Published: July 26, 2025
Three days had passed since I promised Lutz’s older brothers that they would make the hairpin parts. Today was the day to pick them up.
During these three days, I stayed inside the house and quietly made little flowers. The devouring fever was becoming more active, swirling inside my body, making me feel nauseous, so I didn’t want to go outside much.
Sometimes the fever would suddenly hit me in the middle of the night, leaving me exhausted by morning, and my body felt heavy. Honestly, I was anxious, never knowing when the devouring fever would strike again or when I might collapse.
During this time, I only managed to make two decorations. Including the ones I made earlier, I had only completed three out of the twenty decorations. The rest were made by my mother and Tulli. I was disappointed at the difference in speed.
Mother and Tulli were still competing against each other, quickly making small flowers. Tulli’s speed had improved, and in three days, the two of them made twelve decorations in total. They were now dividing up the work to weave the final decorations.
“I’m going to Lutz’s place now. I have to pick up the hairpin parts and pay for them.”
“Take care.”
Without even looking up from their intense flower-making, they said in unison.
I put fifteen medium copper coins into my pouch wallet and left the house.
I went down the stairs, exited the building, crossed the square with the well, and climbed the stairs of the building almost directly ahead.
Lutz’s house was on the sixth floor, but he had rented two units and combined them to make it spacious. There were many stairs, so going up and down was tough, but inside it was roomy. Even with four boys, it wasn’t too cramped. Lutz said that because their family was full of craftsmen with lots of tools and had expanded to secure a workshop, the actual living space wasn’t that big.
I knocked on the door and introduced myself. The door creaked open, and Aunt Carla appeared.
“Hello, Aunt Carla. I came to pick up the handiwork I requested. Are the older brothers here?”
“Oh, they’ve been anxiously waiting since morning.”
She said with a smile but then her expression clouded slightly, and her gaze wandered around as she lowered her voice.
“...Hey, Myne. Is Lutz really serious about becoming a merchant? He’s so stubborn that the atmosphere at home has turned quite bad. Yet he refuses to relent at all. Being a merchant isn’t something worth causing rifts in the family over. Don’t you think?”
I had heard from Lutz that his family relationship wasn’t going well, but it seemed more serious than I had imagined.
I worried about Lutz, but he probably wouldn’t back down. He had firmly decided to become a merchant, even if it meant becoming a live-in apprentice.
“I’m not sure what to say, Aunt Carla. It’s Lutz’s decision what he wants to become, isn’t it?”
I tilted my head and tried to steer the conversation away—interfering as a third party in a parent-child issue would only cause confusion. Aunt Carla frowned, clearly dissatisfied with my response.
“Well, that may be true, but girls usually listen to their parents, while boys don’t at all. It’s frustrating.”
I kept silent about how I also had no intention of living according to my parents’ wishes.
If Aunt Carla wouldn’t stop complaining, her sons—who regularly dealt with her grumbling—would avoid being dragged into it, and they wouldn’t come out or let me inside.
The best approach was to agree vaguely and move on quickly. Unlike Aunt Carla, who enjoyed long talks by the snowy well, I had no interest in standing around chatting in the cold at the doorstep.
“Four boys to manage, Aunt Carla. Must be tough.”
“The boys don’t understand the hardship at all. Just recently...”
Oh no, this was about to get very long.
Just as I thought maybe I should come back later, I heard Lutz’s voice from inside.
“Hey, Mom. Myne’s here to pick up the handiwork, right? We need to get it before the snow falls, so it’s pretty urgent. Also, Myne’s prone to getting sick, so please let her come inside.”