Chapter 1: The Fairies’ Workshop

Anne awoke with a start. It was the middle of the night, and something felt out of place. The small fairy whom she usually hugged to her chest while sleeping was absent.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Anne sat up in bed.

“…Mithril Lid Pod?”

Still half asleep, she looked around her small room on the second floor of the workshop she ran with Keith. The curtain over the window was slightly open, and the bright moonlight of early summer stretched across the floor.

A small shadow by the window was blocking a bit of that light.

Sitting there quietly while holding his knees was Mithril Lid Pod, the fairy born from a droplet of lake water. He was staring out of the window, peering up at the sky with clear blue eyes.

In the moonlight, the edges of his silvery hair looked fuzzy and hazy, like it was dissolving into the glow. The single wing on his back hung limply, colorless and transparent.

Mithril continued gazing fervently at the moon, as if praying. The slight frown on his face unsettled Anne. She had never seen Mithril wear such an expression before.

Anne placed her feet on the floor and got out of bed, but Mithril didn’t seem to notice.

She walked straight across the room, passing the sofa near the entrance. That was where Challe usually slept, but at the moment, there was only a blanket spread out over the cushions—Challe was absent.

It had been about two and a half months since Challe’s brother stones, Lafalle and Erril, had made their escape. Ever since, Challe had taken to patrolling the area around the workshop late at night. Anne had first noticed him slipping quietly out of the room after dark quite some time ago.

Once she was near the window, Anne spoke softly to Mithril, trying not to surprise him.

“What’s the matter, Mithril Lid Pod?”

The fairy blinked a few times, then finally turned to her.

“Ah… Anne? I’m not sure what you mean…”

His response was uncharacteristically evasive.

Anne took a seat near the window and peered down at him.

“Well, you’ve never gotten up in the middle of the night like this before.”

At that, Mithril seemed to return to his usual self. He burst out laughing, then raised his index finger and wagged it scoldingly.

“You really are a child, Anne. You have no idea how far I’ve gone to help you realize your love!”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you noticed Challe Fenn Challe has been wandering around at night?”

“Yeah, I’m aware. But he seemed to be avoiding the subject, so I didn’t say anything.”

“He’s doing that because he doesn’t know how to deal with his secret feelings. He’s walking around to try to let them out!”

“Uh…well… I think you’re…a little off…”

“It’s the truth!” Mithril insisted, standing up and clenching his fists. “So when he gets back to the room tonight, I’m going to advise him to set his secret feelings free. Then I’ll find a good moment to suggest you get the ball rolling, Anne. I’ll cheer you on as I discreetly leave the room. It’s a great plan, don’t you think? Once you’ve done the deed, everything else will fall into place!”

“W-w-w-wait! What in the world are you suggesting?! Is that what you mean by ‘helping me realize my love’?! There’s no guarantee Challe is even harboring those feelings for me!”

“What are you talking about? He’s got secret feelings for days!”

“Who’s got what for days now?”

At the sound of that voice, so low it seemed to chill the air itself, Anne and Mithril simultaneously turned toward the room’s entrance.

A fairy with black eyes and hair was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, glaring at Mithril like he wanted to strangle him—Challe Fenn Challe.

The moonlight filling the area painted the fairy in shades of blue. His skin looked a touch paler than usual, and his long eyelashes cast deep shadows on his cheeks. He made for a stunning sight, cloaked in a bewitching elegance like some otherworldly shade. The single wing at his back, which came down to his knees, was translucent and smooth as silk.

“Challe?! How long have you been there? How much of that did you hear?!”

Anne felt her blood run cold even as she flushed bright red at the thought that Challe might have heard all that talk about love. Challe closed the door behind him and approached the window.

“As soon as I opened the door, I heard this pip-squeak say something about ‘secret feelings.’”

Challe looked down at him coldly, but Mithril puffed out his chest with pride.

“See, I was right.”

“About what?” Challe asked.

“You never heard who I was talking about, and yet when you heard me say ‘secret feelings for days,’ you assumed it was about you, huh? That means you’re aware of it.”

“…I’ll string you up for that.”

“Wait, wait, I never said it was a bad thing! Might as well just set those desires free now and… Waaahh!”

Before Mithril could finish, Challe grabbed the tiny fairy by the scruff of the neck, hoisted him roughly into the air, and flung him onto the bed.

“Mithril Lid Pod!” Anne yelled. “Challe, how could you?! He’s fainted!”

Anne rushed over to the little fairy, who had collapsed unconscious on the bed.

Challe pulled the curtain closed. “All I did was put him to sleep. Don’t go indulging his weird delusions and making a fuss in the middle of the night. You should get some rest, too. We’re moving to Hollyleaf Castle tomorrow, correct?”

“Oh, right. Yes, we are.”

Approximately two and a half months earlier, the Silver Sugar Viscount, Hugh Mercury, had worked tirelessly alongside Anne and the others to secure an arrangement with Reginald Stowe, the representative of the Fairy Merchants Guild. They finally had permission to borrow some of his fairies to train into candy crafters.

Both Anne and Challe had gone through quite a lot to secure the deal, and Hugh himself had sustained an injury and jeopardized his own standing to ensure it went through. But now that things had settled down, and Hugh had recovered from his injuries, he was back to his usual duties.

The preparations for gathering the fairies, assessing their talents, and training them were underway. Anne and the others had selected Hollyleaf Castle as the place where they would bring them.

The castle was close to Lewiston, which boasted the largest fairy market in the kingdom, and it had plenty of space to set up a workshop. At the same time, it was far enough from town to provide a nice, calm environment.

The day before, Anne and Keith had learned that the preparations were largely complete, and so they planned to relocate to Hollyleaf Castle the following day. A day after their move, they would finally bring the fairies from town to the castle.

At Challe’s urging, Anne cradled Mithril in her arms and slipped back into bed.

“…Huh?” With her head resting on the pillow, Anne glanced down at Mithril.

“What’s the matter?” Challe asked.

He came up to the side of the bed, and Anne looked up at him.

“I think Mithril Lid Pod has lost weight.”

“With how much he eats?”

“Yeah. He feels a little lighter than usual.”

“You must be imagining it. Quit worrying and go to sleep.”

“But he was acting a little strange just now…” Once again, Anne felt the unsettling feeling in her chest from earlier.

“Just rest for now.”

Challe knelt by the side of the bed and pulled the thin sheets up to Anne’s neck. Then he placed a light kiss on her shoulder through the blanket.

“Huh?” she gasped.

But Challe straightened up before she could be certain of what had happened.

What was that?

She was positive she had felt his breath through the bedspread and her thin cotton pajamas.

You big dummy! Stupid Anne! You’re letting your imagination get the better of you!

Even if it was only a fantasy, Anne suddenly felt embarrassed about where her mind had gone, and she buried her face in the covers.

“If you’re that worried, ask Mithril Lid Pod about it tomorrow. Now go to sleep,” Challe said quietly. Then he stood up and headed for the couch.

Seems like I’m imagining all sorts of things…

Anne hugged Mithril tightly again, trying to feel his weight as she held him to her breast.

Yeah. I’m probably imagining this, too.

Telling herself that, she closed her eyes.

The following day, Anne, the fairies, and Keith arrived at Hollyleaf Castle as planned.

Anne was in incredibly high spirits as they entered the building. She couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

She went through the doors, ran up the stairs, and flung open the windows. She peeked into every room. While she was looking around, Anne let out little cheers of joy. And after she got her fill of exploring, she came to a halt on the second floor. There, she gazed out one of the windows she had thrown open and heaved a satisfied sigh.

“Incredible. It’s just so lovely.”

Through the arch-shaped window, she took in the distant sight of the royal capital, Lewiston. She could make out the tower of the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell standing against the blue sky; it seemed small enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

This is a good place for a new beginning.

As she gazed at the scenery and said a prayer in her heart, a summery breeze carrying the scent of new growth blew past, ruffling the ends of Anne’s hair.

“Quit running around so much.”

Someone poked the back of her head. Pressing a hand to the spot, Anne turned.

“I can’t help it. The castle is just so amazing,” she said.

Challe was the one who had poked her. Mithril was there, too, sitting quietly on the larger fairy’s shoulder. Mithril seemed to be in his usual spirits, and Anne felt foolish over worrying about him the night before. His big, round, silver eyes shone brightly.

“As far as I’m concerned,” said Mithril, “this place, the Paige Workshop, and the Radcliffe Workshop all look the same.”

“They are not the same!” Anne replied. “Hollyleaf Castle is going to become a fairies’ workshop, you know. That’s amazing!”

Hollyleaf Castle had once belonged to the Chamber family. Then the Millsland family had destroyed it, turning it into a haunted ruin. But now this castle, which had endured so much, was about to enter a new era.

The broken and weathered parts of the building had been restored, and every nook and cranny had been cleaned. The furniture and finishings had all been changed to suit the building’s new purpose, so the interior had a completely different appearance now. It no longer looked like the residence of an aristocrat.

Most of the inside walls on the first floor had been removed. Against one of the remaining ones was a line of large stoves, and there were rows of workbenches laid out in the open space. Buckets, millstones, and shelves were arranged in an orderly fashion throughout the space. In short, the ground floor had become a workplace for making sugar candy.

Each of the rooms on the upper floors now contained two wooden beds. These would serve as the crafters’ living quarters.

The entire castle had been remodeled into a midsized candy crafting workshop, filled with the invigorating aroma of Saint Ellis Nut.

Hollyleaf Castle had once been owned by the state church, and the Paige Workshop had taken out a contract to rent it until that winter. However, Hugh had negotiated with both the Paige Workshop and the church to buy the property and reconstruct it, and he’d enlisted Kat to assist him. Despite complaining furiously about the task, Kat was innately good-natured, and he had given his all to help Hugh.

On top of getting the space ready, Kat had single-handedly undertaken the administrative work needed to gather fairies from the markets and send them back again. Even now, he was in Lewiston meeting with a representative from the fairy market to work out the details of the arrangement.

“I understand why you’re flitting around,” Challe said. “However, we can’t forget about Lafalle. Don’t stray too far from me.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful.” For a moment, Anne’s chest tightened with fear.

“Anne! Did you see?! They even built a silver sugar warehouse out back!” Keith Powell came running up to them from the lesser hall, eyes sparkling. The hem of his fine, knee-length jacket swayed in time with his movements. “It’s got double walls and a raised floor to protect against moisture. It’s quite the thing to behold. Let’s have a look!”

Keith tried to take Anne by the hand and pull her along, but Challe knocked away the young candy crafter’s arm from below.

“Surely there is no need to hold her hand, boy,” Challe said arrogantly.

Keith’s face clouded over. “That was mean, Challe,” he complained.

“Just following your wishes,” Challe replied. “This is what you wanted, right?”

“Yes, I did ask you to act on your feelings. But that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”

“A promise is a promise.”

Although the two appeared to be arguing, in reality, they were far more relaxed with each other than they had been before. Something about that made Anne happy. It was like they were all becoming one big family.

“You two are sure getting along well.” Anne grinned.

Keith’s eyes went wide. Uncharacteristically, Challe sounded tired as he grumbled, “Thanks to the influence of a certain someone.”

Upon hearing this, Mithril scratched his head bashfully. “Aw, shucks. You mean me? I haven’t done anything you need to thank me for… Hang on a sec. Did I do something?”

“…How does your brain even work…?” Challe pressed a hand to his forehead.

Keith laughed out loud. “I think you’re going to live a long life, Mithril Lid Pod!”

“You’ve got that right! The great Mithril Lid Pod is going to outlive Challe Fenn Challe!” Mithril puffed out his chest in pride. He looked so funny that Anne started laughing, too.

“You people… You’re really havin’ a good time in here, huh…?” A man’s low, belligerent voice startled everyone.

Kat, also known as the Silver Sugar Master Alph Hingley, was staggering down the corridor toward them. Evidently, he had returned from his trip to the fairy market in Lewiston.

Kat was dressed in a stylish shirt, well-cut trousers, and a well-tailored jacket with intricate embroidery adorning the collar and cuffs. In contrast to his gorgeous clothes, there were dark circles clearly visible under his eyes, and he looked dead tired from all his efforts. The green-haired fairy Benjamin, who was riding on Kat’s shoulder, wore his usual buoyant smile. Unlike his master, the little fairy’s cheeks were rosy and full of color.

“Everyone made it! Hooray!” Benjamin waved at them, his face glowing. “I can’t wait for things to get busy tomorrow.”

“Have you been slacking off around here, Mr. Kat? You should try getting some work done.” Challe had nothing but scorn for the man.

“What, you want me to die or somethin’?! I’ve been at that dim-witted bastard’s beck an’ call for two an’ a half months! Hardly slept a wink! This is my first half day off in forever, and it’s gonna get stupid busy again tomorrow! So don’t you go around stickin’ a ‘mister’ on my nickname!”

Even Kat’s shouting showed a concerning lack of vigor.

“Kat, I think you’d better get some rest right away,” Anne said.

Kat groaned. “I’ll do that. I’ll rest, all right… But make sure you wake me up for dinner. Hear that, Powell? Make sure you get me up. Don’t you dare forget. Otherwise, I’ll sock ya one.”

Kat directed these last, insistent words at Keith, then he staggered off toward his room.

“Kat must be starving.” Anne cocked her head quizzically.

Keith put on a strained smile. “Despite how he looks, Mr. Hingley seems to have a sweet tooth. Someone said there will be walnut cake after dinner, so I bet he doesn’t want to miss out.”

“There’s cake?! Why?!”

“Anne, aren’t you forgetting something important? Today is your birthday, right?”

“Ah. Oh… Now that you mention it!”

She had completely forgotten. In this pleasant season, before the real heat of summer set in, Anne turned one year older. She was seventeen today.

“Challe and Mithril told me a little while ago. We tried to make tonight’s dinner extra fancy and picked up some nice ingredients.”

“You did?”

She looked at each of their faces in turn. Keith smiled, and Challe nodded. Somewhat embarrassed, Anne expressed her gratitude in a quiet voice.

“…Thank you.”

Mithril stood up, sprang over to Keith’s shoulder, and pounded his chest. “I’ll put all my cooking skills on display, so you better look forward to it! Keith and I are going to get started on dinner now! Let’s go, Keith.”

Keith smiled, but he looked rather disappointed. “I wanted to check out the storehouse with you, Anne, but we’ll have to save that for later. Looks like dinner comes first.”

With that, Keith and Mithril headed downstairs.

Aside from the walnut cake, that night’s dinner wasn’t especially extravagant.

They had potato soup and sautéed potatoes, grilled chicken with herbs, a deliciously fragrant herb salad, and dark bread with herb-infused oil. Keith and Mithril had worked hard to devise many different dishes out of few ingredients.

Ostensibly, this was Anne’s birthday celebration, but at the same time, everyone was full of excitement over the start of work the following day.

Until she turned fifteen, Anne had celebrated her birthdays alone with her mother, Emma. Her mother would light a small bonfire or sometimes a single candle, and they would sit on either side of it as she wished Anne a happy birthday. It was always just the two of them, but they had quietly filled their little corner of the world with shared happiness.

And now her mother, with whom she had shared that joy, was gone. But in her place, Anne had Challe and Mithril.

Last year, the three of them had slept around a campfire, and when Anne woke up the following morning, she’d found that Challe had put small flowers in her hair. Mithril, meanwhile, had sneaked into the cargo hold of her wagon and used some silver sugar to make an eerie copy of Anne’s face. It was a bizarre gift, but she had been happy to receive it. The two fairies had kept her from feeling like she was alone, which was a relief and a blessing.

And this year, she not only had Challe and Mithril but also Keith, Kat, and Benjamin.

How strange.

Anne drank a little wine. As she sat there in comfort, gazing absentmindedly at the fairies and humans enjoying a pleasant meal together, her chest swelled with happiness.

When you divide a loaf of bread among many people, everyone ends up with a small piece. Yet the more people you share happiness with, the greater everyone’s portion becomes.

It was a mysterious and joyful phenomenon.

Mithril indulged in far too much wine, and by the end of their meal, he was completely sloshed. Everyone was fairly exhausted, and soon they all slipped off to bed, helped along by the alcohol.

Anne was just tipsy enough to feel floaty, but she couldn’t sleep. When she thought about the following day’s work, all feelings of drowsiness left her.

She went out into the garden to sober up. In the light of the half-moon, every blade of grass cast a deep shadow on the ground. The cool, summery night breeze brushed gently against the lace at the hem and collar of her white cotton nightdress. The strong scent of greenery told her the vegetation was growing fast.

Fifteen fairies will be coming here tomorrow.

Starting the next day, and every seven days after, fifteen new fairies would arrive at Hollyleaf Castle.

Those fifteen fairies would spend a week doing tasks related to sugar candy, and Anne and the others would evaluate their talents as they worked.

After seven days, Hugh would purchase the wings of any fairies who showed promise. He would take responsibility for them, and they would remain at the castle and undergo training as candy crafter apprentices. The fairies without a talent for candy crafting would be sent back to the fairy market.

Then a new batch of fifteen fairies would be brought in. By Kat’s calculations, if they continued this process, they would be able to assess the talents of every fairy at the Lewiston market in about a year.

But when Anne thought about it, her heart ached.

The path to becoming a silver sugar fairy would open up for those fairies with talent, and Hugh had said he would eventually return their wings, enabling them to live and work freely as candy crafters. But on the other hand, those without talent would be forced to return to the fairy market.

That seemed incredibly cruel, and the happiness Anne felt now only made it seem all the more heartbreaking.

But we all knew that when we decided on this plan.

That included Hugh, Kat, and Keith, too. Even Challe had been willing to accept the risk of identifying himself as the fairy king in order to ensure that his people had the chance to learn the skills of their forebears. It wouldn’t do for Anne to be the only one hesitating.

“I thought I told you not to go wandering off on your own.”

Suddenly, there was a voice from behind her, and Anne jumped in surprise.

“Challe! Why do you always sneak up on me?!”

The fairy walked over to her from the front porch.

“I was hardly sneaking. You were just staring into space and didn’t notice me. What possessed you to go out in the middle of the night in a stupor? It’s like you completely forgot my warning. Are you the same old scarecrow brain, even at seventeen?”

“S-sorry. I guess I haven’t really matured at all…”

Anne was at a loss for words and shrank away. At this, Challe stood directly in front of her and chuckled. Anne thought it strange, and raised her head to face him.

“No. You’ve changed a bit,” Challe said. “You’re pretty now.”

“What did you just say?!”

Anne’s eyes bulged in shock, and Challe placed one hand on her cheek.

“I said you’re pretty now.”

His words stunned her. Under the gaze of his lustrous black eyes, she felt her cheeks grow hot.

“You’re on the road to becoming a beautiful woman,” Challe said, perfectly serious. “Say, what would you like for your birthday present? Would a kiss suffice?”

“Uh… Uhhhh. Um…well, you…don’t usually choose your present? What I mean is, that’s what makes it a present, so…”

When she faltered, Challe grinned broadly. He brought his lips close to her ear and whispered conspiratorially.

“Just kidding.”

“…………Huh?”

Challe removed his hand from Anne’s cheek and quickly turned around. “We’re going back inside the castle. Come on.”

That was all he said before briskly walking away. Anne felt the strength leave her body; this was the first time in a while she’d been so thoroughly teased.

“Ha-ha… A joke. Of course it was.”

Unsteadily, she followed Challe. Right as she was about to step onto the porch, however, Anne suddenly glanced toward the second floor of the west wing of the castle. In one of the windows, she thought she saw a small figure with silvery hair.

“Huh? Was that Mithril Lid Pod? I think I just saw him in one of the hallway windows.”

Anne pointed, and Challe turned around, perplexed.

“Wasn’t he dead-drunk and snoring away in bed?”

“He was, yes. But for a moment…”

Puzzling over this, Anne headed into the castle and went straight up to her room, eager to call it a night.

Exactly as Challe had said, Mithril was there, sleeping in a ball in the center of Anne’s bed. But he wasn’t snoring, as he always did when he was drunk.

Is he pretending to be asleep?

Mithril had indulged in a considerable amount of wine, so he must have been comfortably drunk. If he was still sober and not sleeping after having so much to drink, she figured there must be some special reason for it.

Anne began to worry.

“Mithril Lid Pod?”

She called his name softly but received no answer.

Maybe he really is sleeping. Was it just my imagination after all?

Mithril was curled up in a ball, seemingly unconscious. His body looked a bit smaller than usual, but that was probably her mind playing tricks on her.

The following day, Anne was a bundle of nerves from the moment she opened her eyes. Keith seemed to be the same way, and Anne could sense he was bracing himself beneath his usual smile.

The two of them stood on the front porch of Hollyleaf Castle, waiting for the fairies to arrive.

The small flowering plants that covered the garden seemed to be reaching energetically toward the bright summer sunlight. It was warm enough that Anne would get sweaty if she started moving around in the sun, but while she was under the roof of the porch, the breeze had a pleasant coolness to it.

Just then, Anne felt someone watching her. She looked up and locked gazes with Challe, who was opening a window on the second floor of the west wing.

Mithril was hungover and had not left the bed, so Challe had stayed on the second floor to tend to him.

With a gesture, Anne asked, “How is Mithril doing?” Challe shrugged like he was fed up, then he seemed to notice something and glanced toward the other side of the garden.

Anne followed his lead and turned toward the road heading down the hill from the front garden. She was just able to hear the sounds of wagon wheels creaking and horse hooves beating the ground.

“They’re here?” she asked aloud.

Beside her, Keith turned and nodded. “Yeah. Probably.”

First, a small two-person wagon with Kat at the helm pulled in front of the castle. It was followed closely by another larger wagon, which slowly trundled into the sun-drenched yard. There were quite a few fairies riding in its boxy bed, so it was moving at a leisurely pace.

Kat had gotten up before dawn and headed for the fairy market in Lewiston to fetch the fairies.

As he left, five men who did administrative work at the Silver Sugar Viscount’s castle had arrived at Hollyleaf. They had been dispatched to do all sorts of work, such as assigning the fairies’ living quarters, arranging for cooks to prepare their meals, and performing the various administrative tasks necessary to maintain daily operations.

It won’t be long before Challe and Lulu’s wish starts coming true.

Kat pulled his wagon up next to the porch and jumped down from the driver’s seat. As he hurried up to Anne and Keith, he wore a bitter expression.

“Sorry for the wait. Had a bit of a hard time.”

“A hard time? What happened?” Anne asked.

“You’ll see once they get out,” Kat answered sullenly.

The driver of the large wagon deftly parked the vehicle alongside the porch. Kat went down the steps, walked around to the back of the large wagon, and knocked on the double doors of the cargo hold.

“Everyone, we’re here.”

The doors opened as Kat took a step back, and a single fairy dressed in trousers, a vest, and boots quickly descended.

The fairy put his hands on his hips and threw out his chest, glancing around at his surroundings with an arrogant expression. He was a little shorter than Challe, but he had quite the presence, with his dignified features, robust shoulders, and thick, manly eyebrows.

Anne’s eye was immediately drawn to the fairy’s striking indigo hair. His locks, short but sticking out in all directions, were such a dark shade of blue that they almost looked black. But when the light passed through them, she could see they were actually a deep, glistening navy. The single wing on the fairy’s back was also an intense shade of indigo. Anne had never seen a wing with such a vivid hue. The fairy’s eyes were crimson, which gave them an intimidating quality. His red and blue coloring perfectly complemented his face.

Following him, a stream of fairies left the cargo hold. There were men and women both, of all different sizes. Some were as small as Mithril, while others were as large as an average human.

The fairy with the indigo hair looked at Kat, Anne, and Keith in turn, as if challenging them. The other fairies seemed to follow his lead, assembling loosely behind him. They were obviously on guard.

Anne was sure Kat had told the fairies why he was gathering them, but it was no surprise they were still nervous.

She smiled, trying to reassure them as best she could.

“Hello there. I’m Anne Halford, a candy crafter. I welcome you all to Hollyleaf Castle. For the next seven days, we will make sugar candy here together, so I hope we can get along.”

Next, Keith introduced himself, wearing his usual gentle smile.

“I’m Keith Powell. I’m a candy crafter, too. Nice to meet you.”

However, the fairies just stared at the two of them and didn’t move. Only the fairy with the indigo hair reacted—by snorting dismissively.

I expected it would take some time before we all got along, but…what a dreadful reception.

Her palms began to sweat. She wished Challe was with her. If he was here, the other fairies might lower their guard a bit.

“For now, let’s all go inside. Some people in the castle will show you where you’ll be sleeping.”

Anne stepped aside and dramatically opened the front doors. At that, the fairies finally started walking forward, with the indigo fairy in front. He was the first to climb the stone steps and set foot on the porch. But just as he was about to pass Anne, she remembered something.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Would each of you please tell us your name?” she asked, looking at the indigo fairy.

He came to a halt, raised an eyebrow, and glared at her with contempt. “Aren’t you people going to name us yourselves?” His reply was brusque, but his voice was clear and bright.

“We’re not going to do anything like that here. Please tell us your real names. I told you mine, right? So I’d like it if all of you—”

“Allele Cil May.”

Before Anne had finished speaking, the indigo fairy rattled off his name and slipped through the door. Following his lead, the other fairies also curtly gave their names, many of them sounding frightened or listless, before entering the castle.

Not a single one of them looked at Anne. They were all lacking in spirit. They didn’t seem to even notice the refreshing early summer breeze.

Inside the building, the men Hugh had sent were waiting to show the fairies around and took them to their respective rooms.

Still grimacing, Kat approached Anne and Keith. He stood on the porch and watched as the fairies sluggishly ascended the stairs, then clicked his tongue.

“They’ve been like that ever since we left the market.”

“You explained things to them, right, Mr. Hingley?” Keith asked.

Kat nodded, “At least five times. But no matter how many times I went over it, all they said was, ‘Oh, really?’”

Keith frowned.

Why?

Anxiety welled up in Anne’s mind.

She and the other candy crafters were going to teach the fairies special techniques developed by their own kind. She’d assumed they would approve of this as welcome news and something to be proud of, just as Lulu and Challe had. And yet she didn’t sense the slightest bit of joy from the fairies.

The one with indigo hair, Allele Cil May, had glanced at Anne as he passed and their eyes had met. But a moment later, he’d averted his gaze and continued up the stairs.

I suppose it’s only natural.

Challe watched how the fairies behaved as they entered the castle, then leaned back against the wall next to the window, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed.

This group of humans was asking them to study candy making techniques originally developed by fairies. It only made sense that they would be skeptical at first and suspect that the humans were lying.

The fairies were on guard, certain there must be something underhanded and cruel at play. Considering how he’d felt when he first met Anne, Challe knew it would take time for the fairies to warm up to the idea.

From the lesser hall, the sounds of approaching footsteps echoed in the passageway where Challe was standing. Looking in the direction of the noise, he caught sight of the group of fairies who had just come in. In front was the fairy with indigo hair. Based on his intense coloration, Challe imagined he had a headstrong nature.

As soon as the indigo fairy noticed Challe, a look of surprise came to his face, and he rushed over.

“Hey! Were there any fairies brought here before us?” he asked, raising his hand and speaking casually.

He seemed stubborn but was probably the trustworthy sort, frank and friendly to those of his own kind. His smile was cheerful, and his voice carried well. He was the type whom others naturally gravitated toward.

“You all are the first,” Challe replied. “I’ve heard the crafters will be gathering fairies here every week from now on, but I am not involved in that. Besides me, there are two other fairies here: a water droplet and a pebble.”

The other fairy nodded like he wasn’t surprised to hear this.

“I can tell by your appearance that you’re no laborer. I’m Allele Cil May. Good to meet you. What do you do? I bet you’re a fighter. Are you the humans’ bodyguard?”

“Something like that. I’m Challe Fenn Challe.”

One of the other fairies spoke up timidly from behind Allele. “Allele, what do we do?”

“They told us to check our beds, so I guess we can go do that first.”

Although the fairies seemed curious about Challe, they split up and headed for their assigned quarters.

The rooms on the second and third floors of the west and east wings had been outfitted with bunk beds wherever possible. Each of the fairies had been given one of those beds.

After making sure all his comrades had dispersed, Allele lowered his voice. “You look like a capable fellow, Challe.”

“And?”

“I’ve got a request.”

Challe frowned intently, and Allele lowered his voice even more.

“It looks like surveillance is pretty lax here. We’ve been ordered to work for seven days. This is the perfect chance. The man who represents the Lewiston fairy market is holding our wings. If you get even a little freedom of movement, you can take advantage of it to go to Lewiston and take them back. That would free us from bondage. And then we could attack whoever has your wing. The bunch who came here with me aren’t all that strong, but if we act as a group, we can make it work.”

Challe sighed. Allele’s proposal wasn’t surprising. He was not here of his own free will, after all. So long as there were slaves and slavers, fairies and humans could never see eye to eye.

While this was true, the reality was that Challe could not make such a promise. Anne and the other humans were only borrowing them from the fairy dealers.

“I understand your feelings, but I can’t entertain that request.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t you have any interest in working with these humans?”

Challe glanced up, trying to gauge Allele’s attitude. Just as he’d expected, the other fairy had furrowed his brows.

“By ‘these humans,’ do you mean the ones here? What are you talking about, pal?”

“Learning candy making techniques developed by fairies will allow you to improve our kind’s future. If you trust these humans and put in the work, things could change for us. You could become a candy crafter…a silver sugar fairy.”

“And what happens then? One of the humans told us that we might get our wings back once we become candy crafters, but can we really trust them? In the end, we’ll just be slaves who make sugar candy. Nothing will change. Listen to yourself—how can you be so naive?”

Challe smiled bitterly. “It sounds far-fetched, to be sure. Even I don’t quite believe what I’m saying.”

The men Hugh had sent passed through the lesser hall and appeared in the corridor. They stood in the doorways of the fairies’ quarters and shouted, “Once you’ve found your beds, assemble in the front hall on the first floor. It’s time to start working.”

Allele spoke quietly and quickly. “Whatever else happens, our first priority should be freeing ourselves. Think my request over, would you?”

With those words, he departed.

Right now, these fairies still aren’t capable of understanding our intentions—those of Anne and the humans, and those of Lulu and myself.

The silver sugar fairy’s techniques were no longer secret, and the human king had decreed that more silver sugar fairies would be trained. A door had opened to them. Yet the fairies were still cowering at the entrance.

But that was because the very humans who had opened the door still held the fairies’ wings. They were willing to use force to keep these fairies in bondage. Anne and the others weren’t holding their wings by choice, of course. But given the risk of the fairies deserting, there was nothing else they could do.

Though both sides wished for change, they were still frozen in place, unable to move.

After familiarizing the fairies with their sleeping arrangements, Anne and the others had them assemble in the workshop on the first floor.

“Looks like they’re all here,” said Keith. “Well, for now anyway.” He looked both relieved and apprehensive.

