IT’S breakfast time when I wake again. I welcomed my lord husband back just before dawn, so I rested only for a little while, yet I feel as refreshed as if I’ve slept an entire day. My muscles don’t ache anymore. I feel totally fine.
Because my lord husband dumped the manor’s staff in the forest, he’s brought in the chef from Sunshine Kiosk to cook for us. The restaurant pays the most sales tax in Longhurst, so of course we chose them. And maybe that’s why the fourth prince decided to join us instead of returning to the capital. I tell him that the cherries are delicious, and he shares some with me, so perhaps he’s not so bad after all. He is a castle person, but my lord husband says I’m mistaken.
Then we visit the forest spring. Rodney and the guards come too. When the fourth prince learned where we were going, he stared at me for a moment, then said, “I think I’ve had enough of that forest… After all I witnessed yesterday, there are some things I’d rather not know.” So he doesn’t accompany us, though we didn’t invite him in the first place.
“Over there! There!”
The narrow path to the spring is gone, probably because the Monster King is no longer around to maintain it. So the guards clear the way before us, cutting branches and grass. I’m wearing a light, fluttery dress under a hooded short cape, as well as long pants and knee-high boots, so I have no trouble walking in their wake.
Because the spring isn’t too deep into the forest, there are no strong monsters in the area. Oh, mushrooms. And due to the thick vegetation, humans seldom find their way there either. Of course, I’m leading our party, so we easily navigate the undergrowth.
“My lady, that mushroom is—”
“Shiny!”
I add it to a bag Rodney prepared for me. I’ve been gathering various curiosities en route, and he stares at each item in confusion. I realized that I struggled to choose between cows and sheep because they are both big. But if the souvenirs are smaller, then I won’t need to decide between one or another and can bring home lots for Ethan.
“My lady?!” gasps Rodney as I drop a snake’s shed skin into the bag.
“This skin has nice fur. We can make it into a hat for Ethan,” I explain. Ethan likes hats. He told me they keep him warm in winter.
“But I thought snakes don’t have fur…”
“That’s not edible, Abby.”
I glance at my lord husband. He walks beside me, holding my hand. I wait until he isn’t looking, then sneakily… Oh. He’s stopped me with his free hand. Although bitter, the leaf has a nice crunchy texture, so the Monster King often snacked on it while ambling through the forest. Wait, I forgot. Humans taste bitterness much more strongly than the Monster King. I abandon the leaf and pick up a nice stick instead, using it to brush grass aside as we hike. Oh! That’s—
“My lord, my lord! Look at this!”
“…What’s that?”
“It’s perfect for Ethan!”
The skull of a mad cochlear! One with a large horn! I can make a strong, shiny hat for Ethan!
✦ ✦ ✦
🎂🎂🎂
“WHOA,” someone gasps as we reach a clearing in the dense forest. The spring reflects the sky, sparkling so bright in the sunlight that it dazzles my eyes. The white sand and pebbles at the bottom are clearly visible through water dappled with the green of the surrounding trees.
The guards form a perimeter around the clearing while Rodney smooths the rocky ground in one spot and lays down a sheet. We’re having sandwiches made by the Sunshine Kiosk chef for lunch.
“Isn’t that heavy, Abby?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“It is!”
“I see… Shall we put it away?”
“Yes!”
The mad cochlear hat is a bit too big for me; I can’t see well with it on. I remove it, place it in Rodney’s souvenir bag, then take my lord husband’s hand as we stroll the spring’s edge. The small, round, white pebbles click against each other under our feet, and small waves slosh along the shore.
I spot something amid the light flashing off the splashing waves. “Oh! There! I found it!”
“Ah, hey!”
I let go of his hand and dash toward the shining object. He chases me, grabbing my arms and lifting me from where I stand ankle-deep in water. Though the hem of my dress is wet, my feet are dry in the knee-high boots.
“My lord, my lord! Look! Look!”
“H-Huh?” He carries me out of the spring.
I unclasp my necklace and hold up the embedded lord husband–colored stone for comparison. The shade of the sky mixed with the shimmering green of new leaves. The color of my lord husband’s brilliant eyes. I study the spring, the necklace, then him. “Look! It’s all your color, my lord. It’s the same!”
He smiles, his ears reddening somewhat. “…I see. You must be cold, Abby. Let’s get your hands dry and—”
I open my other hand, showing him the magic gemstone I’ve just found. It’s roughly the size of a coin, and its deep golden hue gleams under the sunlight and glittering water droplets, its center shifting between shades of pale yellow.
“Wh-Wh-Whaaat?!”
“My lord, I remember you said you were looking for a stone that’s my color? Look! Here it is, my color!”
“Wh-What? D-Did you just pick that up?”
“My eyesight is good!”
He’s said that he wants to make earrings using an Abby-colored stone but hasn’t been able to find one.
“…It is your color, isn’t it?”
“Is it cute?”
“Yes, as cute and beautiful as you. Can I really have it?”
“It’s yours, my lord. Just like how I have a stone with your color! Now we’re the same!”
His whole face has turned scarlet in addition to his ears, and he hugs me tight, mumbling something. But I know he’s happy. He’s happy because I’ll always be with him, forever!