Chapter 2, Part 3 – Seedling
“No.”
“You must.”
“N-o.”
“Y-o-u m-u-s-t.”
“Nononono!”
“Youmustyoumustyoumustyoumust!”
“Nononononononononononono!”
“Youmustyoumustyoumustyoumustyoumustyoumu—”
“I said no!! Ugh!!!”
The long-continuing childish replies of “no” and “you must” ended with Rin’s final “no.” It was yet another “produce” battle between these two as they went through preparations at the Cyrinpt Mansion. The battle between the perfect, high-quality material, Rin, and the one boasted as being the most talented tailor in all of Velcant, Lily, had heated up in a way it never had before in the one year since they had met. This was for certain. The theme for today was—
“Even if I die, I’ll never wear such a frilly, black dress! No way!”
“My! What a terrible thing to say! Such an ill omen!”
“That’s ‘cause I don’t like it!”
“Even so, it’s going too far to bring up the word ‘die’ over such a thing!”
“It’s a figure of speech! As in, I hate it so much that I’d rather die. In the first place, just how much work do you think an angel has to deal with for the afterlife when a single human dies?! I don’t want to be told something like that by someone who doesn’t know a thing about … things like that!”
“Eh …..? The afterlife?”
“……! Ah~ No, it’s just …. you know, I’m sure that even after people die, there’s a lot to deal with~ That’s how much I hate it, is what I mean!”
Normal humans probably wouldn’t know how much work that angels have to deal with when a person dies. Moreover, it was probably rare for human to even think about such things. From the viewpoint of the angel who had just said something careless, the human Lily lapsed into thought with a questioning expression on her face.
“If angels existed, I’m sure that it would be a lot of work, but for that to be the reason you would rather die than go through with the fitting …… But I even went through all the trouble of using the rare material from the Glosse Market~ It was quite difficult to get something like this, you know~? The owner of the shooting gallery was fairly stingy with it.”
“I don’t like things I don’t like!”
“Ohh!”
It would seem that this time, Lily had run out of patience. Up until now, most of her victories had been due to Miku contributing confidential information or sweets to bribe Rin with. However, this time …. Lily sighed in disappointment, and made to leave the dress-up room. The banquet, which was planned a week from now, had a formal dress code. Rin often came to this mansion as a guest, and was already treated like a younger sister by Miku. For that reason, Rin was specifically asked to dress for the banquet, but no matter what, she refused to wear this outfit.
The unique formal dress code of the Kingdom of Alphine is to be dressed in all black. In Alphine, the color black is valued as the royal color, and for gatherings at ceremonies or at the royal palace, nobles and other aristocracy primarily favor black as the formal dress; this custom has continued for the past three hundred years. Three hundred years ago in Velcant, before the current major powers to the east and west had been founded, there was an era where both large and small countries alike were caught in a struggle for supremacy. In the middle of this, Züscheno III, who reigned over the Kingdom of Alphine at the time, thought up various laws in order to strengthen his country and its people. Of those, there was one such law that required everyone to dress in all black in times of war.
Within all of the colors, black is the one color that cannot be tainted by other colors, and can always pierce through inviolability. On the flipside, this black could dye any and all other colors. Züscheno III thought of this as a symbol of his power. In order to raise the morale of his soldiers and people in the prolonged war, he passed this law. This cultural operation that he had thought up had been intended as a mental backup, but because it had been so deeply supported by the people at the time, the custom of black being the most supreme color still remained to this day.
Lily attempted to briefly explain the progression of Alphine’s history and culture, but Rin hadn’t been listening at all.
A banquet, in which nobles from various countries would be attending, was going to be held at the Cyrinpt Mansion the following week. Miku and the family head, naturally, as well Lily and all other residents of the mansion would need to be formally dressed in all black. No matter how much of a freewheeling noble lady she was, she would not be able to withhold the honor as one of the Cyrinpts in her usual white clothes. Lily sighed with a genuinely troubled expression on her face.
“………. If you’re going to be this disobedient, Lady Miku won’t like you!”
Twitch.