Anne frowned. “It really does feel…tentative, huh?”

“The actual work starts now.” Kat crossed his arms and grunted sullenly as Benjamin, sitting on his shoulder, idly dozed away.

The three of them, standing face-to-face in the entrance hall, looked toward the workroom almost simultaneously. They knew there were fifteen fairies inside, but the space was as quiet as if it was deserted.

“We’d better get started.”

As Kat unfolded his arms and started to walk off, the front doors creaked open behind him.

“There was a big wagon outside. Does that mean the fairies are here?” someone asked.

The three crafters turned around to find the Silver Sugar Viscount, Hugh Mercury, stepping leisurely into the hall. He was wearing a plain brown jacket, which meant he wasn’t there on official business. As always, a young man with tanned skin stood behind him—his bodyguard, Salim.

“It’s awfully quiet, though. Where are they?”

Looking around, Hugh approached the three crafters.

Kat furrowed his brow. “The hell’d you come here for?”

“To say hello, Kat. This whole enterprise with the silver sugar fairies is financed with money set aside by His Majesty’s decree, and I’m in charge of managing it. It only makes sense for me to come see how things are starting out, yes?”

“Ah, I forgot. Yer the one holdin’ our reins, huh?”

Paying no attention to Kat’s disagreeable attitude, Hugh smiled at Anne and Keith.

“How are things going?” he asked. “Is everything all right?”

“The arrangements are proceeding as planned,” Keith answered.

Hugh’s eyes flashed at the obvious implication. “Oh, are they now?”

He didn’t question Keith any further, however.

“Well, make sure you do everything properly,” he said, grinning. “We don’t want to put on a poor show. The plan right now is for some fellows from the Mercury Workshop and the Radcliffe Workshop to come and observe the fairies’ progress after two months.”

“Observe?”

Anne repeated the word without thinking, and Hugh shrugged.

“Killean came crying to me, and Master Radcliffe turned to threats. Right now, the Paige Workshop is the only one following the king’s order. In the other two factions, the crafters are still strongly opposed to allowing fairies. The leaders of both requested that we let their principle crafters see how the fairies handle the work.”

“Why do they want that?” Anne’s eyes were wide.

Kat answered, “Probably ’cause the crafters don’t think fairies are fit for making sugar candy.”

“Exactly,” said Hugh. “In order to convince the other crafters, we have to show them that the fairies are capable. Even a stubborn crafter is still an artist. If we show them what the fairies can do, it will force them to recognize their potential for making sugar candy.” Hugh brushed back his wild brown hair with both hands, sounding annoyed. Then his lips curled into a sadistic smile. “Of course, if the fairies are incompetent, it will give the crafters a reason to oppose their inclusion.”

Anne was startled.

Hugh had said all that like it was nothing, but if true, then the observation day would be very important indeed.

Anne and the others had gathered the fairies in the hopes that they would each join one of the workshops, train there, and start careers as candy crafters. She couldn’t bear to think about what might happen if the fairies couldn’t join those workshops.

“Don’t you worry. Any fairy with talent should suffice. All you guys have to do is teach them enough to impress those crafters when they visit in two months.”

Both Keith and Kat grimaced, but that was to be expected. Hugh had basically told them that the fairies’ futures depended on how well the three of them did their jobs. It was cruel of Hugh to break the news so casually, given the seriousness of the situation.

“We only have two months?” asked Anne.

“I think you mean you have two whole months. That’s more than enough time, right?” Unruffled, Hugh gave his answer, then jerked his chin in Kat’s direction. “Now then, I need to perform a detailed inspection. Show me the records for all the fairies you’ve borrowed and the schedule you’ve made for them. Oh, and I’ll need to see all the documents related to your contracts with the fairy dealers.”

“You really know how to piss me off. C’mon, jerk. The papers are upstairs.” As Kat spoke, he gave Anne and Keith a stern look. “You heard the man. I’ve gotta show this dim-witted bastard our books. Don’t just stand there daydreamin’!”

Startled, Anne answered in a panic, “Ah, right!”

Keith’s face stiffened. “Understood. We’ll get started now.”

Kat went upstairs, and Hugh followed. But Salim, who always trailed after Hugh like his shadow, paused when he passed in front of Anne.

“Anne, have there been any signs of Lafalle and the other one after what happened?”

Salim was expressionless as always, but Anne could tell he was concerned.

“No, but thanks for asking. There hasn’t been anything. And Challe’s with me, so I’m all right.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to know he’s with you, but be careful… Is he…treating you kindly?”

“He’s the same as always. He pokes me in the head and calls me scarecrow-brained.”

“That’s a relief to hear.”

As Anne wondered what was so relieving about that, Salim broke into a smile and followed Hugh up the stairs.

Watching them go, Keith placed a hand on Anne’s shoulder. “We should get going, too, Anne. Kat’s right—we don’t have time to stand around daydreaming.”

She bit her lip, raised her head, and headed toward the workroom.

As soon as she and Keith entered, all fifteen fairies turned toward them at once.

Their eyes…are so cold.

Keith stood at Anne’s side and gave her a meaningful look, signaling to her that she should start.

Although the two were roughly equal in ability, Anne was a Silver Sugar Master, while Keith was not. It was Anne’s duty to give the opening remarks and get the fairies on the same page.

I’ve got to make them understand.

Anne repeated this to herself over and over. She moved slowly, trying her best to keep calm, and came to stand before the fairies.

“Once again, my name is Anne Halford. This is Keith. We’re looking forward to working with you. I’m sure you’ve already heard, but we would like you to make sugar candy over the next seven days. We’re asking you all to learn candy making techniques developed by other fairies in the past.”

She knew it was inevitable the fairies would feel anxious. In an ideal world, she would have preferred to spend several days slowly getting to know them before getting to work.

But they didn’t have that kind of time. The fairy dealers were adamant about loaning the fairies for no longer than seven days. During that period, the crafters would have to fully evaluate the fairies’ talent.

Anne continued, “Fairies who make sugar candy are called silver sugar fairies. A little while ago, I had the chance to meet a silver sugar fairy named Lulu, who served the fairy king five hundred years ago. She was hidden away in the royal castle in Lewiston until recently, and she wishes for her techniques to be passed down to others of her kind. Lulu is really incredible, you know. She taught me and Keith, as well as the Silver Sugar Viscount.”

The fifteen fairies were standing by the stoves. They all shot furtive glances at one another upon hearing about silver sugar fairies for the first time and learning that a fairy had taught Anne and the others.

“We crafters and the Viscount believe that silver sugar fairies like Lulu are responsible for endowing silver sugar candy with its amazing properties. His Majesty, King Edmond the Second, agrees. That’s why he issued the order to train more silver sugar fairies, and why we were able to bring you all here.”

The fairies stared at Anne, their faces blank. She wasn’t sure if they were even listening, but she forced herself to continue.

“I am hoping that at least some of you will become silver sugar fairies. Those of you who show interest and aptitude for candy making will be asked to remain here under the authority of the Silver Sugar Viscount and begin training as candy crafting apprentices. Once you are recognized as a candy crafter, the Viscount has promised to return your wings and let you work independently. Um…is that okay with you all? Is there anyone who doesn’t want to do this?”

None of the fairies reacted.

Anne visibly deflated at the frosty reception. Keith must have picked up on Anne’s feelings, as he quickly stepped in front of her and addressed the group with a smile.

“Behind you are workbenches. Please spread out, three to a bench, and then we’ll distribute the silver sugar. Once you have the material, we’ll work alongside you at the benches. Please knead the silver sugar as we do. Go on, split up.”

At the sound of Keith’s voice, the fairies finally moved.

“Thank you,” Anne said with a sigh of relief.

Keith smiled and patted her on the back. “This is my job too. I’ve got to do my part.”

Anne was grateful to be working with someone who appreciated her and was so ready to help. She could always count on Keith.

The two of them split up, each moving to a workbench. Anne approached the one where the indigo fairy called Allele was standing. His face was blank, just like the others’.

“Let’s begin.”

Anne smiled at the fairies, but they only nodded and looked confused. Allele pretended he hadn’t heard her.

Ah… This doesn’t bode well. She sighed internally.

At Keith’s cue, the Silver Sugar Viscount’s men placed stone bowls full of silver sugar in front of the fairies.

Their eyes twinkled when they saw the small mounds of silver sugar in the bowls. It was slight, but Anne could see joy in their eyes. The smell and color of silver sugar probably stirred something deep within them.

Keith gave Anne a signal with his eyes.

Anne straightened up again and spoke as cheerfully as she could manage.

“Near each of you, there should be a stone cup. Use that to get cold water from the barrel next to your workbench. Then mix the water into the silver sugar bit by bit and begin kneading it.”

As she spoke, she lifted the cup closest to her, then used it to scoop some water from the nearby barrel. Gradually, she mixed the water into her silver sugar. She moved her hands slowly so that the fairies could get a good look at what she was doing.

She made a small hollow in the center of the pile of sugar in her stone bowl. Then she poured in a small amount of water and covered the water with more sugar. After repeating that process two or three times, the sugar started to form crumbly clusters.

Next, she added more water and incorporated it all in one go. As she did, the silver sugar under her palms became smooth and uniform.

“If anyone can’t see from where they are, feel free to move closer to either me or Keith to watch us work.”

The fairies finally picked up their cups and began to move. They scooped up the cold water and added it to their sugar.

As Anne kneaded her sugar dough, she kept an eye on the fairies at her workbench and the other benches around her.

They looked hesitant and confused, but even so, they each began to knead their sugar.

As I thought, there’s something different about the way they work.

At first, the fairies’ movements were awkward and uncertain. But as they continued to work with the silver sugar, they started squeezing it tightly, using the right gestures and level of force to turn it into dough. In a matter of minutes, their work began to resemble that of experienced crafters.

Allele, who was at the same work bench as Anne, seemed to be adding his cold water carelessly, but his silver sugar quickly evened out into a uniform texture. Once his silver sugar came together, he added another dash of cold water and kneaded it vigorously another two or three times. As he did, the silver sugar took on a smooth, glossy luster. His hands, which were larger than the other fairies’, moved with surprising delicacy.

Hugh had been right; the fairies with potential would surely acquire a considerable level of skill in only two short months.

Unconsciously, Anne stopped kneading as she watched Allele work.

It seems lots of fairies have the talent to become a silver sugar fairies.

Some of these fairies could become master crafters. That was no idle dream.

But just then, Allele stopped working and looked at Anne. The other fairies did the same and all looked toward Anne and Keith.

Huh? What?

The fairies had gone still, as if waiting for something. Anne didn’t understand what was happening and stared at Keith for help. But Keith seemed just as confused, unsure why the fairies had stopped.

No one was moving, and no one was saying anything. After a few moments, Allele spoke up, sounding irritated.

“We kneaded it.”

“Huh?”

“We followed your orders and kneaded the silver sugar. And now? What should we do?”

“Huh? Um, we’d like you to knead it for a little while longer.”

“For how long?”

In his loud, rich voice, Allele asked Anne a rapid series of questions. They sounded accusatory. She felt like she was being barked at by a large dog.

“We’d like you to knead the dough until it gets glossier and more beautiful, but…”

“Mine is already glossy and beautiful.”

The silver sugar in Allele’s hands had come together wonderfully in a short amount of time. It had a nice luster to it, but he needed to distribute the glossiness more evenly throughout the sugar dough.

“It’s got to be even more striking,” Anne insisted.

“I don’t understand what you mean. You humans need to make that decision and tell us what to do. Either order us to continue kneading or let us know we can stop.”

Anne unconsciously glanced over at Keith.

In order to ascertain the fairies’ aptitude, she and Keith needed to look not only at how they handled the silver sugar, but also at their ability to determine on their own what the silver sugar needed. That included evaluating when to stop kneading and what was necessary to bring out the sugar’s luster. Anne and Keith needed to see if the fairies could make such intuitive judgments, and how creative and enthusiastic they were about applying themselves to the task.

If they simply ordered the fairies to do everything, then they would just be forcing them to work. In that case, the only thing they would learn was how dexterous the fairies’ fingers were.

However, Anne realized something important from the fairies’ cold stares.

If we keep going like this, we’ll only be ordering the fairies to do work.

She saw how naive her expectations had been, and a hard knot formed in the pit of her stomach.

She wondered what they should do. At the very least, she knew they couldn’t keep going like this.

“Keith, listen, why don’t we stop here for today? Everyone just got here, and they’re not used to this place yet.”

Keith gave a stern nod. “Good point… Maybe we need some time to think. You and me, I mean.”

These fairies had the potential to acquire impressive skills in only two months. However, whether they would do so was a completely different matter.

Anne finally understood the true meaning behind Hugh’s smirk. He must have predicted they would run into this problem, but kept that knowledge to himself. She respected and trusted Hugh, and yet…

He’s so mean…

No wonder Kat hated him. In fact, she was beginning to understand how he felt.

Chapter 2: A Second Mistake

After dinner that night, Mithril Lid Pod—who had finally recovered from his hangover—threw a fit when Anne told him how work with the fairies had gone, shouting, “Don’t those guys have any gumption?!”

The evening meal had been served at a long table in the lesser hall on the second floor, with the humans and fairies all together. However, no one had spoken, and only the faint noises of silverware scraping against dishes had filled the room.

The atmosphere had been dire.

Mithril had initially sat down in high spirits, excited to have so many fellow fairies gathered in one place. He had called out cheerfully to those around him, “Hi there, nice to meet you,” but upon receiving an utterly frigid reception, he quickly fell silent.

After dinner was over, the new fairies all went back to their rooms.

Meanwhile, Anne, Keith, and Kat, as well as Challe, Mithril, and Benjamin, moved to the workshop on the first floor to think about how to handle things going forward.

The three candy crafters pulled over some stools and gathered around a single workbench. When Anne and Keith told the others how things had gone that day, Mithril grew indignant.

Mithril struck a daunting pose atop the bench, ranting energetically. “You oughtta fire ’em all! I’ll become an amazing silver sugar fairy in their place—I’m worth a hundred of those guys!”

“Would you be so excited to work if you were plucked fresh from the fairy market and ordered to train as a candy crafter? Think about it,” Challe asked indifferently. He was leaning against a nearby wall. “Besides, I hardly need to say this, but the idea of you becoming a silver sugar fairy is absurd.”

“What’s so impossible about it?! I’ll show you my skills! Hey, Benjamin, help me out here.”

Mithril leaped nimbly down from the workbench, squared up his shoulders, and headed for one of the barrels where the silver sugar was stored.

Benjamin, who’d been dozing atop Kat’s shoulder, answered with a “fwahh” that was more yawn than reply, then sluggishly descended from his spot.

Kat folded his arms thoughtfully and frowned. “It’s like Challe says. But we’ve gotta get those fairies motivated somehow, or else, what are we doin’ here? That dim-witted bastard told us we gotta make somethin’ of ’em in two months, then headed home with a grin on his face.”

“Why are they all so uninterested, do you think?” Anne asked.

“They said that even if they become silver sugar fairies, they’ll just be candy-making slaves in the end,” said Challe.

“Mr. Hingley,” said Keith, “you did explain to them they’ll be able to get their wings back once they are recognized as candy crafters, right?”

Kat furrowed his brow even more. “Sure did. That’s the biggest merit for them. But they don’t believe me. You saw how sour they were.”

For the seven days the fairies were on loan, the fairy dealers would retain custody of their wings. The Silver Sugar Viscount had arranged to purchase, at a special discounted price, the wings of any fairies who showed talent. He would take responsibility for those fairies, and they would train as candy crafters at Hollyleaf Castle.

But even if they showed talent, the Silver Sugar Viscount would still hold on to their wings for a while longer. As one might expect, Hugh was anxious about giving their wings back right away. It was possible the fairies would flee without completing their training, and if that happened, not only would the plan stall, but it would also be a huge waste of money. Before long, the entire enterprise would collapse.

However, Hugh had promised to consider returning their wings if and when they learned the trade and agreed to earnestly live and work as candy crafters. He even claimed that was his goal.

They intended for the fairies to choose the vocation of candy crafter of their own volition and practice their trade in the workshops just like humans. That was what Anne had envisioned when she’d met Lulu. It was also the ideal outcome for the candy crafting workshops.

But when it came down to it, fairies did not trust humans.

“It won’t matter how many promises we make,” said Anne.

The humans had created this situation, and there was nothing they could say to win back the fairies’ trust.

“But wait, if a human’s promise is no good, then how about a fairy’s?”

Anne asked this aloud to no one in particular, and someone cracked up behind her.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Mithril was up on the workbench, cackling with his hands on his hips. Then he gave a big thumbs-up to Anne, Keith, and Kat.

“Great idea, Anne! It’s our time to shine! Basically, we just need to show them there are already fairies cooperating with you of their own free will. The great Mithril Lid Pod will become their leader and guide them on their journey to becoming candy crafters! Check out what I’m capable of! I whipped this up in only a few moments. Take a look at my quick work!”

Mithril declared this proudly, then nimbly leaped aside, revealing a strange, messy lump behind him. It appeared to be a mass of silver sugar, but its rough, puckered surface was colored with a mixture of blacks, browns, and dark greens, and it was covered in cracks and strange protuberances all over.

“That’s…quite the…avant-garde…piece…”

Keith hemmed and hawed, but Kat addressed Mithril directly.

“Is that awful lump some sort of object for cursing people?”

“No! Are you blind?! This is Anne’s face!” shouted Mithril.

“Me?!”

“That thing is supposed to be a sculpture?!”

Anne and Keith raised their voices at the same time and widened their eyes.

“Last year for Anne’s birthday, I made her a candy sculpture of her face. This is my second try, and I think it turned out even better!”

Fairies were generally more skilled than humans at working with silver sugar. But evidently, there were exceptions. Mithril was undeniably hopeless at it, yet he appeared extremely proud of himself.

Challe screwed up his face. “Anne might be a scarecrow brain, but she’s nowhere near that awful-looking.”

“‘Awful,’ you say?! What’s awful about this?!” Mithril exclaimed.

“If you think it’s so great, then eat it yourself. If the form is good, the taste should be, too.”

“Don’t you mock me. In that case, I’ll keep this all for myself—no sharing! Don’t come crying to me later!”

Mithril embraced his strange candy sculpture and inhaled deeply, as if he was sucking in a big breath of air. He then placed his hands on the swamp-colored candy, and his palms began to glow. The spots he was touching collapsed a bit as the candy turned to light and flowed into him.

“Oh… Aaauuugh!!”

The moment he took in the sugar, Mithril leaped back from the candy, spun around quickly two or three times, and collapsed. After that, he ceased to move.

“Mithril Lid Pod!”

Anne shouted his name and rose to her feet as Benjamin toddled over and peered into his face. Once he had checked on Mithril, Benjamin raised his head with a buoyant smile.

“He’ll be okay,” said the little fairy. “Seems like he felt so bad he became temporarily paralyzed. But remember, as much as that lump looks like deadly poison, it’s just sugar candy. So there’s no need to worry. It’s harmless.”

“I wouldn’t call something that can paralyze a fairy ‘harmless’… It’s practically a weapon…”

Kat was pale, and he seemed shocked that Mithril had transformed silver sugar, a sacred food that could extend the life span of fairies, into a toxic substance.

Challe stared coldly at Mithril as if he’d expected all this. But when Mithril didn’t even twitch, Challe got bored and turned back to Anne.

“Most of what he says is nonsense, but he did have one decent idea just now.”

Anne had no clue what Challe was talking about and stared at him blankly.

“I mean when he said, ‘We just need to show them there are already fairies cooperating with you of their own free will.’ Tell them there’s a fairy who’s chosen to stay at a candy workshop among humans despite getting his wing back. And that he’s currently an apprentice working to become a full-fledged candy crafter.”

“Ah! Noah!” Anne exclaimed.

Finally, it clicked. Anne wondered why she hadn’t thought of it earlier.

Noah, who had gotten his wing back from Herbert fifteen years earlier, no longer had a master. Once he had decided to leave Hollyleaf Castle, he was free to go anywhere he liked. Despite that, he’d wanted to make sugar candy, so he had chosen to join the Paige Workshop. Now he was working alongside them as an apprentice.

If they told the fairies about Noah, it might change their minds.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Keith nodded.

Kat rose to his feet. “Guess I’d better contact that fool Elliott right away. I’ll have ’im send Noah here. If they see the real deal, maybe the fairies’ll believe us.”

“But I wonder if it will really change anything,” Anne said. “They might think we’re just forcing Noah to do it, too.”

Kat grimaced. “Everyone here knows this isn’t the best possible plan. But I can’t think of anything else that might work.”

Even Anne understood the solution Kat was referring to.

He means giving the fairies back their wings.

But since they couldn’t do that, they had no choice but to find another way.

“This is all we can do for now, so let’s try what we can,” said Keith.

“Mm.” Anne nodded. “You’re right…”

Though they knew the best course of action, they were trying to find another answer. It was uncomfortable, but this was the most they could do.

Kat wrote a letter to Elliott right then and there and sent it off first thing the next morning. The letter would reach Millsfield by noon the following day, and if Elliott was quick to respond, they could expect a reply the day after that.

Relieved they’d found something to try, Anne, Keith, and Kat prepared for the following day and quickly called it a night. Benjamin snuggled into bed with Kat, and Mithril joined Anne.

Keith, Kat, and Benjamin were all sleeping in one room with Anne, Challe, and Mithril. Their quarters were no bigger than the fairies’ rooms and were set up the same way.

They had needed to ensure there was enough space, of course, but they’d also been concerned that, if the humans and fairies weren’t living in similar conditions, it might seem like their positions as candy crafters weren’t equal.

The room, crowded with three bunk beds, was now filled with the even breathing of sleeping humans and fairies.

Challe didn’t feel like dozing off just yet, so he wandered out into the garden. The evening breeze felt nice.

“Looks like the humans have you well trained.”

When Challe stopped to gaze at the half-moon, a contemptuous voice came from behind him.

He could sense someone approaching. Challe turned and saw Allele Cil May glaring at him. Unobstructed by clouds, the moonlight shone down so brightly that every blade of grass cast a shadow. It illuminated Allele’s indigo-colored hair so that it glistened fantastically, along with his intensely colored wing.

“Guess you and the other fairies who got here first are the human’s spoiled little pets, huh?”

Allele clearly understood that Challe and the other fairies had built up a relationship of trust with the humans in the castle. To him, however, this apparently looked like they had been “well trained.”

“We have an equal relationship with them,” Challe replied. “I have possession of my own wing. The human who once owned it returned it to me. I am here of my own volition.”

“Why don’t you run away, then?! Don’t you want to be free?!”

“I am free. No one can claim ownership of me.”

“Well, if you’re really free, then lend us a hand. Go to the fairy market and get our wings—”

“I told you this afternoon I will do no such thing. I would ruin this enterprise if I acted rashly.”

Anger flashed in Allele’s crimson eyes. He balled his hands, gritted his teeth, and groaned, “Shoulda known… You seem to think you’re free, but you’ve been trained to do what the humans want. Don’t you see that?”

“I know it looks as though I am taking the humans’ side.”

“It doesn’t just look that way—you really are!”

Allele shouted and pressed closer to Challe. His frustration was clear in his large eyes—more proof of his straightforward, honest temperament. Though he was shorter than Challe, Allele’s frame was more robust, and he seemed even larger due to his heightened emotions.

“How can you prioritize their plan over your people’s liberty?!”

He clenched his fists and took aim at Challe’s stomach, punching at him from below in an upward arc. Challe leaped back and dodged the blow, then caught Allele’s hand as the fairy’s second strike came flying at him. Allele pushed hard, but Challe won out.

“Dammit!” Allele spat, seething with rage. Feeling the difference in their strength, he withdrew his fists.

“Allele, think about what comes after you gain your freedom,” Challe said quietly.

“What did you say?”

“What if you take one step forward after you’re free and find you’ve just walked off a cliff? What then? Think about it.”

“I have thought about it! I’ll immediately go into hiding…”

Allele was about to say something else, but he made a sour face and fell silent.

“Do you have any sort of goal?” Challe asked, but Allele kept his mouth shut and shook his head.

“For now, we just want our liberty. If we can only get our freedom, then—”

“Then what, Allele?”

As the other fairy stood there frowning, Challe turned and walked away.

He understood Allele’s feelings so well that it hurt.

When he was kept in chains, enslaved at the hands of fairy dealers, Challe had wished for nothing but liberty. The only thing he could think about was escaping from his human captors.

But now that he’d met Anne and all sorts of other humans, as well as the silver sugar fairy Lulu, he had learned that one needed to consider what came after freedom.

Even if Challe had found an opening to strike down his captor and had gained his freedom, he probably wouldn’t have become the fairy he was now. He might have turned out like Lafalle. And if he had lived that way, he might never have given any thought to the future. He would have spent his life running, fighting, and wandering the wastelands, trying to avoid recapture.

That was certainly a kind of freedom. But there was no hope and no future in it. And in a sense, that made it no different from being enslaved.

Challe sighed as he went back inside the castle. Judging from Allele’s attitude, it would probably be impossible to convince the fairies with shallow displays of good will.

I wonder how much their hearts will be swayed by meeting Noah.

It was the third morning after the fairies’ arrival at Hollyleaf Castle.

The sun streamed in through a gap in the curtains, rousing Anne. The room around her was still quiet. Everyone had been worn out the night before, and she could hear them all breathing peacefully in their sleep.

Anne began changing behind one of the curtains, trying not to wake the others up. Even as she dressed, the plight of the fairies weighed on her mind.

If this keeps up, we won’t be able to select anyone.

In two months’ time, the fairies would have to convince the candy crafters from the other factions that they had the makings of silver sugar fairies. With how things were going, though, she and the others wouldn’t even be able to select the most suitable fairies, much less train them. Anne felt hopeless.

The fairies were just as unmotivated as before, but Anne and the others had to keep trying. The previous day, they had directed the fairies to continue working, but the results were no different from the first day. And now they had to repeat the same exercise again, already sure of the outcome.

As things stood, she and the other crafters wouldn’t be able to choose a single fairy to train. After taking such pains to gather candidates, they would end up returning them all to the market.

Just then, Anne heard a faint sound.

“Singing?”

She paused and strained her ears. The sound was so soft, it had nearly been lost under the noise of the wind blowing outside the window.

It was a song that had circulated widely around the kingdom, often sung at country festivals. The lyrics, as Anne remembered them, described a girl in love searching for sugar apples to give to her beloved. It was a simple but charming tune.

To get the object of her affection to look her way, the girl in the song wants sugar candy that is said to grant good fortune. However, the candy crafter she talks to shakes his head and tells her he has no silver sugar, so he cannot make the confection. The girl goes looking for sugar apples and receives a handful of them from a fairy she encounters in the woods.

The singer’s voice was low, yet cheerful and clear; she could tell it belonged to a man. However, it didn’t sound like he was performing for an audience. It felt like he was singing to himself during a solitary moment of rest, thinking back on enjoyable times from the past.

It sounds like Mama’s singing.

Though the singer was male, his rendition of the tune reminded her of how her mother, Emma, would sing. When they camped while traveling from place to place, Emma would stay awake by herself to mind the campfire, even as Anne fell asleep beside it. The singing reminded Anne of the songs Emma would sing as she tended the flames with a wooden stick or tossed new logs into the fire.

Anne looked out the window, trying to see where the voice was coming from, and saw a slender figure in the front yard of the castle.

The man had a small traveling bag dangling from one arm and was dressed in the sort of jacket and pants that crafters wore, though they were a little too long for him. On his back was a single, cute little wing that came down to about his waist. He was holding his purple hair with one hand to keep it from getting tossed by the breeze and straining his ears, as if trying to hear the quiet singing.

“Noah!”

Automatically, Anne shouted his name. Then she leaped out from behind the curtain and took off running. As she left the room, she caught sight of the others waking up. But she was too happy to care about that.

She dashed through the hallway and down the stairs, then opened the front door.

“Noah!”

When she called his name again, the fairy broke into a smile and looked at Anne. Then he dropped his bag where he was standing in the middle of the yard and ran toward her at full speed, slamming into her and hugging her tight.

“Anne! I’m here!”

She embraced him in turn. “What a surprise! Why are you so early?!”

“Mr. Collins told me to come. A letter arrived from Kat last night, and Mr. Collins arranged for a carriage right away. He said the road was safe enough, so the carriage traveled straight through the night. Oh, here. He gave me a letter.”

Noah pulled away from Anne and dug around in his pocket. He produced a single sealed envelope and handed it to her.

Kat had sent his letter to Elliott the previous day. He’d explained their current situation and expressed a desire for Noah to work with them at the castle for a while. Elliott had responded immediately.

Anne opened the letter and discovered it was incredibly brief: I understand your situation. Please look after our apprentice for a while.

Elliott never did anything wasteful. He’d needed to get the letter out quickly, so he’d written only the bare minimum. Still, from how he referred to Noah as “our apprentice,” Anne could tell that he was looking after Noah in his own way.

Anne was just as concerned about Noah as Elliott was. She had worried about him when he first joined the Paige Workshop, and from time to time, she would send Elliott letters asking how he was doing. Elliott always answered her, writing back in detail about how things were going.

It sounded like Noah was doing well there. As the only fairy apprentice, he slept, ate, and worked in the same spaces as the human apprentices.

According to Elliott, the other crafters and apprentices were perplexed by Noah’s presence, especially at first. But the young men who joined the workshop as apprentices were still flexible and open to change. Slowly but surely, they got used to having Noah around, and in Elliott’s most recent letter, he’d reported that Noah had befriended some of his colleagues.

Anne felt bad for pulling him away after he’d worked so hard to get comfortable. But they needed him here in order to change the minds of the other fairies.

Accepting Elliott’s kind consideration, Anne stored the letter securely in her pocket.

“Thank you for coming. And I’m sorry for calling you out here. I know how hard you were working at the Paige Workshop.”

Noah put on a bashful smile. “It’s fine. Um, well, I’m…kind of glad, actually.”

“You are?”

“Yeah. It made me happy to hear that you needed me. Besides, you and Kat are both here, right? I think it will be a great learning experience for me to work with two Silver Sugar Masters.”

Noah’s features looked a little bit different than before. Since he was a fairy, he didn’t experience any physical growth or decline like a human would. The change was all in Noah’s purple eyes. Once, they had looked frail and fearful, but they now held the fairy’s firm conviction to stand on his own two feet.

“I’m happy to hear that,” Anne replied. “All right, let’s go inside. You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”

“Nope!”

Noah seemed delighted to see Hollyleaf Castle again after so long. He picked up his bag and walked inside with Anne.

Anne’s dash to the front yard had awoken the others in her room and informed them of Noah’s arrival. They’d all come out into the lesser hall: Challe with Mithril riding on his shoulder, Keith with slightly sleepy-looking eyes, and Kat with Benjamin snoring away in his breast pocket.

