Challe found humans interesting. In matters of love and romance, this young man was as bold as a seasoned warrior. Perhaps because humans lived such short lives, they absorbed everything very quickly and had a striking capacity for growth.
Challe had to respect anyone who faced him directly. It would be cowardly of him to evade the boy’s questions and hide his feelings.
“I’ll make that promise.” Challe shot him a teasing grin. “But what will you do if she falls for me?”
“It’ll be all right. Anne’s going to love me, I know it. I’ll show you. I’m not worried,” Keith declared. He adjusted his grip on the horse’s bridle and walked off.
The comedy of it overcame him, and Challe laughed for a while, keeping his voice down. He found the whole thing oddly amusing.
Reginald Stowe got Anne to help him out the front door of the doctor’s house. He squinted, as if the light outside was too bright. Keith had brought the wagon with the coffin out into the garden, but the men from the Fairy Merchants Guild had not yet arrived.
“Do your injuries hurt?” asked Anne.
Reginald, who had been clinging to her narrow shoulder, muttered sarcastically, “Yeah, they do. If only you’d filled out a little more, it would’ve helped me keep my mind off the pain.”
“…Really…”
Anne slumped in disappointment as Challe emerged from the barn. When he saw Anne stooped over, struggling to support the heavy-looking Reginald, he frowned and approached them.
“Pass him here.”
“Uh, but—”
“It’s fine. Switch with me.”
Challe forcefully wrenched Reginald’s arm and pulled him away from Anne, so the man had to lean on Challe instead.
Reginald grimaced at the rough handling.
“Fairy, be a little more careful,” he said in a commanding tone he clearly used a lot.
Challe turned a piercing look on him. “I have no reason to take orders from the likes of you. I’ll let it pass for now, but after things are resolved, I don’t know what I might do.”
“Do whatever you want,” Reginald answered casually. “A fairy merchant expects fairies to hate him. That’s the nature of our business.”
Just then, the door opened behind them, and Hugh appeared. He wasn’t wearing his Viscount’s attire but rather his ordinary clothes. His twisted right ankle must have still hurt, because he was leaning against Salim’s shoulder.
“Salim. Bring our carriage around to the garden. The fellows from the Fairy Merchants Guild will be here soon.”
Salim looked a little conflicted by Hugh’s order. “But, Viscount, who will take your shoulder?”
“There’s one more person here who will make a pretty good cane.” Hugh turned and shouted back through the open door behind him. “Kat! Come lend me your shoulder.”
“…Huh?” Kat poked his head out, looking extraordinarily displeased. “Why should I hafta lend you my shoulder?”
“Salim has to get the carriage ready. Or are you going to do that instead? If you’re confident you can skillfully handle that huge carriage, then…”
Kat clicked his tongue, then changed places with Salim and supported Hugh’s shoulder. Once Salim had vanished around the back of the house, Hugh ordered Kat with a grin, “Come on, do a proper job supporting me. Let’s go over to Stowe.”
Kat clenched his teeth and took a step forward. It looked quite difficult for the slender man to support Hugh, who was not only tall but also had a muscular build.
“Tch… You jerk. I bet you’re purposely putting your weight on me.”
“It’s your imagination. You’re just a weakling.”
Mithril and Benjamin came scurrying out the front door. When he saw Kat supporting Hugh, Mithril turned to the other fairy and said, “Hey, Benjamin. Kat’s being bullied.”
“Uh-uhhh, Kat is gladly lending his shoulder to help the Viscount!”
“Do I look like I’m enjoying this?!”
Kat glanced over his shoulder, eyebrows raised, and Benjamin nodded, sending his green curls bouncing.
“Mmm, you look happy to meee. That’s wonderful, Kaaat!”
“Benjamin, why you—! Quit jokin’ around!”
It was hard to tell whether Benjamin really believed what he was saying. Maybe it was just Kat’s imagination, but he detected a certain air of mockery behind the fairy’s carefree smile.
Even as he fumed, the faithful Kat helped Hugh over to Anne and the others. When they came to a stop in front of Reginald, Hugh forced himself to smile.
“Finally, we’re face-to-face, Stowe. Though you really tried to give me the slip, claiming you had a headache or that your injuries were hurting you.”
“I don’t like when people expect favors just because they saved your life or whatever.”
“I would never. I simply want to negotiate.”
“I don’t feel like negotiating with you.”
Anne’s shoulders drooped at Reginald’s blunt words. She had expected as much. But she didn’t intend to give up. She looked at the man’s gray eyes as if to say, Just wait, I’ll bring you around yet.
Hugh shrugged. “Well, whatever. We’re all headed to Lewiston together. There’s still time.”
Just then, a black carriage with a single red line painted across it crested the top of a distant hill. It approached them directly, stopping in front of the gate. Two men stepped out.
One of them was the old man who had been with Reginald in the abandoned church. The other was the one who had come to the inn to tell Anne and the others Reginald’s whereabouts. This man approached them with a relieved expression.
“We came to get you, Reginald.”
The two men were both wearing smart-looking jackets with ties. They seemed like they had everything in order and were ready to go to the royal capital and take part in negotiations.
“Thanks for going to the trouble,” said Reginald. “As I said in my letter, we’ll go straight to Lewiston from here.”
He let go of Challe and took the shoulder of the younger man. The old man seemed worried and walked closely behind them. Hugh spoke to their backs.
“We’re also going to follow your wagon and head to Lewiston. It is my duty to escort you as far as the royal castle. After we get there, I will pay you another visit. I am determined to get you to the negotiating table at least once while we’re in Lewiston, Stowe.”
“Stop badgering me. I refuse.”
“I’ll convince you yet.”
Hugh wasn’t giving in, either. However, Reginald looked back over his shoulder and continued:
“There’s no need to negotiate, Silver Sugar Viscount,” he said, irritated. “I accept your requests.”
Anne looked at him blankly. She didn’t understand what he’d said. Hugh seemed similarly puzzled. However, like a piece of ice slowly melting, the meaning of his words started to sink into Anne’s mind.
She was astonished.
“You accept, Mr. Stowe?! But you just said you didn’t feel like negotiating with the Viscount.”
“Of course I don’t feel like negotiating. I already decided to accept your requests.” Then Reginald turned around and smiled, baring his teeth. “That doesn’t mean I believe the things you all believe or that I’m grateful to you. But we are businessmen. We always deliver something equal to what we’ve been paid. That’s what it means to do business. It’s one of our rules.”
The candy crafters had paid him by risking everything they had to protect their negotiation partner, all out of determination to preserve the future of sugar candy. And the fairy dealers felt bound by the rules of their profession to repay that debt.
He accepted…
Just like when the morning sun lit up the world, a bright light spread through Anne’s chest.
He accepted!
When Hugh finally understood the meaning of Reginald’s words, he, too, was stunned. But his expression soon turned to one of relief, and he let out a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart.
“I appreciate that, Reginald Stowe.”
Reginald waved his hand casually. “I’m just following the rules.”
He turned around and resumed walking, then came to a sudden stop, as if something had caught his eye. A glint of heartbreak flickered across his face.