nodded again.

This was not the same weapon, however. Both sheath and grip were white, with gold decoration at the hilt and the sheath’s tip. Ren could already imagine how impressive it would look at his waist.

“This appears far more expensive than the dagger I lent you.”

“You… don’t like it?”

Licia lifted her face. Her cheeks remained bright red, and anxious moisture gathered in her eyes.

Ren immediately realized how his words had sounded.

“I’m sorry. I truly am happy to receive it.”

“Really?”

“I wouldn’t lie. I was already imagining how good it would look at my waist, embarrassing as that is to admit.”

The anxiety vanished from her face, and she gave a small laugh.

“I simply never expected it to return as something so valuable. Surprise came before happiness.”

“That’s because…”

Licia turned away with a pout and rested her cheek on one hand. She tried to look displeased, but her flushed face made the expression charming rather than stern.

“I wanted to celebrate your birthday too.”

Ren’s birthday was in spring, but that year’s celebration had already taken place in his home village. His next would not come until the following year. When Licia learned that, she had been devastated in the privacy of her room.

Then she remembered the dagger she still owed him and decided to return it as a proper birthday present.

“I couldn’t wait until next year, so I decided to give it to you today–“

Ren stifled a laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

Licia leaned across the table indignantly, but he could not stop smiling. She found herself captivated by that unguarded expression, so different from his usual mature composure.

“I’m sorry. I just realized that both of us have been nervous all day.”

“W-what of it? Am I not allowed to be nervous?”

“Of course you are. I only thought it was funny that we’re more alike than I realized.”

Licia could not object. Part of her was secretly delighted by the words more alike, and Ren’s rare, genuine smile held her attention.

Her embarrassment was another matter.

Realizing that he had seen through her nerves pushed her past the limit. She covered her face with both hands.

“I don’t care anymore! I wasn’t nervous at all!”

She collapsed forward over the table and kicked her feet in a futile attempt to hide her shame.

Eventually, her legs stopped.

After thanking her for the dagger, Ren had added something without any special intention.

“I look forward to continuing to get along with you.”

They were ordinary words, meant exactly as spoken.

Yet Licia slowly lifted her face.

“Continuing…?”

Large tears gathered beneath her lashes as she looked at him over her folded arms.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“W-wait, why are you crying?”

There was no sadness in her expression. If anything, unrestrained joy filled it.

“It’s a secret. I will never tell someone who laughed at me for being nervous.”

Licia was simply happy.

A year earlier, Ren had tried to keep his distance from her. Hearing him now speak of their future together filled her with an indescribable warmth.

But, as she had said, the reason for her tears would remain secret. Partly, she wanted revenge for his teasing. More than that, watching Ren panic and fuss over her was pleasant enough that she decided to indulge his kindness a little longer.

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