4. The Puzzle Box
MY time spent in the Sunruta Kingdom passed in the blink of an eye. I’d been so nervous at first, but now looking back on it, I realized that I’d really enjoyed myself.
I picked up a small box from my luggage and held it in my hand. It was quite heavy, despite how small it was.
I’d been fiddling around with it a bit, but I couldn’t get it open. By consulting the manual and trying this and that, I finally opened it. The lid popped off and I gasped a little. It was so complex.
“Amazing…”
The little box with its geometric engravings looked like a simple trinket at a glance. However, it was actually a puzzle box, requiring thirty different steps to open. It was made using traditional Sunruta Kingdom techniques. It was very unusual, so I planned to bring this back to Ed as a souvenir.
“Princess Annabel, may I finish packing for you?”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
I closed the box in my hand, smiling at Ellie, and then I opened up my trunk. There was a small white accessory box in the trunk. I put away the puzzle box and picked up the white one.
It had the same sort of engravings on the lid as the puzzle box I’d bought for Ed. Immediately, I could see that it was made using the same kind of Sunruta artistry.
I opened the lid to see a small bag of potpourri inside. It gave off a gentle, floral scent. Removing the bag, I looked into the box, and the events of yesterday came flooding back.
Yesterday, after lunch, Daniel had asked me if we could meet and speak in private.
“Princess Annabel, would you take tea with me before you return to your country?”
Daniel had shown up at my room again unannounced. I was quite flustered. In my old timeline, Daniel had asked me to spend time with him just like this, and that was how we’d gotten acquainted.
“Of course. But shouldn’t you invite Princess Karina, as well?”
Daniel had me cornered, so I couldn’t be impolite. The best I could do was attempt damage control by suggesting that Karina take tea with us as well, to serve as a buffer.
We were the only two eligible young women who’d been invited to Daniel’s coming-of-age ceremony. Since Daniel had publicly escorted me to the banquet the night before his crowning, it’d send the wrong kind of message if he wasn’t seen giving equal attention to Karina. It would look like there was something between us.
But Daniel just chuckled.
“I only just took a private walk with Princess Karina. This time, it’s your turn, Princess Annabel.”
“You went on a walk with Princess Karina?”
I was a little surprised by this.
So, that means he must’ve been seen alone in public with Karina. Strolling together…
Now all those people who’d been so sure that Daniel escorting me to the banquet actually meant something…well, they would have to think twice. They’d have to wonder if it wasn’t Karina who’d caught his eye after all. But being seen with two princesses was a major power move and would do a good job of keeping the power-hungry aristocrats in their places as well.
Indeed, being seen with each princess individually would be more advantageous for Daniel than if he’d invited us both to spend time with him on the same occasion.
He’s actually pretty sharp…
I’d noticed it the other day when Daniel and my brother had been talking at the Magic Research Lab. Daniel had a quick mind. He always seemed to be weighing the situation, gauging the best course of action.
I invited him over to the table and poured tea for us both. Daniel brought the cup to his lips. Then he smiled.
“Ah, it’s Dimple tea.”
“Yes. I like this tea very much.”
“Then I shall present you with many bags of it as a souvenir.”
Smiling, Daniel brought the cup to his lips again.
Daniel and I had often enjoyed this tea together when I was still his treasured fiancé in that old timeline. The memory was a pleasant one. I watched as Daniel sipped his tea, his lashes cast downward.
“How did you enjoy your stay in the Sunruta Kingdom?”
“I enjoyed it very much.”
“Did you make it into town at all?”
“A little.”
I’d gone to town with Charles just yesterday, in fact. We’d gone to a workshop that makes the puzzle boxes, and it was there that I’d bought my souvenir for Ed. We were able to watch the artisans crafting the puzzle boxes right in front of us. It was terribly fascinating.
Daniel kept smiling the whole time he listened to me talk.
“Also, I made a new friend from a foreign country,” I said.
“You did?”
“Princess Karina.”
Daniel nodded, then placed his chin in his hand and gazed into the distance, as if thinking deeply about something. “Incidentally, what do you think of Princess Karina?”
“What do I…think of her? I think she’s cute and friendly. And she’s really nice.”