Rin’s ears reacted in such a predictable way in response to hearing the word “Miku,” they almost seemed to emit a sound. Lily had only muttered this under her breath as the sore loser, and had not expected her to be able to hear. In the human world, it seemed that this was known as having “hellish ears.” The saying merely meant to have exceptionally keen hearing, but because of the word “hell,” it didn’t hold a very good impression with her.
“In the first place, you’re constantly going on about ‘production’. Why’re you so persis…. I mean, umm … passionate, about it?”
Although Rin had only asked this off-handedly, Lily’s eyes gleamed as if she had been waiting for this question. She cleared her throat in a pompous manner while adjusting glasses that weren’t there. By the time Rin realized that she shouldn’t have asked this, Lily had already opened her mouth.
“Production …. is the ultimate form of art. In other words, it is the art of creating, Lady Rin.”
“Huh~?”
Rin tilted her head in confusion.
“Ah– …. Oh, yes, I know. Lady Rin, I shall explain it simply, plainly, and courteously, in a way in which you will be able to easily understand~ ….”
“…..”
Rin looked at Lily, slightly disgruntled. Even though she was the one that had lived longer than this young lady, Lily always acted as if she were really the older one, and spoke down to her like an elder sister.
“Let’s see …. Lady Rin, you believe in the existence of ‘God,’ correct? God created this ‘world.’ In other words, this is His creation. This world ‘began’ from the moment God created it. And even now, this world is continuing. In other words, it means that the creation is not yet finished. Which is why, I, too, wish to continue painting the many materials of this world in many colors … I wish to give them shape. In other words, I wish to paint you—paint the world.”
For a moment, the girl’s earnest words stuck her heart. She wanted to color a part of the world. Even if, for instance, that was the canvas of her tiny life as a single human being, continuing each day unfulfilling, small, and cramped.
Rin felt somewhat touched by Lily’s “human words.” She thought about it. Up until now, what have I colored? What color is my heart right now?
For what purpose am I “alive” right now?
A long time ago, she had been asked something similar to this. However, back then, even the meaning of the question had been vague to her, and she hadn’t thought about it very deeply.
Rin snapped out of her thoughts and lifted her face. Lily was looking at her with slight concern. She had both of her hands clasped high in tight fists from when she’d been giving her fervent speech; it looked like the manly pose of someone who had just won a fistfight.
“Your world is so wonderful. Your color is … It’s elegant, brilliant, bold, but somehow warm …. Like gold. Even in the decoration part of tailoring, just by putting in a bit of gold, the appearance of the entire thing improves.”
“! ….. I-is …. that so ….? That makes me feel embarrassed, somehow. Ah, Lady Rin’s color is yellow! Because people are able to cheer up simply by seeing you …. Even on cloudy days, or at night, your mere presence causes the surroundings to shine so brightly.”
For the moment, the two of them stared at each other in silence. Because they didn’t usually have many serious conversations together, they were unfamiliar to this kind of situation. On the contrary, they’d wound up praising each other quite a bit, so thinking about it calmly, it was rather embarrassing. Unable to withstand this downright unbearable atmosphere any longer, Rin purposely hid her embarrassment by avoiding the subject.
“A-anyway, back to the topic! This doesn’t really have anything to do with it …. No matter how much wonderful your production is, I still haven’t said one word about becoming your material.”
With that small and even face, Rin nodded at her own sound argument.
“And besides,”
Focusing on one point, she looked at Lily with a slightly grim expression.
“I hate the color black.”
Those simple words made Lily draw her breath. Simple words that expressed the angel’s true feelings. In the face of the intimidation that had changed the atmosphere in mere seconds, Lily seemed completely overwhelmed.
“Ah …. S-sorry. I said too much …..”
Noticing Lily’s slightly scared expression, Rin hastily apologized.
“Umm ….. It’s not that I hate the outfit that you’ve prepared or anything ….! I think that this dress is very lovely, really, I do. But, I can’t wear it. It … has to do with some circumstances with my family. You see, in my family, it’s a little different~ In this country, black is the color for formal dress, right? But in my country, black is seen as an ominous color. No …. It’s more than that; it’s almost like taboo. That’s why, if I were to wear these clothes and my family were to see me …. Ahh, in particular, if my older brother were to …. Just thinking about it makes me shudder~”
The moment she said this, and imagined her “older brother,” Rin hung her head.
