Chapter 32
“Then, if you go to a dragon’s lair, can you actually meet a dragon? If we went to the Black Dragon’s lair in the Empire, would we meet the Black Dragon?”
Ellen’s body tensed with excitement at the thought that one of her many unresolved questions about dragons—questions no book in the house could answer—might finally be resolved right now.
Stay calm.
Ellen had to try hard not to let her voice sound too eager.
Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Gloria interpreted it as innocent curiosity about a mythical being and found it endearing. She reached out and patted Ellen’s head.
“Dragons don’t let just anyone into their lairs. You need a dragon’s permission to enter. Sure, you might happen to run into one while they’re out wandering, but who could possibly know when or where a dragon will decide to roam, or who among the many people in the world might actually be a dragon?”
“I guess that’s true…”
Ellen looked a bit down and fidgeted with her fingers before turning her attention back to the pouch.
“Then what is this pouch?”
“When the dragon invited our ancestor to its lair, it asked what kind of gift would be useful. And our ancestor said this—”
Gloria deepened her voice dramatically as she spoke.
‘“Traveling comes with a lot of luggage, and that’s a hassle. Is there something that could help with that? Like a bag that could hold everything. And if it could reduce the weight too, that would be perfect.”’
Very practical, indeed. Ellen’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“So the dragon gave our ancestor this ‘pouch’ and the ‘storage handle.’”
The pouch made sense, but what in the world was a “storage handle”?
Reading her daughter’s expression, Gloria held out her hand.
“Since we’re on the topic, it’s a bit early, but I’ll give you a pouch as a birthday present. Come with me.”
At the mention of a magical pouch, Ellen eagerly grabbed Gloria’s hand and followed her.
Gloria led Ellen to a room that only she, her husband Quinter, and the butler Albert were allowed to enter. Even Ellen, the heir to House Quinter, had never been permitted to open its door. As the door finally creaked open, she swallowed hard.
Inside were large and small chests stacked among all sorts of other items. The space was somewhat organized, but there were so many things that the room felt like a maze.
A storage room?
“Looks like one, right? We just call it ‘the storage’ too.”
Apparently, Gloria could read minds.
“We’ll need to restock more ice this winter,” Gloria muttered as she glanced toward a corner filled with stacked ice.
She led Ellen to a cluster of large boxes and tapped on a yellow one.
“Ellen. From now on, this yellow box will be yours.”
Ellen was about to say she didn’t really have anything to store in there. After all, her bedroom, study, dressing room, and drawing room were already spacious and still had room to spare.
“A few years from now, you’ll probably be stuffing that yellow box to the brim.”
Mom can definitely read my thoughts.
Ellen was convinced.
Gloria pointed at each box and explained:
“The black box is your dad’s. The green one is mine. And the light blue box is our family mailbox.”
A mailbox?
As Gloria rambled on, Ellen’s confusion only deepened.
She followed her mom’s finger from the black box to the green one and finally spotted the light blue box—the same one Gloria had pulled out of her pouch back in the office.
Wait, that light blue box…? That’s the same one she pulled out earlier. So that’s the mailbox?
“Can I open it?”
“Of course,” Gloria said with a nod.
Ellen lifted the lid of the light blue box and found the same documents and scrolls Gloria had put in earlier, along with blank paper and a pen set.
I think I kind of get how this works…
She began to close the lid to set it back down, but the box shimmered faintly and vanished from her hands.
Startled, Ellen opened and closed her fist. Gone? She looked around but couldn’t find the light blue box anywhere.
The box disappeared!
“Your father must’ve taken the light blue box out with his pouch.”
Now Ellen was starting to understand how the system worked. This “storage” was like a terminal that items moved in and out of.
“I think I get it now.”
Ellen nodded, and Gloria led her toward the door.
“Earlier, I said the dragon gifted the pouch and the storage handle, right? This is the handle.”
The “storage handle” was, literally, the inside door handle of the storage room. Unlike the handles of other doors, this one was adorned with a five-petaled floral design.
“Wherever this handle is attached becomes a portal to the pouch’s storage. Only the head of the family can move the handle to create a new storage location.”
So the handle was removable—but only Gerald, the head of the family, could use that function.
“Once the handle is in place, preservation magic is activated in that storage room. That’s why we store our ice here.”
Ellen glanced at the stacked ice again. There was a decent amount, but considering how much they distributed to residents during the scorching summers, it might not be enough.
