Side Story: A Winter Day's Decision

"Come on, Camil. Hurry!"

"Hurrying won't help when the reason we're late is that Dad wouldn't get up!"

Clutching my bundles, I ran down the stairs and shouted at my father, who was already ahead of me. A clear winter day meant paru picking. But this morning, Dad just wouldn't wake up, so Mom and I had to work together to rouse him.

"Never mind that—just get on the sled."

"But Dad..."

"Come on! If we don't hurry, there won't be any paru left."

When Dad urged me again, I reluctantly climbed onto the sled and he took off running. I clung to the sled so I wouldn't get thrown off, puffing out my cheeks.

...I could run on my own, you know.

We'd left a little late, and I knew I couldn't keep up with Dad's pace all the way to the forest, so I understood why he'd done this. But I wanted to get off before we ran into anyone I knew. Being hauled along on a sled with the luggage—if the others saw that, they'd definitely laugh.

...Like I'm some baby who can't do anything. Dad was the one who slept in.

"Oh, Gunther! Picking paru even though you're busy? That's rough."

"Anything new?"

When we reached the South Gate, Dad started talking with the gate guards. I know I shouldn't interrupt, since I've been told his conversations at the gate are about work, but we still needed to hurry.

"...There were a lot of unfamiliar faces among the orphanage children going paru-picking. Lutz and Gil were with them, so I let them through, but did you hear anything about it?"

"I think it might be related to the lord's top-secret mission. I'll check if I run into them in the forest."

Even in winter, Dad was busy. Usually, deep snow meant fewer people coming and going, so it was just a matter of shoveling snow and dealing with drunks—but this winter, the lord had given them an important job, and the soldiers at the North Gate were swamped.

...If it was the orphanage, did that mean Dirk and Conrad would be in the forest too? I couldn't wait.

The first time I went to the forest with Lutz last autumn, I met Dirk and Conrad. They were both from the orphanage and about my age. The orphanage had all the picture books and toys made at the Rozemyne Workshop, so they understood everything I talked about. Lutz had told me not to tell the other kids about the toys he brought from the Rozemyne Workshop, so it was wonderful to finally have someone I could chat with about the toys I always played with.

I had a dead sister named Mine, and apparently the Temple and some nobles were connected to her death. The compassionate High Priest, saddened by her death, had gifted me the toys made at the Workshop. But getting involved with nobles—who knew where the consequences might ripple out to? So I couldn't talk about Mine, the nobles at the Temple, or the toys I'd been given.

I couldn't remember when I first heard Mine's name. But I clearly remembered how Mom, my sister, and Lutz used to talk about her with such happy expressions—until I asked, "Who's Mine?" and everyone clammed up and stopped talking about her. The atmosphere made it unmistakably clear that I really wasn't supposed to talk about it. I'd made a promise to Dad too, and I had no intention of breaking it.

The first time Lutz and I went to the forest, he told me it was fine to talk with the orphanage kids about toys, but not about Mine. Since I didn't know Mine at all, though, there was nothing for me to say anyway.

The next time I had plans to meet Dirk and Conrad in the forest, I was going to bring karuta so we could play together. Against Dirk it was a mixed record, but I beat Conrad. By spring, Conrad said he'd gotten stronger and wouldn't lose again. That bothered me, so I practiced with Mom to improve my game, and occasionally played against Turi when she came home.

"Conrad! Dirk!"

When I arrived at the forest, just as I'd heard at the gate, the orphanage people were there for the harvest too. Alongside Dirk and Conrad were many children I'd never seen before. Gil and Lutz were there as well, teaching a large group of kids how to pick paru. It looked like this was a lot of their first time.

"Hey, Lutz! Gil! Wanna pick together today? It's all for Lady Rozemyne, right?"

When Dad said that, Lutz shook his head and said, "Lady Rozemyne isn't coming back this year..." Apparently, Lady Rozemyne—who usually returned to the Temple around the middle to end of winter—wasn't coming back this time.

"No, but we're planning to store the paru in the ice cellar and have her eat them. She looks forward to them every year, you know."

Gil grinned broadly as he said it. Apparently, Lady Rozemyne loved paru cake and eagerly awaited eating it each year. Since the Temple had a place that stayed winter-like all year round, they could store the paru there so they wouldn't spoil even after spring arrived.

...Paru that doesn't melt—the Temple really does have all sorts of strange things.

"Camil, why don't you pick paru with the orphanage kids? I've got something to discuss with Gil."

"Got it."

It was probably about work again. Dad left with Gil. I headed toward the orphanage children with Lutz. There, I could see Dirk and Conrad teaching the new kids how to pick paru.

"So you pick them like this, taking turns."