Keith offered a cheerful greeting as he did up his necktie. “Welcome, Noah. You got here early.”

Kat waved casually. “You made it, pip-squeak. Guess Elliott sent you instead of writing a response.”

Anne and Noah quickly ascended the stairs and joined the others.

“It’s good to see you all again. Here I am.” Noah bowed, sending his neatly cut purple hair swinging. “It’s nice to see you, too, Challe and Mithril…” Noah smiled at the fairies, only to blink in surprise and stare at Mithril.

“What is it? Do I have something on my face?” Mithril asked.

“Mithril Lid Pod, did you shrink?”

“I did not shrink! Absolutely, positively not! How dare you suggest such a thing!”

“Oh, really?” Noah cocked his head to the side, looking bewildered.

The bell at the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell rang in the distance. At that sound, the other fairies streamed out of their respective rooms and into the lesser hall. Since their second day at the castle, they had been using the church bell to mark when they got up, when they started and finished their work, and when they took their meals.

The assembled fairies sat at the long table, glancing at Noah out of the corners of their eyes. They must have been curious about his presence, but not one of them asked about him or approached him, unwilling to upset the order of things.

Noah looked a little anxious when he saw the other fairies’ behavior, so Anne conferred with him.

“These are the people who have come here from the fairy market. You’ll be working with them starting today. Is it all right if I introduce you?”

Noah bit his lip hard and nodded sharply.

Anne gave Noah a push on the back, and the two of them approached the long table where the other fairies sat.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce someone to you. This is Noah, and he’s going to be training with you starting today. Noah is a free fairy who’s had both his wings for a long time. About six months ago, he met us and said he wanted to become a candy crafter. So he’s got a jump start on his training compared with the rest of you.”

When they heard Anne say that Noah was free, the fairies looked at one another and began to stir.

Noah swallowed hard and bowed enthusiastically. “N-nice to meet you! I am Noah! I’ll be working with you from now on! I’ll d-d-do my best!”

The room fell totally silent. Noah gradually raised his head and made eye contact with the other fairies, but they said nothing, their faces blank.

Noah looked uncomfortable and fiddled restlessly with the strap of his bag. “Um, should I tell them about my…favorite things or special skills?”

Reading the room, Kat jumped in. “Nah, no need. That was plenty. Thanks, kid. Go ahead and eat breakfast. The food will be ready soon, and we’ll bring it out. You three, lend us a hand.”

He beckoned to the three fairies nearest him, and they went down the stairs. Anne prepared a seat for Noah at the breakfast table and had him take a seat. Settling snugly among the other fairies, he looked incredibly uncomfortable.

I’m sorry, Noah.

Anne’s chest ached.

After breakfast, she headed down to the workshop on the first floor together with Keith and Kat.

They started work at the same time each day, so all the fairies had already assembled in the workshop. Noah had been with the other fairies since breakfast, and now he was waiting inconspicuously in a spot a little removed from the group.

The program for the day was to knead the silver sugar, then work on stretching out the dough. Anne and the others would assess the fairies’ sense for handling the silver sugar by watching them knead it while evaluating how nimble they were at using the tools.

Just like the two previous days, the fairies split up between the workbenches, and the crafters distributed the silver sugar. Noah was at the same workbench as Allele.

Soon, they began to knead.

Anne, Keith, and Kat split up and walked around, threading their way between the workbenches to watch the fairies. In addition to evaluating the fairies’ skills, they instructed them on how to use their hands and how to add the right amount of water.

But the fairies seemed bored repeating the same actions without any other goal in mind. Their movements were sluggish, crude, and perfunctory. Among them, only Noah looked intently at his work.

Under his hands, the luster of his silver sugar increased before their eyes. The pure-white, powdery sugar stuck together and gave rise to a smooth sheen. The fairies around him noticed and stared in spite of themselves.

“You’re good at that,” one of them mumbled. He sounded impressed, which must have embarrassed Noah, because he blushed and hung his head.

“Oh, no, I’m…still pretty bad at it.”

One of the fairy women peeked over at Noah’s hands from the workbench behind him.

“Nonsense. That’s very pretty. It looks delicious,” she said, sounding almost spellbound. Anne thought she remembered the fairy woman’s name—Emere Torte Ray. Her eyes were a unique color and had a golden brilliance to them.

Noah grew even redder at Emere’s praise, and his smallish wing twitched energetically, its lavender shine growing stronger.

Seeing this, Emere broke into pleasant, high-pitched laughter. “My, how cute. The boy’s face is red.”

“D-d-don’t say that…”

Gazing gently at Noah as he panicked, Emere mumbled, “Maybe once I become as good as that, I’ll get my wing back like you.”

Anne, who had been walking around among the fairies, heard their exchange, and her mood brightened. Perhaps Noah’s presence would change the mood in the workshop for the better. But just as that hope began to blossom in her chest, another fairy spoke.

“So you learned how to put on a nice show, and the humans returned your wing as a reward?”

Anne was startled to hear Allele cut in, his voice oozing with contempt as he sneered at Noah.

She turned around and saw that, without anyone noticing, Allele had approached Noah and gotten right up in his face. Noah froze. He looked like he’d been slapped.

“You may have gotten back your wing, but are you really free?” Allele continued. “Look at you now, working just as the esteemed humans want you to, acting however they ask. Do you think that’s freedom?”

“Allele! Noah is a candy crafter just like us!” Anne said, raising her voice and moving toward them. “Don’t insult him!”

When they heard her, Keith and Kat noticed and hurried over. They glared at Allele, but the fairy was calm.

“Insult? But isn’t that what you told us?”

“What did we tell you?” asked Kat.

“You said you’d give us back our wings once we became candy crafters. How is that different from learning to put on a show for a reward?”

For a moment, Anne’s breath caught in her chest. The looks on Keith and Kat’s faces changed, too.

He’s right.

They understood the truth of Allele’s words.

Anne had forged ahead, thinking only of how she could help fairies inherit the techniques of their people and create a foothold for their relationship with humans to change. But she hadn’t communicated these things to the fairies at all. So it was inevitable they would think the humans were only using their freedom as bait to get them to work.

Anne recalled something Challe had said to her when they had first met.

“You want to be my friend? The kind of friend who holds my life in her hands?”

This was exactly the same.

Anne went pale and fell silent. Even if she said that wasn’t her intention, it wouldn’t change the reality of the situation. What’s more, she and the other humans knew what they were doing wasn’t right.

They knew what they ought to do, morally speaking. But because they couldn’t choose that path, they had no choice but to find an alternative. How could they convince the fairies if they, too, felt this was wrong?

“…I…”

A feeble voice answered Allele, filling in for Anne. It was Noah.

His hands were clasped together, and he was trembling. He was shaking from anger at being insulted, and at the same time, he was probably hurt to hear such words from a fellow fairy. Nevertheless, he looked Allele directly in the eye.

“I could have gone anywhere… Once I got my wing back, I could have gone wherever I pleased. But I didn’t. That was because I regretted that I had never been able to do anything for the ones I cared about. I wanted to learn to do something for others, and I settled on making sugar candy. I joined a human candy making workshop and trained alongside them. I chose where I wanted to go, and I went. And even if I abandoned the job and ran away, the humans here wouldn’t say a thing. I am free!”

Noah shouted those last words, then hung his head.

Anne stepped up beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Noah. This wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t asked you to come here…”

Noah raised his head and smiled. “It’s okay,” he said.

Anne felt terrible. She was on the verge of tears. “Allele is wrong about our intentions,” she insisted. “I’ll prove it to you, the best way I know how.”

She couldn’t afford to waste time lamenting her own stupidity. Instead, she needed to think.

Just wanting to do the right thing isn’t enough. Promises are cheap. Unless I can get the fairies to trust me and truly put them on an equal footing, my words will mean nothing.

Anne squeezed Noah’s shoulders tightly, then let him go. She raised her head and confronted Allele directly.

“You’re right, Allele,” she said. “Regardless of how we might feel about it, from your perspective, we’re doing exactly as you said. So I’d like to change our methods. I want to make our feelings and intentions clear to you.”

Then Anne turned to Keith and Kat. “I want to ask Hugh to let me change the way we’re going about things. Otherwise, the fairies here won’t understand.”

Kat frowned. “Change things how?” he asked.

“We’ll get the fairy dealers to hand over the fairies’ wings for the duration of their stay with us. That way, the fairies can have access to their wings while they’re here.”

This was the way forward—she’d known that from the beginning. But everyone else had avoided this solution, claiming it was impossible.

“Anne, that’s…”

Keith was at a loss for words. A commotion began among the fairies as they all turned to one another.

“But if we don’t do this,” Anne insisted, “no matter what we say, the fairies will see us as just more humans forcing them to work. If I was being treated that way…I wouldn’t even want to touch silver sugar.”

“That’s true,” Keith said, bewildered. “But…”

Next to him, Kat was stroking his chin intently with his long fingers. “The girl’s right. I wouldn’t wanna do a job like that, either. But if we give ’em their wings back, they’re hardly gonna work, are they? Won’t it end with everyone runnin’ away?”

“Of course. I think I would run away, too,” said Anne with a strained smile. “You would all flee, wouldn’t you?”

They averted their eyes uncomfortably.

Anne nodded. “Of course you would. It would be strange if you didn’t. But I don’t want you to.”

Anne took one step closer to the fairies and looked at each of them in turn.

Allele vigilantly tracked Anne’s words and movements with his eyes. Since he and the other fairies had been through intense hardship, they were cautious and distrustful. Like wild beasts, they protected themselves by avoiding careless action.

However, if Anne and the other humans were wary in return and only did what they thought was safe, the two parties would never reach a compromise. If neither side made any moves, nothing would ever change.

“In the event that we can return your wings to you, I would ask you to not run away. I would like you to stick around and try working with silver sugar for seven days. And if we see you have talent, I would like you to remain here. Those who do not demonstrate an aptitude for candy crafting will have to go back to the market. I know it’s a horrible thought…but if you do that and follow the rules, then other fairies at the market will also have an opportunity to come here and work with silver sugar. From there, the path will open for any fairy to train as a candy crafter and get back their wings. You’ll be able to make a living as candy crafters.”

The fairies exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.

Anne repeated herself. “If you all promise not to run away, I will consult with the Silver Sugar Viscount and negotiate to have him return your wings for the week.”

“…Fine. It’s a deal,” said Allele. “We promise not to run away. So give us back our wings.”

His crimson gaze was locked on Anne. She wasn’t sure if she could trust those eyes. But if she didn’t put faith in him, she couldn’t expect him to do the same.

“You promise? We can put our trust in you all?”

“We’ll keep our promise. Believe me.”

Anne turned to look at Kat and Keith. She wondered what they were thinking.

“A promise, huh? No choice but to take ’em at their word, I guess,” Kat grumbled.

Keith nodded. “That’s all we can do, I suppose.”

Accepting the danger, they took the first step forward. If they didn’t take the risk, there would be no progress. This was the price they had to pay.

After breakfast, Challe went out into the front yard of the castle. He sat in the shade of the trees that surrounded the garden, stretched his legs, and listened to the sound of the wind. The soft rustling of the leaves on the trees overhead helped calm his nerves. Small blue flowers bloomed just beyond the tips of his boots.

The gardens of Hollyleaf Castle were wild and unmaintained. A beautiful garden was not a necessity for a candy crafting workshop. The spacious expanse was overrun with low vegetation that swayed in the wind. In the early summer sunshine, the yard looked like a lush meadow, bursting with little white and blue flowers.

Not so much as a sign of Lafalle or Erril.

After his brothers had fled, Challe had done his best to stay at Anne’s side. As long as she was close to him, his brothers would be unable to use her in any of their schemes again.

But they hadn’t appeared anywhere nearby, and he hadn’t even heard any rumors of fairies matching their descriptions.

He couldn’t help but wish this peace would last.

It was a relief to see Anne so absorbed in her work. Though he still had hopes for her future with Keith, he longed for this ambiguous time, when Anne belonged to no one, to continue for just a little longer.

As he thought this, Challe noticed something small moving by the porch and turned to look.

Mithril Lid Pod?

The tiny fairy was descending the castle’s front steps. He must not have gone into the workspace after breakfast.

He seemed deeply affected by the shock of the sugar candy he’d made two days earlier and the realization that he didn’t have the talent to be a silver sugar fairy. However, he kept annoying everyone by raving about what a brilliant assistant he was to the Silver Sugar Masters, so he didn’t appear to be particularly depressed over the matter.

Watching him now from a distance, however, Challe thought Mithril seemed in poor spirits. The little fairy usually bounced around annoyingly as he walked, but he was now dragging his feet. His wing hung limply on his back, like a wet curtain.

Mithril sat down in the middle of the porch stairs, gave a big sigh, and gazed up at the scattered clouds in the sky. His eyes were vacant, and he looked like his soul had gone wandering away from his body.

That’s odd.

It was clear he wasn’t simply lost in thought. It was as if the flame burning inside Mithril’s spirit had suddenly dimmed to a glowing ember, leaving him hollow and numb.

Challe stood up and cut across the garden toward the porch. As he approached, he felt an anxious flutter in his chest. Mithril’s gaze stayed fixed on clouds, and the only thing reflected in his silvery eyes was the blue of the clear summer sky.

“Mithril Lid Pod.”

Challe called his name, but Mithril didn’t seem to notice him. He didn’t move at all. Challe knelt down right in front of the little fairy and raised his voice.

“Mithril Lid Pod!”

With a shudder, Mithril looked at Challe in surprise.

“Ah… Challe Fenn Challe?”

“You’re acting strange.”

Mithril’s eyes went wide. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“What is going on with you right now?”

“You could tell, huh…? Actually, I…I’ve been thinking through some things. Could I ask you a question, Challe Fenn Challe?”

“What?”

“Are you the type of guy who gets all giddy from the smell of a girl’s soap? Or is it perfume that does it for you?”

Challe grabbed Mithril by the collar. “I was genuinely worried about you, and you can’t even give me a decent answer. I ought to hang you upside down over the front door and use you as the knocker.”

“You sure don’t sound very worried, talking like that!”

“Challe? Hey, Challe! Where are you?”

They heard Anne calling from inside the castle. Still holding the flailing, struggling fairy, Challe answered her.

“On the porch.”

He heard her approaching. Then the front door opened, and out walked Anne. For some reason, she was frowning and looking very grim. But when she saw the two of them, her expression changed to concern.

“Are you fighting? Sorry, did I interrupt?”

“We are fighting, but please interrupt us and stop him!” cried Mithril.

The little fairy was still struggling, but Challe quickly got bored and let him go. Mithril fell to the stone porch with a shout, and Anne rushed to pick him up.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“If you hadn’t shown up, Challe Fenn Challe would have strung me up above the door. Anyway, what’s the matter, Anne? Are you mad about something?”

She sat up on her knees in front of Challe. She was wearing that sullen expression again.

“Yes, I am mad.”

“Mad at who?” asked Challe.

“At myself. I made the same mistake twice.” Abruptly, she bowed. “Challe, please. I’m sorry for asking so suddenly, but I want to go to Lewiston. Will you accompany me?”

“I don’t mind. But what for?”

“I’m going to see Hugh. I want to change how we’re handling the fairies. They aren’t going to accept our plan just because of Noah. One said we’re just using their freedom as bait to make them work. And I think he’s right to be wary. I want to give the fairies their wings back, so that they can accept what we’re doing and put in real effort.”

Anne raised her head, full of determination.

I’d suspected she might say something like this.

Challe understood the yearning for freedom he had seen in Allele two evenings earlier. And he knew that the fairies would never be on an equal footing with the humans unless they got their wings back. But that was not something Anne and the others could do for them, which was exactly why they had summoned Noah.

Challe sighed. “But you can’t do that. Isn’t that why you brought Noah here?”

“That isn’t enough. I understand now.”

“You won’t be able to keep the fairies here once you give them back their wings.”

Anne shook her head. “They promised. All the fairies swore they would stay if we gave them back their wings.”

“Fairies can lie, too.”

What would happen if they gave the wings back to these fairies, who longed to escape their human-imposed bondage? They would refuse to work and run away as fast as they could. As one of their kind, Challe understood that perfectly well.

He tried to coolly explain this to Anne, but she didn’t falter.

“I know that. But I want to give it a try. I want to consult with Hugh. Keith and Kat also agreed.”

It occurred to Challe that Anne must know she was about to make a very poor wager. But her eyes were filled with resolve.

“Very well.” Challe rose to his feet.

If Anne and the others had decided on this, they would do it no matter what he said. After all, that was their job.

Chapter 3: A Seven-Day Promise

Hugh Mercury, the Silver Sugar Viscount, was at his secondary residence in Lewiston. He had traveled there to report to King Edmond II about the work Anne and the others were doing.

Anne, Keith, and Kat arrived at the three-story mansion near Lewiston’s eastern market before noon. Conveniently, they had already been shown inside by the time Hugh got back from his audience with the king.

The three crafters were allowed into the mansion, along with Challe, who was traveling with them as their bodyguard, and Mithril, who’d grabbed onto Challe and come along for the ride.

The group of five was shown to a spacious parlor and told to wait. The windows had been left open, and the breeze carried the invigorating scent of greenery inside. The room’s tables and chairs looked as if they had been imported from abroad, and the furniture and ornamentation were elegant and refined without being too ornate.

After they’d waited a little while, Hugh appeared in his brown jacket, and, grinning, sat down in the farthest chair from the door.

“What are you all sitting around silently for? Did you come to announce your surrender, perhaps? Sorry, but I won’t accept it.”

“You jerk… You really know how to piss a guy off!” Kat grumbled.

As he straightened the cuffs at his wrists, Hugh answered calmly, “Of course. That was my intention.”

“And you think that’s clever, riling us up right outta the gate? You can’t even muster a single word of encouragement?”

“Well, if you didn’t look so glum, I might have given you a pat on the head and said ‘good job’ instead. So what’s going on?”

As usual, Hugh was quick to pick up on things.

Keith stepped forward, seeming downcast. “It’s the fifteen fairies we gathered at the fairy market,” he said. “None of them are interested in working. If this keeps up, none of them will be fit to train as a silver sugar fairy.”

“Is it an issue of temperament?” Hugh asked.

“No, they’ve got motivation problems,” Kat answered.

Hugh narrowed his eyes and smiled, putting on a cool expression. “If they aren’t willing to work, just send them back to the market. We can bring in the next fifteen.”

Anne mumbled, “I think it’s likely we won’t find even one who has the knack for it, no matter how many we bring in…”

Those words revealed how naive they had been, but there was no avoiding the truth. Hugh saw Anne’s sour expression and decided to clarify.

“So you’re saying the problem isn’t that this round of fairies is particularly unmotivated, but that you doubt any fairies will take interest in the work?”

“Yeah,” said Kat glumly. “All the fairies I met at the fairy market had the same attitude.”

“Did you try bargaining with the current group?”

“Yes,” Keith said. “We sent for Noah, who has his freedom and is currently working as a candy crafter, and tried showing them firsthand their prospects for the future. However, the results weren’t promising.”

Hugh leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers. “And have you tried a different approach?”

“A different approach?” Keith asked, puzzled.

Hugh’s gaze shifted to Anne. “Have you utilized your best asset?”

“Asset…?” she repeated.

For a moment, she didn’t understand what he was saying, but it soon came to her with a start.

He couldn’t mean…Challe?!

Challe was the fairy king. If she told the other fairies about his identity, they were sure to be surprised. And given Challe’s aura, they probably already knew he was someone special. If he gave the other fairies orders, they would likely follow them.

However, Challe had made a vow to Edmond II to conceal his position from both humans and fairies. There was no way Hugh, who had been present when Challe made that oath, had forgotten this. And yet here he was, suggesting they use Challe to achieve their ends.

“We can’t possibly do that,” Anne mumbled.

Hugh chuckled. “Given the circumstances, I don’t mind petitioning His Majesty for limited permission.”

“I can’t say it’s a good idea,” Challe said, leaning against the wall near the door with his arms crossed. He kept his eyes closed and his voice soft. “Enslaved fairies only want one thing from their more powerful brethren: to help them take back their freedom. If I ignore their deepest desire and start giving them orders, the fairies won’t work. Surely you understand that. No one will listen to someone who only makes demands of them and ignores their pleas.”

“What are you talking about?” Keith cut in, giving Hugh a displeased look.

It couldn’t have felt very good to have a secretive discussion take place right before his eyes. But Hugh casually waved him off.

“I’ll tell you someday,” he said. “Anyway, now that I’ve heard what you all have to say, was I right that you’re here to announce your surrender?”

“We won’t give up,” Anne declared. “The three of us talked it over and came here to make a request of you. Hugh, please. Negotiate with the fairy dealers and tell them that, while we are borrowing the fairies, we also want to borrow their wings. We’d like to give the fairies their wings for the seven days they are working with us. We’ll promise them seven days of freedom.”

“Return their wings?” Hugh repeated Anne’s words in disbelief, then put a hand to his forehead and burst out laughing. “I was wondering what you were going to say! Are you people in your right minds? Do you think those fairies will agree to stay and play with silver sugar in exchange for seven days of freedom? And then, when the week is out, hand their wings back to us and obediently go back to the fairy market simply because we judged them without talent? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. They’ll run away as fast as they can. I’d do the same if I were a fairy.”

“They promised us they wouldn’t run, and that after seven days, those without talent would go back to the market.”

“A promise, huh? And you believe them, Anne?”

“I can’t say for sure that everyone will keep up their end of the deal. But they did make the promise, so I’d like to believe them.”

Hugh rose to his feet, the remains of a smile lingering around his eyes, and walked over to Anne. Then his gaze turned cold, like he was pitying her for her foolishness.

“They promised you, so you want to believe them. It’s a beautiful sentiment. But that’s not the way the world works. You ought to know that. We can’t afford to fail in this endeavor. We’re using state funds, and I have a duty to report to His Majesty the King. If we go around freeing fairies and racking up unnecessary debts, our work will be jeopardized.”

His words were very reasonable.

Despite what Anne had said, she didn’t fully trust the fairies. But she wanted to believe in them, so she had purposely declared that she did. It was more a desperate prayer than a statement of fact.

“I know that,” she said. “But unless one side takes a risk, relations between humans and fairies will never improve. The fairies’ wings are in our hands, and their position is weak; they can’t afford to be careless. So we humans, who have the power, must make a gamble. If the fairies run away, I’ll take responsibility for it. I’m the one who came up with the idea.”

“How will you take responsibility? You can’t cover the costs. Are you saying you’ll stake your life on it?”

“Yes.”

Anne nodded, and Hugh, who had asked half in jest, looked stunned. Keith, Kat, and Challe all stared at Anne like they couldn’t believe what she’d just said.

“For this round of fifteen fairies, please consider the decision to return their wings, and any consequences, my responsibility and mine alone. If anyone asks you who is to blame, you can give them my name and hand me over.”

“Anne!” Keith shouted, unable to stop himself, and grabbed her by the shoulder. “If it means you have to put your life on the line, then I’m opposed to returning the wings!”

Anne smiled wryly. “So then, Keith, you must believe the fairies will break their promise.”

“Well, it’s a real possibility!” he replied. “If there’s a chance it could make you a criminal, I’m against it.”

“If yer takin’ the fall, then so am I,” Kat interjected, grimacing. “No way I’m lettin’ a kid do somethin’ like that.”

But Anne shook her head. “Among the three of us, I can do the least to help with our current endeavor. So it’s right for it to be me.”

Anne, unlike Kat and Keith, had not been selected for the job because of her administrative prowess or sharp mind.

No, she was chosen simply because she was one of the last pupils of the silver sugar fairy, and because she had a relationship with Challe. In short, Anne was expected to be the mediator between the fairies and the humans.

“Of course, we won’t simply hand them their wings and have them promise to behave. I’ll keep a close eye on the fairies. I won’t be able to watch them all on my own; I’ll probably need Challe’s help…”

She glanced over at Challe, and he nodded silently. Mithril winked at her from his perch on Challe’s shoulder, as if saying to leave things to him.

I’ll get what help I can from the fairy king without putting him at risk.

That was the only thing she could do.

“If the fairies seem likely to run, I’ll persuade them to stay. And if they still try to flee, I’ll get Challe to help me stop them, as much as I hope it doesn’t come to that. We’ll get them to come back to Hollyleaf Castle and continue making candy. If they try to run again, we’ll keep persuading them.”

“Assuming we can give the fairies their wings back,” said Keith, “we ought to take measures to keep them locked in their rooms so they can’t get out, even at night.”

Challe snorted. “You’d return their wings just to imprison them? In that case, you might as well keep the wings. Such a plan is pure hypocrisy.”

Keith shut his mouth. It was like he’d been punched in the chest. He nodded, looking ashamed. “You’re right. That was wrong of me. I…I’m sorry. The thought of Anne taking the fall just…”

“I don’t blame you,” said Challe without a moment’s hesitation.

Anne didn’t sense any hostility from him. He had simply been telling Keith, who was only capable of thinking like a human, how things would really go.

Anne turned back to face Hugh. “And if some of them end up running away despite that, I will pay for as many as I can out of the thousand cress in my possession. If it’s not enough, you can report to His Majesty that I acted alone and present me for punishment.”

Hugh met Anne’s determined gaze with a troubled expression. The atmosphere in the room was bewildering; Anne was like a small child picking a fight with an adult, her argument sound but clumsy.

Challe stood up straight and slowly walked over to Anne’s side. “Put your mind at ease, Silver Sugar Viscount. As long as I am there, not one of those fairies will run. Anne won’t be culpable for anything. However…the fairies’ willingness to learn candy making under those conditions will depend on how the girl handles things.”

“Challe.”

Anne looked up at the fairy beside her. Challe’s profile was as handsome as ever, and she sensed a certain majesty in it. His words were the most reassuring and gratifying thing she could have heard.

Hugh’s face was stern. “So then you end up a criminal, or even if you don’t, the fairies will keep running away and being recaptured, leaving no time for candy making. Either way, this plan won’t go well. When that happens, what will you do?”

“If the plan fails, we won’t return the wings to the next fifteen fairies,” Kat answered casually. “And if they don’t wanna work, we’ll come up with something else. But…to be clear, we haven’t got anything else.”

Hugh gave Kat a piercing look. “Surrender, perhaps?”

“That’s it. We’ll surrender. Would that be so bad? If it was easy to build trusting relationships with fairies, there wouldn’t be any damn fairy markets,” Kat said accusingly. “But right now, we’re tryin’ to make one last wager before throwin’ in the towel. We decided to try givin’ these first fifteen fairies their wings back. If we don’t, the whole plan’s bunk. We’ll get no silver sugar fairies the way things’re goin’.”

“If we don’t try this now,” Keith continued, “the whole endeavor will be meaningless. Obviously, I don’t want Anne to become a criminal, but I’d like to give it a shot.”

Hugh sighed. “So you’re all in agreement?”

“If anything happens, I’ll take respons—”

Anne started to repeat herself, but Hugh cut her off sharply.

“Anne, this is not an issue of whether you lot will take ownership of what happens. If anyone is responsible, it’s me. If I handed you over, as your supervisor, my crime would be even more serious.”

Hugh’s words made Anne realize something.

That’s right. Hugh was entrusted by His Majesty the King with full authority over this operation. And that means responsibility ultimately lies with him.

Anne paled at this belated revelation. They were essentially telling Hugh to take on an even greater liability.

Hugh quietly sat back down and crossed his legs. At this, Kat moved to stand before him and concluded, “If you’re the only one who can take responsibility, then take it, Silver Sugar Viscount.”

“Huh?!” Anne exclaimed, flustered. “Kat?! You can’t just—!”

But Hugh only smirked. “That’s easy for you to say, Kat.”

“You’re the one who picked us for the job.”

Kat’s remark horrified Anne.

Both the chooser and the chosen had responsibilities. They were all in the same boat. It wasn’t a question of who bore the blame. But now that they had reached this juncture, their chances of producing a silver sugar fairy would be very slim indeed if they weren’t willing to return the fairies’ wings.

Hugh fell silent. After a short while, he placed his elbows on his knees and interlaced his fingers, resting his chin atop his hands. Then he looked up at the three candy crafters standing before him.

“Kat’s right,” he said. “I’m the one who entrusted you all with this job. I’ll take responsibility. If the three of you say it’s necessary…I’ll shoulder the risk and negotiate with the fairy dealers.”

This answer should have been exactly what Anne hoped for, but it also frightened her. Keith and Kat shuddered.

Hugh continued casually, “Don’t forget. If any of you make a mistake, it will jeopardize this whole project.” His tone was even, but his words held the weight of his determination.

If we mess this up, the plan will come to a standstill. And Hugh will take the blame…

Anne felt much greater pressure knowing that her own failure might get someone else in trouble. She was not the only one who would be held accountable for her mistakes.

“I’ll play my part,” Challe said.

Hugh looked slightly relieved by this and nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

“I won’t let anyone be made a criminal.”

Exasperated, Hugh sank down into his chair. “Good grief. Another negotiation with Stowe, hm? Talking to that guy wears on my nerves.”

“When’ll we know how it went?” Kat asked.

Hugh considered this for a moment, then answered, “Let’s see, he’s in Lewiston now, so I can get in touch with him today. At the earliest, I can let you know the results tomorrow.”

“No mistakes.”

“Right back at you.”

Hugh stood up and waved his hand as if to shoo away a litter of puppies.

“You all go home. I’ll get to work,” he said.

Anne and the others bowed to Hugh and headed for the door. Challe started to walk off with them, but then stopped and turned back to Hugh.

“Silver Sugar Viscount, have you determined the whereabouts of Erril and Lafalle? Do you have any information?”

Anne was startled by his question.

Of course Challe’s still worried. They are his brothers.

Anne had been so absorbed with her work that she’d totally forgotten about Erril and Lafalle. Challe had been staying close to her side because he was on the lookout for them.

“Appeals for vigilance have been sent out to each province in the name of the king,” said Hugh, “but we haven’t gotten much in the way of information. However, some fairy hunters did spot a pair of fairies resembling your brothers near Gillum Province.”

“Gillum Province?” Challe frowned.

That was the province containing Northern Blow, where Anne and the others had gone to negotiate with Reginald Stowe. It was situated in the middle of the Kingdom of Highland and covered a vast area, though it was mostly wilderness. The territory was also home to the Birserth mountain range, which was the longest and tallest range in the kingdom.

Gillum Province was quite far from Lewiston, so the news gave Anne some peace of mind.

But why there?

Due to its large size, Gillum Province was sparsely populated. It was probably the ideal place to escape notice. But Anne wondered if that was a compelling enough reason to choose it.

Though she didn’t know much about Erril, Anne wondered if Lafalle, with his complicated mix of emotions, would really be content simply fleeing human control. She couldn’t be sure.

