Each person presented a gift to Navia.
Margaret gave a penholder, clearly made by a skilled craftsman, and expensive. Navia's name was written in gold on the penholder.
"Our lord breaks penholders every day, so I was reluctant to buy such a good item, but our lady is different."
"It's the penholders that are weak."
Margaret pretended not to hear Lark's grumbling.
"Thank you, Margaret."
Next was Suleiman.
"I'm not sure if this is the right gift."
He then presented a small box, which, upon opening, contained neatly arranged barber's tools like combs, scissors, and a razor. They even looked quite expensive.
"I thought these would make a nice souvenir for our little barber lady. Ha-ha!"
It was timely, as Navia had just finished styling Creed's hair today and would find these useful in the future.
"I'll use them well, Suleiman."
Following him, Charlotte gifted a box filled with cookies topped with homemade raspberry jam she made herself.
Her skills were indeed worthy of someone who wanted to open a coffee house.
Minerva nervously unveiled a dress.
"Ah, there was no black dress among the lady's clothes, so I made one from black fabric for the first time."
When the box was opened and the white silk covering the dress removed, it revealed a black dress that obviously took a lot of effort to make.
"Wow……!"
The dress had an ornate yet conservative style, giving it an oddly antique look.
The most striking part was a black silk ribbon tie with a large oval ruby in the center, immediately catching the eye.
Even the inside of the dress's hem had a red petticoat, so it wasn't entirely black.
And that wasn't all.
A black fur cape, a small handbag with a handle made of black pearls, and black enamel shoes with a single wing on each.
It was a classic dress, harmonizing only in black and red.
"It's so beautiful……."
Everyone lavished praise on Minerva's creation.
Minerva, sneaking a glance around, pulled out another box.
"This one is for the master."
As Lark casually waved his hand, the clothes inside the box floated in mid-air.
It was a fancy black suit, matching Navia's dress.
Lark smirked.
"Not bad."
Margaret and Charlotte clapped their hands in delight.
"Oh my! Both of you wearing these together will look so pretty."
"Exactly!"
Navia imagined herself going out wearing clothes that matched perfectly with Lark.
'Matching outfits are unique unless you're a couple or engaged.'
She would have been envious if she had seen Agnis, Nikan, and Wood, and Vivian wearing similar outfits in Agnus.
Matching clothes were a definite way to show unity.
'I'd like to go out like this.'
But she wouldn't dare venture out if Lark was against it.
Lastly, Lark spoke.
"So, is it my turn now?"
Navia, who had already received a gift from him, was surprised to receive another and her eyes widened.
Snap!
With a flick of his finger, a silver rabbit doll, as tall as Navia's upper body, popped out in mid-air.
The rabbit's eyes were blue topazes, and it wore a blue ribbon around its neck. It was a rabbit doll with a black silk hat and a cane.
Navia couldn't hide her surprise at this overly cute gift.
Frankly… it didn't suit Lark.
"It's so cute."
But she loved it.
"Oh my… There was such a doll in Eseled…"
"Indeed…"
Margaret and Suleiman were just as surprised.
The lord didn't go out. He never asked his servants to buy dolls.
That meant, this doll was either originally here or made by Lark.
'…The lord?'
Lark said.
"It's a magic tool. Minerva made the body."
Then everyone nodded in understanding.
"What kind of magic tool?"
"You'll see."
As Lark flicked his finger, the rabbit's blue eyes sparkled like starlight. Then it moved on its own, taking off the silk hat and bowing politely.
It looked as if something wearing a doll's costume was moving smoothly.
Suleiman, his eyes sparkling, asked.
"Oh, the movement of the doll is very smooth."
"That's because it's a guard doll."
As Lark replied, the rabbit doll demonstrated a thrusting motion with its cane.
Clap Clap Clap!
As everyone applauded the swordplay demonstration, the rabbit doll took off its silk hat again and bowed, returning to its playful demeanor.
"Ha-ha!"
"A knightly rabbit!"
Everyone laughed and enjoyed the moment, then Charlotte said.
"Lady, how about giving the doll a name?"
That reminded her of how Vivian and other noble ladies always named their cherished dolls.
Seeing that, Navia also had pondered once what name she would give to her own beloved doll.
Navia looked at the rabbit doll and said,
"Then... I'll call it Cesare."
Cesare.
It was to be Navia's first attachment doll, a friend.
