The freshwater black mussels we’d gathered had adapted well to the transforming slime’s lake.
“This is a great start, Gabriel,” I said.
“Indeed.”
The next step was to insert the grains that the pearls would form around. I was allowed to help this time.
“First, place the mussels in this box and prompt them to open their mouths,” Gabriel instructed. The box was divided into sections, one for each mussel. “When you face one’s mouth upwards, it becomes harder for it to breathe, so its shell opens wider. Use a small wedge to keep it from closing. Then insert the grain that will become the pearl’s core. This process damages the mussel, so we then immerse it in water with powdered magicite dissolved in it and give it some time to recuperate.”
After about half a day, when the mussels recovered, they would be lined up in a net and submerged in the lake. From there, it would be another three to seven days before the pearls were ready.
I listened to Gabriel’s instructions and observed him as he demonstrated the process.
“Freshwater black mussels have sharp shells, so be careful not to cut your hands on the edges,” he said.
“Understood.”
After watching him insert three pearl cores, I gave it a try. I’d handled shellfish before while cooking, but this was my first time doing so for pearl cultivation. I slowly went through the steps, taking care not to harm the mussel. Wibble held a slime lamp in its right tentacle to illuminate my hands. Its left tentacle was holding a magnifying glass up to the mussel.
“You’re awfully eager to assist Fran, Wibble,” said Gabriel. “When I was doing this, you merely spectated.”
“Didn’t feel like it, sorry!”
“So it wasn’t that you didn’t know how to help but that you didn’t want to?!”
“Yep!”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I listened to their conversation, and it made my hands shake. The mussel would become overburdened if I didn’t hurry. I gathered my focus, trying to block out what Wibble and Gabriel were saying.
I enthusiastically brought my tweezers close to one of the tiny grains. Since it was much smaller than a typical pearl, it was very difficult to pick up.
“You can do it,” Wibble cheered softly so as not to break my concentration.
I managed to grasp the core and insert it into the mussel. Then I removed the wedge and placed the mussel into the container.
“Phew, I did it,” I said.
“You did well for your first time,” said Gabriel. Apparently he had been standing behind me to observe.
I was relieved that I’d been able to do it without issue. “Let’s keep up the pace,” I said.
“Yes, let’s.”
After about an hour, we’d finished preparing a total of ten mussels.
✦ ✦ ✦
We received a sealed letter that contained the mayor’s proposal for the name of the festival that would be held on our wedding day. He had already narrowed it down to one idea, and he seemed quite confident in it.
I nervously opened the envelope and found the words “Festival of Love in Commemoration of Lord Gabriel and Lady Francette’s Marriage.”
The moment I saw the name, I felt all of the energy evacuate my body. “Th-This is too embarrassing!” I never would have dreamed that the festival would be named after us. Gabriel had said the other day that he wanted it to become an annual event. I would be far too embarrassed to participate in an event called the “Second Annual Festival of Love in Commemoration of Lord Gabriel and Lady Francette’s Marriage.”
I summoned Nico, Rico, and Coco and asked them what they thought of the mayor’s suggestion.
“Oh...”
“Um...”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Please give me your honest opinion,” I said.
The three of them seemed to be conversing with their eyes. It didn’t surprise me that the triplets were able to communicate without words. I imagined it was the presence of our names that was making it difficult for them to answer.
“To be honest, I think this is a name that would embarrass not only you and Lord Gabriel but also us as citizens,” Rico said, acting as a mouthpiece for all three girls.
“That’s what I thought,” I said. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
Nico, Rico, and Coco nodded simultaneously.
“The mayor said in his letter that it’s only a suggestion,” I continued. “If we have a better name, he’ll use it.”
In other words, we had to come up with a name other than “Festival of Love in Commemoration of Lord Gabriel and Lady Francette’s Marriage.”
“Mother and Gabriel aren’t great at this kind of thing, so we’ll have to come up with alternatives on our own,” I said. “Do you have any ideas?”
The triplets shifted nervously.
“Anything is fine,” I added. “It doesn’t even have to be a festival name. A theme would help too.”
Nico hesitantly raised her hand. “Um, I think you should choose something that will be loved by the people of Triste.”
“What about honoring something familiar to them?” Rico suggested.
Coco nodded in agreement. “I can paint a sign for the festival!”
“You don’t mind?” I asked.
“Not at all. Leave it to me.”
“Thank you. I’m so happy.”