"Why do I have to do something like this..."

"Ugh! Bertram, I'm always telling you—you've got to work for what you eat!"

All the new kids seemed awfully high and mighty. Even though they were being taught how to do it, they stood with their feet shoulder-width apart and their backs arched like they couldn't be bothered.

...Why bother with kids who obviously don't want to listen?

"Dirk and Conrad sure look like they're having a tough time, huh?"

"Yeah. Camil, long time no see. The number of kids has suddenly doubled, so it's gotten really lively. Dirk and Deria are always getting angry like that. The two of them are remarkably similar in how they blow up."

Dirk and Conrad had said before that there were so few children before the Baptism Ceremony that they only had each other to play with, but now there were so many more kids and it was a handful. There were about ten children I'd never seen before, and the smaller kids who were still staying behind at the orphanage hadn't even come along.

...Where did all these kids come from?

"We can't play karuta in the snow, which is too bad. But we've all been practicing, so next time I won't lose to you, Camil."

Conrad, who usually pouted and said he was going to lose anyway, was being surprisingly confident for once. If they'd been practicing with this many people, both Conrad and Dirk must have gotten really good. I felt a slight prickle of unease.

"But I've gotten better too. I beat Renate, you know."

"Who's Renate?"

"She's the young lady from the Gilberta Company."

"Conrad! Camil! Would you mind showing the others how it's done?"

When Dirk and Lutz said that, I climbed up into a paru tree to demonstrate for the new kids.

I'd met Renate a little before winter arrived. Turi had taken me to the Gilberta Company. I wore the beautiful festive clothing that Turi had made and went north for the first time. The streets there were far more colorful than where we lived.

"This area is really pretty, right? The lord had the whole town cleaned up, and a lot of the paint came off along with the dirt, so they had to repaint everything. Uncle Dald would get so frustrated, saying he had way too much work! Don't you remember, Camil?"

Turi giggled as she told me about the northern streets.

Where we lived, the roads and stonework had been scrubbed sparkling white and the wooden walls cleaned up. But in the wealthy northern district, the paint had peeled in places, making a real mess.

"I heard they had a terrible time getting everything tidied up before merchants from other towns arrived. I think Dad was on patrol nonstop too, from what I remember..."

My own memories didn't include many images of the dirty town, but everyone said it had been a dramatic transformation. I did remember that the lord had actually wanted to evict all the commoner residents and rebuild the town from scratch, but Lady Rozemyne had stopped him. Dad and the other soldiers had been patrolling to make sure the town didn't deteriorate again.

"This is the Gilberta Company. This is the shop where I work. ...From here on, mind your manners."

Turi said that and headed up the stairs beside the shop entrance. "It's Turi. I've just returned," she announced, and entered through the door that an apprentice opened for her. Turi's movements and tone were completely different from what I saw at home. I straightened my back just as Lutz and Turi had taught me.

"You must be Camil. Welcome."

The master of the Gilberta Company greeted me and introduced his family. The tailor Corina, whom Turi respected as Lady Rozemyne's exclusive tailor, and her children Renate and Knut. Also present was the master of the Plantan Company and Mark, who had come that day specifically for Renate's education.

I was told to play karuta and cards with Renate and Knut, and the Plantan Company's master and Mark joined in too. Knut was still too young to be a real opponent, but Renate and I were about even.

"See? I told you—it's not just because I'm an adult. You've still got a ways to go yourself, Renate."

When the Plantan Company's master said that with a broad grin, Renate puffed out her cheeks and glared at me.

"Camil, you should join the Gilberta Company. Then we can play until I've won completely. What do you say?"

"...What?"

What do I say? I didn't know how to respond. While I was blinking in confusion, the master—Otto—approached with a gentle smile and made his own pitch.

"Ah, well said, Renate. That's a fine idea. Camil, how about becoming my dural?"

Being personally recruited by the master, I looked to Turi. Turi was a hair ornament artisan exclusive to Lady Rozemyne, working at the Gilberta Company. Recently, she'd also been put in charge of designing outfits and selecting fabric. That was a remarkable achievement—where we lived, almost no one had risen that far before reaching adulthood. Turi was an amazing older sister admired by everyone in the neighborhood.

...If I joined the Gilberta Company, could I become as amazing as Turi?

I was a little tempted. Dad had asked me before if I wanted to become a soldier and protect the town with him, but working alongside Turi sounded more interesting than being a soldier.

The next moment, the Plantan Company's master shot out his hand.

"No way. Camil is better suited as the Plantan Company's dural. He'd be more interested in books and toys than hair ornaments, fabric, and linshan like the Gilberta Company deals in, right?"