"From now on, we shall call him Sir Cesare."
"What a splendid name."
Navia, extremely happy and at a loss for what to do, kept checking the gifts and then said,
"Thank you, everyone."
'If only Creed had been here at this joyous occasion.'
Navia felt a pang of regret.
Just then, as if reading Navia's mind, Lark spoke.
"If Creed stops making threatening noises at others, I plan to unchain him. It might happen in a few days."
At those words, Navia couldn't hide her joy.
Lark was about to chide her with a remark but suddenly lifted his gaze.
"Someone's coming?"
"I'll check and be back."
Margaret immediately left the dining room to check the entrance.
Bang bang bang!
Just as Lark said, the sound of someone aggressively knocking on the door reached them.
With a loud bang!
Lark followed suit, and with a flick of his hand, the door swung wide open.
Ricardo, the aspiring wood artisan and packer that Navia was trying to recruit, was visibly startled and looked around hurriedly.
Navia, along with Eseled's retainers, swiftly exited the restaurant and headed towards the place where Ricardo was awkwardly lingering.
Suleiman was the first to acknowledge him.
"Welcome. We've been waiting for your arrival."
Ricardo, taking off his hat, greeted them in a manner that was neither particularly polite nor outright rude.
"Yes... hello. I've come to make the deal as you proposed."
His gaze quickly scanned over Eseled's retainers, finally coming to a halt at Lark.
He thought Erkin was handsome, but what about this dark-skinned man?
'That must be Duke Eseled.'
Lark, meeting Ricardo's gaze, raised his eyebrows sharply.
With a fierce look that seemed to say, "What are you looking at?" Ricardo instinctively sensed that he and this man would either get along well or become sworn enemies.
And then, finally.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ricardo."
His gaze landed on Navia, the very person who had sent him the blueprint for the travel bag.
Ricardo bowed again towards Navia.
"I have seen the blueprint of the bag you sent."
"That's good to hear."
He pointed to the back.
There was a carriage parked there.
"I was a bit late because I was making the bag according to the blueprint. May I bring it out from inside?"
"Of course."
Then, a coachman cloaked in a robe helped to retrieve the travel bags from the baggage carriage.
Since there were so many bags, the servants of Eseled had to help carry them.
Lark, watching the robed coachman intently, said,
"Come inside."
The bags were moved to the reception room on the first floor. Meanwhile, Charlotte had prepared tea and snacks, and the other servants had vacated their places.
Ricardo spoke,
"Shall I explain it to you now?"
A noble who values authority might have been quite displeased to see such an attitude, but Navia was not offended by it.
And there was even less need to speak of Lark.
"Would you do that?"
On the contrary, Ricardo felt uncomfortable that Navia was speaking to him, a commoner, in a high-handed manner.
Ricardo showcased each bag one by one, briefly explaining them.
"This cylindrical one is a hat bag, and this is specialized for fine fabrics like silk or cashmere. There are also shoe bags, and the cosmetic bags have mirrors attached."
Navia didn't just sit and listen to the explanation; she closely approached him and touched the bags herself.
The canvas, well-fed with grass, had a luxurious feel.
"You've even painted them."
"Yes, well..."
All the bags boasted a luxurious brown color, resembling leather.
"It would be great to take orders for paintings on them by hiring an artist in the future. Since it's canvas."
"Creating and attaching name tags would also be a good idea. Wealthy people spend to stand out from others."
Navia smiled slyly.
Ricardo was clearly aware of his target market for the bags.
He hesitated for a moment, as if he saw Navia looking at him with a proud smile, as though she found him impressive.
'...It must be my imagination.'
"Due to time constraints, I was only able to produce enough for a noblewoman to use on a modest trip."
"That's incredibly fast though."
Wasn't he saying that he had made all these bags in just a week? Ricardo shrugged his shoulders.
"The long-distance railway opens on December 1st, so I thought I had to finish them before that."
Navia always admired Ricardo's craftsmanship, but this time she was truly the most satisfied.
"It's perfect."
Just then, the coachman, who hadn’t opened one of the bags yet, placed it on the table and unlocked it.
Click.
Navia looked at the coachman, puzzled.
It seemed he was a coachman and assistant helping Ricardo, but why was he acting on his own?
Soon, her gaze landed on the opened bag.
"Uh...?"
Inside the bag was the secret box that Navia had received from Lark as her first birthday gift.
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