Is there something there for them in Gillum Province…? Gillum Province…

Something about it bothered her, but Anne wasn’t sure what was making her uneasy. There were too many things she didn’t know about the pair of fairies.

When Lafalle fell from that castle rampart, his condition had been so severe that not even the most marvelous sugar candy in the world ought to have saved him. And yet somehow, he had recovered. How had he come back from the brink of death in that wasteland?

Did some kind of mysterious, unknown power intervene on Lafalle’s behalf?

The mysterious nature of it all made Anne increasingly anxious.

Hugh acted swiftly after their meeting.

True to his word, he contacted Reginald that very day and received permission to borrow the fairies’ wings. Reginald was reluctant but eventually agreed when Hugh promised to take full responsibility. However, the fairy dealers were still ultimately ruthless businesspeople.

“If the fairies run away, you will pay the full price for each one that escapes.”

That was the one condition they wouldn’t budge on, and Hugh accepted it.

Notice of the outcome reached Anne and the others early the following morning. Kat then went to the fairy market and returned with bags containing the wings.

Morning sun streamed in through the windows of the lesser hall, forming a bright, striped pattern on the floor as they laid out the fairies’ wings on the long table. They set them out one by one, fifteen in all.

Looking at the pouches before her, Anne thought about how each one contained the life of a fairy. It was a sobering realization. She felt acutely the grave responsibility of handing them over to the fairies.

Her biggest concern right now was whether the fairies would keep their promise. As long as Challe was with her, it was unlikely any of them would get away. But she desperately hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Anne glanced at Challe.

He was sitting at the end of the long table with his chin in his hands, waiting for breakfast to be served. The wing on his back was a sedate light-blue color, with a slight gradation toward its pointed tip.

Mithril seemed in good spirits and kept trying to talk to Challe, but Challe only moved his eyebrows in response, clearly irritated.

Around the time the aroma of breakfast soup drifted up from the downstairs kitchen, the bell rang at the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell. At the sound, other fairies came streaming into the lesser hall.

They took their seats at the long table quietly and meekly, as they always did.

Noah was among them. Despite his obvious discomfort, he sat beside Emere, who had spoken to him a little on his first day and occasionally since. Whenever she did, Noah would smile.

Once all the fairies were present, Anne looked up from the leather pouches and made eye contact with Keith and Kat. The three probed one another with their gazes to see who would broach the topic at hand, and their eyes naturally settled on Kat. He grimaced slightly but seemed to accept this. Straightening up sharply, he turned to the assembled fairies and addressed them.

“There’s something we want you to have before breakfast.”

The fairies stirred. When their gazes settled on the leather pouches atop the table, they grew even more spirited with anticipation.

“We’re returning your wings,” Kat continued. “Once you take ’em, you won’t be slaves anymore—just normal apprentice candy crafters. As apprentices, you’ll start a fresh seven-day period today and work here for a week. When that period ends, those of you who don’t have the knack for candy crafting will give back your wings and return to the market. That’s the deal.”

At those last words, Anne’s heart ached.

It was quite cruel to make the fairies give their wings back to their human captors. But if they didn’t, then the next group of fairies would never get a chance at freedom.

Their fate—freedom or continued servitude—would rest solely on whether or not they were chosen. But doing away with this arrangement entirely because it was cruel or unfair would not pave the way for the future. Anne and the others, who had created this absurd, unjust framework, were all at fault. That was why they had to change the way the world worked, even if it was just a little at a time, to alter the circumstances of the fairies who were not selected.

That’s the one thing we can do to atone for our sins. Anne bit her lip. If the fairies can work on their own as candy crafters, that will put them on equal footing with humans. When that happens, their kind will gain a way to live outside slavery.

As it became more and more common for fairies to become candy crafters, she expected humans would eventually begin to see them as colleagues, rather than as slaves.

But that was no simple matter. Both Challe and Edmond II had said as much. Slavery was a foundational institution in their society—one that had persisted for over five hundred years—and it would likely take another five hundred to change it, they had told her.

Anne and the others had been asked to set their eyes on a future five hundred years hence and take the first steps toward it.

“We accept the deal.”

Allele was the first fairy to stand up and answer. There was a hungry impatience in his vermilion eyes.

“We promise to follow the rules. Give us back our wings.”

Words of agreement came one after another from the other fairies’ mouths. Their anticipation, anxiety, and joy swelled to fill the space.

Anne nodded, smiled, and said simply, “We will. We believe your promises.”

Without a moment’s delay, Keith instructed, “Now, please come over one by one, starting with the person closest to this edge of the table. Check the contents of your pouch and take your wing with you.”

The first fairy practically leaped out of her seat.

“All right, here you go.”

When Anne handed over the wing, the fairy’s eyes lit up, and she hugged the pouch with her wing in it to her chest.

Challe watched the proceedings intently from the other end of the long table, his chin still in his hands. His face was expressionless, so Anne couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but when Mithril said something to him, Challe allowed himself to smile just a little.

That made Anne happy, as did the cheerful expressions on all the fairies’ faces.

There was something different about the way the fairies worked that day. Their expressions were bright, and from time to time, they even laughed. Their irrepressible joy seemed to bring out their motivation.

Anne was relieved at the sight.

We made the right choice.

However, it still wasn’t certain that the fairies would keep their promises.

Anne had paid attention to their movements while they worked, during break times, and during dinner, but she hadn’t noticed any particular changes.

Even after they all finished eating, Anne sat in the lesser hall, which the fairies would have to pass through to leave. She didn’t want to directly monitor them but felt she ought to determine quickly if any were inclined to escape so she could speak to them.

As she remained there idly, the day’s exhaustion made her thoughts drift. She was staring drowsily into the flickering flame of a candle when she heard a voice.

“Do you plan to stay there all night?”

Challe was on his way from the second-floor corridor of the west wing. Anne rubbed her eyes and turned to face him.

“Mm, well…”

“I thought I told you I was watching over them?”

“You did, but…I can’t place the burden on you alone, Challe.”

“You handle everything related to candy making. I can’t do any of that. But I can watch the others. This is my responsibility. You need to get your sleep so that nothing interferes with your work.”

“But—”

“This is not a burden. It’s a division of labor.”

When he said that, Anne felt childish for having anxiously hung around the fairies all day.

“You’re right…”

“Go take a bath or something.” Challe walked past her and brushed his hand across the tips of her hair, then headed down the stairs to the front hall. It seemed he was going out.

“Um, Challe? Where are you off to?”

Though he had already opened the door, Challe stopped where he was and turned around.

“I don’t intend to keep watch inside the castle. I’ll do things my own way. Don’t worry. If they run, I’ll call on you to persuade them. I won’t let them escape.”

With that, he turned and went out the door.

After dinner, Keith noticed Anne wasn’t with them.

When he asked where she had gone, Mithril said she was taking a bath.

The fairies had been keeping clean by dousing themselves daily with water drawn from the well in the bathing room. But the nights were too chilly for the humans to rinse off with cold water. Instead, they would heat bathwater on the hearth, which took time. For that reason, they mostly used the baths after the fairies had finished.

Kat had enlisted Benjamin and Mithril to join him in a game of cards on his bed. However, Keith wasn’t able to remain so calm. He was worried about the fairies.

Keith peeked into their bedrooms to check on them. They had all gone back to their quarters to relax. They showed no signs of running, so he was reassured for the moment, at least.

The fairies had promised to stay put, but Keith was still plagued by anxiety. If they left, not only would it cause serious trouble for the Silver Sugar Viscount, but it would jeopardize their entire enterprise.

Challe said he would handle things if anything happened, but… Come to think of it, I haven’t caught sight of Challe since dinner, either.

Keith was certain the fairy had eaten with them that evening, but he had no memory of seeing him after that. Challe was probably making himself inconspicuous and keeping an eye on the other fairies.

Keith walked past the fairies’ doors and entered the lesser hall. There, he happened across Anne, who was briskly climbing the gently curving staircase.

“Oh, Keith!” she said. “This is perfect. I boiled some water in the bathroom, but I made it way too hot. Why don’t you all get clean, too? If you go now, it’ll still be warm.”

Anne had obviously washed her hair, and her damp locks were hanging limply over her shoulders. Keith’s heart skipped a beat as he took in her features, fresh from her hot bath. The aroma of her herbal soap set his emotions astir.

“Sure. Good idea…” His voice was shrill as he answered.

Anne looked puzzled. “Keith, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing… I’m just worried about your hair. Won’t you catch a cold if you leave it wet? It’s nighttime.”

“I’ll be fine this time of year. When I was traveling with Mama, we would wash ourselves in the river until about autumn, even at night.”

The combination of Anne’s expression, still childish for her age, with the more mature curves of her waist and her slender limbs, rattled Keith’s mood in a way even he found strange. Unable to stand it, he took several steps forward and placed both hands on Anne’s arms.

“Anne, I think you might have forgotten something, so I’d like to make sure.”

“What?”

“You still remember, don’t you? That I love you and want to make you mine? Given the circumstances of our work, I’m happy to wait for now. But someday, I want to hear your answer.”

Anne’s eyes shifted around for a moment.

It did slip her mind—I’m sure of it.

That was discouraging, though it was very like Anne. But it was also strange for a girl to forget something so important.

I don’t want her to forget.

Strong emotions filled Keith’s heart as he took Anne’s right hand. He leaned over and placed a kiss on it.

“Keith?!”

Anne almost leaped back in surprise, but Keith stood firm and grabbed her shoulders to stop her.

“I’d actually rather give you a proper kiss,” he whispered into her ear. He pulled her toward him, hugged her firmly, and continued speaking. “But you haven’t given me your answer yet, so I can’t do that. Don’t forget how I feel, though. This is just a token of my affection to help you remember.”

He took Anne’s hand again and ran his fingertips over the spot he had kissed.

Anne stared at him, her eyes wide. She wasn’t blushing; she only looked very, very surprised, so Keith started to feel self-conscious. When he let go of her hand, the embarrassment that had been bubbling beneath his feelings of excitement burst out, and his cheeks suddenly grew hot.

“Listen… Anne…I…”

“S-sorry, Keith. I didn’t realize you were so upset…but…it makes sense. Anyway, I’m sorry.”

When Anne finally spoke, she seemed to have misread Keith’s earnest expression.

“I’m not upset with you. I just don’t want you to forget.”

“I really am sorry, though… Um… I’ll be sure not to forget.”

As the two of them fumbled for the right words, they heard the bell at Saint Lewiston Bell Church, signaling the end of the day. Keith felt like it had saved him. In an attempt to keep up appearances, he put on a deliberately cheerful voice.

“Anyway, we’ll all have a bath and get to bed. We have work tomorrow, after all. Go ahead and sleep, Anne.”

“Uh…yeah.”

As Keith fled down the stairs, he touched his ears. They were hot. He was incredibly embarrassed, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He doubted Challe had ever behaved so clumsily around Anne. Yet he, too, must have been feeling the same emotions. Keith would have liked to ask Challe about it, just once.

Keith was upset!

Holding a hand to her pounding chest, Anne went back to the room. Kat and the others had finished playing cards, and a slim candle was burning atop the small table set in the in the center of the room.

Anne quickly crawled into her own bed. She curled up into a ball and cradled Mithril, who was fast asleep and snoring. Mithril squirmed restlessly, but once he settled snugly against Anne’s chest, he began sleeping peacefully again.

It makes sense Keith would feel that way. I’d also be disappointed if someone had forgotten I’d confessed my love to them.

He had grabbed her shoulders, taken her arm, and planted a kiss on the back of her hand. Not a soft and gentlemanly kiss, but a wild one.

Anne had seen a different side of the quiet, gentle boy she knew so well, and it frightened her. It felt as if a little puppy that had been sleeping with her in bed had suddenly grown up and turned into a powerful, muscular hunting hound overnight.

She realized he was not a boy but a man, and it gave her goose bumps.

Anne needed to respond to his feelings quickly. Not doing so would be rude to him. But Anne’s affections for Challe hadn’t changed. Dawdling like this and letting her feelings hold her back wouldn’t make anyone happy.

Think carefully. I love Challe. So what about Keith? Is it love? Do I love Keith?

She questioned herself harshly and began to remember all sorts of things.

When she’d first met Keith at the Radcliffe Workshop, he had always treated Anne with fairness. He had encouraged her. He was a skilled candy crafter. When they got into a predicament at the Paige Workshop, he had joined in and worked with them. He had comforted Anne when she was crying.

And he had made a straightforward confession of love to her.

She couldn’t find a single thing about him to dislike. Rather, the more she thought about it, the more amazing, kind, and wonderful he seemed to become. If she asked herself whether she loved him, she did. In all likelihood, Keith was someone she could trust and rely on for everything, much like her mother, Emma.

Feeling her damp hair against her cheek, Anne was hit by the sensation of being backed into a corner.

In truth, she was feeling pressed to answer him.

I love him…I think. That means I should say so, and ask him to be with me. That’s the path to greatest happiness for everyone.

Without meaning to, she squeezed Mithril tight, and the fairy squirmed restlessly. Then his eyes popped open.

“Anne? What’s the matter?” he asked.

He must have sensed something from Anne’s stiff expression, because he gazed up at her with concern from under the blanket.

“Ah, sorry,” she said. “Was that too tight? I guess I woke you.”

“It’s fine, really. More importantly, what is it, Anne? You look upset.”

“I was just thinking. I…I like Keith. So I was thinking…I should accept his proposal.”

Mithril frowned and sighed in exasperation. “What are you talking about, Anne? Obviously, you like Keith. I don’t dislike him myself, and even Challe Fenn Challe probably likes him.”

“I think I could probably form a family with Keith,” Anne said. “Maybe I love him like I loved Mama. But that just means I love him as a person. Keith and I are not parent and child. We’re not siblings. We’re not family. I’m a girl, and Keith is a boy, and we’re not related. So if I think we could become like family, then doesn’t that mean I love him as a man…?”

When Anne voiced the thoughts that had been swirling around inside her, she began to feel like she’d found the right path.

Then Mithril asked her calmly, “All right, Anne. Do you love Challe Fenn Challe?”

Her chest tightened at the question. She loved him, of course. She nodded.

Mithril said, “Try saying it out loud, Anne.”

“Well…”

She hesitated. No matter how her heart swelled with those shapeless, suffocating, sweet feelings, she couldn’t get the words out. As though she was under an incantation forbidding her to declare her love aloud, some part of her heart kept her from saying it.

“If it’s easy for you to come right out and say you love someone, then you don’t really love them yet. Probably…I think.” Mithril gently reached out and touched Anne’s cheek. “What’s all this? Don’t cry. Now it feels like I was picking on you.”

Only after Mithril said this did Anne notice that a number of tears had fallen from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t understand why she was crying; the tears had simply started to flow when she’d tried to say that she loved Challe.

I just don’t know anymore.

As confused as she was, the one thing she did know was that she was being pushed to come to a decision.

I have to make up my mind. Once I decide, I can move forward without worrying about these sorts of things. I’ll be able to focus on work. And if my work leads me, like Challe said, to the same place he wants to go… I wish I could just think about candy crafting. But I don’t know. Do I love Keith enough to be with him? I don’t know.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Now that she could finally see signs that this job was going according to plan, she wanted to follow through on it no matter what.

She wanted to do so for the fairies, but also to improve the art of candy crafting. And if she could achieve both goals, then the day would come when humans and fairies could work equally as crafters without discrimination.

Anne wanted to see that kind of workshop and craft candy there happily there for the rest of her days.

The shape of the world she was striving toward was just starting to come into focus.

I want to do my job.

She wanted to make up her mind and focus on where her work was taking her. Anne thought it was much more important to bring together Challe’s wishes and the future of her craft than it was to get him to reciprocate her feelings.

More than anything, she wanted to touch silver sugar. She wanted to touch it, knead it, and make it take the shapes she desired. As long as she could do so earnestly, Anne’s heart would be at ease.

Mithril let out a deep breath. Then with a little tap, his silvery head came to rest against Anne’s arm.

“Mithril Lid Pod?” She looked down at the fairy in her arms and saw that Mithril was smiling broadly.

“I’m going to sleep now. I’m tired.” His fleeting smile startled Anne.

“Say, Mithril Lid Pod. Are you feeling unwell? You seem off now and then; you have for a while.”

“I’m all right. It’s not my time yet,” Mithril mumbled, then closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Anne. I really am sleepy.”

Even as he spoke, his eyelids slowly lowered, and his breathing started to deepen. He was sleeping like he had used up every ounce of his strength and exhausted his energy.

He says he’s all right, but…can I really believe him?

Anne couldn’t help worrying about the small fairy in her arms, but the only thing she could do was embrace him softly, like she would never let him go.

Despite the countless thoughts swirling in her head, Anne had managed to fall asleep.

“Anne. Anne.”

She awoke to someone shaking her shoulders and calling her name. The room around her was already dimly lit, and through the gap in the closed curtains, a streak of morning sunlight fell onto the floor.

“Anne. Wake up, Anne!”

The person leaning over her bed and shaking her was Noah. There was an urgent look on his face, and tears were pooling in his purple eyes.

“Noah…? What is it?”

She sat up and rubbed her eyes, and Noah said in a trembling, tearful voice, “I’m so sorry, Anne. I was sound asleep, so I didn’t notice…”

“What happened?”

She could tell from how Noah was acting that this wasn’t good news, and now she was wide-awake.

“They’re not here… None of them…,” he said.

“None of who?”

“The fairies.”

A chill ran from the top of Anne’s spine down to the tips of her toes as she understood the meaning of his words.

“No, that can’t be!”

She threw off the blanket, leaped out of bed, and hurried through the door.

There’s no way they left. Challe was watching over them. He would have told me if it looked like they were going to run.

She sped down the corridor and peeked into one of the dorms where the fairies had been sleeping. All she saw were cold beds with the covers turned back, along with specks of dust dancing in the morning sun. Quickly, she looked into the next room. But it was also empty. The one after that was empty, too. And so was the next.

When she peeked into the dorm closest to the lesser hall, she found a lone female fairy sitting on her bed. It was Emere Torte Ray, the fairy who had spoken to Noah several times. Her long, golden-brown hair was gathered in a high ponytail, and it cascaded down her back. When she turned toward Anne, her hair followed smoothly behind her, like the tail of an animal. She took one look at Anne’s face and lowered her eyes apologetically.

“Where are…the others…?” Anne asked.

“They left in the night. I decided not to go, though.”

“But they promised…and Challe…,” Anne mumbled.

Emere looked at her with sympathy. “They’ve forgotten how to keep promises. You see, we’ve all been in environments where no one keeps their promises to us. Even I did not stay here to keep my promise to you.”

Anne felt her legs give out, and she only managed to stay upright by clinging to the doorframe.

Why is no one here? Where’s Challe? What happened, Challe?!

There was no way he would have let them go quietly. Something must have gone wrong. At that thought, a cold chill ran up her spine, and she found she couldn’t move.

Chapter 4: Where to Go After Freedom

What happened, Challe? Challe! Whatever it was, I have to do something.

Despite her feelings, Anne was so overcome with shock that she couldn’t think of anything to do.

Noah had roused Keith and Kat, plus Benjamin and Mithril, and they all ran out into the hallway. When they saw Anne there, and the lone fairy sitting on her bed, they had no idea what to say.

“Anne… I’m sorry, Anne. It’s because I didn’t notice.”

Tears streaming down his face, Noah grabbed the sleeve of Anne’s nightgown. Anne cradled his purple head in her arms and hugged him tight.

“You don’t need to apologize, Noah. We knew this might happen. It’s okay. Everything will be all right. But, Challe… Why…?”

She repeated her reassurances as if trying to convince herself.

“What’s going on here?!” Mithril shouted in a frustrated voice. “What the hell was Challe Fenn Challe doing?!”

Kat brushed back his light-gray bangs and grumbled, “Well, somethin’ musta happened. Can’t imagine that guy just doin’ nothin’.”

“You’re right,” Keith said. “But before we look for Challe, we have to find the other fairies. We must come up with a plan.” Keith stepped into the room and got down on his knee in front of Emere. “You’re Emere Torte Ray, yes?”

Emere’s eyes opened wide. “You know my name?”

“We asked you your names when you first arrived, didn’t we? Listen, Emere. Are you sure you don’t know where the other fairies have gone?”

Emere shrugged. “I don’t. They said they were escaping and told me I should go with them; that’s it. I said I wasn’t going, so they just left.”

“…Why did you stay behind, Emere?” Anne asked without much thought. “What kept you if you didn’t care about breaking the promise?”

Emere looked at Noah, who was crying messily in Anne’s arms. “Because Noah is here.”

At her words, Noah raised his tear-streaked face. Then he pulled away from Anne and wiped his tears, as if suddenly embarrassed.

“Noah is here despite being free. I knew there had to be a reason for that. I figured he probably came here because the things you said and the future you described weren’t lies. So if we all ran away, the dream you spoke of about our kind’s future would vanish forever. So I stayed.”

Emere’s eyes were the same golden brown as her hair, and there was a mysterious brilliance to them. She fixed those eyes on Anne, gazing at her.

She’s the only one who believed me.

Emere hadn’t stayed because of her promise, but because she was willing to put her faith in the future Anne and the others had described.

“So one in fifteen believed us, huh?” Kat said bitterly. “Guess we didn’t work hard enough.”

From behind the group, a voice answered, “One in fifteen is fine work. I thought it would be a complete failure.” He slowly walked into the room from the direction of the lesser hall.

“Challe?!” Anne exclaimed. Overwhelmed by relief, she ran over and clung to him. “Thank goodness, Challe. I thought something had happened to you…”

She couldn’t keep her voice from wavering. Challe gave her one strong squeeze back. Then he gently pulled her off.

“Challe, what happened here?” Keith asked. He ran over, and Kat followed close behind.

“The fairies ran away in the night. All but one, that is,” Challe said, glancing at the door of Emere’s room. “I followed them and found where they escaped to.”

“That’s not what you said before, is it, Challe Fenn Challe?!” Mithril yelped. “You promised to let Anne and the others know if the fairies showed any signs of running. And you claimed you were prepared to convince them to stay, didn’t you?!”

Challe simply shook his head. “Trying to persuade them would be pointless.”

“Then why did you promise as much in front of the Silver Sugar Viscount?!” Keith demanded accusingly. “You swore to persuade all the fairies who tried to run and stop them if that didn’t work! You said yourself you don’t want to make Anne a criminal. That’s why I—”

Keith stopped himself. He knew he’d spoken out of turn.

But Challe stayed calm, and his response was even more opaque.

“I won’t make her a criminal. And I will get the fairies to understand. However, there are those circumstances under which people listen and those under which they do not. As long as the fairies were at Hollyleaf Castle, they weren’t going to listen to anything we said.”

Both Mithril and Keith cocked their heads at Challe’s puzzling statement. Kat furrowed his brow and stroked his chin intently.

Challe was looking at Anne with his arms crossed, as if waiting for whatever she might say next.

Last night, when the fairies ran away, Challe let them go because he thought it was pointless to try to persuade them. But now he’s come back here and is telling us to try again. Why? Isn’t it too late?

Challe had to be expecting something more from Anne and the others. There had to be some reason this was necessary for them to make a breakthrough.

“…I’m going after them,” she said. “I’ll accompany Challe.”

Anne didn’t know what would happen or what she was supposed to do about it. But Challe was silently waiting for something. She knew she had to meet his expectations.

“You’re going?!” Keith balked. “There are fourteen of them; it’s too dangerous. If anyone’s going, it should be me…”

“Challe will be there, so I’ll be all right. Besides…it will probably work out best if I go, since I understand Challe’s position. Instead of coming with us, Keith, I want you to work on candy making with Noah and Emere. Make good use of this time, since they both stayed.”

“But—”

Keith was about to protest further, when Kat clapped a hand down on his shoulder.

“Go on, Anne. I dunno what’s so important about that Challe fella, but there’s something there, or that dimwit wouldn’t have involved him in our work. Powell, you continue making candy with the two fairies who stayed. I’m goin’ to Lewiston. We have the fairies on loan for seven days. Now that things have gone to hell, I figure we need to extend that time a little.”

“I appreciate it,” Anne said, bowing to Kat. Then she ran over to Noah again. She hugged him, then looked straight into his eyes. “Thank you, Noah. Emere stayed because you’re here. Will the two of you work on your candy?”

Noah’s face fell again, but he nodded steadily. “Yes. I’ll work with Emere,” he said.

“That’s how apprentices should be. A good apprentice never takes a day off,” Kat said, gently patting Noah on the head. “I’m going to Lewiston. Powell, take care of the rest. You too, Anne.” Then Kat hurried off down the stairs.

Keith watched him go, then sighed and turned back to Anne and Challe. “Fine. I’ll stay here,” he agreed. “Anne, I hope you can do something about the fairies, but don’t be reckless. Challe, look after her.”

“Of course,” Challe answered, without a moment’s hesitation. His level response reassured them both.

Anne looked up at him. “Let’s go. Show me the way, Challe.”

Challe drove the horse forward, holding Anne against his chest. The animal bobbed up and down, sunlight shimmering off its coat. The scenery around them was thick with green, and the sound of the wind tickled Anne’s ears.

To the west of Hollyleaf Castle, there was a succession of gently sloping hills with a river meandering through them toward the south. Most of those hills were covered with evergreen forests, and grassy banks spread out on either side of the river.

However, this foliage thinned out as they moved west, and rugged rocks began to dominate the landscape.

Finally, the scene transformed into the wasteland around the Bloody Highway.

Challe steered their horse off the road just before the spot where the highway began and guided their mount toward a grassy area by the river. As they proceeded along the riverbank, through grass which reached the horse’s ankles, Anne gazed at their surroundings.

“The fairies came to this desolate place?”

She could hear the pleasant sound of the flowing river and of birds chirping in the forest. The little flowers growing in clusters underfoot were adorable. But this area was caught between Lewiston and the Bloody Highway. Because of the wild beasts that wandered in from the wastelands, no humans settled there. It was a lonely place, without a single wheat field.

“They’re here because it’s so desolate.”

Challe brought the horse to a stop and got out of the saddle, then lifted Anne down, too. He tied the horse to a shrub near the riverbank.

“They couldn’t get very far on foot. On top of that, a large group of fairies walking around together would attract attention. So they came to this forest to hide, at least for the time being.”

Challe started walking toward a tree-covered hill. Anne followed along unsteadily, trailing him through the tall grass that came up past her knees. Just as she was starting to sweat a little, they passed into the forest.

The air was cool, and there was little undergrowth. Scattered sunlight streamed down from above, passing through the gaps in the canopy.

“Do you think we’ll be able to find everybody?” Anne asked.

Challe slowed his pace a bit. Anne caught up with him, and he delivered his answer in a hushed tone.

“They’ll find us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Keep quiet.”

The wind blew, and above their heads, the trees rustled noisily. After that, the quiet returned. Then, off to the right, Anne heard the faint rustle of someone pushing their way through a thicket. She looked over her shoulder, then caught the sound of a twig snapping behind her.

She sensed the presence of several people watching them from a distance.

Anne grabbed Challe’s sleeve, and he came to a halt.

“Challe, is everyone here?” she asked quietly, a little nervous.

Challe nodded. “Probably.”

“Well then, that’s perfect.”

Anne caught her breath. Then she lifted her head, looked around, and raised her voice.

“Everyone, I know you’re there! Don’t get the wrong idea. We didn’t come here to capture you. We came to guide you back!”

The fairies were silent, as if they were holding their breath.

“It’s just me and Challe. No one else is here. You can see that, right? We came most of the way here on a horse. We didn’t bring anyone with us.”

A single figure nimbly stepped out from the thicket in front of her. He had indigo-colored hair and even deeper indigo wings. It was Allele. He glared at them with wary crimson eyes.

“Allele, I didn’t come here to try to force you all to go back. Please believe me.”

“Tie him up,” Allele said.

Anne didn’t understand what he meant. She stared in befuddlement as Allele tossed her a rope.

“If you really don’t intend to force us back,” he said, “then tie this rope around Challe Fenn Challe’s wrists. Restrain him. Then we’ll believe you.”

Anne could see his point. With Challe’s keen fighting abilities, he could force dozens of fairies to yield in an instant and easily recapture their wings.

Anne slowly picked up the rope and looked at Challe.

He readily offered both wrists. “I don’t mind. Do it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If this is all it takes to set them at ease, then go ahead,” Challe whispered as Anne tied the rope, a smirk showing on his lips. He must be confident he could easily break out. But Anne disliked having to restrain him.

“I tied him up. Are you happy now? I just want to talk with you.”

She gently ran her hand over Challe’s wrists, which were bound with coarse, stiff rope, and turned back around to face Allele. The next moment, the other fairies emerged from behind tree trunks and thickets. They kept their distance as they surrounded Anne and Challe, wearing anxious expressions.

“Come with me. Humans could find us this close to the river.”

Allele jerked his chin and walked off, and Anne and Challe followed.

The other fairies surrounded them and began to move, too.

They climbed a gentle slope, then went down another easy incline, and suddenly, the forest opened up before their eyes.

They were in a hollow that had formed in the middle of the trees, with a small lake in the center. The water of the lake was clear, and the earth at the water’s edge was covered in damp grass. There was a cliff a short distance from the lake, and a cave in the rock face. Several fairies sat around its opening. A few blankets were hanging over the trunks of some trees jutting from the cliffside, warming in the sun.

The escapees must have slept there the previous night.

The fairies around the cave stood up when they noticed Anne and Challe.

At the others’ urging, Anne and Challe moved into the center of the clearing. Anne kept a hand on Challe’s bound wrists as she looked around at the fairies’ faces.

“You’re here to take us back, aren’t you?” one of the fairies asked nervously.

Anne shook her head. “It’s true that we came looking for you,” she said. “But we’re not planning to force you to come with us. We want you to return, but we only came to escort you.”

Allele laughed scornfully at her words. “She says she’s here to escort us,” he mocked.

Following his lead, the other fairies chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Anne demanded.

After looking at each of his fellows’ faces in turn, Allele gave his answer with a smile. “Do you think we’re going with you? That we’ll waltz right back into bondage? Are you humans a bunch of fools?”

“I think you’ll come back once you understand the future we believe in. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to stay with you until we all go back together.”

“If you plan to stay with us, we can’t allow you to do anything rash. We’ll have to restrain you, too.”

Allele dug around in his back pocket and pulled out another length of rope. Then he approached Anne and grabbed her wrists. As he roughly tied her up, she scowled in pain.

Watching it happen, Challe asked with contempt, “So you tie us up, and then what? What comes after that?”

Allele must have picked up on Challe’s hostility; his expression turned sullen. “What was that?”

“I asked what you all are going to do next.”

“That goes without saying. We’ll run.”

“Run where?”

“We’ll decide that later.”

Challe smirked again. “Say you run off somewhere. What then?”

