The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods: Volume 2, page 5
“Yes, perfect.”
That day, Redford’s nobility filled the castle’s audience chamber. Everyone had gathered to see the daughter of the duke from their neighbor.
Though she had originally been invited to become a concubine of the king, now she was simply an honored guest. Because Misha wasn’t of age, this wasn’t being handled as her “debut” in high society. Nevertheless, when news came out that an unmarried girl who had once been considered a potential concubine had arrived, curiosity brought a great many people out to see what was happening.
The king couldn’t simply ignore everyone asking to be a part of the audience—not with the nobles being high-ranking and valuable, and not with so many of them asking. Ryan quickly grew fed up with dealing with each one by one. The easiest thing to do was to allow them all to attend.
However, in exchange, he gave them strict orders to remain quiet and reinforced that they did not have permission to speak with her. Those quick on the uptake had already caught rumors that she was connected somehow to the People of the Forest and intended to validate the truth of that claim. That was something that could be done by visual inspection alone, so most didn’t complain. Besides, complaining about the restrictions seemed more likely to get them thrown out of the meeting altogether.
As a result, the audience chamber hit capacity quickly, and a much larger room had needed to be hastily prepared for the overflow. Now, even that room was lined wall to wall with silent men packed like sardines.
The door to the audience chamber slowly swung open, revealing a young girl who took Ryan a little by surprise.
Her pale white skin and platinum-blonde hair looked all the more bright against the dark blue of her dress. Her eyes, shining with an uneasy light, were a vibrant jade-green, as if they had taken their color from the forest itself. The faint rouge on her cheeks and color on her lips naturally drew everyone’s eyes to her face.
Having a thought quite unlike him, Ryan couldn’t help imagining this was exactly what a forest fairy would look like. The girl had just that kind of otherworldly aura about her. Just the sight of her filled him with the impulse to shelter and protect her as if she were a piece of priceless treasure...and at the same time, he thought of how thrilling it would be to destroy that treasure.
Many of those in the room must have felt the same way, although none of the spectators were crude enough to speak out. A palpable ripple traveled through the crowd. Stepping into that tense atmosphere, the girl walked silently past the onlookers to stand before the dais where Ryan sat. She bent her knees and bowed her head, her long hair spilling forward, revealing the back of her neck.
Her curtsy was beautiful and refined. Dropping so low with that sense of elegance was actually something that took quite a bit of physical strength to accomplish, but she didn’t so much as tremble as she struck the perfect posture.
Despite being quite used to displays like this, Ryan found his breath taken away.
“Please raise your head. Your journey must have been quite tiring.”
The girl lifted her head in response to Ryan’s solemn, calculated tone. He stared at her large eyes, so big one worried they might pop out of her face, and she stared back at him.
“My name is Misha, daughter of Duke Lindburg of Bluheitz. Thank you for your invitation.” Though a bit awkward, her voice nevertheless came forth clearly as she recited what must have been a practiced line. It was exactly the kind of unease he might have expected from a girl her age.
Ryan nodded. “We are grateful for your answer on such short notice. If there is anything you have need of, please let me know. I will do anything I can to provide it for you.”
He smiled at her, and she shyly returned the gesture. The innocent reaction—the taking of his words at their face value without seeking any underlying hidden meanings—truly spoke of a girl raised apart from noble society. There was a sense of nervousness in her clear, bright eyes, but there were no signs of fear or flattery. Her direct, guileless gaze was so refreshing, Ryan dropped all pretenses and was smiling quite naturally.
He recalled Geord’s appraisal of the girl: honest and hardworking, voraciously curious, sparing nothing when it came to helping others, willing to give anything and everything she had. Exhausted by the constant politicking of the nobility, that straightforward nature alone was enough to soften his heart.
“I know there are many circumstances that bring you here, but I hope you will enjoy your stay in Redford. I am certain that all who are gathered here understand the importance of doing what we can to make our guest feel at home.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the assembled nobles responded as one, hands to their chest as they gently bowed at the unexpected attention turned their way.
The unison they responded with was so perfect that it made Misha’s eyes widen in surprise. It took everything she had not to turn around and gawk at them.
Chapter 4: A Place to Relax
The audience lasted for only a few minutes longer. Misha had expected something more from the formal audience with the king, not just for it to function as an opportunity for them to briefly greet each other. It felt like she’d had her legs swept out from under her.
At least I was able to give him the news that the gift from Bluheitz is on its way.
Returning to her room, she was freed from the stiff corset as promised. She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Next is dinner. They said it would only be a few people, so it wouldn’t be such a big deal... I wonder if my manners will be good enough?
She had no difficulties with the sudden cram lessons from Miranda, who confirmed Misha possessed a proper understanding of etiquette, but this would be with a king.
Melancholic, Misha let herself be guided to another room for the meal. When she arrived, the venue took her by surprise. Miranda had said they would be having a feast, so she had been fairly excited, but she was brought to a room quite a bit smaller than the audience chamber. It was about the size of a regular family’s parlor, and in the middle of the room was a round table surrounded by a number of chairs.
