Chapter 12

Chapter 12

In my previous life, Alfeo had become famous around the time I began working for my grandfather.

The Lombardis supported countless artists, but Alfeo was special. Unlike most Lombardi artists, who were discovered young and nurtured in a protected environment, Alfeo began to take his artistic endeavors seriously at the late age of thirty.

Originally, he had been a third-generation carpenter for the Lombardi family.

When my grandfather learned about Alfeo, he was regretful. Grandfather wished that he had provided support and given him a better working environment earlier in his life.

However, Alfeo didn’t seem to mind. He was incredibly grateful to the Lombardis for their support and dedicated his first formal piece to the family. That piece was called The World Tree.

It was a massive piece embodying the Lombardi emblem. The masterpiece came from carving multiple trees and then assembling them into one. The World tree made Alfeo an instant household name throughout the empire.

“But how do I find him?” I wondered aloud.

The housing quarters were generally quiet in the middle of the day, when most people were working in the estates. However, going door-to-door to ask for Alfeo was still a daunting task.

“What’s that?”

“That’s interesting!”

Oh right, I have these two with me too.

The twins were running around like children in a toy store, fascinated by everything they saw.

“Giliou! Mayron! Stop running around!” I shouted, but they ignored me completely.

“Wow! There’s water here!”

“Maybe you scoop it out with this bucket!”

“Let’s try scooping it out!”

Whoa. That’s a bit dangerous.

It may have been the first time that Giliou and Mayon had seen a well, and they were determined to scoop up some water. Though they were eleven years old and taller than me, they weren’t quite tall enough for a well made for adults.

The pair teetered on their tiptoes, laughing, and the whole scene looked quite dangerous.

“Hey! Get down from there!” I cried, hiking up my dress and running towards the twins.

Unfortunately, my legs were short, and the twins moved too quickly. As Mayron tried to get the bucket out of the well, he lost his balance and tipped forward.

At this rate, Mayron is going to fall in!

“No!” I shouted and extended my arms, but it was no use.

But then…

“What are you doing?!”

A large hand swooped in, grabbed Mayron’s collar, and yanked him to safety. With the other hand, the man lifted Giliou by the torso.

“It’s dangerous to play near a well!” he shouted, his deep voice harsh and scolding.

The twins, suddenly caught underneath the arms of a stranger, squirmed and wriggled unsuccessfully.

“Hey! Why would you crawl into the well?” I shouted breathlessly at them.

Then I turned my attention to the person who had saved them. I had to thank them.

I looked up and saw the face of a teenage boy, his expression deeply furrowed, seemingly as startled by the situation as I was.

“Huh? Oh!”

He looks familiar.

He was taller than most with red hair and a face full of freckles. The sixteen-year-old Alfeo Jean was standing in front of me.

First, stay calm.

I cleared my throat to steady my excitement before speaking to the one and only Alfeo.

“Um, could you please put those two down?”

Alfeo lowered the twins to the ground without breaking my gaze.

“Who are you all?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you around these parts.”

Of course you’ve never seen us.

“My name is Firentia, and these two are Giliou and Mayron,” I said with a grin, pointing at each twin.

However, instead of introducing himself, Alfeo furrowed his brow and looked us up and down. He must have recognized the names and noticed our fancy clothes. His eyes began to twitch slightly.

“Y... you couldn’t be...”

The realization was starting to land that we were descendants of the Lombardi family.

I couldn’t let that become a barrier between us.

“Sorry for the commotion...” I began, deliberately brightening my smile even further.

“I am so sorry, m’lady! So sorry, young masters! I didn’t recognize y’all!”

“Oh no, I’m not asking for an apology...” I tried to recover, but Alfeo took off his hat and kept apologizing profusely.

I didn’t think the Lombardis treated our workers that harshly...

The bright red blush spreading across Alfeo’s face and neck must have been part of his personality. Even as an adult, he had been a particularly wholesome and introverted fellow.

“Really, it’s their fault,” I insisted.

“But...”

“Anyway, what’s your name?”

“My name is Alfeo.”

Nice, I knew it.

“So, Alfeo... I’m sorry, but would you mind getting us a bucket of water from the well?”

Though startled by my request, he proceeded to lower the bucket and pull it back up full to the brim.

“You two, go play with the water over there. And don’t do anything dangerous.”

It might sound strange to some to play with a bucket of water, but the eleven-year-old twins did exactly as I asked and began splashing water around.

Now that I’d occupied the twins, I needed to get to my point.

“My father is Gallahan. You know him, right?”

“Oh, yes.”

“So I have a favor to ask.”

It may have been an odd train of logic, but Alfeo didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ve heard some rumors that you’re good at sculpting?”

“Well, I... I just make toys for kids and sell them sometimes. I’m not that good...”

“Wow! You’re already making money from sculpting?! You’re a true artisan!”

Compliments are a man’s best friend.

With my exaggerated praise and enthusiasm, I could see Alfeo’s tense expression soften considerably.