“Then, well…!”

Allele’s words failed him. He must not have known how to finish. As Allele groaned in frustration, Challe spoke coldly.

“I know a fairy, just like you, who took his wing back and gathered a group of supporters. He and his comrades were strong, and they tried to seize the future with violence. But he was defeated. He wasn’t able to create the world he wanted by rising up against the humans. So what will you all do? Will you fight? Will you run? Or will you find yet another path? Show me. I want to see what comes next for you.”

“Quit your yammering!”

Allele gave in to his anger. Once Anne’s wrists were tied, he turned to Challe and thrust Anne toward him by the shoulder. Anne staggered, and Challe caught her by the back.

“Tie these two to a tree over there. Then gather round. We’ll discuss what happens next.”

Allele squared his shoulders, turned, and walked off toward the cave.

As the other fairies followed Allele, their anxious gazes fell on Challe and Anne.

Keith was impressed as he watched Noah knead his silver sugar. Not even a year had passed since Noah first touched the stuff. And yet the way he handled it was smooth and nimble, without any wasted movement. It seemed like fairies intuitively grasped the texture changes in the sugar that Keith and other humans learned to spot through experience.

Across from Noah, Emere kneaded her silver sugar with uncertain hands. She had only started working with it several days earlier, but she was engaging with the work earnestly. However, she did not have as keen an intuition for the sugar as Noah did.

Noah abruptly looked up and glanced around, his hands still kneading. It seemed he was searching for something. When he did—

“Here, water.”

—Mithril deftly offered him some water that he’d ladled into a stone bowl.

“Thank you.” Noah took it with a smile and added the cold water to his silver sugar.

Mithril didn’t have the talent to become a candy crafter, but he did a good job as a crafters’ assistant.

“Mithril Lid Pod, you’re a wonderful helper.”

Keith spontaneously praised him, and Mithril rubbed the underside of his nose pompously.

“Did you only just notice, Keith? The great Mithril Lid Pod is the world’s number one crafters’ assistant! With me around, they’re one hundred times more productive!”

“It’s strange, you know. There aren’t many people so efficient they can practically hear the crafters’ voices before they speak. Not even those who know the candy crafting process well can do that.”

Unusually, Mithril pondered for a moment before answering:

“It’s not that I’m hearing the crafters’ voices, exactly. If I had to say, it’s more like the voice of the silver sugar. When I look at it, I can more or less tell what’s needed next and what to bring the crafter.”

Keith was astonished by the fairy’s answer.

The voice of the silver sugar?

Mithril had the ability to observe the state of the silver sugar and determine what was necessary. His intuition as a fairy made that possible.

Mithril was not inclined toward crafting silver sugar. However, it was possible he’d manifested an entirely different talent for making sugar candy.

Keith wondered if it might be possible that other fairies besides silver sugar fairies had abilities related to the various stages of creating sugar candy. If that was the case, then fairies could take on even more roles. Perhaps humans and fairies could work toward something better, with sugar candy at the heart of their endeavors.

I’d love to see what making sugar candy looks like with the help of the fairies’ unique talents. And I’d love to see the results, too.

He had thought the workshop Anne always spoke of, where fairies and humans worked together, was a distant dream that only someone with a tender, girlish nature like her could believe was feasible.

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe Anne had instinctively picked up on the fairies’ talents, and that was the root of her belief.

Her human and fairy workshop wasn’t a childish dream, but the place where sugar candy would one day reach new heights.

“Say, Mithril Lid Pod? You might be able to become a color fairy.”

Mithril tilted his head and stared blankly at Keith. “A color fairy… What’s that?”

“I heard about them from Lulu, the last silver sugar fairy. A long time ago, when many fairies made sugar candy, there were ones whose role was to give colored water to the sugar apple trees and color the silver sugar itself. They made red, blue, and yellow silver sugar. Apparently, they called those fairies ‘color fairies.’”

Observing the condition of the sugar apples, giving the trees colored water, and managing the plants—these required keen powers of observation and diligence, and Mithril seemed like a perfect fit for the job.

“Colored silver sugar?!” Noah asked excitedly. “Incredible! I never knew you could do that.”

“You can. Lulu told us about it, and in fact, we saw a portion of the royal family’s sugar apple trees being colored by that method.”

Mithril’s eyes twinkled with curiosity as he looked up at Keith. “That’s amazing, Keith! I want to try it.”

“I think you’d be good at it. I know—once this job is back on track, I’ll talk it over with Anne and the others.”

“Whoa! The great Mithril Lid Pod, a color fairy…”

A moment later, however, the smile disappeared from Mithril’s face, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“What’s the matter?” Keith asked with a frown as Mithril hung his head.

He looks…different than usual.

His single wing, which was always pulled taut, now hung limply behind him.

“I…would have liked to become a color fairy…,” he muttered.

He sounded exhausted.

Somehow, I just can’t settle down.

Anne and Challe had been tied to a slim tree trunk near the lake. Anne’s arms were bound together, and she had been secured to the tree by her shoulders. The rope around her wrists pricked at her skin.

Since she had been tied up right next to Challe, the two of them were nestled tightly together, close enough that she could smell the grassy aroma of his skin.

She felt uneasy, like something was stirring deep in her heart.

I wonder how everyone at Hollyleaf Castle is doing. Especially Mithril Lid Pod…

Out of everyone, she was most concerned about Mithril. He was typically energetic, but lately, something had been off about him. Last night, he had seemed to weigh almost nothing when she cradled him in her arms.

“We ought to go together!” said a voice, remarkably loud.

A short distance away, the fairies were gathered around Allele. They had been talking for some time. An angry voice rose from within their circle.

“Splitting up to run makes me nervous. Everyone should go together.”

“But with this many of us fleeing, we’re sure to stand out,” said Allele. “Let’s escape one by one, so everyone can go where they like.”

Someone agreed. “Let’s do that.”

But then another objected. “I don’t want to go alone. I don’t even know where I should run. Humans are all over the place, aren’t they?”

“You can hide from them like we’re doing now.”

“And keep fleeing forever?! I don’t know how long I can stay on the run. Eventually, the fairy hunters will catch me. It’ll be the same as before. If that’s how it’s gonna play out, we should all stick together.”

“If we try to move with this many people, we’ll be too conspicuous!”

The fairies raised their voices here and there. When things started to get out of hand, someone shouted at Allele.

“Help us decide, Allele! You’re the one who said we should run away and planned all this.”

“My opinion hasn’t changed. We should all run away, however we please.”

“No!”

“Shut up! Everybody, just calm down for now,” Allele shouted, rising to his feet.

He was imposing even from afar, with his loud voice and his robust, muscular build. It seemed natural he would wind up a leader. His eyes bulging, he glared at his companions.

The other fairies fell silent and hung their heads in exhaustion.

“For the time being, let’s find something to eat in the forest. Everyone’s hungry, and it’s making us irritable. If we don’t get a proper meal, we won’t even have the strength to run away. Let’s look for something edible while it’s still light out.”

The fairies rose sluggishly after Allele’s forceful speech. One of them grumbled, “Wandering around the forest searching for food, huh…? What a miserable way to live.” Then the fairies walked off in ones and twos.

Allele grimaced.

Freedom? If this is what it means for fairies to be free, then something is wrong.

Anne bit her lip. She felt a pang in her chest.

This was what liberty looked like for them after taking their wings and running.

Afraid of being recaptured by humans, they’d gone into hiding. If this cruel existence was the only way they could be free, then humankind had truly made a mess of the world. Everything was twisted.

The sun began to sink, and the forest darkened. When Anne looked up, she saw there were still some sunset-tinted clouds drifting through the air, but the thick canopy of night would soon be upon them. The fairies built a small bonfire for light.

Gathered around the flames, the fairies evenly divided up the nuts and berries they had gathered. By the time they were done with their meal, the sun had completely set.

Fearing an attack by wild beasts in the night, the fairies took turns staying awake to keep the fire going.

After midnight, Allele’s turn at the fire came, and he sat there throwing pieces of wood into the flames. The red fire illuminated his indigo-colored hair.

The croaking of frogs rang out from the edge of the lake.

“…Challe.” Once all the fairies had settled down to sleep, Anne softly called Challe’s name and craned her neck to see his face. “Is this what freedom means to fairies?”

“In our current world, there is no freedom, even if you get your wing back.” He answered her evenly, without showing any particular emotion. He was staring with pity at the fairies lying around the bonfire. “They must realize it, too.”

Hearing those words, Anne was finally able to understand Challe’s true intentions.

The night before, Challe had purposely let the fairies go. He must have been trying to teach these fairies what freedom looked like under the present circumstances. Once they had experienced the kind of liberty on offer, the fairies would reevaluate the future that Anne and the others had spoken of.

“This is all wrong,” said Anne.

“That’s why I’m placing my hopes in all of you,” Challe replied. “Your sugar candy will be the thing that changes the relationship between humans and fairies.”

Every time the wind blew, the trees in the forest would rustle softly. When that happened, the two of them heard quiet singing mixed in with the noise. It was the same indistinct male voice that Anne had heard sometimes at Hollyleaf Castle.

Someone’s singing?

She looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. The only fairy still awake was Allele, who had his back to them. It must have been him. Anne was reminded of her mother Emma as she watched him sing under his breath.

But she wondered why Allele was singing such a song. She didn’t think it was something a fairy would know. It was a human tune. She was sure that fairies must have songs of their own.

Just then, the energetic croaking of the frogs stopped, and there was a succession of plops as the creatures jumped into the lake. Allele rose to his feet.

The fairy briefly looked over his sleeping comrades. Then he slowly turned around and quietly walked away, one step at a time.

He came close to Anne and Challe but didn’t speak. He almost passed by the tree where they were bound without so much as looking at them.

“Escaping on your own?” Challe asked quietly. “And leaving your fellows behind?”

Allele stopped walking.

“I could shout and wake them up for you,” Challe continued.

Allele approached him, anger clear on his face.

“Don’t. Don’t call out,” he groaned.

“Did you determine you’d have better odds alone? Is that why you’re abandoning your comrades?”

“Wrong. There’s something I have to look for. I’m not running away. But I’m not like the rest of them, either—I have a purpose.” Allele knelt down and lowered his voice. “Shut up and let me go. I have to continue my search.”

“For what?” Anne asked without thinking. “Or for who?”

Allele frowned.

“I might be able to help you,” she continued. “Tell me. I traveled with Mama all around the kingdom, so I know about many different places.”

After a hesitant silence, Allele answered.

“I am…searching for a fairy who was sold near Southcent. One with hair the same color as mine… A woman. Good at singing. I overheard the fairy dealers talking about selling her as a pet because of her voice. Have you ever seen her?”

“No, I’m sorry…”

Allele snorted through his nose and stood back up.

“Allele? What are you doing?”

A voice came from near the bonfire. Allele’s wing jerked. One of the fairies who had been sleeping beside the fire had raised his head and was looking their way.

“Nothing. Just checking that their ropes haven’t loosened.”

Allele turned back toward the fire. However, the other fairy stood up and hurried over, his face grim. Out of nowhere, he grabbed Allele by the collar.

“Liar! You were trying to escape on your own, I bet.”

“No way. I was—”

“You said from the very beginning that we should split up and run. Am I wrong?! Either that, or maybe you were gonna let these two go and demand the humans repay the favor by overlooking your disappearance.”

“Quit it with the false accusations!”

Allele shook off the other fairy’s hands. That made the fairy even angrier, and he grabbed at Allele again.

“If you weren’t up to anything, then why were you whispering and plotting while everyone’s asleep?!”

The sound of their shouting woke the other fairies. They sat up or raised their heads, then began to gather around Allele and the other fairy, looking surprised.

“What are you doing?”

“Allele was trying to run away on his own!”

“No way…”

“I wasn’t,” Allele insisted, but there was no force behind his voice. He couldn’t maintain the lie. Anne could see there was an upright, honest side to him.

The other fairies pressed in steadily, surrounding Allele. The single wings on each of their backs were all stretched taut. Allele’s face stiffened.

“He really was just checking to make sure our ropes weren’t loose!” Anne shouted spontaneously.

Allele’s eyes opened wide.

“I tied up Challe initially,” she continued automatically. “So he retied the ropes.”

She had no confidence in the lie she was telling. But she managed to keep her breathing steady and to speak in a normal voice.

The fairies, who had been seething with anger, deflated before her eyes as they processed what Anne had said. She was relieved to see the change in their expressions.

“Just a false alarm…,” one of them said.

Then the fairies, in groups of twos and threes, began to return to the bonfire. However, the fairy who had first grabbed Allele shot him a sharp look before turning around.

Allele heaved a long, exhausted sigh and slowly walked off after his companions. After he had gone several steps, he turned and glanced back at Anne but then walked away without saying anything.

The silence returned, and the croaking of frogs began to ring out again.

“Why did you cover for him?” Challe asked.

“Why?” she repeated. “I don’t really know…”

If there was one reason she could offer, it was probably that Allele’s low voice as he sang had sounded so distraught.

Anne had no way of knowing what her mother had been thinking about when she quietly sang to herself during their travels. But in Allele’s song, which had sounded so similar, she had heard the sadness of missing someone.

“Allele said he’s looking for a woman with the same color hair as him. Do you think she’s his lover?”

“Could be. But let’s get some sleep, as uncomfortable as this may be.”

Since they were tied up and pressed close against each other, Anne’s head naturally came to rest on Challe’s shoulder. Closing her eyes, she felt relieved he was by her side, even though they were bound like this.

She must have drifted off to sleep just like that.

Though it was early summer, the forest was cold at night, especially so close to the water’s edge. Anne stirred against the chill, but then she was gently wrapped in something, and her body warmed up. Half dreaming already, she found a comfortable spot to snuggle into and fell fast asleep.

Anne didn’t know how much time had passed. The chill on her ears and cheeks woke her.

A light fog hung over the area, and she could tell that it was early morning. There were no insects crying or birds chirping yet.

The damp fog had chilled her face. But from the neck down, she was fairly warm, and the fabric draped over her had a pleasant texture. The material had a nice smell, too—the invigorating scent of early spring saplings. In her sleepy haze, Anne nuzzled her cheek into it, then awoke with a start.

Isn’t this smell…?!

Instantly, her mind cleared, and she grasped her situation.

She was nuzzling her cheek against Challe’s chest. Anne had crawled into his jacket and settled snugly against him. Her cheeks burned, as if her body temperature had suddenly shot up, but she couldn’t move because Challe had wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders.

He’d lowered his head and seemed to be in a deep sleep. Like a flower drooping in repose, the tips of his eyelashes and hair glistened delicately in the foggy dew.

Th-this is… What should I do? I’d hate to wake him…

Though she was certain the two of them had both been tied up tightly the previous night, mysteriously, they were now free of their bonds and able to move as they pleased.

As Anne stared at Challe, her heart pounding, the fairy’s eyelashes fluttered, as if he had been shaken awake by her gaze. He opened his eyes and looked down at Anne’s face with a slightly absent expression.

“You’re up?” he asked.

“Yes…,” Anne replied.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Unexpectedly so… Very soundly.”

“That’s good.” Challe sounded drowsy, and he didn’t try to move.

Struggling to keep her face composed, Anne spoke again. “Um, Challe? Do you think it’s a little strange? That we’re like this? I mean—”

“Oh, right. Around dawn, Allele cut our ropes.”

“He did?! Why?”

“Who knows? But I knew that even with the ropes cut, you wouldn’t want to leave. That’s why I didn’t wake you.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t. I plan to go back with everyone together. But…why?”

“You can ask him yourself later.”

“I guess so,” she replied.

Just then, Anne gasped.

That’s not the issue! We can’t stay like this!

She looked up at Challe’s face once more and was reminded of how close they were. Her anxiety began to spike.

“Um, Challe. This position is a little…”

“I just explained what happened.”

He frowned quizzically, and Anne continued.

“That’s not the issue. It’s how we’re sitting. This… How do I put it? I mean…the distance between us.”

At that point Challe blinked, as though he’d just realized what she meant. But he instantly composed himself, and a look of amusement came to his face.

“So what?”

“Huh? What do you mean?!”

“What do you want me to do? Should we stay like this? Should I let you sit in my lap? Or perhaps you’d like a kiss?”

“All wrong answers!”

Anne was annoyed the fairy was poking fun at her, and she shouted at him. From behind her back, she heard an incredulous, exasperated voice.

“Are you two stupid or something?”

Challe must have already noticed, because he didn’t seem particularly surprised. Anne, however, jumped and glanced over her shoulder, still clinging to Challe.

It was Allele. He was staring down at the two of them, eyes bulging. Quickly, he looked around, and after confirming that none of his comrades were awake yet, he crouched down and lowered his voice.

“I cut your ropes, so why didn’t you run away?!”

“Have you forgotten?” said Challe. “Anne was the one who found you. She’s not going to run away.”

Allele groaned. “We’re running, and some of them have said that if you try to follow us, we should kill you before we escape. To pay you back for last night, I tried to let you go, but… Why did you stay? Why are you telling us to come back? Please, just forget about us already and leave us be.”

He was practically pleading by the end. He seemed very earnest, and Anne figured Allele was sick of thinking it over and had blurted out his true feelings. Anne pulled away from Challe and faced Allele head-on.

“Thank you,” she said.

Allele blinked in surprise.

“But if I don’t go back with you all,” Anne continued, “then the Silver Sugar Viscount, who placed his trust in me, will take the blame. On top of that, the next fifteen fairies waiting at the fairy market will never get their chance. So I can’t go back unless I return with everyone. Allele, won’t you come with me?”

“No way. I have someone I must search for.”

“The woman you mentioned yesterday? Your lover?”

“I don’t know what to call her… We were born in the same place and only knew each other. We never encountered any other fairies. It was just the two of us, deep in the forest. We hardly wore any clothes, slept in caves, and ate fruit.” He twisted his mouth into an expression of self-derision.

“You were attacked by fairy hunters?”

“One day, we were out looking for food, and by chance, we approached a human village. We saw the people there wearing clothes, cooking their food, and singing songs, and Farrel—that’s the woman’s name—she and I both wanted to do what they did. We wanted clothes, so we stole them from the village. We wanted to copy their cooking, so we stole pots and flint. We wanted to learn their songs, so we lingered near the village on festival days. And that was how the villagers caught us. They called us thieves and sold us to fairy dealers. But we never knew that stealing was wrong.”

Anne imagined fairies living as they pleased deep in the forest and felt a pang in her chest. Humans had plucked off Allele’s wing and now he was running in fear from them.

All that, when the fairies were just seeking a life that suited them.

It was fairies, not humans, who had invented sugar candy. The fairies who created that sophisticated craft had also possessed a much richer body of songs, literature, and poetry than humans did; they had both the ability to cultivate those things and the intelligence and desire to seek them out. Five hundred years earlier, the fairies must have had a much more elaborate culture than humans had.

The tune Allele had been singing to himself must have been one of the human songs he’d learned with Farrel. But why was it that when he sang to himself, he sang a human song? Had the fairy’s songs vanished at some point?

As if reading the tragic questions on Anne’s mind, Challe quietly spoke up.

“The fairy culture that you and Farrel sought was destroyed. Our kind might still live, but our culture has died out. We don’t have the means to make even a single scrap of clothing on our own. Even our songs have been lost over the generations. The only things that remain are the techniques of the fairies who made sugar candy. It’s practically a miracle they still exist.”

“A miracle?” Allele mumbled.

Suddenly, Challe rose to one knee, ready to make a move. His whole body was tense with strain, and his wing trembled sharply, shining with a steely brilliance. Challe’s gaze was focused on the opposite bank of the small, foggy pond. He narrowed his eyes, as if looking between the trunks of the fog-shrouded trees toward the space beyond.

“Challe? What is it?”

Challe didn’t answer; he just glanced around at where the fairies were sleeping and quietly clicked his tongue. Then he nimbly opened his right hand. Twinkling beads of light began to gather in his palm, as if he was pulling droplets of sunshine out of the fog.

“Anne, Allele. Wake any fairies who are sleeping. Gather everyone around me.”

“What’s going on?!” Anne asked frantically.

“Fairy hunters,” he spat.

They heard footsteps moving through the underbrush all around them, and Anne and Allele looked at each other.

“Go, both of you!” said Challe.

The obsidian fairy stood up, brandishing his sword. At the same time, Anne and Allele ran off toward the others still sleeping around the embers of the bonfire.

Chapter 5: Choosing Day

Six human figures stepped out of the fog, surrounding the sleeping fairies. All of them were muscular men. Some carried swords at their hips, and others had bows and arrows on their backs. They were all holding long chains with weights attached to the end.

Challe raised his sword to eye level.

Someone’s been watching them.

The fourteen fairies had very cautiously slipped away from Hollyleaf Castle in the middle of the night, but there were small settlements all around that place. It would not be a surprise if they’d been sighted. And anyone who had witnessed the strange spectacle of fourteen fairies traveling under cover of darkness would have definitely told someone about it.

That was probably how the fairy hunters had heard about them.

Anne and Allele shook the other fairies awake and told them what had happened. With grim faces, everyone gathered behind Challe.

Satisfied that they were all assembled, Challe looked over his shoulder and issued them orders.

“Go lie down near the lake.”

The fairies huddled together near the lake behind Challe and lay face down on its banks. With that done, Challe could focus on attacking in only one direction. The only thing behind him was the lake, and the hunters’ arrows wouldn’t be able to reach him from the opposite shore.

As the men came closer, tightening their circle, their amused expressions became clear.

One of the fairy hunters addressed a bearded man who seemed to be their leader. “Boss, there’s a warrior fairy.” His voice was tense.

But the bearded man smiled, baring his teeth. “Don’t lose your nerve,” he said. “If we can catch this many of them, it’ll pay half a year’s keep. Plus, look at the guy. He’s a real pretty boy. If we snag him, he’ll sell for ten times the price of a regular fairy. Stay focused.”

After a signal from the bearded man, the six hunters all began to swing their weighted chains at once.

Anne stood up behind Challe.

“Wait!” she cried. “These fairies belong to the Silver Sugar Viscount! I’m a Silver Sugar Master, and the Viscount entrusted them to me!”

The fairy hunters cackled. Then the bearded man stared at her. “Can’t hear a thing you’re sayin’, sweetheart. We don’t know what’s goin’ on here, but we found a group of fairies wandering around in the woods, so I think we’ll take ’em. After we’re done huntin’ ’em down, we’ll forget all about you, princess.”

“Well, I won’t forget.”

“Doesn’t matter to us whether you remember or not. You ain’t talkin’. Not from the bottom of that lake.”

Anne couldn’t contain her anger and took a step forward. But Challe held out his arm, keeping her back.

“Stop it,” he said. “Go lie down with the fairies.”

“But…!”

“To a fairy hunter, all fairies are merchandise. They won’t kill them if they don’t have to. But you’re a little girl who’s trying to get in the way of their payday, and they can’t sell you. They’ll have no qualms about killing someone if a year’s worth of cash is on the line.”

Anne paled, and Challe quietly ordered her again.

“Go lie down.”

She must have realized the truth in Challe’s words from the wild and violent look in the hunters’ eyes. Feeling sick, Anne ran back to the fairies.

Challe looked over his opponents and readied his sword. It occurred to him that it was keen determination, rather than anger, that was supporting him from within.

Fairy culture has been destroyed. In this world, we don’t even have the freedom to go where we please.

Even when fairies managed to run away and regain their liberty, the result was the same as if they had been abandoned in the middle of a desolate, lifeless wasteland.

The fairies whom Lafalle had gathered, who had taken their wings back and then ended up on the run again, must have faced the same reality as the ones trembling on the ground behind him.

The fairies no longer possessed a single seed to plant or even a droplet of water to nurture it.

Only a single kernel of their culture remained, and it was in human hands—sugar candy. At present, the humans had dropped that seed into an empty plot. If the fairies cultivated it, it might one day restore their domain.

The fairies had lost their songs, but this had the potential to bring their music back.

For that, I am ready to fight.

Suddenly, Challe smiled. His wing strained and shuddered, shining silver.

The fairy hunters seemed puzzled by his grin.

“You are now well aware these fairies belong to the Silver Sugar Viscount,” Challe said. “But if that won’t dissuade you from making a move…then you can kiss your arms and legs good-bye.”

“Get him!”

The moment the boss gave his order, Challe took off running.

He covered the distance to the closest hunter in an instant. The man had no time to react—not even a second to draw his sword. The most he could do was attempt to jump out of the way. Challe slashed downward, cutting through the man’s right shoulder down to his left hip. Blood gushed from the gaping wound. Challe leaped back, avoiding the spray, and the hunter he had cut screamed and tumbled to the ground.

The moment Challe landed in a low crouch, weighted chains came flying at him from his right and left, two from each side. They wound tightly around Challe’s silvery sword, locking it in place.

Then the fairy hunters’ leader came charging in.

With a casual flick of his sword hand, Challe dismissed the blade, which instantly dissolved into silvery beads of light. The four men who had been restraining his weapon lost their balance and staggered backward.

Stunned, the boss hesitated midcharge, but Challe crouched and rushed at him, sweeping his leg to send the man falling on his back. Challe stood astride the toppled leader and concentrated on his right palm, making the silver sword appear again. Then he placed the tip of the blade against the bearded leader’s throat.

“Nobody move!”

The fairy hunters froze at the sound of Challe’s voice.

The leader looked up at Challe, his face twitching.

“Allow me to say this again,” said Challe. “The fairies here belong to the Silver Sugar Viscount, Hugh Mercury. If you intend to hunt them anyway, I will run you through.”

“Wh-when a fairy harms a human, he gets put down, no matter the reason,” the leader said in a trembling voice.

Challe answered him with a smile. “Not a problem. There won’t be anyone around to complain, you see. Not after I plunge your corpses to the bottom of this lake. The fellow on the ground over there, and you, and the other four. Do you think I can’t handle this many human opponents?”

The last few moments had shown the men how capable Challe was.

The boss was looking worse and worse by the second, his throat tightening against the tip of Challe’s blade as he swallowed repeatedly.

“Got it. These fairies belong to the Silver Sugar Viscount. We’ll leave them be.”

“Did you hear that? All of you over there, cast your swords, arrows, and chains into the lake.”

With his sword still leveled, Challe called out to the fairy hunters in the distance. They looked at one another like they weren’t sure what to do. Ultimately, however, they took the swords at their waists, the chains in their hands, and the arrows on their backs and tossed them into the lake.

Challe stared intently at the man below him, even as he listened to the splashes coming from the center of the lake. A cold, murderous impulse smoldered in his heart—the desire to go ahead and skewer the cruel hunters who were doing this.

Even with a blade thrust in his face, the fairy hunter stubbornly put on a brave front. “We threw everything away,” he said. “You should be satisfied with that.”

“Are you going to continue to hunt fairies, even after this?” Challe asked in a frigid voice.

Anne must have sensed something behind his question. She stood up and called his name in a pleading tone.

“Challe?!”

The fairy hunter’s leader bared his teeth. “’Course we will. That’s our job.”

“And you’re not inclined to quit?”

“We’ll quit when there’s no one left buyin’.”

At those words, Challe felt his murderous urge begin to fade.

Even these fools are just pieces of a bigger picture.

He pulled his blade away. Then he confiscated the sword at the fairy hunter’s hip and threw it as hard as he could toward the lake.

“Enough,” he said. “Get out of my sight.”

The lead fairy hunter stood up cautiously. Then he signaled to his companions with his eyes and had them support their wounded comrade. Glancing backward now and then, they soon disappeared, following the river.

After watching them go, the fairies breathed a sigh of relief and rose to their feet. Allele, however, squared his shoulders and stalked over to Challe.

“Why did you let them leave?! You should have killed them! They might get more weapons and chase us down again! Even if they don’t come after us, they’re going to hunt different fairies somewhere else!”

As Challe shook his hand and dematerialized his sword, he turned his gaze on Allele and the other fairies behind him.

“As long as there is a system of buying and selling of fairies, humans like those will always be around. Killing them would accomplish little. If we want to eradicate them for good, we need to change the structure of this world.”

“It’ll never change. Dream on,” someone muttered.

Then Anne, who had been standing alone among the fairies, shook her head. “The thing about dreams,” she said, “is that if no one ever acts on them, they remain dreams no matter how much time passes. We want to change things, and that’s why we want you all to come back.” At her forceful words, the fairies began to glance at one another.

Anne seemed to be desperately searching for the right thing to say before she continued.

“If fairies can have jobs and earn money,” she said, “they’ll be able to make a living. Then even if fairy hunters try to take them, the people of the town will protect the fairies, since they need them to do their jobs. And we do need you. You can start out living with humans and then, little by little, build villages and towns for fairies.”

When he heard that, Allele’s lip trembled, and he balled his hands into fists. He began, with difficulty, to shout. “But we want freedom right now! I want to go search for Farrel!!”

“Say you do find her—will the two of you keep running forever in fear of fairy hunters?” Challe asked calmly. “Wandering around the forest and the wastelands, scrounging for food like beasts? Will you and that woman be satisfied with that sort of life?”

Allele hung his head and bit his lip.

“It’s been a little more than a day since you left Hollyleaf Castle. In the time you’ve had your freedom, what have you learned?” Challe demanded.

The fairies’ faces stiffened, as if a sword had been thrust before their eyes.

“Let me tell you. You’ve learned that the fairy world has collapsed,” Challe continued. “That even the songs we ought to be singing have vanished. If fairies were content to live like wild beasts, they never would have cultivated silver sugar, and they wouldn’t have chosen a leader. But we aren’t beasts, and we wanted to live good lives, which is why we created a society, crowned a king, made sugar candy, and sang songs.”

The fairies were alive. However, the world they were supposed to live in no longer existed. They had neither the skills nor the structures to make clothes, neither the land nor the mechanisms to produce their own food. There was no surviving fairy literature for them to read, nor even songs for them to sing.

Though the fairies were well aware of that, Challe wanted them to look directly at the truth they refused to face.

Suddenly, Allele groaned and fell to his knees. He let out muffled sobs as he wept.

Challe stared at him and continued in a dispassionate tone, “In order to resurrect the fairy world, we could do battle against humans again—that would be one way. But I can’t say with certainty we would win, given our overwhelmingly inferior numbers. Both humans and fairies would be worse for it, and the land would fall into ruin.”

In the face of Challe’s relentless wake-up call, the wings on the backs of the fairies wilted, as if they were gradually losing strength.

The facts must have hit home for them over the course of the day. Even if they took their wings back and got their freedom, there was no place where fairies could live happily.

Challe took a step forward. “But there is another way,” he said. “A way to slowly clear out the stagnant residue of the last five hundred years: to join hands with the humans, to coexist with them, and to create the relationship we both need.”

“Is that really a way forward?” One of the fairies, sounding exhausted, grumbled unbidden.

