“I see. I really wish I could make you stay. But I guess with the plague being cleared up, I can’t really do that, can I?”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Toma will be here,” Misha replied, neither of them looking up from the city below.
Tomorrow, the People of the Forest were going to leave the castle. Misha had decided to go with them back to their village.
The People of the Forest were never ones to lend a single kingdom their aid for long. The fact that so many of them had appeared to help with this crisis was a remarkable exception to the norm. Everyone knew that exception was entirely because of Misha’s presence. And they also understood how dangerous it was for Misha to remain there. Knowing that the People of the Forest would move based on Misha’s presence, there was no doubt greedy people would begin setting their sights on her.
However, Misha’s decision to go with them honestly had no such political motivation. The plague had taught her just how much she lacked. The best place in that world to acquire the knowledge and skills she needed to achieve her dream was willing to accept her as one of their own, if she so wished. It was a unique privilege that no other apothecary in the world could hope for. It was one final parting gift from her mother.
Of course, that didn’t mean it had been an easy decision to make. Although Redford had overcome the plague, there was still a mountain of work to be done in its aftermath. There was also the royal herb garden to think about, and Lady Lalaya too. There were so many kind and wonderful people she had met in Redford, and she would be moving even farther away from her father.
“I feel like I’m leaving a lot of things half finished here,” she said, apologetic.
Ryan smiled. “Well, like you said, Toma will help take care of the leftovers of the plague. And you’ve been working hard to make sure everything else works out, haven’t you?”
Even as busy as he was, Ryan had noticed the little apothecary darting about the castle, working just as hard as he was. She had always been running full tilt, never giving him the chance to so much as greet her in passing.
“So I’m sure it’ll all work out. Wanting to keep you here is...well, just me being selfish, I suppose,” he said.
Misha turned to him, confused by the hint of bitterness in his tone.
Seeing she didn’t understand what he meant, he just smiled. “Here, this is for you. I’m sure it’ll be helpful for you someday.” Ryan pulled a ring from his little finger and handed it to her.
It was a beautiful golden ring with a small blue stone on it. The otherwise simple ring had Ryan’s family crest engraved on the inside of its band, which would make it a powerful endorsement to not just anyone in Redford, but anyone among their allies as well. It was a symbol that she had Ryan—thus, the Kingdom of Redford—behind her.
Entirely oblivious to its significance, Misha accepted the gift as the simple, unadorned ring it appeared to be. Though it had been small enough to fit Ryan’s little finger, it was still a bit too big to fit comfortably on Misha’s middle finger, a clear show of the difference in size between them.
The thought made Ryan smile again as he slid the ring onto her finger. “Someday, when this ring fits you properly, I hope you come back to visit again,” Ryan murmured, rubbing at the spot now vacated by the ring he had given her.
“Of course. If you don’t mind, I’d love to come back again someday.” Misha nodded with a bright, innocent smile.
“Excuse me for interrupting, Lady Misha. Lady Lalaya would like to speak with you...” Seeing that Ryan had said his piece, one of Lalaya’s maids reluctantly interjected on their conversation.
“Oh, is it that time already? I’ll go right away.” They already had plans to meet up today. After politely bowing to Ryan, Misha followed the maid back into the castle.
After watching Misha go, Ryan was left alone on the rooftop, lifting his gaze to the sky.
“She didn’t understand my point at all, did she?” He chuckled.
There was meaning in that ring. Of course it had his family crest engraved on it, but there was meaning in the colors too. Gold and blue were the colors that represented Ryan himself. Beyond that, it was the ring his parents had given him when he was born, a physical representation of their wish that he grow up strong and healthy.
“I guess Bluheitz doesn’t have that custom.”
In Redford, the gift of a ring was a fairly common thing, and had a very particular meaning. Between people of the same sex, it was a sign of everlasting friendship. Between a man and a woman, though...
“All right, guess I have to get back to work.” After a long stretch, Ryan turned around and started back to his office.
Hi, Caro. How are you doing? I finally got a chance to sit down and write to you.
After you left, a terrible disease struck the capital. Messages went out to everyone who spent a long time in the capital about it so we could send them medicine if they needed it, so maybe you’ve already heard. Are you doing okay?
We were finally able to make some medicine to handle the situation here, but now I’m going to be leaving the capital. I’m going to my mother’s homeland to study so I can become an apothecary. I never would have guessed that was where I would end up, but this whole situation taught me how much more I need to learn. So I’m going to try my best to improve.
Have you decided what you want to be when you grow up? You’re smart and levelheaded, so I’m sure you can become anything you set your mind to. Let’s both do our best.
Anyway, you’ve probably guessed it’s going to be difficult from now on to exchange letters through the library. I had been really worried about it, but Lady Lalaya said she’d take a mail bird to the place you’re living now. I raised her ever since she was a little baby. Her name is Kyne. She’s really smart, so once you show her where your house is, she’ll definitely remember it.
This way I’ll be able to send letters directly to you, and Kyne can deliver your letters to me. For some reason, she can find me no matter where I go, so no need to worry about that.
I’ll be looking forward to your reply.