You! Don’t Press that Button! - Chap 127

Arthur and I, now what people commonly call “best friends,” sat side by side in the outer garden, chatting intimately. Afraid that Karhan might hear with his abilities, I pressed my lips close to Arthur’s ear and whispered in a voice as tiny as an ant’s footsteps.

“Show me quickly.”

“Wait a moment.”

At my urging, Arthur slightly raised the corners of his mouth while fumbling in his pocket to pull out a small box. Though it seemed no bigger than my palm, I could tell that what was inside cost more than what several of me could afford.

When he pressed the lock on the front, the box split open sideways with aclick, revealing its contents.

“Wow… it’s so sparkly. It’s really beautiful…”

“Hmph. Do you know how hard it was to get this? The craftsman was incredibly picky, and even making an appointment was difficult.”

“Wow…”

Only sounds of admiration kept coming from my mouth. What emerged from the small box was an accessory like a brooch meant to be worn on a jacket lapel. It was a silver deer that would match perfectly with Karhan’s silver-gray eyes, with blue gems set in the deer’s sharp eyes.

“It’s really beautiful…”

“Quick, show me yours too.”

At Arthur’s words, I gently lowered my head to look at my hands under the table. There lay a small box. Though similar in size to Arthur’s, its contents were incomparably shabby.

After much hesitation, I placed the gift box on the table with uncertain movements, very slowly. Then I carefully untied the ribbon around the box and lifted the lid.

“…What is this?”

Looking somewhat taken aback, Arthur quietly examined my item before asking in a voice full of doubt. After silently observing for a moment, he picked up the bracelet inside the box and examined it from various angles.

“Is it really weird…?”

I asked carefully while watching his reaction. Arthur’s eyebrows curved as he contemplated his answer before speaking.

“No, it’s not weird, just… hey, did someone scam you? Who made this? How much did you pay?”

At Arthur’s words about being scammed, my shoulders slumped. My head, already looking down at the table, dropped even lower. Perhaps because of my demeanor, Arthur’s expression grew serious. His heavy hand hesitated before landing on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry and just tell me. I’ve grown up a lot now, so I can easily catch scammers like this.”

Arthur’s words stabbed my heart like daggers. I steadied my trembling lips and carefully said:

“I’m… I’m the scammer.”

That bracelet that Arthur was carelessly dangling with his index finger was actually Karhan’s birthday present that I had made by hand. Arthur and I had promised to meet the day before Karhan’s birthday. That promised day was today, and my birthday present was in this sorry state.

Seeing my utterly dejected expression, Arthur, who had blurted out the harsh words about scammers, started to panic. He carefully gathered the bracelet he had been holding carelessly in both hands and placed it in the box, making sure not to scratch it. Then, moving his hands frantically, he spoke in a high voice:

“The more I look at it, it’s actually quite charming and cool! Like, this leather, the scratches kind of make it look stylish…!”

“Those happened when I accidentally dropped it…”

“O-oh, really?”

Arthur’s attempts at comfort only made me feel more miserable. Though it looked like that on the outside, the materials themselves were actually quite expensive. Without accepting any financial help from Karhan, I had prepared good materials with wages earned from helping other servants, but what came after was the problem.

When I visited a craftsman famous among nobles, the price was absurdly high. When I asked if he could give me a special discount, the craftsman coldly shook his head. I could only stand there blankly holding the thick leather strap and beautifully shining yellow gem. Despite my thorough preparation, the fact that I couldn’t complete it left me at a loss for what to do.

Perhaps seeing how pitiful I looked, the craftsman looked me up and down before saying he would let me use his tools if I paid a small fee. At those words, I eagerly handed over the money and struggled to make it with my clumsy skills, knowing nothing. Of course, I was only able to complete it because the craftsman’s apprentices taught me how to use the tools and stayed by my side to help prevent any accidents.

That’s how this flimsy bracelet came to be. The once-beautiful gem was scratched all over, its luster dulled, and the joints were clumsily pressed here and there. It was no wonder Arthur called it a scam. Holding back a deep sigh that threatened to escape, I asked:

“Does it look really strange?”

“No, no! It’s fine! If I were brother, I’d be really happy!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

It was a lie. Arthur wasn’t the type who could say things he didn’t mean. The corners of his mouth were quivering, and his eyebrows were moving up and down violently. These were the side effects of his effort to maintain a bright expression.

I closed the box lid again and tied the ribbon prettily. I tucked it against my chest to hide it and stood up.

“I’ll go first…”

I said goodbye in a lifeless voice and left the garden. I could sense Arthur’s restless, busy movements behind me, but I had no energy to worry about him. I had no strength left, thinking that this gift in my arms wouldn’t satisfy Karhan.

“I should have just borrowed money from Asmil.”

Hing.I let out a pitiful cry. The reason I hadn’t borrowed money from Asmil was because I didn’t know what he might say later. Though he had become somewhat kinder after cleaning up the mess Asdion had made, his temperament remained the same. He might have demanded interest higher than a loan shark if I borrowed money from him. That’s how wicked and vicious he still was.