“Fairies by nature make even better candy crafters than humans,” said Challe. “That’s precisely why the humans safeguarded the silver sugar fairy, keeping her alive. If the Silver Sugar Viscount’s plans work out, you will have the chance to get your wings back and live as silver sugar fairies. You’ll be just like human candy crafters. But that won’t be enough to change the world. After that, it will probably take many decades, many centuries even, over which both fairies and humans will have to change.”

It wasn’t fair to the fairies, of course. It was no easy feat to ignore their present lives in order to focus on a future that was hundreds of years away.

Challe himself had been captured by fairy hunters and bought and sold. At that time, all he had desired was freedom, and he hadn’t been able to think about anything beyond that.

But since he’d regained his wing, he’d learned that in present-day Highland, there was no place where fairies could live freely in any true sense.

He had also discovered that humans and fairies were not incompatible, and that it was possible for them to live together.

The person who had taught Challe all this was the girl now listening to him with an earnest look in her eyes. It was as though she felt a personal responsibility in his words.

That’s right.

A memory suddenly came back to him of when they’d first met. He had spurned Anne for saying she wanted to be friends, and she had responded.

“That was something Mama and I believed. But ideals and dreams won’t ever become reality if we don’t act on them. So I’m doing just that, taking action.”

Those were her words.

Even now, she was saying the same sort of thing to the fairies. She hadn’t changed.

Challe knelt in front of Allele and placed his hand on the fairy’s shoulder. “There’s a possibility that fairies and humans will be able to live together,” he said. “And there remains a chance we might slowly take our world back. We might reclaim the songs that you and the woman you’re looking for sought. Someday.”

The fairies timidly gathered around Challe, still confused. They all stared at him in wonder.

After a little while, Allele raised his head and cast an imploring stare at Challe with his crimson eyes. “Who exactly are you?” he managed.

“Yeah, who are you?”

“Who?”

The fairies asked him this in hushed tones. Their hoarse, fearful voices seemed to imply that they instinctively understood they were asking something they shouldn’t.

“Nobody special,” said Challe.

“That’s a lie,” one of them said. “You’re different. There’s something unique about you.”

Challe stood up and casually shook his head. “Even supposing that I was someone of note, that doesn’t mean I can do anything for you. If we want to change the world, handing absolute power to one individual won’t help. Each and every one of us needs to be determined to do their part. That’s why I’m asking this of you. I want you fairies to seize this opportunity, even if it means joining hands with the humans.”

Allele looked pointedly at Challe. “And if we take this chance, we’ll be able to take back the world we want?” he asked.

“Someday. It might take a decade, or a hundred years, or several centuries. It will not be quick.”

“Several centuries, or even longer, is fine. But we’ll be able to get back our songs, too—the ones we should be singing?”

“Absolutely.”

Challe had no positive proof, but he believed in the possibility. So he put all his determination into his answer.

Without so much as blinking, Allele announced, “In that case, I’ll go back. I will follow you.”

He bowed to Challe as if it were only natural. When he did, the assembled fairies slowly knelt and followed his example.

“We will do the same.”

“We’ll go back.”

Their words of quiet resolve spread like a breeze flowing across a grassy meadow.

Their determination didn’t come from the promise of their own freedom and happiness. Rather, they were looking a hundred years or more down the line and basing their decision on that. Their words of conviction had a sorrowful quality.

In response, a vivid thought came to Challe.

I need to see with my own eyes where the human king’s vow leads.

The other fairies’ feelings strengthened his own. As did the sight of Anne, standing at the lake’s edge and staring anxiously as the others knelt around him.

I can’t afford to fear walking alongside the humans… Anne…

He stared at the small young woman with her skinny arms and legs standing amid the fog. Despite her petite frame, she was a flexible and resilient creature.

…I never want to let you go.

Those feelings were just as firm and unwavering as his desire to create a future for his fellow fairies.

If Anne, a human, was bound to Challe, a fairy, it might make her unhappy. Fearing that, Challe had sealed off his affections for her and encouraged her to seek a future with Keith.

But he saw now that he, the very one who had urged the other fairies to resign themselves to walking hand in hand with humans, had given up on staying with Anne out of fear.

Challe needed to take a good hard look at his own feelings.

I don’t want to let her go. I want to protect her forever.

That was the one thing he’d never doubted. It was always clear and constant. But how should he deal with it?

Challe quietly issued an order.

“Stand up, everyone.”

The fairies complied and rose to their feet.

“We will return to Hollyleaf Castle.”

The fairies nodded without eagerness, but calmly, as if they had reached some great understanding. Then, along with Anne and Challe, they started walking in the direction of Hollyleaf Castle.

It was a little after noon when the fairies arrived back at the castle. Weary from their day and night on the run, they seemed relieved when they stepped into the entryway.

“Anne! Challe! And everyone else!”

Noah came running from the first floor of the west wing, where the workshop was. Behind him was Emere.

“Noah, Emere, we’re back.”

Anne caught Noah as he launched himself at her and patted his smooth purple hair.

The fairies looked a little embarrassed in front of the others. Emere stared at their grass-stained clothes and muddy faces and shrugged with an exasperated smile.

“My, you’re all dirty. Go shower off and clean yourselves before you start working, okay?”

Allele glared at her and made an unpleasant expression. “We don’t need you to tell us that.” Then he turned to Anne. “Is that all right with you?”

Anne smiled broadly. “Of course! Ah, what I mean is, please do. I’ll go and clean myself as well, after you’re done.”

“Oh, I’ll help, too!” said Noah. “We don’t have enough buckets, so I’ll bring more from the back. I used to live here, so I’ve got a good idea of where everything is.”

Noah nimbly pulled away from Anne and leaped out in front of the other fairies with a lively expression. The others’ faces softened in response to his carefree attitude.

“At any rate, I’m glad to see everyone decided to come back,” Emere said as she watched her comrades head toward the bedrooms with Noah. She sounded impressed. “What happened?”

Then she glanced over at Challe, who was standing behind Anne. “Did you manage to persuade them?”

“I think they came to the realization on their own. I’m a little tired, so I’m going to rest.”

Challe walked off abruptly, climbing up the gently curving staircase.

He had stayed up all night tracking the fleeing fairies and then accompanied Anne as she chased after them. It stood to reason that even Challe would be exhausted.

Watching him go, Anne couldn’t help but feel like he had become more unapproachable and distant than ever.

Challe really is special. And he’s an important person to the fairies. I know he swore an oath to protect me, but it’s not right of me to make him keep it.

The fairies had noticed. Challe hadn’t named himself as the fairy king, but they had picked up on the fact that he was different, and they had believed what he had said.

That was why Anne was going to devote all her energy to working with the fairies and living up to Challe’s words. The humans had a duty to meet the expectations of the fairies who had returned to them.

That was more vital than loving Challe or receiving his protection. Doing right by his ideals was the most important thing Anne could do. She was intensely aware of her responsibility. She felt it like a strong jolt through the core of her body.

“Anne!”

This time, it was Keith who came running out from the workroom. When he saw Anne, he smiled with relief. He hurried over and grasped one of Anne’s hands with his own and squeezed.

“Thank goodness. I’m so glad you made it back safely,” he said. “Not only that, but you got everyone else to come with you, too.”

“But we wasted almost two full days,” she replied. “Will the remaining five really be enough?”

“Don’cha worry ’bout that,” said a voice from the top of the stairs.

When she looked up, Anne saw Kat sticking his face over the railing of the lesser hall. As he descended the stairs, Anne sensed his fatigue. Unfazed by his master’s haggard state, Benjamin was nodding off atop Kat’s shoulder as always.

“That dim-witted bastard negotiated with the Wolf an’ extended our time limit by two more days.”

Kat must have been sending Hugh constant updates on the changing conditions at Hollyleaf Castle. The two of them were surely worn-out from their negotiations with the fairy dealers. Even so, Kat was clearly satisfied.

“Thank you very much, Kat,” Anne said and bowed, grateful from the bottom of her heart for his hard work.

“We still can’t drag our feet. We’ve got seven days,” he replied, regarding Anne and Keith with his sharp, feline eyes. “We’ve gotta focus on the work. That goes for you, too, Emere. Give those other guys a kick in the pants.”

“I don’t need to do anything to spur them on. Everyone came back, after all,” Emere answered clearly.

From the following day onward, just as Emere had said, the fairies’ attitude toward their work was completely different.

Like before, they mobilized in an orderly fashion at the sound of the church’s morning bell. But the look in their eyes when they started working had changed. If they weren’t chosen to become silver sugar fairies after a week, they would have to go back to the fairy market. They all desperately kneaded their silver sugar, hoping to prove themselves.

That was painfully clear, and Anne found it hard to watch.

She and the others had to select the ones who would stay. Knowing that, they felt a kind of desperation of their own as they watched the fairies work. They did everything they could to pass on their skills and guild their charges’ progress.

At the end of each day, everyone was exhausted. And each night, it was more difficult to fall asleep than the last. It scared Anne and the others to think the moment when they would have to choose was closing in.

But seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the sixth, when the fairies had wrapped up and they were cleaning up their workspaces, Kat turned to Anne and Keith.

“You two, come down to the workshop after dinner. We’ll decide then.”

That was all Kat said before leaving the room. Anne shared a glance with Keith. It was clear that they were both dreading this final task.

When they went to the workshop after dinner, Kat was already there waiting for them, sitting on a stool and resting his chin in his hands atop a workbench. He motioned with his eyes for Anne and Keith to take a seat.

The two of them sat down across from him.

“What about Challe and Mithril Lid Pod?” asked Keith as he looked around the room. “It doesn’t look like Benjamin’s here, either.”

“I invited them, too, but they said they’re not candy crafters, so they can’t judge,” explained Kat. “They’re not coming.”

Anne greatly admired how calm the fairies were about all this. They had participated and helped out alongside Anne and the others, but they were not candy crafters. On a sentimental level, they must have wanted to take part in deciding the fates of their fellow fairies, but they had determined the decision wasn’t for them to make. They would leave it up to Anne and the other humans.

Drumming his slim fingers on the tabletop, Kat cut straight to the point. “Who will we keep? The two of you must have a pretty good idea by now.”

Anne and Keith nodded simultaneously.

Kat wore a glum expression, but he continued in a detached tone, “Allele. Riesis. Schulei. Those are my three choices.”

A faint draft made the candle flicker, and on the wall behind them, their three shadows swayed.

“I like those three, too,” said Keith, “plus one more: Cereh. I feel like she might have potential.”

Anne had also made up her mind. “Allele, Riesis, Schulei, and Cereh.”

Just saying their names one by one made her voice start to tremble.

“If there’s potential there, I guess we ought to keep Cereh,” Kat said, then let out a rare sigh. “Four, huh?”

Four out of fifteen. If they had brought in fifteen humans at random, they would have been lucky to find even one who had the talent to become a candy crafter. By comparison, a much greater percentage of fairies had the potential.

But the remaining eleven aren’t just numbers. They’re fairies who are here with us now, working, laughing, quarreling, and everything else.

Anne hung her head, and Keith and Kat fell silent.

This hurts.

It was so painful that Anne couldn’t stand it. It felt as though her lungs were stuffed full of lead. They were going to have to demand that eleven fairies give up their wings. Anne and the others would have to tell them to go back to the fairy market again, where they would be sold.

Anne clenched the fabric of her dress around her knees.

They had started this project knowing they were doing something extremely immoral, so it was foolish to cry about it now. If she was going to shed tears, she never should have taken the job. So she did her best to hold them back.

“We return tomorrow, right?”

Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence. Startled, Anne and the others turned to look.

Emere stood near the door to the workshop, her golden eyes fixed on them. Behind her was Allele, who wore a sullen expression, as well as Noah and the other fairies.

Emere approached Anne with a light, smooth gait, then set a small leather pouch down in front of her. It was the pouch containing her wing.

The three crafters looked up at Emere in shock, but she just smiled.

“My wing,” she said. “I’m giving it back. Tomorrow will be busy, and it will be bothersome to do it then. And I won’t know what to do if I get the urge to run away in the night.”

Shedding tears from his big purple eyes, Noah snuggled up close to Emere’s side.

“Emere, you’re going back? But you’re so nice. I really like you.”

When he said that, Emere smiled bitterly. “I couldn’t work the sugar as well as you, little one, but you keep at it.”

The other fairies walked past Emere and Noah, and one by one, they placed their wing pouches on the workbench where Anne and the others sat.

Two, three, four. The pouches containing their wings were placed in a line.

“Why…?” asked Anne.

The question just slipped out, and the final fairy to place his pouch atop the workbench answered it.

“Because we promised.”

Unable to endure the feelings welling up in her, Anne hung her head and bit her lip.

Because they promised? But oh, what a promise!

She had gratitude and encouragement to offer them. She had pledges for the distant future, and assurances about her and her colleagues’ determination to see those pledges through. There were so many things that she wanted to say to the fairies, but none of them would take shape into words.

“The four of us you chose will stay here and train to become silver sugar fairies,” said Allele. “We vow not to run away.”

Then someone else said cheerfully, “You’d better not run, Allele. We know you want to go look for that woman you’re in love with!”

“And I will. I’ll find her. But only after I’ve become a silver sugar fairy and gained my freedom.”

Anne heard Keith stand up.

“It’s not just the silver sugar fairies,” he said. “There are other jobs better suited to fairies. Someday, we may ask for your help with it. When the time comes, we might send for you again. I can’t guarantee it. But I hope it will happen.”

“Oh, really?” said Emere casually. “In that case, we’ll count on seeing you again.”

“Sorry, everyone,” Kat said, voice subdued.

Someone responded matter-of-factly, “We knew it was coming, so it’s all right.”

Unable to raise her head, Anne mumbled, “I’m sorry… Thank you… I’m sorry, so sorry…”

She didn’t know whose it was, but the chilly hand of a fairy lightly stroked her head. The coolness of their palm felt nice, and their touch was gentle.

Encouraged by the fairies’ responses, Anne finally raised her head.

“I’ll make you a promise, too,” she said to them, though she couldn’t see them through her tears. “I’ll ensure that everyone who stays here is recognized as a silver sugar fairy and as a candy crafter, and that they have an indisputable place in the world. We’ll think of some way to do it, and we’ll make it happen. We really will. I promise.”

The fairies nodded.

“Most of them will go back to the fairy market, huh?” Mithril Lid Pod mumbled as he looked up at the night sky, holding his knees.

Both Challe and Mithril had known that Anne and the others were choosing fairies that night. But neither of them nor Benjamin had thought they should participate. It was a job for the candy crafters.

The other fairies had also realized it was time for the humans to make their selection. When they’d seen Anne and the others go down to the workshop, every last one of them had streamed downstairs to eavesdrop.

Challe and Mithril had left the castle so as to not get in their way. Benjamin was already snoring away in bed, so they’d let him be.

They went out to the thicket of trees surrounding the castle, found a large one with a good shape, and climbed it. Challe took a seat with his back against the trunk and his legs stretching out toward the end of a branch. Mithril sat down beyond the tips of Challe’s boots, almost at the very end.

A slender moon hung in the sky. Despite how frail it looked, its light was sharp and beautiful. They could hear the shrill cries of insects coming from the forest underbrush.

“It is a brutal matter,” said Challe.

“But I guess it has to be done, huh?”

Mithril must have felt guilty; he would get to stay behind because he already had his freedom, while his fellow fairies would have to go back to the market. But that was also true for Challe.

“And I bet the ones who return will tell the next group of fairies about their resolve.”

Challe plucked a leaf off the tree and toyed with it, twirling it between his fingers.

He looked at Mithril from behind. In the darkness, Mithril’s wing looked transparent. It had very little luster, perhaps because Mithril was still thinking about the fate of their compatriots. Or maybe it was something else.

“Mithril Lid Pod, is there anything you’re hiding from us?”

Without turning his head, Mithril shrugged. “Not really.”

Challe was unhappy with this curt answer. If Mithril had been a loud, annoying nuisance, as he usually was, Challe could have grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threatened him, saying something like Quit hiding things and answer me!

But with Mithril sitting there quietly, his back turned, Challe couldn’t do a thing.

Chapter 6: The White Flowers of the Sugar Apple

The following morning, a wagon left, taking eleven fairies back to the fairy market. Everyone at Hollyleaf Castle saw it off.

Anne’s chest ached as she watched the vehicle depart in the bright summer sunlight.

I’m sorry. Thank you. I’m sorry…

Words of apology and gratitude filled her mind. However, Anne knew she couldn’t afford to let her feelings crush her. She had to do everything she could to repay the fairies for their determination.

Thank you. Because of you all, we can keep working.

As she stared after the distant wagon, Anne straightened up and put on a firm expression.

She had to teach Allele and the others—the four remaining fairies—the techniques of candy crafting. And the next day, another group of fifteen fairies would arrive from the market.

“Well, we’d better begin,” Keith said, startling Anne out of her trance. She was still gazing at the same spot, despite the wagon having disappeared. The only ones left in the front garden were Anne, Keith, the four chosen fairies, and Noah.

Anne looked around restlessly. “Oh, where are Challe and Mithril Lid Pod? And Kat and Benjamin?”

“Challe and Mithril Lid Pod are still inside the castle,” said Keith with a wry smile. “Mr. Hingley said he was going to the fairy market to make arrangements for the fairies coming tomorrow.”

Allele shrugged in disbelief. “Hey now, are you sure you all know what you’re doing? We’re supposed to be learning from you.”

“I have my shortcomings,” Anne answered. “But I’m confident when it comes to silver sugar. Well…I think so anyway.”

Allele and the other fairies laughed.

“It’s true!” Noah said earnestly. “Anne is an amazing Silver Sugar Master, you know.”

“Amazing, huh? Right. I place my future in your hands, Silver Sugar Master.” His words were casual, but his crimson eyes were serious.

“Yeah. Let’s go to the workshop.”

Anne and Keith led the way.

The aroma of Saint Ellis Nut was strong. Every morning, Noah cleaned the workspace and carefully scattered the powdered seed all around for them. Cleaning and caring for the tools were two of the apprentices’ tasks.

“You four—Allele, Riesis, Schulei, and Cereh—we’re going to have you start working as apprentices from today forward, just like Noah has been doing for some time now. We’ll ask you to clean the workshop in the morning and take care of the tools at the end of the day.”

Anne walked to the back of the room, touching each of the stoves as she went.

“There’s something I need you all to know,” she said. “About a month and a half from now, at the end of the summer, the principal crafters from the Mercury Workshop and the Radcliffe Workshop—two of the factions making sugar candy—will come here to watch you work.”

“What does that mean?”

Allele and the others were unfamiliar with the world of crafters and didn’t understand Anne’s serious tone.

“One of the three main factions, the Paige Workshop, has already started accepting fairies as apprentices. But the other two are still human-only. That’s because the candy crafters there are opposed to letting fairies join them. The faction leaders think you might change their minds by showing the crafters what you can do. So they’re coming here to watch.”

“No matter which faction they belong to, a crafter is a crafter,” Keith said quietly. “The only way to reach them is through the art of candy making.”

Noah spoke up timidly. “Um, does that mean if the crafters who come at the end of the summer aren’t convinced, then fairies won’t be able to join their factions?”

“That’s right.”

Allele and the others finally seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. They groaned quietly and looked at one another.

“You’ll probably be fine, Noah,” said Allele. “But what about the rest of us?”

There was a note of apprehension in his crimson eyes, which were typically so self-assured. But Anne nodded and smiled confidently.

“I know you can do it. Kat, Keith, and I chose you. As for the other fairies who come here, time will be an issue, and I don’t know how well they’ll be able to learn the necessary skills. But the four of you have over a month and a half left.” Anne spoke firmly to the concerned fairies. “Believe in us. We decided that you could do it, and as crafters, we aren’t too shabby ourselves. Trust our judgment.”

When she said that, Allele’s deep-indigo wing darkened and stretched tight as a drum.

“All right, I will!”

His cheerful shout was reassuring. The rest of the fairies nodded in agreement. Anne sensed the improvement in their morale, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Great. Please do,” she said.

Anne placed her hand on a barrel of silver sugar, took off the lid, and touched the contents. She felt increasingly assured as she watched the sugar pour smoothly through the gaps between her fingers.

It’s okay. They can all do it.

That very day, Noah and the other four fairies started the basic work of apprentices—cleaning and caring for their tools—and began drills in kneading silver sugar.

Once every seven days, Anne and the others would repeat the process of receiving fairies from the fairy market, evaluating their talents, and selecting candidates for training. During that time, they would spend their evenings instructing the fairies who had been chosen.

There was much to be done every day, from early morning until the middle of the night. The only rest they got was on the days when some of the fairies were sent back to the fairy market.

When that happened, those who had been chosen would also take a break from working. Noah, Allele, and the others had insisted they wanted to keep training without any breaks. However, Kat had firmly refused, saying, “You need your rest to be able to work hard.”

Each group of fairies from the market always included a few with the aptitude to become silver sugar fairies. Out of fifteen, without fail, three or four would have the potential. And out of that smaller group, one or two would display a remarkably good intuition for silver sugar.

Allele was one of the fairies who stood out for his perceptiveness.

It didn’t even take him a month to get to the point where he could knead his silver sugar until it had a magnificent luster. Allele’s style of kneading resembled that of Orlando, the head crafter at the Paige Workshop. He didn’t put much strength into it, and yet by drawing his hands back and forth and carefully timing the addition of cold water, he could knead the dough in no time at all. With his incredible sensitivity, he managed to pull off a technique that humans only mastered with years of training.

And the fairies’ ability to make silver sugar threads using spindles was even more shocking. Once Anne and Keith showed them how to do it and told them the tricks, the fairies learned how to spin the thread smoothly in just three days. After only twenty days, they’d mastered the technique.

The ease with which they learned made it obvious that fairies had been the ones to discover how to refine silver sugar from sugar apples.

Silver sugar and sugar candy had both originally belonged to the fairies. Anne felt like she was seeing proof of that right before her eyes. She was bursting with happiness at the sight of them kneading silver sugar and spinning it into threads.

However, even if their foundations were solid, they still needed time to learn how to form sugar candy. That was the one thing that seemed impossible in the short time they had left.

The temperature rose, and the season least suited for candy making arrived.

Compared with other countries on the continent, summer was comfortable in the Kingdom of Highland. That said, you could still work up a sweat just standing in the afternoon sun this time of year.

The fairies’ training was going well, but Mithril Lid Pod’s situation weighed on Anne’s mind. He had been helping out with all sorts of tasks around the workshop, but sometimes, he would suddenly disappear. When Anne asked him what he was doing, he wouldn’t answer. At night, he seemed to pass out in Anne’s arms. He used to thrash as he fell asleep, but now he rarely tossed and turned.

Anne asked him if he was worried about something or if he was feeling unwell, but he didn’t answer. And that made her anxious.

One day, Anne and Keith were sitting in the workshop in the east wing, instructing the chosen fairies in kneading techniques and the use of the spindles, as always. As they worked, Anne lost sight of Mithril, who had been in the room with them just a moment ago.

He’s gone again.

Overwhelmed with concern, Anne couldn’t stand it any longer.

I’m going to look for him. Then I’m going to hound him for an answer. Today’s the day.

However, right as she had made up her mind…

“Oh, you two sure are working hard!”

…a carefree voice came from the doorway leading to the entry hall. Resting his elbow on the doorframe, Hugh casually raised his hand. Perhaps because of the heat, he had his brown jacket slung over his shoulder, and his shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows. It was the perfect informal look to suit his wild appearance, but it wasn’t at all befitting of a Silver Sugar Viscount.

The Viscount hadn’t informed them he would be dropping by, so both Anne and Keith were startled. They ran over to the doorway.

“Viscount, what brings you here so suddenly?” asked Keith.

Anne added, “We didn’t hear you were coming.”

“I didn’t tell anyone, so that makes sense. Where’s Kat? Gone out, has he?”

“No,” Keith answered. “Mr. Hingley is working on something in the west wing.”

Kat was in the auxiliary workshop, working with the fairies newly arrived from the fairy market and assessing their talents.

“That’s perfect. Go get Kat, then come up to the lesser hall.”

Hugh spun around and headed for the entrance, then he trotted up the stairs. As always, Salim followed after him.

Anne and Keith told the fairies to take a break. In small groups, they headed out into the garden or up to their rooms, scattering. After watching them go, the two crafters went to get Kat.

When they told him Hugh was there, Kat made an unpleasant face, but just as Anne and Keith had done, he instructed the fairies to take a break and left his workspace in the west wing. Upon entering the lesser hall, the three of them saw that Hugh had taken a seat on top of the long table and let his crossed legs dangle freely.

“You sure got some bad manners! Get your ass off the table! Some aristocrat you are!”

As soon as he saw Hugh like that, Kat shouted at him. Hugh shrugged and got to his feet.

“I never thought I’d get lectured on manners by you.”

“The way ya look now, anyone’d think you were some two-bit hoodlum.”

Kat was picky about what he wore, and he seemed embarrassed by Hugh’s sloppy attire.

“It’s hot,” Hugh explained. “Anyway, it looks like you’re accumulating fairies just fine, huh?”

“Yes,” replied Anne. “Right now, we have sixteen. And I think there are probably three or four who have the knack in the new group that arrived yesterday. Soon, we’ll be up to almost twenty.”

“That’s better than I expected. Given the big fuss at the beginning of the summer, I was a little worried.”

“Well, it’s goin’ fine, so there’s no reason for you to be showin’ your face,” Kat said through gritted teeth. “Why today, huh? I got a feelin’ you bein’ here can’t be good news.”

Hugh grinned broadly. “That isn’t true. Today, I come with glad tidings.”

“Glad tidings? Of what, Hugh?” Naively, Anne got excited at the promise of good news.

“The date has been set for when the crafters from the Mercury Workshop and the Radcliffe Workshop will come to observe. You have ten days.”

Keith’s eyes went wide. “Ten days?! Isn’t that early?!”

“It’s right on schedule. We gave you advance notice, didn’t we? That they were visiting in two months’ time?”

The crafters would be there to see the fairies’ skills. Obviously, they had to impress them.

“I wonder what we should show them,” Anne mused, holding her index finger against her lips.

Keith looked pensive. “Good question. We’ve got to convince them somehow.”

“Show them the fairies’ talents,” Hugh said simply.

Kat frowned. “So you think we’re gonna amaze a buncha crafters by being like Here you go and letting them see the fairies at work? Are you nuts?”

“Well, I think showing them that the fairies are well trained will probably impress them,” Hugh answered nonchalantly. “That’s all you need.”

Keith sounded exasperated, “That won’t do much to convince the factions to accept fairies. Surely you must know that already?”

“That’s why I said to show off their skills.”

“I think the best thing would be to let the crafters see some completed sculptures,” said Anne. “But, Hugh, the fairies don’t yet have the techniques to shape the sugar into candy.”

At the moment, sixteen fairies had been chosen. Their talents were astonishing. But they’d been working as apprentices for only a short period of time, and they hadn’t yet learned any of the techniques they needed to form candy sculptures. The fairies’ grasp of the fundamentals was exceptional. But they wouldn’t be able to show the visiting crafters any finished products.

“In that case, we’ll just have to win them over with what we have,” said Hugh.

Under his pointed gaze, Anne and the others held their tongues.

The three of them were responsible for the fairies at the castle. The question was: How much had they improved the fairies’ skills? And how could they demonstrate their students’ abilities? They were being tested.

“I entrusted this job to you all,” said Hugh. “I don’t intend to poke my nose where it doesn’t belong. We’ve said that ten days from now, the leaders of those two factions, their head crafters, and anyone else interested can come and see the fairies’ progress. You need to convince them.”

The Silver Sugar Viscount had given his order.

Kat grimaced, while Anne and Keith tensed.

Hugh watched their faces change and flashed a smile. Then he slung his jacket back over his shoulder.

“We’re leaving, Salim.”

Hugh called out to his bodyguard, who’d been waiting by the wall, and walked briskly down the stairs. As he passed in front of Anne and the others, Salim shot the three of them a look of pity, then silently followed Hugh.

“What can we do…?” Anne muttered as soon as Hugh was out the front door. “He told us to convince them. But the fairies can’t even make sculptures yet.”

“What if we made something using the silver sugar they’ve kneaded and the sugar threads they’ve spun?”

Kat shook his head at Keith’s suggestion. “Don’t be stupid,” he said. “If we did that, we’d just be showin’ off our own work. No one would be able to see that the fairies had a hand in it.”

“But the fairies aren’t at the level where they can shape silver sugar.” Anne bit her lip.

Keith put his hand on his chin and pondered the problem while Kat crossed his arms and hummed thoughtfully. After standing in silence for a while, they noticed the fairies come back from the garden. It was about time for their break to be over.

Brushing his bangs away from his eyes, Kat let out a deep sigh. “For now, let’s keep working,” he said. “And while we’re at it, we’ll think about how to proceed.”

The three of them wouldn’t get anything figured out by standing around, so Anne and the others went back to work.

After dinner, Anne, Keith, and Kat entered the workshop to concoct a plan for the next ten days. But ultimately, they couldn’t come up with anything. When the Saint Lewiston Bell Church rang its midnight bell, they headed to bed.

The temperature dropped when it got dark, and as long as they kept the windows open, it was comfortable. But Anne couldn’t get to sleep. Cuddling Mithril, she tossed and turned countless times in bed.

Mithril had eventually staggered back to work that day and assisted everyone. Then he had quickly slipped into Anne’s bed and fallen asleep, so she hadn’t had a chance to ask him anything.

I’d feel bad waking him up to interrogate him.

She was worried about Mithril and even more worried about what they would do for the next ten days, and that kept her awake.

Anne gave up on sleeping, laid Mithril gently down in the bed, and stood.

She went into the lesser hall, lit a single candle, and stared into the dancing flame. Small flying insects swarmed around the tiny fire.

“Ten days to go… This is bad… They still can’t make anything…”

She held her head in both hands.

It was possible that just showing the visitors their progress might be enough. Given the fairies’ excellent technique, the faction crafters might understand their worth. But she wondered if that would really move their hearts.

The basics won’t have much of an impact. That’s why Hugh made a point of saying, “Show off their skills.”

But how, she wondered, was she supposed to show off the skills of fairies who couldn’t craft yet?

“Burning off your bangs with a candle? What a strange game.”

Anne jumped at the sarcastic voice behind her.

“Challe?!”

She pressed a hand to her bangs and turned around to find Challe peering down at her, his black eyes bewitching even in the faint light of the candle.

“Did I burn them?!” Anne asked.

“That would have been funny, but no, unfortunately, they’re not burned.”

She lowered her hand in relief, only to get flicked in the forehead.

“What was that for?!” she said, putting her hand back to her head.

“Go to sleep. You lot have been overdoing it all summer.”

