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Alfeo had begun to make a name for himself around the time I had just started working by my grandfather’s side.
There were countless artists sponsored by the Lombardi family, but Alfeo was special.
Unlike most of the Lombardi artists, who were typically discovered at a young age and nurtured like flowers in a greenhouse, Alfeo had originally been a carpenter.
Not just any carpenter—he was the third generation in a line of Lombardi carpenters, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father.
So when my grandfather heard news of Alfeo, he felt a pang of regret.
He wished that such talent could have been sponsored earlier, given a better working environment from the start.
But Alfeo didn’t care about such things.
If anything, he was extremely grateful to the Lombardi family for supporting him even if it was late, and he presented his first official piece to the family.
The piece was titled The World Tree.
It was a massive work carving the Lombardi emblem of the World Tree out of wood.
Several pieces of wood were individually carved and then joined together into a masterpiece.
And with that one work, Alfeo instantly made a name for himself across the empire.
“But… how do we find him?”
It was midday, and most people were busy working inside the estate, leaving the employees’ residential area relatively quiet—but it still felt daunting.
Did we have to go from house to house asking if anyone knew Alfeo?
“What’s that?”
“It looks so strange!”
Ah, I had forgotten about them.
The twins were running around like children in a toy shop, fascinated by all the things they had never seen before.
“Giliu! Meiron! Don’t run around so wildly!”
I shouted, but they didn’t even acknowledge me.
“Wow! There’s water here!”
“Looks like we can scoop it with this bucket!”
“Let’s try it too!”
Oh, that’s a bit dangerous.
Giliu and Meiron, completely fascinated by the well, insisted on scooping water with the bucket.
Although they were eleven and taller than me, the well was made to fit adult height.
Standing on tiptoe and giggling, they looked precarious.
“Hey! Get down!”
I rolled up my dress and ran to them, but my legs were short, and their movements were unnecessarily fast.
“Whoa!”
Meiron, leaning over to reach a bucket in the well, suddenly wobbled and tipped forward.
If this continued, he’d fall into the well.
“No!”
I shouted, reaching out, but it was useless.
Then, suddenly—
“What are you kids doing!”
A large hand shot forward, grabbed Meiron by the scruff of his neck, and hoisted him up.
With the other hand, the person lifted Giliu by the torso.
“You can’t play by the well—it’s dangerous!”
A low, post-voice-breaking voice shouted in anger.
The twins, now caught under the arms of a stranger, struggled to break free but couldn’t.
“Ugh! Huff! Hey! Why were you trying to climb into the well!”
I shouted at them, gasping from fear, and then turned my attention to the person who had saved them.
I had to thank him.
And that’s when I saw the face of a teenage boy who seemed just as alarmed by the dangerous situation.
“Oh? Ohhh!”
I recognized him.
Red hair dusted with freckles along the bridge of his nose, taller than most of his age.
Sixteen-year-old Alfeo Jean was standing right in front of me.
“Ah-hem!”
Stay calm. Stay calm.
I coughed to steady my excitement and said to Alfeo:
“Could you put those two down, please?”
Alfeo, who had been silently looking down at me, released the twins.
“Who are you? I haven’t seen you before.”
Right, of course. He wouldn’t have seen us before.
I smiled brightly and replied:
“My name is Firentia, this is Giliu, and this is Meiron.”
I introduced them one by one, pointing to each.
But instead of saying his name, Alfeo squinted and scanned me and the twins.
He seemed to recognize our names.
Then his eyes flickered slightly as he noticed our fine clothing.
“N-No way…”
It seemed he realized that the three of us were direct descendants of the Lombardi family.
Of course, it wasn’t possible to maintain distance from the start.
I intentionally smiled even brighter and said:
“Sorry for causing a fuss…”
“I-I’m sorry, miss! Sorry, sirs! I-I didn’t know!”
“No, I’m not asking for an apology…”
I tried to calm the situation, but Alfeo removed his hat and repeatedly apologized.
It didn’t seem like our family was usually so harsh toward employees.
His face red all the way to his neck—it seemed to be just his personality.
After all, even the sixteen-year-old Alfeo Jean was unusually shy and pure for his age.
“No, it was really these two who were at fault.”
“But…”
“Anyway, what’s your name?”
“I’m Alfeo.”
As expected, it was him.
“Um, Alfeo… sorry, but could you scoop a bucket of water from the well?”
Alfeo looked a bit taken aback but quietly scooped the water.
“Keep the two of them busy with this water. No dangerous stuff.”
A strange request, maybe—but the eleven-year-old twins obediently squatted by the wooden tub and played with the water.
Now that the troublemakers were out of the way, I could get to the main point.
“My father’s name is Gelleran. You know him, right?”
“Yes.”
“So, I have a favor to ask.”
A strange chain of logic, but fortunately, Alfeo didn’t seem to notice.
“I heard that you’re good at carving, Alfeo?”
