Spun Of Thread Or Love (4)

Feeling dejected, Noi was lifted into Kardia’s arm.

“Did you hate it that much?”

With a troubled look, Kardia peered into Noi’s face. Noi shook her head from side to side.

“I didn’t say it was fine for you to be asked for the pass phrase just because you don’t have mana.”

That idea hadn’t occurred to her.

Even if someone had no mana, hearing the pass phrase wouldn’t let them break the security. Kardia seemed to think Noi had misunderstood it as him looking down on her for being “mana-less.”

“I meant that even if you used the pass phrase, I’d be fine with it. Because you would never come here to do something wrong.”

Ironically, that was the same feeling Noi had when she had brought Kardia here.

“A long time ago, I was brought here like this by my own master.”

Holding Noi, Kardia slowly descended the dark, narrow stairs.

“At that time, my master let me hear the pass phrase, too.”

Noi lowered her brows as if to say he didn’t have to copy things down to that point, and Kardia grinned.

“You know, it made me happy.”

“…Happy?”

“All of that person’s wealth had been entrusted here. And they handed me the secret key to such a place—only me. Even as a kid, I resolved I would never betray the trust that person placed in me.”

Noi was so shocked she couldn’t respond.

She hadn’t taught Kardia the pass phrase because she trusted him—not for that reason.

The temperature in Kardia’s eyes before hers quietly vanished.

“…But that was just my conceit. It was only a last will. That person knew they were going to die because of me.”

Noi drew a deep breath, covered her mouth with both hands, and trembled.

(They knew…?)

Kardia, who had been speaking in a sunken voice, panicked when he noticed Noi’s condition.

“What’s wrong? Is the air thin? Wait, I’ll hurry—”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

‘I’m okay.’ Saying that, Noi hugged Kardia’s neck tightly. After a moment’s hesitation, Kardia patted her back, tap tap.

“I’m okay too. It’s not such a sad story. I was just a greenhorn getting carried away. —I wasn’t given equal trust; I was only given that person’s assets so I could be protected. …Pathetic of me. I haven’t withdrawn so much as a single copper coin.”

Noi squeezed her eyes shut.

Fengalow had surely, after Noi’s death, handed Kardia the bank card she had deposited. Then, seeing the card with its name changed over, clever Kardia had understood everything—the reason he had been taken to the bank and made to memorize the pass phrase.

Noi had meant it as kindness.

She had meant it as love for him.

She had never imagined she had been tormenting him because of the money she left behind.

Back then, Noi had been desperate to protect, with no room to consider how the ones left behind would feel.

“But you know… bride. Being with you, I’ve slowly started to understand how that person felt back then.”

Kardia gently stroked the back of the regretful Noi. His tone sounded somehow unclouded.

“…Eh?”

“I probably wasn’t completely distrusted. I was given the kind of trust that said, ‘If it’s you, I can hand over everything I’ve built.’ I was given that kind of trust.”

Noi’s face crumpled.

She wanted to shout loudly that he was exactly right.

But with her identity still hidden, she couldn’t possibly say that.

And Kardia, without the easy path of asking the dead Noi, had reached that answer on his own. The path he took filled her with a joy so strong it made her tremble.

So Noi gave a big nod.

It felt insufficient, so she nodded again.

“—Me too, bride. That’s how I feel right now.”

Kardia pressed his nose to Noi’s cheek and whispered quietly.

Kardia always told lies, so his words were often questionable. But this wasn’t mere consolation to cheer up a downcast Noi; if only it were his true feelings—rocking in his arms, Noi wished for that with all her heart.

Over the next week, Noi visited Tailor Nima four times.

Noi couldn’t help but worry as Aidoni and Ornis grew more haggard by the day. However, unlike Noi a hundred years ago, she knew that a mere child loitering around would only get in the way. In fact, even Kardia would probably be a hindrance.

After all, Tailor Nima had closed the shop for a week and opened every room for work.

The floor was littered with half-cut cloth and scraps, hundreds of kinds of thread, ribbons of varying widths, and papers made for patterns. “No room to set a foot down” described it perfectly. Buttons and beads for decorating the dresses lined the shelves in rows; lids of their jars and boxes stood open, and it was clear that one careless step could cause a disaster.

In the midst of that chaos, Aidoni wove thread in a state of selfless concentration. Aidoni and Rinary traded opinions back and forth, crafting the dress from the cloth itself in pursuit of the best possible design.

—And the dress they produced was entrusted to Noi a week later by a thoroughly exhausted Aidoni and company.

“I… shall sleep… a little… I’ll help you when… you change…”

Staggering, Aidoni slipped into the back room. The settee there had apparently been her bed for the entire week.

“Thank you for your patronage… I’ll… explain later…”

Rinary collapsed right where she stood and began to sleep, breathing softly. From their condition, it was obvious the two of them had spent a whirlwind of a week.

“Sorry to the customer. We were adjusting right up to the very end, so we hardly slept.”

Ibomia, who gently draped a blanket over Rinary, also blinked repeatedly.

But Noi didn’t notice. Because her eyes had been stolen by the dress they had tailored.

“No, I’m grateful. Thank you, kind mage Ibomia. And to the little mage Rinary as well… my heartfelt praise.”

Seeing Noi’s shining face as she stared fixedly at the dress, Kardia offered thanks to Ibomia and Rinary.

“I know how to put it on.”

Ornis had deep dark circles under his eyes too, but he didn’t wobble.

“Then let’s settle the bill. I want to let them rest properly.”

Using the money he had withdrawn from the Esria Kingdom Bank the other day, Kardia began to pay. When he added that he would also pay for Ornis and Aidoni’s care, Noi suddenly realized from his voice and looked over.

Noi scampered over and hugged his waist. Kardia didn’t even sway as he received her.

“Hm?”

“Kardia, thank you for buying me such a cute outfit! I love you!”

Clinging to him, Noi flashed her very cutest smile, and behind her Ornis toppled over with a great clatter.

“Wha… wha…!? Lo… is…?!”

Face flushed with shock, Ornis pointed wordlessly at Noi. Kardia picked Noi up as she tilted her head, wondering what she had done.

“I’m the only one who gets to gift a dress to my cute bride. Thank you as well—for granting me such an honor.”

Bumping his forehead lightly against Noi’s, Kardia turned a wry smile toward Ornis, who was still sprawled out and gaping.

“Seems it’s been her fad since about a week ago.”

“What fad? I’m saying ‘I love you’ because I truly love you!”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh. Thank you.”

Kardia rubbed Noi’s head—scritch, scritch—treating her completely like a child. Until Noi started saying “I love you,” Kardia hadn’t leaned this hard into treating her like a child.

Noi’s chest tightened again.

(…It feels like he’s warning me.)

Then would Kardia prefer this ache in her chest to be on the “I hate you” side?

“I love you I love you I love you!”

Refusing to accept that, Noi declared “I love you” again as if competing with him.

“Okay, okay. —Ibomia, can you keep them here until tomorrow morning?”

“I don’t mind. As you can see, I can’t offer much hospitality.”

Ibomia answered Kardia, who had easily let Noi’s love-attack pass in one ear and out the other.

“Good. Then, Ornis, will you teach me how to put it on?”

“Right now?”

With a dubious look, Ornis asked Kardia.

“The ball is at night. It would be cruel to wake them again later. You two should rest well from now.”

Kardia lightly patted Ornis on the head, pom pom. Caught off guard, Ornis couldn’t dodge the hand and accepted his master’s consideration with a prickly face.