She was well aware of that. Between the heat and her fatigue, she’d lost her appetite along with a little bit of weight around her hips. It went without saying that her chest had also shrunk. She knew she had to at least get enough rest, but at the moment, she didn’t feel like she could sleep at all.

“Sure, I’ll go to bed once I get a little more tired. By the way, Challe, Mithril Lid Pod has been acting strange for a while now. Do you know anything about it?”

“I know he’s strange. But no matter what I ask him, he doesn’t answer.”

“I see… I guess it’s something he doesn’t want to talk about…”

Challe looked at the stained glass window. Its floral pattern cast a multitude of colors across the floor, even at night. It must have been a full moon.

“The moon is gorgeous,” said Challe. “If you don’t feel like sleeping, would you accompany me for a little while?”

“Accompany you for what?”

“A walk.”

As far as Anne was concerned, that was a great suggestion. It was much better than glaring into a candle and nearly burning her bangs. She blew out the flame and stood up.

“Sure, I’ll go.”

Challe took off at a brisk pace. His single wing, which flowed down to his knees, swayed in time with his steps. It looked glossier than usual. Anne quickly trotted along to keep up with him.

Challe went out the front door and headed for the stable behind the castle, where he put a saddle on a horse. Surprised, Anne wondered how far he intended them to go. Challe led the horse out of the stable, mounted the saddle, and held his hand out to her.

“Get on.”

Though it was night, the area was relatively safe, and she had Challe to protect her. Deciding that it was probably all right, Anne took Challe’s hand, and he pulled her up into the saddle.

The full moon floated high in the sky, making for a stunning sight.

Perhaps it was the temperature, but it looked much larger and closer than it did in the winter. The light it cast was cheerful, and bathing in its pale glow was refreshing and pleasantly cool.

Anne swayed back and forth atop the horse, with Challe’s arms around her. At first, she thought Challe was letting the horse run around as it pleased, but before long, she realized he was handling the reins with purpose.

“Hey, Challe? Is there somewhere you want to go, or…?”

She turned around to ask him, but Challe kept staring straight ahead. She was about to ask him again, when she suddenly caught a whiff of something sweet. It was an aroma she knew well, but she hadn’t experienced for quite some time.

Startled, Anne faced forward.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed. “Sugar apple flowers?!”

A shadowy forest spread out before them. A small section of it was bathed in moonlight, glowing a hazy white.

In midsummer, sugar apple trees produced small, pure-white flowers on their slender, silvery branches. The white flowers, which grew in bunches, gave off a sweet scent and rustled in the faint breeze.

Challe steered the horse into the center of the grove, then brought it to a halt. He first got out of the saddle himself, then lifted Anne down.

In a daze, Anne looked around at the white flowers. “They’re in full bloom! There are so many this year; it’s completely different from last year. We’ll have an abundant harvest for sure.”

Her spirits surged.

Last year, there had been few sugar apple blossoms, and the flowers had been feeble. The entire grove had seemed destitute. But this year was different. The flowers were a brilliant white, as if new life had been breathed into them, and they were plentiful. The sugar apple trees’ silvery-gray trunks and branches looked healthy, too.

Anne walked around the grove, touching the tree trunks and smelling the scent of the flowers. The underbrush was soft, springy, and pleasant to walk on.

Challe poked at some nearby flowers with his fingertips, looking bored. Anne noticed this and came over to him, then tugged on the sleeve of his jacket.

“Thank you, Challe. You brought me here to cheer me up, didn’t you?”

“Just to kill time.”

She sensed Challe’s feelings even in his curt reply.

“Don’t worry. I’ll work hard to achieve the dream you and Lulu shared. I’ll think hard and make it work.”

“Is there a problem?”

“The fairies can’t make anything.”

Anne let go of Challe’s jacket and poked at some flower petals. They felt smooth to the touch.

“All the fairies are incredibly skilled. They’re great at kneading and at spinning silver sugar threads. They learn much faster than humans do, and they’re doing a great job. But it looks like even fairies take time to learn how to shape candy. Ten days from now, the crafters from the Mercury Workshop and the Radcliffe Workshop will come, but we might not be able to show them anything very impressive.”

“They can’t make what they can’t make.”

Challe quickly stated the obvious, and Anne sighed.

“You’re right, of course.”

“You’ll just have to show off what they can do.”

“But we have to convince the other crafters. For your sake, and Lulu’s, and for the sake of all the fairies who have gone back to the fairy market. For Noah and Allele, and everyone who stayed at Hollyleaf Castle, we have to—”

“Anne.”

Challe placed his hand on the nape of Anne’s neck as she breathlessly strung words together. She gasped at the pleasant chill of his touch.

“We are grateful to you all,” he said. “That’s enough. Don’t get so worked up.”

His voice was calm and projected a quiet majesty. Even though Challe was speaking as usual, there was something more dignified about him with the moonlight at his back, surrounded by white flowers.

The fairy king.

She couldn’t look away.

He’s so beautiful.

Everything about him was gorgeous, from the light on his eyelashes to his black hair, each strand of which was brought into sharp relief by the moon’s glow.

So pretty.

Against her better judgment, Anne reached out to touch Challe’s hair. Beads of moonlight clung to it like drops of water. She was spellbound by the texture as she ran her fingertips smoothly through it. It felt exactly like strands of silver sugar thread. Even though it was ordinary hair, it fascinated Anne like nothing else.

Just then, Anne realized something.

“Ah…! Challe! That’s it, Challe!”

She raised her voice, and Challe tilted his head quizzically at her.

“What?”

“I get it! I see, all we can do is show off what they’re capable of.”

It was as if a fog had lifted, and her breathing came easier. They already had something they could show to the stubborn crafters who came to Hollyleaf Castle.

That’s it. Things are beautiful as they are.

As long as Kat and Keith approved of Anne’s idea, for the next ten days, everyone would be able to face their work with certainty.

Enveloped in the aroma of the sugar apple blossoms, Anne couldn’t contain her excitement.

“You really are always thinking of sugar candy, huh?”

Challe looked at Anne and chuckled, wearing an expression of exasperation and relief.

Challe didn’t know what it was that Anne had realized among the sugar apple blossoms. But the following day, he saw her consult with Kat and Keith.

Their meeting went on for a long time. And then, the three of them seemed to find their confidence. They instructed the silver sugar fairy candidates to concentrate their efforts on practicing two skills: kneading silver sugar dough and spinning silver sugar threads.

The other fairies also seemed to notice the change in the humans and focused on their work free of worry.

Mithril Lid Pod came to the workshop every day with the fairies in training. He carried water to ensure the fairies always had some close at hand, he hauled silver sugar around, and he returned scattered tools to their rightful places.

Somehow, he could sense when the cold water would start to warm, and he would get help from those around him to draw up fresh water from the well.

Every seven days, the number of fairy apprentices increased. Currently, they were up to sixteen, and more were bound to be selected from the most recent group.

The fairies were not physically powerful, and none of them had magical abilities that were particularly useful. However, for some reason, they seemed like a more dependable bunch than the warrior fairies who had gathered under Lafalle. Perhaps it was because they had put down firmer roots, or because they had a clearer vision of the future.

Challe was sitting in the second-floor hallway of the west wing, enjoying the sound of laughter that occasionally rose from the workshop below. He had the window open and was relaxing with one leg propped up on the windowsill.

The midsummer sun, which had been beating down on them relentlessly just a few days earlier, had grown somewhat milder. The wind felt remarkably more pleasant, too. Signs of autumn had probably already reached Gillum Province in the north. The wind blowing from those regions carried the chill air of a new season.

“Gillum Province…”

The scent of the breeze reminded Challe of his brother stones, who had taken flight. It had already been more than a month since they’d been spotted in Gillum Province. He wondered where they were and what they were doing.

“Challe Fenn Challe.”

He was deep in thought when he heard someone call his name. Perhaps it was break time, because Allele approached him from the direction of the lesser hall, stopping beside him. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but lost his nerve and fell into a flustered silence.

“Enjoying yourself?” Challe asked, without knowing why.

Allele answered with a cheerful smile, “Yeah, sure am!”

Challe grinned. “That’s the most important thing.”

“I’m really grateful. Challe Fenn Challe…” Allele trailed off again, but then with a look of determination, he started up once more and asked, “Who are you? We think there’s something different about you. Everyone who’s still here says as much.”

“Mithril Lid Pod has never said anything.”

“Ah, him. He’s probably too close to you to see it. When you’re inside a bright circle of light, your eyes adjust to it, and you don’t realize it’s unusually radiant. But we’re looking at it from the outside. The fairies who were chosen from the last round noticed something when they saw you. They were employed for a while at the Church of Saint Lewiston Bell, and they often looked up at the painting on the ceiling of the sanctuary there. They said you might be the fairy kin—”

“Allele.” Challe interrupted him before he could finish and rose to his feet. “I am the bodyguard of a Silver Sugar Master by the name of Anne Halford. When necessary, I wield my blade to protect her comrades as well. But that is all I am.”

“But who will protect and guide us?”

“You don’t need guidance. Each and every one of you is walking the path you chose for yourself. Only you can find your way forward.”

As if slowly absorbing the meaning of those words, Allele smiled. “Ah. I see. You’re telling me we truly are free.”

“If you want to, you could even go look for that woman you love,” Challe suggested.

Allele’s smile grew bitter. “Yeah. I’ll become a crafter and find myself a place to settle among the humans so I won’t have to worry about being hunted anymore. Once that’s done, I’ll go find Farrel. But what about you?”

Challe frowned when Allele returned the question. “Me? What about me?” he asked.

“Don’t you think it’s about time for you to be free, too? You don’t seem fully comfortable. Couldn’t you go find a lady to love as well? There must be one somewhere.”

“I don’t need to look. She’s right beside me.”

“And yet you seem constrained.” Allele cocked his head but then looked out the window at the garden with a start. “Oh, crap. Is work starting? Everyone’s going inside.”

Allele rushed to his room. When he came back out again, he was holding the spinning wheel he had apparently forgotten. As he ran back in the direction of the workshop, he passed Challe and whispered, “Please look out for us anyway.”

Challe watched Allele go and nodded. If the fairies felt more secure believing the fairy king existed and was looking out for them, he figured he could give them that much.

“‘Constrained,’ huh?”

Frankly, Challe was impressed at how observant Allele was. He looked out the window and saw the fairies returning to the workshop. Anne had gone outside with them and was the farthest out, following the others back in. There lay the source of Challe’s discomfort.

She was still here, and she didn’t belong to anybody yet. However, her dedication to her work meant Keith was going to be by her side whether Challe liked it or not. They were always together, sharing the same struggles. It seemed likely that Anne would develop feelings for him at some point.

I can’t let that happen.

Suddenly, Challe heard a voice from within himself. It startled him.

Up until that moment, he had considered it best for Anne and Keith to be wed. But now he wondered if that was really true.

It was no simple matter for fairies and humans to live together.

However, despite that, the fairies downstairs were training hard to one day become silver sugar fairies. They were fully aware there would be hardship and frustration and sorrow to come, but for the sake of their hopes for the distant future, they had cast aside fear and uncertainty and embarked on their chosen path.

Challe also needed to reconsider his own feelings and position. As he watched Anne out in the sunlight, a possibility occurred to him.

Could we live together, without fear…?

Challe felt the desire to keep Anne close to him burn brightly in his chest.

I don’t want to let her go. I don’t want to hand her over. I will hold fast to her and never waver. So that whatever sorrow she feels…I can give her twice as much joy.

He wondered why that hadn’t occurred to him before.

He feared making Anne unhappy because he treasured her and wanted to protect her. But there was also a path that they could brave together, one that the other fairies’ determination had revealed to him.

When Anne reached the front porch, she seemed to notice Challe’s gaze and looked up. She met his eyes and waved.

“Challe! Hey, is Mithril Lid Pod with you?”

“No. Wasn’t he working with you?”

“He was until a little before the break, but then he suddenly disappeared…” Anne looked concerned. “I’ll go look for him. Thanks.”

With that, she went back inside. Her uneasy expression had made Challe’s own worry resurface.

Something had been off about Mithril’s behavior all summer. Even now, Challe still felt that way at times. But no matter what he asked, Mithril would always change the subject. It was infuriating.

“Ah, Mithril Lid Pod.”

When Anne had gone back into the workshop, Mithril still wasn’t there. At that point, she’d asked Keith for some time and walked all around the castle, looking for the little fairy.

She had decided that she would finally make him explain himself.

She went around to the back of the building and spotted him tucked into a gap between the vines growing thickly over the castle walls. It was like a little hideaway made of leaves. Mithril was lying there idly, perhaps enjoying the cool air.

“Mithril Lid Pod.” She called his name, but he remained still. “What’s the matter?”

When she pushed the leaves out of the way and peered into the gap, Mithril finally batted his eyes.

“Anne, what is it?” he asked. “Are you slacking off?”

“How rude. I came to look for you.”

“For me? Ha-ha, what’s this? Not only are you lonely without the great Mithril Lid Pod, but you need him to help you keep up with your work, too, eh?”

Mithril chuckled smugly and rose to his feet, then leaped nimbly onto Anne’s shoulder.

Sensing a change, Anne turned to the small fairy.

“You’ve gotten lighter…haven’t you?” she asked. “And you’ve been acting strange ever since the beginning of summer. Come on, won’t you tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m just on a diet.”

“Are you now? Really? You’re not lying?”

“You’re awfully suspicious, Anne. I’m a rising star, you know? I’ve got to get slimmer and more agile so I can help you all out. There are important jobs waiting for the great Mithril Lid Pod in the future.”

His overblown objection was amusing, and it was a bit of a relief to see him acting like his usual self. Mithril’s energetic attitude made Anne feel like she’d been worrying over nothing.

She smiled and started walking.

“And? What jobs are those?” she asked.

“Well… Keith said I’ve got the makings of a color fairy and invited me to start working toward becoming one once our work settles down here. He said he’s never seen someone as capable as me before.”

“A color fairy?!”

Sure enough, Mithril’s movements when he was helping the crafters were prudent and precise. It was like he could tell what would be needed next by simply looking at the silver sugar. The job of caring for the sugar apple trees and giving them colored water was probably a perfect fit for Mithril.

“That’s amazing! What great news. You’ve got to do it.”

“So then when I become a color fairy, I’ll build a house near a sugar apple grove with you and Challe Fenn Challe, and we’ll all live there, yeah? You’ll take the colored sugar apples that I grow and refine silver sugar from them to make candy. Challe Fenn Challe can— Well, he can do odd jobs. He probably won’t be very useful, but if you two are together, Anne, we can’t exclude him. We’ll take pity on him and let him join.”

“How wonderful it would be if we could do something like that. But it might not work for Challe. He’s…not someone who can stay by my side, you know. Probably.”

“Why are you getting fainthearted now?!” Mithril demanded, poking Anne’s cheek in irritation. “Who cares what kind of person he is? Don’t dwell on that kind of stuff!”

“I wish I didn’t have to, but…”

With a bitter smile, Anne turned and headed toward the workshop in the east wing.

Upon stepping into the sweet-smelling room, she saw fairies kneading silver sugar and working spindles. Kat was moving about and talking to everyone.

One of the men Hugh had sent was speaking to each of the fairies while taking notes. He seemed to be asking them if they had everything they needed for their stay.

Keith was almost certainly in the west wing, diligently evaluating the skills of the fairies who had come from the fairy market.

Fairies and humans were occupying the same spaces without issue.

I wish every place in Highland could be like this.

Anne rolled up her sleeves. “All right, let’s add some color. Noah, Allele, come here!”

Trying to shake off her doubts, Anne strode into the workshop.

Summer was over. The breeze began to chill, and all at once, autumn came in from the north. With startling speed, summer had passed them by. Anyone who didn’t cover themselves with a blanket in the evenings would be roused in the morning by the cold.

With the change in season, their working environment improved remarkably.

Two days earlier, they had sent a group of fairies back to the fairy market. Normally, the next group would have arrived soon after. However, since the crafters from the factions were coming in three days’ time, they were holding off on bringing in new fairies until the visit was over.

There were nineteen fairies in total at Hollyleaf Castle, including the latest three, who had been chosen just two days earlier. That was enough to constitute a midsized workshop.

The fairies were calm. What they needed to do was simple, and they had absolute confidence in the plan.

And then at last, it was time.

Not long after Anne and the others finished breakfast, the visiting crafters showed up in droves, riding carriages big and small, and gathered in the courtyard. Anne, Keith, Kat, and the fairies watched the whole procession, peering out of the workshop windows.

“Whoa, there are so many of them!” Noah said, his eyes wide.

“There’s more of them than there are of us! Can they all fit in here?” Allele asked, astonished, and everyone laughed.

Among the crowd were many familiar faces.

There was John Killean, the proxy maestro of the Mercury Workshop, and his head crafter, Grant. Killean seemed nervous and kept wiping off his monocle. He would exchange glances with his subordinate crafters and speak to them from time to time.

There was also Marcus Radcliffe, the maestro of the Radcliffe Workshop, and his head crafter.

Stella Knox, one of the final pupils of the silver sugar fairy, was there too. Stella looked as poorly as ever. He leaned sluggishly against the side of his wagon, his eyes closed. Seeing him reminded Anne that Stella had once said his health always failed right around the time of the Royal Candy Fair. The fair was about a month and a half away, so it was probably about time for his condition to change for the worse.

Jonas was also there, standing among the candy crafters grouped up in twos and threes.

“Oh, Jonas.”

Anne leaned forward and pressed her face against the window glass. It seemed to her like Jonas’s characteristic dourness had softened somewhat, which was a relief. She hoped he was continuing to do fine work.

Hugh had ordered them to show off the fairies’ skills. Anne turned around to face Keith and Kat, who were standing behind her. She met their eyes, and they nodded.

With perfect timing, the Silver Sugar Viscount drove up to the courtyard of Hollyleaf Castle. His carriage stopped near the front door, and Hugh stepped out in front of the crowd, clad in the less formal costume of the Silver Sugar Viscount. Upon his arrival, the candy crafters clustered in the garden stopped their individual conversations and gazed at him.

“I did say that anyone who wanted to come was welcome to swing by, but this is quite the crowd,” Hugh said with a wry smile. “However, there’s always value in seeing something for yourself. I’m not going to tell you what to examine or how. Do as you please and feel free to look around. The residents of Hollyleaf Castle will be going about their usual work.”

Hugh’s speech to the crafters was distressingly lax, and Anne grumbled. “Looks like Hugh’s not going to explain anything or defend what we’re doing here.”

“That’s very like the Viscount,” Keith said. He sounded a little exasperated himself.

Kat shook his head. “Say the dimwit did explain and he defended our work as hard as he could—some folks would find that fishy, don’t ya think? He’s not wrong here. We’ve just gotta give ’em the best show we can.”

The fairies nodded at his words.

“Great, let’s pick up where we left off,” Anne said.

With practiced ease, the fairies approached the barrels of silver sugar.

At the same time, Hugh led the crowd of candy crafters into the castle.

Chapter 7: Ripples of Song

The candy crafters filed into the castle, filling the workshop with the echoes of footsteps, the clearing of throats, and the rustling of clothes. Despite their presence, Anne was calm, and the fairies didn’t seem to be particularly bothered.

Wearing their usual cheerful expressions, the fairies scooped silver sugar from the barrels and carried it over to their workbenches.

“Hey, where are the buckets of cold water?” Allele asked in a loud voice.

From the other side of the workshop, Noah raised his head. “There are two over here!” he answered.

“Well, we don’t have any.”

Mithril Lid Pod hopped nimbly up on top of a workbench and spun around, looking about the room. “That’s because they need two barrels of cold water over there,” he said. “Maybe we should fill another barrel? Hey, Riesis, Schulei, come help me draw some cold water.”

Mithril jumped from the workbench over to an empty barrel and waved over two fairies, who ran over to help him.

The crafters who had followed Hugh into the workshop looked around with surprise as the fairies briskly started their work.

Hugh grinned and stood against the wall. “Go on, feel free to observe,” he said.

However, the candy crafters remained huddled by the wall with Hugh, as if held there by some unseen force.

It made sense. Wandering aimlessly around a workshop where people were in the middle of producing sugar candy would disturb their process. These visitors were candy crafters themselves, so they knew it was best to stay out of the way.

Anne looked on happily.

This is a fine workshop we have here.

Despite their prejudice, the crafters had nonetheless tried to stay out of the fairies’ way. That was because they recognized the fairies’ movements as those of candy crafters.

Jonas was standing at the farthest end of the group. He watched the fairies go about their work with wide eyes. Anne quickly approached him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Jonas, it’s been a while.”

He seemed surprised as he turned, and when he saw Anne’s face, he grimaced. “Sticking your nose into some strange business once again, huh? Incredible.”

“You’re as rude as ever, I see.”

“Unlike you, I’ve settled into my training instead of running around like crazy. I’ve even gotten the knack of using a spindle.”

He sounded standoffish, but not rough or malicious. That was enough to tell Anne he was making an earnest effort to pursue an honest path. It gladdened her heart.

“Have you? Well, good for you.”

Anne smiled, and Jonas looked troubled.

“What’s with you? You’re smirking.”

“I’m just happy.”

Jonas blushed a little and looked away in a huff. “How about you quit slacking off and do your job?”

“Sure.” With a wry smile, Anne went back to her work.

Noah, Allele, and the others were beginning to knead their silver sugar. They added cold water and turned the sugar many times, using exactly the right amount of force. The sugar very quickly grew lustrous. Then they moved it to the top of a workbench and continued kneading.

After they saw that all the fairies had started working, Anne, Keith, and Kat each picked up two vials of colored powder. Anne had red and yellow. Keith had blue and red. Kat had yellow and blue.

“We all remember our main colors, right?” Kat confirmed before the three of them spread out across the room.

“Yes. I’m red,” Anne replied.

“And I’m blue,” Keith answered.

Kat nodded and adjusted his grip on the vial of yellow-colored powder in his right hand. “And this one here’s mine. Let’s keep a close eye on one another’s colors.”

“Be careful about the boundaries between them,” Anne said.

Keith nodded. “Let’s go. The fairies work fast.”

Keith, Anne, and Kat scattered around the workshop.

When the fairies finished scooping more silver sugar from the barrels and started to knead it, Anne approached.

“I’m going to add some color, okay?”

At that, the first fairy stopped her kneading. Anne sprinkled the right amount of red-colored powder into the dough. When the fairy started kneading again, the pure-white silver sugar quickly turned red.

“That’s a nice color. Good job. Continue.”

Anne went over to where another fairy had started kneading on another workbench and got him to pause in the same way. She added red and just a little bit of yellow-colored powder to his sugar. Then she directed him to keep kneading.

Like honeybees moving from flower to flower in search of nectar, Anne, Keith, and Kat circulated around the room and added color to all the silver sugar dough.

The three of them each kept an eye on the other two, making slight adjustments to the amounts of powder they added as they went.

“How do you all decide on the colors?” one of the fairies asked with astonished admiration when Anne approached with her vials of powder.

“How? We just look at the shades.”

“You and the other two are coordinating your colors, right?”

“We look at one another’s colors and adjust our own. It’s a matter of— How do I put it…? Perception and experience.”

However, it wasn’t as if just anyone could do it with perception and experience alone. It worked because Anne was cooperating with Keith and Kat. They were all first-rate crafters, and a novice could never have imitated the way they fine-tuned their colors. Their results were balanced, and the changes in hue were smooth and even. Though straightforward, it was difficult to achieve. But they were performing the task easily.

Anne went back to focusing on her colors. If she made an error, then so would the other two who were taking her work into account.

I don’t have to knead the silver sugar or shape it into anything.

This time, those tasks belonged to the fairies. In order to help them as much as possible, Anne and the others were concentrating on making the colors. However, this alone would completely change the impression their results made on the crafters.

This color coordination is the key.

The three of them kept working while checking the others’ colors. Anne looked at what the other two were making, then nodded.

Hugh was watching them with apparent amusement. His expression said he was eager to see what they could do.

The fairies added cold water into the colored sugar, then kept kneading doughs of various colors and shades.

“They’re fast kneaders.” Anne overheard Grant, the head crafter from the Mercury Workshop, whispering to Killean, who was standing beside him.

“Sure, though I expected as much,” Killean said with a smile, his monocle reflecting the light.

Stella was leaning wearily against the wall, looking bored, as if he was watching something entirely mundane.

Marcus Radcliffe frowned and crossed his arms as he intently followed the fairies’ movements with his eyes. The majority of the other crafters were doing much the same as Marcus—just standing there, watching the fairies work. Only Jonas kept biting his lip with an impatient expression.

After a little while, Marcus snorted. “They’re very well trained, when it comes to kneading…”

As soon as he spoke, the fairies who had finished with their kneading took out their spindles.

Marcus’s eyes opened wide. He looked startled. Anne could tell that the crafters were all astir.

“They’re gonna do that?”

“No way!”

Noah was first. He pretended not to hear the crafters’ whispering as he began the specialized kneading technique, stretching the sugar dough out long and doubling it over. The silver sugar in his hands had the same light-purple color as his hair.

Over and over again, he stretched the sugar, folded it in half, and stretched it again. As he repeated that process, fine lines began to appear on the surface of the silver sugar, making it look as if he was working with a bundle of silk threads.

Noah dipped his fingers into some oil atop his workbench, pressed from the seeds of sugar apples. Then with little tugs, like he was twisting paper into a string, he pulled a strand of silver sugar dough out from the edge and wound it around his spindle, then gave the spindle a little spin.

It twirled around and around. Smoothly, the light-purple silver sugar became thread that streamed through Noah’s fingers, twining around the spindle.

Quiet cheers arose from the crafters.

Then, as if to rival Noah, Allele also took up his spindle. The silver sugar he had kneaded was indigo blue, like his hair. He drew out a bit of silver sugar, wrapped the tip around the spindle, and gave it a spin as well.

Here and there around the room, the fairies were each picking up their spindles. Out of the nineteen fairies, half of them had learned this technique.

Throughout the workshop, fairies were spinning silver sugar threads. There was no strain in their movements, and it seemed as if their cold hands had been made to do this job.

“Anne, I’m finished.”

Noah ran up to Anne with his spindle in hand, fully wound with light-purple threads of silver sugar.

“Thank you. You can go and spin another color.”

After Noah handed her his spindle, Anne signaled to the group of fairies who had only been selected three days earlier. They hadn’t yet mastered kneading silver sugar or using spindles. However, when it came to handling silver sugar, they had a good instinctual sense for it. There was no reason not to have them put that to use.

At her signal, the three fairies came over. Anne led them out of the workshop, carrying the spindle with her.

More than a few of the crafters noticed Anne and the three fairies, but all of them were mesmerized by the skills on display, their eyes drawn to the fairies’ hands at work.

I knew they’d be amazed to see this technique in person.

Even Anne and the other crafters who had instructed the fairies had been astonished by how quickly they had picked it up. They had never expected that half of the fairies would have mastered how to use the spindles in such a short time.

Carrying the sugar thread that Noah had spun, Anne went out into the entry hall and looked up at the lesser hall’s railing. A plain wooden rod had been affixed there, running parallel to the railing.

Anne ascended the gently curving stairs and handed the spindle to the three fairies.

“Could I get you to do the thing I asked you about yesterday?”

“We’re not used to kneading or spinning the silver sugar yet, but this is easy as can be.”

The fairy who took the spindle laughed. Anne felt like she could trust her smiling face.

“What’s easy for you is difficult for humans,” she said. “We really have to train to master it. I envy how quickly you were able to learn.”

Anne spoke from the heart. Then she started to return to the workshop alone. But suddenly, she stopped. She saw Challe coming toward her from the hallway leading to the west wing.

Challe approached Anne in no particular hurry, then glanced at the fairies with the spindle.

“Everything going well?” he asked.

“Yeah. I think so,” Anne replied. “Watch this, Challe.”

“What do you intend to show the crafters?”

“We’ll show them what we can do. So stay and see.”

“Sure.”

The fairy king crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby wall with his usual blunt attitude.

Anne wanted Challe to see what she was going to show the candy crafters. If she could get everyone to appreciate that the fairies were working for their futures, that ought to make Challe happy.

“Keep watching.”

Anne ran down the stairs and went back to the workshop.

I’ve got to make more colors. More, and more still.

Just as Anne returned, Hugh addressed the other crafters with a sidelong glance.

“What’s the matter? As long as you don’t get in the way, you can get up close to check how they’re working.”

The crafters looked at one another and seemed unsure of what to do.

Of all people, Jonas slowly wandered over to the fairy nearest him, as if drawn there. Staring at the fairy’s hands, he mumbled, “As you draw the thread…”

The fairy looked at him, and he continued.

“Aren’t you putting any force into your fingers?”

“No, my fingers are just supporting the sugar,” the fairy answered. “The weight and rotation of the spindle naturally produce the thread.”

“But doesn’t that make the thickness inconsistent? Yours is perfectly even.”

At that, the fairy tilted his head thoughtfully and looked at his fingers. “I wonder why. It’s just the gap between my fingers. I simply try not to change the space between them…or something like that.”

“Interesting. So you’re not pulling the thread out with your fingers. It’s more like you’re passing it through the gap between them?”

“Yeah, that’s the idea.”

Jonas fell quiet again, staring intently at the fairy’s fingers.

Jonas certainly was different than before. Anne could see that as she watched him from a distance.

As if inspired by Jonas, the other crafters scattered about the room, taking a peek at the fairies’ work. The fairies were busy, but the observers were crafters themselves, and they walked around nimbly, careful not to impede the fairies’ movements.

Kat and Keith were watching the fairies’ progress as they continued pacing and adding color to their sugar.

Whenever they finished spinning a spindle’s worth of silver sugar thread, the fairies carried it over to Keith or Kat. Then they took the spindle out to the entry hall, just as Anne had done.

Anne watched the fairies and crafters bustling around the spacious workshop, and she noticed that the ones who had remained by the wall to the end were John Killean, Stella Knox, and Marcus Radcliffe.

Anne approached the three of them. “Mr. Killean, Stella. Good to see you. Don’t you want to take a closer look?”

As he replaced his monocle, Killean replied with a stiff expression, “I already know how talented they are.”

Stella answered sluggishly, still leaning against the wall, “I’m not here because I want to be. Marcus told me to come, so I did—that’s all. I don’t need to go out of my way to watch what they’re doing. What a pain.”

Anne smiled wryly at Stella’s typical response, then turned to Marcus and bobbed her head. “Mr. Radcliffe. I’m sorry it’s been so long. Won’t you take a closer look at the fairies’ work?”

Marcus frowned and answered sullenly, “I am impressed that you’ve trained them to use such an advanced technique.”

“We didn’t train them. They decided on their own to acquire the skill and have been working hard. As proof, you’ll notice that we’ve given them all back their wings.”

“What did you say?!” Marcus asked loudly. He, Killean, and Stella looked at her in shock.