“If I were to give you a portrait, could you carve a face? I even have a log you could use.”

I used my hands to show him the approximate size, and Alfeo hesitated.

“Carving a face is a bit difficult...”

Maybe he’s not quite there yet.

I began to feel a bit uneasy.

“I have carved my family members’ faces before,” he said.

Oh, whew!

“But...”

Now what!

“Will it take long?” I asked, losing my patience.

That would be a travesty.

Clerivan had only given us a week.

“Well, luckily, tomorrow is a weekend, so it should take about four days...”

Why is he playing with my heart strings?

I cheered up and grabbed one of Alfeo’s hands with both of mine. Then I handed him the portrait of my grandmother.

“I’ll make sure you get paid for your work!” I promised.

Getting an early piece of work from Alfeo Jean would be priceless, but I planned to give him a fair share of the selling price.

“P... payment?! That’s unnecessary!”

“No! This is a skill that you’ve nurtured! It’s only right that you be compensated!”

Alfeo thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Please do your best! This is going to be a gift after all!” I explained.

“I’ll do my best,” he agreed.

His statement reassured me. I didn’t have to worry about the class assignment anymore. It was all in Alfeo Jean’s hands.

“Oh, I forgot one thing.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“The log for you to use. I need you to come and get it. It’s too heavy for me to carry.”

“Oh...”

I’m sorry, but the delivery is self-service.

***

After leaving the sculpture to Alfeo, I had nothing to do for about two days. The only thing left was to wait.

I would often watch my father read or, if the weather was good, I would play in the garden.

One morning, the twins stopped by to play, but I turned them away. They looked dejected by my refusal, but I could tell that they would be back the next day.

“Tia! Daddy’s finally finished his book!”

My father shouted joyfully, raising his arms in triumph. He had written so many books, yet he remained excited every time.

As a dutiful daughter, I raised my short arms and cheered along.

“Wow!”

“Oh, my sweet Tia,” my father whispered as he patted my head.

“Please show me the book you wrote!”

My father had poured his heart into every page, drawing and transcribing even when it cost him a good night’s sleep.

“You must take after my love for books,” he said. “Let’s start from the beginning and turn each page together.”

He sat me on his knee and placed the freshly completed text in my hands.

It was large and thin, unlike an average book. I flipped the pages cautiously so as not to damage them. But then I noticed something.

On the first page, which was usually blank, was a note written in my father’s handwriting.

[As I await the day my beloved daughter gets fitted for her first debutante dress.]

Each word had been carefully and lovingly inscribed.

“I wrote this book to give to you when you’re old enough to take an interest in dresses,” my father said before kissing the top of my head.

“I can’t say that it covers a great depth of knowledge, but it will give you an idea of which dresses have been popular throughout the Lehmbruck Empire’s history. Trends are often repeated.”

I was speechless. With each page I turned, I felt a swell of emotions rising within me.

As my father said, the book was written entirely for me. Each page featured beautifully drawn illustrations of various gowns with small notes written around them.

[For Tia, who is currently smaller than her peers. This dress will suit her well when she grows taller.]

[Using emerald-green velvet for this outfit will bring out the color in Tia’s eyes.]

“Normally, a debutante dress is something a mother would take care of, but for Tia, Daddy will find you the perfect dress! Don’t you worry your little head, okay?”

In my previous life, I had never been asked to a debutante ball because of my mother’s upbringing and my own lack of relevance within my family. I also hadn’t cared about a social life and had preferred to stay busy organizing the library.

After going through all of the pages, I closed the book and hugged it tightly to my chest. My father must have written a book like this in my past life as well, hoping to personally choose my dress one day.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“Yes, very much.”

My father pulled me into another hug with the book still clutched in my arms.

“Sometimes I wish that my Tia would grow up quickly, but, at moments like this, I wish I could slow time.”

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Please choose my dress someday!”

“Of course! Let’s open the book together and choose very carefully, Tia.”

Hopefully this time he’ll be able to see my debutante dress and hold my hand and attend the ball with me.

I hugged my father back tightly.

Then I heard the sound of approaching horses through the open window. I lifted my head from my father’s embrace and raced to the window.

There was a carriage with a Dyurak Merchant Guild flag. I could see an additional wagon following the main carriage this time, likely carrying goods.

It’s finally here!

I slid the book back on the shelf and tugged at my father’s hand.

“Daddy! Let’s take a walk in the garden! Hurry!”

“What’s the sudden rush? You’ve been wanting to go for a while, haven’t you?”

“Yes, so let’s hurry!”

Despite being dragged along, my father gave a hearty laugh, clearly amused by my eagerness. But at our current pace, we would miss the opportunity.

I let go of his hand and shouted, “I’m going to run! If you don’t hurry, you might lose me!”

“T... Tia! You’re going to trip!”

I smiled with satisfaction at my father’s concerned face as he began to run after me.

It is time to pave the way for my father’s success!