Maria's bookstore was small, but it had everything one could need.

There was even a cozy space where customers could sit and read the books they purchased—though it usually came at a price.

For some inexplicable reason, however, Theo never had to pay. Maria insisted it was a “special discount for loyal customers.”

And so, there Theo sat, pretending to read.

Across from him, Maria had taken a seat as well, flipping through a book of her own. The bookstore was so devoid of customers that she had naturally gravitated to the reading corner.

Of course, Maria was engrossed in her book, but Theo’s attention had long since wandered away from his. His focus was entirely on Maria.

He cleared his throat nervously.

“Ahem! You know, this bookstore feels a bit plain, don’t you think? It could use a little… decoration.”

Maria looked up from her book, giving him a quizzical stare.

“Like what?”

“Like… a nice ceramic vase or something?”

“A ceramic vase?”

Maria blinked in confusion as if Theo had just spoken a foreign language.

“Do you even know how expensive porcelain is?”

“Is it really that expensive?”

“Of course, it is!”

Theo, as the operations manager for Arad Company, knew the market price of porcelain better than anyone. But for now, he played innocent, continuing the conversation with a carefully crafted look of ignorance.

“I keep seeing it pop up more and more these days.”

“It’s still completely out of reach for places like this,” Maria replied flatly.

She had mentioned before that her father worked as a minor official in High Castle.

“And besides, if I had money for porcelain, I’d rather spend it on books. You could buy at least fifty books for the price of one vase.”

Theo smiled faintly. She was modest and practical, even with her connections.

“Not to mention the hassle of maintaining it. You’d be constantly worried about it getting stolen.”

“Stolen? Here in High Castle? In the Inner Castle, no less?”

“It’s just a figure of speech. But think about it: having something that valuable sitting here would tempt anyone.”

“Books are expensive, too,” Theo pointed out. “A single volume costs at least one silver, and rare ones go for gold.”

Maria tilted her head thoughtfully.

“You know… you’re right. Books are expensive. But you never hear about people stealing them.”

“Because anyone who cares enough about books wouldn’t stoop to theft.”

Maria let out a soft laugh. “You might have a point. Still, porcelain? I don’t think I’d dare.”

Theo’s heart began to race. She wasn’t outright rejecting the idea—there was curiosity in her tone.

“Well, Maria,” he said, his voice brimming with anticipation. “I prepared something for you.”

With those words, Theo reached into his coat and carefully pulled out the celadon vase he had made.

“!!”

Maria’s eyes widened in shock.

The vase was a delicate shade of pale blue, unlike anything she had ever seen. Its surface shone with a soft luster, and crude yet charming flowers—clearly Northland blooms—were painted across its body.

To Maria, who had spent her life surrounded by books and little else, this was a revelation.

“This is…”

“It’s called celadon. I made it myself, over two days, at the company.”

“You… made this?”

The shock in her voice was even greater than when Theo had shown up with two arms instead of one.

“Theo, your company…”

“Yeah. Arad Company. The same place that made my arm and produces Arad Salt.” Theo smiled proudly. “So, where should we put it?”

Maria was visibly flustered. “I—I can’t accept this! Something this expensive…”

“It’s not expensive at all. I promise you, soon this celadon will cost less than most books.”

“…Really?”

“And this isn’t just any vase. It’s one of the first celadon pieces ever made in the North. On top of that, I made it myself—for you.”

Maria’s breath hitched.

Theo’s words were clear. His sincerity was undeniable.

She had known for some time that Theo harbored feelings for her.

It wasn’t that she disliked him. Far from it. She admired his earnestness, his diligence, and the strength of character that seemed to radiate from him.

But Theo, ever the shy and stoic soldier, had never taken that extra step.

Until now.

The celadon vase in front of her wasn’t just a gift. It was his heart, carefully shaped and offered to her.

‘This… this is practically a confession!’

Maria took a deep breath, steadying her racing heart.

She looked up at Theo, whose face was a mix of nervousness and hope.

“Ahem! Did you say you had the day off today?”

“Huh? Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then… I’ll close the shop early. Want to have dinner with me?”

Theo froze.

For a moment, he couldn’t process what she’d said.

Then, his brain finally caught up.

“R-Really? I mean, of course! Wherever you want to go!”

Maria smiled softly.

“Since you brought me such a lovely gift, I’ll pay for dinner.”

“What? No way! I’ve got plenty of money!”

“You spend all your money on books. I know that already. And you should start saving up. You’ll need it.”

“…Huh?”

Their eyes met, and both of their faces flushed red.

It was winter outside, but in that small bookstore, it felt as though the first warm breeze of spring had arrived.

***

Renslet Fortress.

Hall of Glory.

The Northern Grand Duchess Arina's Bedroom.

Having received a rare day off, Arina, free of her disguise, headed to her bedroom.

No one had seen her on her way here.

This was thanks to a secret passage known to only a select few within the High Fortress.

“Ugh!”

As soon as she entered her room, Arina threw herself onto the bed.

She hadn’t bothered to change clothes or wash up.

The sun was already high in the sky, but she couldn’t care less.

If Isabel, the head maid, were to see her like this, she’d certainly have something to say.

Even if she did, Arina would simply ignore it.

‘I’ve worked two nights straight without sleep. I deserve a day of rest like this.’

Arina felt no guilt.

This rest was her well-earned right.

‘It was still fun, though.’

Lying on the bed, Arina gazed at the ceiling with a small smile.

She reached into her bag, “Arad’s Devotion,” strapped to her waist, and pulled something out.

It was a single, one-of-a-kind blue water bottle she had just completed in the Second Factory.

Swoosh.

Sunlight poured over the blue water bottle in her hands.

