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“GRANDPA wants you to help him tomorrow morning.”
“…Yeah, sure.”
“Hmm? Weren’t you so eager to for a while? You kept showing up without his asking.” Dad grins.
I haven’t visited unannounced in a long time. Months, in fact. The new year has passed, and the season is winter.
I’ve assisted Grandpa at the manse several times and haven’t seen Abigail…the mistress again. In truth, I’ve been avoiding her. For one, she’s much older than I imagined. Second, she’s a married woman. She could hardly set my heart racing. Of course not.
Before winter arrived, I helped Grandpa secure the branches of trees with rope so they didn’t snap under the weight of the oncoming snow.
Our job the following day is to remove snow from the training ground. The shoveling is usually done by the servants and guards, so our task is to pile the gathered snow in a mound in one corner of the garden. The heap grows taller as we dump shovelful after shovelful on top.
My breath crystallizes into small pieces of ice on my scarf as we work, and the snow mountain is soon finished. It slopes gently on one side and what resembles a rough staircase forms the other. Grandpa goes to the gardener’s shed, returning shortly with a wooden sled similar to the one Dad made for me when I was smaller. The front curves upward, two holes drilled into it so a rope can be looped into a handle… I’m sure there are no children living in the viscount’s mansion, yet Grandpa tells me to test the slope.
“How is it?”
“It doesn’t go too fast, so it should be saf—”
“Old Grandfather, Old Grandfather! What’s that?!”
“Wh-Wh-What?”
The lady is dashing over, fully bundled in a coat with fluffy fur along the sleeves and hem, and a fuzzy hooded cape, scarf, and mittens.
Isn’t she overdressed? She looks like she’s about to fall over. Whoa, is it just me, or are her cheeks fuller since last time? How cute. She could be my older sister.
She bounces in place as Grandpa teaches her how to use the sled. Why is she bouncing?
Doesn’t matter, she’s adorable.
Her ride down the slope is slower than mine, likely because she’s so light.
“Wow,” she whispers, eyes wide and sparkling as the sled comes to a stop. Golden like buttercups. “Amazing! It went whoosh! An amazing whoosh!”
She drags the sled to the top of the mountain before sliding down again. She repeats the run several times, her expression serious but for a slight hint of enjoyment… Those pink cheeks and strands of hair clinging to her sweaty forehead. I’m starting to sweat myself.
“Oh! The grandson! Do you want to play too, Grandson?! We’ll take turns?”
“Me?! N-No, I-I’m fine. I mean, thank you for the offer! But please go ahead!”
“Yes! Thank you! How about you, Old Grandfather?!”
“I can’t do it.”
“Okay! I’ll go one more time then!”
Grandson! She referred to me as Grandson! So she knows I’m his family. I bury my face deeper into my damp scarf. The fabric is cool and feels nice.
The lady begins to huff as she slides down again and again. I’ve lost track of how many times she’s claimed “one more time,” but whatever, it’s cute.
“Abby,” a low voice calls from behind me.
She immediately darts down the mountain and runs past me. I turn just in time to see her leap into the viscount’s arms. My nose tingles as I suck in cold air.
“My lord, my lord! The old grandfather and his grandson did a really good job!”
“…I see. Bob did this for me when I was a kid too. How nostalgic.”
“Though I built it lower so you and Rodney could play on it safely, Master,” answers Grandpa with a grin. Somehow, he’s suddenly standing in front of me, blocking me from view.
“My lord went sledding too?!”
“When I was a kid, yes.”
“I see! Old Grandfather has always done a good job! He needs a reward!”
“O-Oh?”
The lady mumbles as she pulls off her gloves, patting the pockets of her cape and coat. As she approaches us, the gloves hanging from her wrists sway with her every step, and I notice that thread secures them to her coat sleeves…
“Here! This is for you! It’s a special gift from Mother-in-Law!”
I gasp as she opens a handkerchief and holds up a stick of something in each hand… Salmon jerky? Huh? That’s salmon jerky, right?
“What a treat.” Grandpa respectfully accepts the jerky with both hands, and I do the same. It really is salmon jerky. His shoulders are shaking, and Viscount Noel has turned away, coughing as he holds a hand to his mouth.
“I-I’ll reward you separately for your trouble, Bob,” he finally says.
“My lord, my lord! Let’s sled together!”
“Oh… All right, let’s go.”
Did the viscount just glance in my direction? No, I didn’t imagine it! Scary! Too scary! Why?!
He whispers, and a wind glittering with ice tinkles through the air. In an instant, the soft snow staircase freezes into a large crystalline structure.
“Wow! It’s sparkling! You’re so good, my lord! So amazing!”
The ice appears rough but solid, its facets catching the sunlight.
“This’ll make it easier to climb,” he says. “So, where’s my reward?”
“Here!”
Viscount Noel lifts the lady and she leans close to his forehead and… W-Whoa! Wow! Whoa…
“I suppose it’s good for a man to indulge in immaturity once in a while. Come, let’s do this, then head back inside.”
The sled descends much faster with two people on it, and her cries of “one more time” sound much happier than before.
Grandpa taps me lightly on the head, so I pick up the shovels and follow him.
“The lady seems happy,” I venture.
“She does.”
“Call me the next time you need to make something for her.”
“Of course.”
My feet feel heavy and the salmon jerky is salty and tough in my mouth. I don’t get what’s so special about it, but I guess she finds it delicious.
The lady is a married woman. Even so…
“I’ll make her the perfect snow mountain next year.”
“…All the best,” grunts Grandpa.
A gardener’s job is to landscape in a way that makes the family happy, after all!