Chapter 45
[pacta sunt servanda]
“…Promises must be kept.”
I nodded repeatedly at Arius’s words.
When I asked him to write “I will keep my promise,” Pekil had grumbled that he couldn’t write something so unremarkable, and this was the compromise he finally offered.
“I thought a promise should have some kind of token. It’s not exactly something to leave in writing, but I thought you might feel uneasy if there was nothing at all. And since you waited for me patiently today… that’s why I prepared this, partly out of gratitude and partly out of apology.”
Arius examined the ring I handed him.
Designing a men’s colored gemstone ring is quite tricky, but the slightly thick ring Pekil had made met those conditions perfectly.
There was a small spot on the ring for a gem on each side, positioned exactly opposite each other.
When worn so that one side was visible, the other gem would face the palm.
I had requested one side to hold an olivine and the other a deep navy sapphire.
Between them, an inscription had been added.
Since writing names precisely might cause complications later, this method was chosen.
“It’s a meaningful design, in its own way.”
It wasn’t particularly difficult or symbolic enough to warrant an explanation.
“It’s to show that I’ll keep my promise. If you ever hesitate, you can just show this…”
“….”
“So really, it’s not meant in the way you might be thinking.”
“You slipped a ring onto a young woman’s finger with a handsome man’s hand and it’s meaningless?”
Pekil was the one who commented in such a way.
He put his magnifying glasses back on and grinned slyly.
“Both your faces are just burning up—what am I to do? I didn’t expect the jeweler’s shop to be this hot.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said.
Arius, who had been quiet, couldn’t resist and spoke up.
“If it’s not, then the world really works strangely. Napharo is still odd, and yet causing such a fuss with Marcus’s people.”
Even though I was already having a hard time keeping a straight face, Pekil’s teasing made my throat dry.
Regardless of his age, I gritted my teeth in place of the silent Arius.
“Did you see that?”
“I did. This is my shop, and yet a young man and woman are still holding hands so tightly.”
“What… eek!”
I realized too late that I was still holding his hand after explaining about the ring.
I yanked my hand away from Arius as if it were burning.
Even though I did it fairly strongly, Arius didn’t even flinch.
Only a crease appeared on his handsome brow.
Seeing the tension in his jaw, I panicked and apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, young lady. If this scatterbrained girl refuses to follow through on a promise or whatever, I’ll serve as a witness.”
Pekil added, joking or serious, it was hard to tell.
Even glaring at him didn’t faze him; he just smiled.
A calm voice followed after.
“There was no need for you to come all this way. I think the promise will be kept. Though it seems you’re showing it in a rather unusual way.”
Arius then held up my left hand.
The olivine on the ring worn on the fourth finger glimmered in the light.
“I’ll take this as meaning you intend to keep your promise. With no other meaning.”
“Yes. There’s no other meaning this time.”
“This time.”
That word slipped from Arius’s beautifully shaped lips almost like a sigh.
But what could I do? I had to be connected to him.
I forced a smile, and he let out a half-sigh.
“Then this meaningless ring… I’ll return it when you someday ask me to end the promise.”
“Yes. Of course. Do as you please.”
“However, keeping the ring on this finger… is a bit…”
“Oh! That’s my fault. I misjudged. Just take it off. I don’t need to store it anywhere…”
“I’ll take care of it. I’ll keep it safe and return it to you.”
Despite his overbearing concern, Arius lightly shook his head.
He moved the ring to his right middle finger, seemingly to avoid losing it.
It was a bit tight, but his elegant long fingers made it look beautiful even on the middle finger.
“The olivine side is prettier, though.”
I couldn’t help but insist, refusing to let go of the designer’s pride.
He had turned the ring so that the deep sapphire, not the pale green olivine, faced outward.
“Does it cause a problem if I wear it to my liking?”
“No, it’s not that. Hmm… the olivine just suits the ring and your hand better.”
Despite my recommendation, Arius barely acknowledged it, just nudging the ring and smiling slyly.
“You gave it to me, so I’ll take care of it.”
Even so, I kept sneaking glances at my hand, feeling a pang of disappointment, when a laugh rang beside me.
“Thanks for the entertaining show. Times have changed, it seems. If you’re going to show this, feel free to come often.”
“That’s absolutely not it. My business here is done, so I’ll be going. Goodbye.”
“Alright.”
In a short moment, I had been thoroughly embarrassed.
I quickly turned and strode out of the jewelry shop.
I tried to act normal, but my face was still flushed and my throat dry.
For some reason, I couldn’t look Arius properly, so I walked ahead, only for him to fall in step beside me.
“It’s really time to return now.”
“Oh! But…”
I still had a small task left to do.
When I said that, Arius subtly touched his forehead.
“Miss, can’t we just return to the Palacio? I’m a bit worried something else might happen.”
His large, elegant hand covered his face, making it hard to see.
Only that pale hand seemed slightly redder than usual.
Arius must be troubled too, I thought. I understood, but I still had one last thing to settle.
I said brazenly,
“The promise isn’t over yet, is it? You have to follow me without complaint.”
“I think I’ve kept the promise as far as the jewelry shop. What else are you planning here?”
“I’m not planning anything extra. Of course, we’ll return. But I wanted to suggest we go through the market first.”
Arius lowered his hand at that.
Narrowing his handsome eyebrows, he looked straight at me, and I had to take a step back.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You seem to have some scheme, but it’s difficult to figure out exactly what it is.”
He was perceptive.
“Scheme? Haha.”
I hurried along as if to dismiss the idea.
Crossing a bridge and passing through the market, I looked around eagerly. Finally, right in the center of the market, I spotted what I had been looking for.
“Oh, that looks like a street play!”
It had just started, and light musical sounds could be heard.
Somehow, it was set up on a large cart serving as a stage, complete with a plausible red curtain.
“I heard about it while I was out and about. I wanted to see it, and here it is. Shall we watch it together, Duke?”
“Where did you hear the rumors of a traveling troupe?”
Arius now seemed suspicious of all my words.
I smiled as innocently as possible and pointed with my index finger.
“I hear things on the way. I heard it’s a famous troupe in Kahaz. Even just traveling, it seems they’re well-known. You know where Kahaz is, right? In Seferdi, close to the sea.”
“I know where Kahaz is… but must you see this?”
He seemed reluctant.
I ignored that and asked again.
“Have you ever seen a street play like this?”
“No opportunity.”
“Same here. They say street plays like this show daily life well. Wouldn’t it help with managing the estate if we understood that?”
Of course, this play didn’t exactly depict daily life, but mentioning estate management seemed to persuade Arius slightly.
He thought briefly and then spoke.