“Uh, well… I just carve and sell wooden toys for children. I’m not particularly skilled…”
“Wow, you’re already making money from carving! You’re an expert!”
Praise makes anyone excited.
As I fussed over him, Alfeo’s tense face gradually relaxed.
“Can you carve a human face if I provide the wood? It would be about this size.”
I gestured roughly to show the scale, and Alfeo hesitated a little.
“Carving a human face is a bit difficult…”
Maybe he wasn’t ready for that level yet.
I felt a little anxious.
“I have carved family members’ faces before.”
Ah, that’s a relief.
“But…”
Why the hesitation?
I couldn’t help but ask:
“Does it take a long time?”
Oh no, it mustn’t take too long.
Clerivan had only given about a week for the assignment.
“But luckily tomorrow is a holiday. About four days should be enough…”
What, he’s teasing me?
I clasped Alfeo’s hands with both of mine and handed him the portrait of my grandmother my father had drawn.
“I’ll make sure you get paid for this!”
Although difficult to put a price on, I planned to give him a portion of the eventual sale proceeds.
“P-Paid? That’s not necessary!”
“No! You earned this skill through effort. You should be compensated!”
Alfeo thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Please take good care of it. This is a gift.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
Alfeo said firmly.
Seeing him so reliable, I felt relieved.
Now I didn’t have to worry about the class assignment anymore.
It was in Alfeo Jean’s hands.
“Oh, but I forgot one thing.”
“What is it?”
“The log you’ll be using—you have to carry it yourself. It’s too heavy for me.”
Ah… delivery is self-service, then.
After leaving the carving to Alfeo, I spent the next two days with nothing to do.
All that remained was waiting, so I spent time watching my father work on his books or, if the weather was good, wandering in the garden.
That morning, the twins came to play, but I sent them away.
They sulked at my sharp refusal.
I had a bad feeling they would come back tomorrow.
“Tia! Dad finally finished the book!”
Even after having written several books this way, my father shouted in delight.
“Wow!”
So I, as his child, raised my short arms and cheered with him.
“Oh, my cute Tia.”
My father stroked my head with a satisfied smile.
“Let me see the book you wrote, Dad!”
I was curious about the book he had painstakingly illustrated and written, saving time even from sleep.
“You like books just like me. Alright, let’s go through it together, page by page.”
He placed me on his lap and handed me the freshly finished book.
It was thin but large compared to typical books, a unique design.
I carefully opened the cover, worried about damaging the paper.
Then…
“Huh?”
On the first blank page was my name, written in my father’s handwriting:
[To my beloved daughter Tia, waiting for the day I can help choose her first debutante ball dress.]
Each character had been pressed carefully.
“This book was meant to be shown to you when you’re old enough to care about dresses,” my father said, kissing my head.
“It’s not deep, but it shows which dresses have been popular in the Lambru Empire over the generations. Fashion always comes around again.”
I couldn’t say a word.
Each page brought waves of emotion as I turned them.
As my father said, this book was made solely for me.
Each page was filled with beautifully drawn dresses with notes written around them.
[If Tia, who is currently smaller than her peers, grows taller in the future, this will fit well.]
[Using green Sershou silk for this outfit will make Tia’s eye color stand out.]
“Normally, a mother would pick out a debutante ball dress, but I, your father, will make sure you’re properly prepared! Don’t worry, alright?”
I had never attended a debutante ball.
Half-commoner, almost non-existent in the family, there were no events for me, and I had been more focused on improving the library than social debut.
I closed the finished book and held it close.
Even in my previous life, my father would have written this book for me.
For the day he could choose my dress with his own hands.
“Do you like the book?”
“Yes, very much.”
He hugged me tightly, holding me close with the book in his arms.
“I hope the day our Tia grows up comes quickly, but also slowly.”
“Dad.”
“Hm?”
“You’ll definitely choose my dress later, right?”
“Of course! We’ll go through this book together and carefully select it, Tia.”
This time, I hoped my father could witness my debutante ball.
I held his hands and embraced him fully, feeling that hope.
Clop, clop.
Through the open window came the sound of approaching hooves.
I lifted my head from my father’s arms and ran to the window.
A carriage with the Durak Guild flag was entering the estate.
Unlike last time, behind the carriage carrying the guild master was a large baggage cart.
Finally, it was here!
I quickly returned the book to the shelf, grabbed my father’s hand, and said:
“Dad! Let’s go for a walk in the garden! Hurry!”
“Suddenly in a rush… do you want to go that badly?”
“Yes! So come quickly!”
My father, reluctantly pulled along by my hand, laughed all the way.
But if we walked slowly now, we’d miss it, so I let go of his hand and shouted:
“I’m going to run! If you don’t chase me, I might miss it!”
“T-Tia! You’ll fall!”
Seeing my father start running after me, I gave a triumphant smile.
It was time to give my father a solid footing!