“I see …. Lady Rin, I never knew that you had an older brother …. Ah, we’ll put that matter aside for now. If that’s the case, it’s a shame ….. but I suppose it can’t be helped.”
As if to break the serious atmosphere, a modest knocking could be heard at the door. After saying “come in,” there stood the girl that Rin had been waiting for this entire time.
“Miku!”
Rin seemed to completely forget about her conversation with Lily, and skipped over to where Miku was. To begin with, today had been a day off from work in Heaven, so she had come to see Miku for the first time in a while. After waiting all morning, it was difficult to hide her happiness of finally being able to see her.
“I’m sorry, Rin. It seems … that I’ve made you wait for quite a while.”
As usual, Miku’s smile was like a blossoming flower, but somehow, it seemed stiff. Had something happened?
Miku briefly showed them the souvenirs she had brought: for Lily, a lace cloth made from high-quality silk, and for Rin, sweets that had been fashioned into unique shapes. With joyful faces, the two of them rushed to make preparations for tea. Rin had already begun to stuff her cheeks with the special sweets that Miku had brought back.
“Speaking of which, Lady Miku, about the upcoming banquet …. No matter what I’ve said, Lady Rin has refused to wear the outfit that I’ve prepared for her …..”
While pouring the tea from the pot, Lily told Miku about today’s happenings with a reasoning face. Rin gulped down the sweets that she had stuffed in both of her cheeks, and looked between the two uncomfortably.
“~~~But~ ….”
“Oh, my. Rin, do you not like those clothes?”
“…. Yeah. It’d be fine if they weren’t black.”
“That’s troubling …. Although it wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t being held here.”
If it were a simple, casual reception, normal formal dress would have been acceptable.
“…. Alright, then. It’s a shame, but …. I won’t be going to time, since I don’t want to cause any trouble for you, Miku. You’ll hold another party again sometime, right?”
Rin muttered this, a little disappointed.
“….. Actually, Rin …. and Lily, too. About the banquet ….. I have … something important to say.”
“Huh?”
The two of them said this at the same time. Miku looked at them both with a slightly perplexed expression.
“Umm …. We wanted to keep a secret from everyone for a while longer, but …. I’m … to be married to the son of Viscount Iceburg.”
“M-marriage …..!?”
In the quiet late afternoon, their surprised voices echoed. The over brewed tea had become lukewarm in its pot, and had turned slightly bitter from the melted tea leaves.
It was evening, the dark blue of night slowly spreading out in the still faintly orange sky. Through the main gate of the Cyrimpt Mansion, one of the most prestigious since the founding of Alphine, many carriages continued to come and go. Ladies dressed in gorgeous clothes exited the luxurious carriages, and gentlemen dressed in fancy tuxedoes escorted them with elegant gestures. As soon as they ascended the stone staircase, a butler would respectfully open the door for them, and bow with perfect posture. This scene had been repeated numerous times by now—The rooms were cleaned and decorated more than they usually were, and the fleet-footed maids were busy working. Today, hundreds of nobles from all over Velcant had gathered in the Cyrimpt Mansion.
After passing through the mansion’s entrance hall and ascending the grand staircase in the center, there was the grand hall that was the main venue for the banquet. Many nobles had already gathered there to socialize. If you were to sweep your gaze around the elegant and regal room, you would see that nearly half of the people here were dressed in black clothing. The custom of black being the color in events of high prestige was proving to be true. The people that had come from the east Folle Kingdom and the west Violente Kingdom each had their own colorful outfits, but as if to pay homage to Alphine’s customs, black was, without fail, used as an accent color somewhere in their outfit or as an accessory. Without any wars between the three countries for the past fifty tears, all the rulers that were gathered here tonight were all chatting calmly. However, because of the customs and features of their individual countries, each of them could be differentiated by the way they dressed and how they acted.
“Ah, wait ….!”
Although she stretched out her hand, it didn’t reach, and only grasped the air. Unable to catch up to her as she ran into the mansion, she simply stood there, dumbfounded. Just what had she done? What had been going through her mind when she’d seen her on the verge of tears? It had become completely nighttime by now, and although it should have been silent all around her, all she could hear was the noisy beating of her heart.