Hearing the master say that directly, my heart shifted toward the Plantan Company with a decisive tilt. The person around me who'd achieved just as much as Turi was Lutz. Coming from a family of builders and woodworkers, Lutz had risen to dapper at a major store—just as impressive as Turi.

I loved the picture books and toys Lutz brought, and compared to fabric and hair ornaments, they felt much closer to my world. Fabric and hair ornaments were more of a girl's domain.

"Lutz told me that you wanted to visit different places like he does, and maybe work in the orphanage's workshop, didn't he?"

I'd wanted to visit the orphanage workshop because I thought I might get to see Dirk and Conrad, but I was also curious about how picture books and toys were made. Thinking about it that way, the Plantan Company seemed more appealing than the Gilberta Company. And the fact that Lutz had said I'd be the first to read newly made books—that was exciting too.

"Hey, hey, hey! Cut me some slack, will you? Benno, why do you always poach the talent I've got my eye on?! Lutz should be enough for you!"

"And if you want to say that, you've already got Turi, haven't you? This is simply a matter of matching people to the right roles!"

While I was deliberating, the two masters had started bickering. On top of that, Renate was chiming in from the side: "Hurry up and decide, Camil." Apparently, until I made up my mind, their argument would never end.

Completely at a loss, I looked up at Turi for help. Noticing my gaze, she came closer, smiled softly, and gently patted my head.

"Camil, don't make that face. There's still plenty of time before the Baptism Ceremony, so take your time and think it over. The career you choose will shape your whole life, so you need to think carefully and decide for yourself. It's fine to use other people's opinions as reference, but don't use them as an excuse—or when things get tough, you'll only blame others and won't be able to keep going."

Turi paused there, then turned to the two masters with a bright smile.

"So, both of you—please don't rush Camil. Let him come to his own answer."

"Hahahaha, you got us there. Neither master was going to back down."

As we warmed our cold hands by the fire before picking more paru, Lutz laughed and praised me for how I'd handled it. He lightly patted my head—puff, puff—the way he always did to encourage me. I found myself wishing I had a big brother like Lutz.

"...Hey, Lutz, are you going to marry Turi? Turi's going to be an adult pretty soon, right? Everyone around you two seems to be getting excited about it."

By the time girls reached adulthood, most would start looking for a husband or begin making arrangements for marriage. The person always with Turi was Lutz, and even though they'd both risen high in major stores, they were originally from the slums. When you considered how much family connections mattered in marriage, everyone in both families thought Turi and Lutz were a perfect match. I figured it was because neither family could accept a spouse from a major store as an in-law.

"I mean, I know everyone's excited about it, and I understand why it seems like the natural choice. But I don't know? I think it'll be difficult for a while. Turi just got her heart broken."

"Wha—?!"

"...Ah, that's a secret."

"Now I'm curious, Lutz! Turi is so good at sewing and works so hard... There's no way someone wouldn't be interested in her."

I'd been thinking, half out of bias, that there was no man alive who could turn down someone as amazing as Turi. But maybe it really was true, as the adults had been saying, that family background and origins played a big role in marriage.

In the end, no matter how much I asked, Lutz just shook his head and wouldn't tell me.

"Rather than Turi's love life, I'd rather hear about your decision, Camil. You've made up your mind, haven't you? You've got that look on your face."

Lutz said that with the corner of his mouth turned up. I grinned back up at him.

"I want to join the Plantan Company. I like books and toys more than guarding the town or selling fabric and hair ornaments."

"...So you grew up to be a book lover, just as intended. That's Myne for you."

"Huh?"

Lutz had mumbled something too quiet for me to catch, so when I asked him to repeat it, he shook his head and said, "Nothing." Lutz was surprisingly secretive.

"If you're seriously thinking about joining the Plantan Company, the blizzards should be dying down soon. Once I get permission from Uncle Gunther and Auntie, I could arrange for you to train at the Plantan Company."

"Train?"

"Just like it was hard for me, a carpenter's son, to become a merchant, it'll be tough for you, a soldier's son. I could have the company take you in for about ten days and teach you the basics of being a merchant."

Reading and calculating were things I could already do well enough from the picture books and toys, but the mindset and common sense of a merchant were something you couldn't learn without experience. Following Lutz's lead sounded wise.

"I'll talk to Mark and the master, but they'd probably be willing. For someone like you, Camil, it should be fine."

"Really?!"

Lutz nodded, smiling.

"Once spring hits, the shop gets busy, and I've been assigned to move to Kirschberg next, so it'll be difficult then. But winter is still pretty relaxed. And since I'm a minor, I can't go up to the castle anyway."