So that’s why she said we need to restock the ice.
It was early winter now, so it would soon be time to collect more ice.
Apparently, even in winter, work never truly ends. Ellen felt like she’d just learned another lesson.
“To use the pouch, you have to register it. Give me your hand.”
Register? A bit bewildered, Ellen held out her right hand.
“It’ll sting a little.”
Still not understanding what “register” meant, she blinked as Gloria pricked her thumb with a needle she had pulled from the door handle.
“Ow!”
A bead of red blood welled up, and Gloria pressed her finger onto the center of the floral design.
One of the five petals glowed red and then faded back to normal.
This handle is kind of creepy…
Ellen looked warily at the handle that had absorbed her blood. Then Gloria handed her one of the three pouches hanging on the door.
“Here. This is your pouch now.”
One for Gloria, one for Gerald, and three hanging on the door—so five in total. That’s why the handle had five petals.
Ellen asked, “But how do I use this?”
Gloria picked up a gold coin from a shelf and dropped it into the yellow box. Then she took Ellen to a nearby empty room.
This room’s just… empty.
Ellen scanned it quickly and turned her attention back to the pouch.
She untied the string and peeked inside. It was, of course, empty.
“Ellen, what color is your box again?”
“Yellow. Yours is green, Dad’s is black, and the mailbox is light blue.”
Gloria smiled in satisfaction.
“Right. And I just put a gold coin in the yellow box, remember?”
“Yes.”
“Then reach into the pouch and think about the yellow box.”
Ellen focused on the yellow box, and something suddenly settled into her hand. She looked up, startled, and Gloria nodded.
Slowly, Ellen pulled the object out.
It was the large yellow box from earlier.
The box had been compressed to fit through the pouch’s opening, but once out, it returned to its original shape and size. It gently settled onto the floor like a feather, not making a sound.
“Wow!”
Ellen stared in awe, not even bothering to pick it up. So this was how that huge box fit in the pouch!
“Now, open the lid.”
Inside was the single gold coin they had just placed.
“Boxes help keep everyone’s belongings sorted in storage, but they’re also your personal space. So, don’t touch someone else’s box. Even your dad and I won’t take out your yellow box. Can you promise to do the same?”
“Yes!”
Ellen nodded vigorously. She didn’t have anything to hide (yet), but a personal space was still precious.
“The light blue box is for family communication. Check it often—at least every morning and evening.”
“Okay.”
It felt like she had just been added to a family group chat, and she liked the idea.
“If you think about the light blue box but it doesn’t come out, that means someone else has it. Just wait and check again later.”
That makes sense. Ellen nodded slightly.
“Items not stored in boxes—things left on the shelves or floor—are for anyone in the family to use. We always stock essentials like money, emergency medicine, food, sleeping bags, blankets… Oh, and ice.”
Maybe we could put a bed in here and sleep comfortably anywhere…?
As Gloria explained, Ellen had a stray thought.
“But don’t put a bed in here. As you saw earlier, there’s no more room for one.”
Ellen gave a sheepish smile. Gloria must’ve read her mind again.
“Now, Ellen, time to put the box back. Open the pouch wide and cover the box’s corner. Then tap the pouch or the box.”
Following her instructions, Ellen watched as the box compressed and slipped back into the pouch.
“Well done. Now try taking out the light blue box.”
Ellen reached into the pouch and thought of the mailbox, but nothing was there.
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Your dad must still have it. Try again later.”
So this is what she meant earlier. It’s inconvenient—but kind of fun.
A little later, Ellen tried again and this time, something fell into her hand. She pulled it out—sure enough, it was the light blue box.
Inside were papers different from the ones she had seen earlier.
“Your dad took the documents I sent and left new ones.”
Gloria pulled out the new set of papers.
Ellen picked up the blank paper and pen set lying next to it.
“What are these for?”
“They’re always in the box. If you need to send a note, use those.”
“Oh, there’s ink, too.”
“The ink is refilled by whoever’s at the mansion. But if you notice it running low, go ahead and refill it yourself.”
“Got it.”
After confirming the ink was full, Ellen put the set back.
“I was planning to give you a pouch for your birthday anyway. Originally, only your father and I used the light blue box, but now that there are three of us, we’ve made a new rule.”
“What kind of rule?”
Do we even need a rule? If there’s a note, you read it. If not, you don’t. Ellen fiddled with the box, waiting to hear more.