“Please have a seat.”
Guiding her to the dining room was Kino, who deftly pulled a chair out from the table for her.
“Thank you very much,” she replied reflexively before accepting the seat. It was only then she realized she was sitting directly opposite Ryan.
“And you too, Lady Miranda.” Pulling out the chair next to Misha, he urged Miranda to sit down alongside her. After hesitating for a moment, Miranda eventually accepted the gesture and sat down.
Shortly after, Prime Minister Tris came in pushing a cart of food into the room. Geord followed in with a cart of drinks and glasses.
Isn’t that normally a job for the maids?
Misha watched in wonder as Kino began setting the table in front of them.
Ryan chuckled at Misha’s evident confusion as he explained the situation. “In a formal dinner, they would bring each course out to us one at a time, but that doesn’t leave us much room for casual conversation or relaxation. We had planned a more standard welcome banquet, but since you’re here as a student rather than as a concubine, I thought it would be strange to have such a formal affair.”
Unlike before, his outfit was a bit less formal and his attitude was much more relaxed.
“I’ve kept tonight a smaller affair with only close friends. I’ve got a younger sister too, but she’s unfortunately not feeling well, so I’ll have to introduce you to her later.”
Finished setting the table, Tris and Geord took the remaining empty seats at the table. Kino alone stood at the back of the room, taking up a position beside the drink cart.
“So, once more, let me welcome you to Redford. I hope this meeting proves fruitful for the both of us,” the king said, raising a glass and signaling the start of the meal.
Misha looked out over the beautiful arrangement of food before her. The hors d’oeuvres, bread, soup, and main course were all laid out at once. A bit unsure where to start, she began with the soup. The milky-white dish was a kind of cold potato soup. The mixture of milk and potatoes left a faintly sweet aftertaste in her mouth. The simplistic flavor immediately drove the tension from her body.
“It’s delicious!” she said, a bright smile lighting her face. The adults around her seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief now that she’d relaxed.
Geord, the most familiar with her in the room, grinned. “See? I told you. As soon as you give her something good to eat, she’s in a great mood.”
“Th-That’s not true at all!” Misha snapped back at him as her face flushed, earning a round of laughter from the room. Her hands clapped to her mouth at the realization of her outburst in front of the king, but even she soon broke down and started laughing along with them.
The meal continued in that easygoing atmosphere.
“Speaking of which, Lady Miranda, I hear you are also from the People of the Forest?” Tris mentioned as if the thought had suddenly occurred to him.
Miranda shot Geord a look as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, but the knight shrugged and shook his head.
“I suppose I would be, but I’m not one of the wanderers. I am just a supporter.”
“A supporter?” Tris echoed, caught by the new vocabulary.
When Misha turned to her, the young girl’s eyes sparkling with curiosity at that term, Miranda chuckled.
“If everyone wandered around at will, we’d cause all sorts of problems. We have a few places set up for establishing communication between our people out in the world. Our rules say you have to show yourself at these relay points every once in a while to confirm you are still doing well...though I can’t say many of the wanderers respect that rule very much.”
“I had no idea there were places like that. I heard you were running a kind of pharmacy. Are all such relay points pharmacies?” Tris asked, deeply interested.
Miranda shook her head. “Not necessarily. That just happened to be how things worked out in my case. Luckily for me, it was enough to draw Misha’s attention.” She directed a smile to Misha. It was clear how fond she was of the girl. Misha looked on her just as happily.
“I can’t tell you where the relay points are or who is managing them. That is against the laws of our people. Honestly speaking, my presence here isn’t exactly something they’ll be pleased with either. That said, I would appreciate it if you just think of me as Misha’s attendant.”
Miranda had drawn a very clear line in the sand.
Tris’s and Ryan’s expressions twisted between polite smiles and winces. It was rare to see someone give such a blatant “no” in front of a king. It appeared the rumors that the People of the Forest curried favor with no rulers held plenty of truth.
After a glance from the king, Tris held back his further questions.
“My prime minister is quite the curious man. I’m sorry for any offense caused by his questions.”
Miranda’s eyebrows shot up at the casual apology. Even if they were in a very private setting, it was quite rare for a king to apologize. The fact he didn’t bow meant he was probably in the clear, though. And Tris seemed like the kind of person to very much get on his case for issues of decorum like this, so the fact the prime minister said nothing meant this was probably a common enough occurrence between them.
“So, what are your plans here, Misha? Is there anything you want to do?” Ryan asked.
Caught by surprise as the conversation suddenly shifted to her, Misha started to choke on her current mouthful of food and hurriedly reached for a glass of water. Miranda reached over to rub her back.
“Well...” Misha quickly looked to Geord, who waved at her, urging her to spill the beans. “Umm... I heard you have a big library here. I’d like to see it. I really like reading, and learning new things.”