The sword and shield design, carefully carved and painted overnight, gleamed softly as though imbued with mana.

A vivid glow radiated from the bottle.

‘It’s beautiful…’

As she looked at the dreamlike glow, an odd feeling swelled up inside her, bringing tears to her eyes.

‘Why do I feel like this…?’

She recalled something she had heard once.

In the Empire and Kingdoms, where culture was well-developed, there were works of art so moving that one would cry just from looking at them.

At the time, she had thought it was nonsense, but now she understood.

This must be why wealthy nobles across the continent went crazy over porcelain.

Swoosh.

The sound of rustling leaves came from the window as the wind blew in.

True to the Northern region’s climate, the wind was sharp and cold even in broad daylight.

But for Arina, a true Northerner, it was nothing but refreshing.

“Is that the piece, my lady?”

Isabel’s voice came from the entrance to the bedroom.

“Ah! Hag! Make some noise before you enter!”

Startled by Isabel’s sudden voice, Arina nearly dropped the bottle, holding it dearly to her chest.

She knew, thanks to Arad’s early-morning demonstration on quality management, that this porcelain wouldn’t break easily, but it was still precious to her.

“I did make some noise, my lady.”

“Huh? You did?”

“You’ve been a little too relaxed lately, haven’t you?”

“Forget that and take a look at this. Tell me you wouldn’t be mesmerized.”

“…It truly is beautiful. How can it have such a color?”

“For your information, I made it.”

“You’ve been living in the factory lately, and this is what you were making!”

“Exactly.”

“This should be designated as a treasure of the North!”

“A treasure? Don’t be ridiculous! If it’s designated as a treasure, I won’t even be able to use it as a water bottle.”

“Ah~, that’s true.”

The two of them stared blankly at the blue water bottle for a while.

After a moment, Arina turned to Isabel.

“By the way, there are other celadon pieces at the factory. Just prototypes, though.”

Hearing this, Isabel’s expression turned meaningful.

“Arad just brought them into the fortress.”

“Wait, Arad is in the fortress?!”

“Yes, and thanks to that, word about the celadon has spread like wildfire throughout the High Fortress.”

“What is he doing here directly?”

“From what I heard, he wishes to request an audience with Your Grace.”

“Whaaat?!”

Arina practically jolted off the bed, scrambling to change her clothes.

She also stripped off the leather cover that had been protecting “Arad’s Devotion.”

“You don’t need to rush, my lady. I told him it might take a while.”

Isabel tried to calm her mistress as she continued.

“By the way, my lady, Arad mentioned that you were taking a day off?”

“Huh? I’ve barely slept for two days working on celadon. I decided to rest today.”

“Did Arad say anything else when you took this day off?”

“No. He just told me to go get some rest.”

“Hmm… I see.”

Isabel gave Arina a look as if she had much to say but couldn’t bring herself to voice it.

‘What on earth is the problem?’

She inwardly agonized over the stalled progress of Arad and Mary’s (Arina’s) romance.

There had been countless opportunities—past and present—for things to progress between them.

Even if it wasn’t with the Grand Duchess Arina, Mary, her alternate persona, was still someone Arad seemed to treat differently.

‘Two people, alone in the same space, and nothing happened?’

Fine, Theo had been present while they worked on the ceramics.

But before that, those evening study sessions?

It was obvious that Arad was signaling something to Mary.

Yet nothing came of it? How was that even possible?

“What exactly does Arad want to see me about in person? Hag, have you heard anything?”

Isabel’s thoughts were interrupted by Arina’s cheerful inquiry.

The old maid, Arina’s loyal confidante, noticed her lady had finished changing already.

“Yes, it’s about introducing the completed celadon and asking Your Grace about a separate matter.”

“A separate matter? Something he couldn’t discuss through Mary?”

Arina mumbled with a faint, hopeful expression.

“I heard it was related to a portrait. He mentioned conveying the request through Mary before but hadn’t received a response yet.”

“!!”

Arina’s face froze instantly.

“Is something wrong, my lady? What is this about a portrait?”

Seeing her lady’s sudden change in expression, Isabel looked concerned.

“…Well.”

Arina explained the story about the portrait to Isabel.

“My lady, why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?”

Hearing the explanation, Isabel tilted her head.

“I’ve been so busy lately!”

Arina defended herself, looking aggrieved.

“But seriously, I don’t get it. Why does he want to paint Mary and me together?”

“Perhaps…”

Isabel seemed to have a realization.

“Perhaps he thinks of Mary as a relative of Your Grace. A half-sister or cousin, maybe?”

“No way.”

“It’s possible. That necklace’s mental interference magic could have strange side effects.”

‘Wait! Does this mean the lack of romantic progress is because of that?!’

Another thought flashed through Isabel’s mind, but she decided to focus on the matter at hand for now.

“So, the reason Arad has been conveying messages through Mary recently?”

“It might seem intrusive, but it’s likely out of his concern for Mary. Has he shown any praise or interest toward the Grand Duchess while you were Mary?”

Hearing Isabel’s question, Arina’s gaze shifted upward.

“A-anything else? Something Her Grace did particularly well?”

She couldn’t deny the memory that surfaced almost immediately.

“…Is it really that twisted?”

The more Arina thought about it, the more plausible Isabel’s theory seemed.

“If your theory is correct, what should I do now?”

“Well, for now, let Arad paint the portrait. It’ll be strange to keep putting it off.”

“!? Can the illusion magic even work in a conversation?”

“I’ll research it. It might actually be simpler than you think.”

“I’m counting on you, Hag!”

“Of course, my lady. But let’s make sure to confirm things with Arad when we meet him.”

“Naturally.”

The two of them finished preparing for the audience as they exchanged thoughts.