Arthur’s Gift

The day after the study session, Arthur—unusually—was already awake and seated at his desk.

“Fwaaah…”

Having just finished reviewing what he learned yesterday, Arthur stifled a large yawn. He was desperately focused—mainly out of fear of getting scolded by Morgan if he messed up. It was truly a petty reason.

“Lord Arthur, when you’re tired from studying, I recommend something sweet.”

Right as his concentration broke, Kei entered with a teapot and a plate of cookies. As expected of his personal maid (and big-sister figure), she could always sense the perfect timing. After spending so much time together and working hard with a desire to support Arthur, she had truly become his personal maid in both name and spirit.

And that bond showed not just inside, but outwardly as well.

“You’re really wearing it, huh…”

“Yes, because it was a gift from you, Lord Arthur. I’ve never received a present from someone younger in the family before, so I was really happy…”

“Hmm…? Family…?”

That word caught his attention for a moment. But when Kei tucked her long hair back behind her ear and shyly showed off the shimmering, rainbow-colored gemstone earring, adolescent Arthur couldn’t help but feel his heart skip a beat.

“But this gem is rare, isn’t it? I’ve never seen such a sparkling stone before. You gave it to me as a souvenir, but wasn’t it expensive?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. The dwarves gave it to me as a token of gratitude. It didn’t cost me anything.”

“I’m glad… I was a bit worried it might’ve been too expensive. I mean, when we first visited the city, you tried to buy every cookie in the shop, remember? I was a little nervous this time too.”

“Well… back then, I didn’t know better. I wouldn’t make that mistake now.”

As Kei teased him with memories of the past, Arthur scratched his cheek in embarrassment, and she looked on with a warm smile.

Arthur, of course, wasn’t lying. In his mind, all the gems had been given freely by the dwarves as a gesture of goodwill. He considered them essentially free.

Even if the gem was actually an ultra-rare adamantite, to him, it was as good as worthless.

“I wear it all the time—thank you, Lord Arthur.”

The necklace was hidden beneath Kei’s hair. She wanted to keep wearing something so precious from her beloved master, but showing it off openly was a little embarrassing. A sweet, girlish sentiment.

Incidentally, while they chatted like this, the earring was worth far more than all the cookies in that store—enough to support Kei’s entire family for three lifetimes. But neither the naïve Arthur nor the commoner-born Kei realized this.

That Marianne would notice the earring and cause a major uproar was still a bit down the road.

“The weather’s lovely today. Once you’ve finished your studies, would you like to visit the orphanage together? I believe Mr. Gale the dwarf and Miss Erin are teaching the children today.”

“Oh, Erin, huh… I think her father was a merchant. That might actually be helpful…”

Besides Marianne, another person had volunteered to teach at the orphanage. Erin’s lessons, often covering practical subjects like math, were well received.

Arthur, of course, had no intention of studying—but he remembered a new entry in the Good Deed Notebook and decided he should consult Erin about it.

“All right, let’s get ready, then.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare your change of clothes.”

And with that, Arthur and Kei headed off to the orphanage.