She’d had plenty of books in her forest home that her father had given her as gifts. Books had to be written and copied by hand, so even a single one could be expensive. Not even the nobility had easy and open access to them. In general, those who enjoyed reading would need to frequent a book-lending shop or a library. It was quite a luxurious pastime. Even in those cases, the access a single individual had to literature was quite limited. For Misha, a place like the library Geord had described was an absolute treasure trove.
“You mean the royal library? We’ll have to get you a reading card, then. I’ll have it sent to Kino, so have him take you there sometime.”
“Thank you very much!” Misha beamed, permission coming much easier than she had expected.
“What kind of books are you interested in? Medicine, I imagine?” Ryan asked, amused at Misha’s response. She looked like she had just received a fancy new dress or box of jewels.
“That too, but I also love books about folklore and fantasy. They’re really exciting to read.”
Ryan’s composure started to crack at such a predictably cute answer for a girl her age.
“If that’s what you’re looking for, I don’t think you need to go all the way to the royal library. There are plenty of libraries here in the castle you can look through.”
“You have libraries here in the castle?! That’s amazing!” Misha blurted out excitedly, once again catching herself too late and clapping her hands over her mouth. But of course, no one was going to chastise her for such innocent behavior.
“Yep. Kino, sometime when she’s free, take her to see them. I think that’s where we keep the books we used to read too, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish.” Kino politely bowed from his spot in the corner of the room.
The friendly atmosphere continued for the rest of the meal, after which Misha returned to her room. She would have honestly preferred to visit the rumored libraries, but the discussion afterward had turned to talk of their journey to the castle, and it had taken them quite late into the night, forcing her to give up on the idea for the day.
Upon returning, she found the servants had already made preparations for another bath. Misha was more than happy to indulge in getting the unfamiliar oils out of her hair and makeup off her face. Now that she’d cleaned herself up, she sat in front of the mirror, refreshed, and watched Miranda comb her hair for her. It was still a bit damp, but combing it now meant Miranda could draw out more of its shine.
“Your room is the next one over, right?” Misha asked.
The acting hairdresser nodded. The two had rooms side by side, with a door connecting them. The door could be locked from either side, but it also allowed them to visit each other without having to step out into the hallway, so it would be easy for them to visit any time they wished. It was a small consideration for Misha, who likely would have felt quite lonely to be left in an entirely new place all on her own.
She was quite grateful for that, but...
Misha continued to stare at Miranda in the mirror, evidently having something more to say. Miranda quizzically returned the stare.
“What’s wrong? If you have a question, go ahead and ask.”
At Miranda’s urging, Misha’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly a number of times before she finally managed to squeeze something out.
“Umm... Well... It’s less of a question...”
“What is it?” Miranda urged again, continuing on Misha’s hair while the little apothecary looked away in embarrassment.
“I mean, we’ve always been in the same room, right? And...this one is a bit big for me...and the bed is so big too...” After fidgeting for a while, Misha suddenly spun around to look Miranda right in the eye. “Even if it’s just today, please sleep in my room with me!”
Miranda froze. Misha stared up at her, and Miranda’s shocked silence brought forth shades of unease.
“Is that a no...?”
“Not at all. I’d be happy to. I’ll go get ready for sleep, so you can go ahead and wait in bed for me.”
Misha jumped up happily, grinning all the way to bed as she dove under the covers. “Come join soon, okay?” Misha called after Miranda as she left to change in her own room. Miranda waved in answer without turning as she slipped through the door.
Misha giggled. I thought she’d be upset with me for acting like such a kid. I’m glad I asked so seriously.
Her home in the forest had been small enough that even if they had slept in separate rooms, she could always tell her mother was nearby. Though she had thought she’d be okay on her own, sharing a room with Miranda for even as short a time as she had reminded her just how lonely she felt at night. She had forgotten how having someone familiar nearby helped her relax.
On top of that, as wonderful as her room was, it did a good job of making her feel isolated from the rest of the world. The massive size of the bed similarly emphasized how alone she was, making bedtime a rather oppressive affair.
I said just for today...but I wonder if she’d stay with me tomorrow too? Of course, just until I get used to this place. Once I’m comfortable here, I’ll be fine on my own—I think.
There was no one around to overhear, but she still whispered her excuses in her heart, waiting excitedly for Miranda to return, staring at the door like a pet dog waiting for its owner.
Having been watching her from his cushion on the floor, Ren had finally had enough. He leaped up from the foot of the bed. And now that her face was freshly washed and free of makeup, he set about happily licking at it.
“Ah, Ren! What’s wrong?!” Caught off guard by Ren’s sudden assault, Misha gave a small cry and tried to grab him. But the wolf pup artfully dodged around her hands and jumped on her again, chomping gently at her hands and pulling on her sleeves as he wished.
Her confusion abated once she realized he wanted to play, and she soon obliged. Now that she thought about it, they had been at the castle for about half a day, and Ren had spent most of that time alone in their room. They had never been apart for this long since the day they first met.
“Oh, you’ve done it now! I’m definitely going to catch you!”