“I see. I think so, too. She’s a genuine person. There’s no bad side to her. Don’t you agree?”
“Oh, I completely agree.” I nodded earnestly. That was my honest opinion about this Karina.
But internally, I was wondering what Daniel was really trying to ask me.
Why was he asking me, the princess of Najir, to agree with his glowing praise of Princess Karina of Nigren?
Was he secretly trying to indicate to me that he had feelings for Karina? Or did he know something more…?
“Are you…romantically interested in Princess Karina, my prince?” I asked the easier of the two questions running through my mind.
“I must admit…I do find her fascinating.”
Daniel said no more. He simply looked at me with his ice-blue eyes and chuckled.
“I find you very fascinating, too.”
Please forgive me for my unladylike sneer in response to that! I mean, really, isn’t this all just a bit too…
“I don’t like men who are fascinated by multiple women at once,” I outright told him. “There is nothing worse than a man who claims to love you, only to turn on you once another woman comes along.”
I wasn’t really mad at the present Daniel, though. My ire was meant for the Daniel from my old life.
Daniel’s eyes widened, immediately recognizing I was furious. But the next moment, he snorted with laughter.
“Oh dear, oh dear! You’re very fierce for a princess! I understand. I shall have to make sure I communicate how earnest my intentions are when I make them known.”
“Yes, please do the girl that favor at least.”
And please let that girl be someone other than me.
Daniel continued to chuckle, shoulders shaking in amusement as he raised an eyebrow at me. Did he read my mind just now?
We must’ve been chatting for close to an hour. Eventually, Daniel seemed to remember something. “Ah, I almost forgot!” he said and pulled something from his pocket.
He placed a small box on the table, just big enough to nestle neatly in my palm. It was painted white, with intricate engravings on its lid.
“What’s this?” I examined it, noting its similarities to the puzzle box I’d bought for Ed yesterday at the artisans’ workshop.
“It’s just a little accessory box. A present from me to Princess Annabel to commemorate your first visit to the Sunruta Kingdom.”
“For me?”
I was taken aback as I picked it up. It was a little heavier than it looked, but it wasn’t cumbersome at all. I opened the lid to find a little bag of potpourri inside. Closing the lid again, I stroked the engravings with my fingers. There were little raised marks. Just like the one I’d bought for Ed.
“Is there some…meaning to these engravings?”
“It’s a traditional design from the north of our great country. It’s supposed to represent the wind causing ripples on the water, but I don’t really know the details.”
“I see. Well…thank you.”
I turned the box over to look at the bottom. Then I turned it right-side-up again. It was made of wood and probably wasn’t particularly expensive, so I felt comfortable accepting it. I thanked Daniel for it with honest gratitude.
“The next time we meet, it will be for your coming-of-age party, won’t it, Princess Annabel?”
“Yes, it will.”
I hadn’t seen the guest list or anything, but how could the newly recognized crown prince of the Sunruta Kingdom, Daniel Burleque, not be on it? Besides, he’d certainly been in attendance in my last life.
“Let us both look forward to our next meeting, then.”
Daniel’s expression softened.
“Princess Annabel, shall I pack that away for you as well?”
I jumped in response to the voice. It was Ellie, looking at me with an expression of confusion on her face. Oh dear, I’m really going to have to stop spacing out like this.
“Yes, I’ll pack it. Thank you, Ellie.”
I quickly put the little box away in my trunk. It nestled neatly beside the puzzle box I’d bought Ed. The engravings on the lids were so similar, it almost looked like they were meant to have been sold as a matching set.
“It’s almost time for us to depart. I’ll just close up this luggage, Princess.”
Ellie closed up the trunk and fastened the clasps with a snapping sound. Then she tightened a belt around the trunk to prevent it from rolling around and coming loose in the carriage. Finally, she padlocked it.
I watched her distractedly. It was time to say goodbye to the Sunruta Kingdom. It felt like I’d only just arrived. Yet somehow, it also felt like I’d been there for a very long time.
I walked over to the window, hoping to get one last look at the view. A clear blue sky hung overhead.
Is the weather this good in Najir too?
This blue sky stretched all the way to Najir. As I gazed up at the endless sky, I realized how much I was missing Ed.