“Should I go for quantity instead?”

Returning to my room, I searched through all my drawers. What came out were the beautiful accessories and jewels Karhan had given me, along with a very small amount of money that remained.

If I sold all these accessories, I could probably give Karhan something flashy and expensive instead of this shabby-looking gift. But doing that…

“I can’t do this.”

I hated it.

In the duke’s mansion overflowing with expensive items, no one would notice if a few jewels like these disappeared. Even the clever Karhan probably wouldn’t remember these properly. But even so, I couldn’t sell them.

While these jewels might be worthless to Karhan as a duke, they held different weight for me. If they had been given by strangers that would be one thing, but I couldn’t part with a single gift that Karhan had given me. They were all mine.

After carefully examining the jewels, I pushed them aside. What remained was only enough money to fit in one hand. This money couldn’t buy gems and could only afford small accessories sold in the town market.

For a birthday present, giving something like that wouldn’t be right, would it?

Sitting quietly and contemplating what heartfelt gift I could give, a good idea occurred to me. I jumped up from my seat with the small amount of money and went down to the dining hall. As I wandered around the dining hall with a servant trailing behind me looking for the kitchen, the servant seemed to notice and naturally guided me there.

The kitchen looked relatively quiet, probably because quite some time had passed since lunch. Thank goodness. I can ask for help. I smiled brightly and went inside. I approached someone wearing a tall chef’s hat, reaching out my hand. They were quite tall, so I had to reach up high to poke their shoulder.

“Excuse me… excuse me.”

“Who is it?”

The tall chef turned out to be a woman with red hair. When she turned around and saw me, she wore a puzzled expression before breaking into a refreshing smile.

“Oh! You’re Seol, right?”

“Yes! I’m Seol!”

Realizing she knew me, I answered loudly with an unknowingly tense voice. The woman’s eyes widened round. Her eyelids blinked rapidly before drawing into fine, pretty curves.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve been wanting to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You, Seol.”

M-me? Why did she want to see me? I rolled my eyes around thoughtfully. Maybe she wanted to see me because I left too much food when I was a bird? Well, chefs would sometimes come out and ask why when I left a lot of food at the restaurant.

Stammering because I knew how negatively they must think of me always leaving food:

“About leaving the food, that—”

“You’re the one who gave us the ice cream idea, right?”

“…Ice cream?”

If it was about ice cream, that was definitely something I had requested. When I slowly nodded, the chef’s lips curved upward.

“Thank you. We’ve earned a lot thanks to that.”

She winked at me, blinking one eye. Earned a lot? Not quite understanding, I tilted my head slightly, and the chef raised one hand to form a circle with her thumb and index finger.

Ah!

“Money!”

“That’s right, money!”

The red-haired chef answered cheerfully. From our brief conversation, I learned that after developing the ice cream, they received separate payment from the duchy and had active exchanges with the outside, earning quite a bit. The excited chef came closer and put her hand on my shoulder. Being relatively short, I ended up looking like I was being embraced one-sidedly.

“So what brings you here today, Seol?”

“Ah, well… I’d like to make a small cake! Even just a dessert would be fine!”

“A cake? Aha.”

Understanding what this was about, the chef nodded while looking down at me. Under her piercing gaze, I could feel my face gradually growing hot. I haven’t turned red, have I? Trying to act natural, I quietly raised my hand to touch my cheek, but it felt a bit hot. W-why are my cheeks so hot when I’m just doing something natural for someone I’m dating?

Though I should be proud and unashamed now, such gazes always made me shy. To hide my slightly trembling breath, I pressed my lips firmly together, making my nose flare. Unable to meet the chef’s eyes looking down at me, I fumbled awkwardly until a refreshing smile spread across her face.

“Seol. Since we don’t have many ingredients right now, would a small dessert be alright?”

“Yes! That would be perfect!”

I nodded quickly. Saying “alright,” the chef confidently took ingredients out of the refrigerator. Since this was my gift to Karhan, I needed to be the main creator.

After spending quite a long time kneading and shaping, a small cake the size of an outstretched palm was completed. I finished decorating by placing two round scoops of ice cream on top of the square cake with colorful garnishes.

“This box has preservation magic. It can easily preserve the contents for a day, so take it without worry.”

“Thank you!”

“It’s nothing. I just helped a little from the side.”

Though not a perfect cake, it looked appetizing enough. I happily held the dessert box against my chest. Since it could be preserved easily for a day, I needed to hide it carefully in my room and show it to Karhan at exactly the right timing when one day had passed. Imagining Karhan’s surprised expression with round eyes made one corner of my heart tickle for some reason.

As I turned to leave the kitchen, suddenly it felt a bit lacking. Usually for birthdays, don’t people decorate houses with balloons and do events like that? But I hadn’t seen any balloons in this world yet.

I stood still thinking before moistening my dry lips with my tongue. Slowly turning my stiffened upper body, I glanced at the chef and carefully asked in a small voice:

“Um, this isn’t for me but… if you were to do a small event for your lover, what would be good…?”