At the end of winter, they had to take books to sell at the castle, so the master and the other dappers were incredibly busy. But Lutz's job was done once he'd prepared the books and teaching materials at the Rozemyne Workshop for delivery to the castle.

"You'll need to practice your manners, posture, and general bearing too, Camil."

Once I saw all the things I needed to learn, I realized just how wide the path ahead of me had opened, and I became incredibly happy.

"But first, make sure you talk to your uncle and aunt and get their permission. Training comes after that."

It'd be hard without parental support, Lutz said, narrowing his eyes as if remembering something. But it would be fine. If I just explained everything, Mom and Dad would surely understand.

"Lutz, I'm going to do my best."

"Yeah, go for it."

Just then, there was a soft thud as a paru dropped onto the snow. Dirk and Conrad aside, the new kids at the orphanage were dropping paru at an absurdly fast rate compared to us.

"How are they so fast?"

"No idea. Hey, look—Uncle Gunther is waving. Camil, it's your turn."

"Okay!"

I climbed up the paru tree to take over from Dad. "Almost done. The rest is up to you, Camil," Dad said as he climbed down. I pulled off my gloves and grabbed the base of the paru to warm it with my hands. On a nearby branch, Dirk was warming his paru the same way, and he looked over at me.

"Camil, you seem really happy today. Aren't your hands cold?"

"They're cold, but... Dirk, once spring comes, I might be able to visit the Rozemyne Workshop at the orphanage. Lutz said that if I'm seriously interested in joining the Plantan Company, Lady Rozemyne would grant me a permission to tour it."

"Really? Wow, that sounds great!"

Dirk gave me a welcoming smile. Maybe someday I'd get to work alongside Dirk and Conrad. That would be truly wonderful.

When light began filtering down through the forest canopy from above, the harvesting time was over. The paru leaves shimmered like gemstones, reflecting the light, and the trees began to sway as if they had a will of their own, rustling with a soft shushing sound.

I quickly climbed down from the paru tree and watched as it disappeared. The orphanage children who were seeing paru for the first time stared wide-eyed in amazement, gazing up at the mysterious tree.

The tall, towering paru trees shook their branches to scatter their fruit, then shrank away and vanished. All of us who had come for the harvest began walking toward the gate.

We loaded the harvested paru into baskets and onto sleds, and started the journey home. Dad and I were with the orphanage children on the return trip. Dad said he'd talk to the gate guards to make sure we could pass through without trouble. The guards were stricter about letting people in than out, and since the shift changed between morning and afternoon, the unfamiliar faces of the orphanage kids might get held up.

"It's a sensitive time right now, so Gil and Lutz alone might not cut it. Next time, come through me first. I have a bit more pull."

"Thanks, Uncle Gunther."

Because Dad spoke with the gate guards, all the orphanage children were able to return to the city without any problems. Passing through the gate, the orphans headed back toward the orphanage.

Dad held out a single paru toward Gil.

"Gil, give this to Lady Rozemyne."

"Yeah, we'll store it in the ice cellar and make sure she eats it."

"Appreciate it."

Picking even a single paru was incredibly hard work, yet Dad always casually entrusted one to the orphanage people for Lady Rozemyne. Dirk and Conrad too—all of us connected to Lady Rozemyne loved her far too much, I thought.

...Ah, there goes one of my paru.

That night, after finishing dinner, I told Mom and Dad that I had something to talk about. They froze for an instant, exchanged a look, then Dad sat back down with a serious, stern expression while Mom went to make tea with a worried look on her face.

Dad picked up the cup as it was set down with a soft clink. He took a sip, as if merely moistening his mouth, and looked at me.

"What is it, Camil?"

Dad's voice sounded several shades lower than usual. A sudden wave of anxiety spread through my chest—I might be opposed, I might be asked why I wasn't aiming to be a soldier—I clenched my fists and looked at both of them.

"Dad, Mom. I want to make books with Lutz! I want to create new books and share them with the world!"

When I made my request, Dad and Mom both looked like they were about to cry. I'd expected opposition, and maybe a question about why I wasn't pursuing soldier work, but I had no idea why they looked so close to tears.

"...You two are against it after all?"

I tilted my head, and Mom gently wiped the corners of her eyes, saying, "It's nothing." Then she stood up, came to my side, and stroked my hair with a complicated expression, smiling slowly.

"If this is what you've decided, then I won't oppose it. I'll support you, so do your best."

Dad nodded too and gave me permission to study at the Plantan Company.

...I'm going to make books too, just like Lutz!

A side story from Camil's perspective during paru-picking.

The soldiers guarding the gate are on edge, the number of orphanage children has suddenly doubled, and the time for deciding his future is drawing near.

I hope you can feel the many changes taking place.

Next is Ferdinand's perspective.