“Won’t they run away?” Stella asked.

Anne shrugged. “They haven’t, have they? They put many times more effort into their work when they set about the job of their own free will, with their wings in their possession, than if someone else is holding on to them.”

“However, just being able to perform the skill to a certain degree doesn’t mean anything,” Marcus insisted. “When it comes to that technique, the fineness and uniformity of the thread matter more than anything else.”

Anne nodded in agreement with Marcus’s words. “They have acquired the technique perfectly,” she said. “Please, take a look at the threads they’ve spun.”

“I can’t judge the quality just by glancing at a bunch of thread wound onto a spindle.”

“That’s why I’m inviting you to take a better look. To see the level of skill that they possess. To see how talented they are as candy crafters.”

Hugh gave her a look as if to say What are you planning? Anne nodded to him, then shouted across the room.

“Keith. How are things going in the entry hall?”

Keith, who had been walking around with his vials of colored powder, stopped and answered her.

“Mr. Hingley is out there now,” he said. “Though based on what I saw a moment ago, I think they’re doing quite well.”

“Great, then I’ll show our guests the way.”

Keith raised one hand, telling her to go ahead.

Anne turned to face Marcus once again. “Mr. Radcliffe, come take a look in the entry hall. This way, please.” Then she raised her voice again and addressed the rest of the room. “Please come into the entry hall. There’s something we’d like you all to see.”

Anne turned around and headed for the entry hall.

Marcus was first to go, then Killean and Stella, followed by the rest of the candy crafters. Even Jonas came along, though he looked reluctant to leave the fairies spinning their threads.

The moment Anne opened the door leading to the entry hall and stepped through it, she could hear Marcus and the others gasp.

Even Anne, who had known what was waiting there, stopped in surprise.

From the second-floor banister of the lesser hall, their candy hung down to the floor of the entryway. It was a large, flowing thing, rippling and swaying in the light.

It looked like an enormous curtain in pale rainbow colors. Or perhaps like an aurora, the kind that showed up in the night sky in the far north.

Despite how it looked at first, as it swayed with the slight air currents, each strand rippled, revealing its construction. The movement of the threads had a beauty like quivering harp strings.

Countless threads of silver sugar had been carefully hung together in a delicate arrangement.

The colors on the far left were red. From there, moving toward the right, they gradually became oranges, then shades of yellow. The yellows turned to greens, and then blues. Those blues steadily increased in redness until they became purples, then finally returned to red. It was a color gradation depicted in pale hues. The beautiful, shifting colors were as natural and flowing as if they had been done with watercolor paint.

They were the colors that Anne, Keith, and Kat had mixed.

Every single thread was just one color. However, each and every one of them was a slightly different shade. When they were put together, they formed a splendid gradation.

Light shone through the rainbow colors as they elegantly swayed and undulated.

The fairies had simply hung the threads they’d spun from a plain wooden rod attached to the railing of the lesser hall on the second floor. The threads had been doubled back just before they brushed against the floor of the entryway and looped over the wooden rod again.

The slender threads overlapped layer over layer and flowed like water. They numbered in the thousands. And the fairies had spun those threads much faster than humans could ever hope to emulate.

Anne, Keith, and Kat had handled the colors. But kneading the silver sugar and spinning it had been the fairies’ jobs. And arranging the finished threads had also been the fairies’ doing. They had deftly handled the fragile silver sugar, which was so easy for humans to carelessly break, and hung it up.

The fairies didn’t yet have the skills to form the sugar into sculptures. However, this arrangement made the quality of their work plain to see.

The threads were all of an even thickness, and most importantly, they were thin. But they didn’t break, even when hung like this to sway. They were strong.

The fairies could make silver sugar threads of incredible quality. The work was beautiful even on its own.

This shows the fairies’ skill. It’s proof the world of sugar candy needs fairies.

The crafters were all looking up, staring at the array in blank amazement.

Someone took a few steps, moving the air and setting the display swaying and shimmering in the light. The rainbow curtain, which started undulating on its own with the slightest puff of air, was like a living creature, and it enchanted the eye with its elegant movements.

Anne looked up into the lesser hall and saw Challe leaning against the wall near the top of the stairs. He was staring at the waving silver sugar threads with a soft expression on his face.

Look, Challe. Amazing, isn’t it?

She asked the question in her mind, but he looked at her as if he had heard her say it out loud. When his eyes met Anne’s, he nodded gently, his expression satisfied.

“…So this is the skill of fairies…,” Marcus said, groaning.

His eyes still wide with surprise, Jonas stepped forward, gazed up at the threads, and said without thinking, “If they’ve got this much skill, I wonder how their sculptures will turn out.”

Marcus gave Jonas a startled look. But Jonas continued, mumbling ecstatically, “I want to see for myself.”

Marcus’s looked anguished. “Jonas,” he said sternly.

Hearing his name, Jonas finally seemed to realize that he was standing next to Marcus. He blinked a few times. “Y-yes, Uncle?” he asked.

“You want to see them, do you? The creations of the fairies?”

Jonas held his tongue for a moment, as if he was frightened by the blank expression on Marcus’s face, but he soon gathered his resolve and raised his eyes.

“I…do,” he replied. “As a candy crafter, it’s…well…it’s of interest to me. So I’d like to, yes.”

“I see; so it’s curiosity, then?” Marcus once again set his gaze on the curtain of threads. “It certainly does pique one’s interest.”

Anne felt like she could see something akin to resolution in Marcus’s unsparing eyes.

They had left the door between the workshop and the entry hall open, and Hugh was standing there. As he looked up at the swaying threads, he narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

Anne approached the Viscount. “Hugh,” she said, “this was the only thing we had to show them. The fairies couldn’t make sculptures.”

“This is plenty.” Hugh patted Anne on the head.

Marcus turned in Hugh’s direction. “Silver Sugar Viscount. When will the fairies here be available for deployment?” he asked.

“I think roughly around end of the Royal Candy Fair.”

“And can we choose which ones we’d like?”

“You cannot.”

A voice came from behind Marcus’s back. It was Kat. He was just descending the stairs and walked briskly over to them.

“The fairies here are undergoing training to become silver sugar fairies of their own free will,” Kat said. “If they don’t want to do something, then they don’t. Just like human apprentices. And also like human apprentices, they get to choose which workshop to train at. They have that right. But you can ask them to please come to the Radcliffe Workshop and offer them the best conditions you can.”

Kat smirked, and Marcus grimaced at his arrogant attitude.

“Hingley. As usual, the way you speak is utterly unacceptable,” he said.

“Right back atcha. So what’s gotten into you? Now you wanna hire fairies? When you made such a stink about it at the start?”

“I’m not happy about it now, either,” Marcus responded morosely. “But if we don’t hire them, and they end up in all the other workshops, our faction will continue to decline. We already lost last year’s Selection.”

“But it’s not enough just to hire the fairies,” Anne interjected. “Not if they don’t have the right motivation.”

Marcus gave her a sharp glare. “I’m not working as the maestro of a faction for nothing,” he said. “I know only too well that if an apprentice is poorly motivated, they won’t succeed.”

Apprentice.

Marcus had just called them apprentices. Not fairies, but apprentices. Even if he had said the word unintentionally, his unconscious mind had allowed the slip.

“You’re right. That was too forward of me,” Anne apologized with a smile. Marcus still looked suspicious.

That was when it happened.

From the direction of the workshop, they heard Noah laughing. He sounded as if he was so happy that he couldn’t contain it.

Following Noah’s lead, the rest of the fairies, spindles in hand, were all peeking out of the workshop, trying to get a look at what was going on. But when they made eye contact with Anne and Hugh, they got flustered and ran back to their posts.

Keith, who had remained in the workshop, scolded them. “You’re still on the clock!” But they could hear joy in his voice.

The fairies’ amused and delighted smiles stayed as they were. Continuing to turn his spindle, Noah laughed out loud again.

Allele, also continuing his work, nimbly nudged Noah in the back with the top of his shoulder. “They can all hear you.”

“But everyone is so amazed. I’m happy. And even the spindles sound like they’re laughing. The way they whiz around, it’s like they’re giggling.”

As they continued twirling their spindles, the fairies shut their mouths and inclined their ears to listen to the sounds the tools were making.

“It’s like whistling,” someone said with a laugh.

“No, it’s more of a whoosh-whoosh-whoo, whoosh-whoosh-whoo, don’t you think?” someone else answered.

With a smile, Noah shook his head. “Uh-uh. It’s kind of a who-loo-loo-loo-loo. I can hear the loo-loo-loo sound.”

As he said that, Noah turned his spindle and beat out a basic rhythm on his knee.

“Who-loo-loo-loo, loo-loo-loo. Who-loo-loo-loo, loo-loo-loo.”

Singing in time with the spindle just like a little child might, he continued:

“Loo-loo-loo, loo-loo. Loo-loo-loo-loo, loo-loo.”

His tune was an exact match for the movements of the spindle. It was a joyful sound.

“Keep it going!”

Noah was singing to the rhythm, and Allele started whooping and hollering playfully along with him.

Caught up in the moment, Noah spun his spindle with a big smile on his face as he sang, “Loo-loo-loo, loo-loo. Loo-loo-loo-loo, loo-loo.”

Following Noah, the other fairies also started to hum along. They were enjoying themselves, keeping time with the movements of spinning thread.

The fairies were all softly, wordlessly singing la-la-la or loo-loo-loo.

Though they were looking around at one another and trying to hold in their laughter, their hands moved smoothly and quickly, pulling threads of silver sugar.

“Don’t let up!” Someone else cheered them on.

The beginning of a tune was being spun like a long breath from the fairies’ mouths. The workshop rang with the chorus of their voices.

Like ripples on water, the simple tune reached Anne’s ears as waves of the fairies’ joy quietly broke at her feet.

“Imagine humming a song while doing such difficult work,” Hugh murmured. “The fairies really are incredible.”

Anne suddenly gasped.

A song? That’s a song.

It was simple, just a melody and a beat, but this was a song.

Allele. Hasn’t he noticed?

Allele was happily humming the simple tune as he spun his spindle. For the moment, he didn’t seem to have realized that the very tune he was humming was the thing he had been wishing for. He was enjoying it, delighting in it, without noticing.

If someone changed the melody just a little and added words, the tune the fairies hummed as they worked would become a whole new song.

A fairy song.

The fairies hadn’t caught on yet. They were just happily turning their spindles.

Challe!

Anne looked up at Challe in the lesser hall.

It’s a song, Challe.

The rippling waves of the song must have reached Challe’s ears as well. His eyes closed, and he was still, as if listening attentively to the faint tune.

A song.

Challe closed his eyes and listened carefully to the simple, cheerful song.

The fairies had lost everything. But it was possible to get it back again. In time, the fairies would surely create the songs they were meant to sing.

They would probably not be sung by fairies alone, however.

Because they shared the same earth, the fairies needed to find a way to coexist with humans. Though there might be hardships and sorrows that came with living together, they couldn’t fear it. Such troubles were to be expected. That was why they needed so much joy that it made the sorrow seem like nothing.

“Don’t be afraid. Bring it up with her and find out how she feels. You’ve got a chance at love, so what are you worrying about?”

Challe recalled the words of his beautiful kinswoman, who had lived for six hundred years. At last, he understood what she meant.

The ripples of song, so pleasant to his ear, gave him encouragement.

I can’t be afraid, either. If we try it, something might come of it. Just like how this song was brought to life.

Challe was flooded with inexhaustible love for the young woman looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

The only thing she could make was sugar candy. She was weak, naive, and a fool. And yet she was facing the fairies with all the strength she could muster. She was facing Challe with all her might, too.

I won’t let her go. I won’t give her over to anyone.

Keith had told him to do as he pleased. In that case, Challe wouldn’t fight these feelings any longer.

The crafters from the Mercury Workshop and the Radcliffe Workshop finally left Hollyleaf Castle around dusk. They had spent almost an entire day intently watching the fairies work.

On top of that, John Killean and Marcus Radcliffe had been eager to take note of the faces and names of the fairies working there. They must have been hoping to recruit some of the more talented ones for themselves.

Marcus Radcliffe had by no means fully accepted the idea of fairies becoming candy crafters. But he must have seen that if he continued to refuse them, he would fall behind the other factions. It was clear to him that once the others started producing beautiful pieces of art using fairy labor, the Radcliffe Workshop would go into decline.

Ultimately, it was profit that motivated him.

But that was exactly what Anne and the others needed.

Whether someone liked fairies or hated them, the work they did would become indispensable. That was the way they would create a place for fairies in the world regardless of how humans felt about them.

Hugh said that he was going to show Marcus and Killean directly to his villa in Lewiston. In fact, he said he’d invited the proxy maestro of the Paige Workshop, Elliott Collins, to come to Lewiston from Millsfield as well.

Apparently, the Silver Sugar Viscount and the faction leaders would spend that evening discussing the treatment of fairy candy crafters, and how to dispatch and manage them.

Their work at Hollyleaf Castle was finally on track. Now that it finally seemed real, Anne felt deeply relieved.

After finishing the day’s work, she washed her body using water from the well. It felt refreshing. Then she dressed in her favorite cotton nightgown, the one decorated with simple lace around the collar, and dried her hair with a bit of cloth as she left the bathroom.

She was feeling much more at ease.

There were still several candles burning in the lesser hall, and the light spread out across the railing, brightening the entry hall as well. Anne glanced up at the second floor as she began to ascend the stairs. When she saw Challe at the top, she was briefly frightened.

“What is it, Challe? Don’t startle me like that.”

“I didn’t. You were spaced-out and startled yourself.”

“Well, still… But it’s okay. Today made me so happy.”

Anne climbed the stairs with a smile, but for some reason, Challe kept standing on the landing, blocking her way.

“Challe? What kind of game is this?”

Anne tilted her head, unsure of what was going on.

Challe’s wing, illuminated by the flickering light from the lesser hall, was a calm, pale-blue color that became more transparent near the tip. He was looking at Anne, his black eyes so dark and deep that they seemed to see through everything.

What could be the matter?

Anne thought back over her own actions, wondering if she might have done something to hurt his feelings. But then—

“I’ve got something I need to say to you,” Challe said abruptly.

“Huh? Uh, what is it? Did I do something after all?!” she asked, but Challe was silent.

What’s wrong? Is he really mad at me?

Her heart began to pound strangely under Challe’s serious gaze, until she could hear it thumping in her ears. Though she was positive Challe was about to say something mean to her, it didn’t change how beautiful he was.

Challe stared silently into Anne’s face. After a little while, he began to speak very quickly. “You’re who I care—”

“‘Scare’… Ugh, you needed to remind me of that so badly?”

Challe frowned. “What?”

“I can’t believe you went out of your way to call me a scarecrow again…” Anne’s shoulders drooped in disappointment. “There’s no reason for you to be so mean to me.”

Challe’s expression grew even cloudier. “What is the problem, your ears or your brain?” he said, sounding perplexed. “What do you think I just said? Are you trying to make me repeat myself?”

“You’ve never had a problem calling me a scarecrow hundreds of times before, have you?”

“Who called you a scarecrow?”

“Just now, you said, ‘You’re a scarecrow.’”

Challe pressed a hand to his forehead. Then he let out a very deep, very exasperated sigh.

“…………You are………………so stupid.”

Naturally enough, Anne was annoyed. “I already know I’m stupid! What do you get out of making fun of me like this…?!”

Before Anne could finish her objections, she suddenly found herself wrapped up in Challe’s arms. He held her tightly around the back with both arms, so that her cheek pressed against his jacket. The cloth she’d been using to dry her hair, which had been draped over her shoulders, fell onto the stairs.

“Uh… Challe?”

Anne was bewildered by this unexpected development, and the throbbing of her heart grew louder until it filled her ears. Challe’s warm breath grazed her skin. Though the fingers holding on to her back were cold, his breath felt almost hot.

“Listen carefully, dummy. This time, make sure you don’t mishear me. I love you. That’s what I was trying to say.”

Anne’s heart was pounding twice as loudly as before, but she heard him clearly.

Love?

Her knees trembled.

“If you say your heart belongs to me, I will never let you go. Even if fairies and humans living together can only end in sorrow, I will give you enough happiness to make up for it. Though the length of time we live may differ, I will stay with you and protect you for as long as you live, as your lover. And if you can’t leave behind a child as proof that you lived, I will do everything in my power to fulfill your wishes, so that you may leave behind some other legacy instead.”

Anne could understand the meaning of the words being whispered into her ear, but they didn’t seem real.

This can’t be happening. Challe would never say something like this to me.

And yet his voice seeped into her heart and made her so happy that tears welled up in her eyes.

What should I do here? What do I do?

All sorts of thoughts ran around in her head.

She thought about Challe’s position as the fairy king. And the fact that she would get old and die much earlier than he would. She thought about the fact that she would die and leave him behind just like Liz.

I will probably only make Challe unhappy and hold him back.

Many possible futures, all of them sad, swirled around in her mind.

“Answer me, Anne.”

Still holding Anne with one arm, Challe pulled away just a little bit and peered into her eyes. His lovely, slim fingers gently lifted Anne’s chin as he pressed her for an answer.

Challe’s insistence was likely to make her ignore the worries and misgivings in her mind and accidentally blurt out that she loved him, too.

“I…”

She opened her mouth, but her voice was shaky. Even when she started to speak, she didn’t know how she ought to answer.

An autumnal breeze blew in through a gap in the window and brushed across the nape of Anne’s neck.

The flames on the candles flickered.

“I…”

“Mithril Lid Pod?!”

As she was about to answer, Keith’s shout echoed past them.

Startled, Anne looked toward the second floor of the west wing, where the voice had originated. Challe frowned and followed her gaze.

“Challe! Anne!”

They heard Keith’s frantic voice and footsteps coming toward them. When Keith finally came rushing out into the lesser hall, he seemed like he had been in the middle of getting ready for bed. He was only wearing a single shirt. Struggling to catch his breath, he glanced around, then opened his eyes wide when he saw Anne and Challe on the landing.

From his shocked expression, Anne realized she and Challe were standing too close. Challe removed his hand from Anne’s back.

“What is it?”

Keith had been staring blankly at the two of them, but Challe’s question seemed to snap him out of it.

“Mithril Lid Pod doesn’t look right,” he told them impatiently. “Both of you, come with me!”

Mithril?!

Challe dashed off, slipping past Keith. Anne followed him out of the lesser hall and into the corridor. Keith was right next to her.

“Keith, something’s wrong with Mithril?!” she asked.

As they ran, Keith answered her, “He was playing a card game with Mr. Hingley. And then he suddenly…”

Keith let his words trail off there, then suddenly continued in a quiet voice, “Anne. Just now, you and Challe…”

“Huh?”

Anne hadn’t heard him very well, but Keith only shook his head.

“No, never mind. Let’s hurry.”

They ran down the long corridor, panting for breath, and rushed into their room.

Challe was kneeling down in the center of the room, surrounded by bunk beds. Kat was standing nearby, looking grim. On top of the side table, cards were scattered about, and Benjamin was sitting in the middle of them.

The other fairy peered down at Challe’s hands with a sad expression. “Challe?! Mithril Lid Pod, is he…?”

Mithril was there, in Challe’s arms. But he lay limply on his side, unconscious. His wing dangled loosely between Challe’s fingers, colorless.

“He’s light,” Challe groaned.

Benjamin hung his head. He sounded despondent, as if he had just realized something awful. “He may be at the end of his life span,” he muttered.

At the sound of Benjamin’s little voice, Anne felt as if she’d been shoved.

The end of his life?!

The world in front of her eyes went dark for a moment, and in that blackness, she recalled the figure of her mother, Emma, lying motionless on her bed.

“Anne!”

She must have stumbled, and Keith caught her and held her by the shoulders. But as soon as he propped her up, she felt the urge to rage against what she had heard.

No, it can’t be! He can’t be dying!

Anne desperately brushed Keith’s arms aside and knelt down beside Challe.

“Mithril Lid Pod!”

After Anne shouted his name, Mithril’s still fingers jerked back to life. Then his eyelids twitched and popped open.

“…Ah. Anne?”

Anne was relieved, but at the same time, the inner corners of her eyes grew hot, and her vision blurred.

“Mithril Lid Pod. You collapsed, and…”

“Collapsed? Ah, oh. Did I…?”

Mithril tried to sit up with a casual look on his face, like always, but there must not have been any energy in his arms, because he was only able to lift his body slightly. Even so, he forced himself to smile.

“Oh no, everyone, I’m sorry I worried you. I just did my job so enthusiastically today that even I—”

“Don’t lie to us!”

Suddenly, Challe shouted at him.

Mithril’s eyes went wide, and he looked up at Challe, who glared back down at him fiercely.

“Do not lie, Mithril Lid Pod. We won’t be fooled any longer.”

Mithril hung his head dejectedly, then flopped down on his back again in Challe’s hands. “…Why are you angry with me?”

“I’m furious. I’m angry because you’ve been hiding something important.”

The room was deathly quiet. No one could say anything.

Looking up at the ceiling, Mithril muttered a few words of confession. “I have a feeling it’s going to be soon. Probably very soon.”

“I’ll make you some sugar candy!” Anne insisted loudly. “Wait here, I’ll make it right away. Then you’ll be okay!”

Mithril looked up at her with a forced smile. “Have you forgotten what Lulu Leaf Lean said? You’re a scarecrow brain as always, huh, Anne? A life that you preserve through sugar candy is only temporary. If I extended my life span by a year by eating sugar candy, the next time I ate the same sugar candy, it would only extend it by half a year. The next time would be three months. Then one month, ten days, three days… It wouldn’t change the fact that I was only putting off the inevitable.”

“That can’t be…,” Anne pleaded with him sadly. “Don’t say things like that.”

Words swirled in her chest like a child throwing a tantrum.

No, no, I don’t want this!

Mithril managed to prop himself up again, and he looked at Challe like he had something to say. Then Challe lowered Mithril’s body gently down onto Anne’s shoulder. Sitting there, Mithril nestled his cheek up close to Anne’s and stroked her hair with his tiny hands.

“Don’t cry, Anne. I… The thing I hated most of all was the thought of you crying over me like this. That’s why I kept quiet about it.”

Mithril had sensed that his life was coming to an end much earlier than this. Anne thought of that early summer night, when she had found him awake by himself in the middle of the night in the Lewiston workshop. He must have already known. And for more than two months, he had been carrying that knowledge alone. All that for the simple reason that he didn’t want to make Anne cry.

“I’m a water droplet fairy, so I’ve always known that a time like this would come one day.”

Mithril’s words pierced her chest.

“But…I’m glad that I met you first, Anne, and Challe Fenn Challe. That’s why, you know, I…didn’t want to make you all cry if I didn’t have to.”

No!

A feeling akin to anger rose within Anne, and she felt like a helpless child. She snatched Mithril off her shoulder with both hands and hugged him to her chest. His small head and body were cool to the touch, and she felt his wing, which was slightly warmer, with her fingertips. Would its warmth disappear, too?

“…No.”

“I used to really hate humans, but…now I don’t think they’re so bad. I was captured by humans and put to work right after I was born, and I thought that living was awful. But after I met Anne, I had plenty of fun. I’m happy that I got to make a friend, even if it was someone like Challe Fenn Challe. The three of us did all sorts of things together and saw so many different sights, and I was really happy. I think I was the happiest fairy in Highland. The very happiest. Isn’t that amazing?”

The thin little voice whispering in Anne’s arms didn’t suit Mithril at all.

“No, no…no…” That was the only word that would come out of Anne’s throat.

“The very happiest. So that’s really something. Isn’t that great? That’s why you shouldn’t cry.”

I hate this. I absolutely hate this!

Anne didn’t want to let this life in her arms go out. It didn’t matter what it took.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Even if you don’t like it, there’s nothing to be done.”

“That’s not true!” Anne shouted. She couldn’t stand it any longer. “I’ll come up with something we can do! So don’t tell me it can’t be helped! I’ll come up with something!”

Mithril gave her a troubled smile. “What do you think you can do…?”

“Sugar candy can—”

“I told you earlier, didn’t I, Anne? You scarecrow brain.”

“Fine then, I’ll find some other way!”

It wasn’t like she had any particular ideas. She just shouted back, without thinking. But her own words startled her.

Some other way? Something other than sugar candy that can extend the lives of fairies…?

A thought flashed through her mind.

“Lafalle!”

Anne raised her voice and looked at Challe. His figure was blurry and difficult to see.

“Listen, Challe! Lafalle fell from the wall of the fort, with no hope of survival, right? And you said, didn’t you, that after falling from such a high place, a weak fairy would have been smashed to pieces on the spot? But since he’s a gemstone fairy, he’s a little stronger than most, right? So I think we can assume that’s why he was just barely able to keep himself together.”

“That’s probably right,” Challe agreed. “But even if he somehow managed to keep himself together at the time, his body should have still vanished in less than a day from the shock of the impact. That’s what happens, even to gemstone fairies.”

“But Lafalle lived. He was unconscious, but his body stayed together. Not only that, but he also eventually woke up and ran away.”

A determined light came into Challe’s eyes as he listened to Anne’s words.

“A fairy whose body was nearly smashed to pieces came back to life. Doesn’t it seem plausible that if we only knew how that happened, we could add more years to Mithril Lid Pod’s life as well?!”

In the scant few hours before his body should have vanished into thin air, in that barren wasteland, Lafalle had somehow survived. His condition ought to have been so severe that even the finest piece of sugar candy couldn’t save him. Which meant that he had survived thanks to something even greater than sugar candy.

Whatever it was had to be very powerful. Powerful enough to revive a fairy on the brink of vanishing.

“There is a way,” Anne said firmly.

“I wonder if it’s really possible,” Mithril mumbled.

“It’s a fact that Lafalle is alive! So don’t give up, Mithril Lid Pod!”

Anne was the one who couldn’t give up. Just thinking about Mithril vanishing made it hard for her to breathe.

“It wouldn’t be like you to simply give up and die,” Challe said, gently stroking the listless Mithril’s head with a fingertip. Mithril seemed surprised as he lifted his face and looked up at Challe.

“We’ll go to Gillum Province. I’ve heard they were seen there,” Challe announced decisively.

Still holding Mithril with one hand, Anne clung to Challe’s sleeve. “Me too—I want to go, too! If Kat and Keith will allow it, I want to go with Mithril Lid Pod. Whenever he needs sugar candy, I can make some right away. But that’s only if Kat and Keith say yes.”

“Off with you, then,” Kat said easily. “The work here is going fine. Over these past two months, we’ve all gotten to know the program, so it’s no problem. We’ll find some way to cover for you.”

“Personally, I don’t want to let you go…” Keith smiled sadly. “But if it’s what you want, then you should do it. After all, I’d also like to help Mithril Lid Pod, if I could. It must be even worse for you.”

The end of Mithril’s life span was drawing near.

But fortune is still on our side.

Anne had to believe that. She tried to reassure herself, despite the doubt lurking in her heart.

This was happening just as the work of gathering and training fairies was really picking up. If it had been even a few days earlier, there would have been no way for Anne to go with Mithril, and she would have been beside herself with worry.

The hole that Anne would leave would certainly be large, but Kat and Keith had said it would be okay. She was blessed to have good companions.

With Anne by his side, Mithril would be able to live a little longer, even if it was only temporary. And she chose to believe that in the meantime, they would figure something out.

I don’t want to give up.

Challe would be with them, too. Somehow, they would determine Lafalle’s whereabouts and discover how he had recovered.

Mithril snuggled up against Anne’s chest and whispered, “Thank you, Anne. And…Challe Fenn Challe, too.”

Anne grew even more impatient at the sound of Mithril’s feeble voice. “Mithril Lid Pod, I’m going to make you some sugar candy right away,” she said.

Anne was relieved to see Mithril nod at her words. That meant he wasn’t giving up yet. He would eat her sugar candy.

She would prolong his life, and they would go find Lafalle.

I won’t give up.

Anne exchanged a look with Challe. When she did, she remembered his words from earlier.

“I love you,” he’d said. And “Answer me.”

Though Anne felt her cheeks grow hot, her heart was a mess of confusion.

They had to act, for Mithril’s sake.

But she also needed to respond to Challe’s words. She wondered if she should answer from the heart, or if she ought to answer him with a cool head after really thinking over her decision. She wasn’t sure.

Summer was passing them by. The moon was already in its third quarter, and its crisp light shone through the open window. The wind blew, and all the trees in the forest surrounding Hollyleaf Castle rustled.

Autumn was coming. And with it, the time to harvest sugar apples.

Afterword

Hello, everyone. I am Miri Mikawa.

This is the third book in the Silver Sugar Fairy saga.

With this, the current saga has more or less reached its conclusion, and starting from the next volume, I plan to embark on a new chapter of the story.

In bringing this section to an end and preparing to embark on a new one, I once again made Anne face all sorts of challenges. And once again, a new problem has emerged for her to worry about.

She’s always dealing with hardships, that Anne… Or it certainly feels that way.

One day, I’d like to write a story where Anne faces no difficulties and can simply live out her happy love story.

However!

One extremely late bloomer, who has finally found love after living for a century, did make a little bit of an effort this time. And so, in this volume, Anne can “take the bad with the good!” as they say. At least, I hope she sees it that way. Of course, maybe it’s only added to her troubles.

I think the next section of the story will end up being the Sugar Apple saga.

By the way, in the time between the previous Gray Wolf volume and this Rainbow Successors volume, I had the opportunity to write a short story. A bit before this book comes out, a magazine book called Premium The Beans, Vol. 2 will go up for sale (available July 26, 2012), and my story is supposed to run there.

However, the content of the story is not Anne’s happy love story.

Anne, Challe, and Mithril all appear, of course, and so does Keith. The story is an episode related to Kat and Benjamin, so if you’re interested in their meeting and so on, I’d be delighted if you’d pick up a copy.

Even if you don’t care about the story, I’ve heard that it will contain lavish drawings, with original artwork and color illustrations by Aki! It’s sure to be a treat for the eyes. Just what I would expect from a premium issue.

Now then, I am incredibly grateful to my previous editor, who took care of me for more than two years, from even before I debuted. I am more grateful than words can express. From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful that I met you. I dearly cherish this story, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, which you formed into what it is today.

To my new editor, I am deeply sorry for the various troubles I’ve caused you right off the bat. I’m sure you’ve heard all sorts of things about me, but I’m bound to cause a lot of headaches for you from now on as well. Thank you in advance for working with me.

To Aki, who draws such beautiful illustrations for me, thank you for making time in your busy schedule. Seriously, I always look forward to seeing the cover and the illustrations inside!

To all you readers, I am forever grateful to you for reading my books.

I think the best way to convey my feelings of gratitude is to produce well-written manuscripts and write stories worth reading.

We’ll enter a new chapter with the next volume.

I’m getting focused and ready to go! All right then, until next time.

Miri Mikawa