Their ideas gave me something to work with: the festival should be named after something the locals loved and were familiar with that would also be easy for Coco to paint a sign for.
As I was thinking, Alexandrine, who was sitting on my lap, let out a “Quack!” Then it dawned on me: “What about a festival to thank the fowl knights for their service?” This was following the newly announced sightseeing tour of the duck farm, so it would also make for good publicity.
Nico the animal lover clapped her hands together and said, “That’s a wonderful idea, Lady Francette! The fowl knights will be delighted too.”
Rico nodded in approval.
“Now, what should we do for the name?” I mused. “I suppose ‘Fowl Knight Festival’ wouldn’t be original enough.”
“No, I think a simple and straightforward name like that is best,” said Rico.
Nico nodded in agreement.
Coco took out a pen and notebook and began drawing a rough sketch. “I’m thinking the sign will look like this, Lady Francette. What are your thoughts?” Her illustration showed a fowl knight in full plate armor wearing a dignified expression and holding a duck in his arms.
“It’s perfect,” I said. “Let’s go with this. That said, we’ll need approval from Gabriel and the mayor first. May I have this drawing, Coco? I’ll use it to persuade them.”
“Of course.”
And so, the issue of the festival’s name was likely solved. I wrote a letter to the mayor and entrusted it to Nico. I also had Rico deliver a summary of our festival ideas to Gabriel. Lastly, I asked Coco to buy materials for the signboard.
That was one problem taken care of, but there were still many things that had to be done before the wedding. As I was thinking about what to work on today, Constance brought me a pair of envelopes on a silver tray.
“Lady Francette, two letters from the Empire have arrived for you,” she said.
“Thank you. You may leave.”
Constance bowed respectfully and exited the room.
The letters were likely responses from my mother and sister, whose invitations I had given the highest priority. My sister was the crown princess of the Empire, and as such she had a busy schedule that extended years into the future. That was why I’d had to let her know well in advance. It had felt awkward sending her an invitation when I hadn’t been able to attend her wedding. She was a kind person, so I knew she wouldn’t be angry with me, but I still couldn’t help but fret about it.
I opened the letter from my mother first. It said, “I’ll arrive at Triste one week before the wedding.” The sentence made the blood drain from my face. I had expected her to come the day before or even on the day of. This was much earlier than anticipated. The period before the wedding would be very hectic, and I feared that her stay would be a burden on my mother-in-law. I doubted the two would get along particularly well. I would have to speak with my mother-in-law in advance.
I opened the other letter, which was from my sister. She congratulated me on my upcoming nuptials and wrote that she was looking forward to the wedding. She also mentioned when she would be coming to Triste. I had assumed it would be the day of, but just like my mother, she was also coming a week before. Not only that, but someone had informed her that I had been living in poverty in the old part of town, so she was asking why I hadn’t asked for help. She also wrote that were I still living there now, she would have dragged me to the Empire against my will.
Who could have investigated my living conditions and reported them to my sister? I could only think of André, the attendant my mother had sent to take care of my father. He was a spy, so gathering information was his specialty. It was possible that he had asked my father about my life in the old part of town.
I should have silenced him. But more importantly, I can’t believe they’re coming to Triste early!
I was very happy to see my mother and sister again, of course. If my sister had married a nobleman in this country, I could have rejoiced without worry at the prospect of talking to her after so long. However, the circumstances surrounding us had changed drastically in the past few years.
Seeing my beloved sister and mother came with international complications. I couldn’t welcome them casually as one normally would with one’s family—not when they were the crown princess and the emperor’s younger sister respectively. We would undoubtedly have important people coming to see them from the royal capital. Prince Axel was fine, but there was a chance that other diplomats would come too. And my sister would probably pester me about my impoverished life in the old part of town. Just thinking about all of these issues made my head throb.
“Ugh...”
“Fra, are you okay?” Wibble peered at me worriedly and extended a tentacle to my forehead. “You’re burning up.”
“R-Really?” I told Wibble its hand felt cold and pleasant, and the slime pressed itself to my forehead. “My head feels a lot better now.”
“Wibble will keep Fra’s forehead nice and cool!”
“Thank you.” I have to pull myself together and write back to my mother and sister.
As I was rolling up my sleeves, Gabriel came in. “Francette, did you receive the letters from the Em...pire?” His eyes widened when he saw Wibble stuck to my forehead. “Wibble, what are you doing?!”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I asked Wibble to cool my head.”
“Do you have a fever?”
“No, that’s not it.”