Silver Lining Yesterday - Chapter 17
“Why am I a dwarf?!”
Karl, wearing a bright red coat with a cute hood, burst out in frustration.
Jean, dressed in a beautiful tunic dress, calmly ran a comb through her long, flowing hair and responded indifferently.
“Why? Because you’re small.”
“You’re the one who’s smaller!”
“Then do you want to be the princess?”
Karl, clutching his hat as if he were about to tear it off, let out a silent cry.
At that moment, Miranda, dressed in a long robe with a tall pointed hat, came out leaning on a cane.
“If Karl is the dwarf, Jean is the princess, and I’m the sage, does that make Ernest the knight?”
“Yep. Originally, I was going to put him in heavy armor and a helmet, but he’s too tall for the armor to fit. Madame had to hurry and get him ready-made clothes.”
“This is inspired by the fairy tale ‘The Golden Axe,’ isn’t it? Great idea!”
Miranda blushed slightly, as though the heavy robe was awkward for her.
“Maybe we should have given the sage role to Karl and made me the dwarf. That would have been more natural…”
Miranda’s unusual appearance had always been a subject of disdain wherever she went.
Jean ran over quickly with a hardened face
“Miranda, I gave you the role of the sage because I know you’re wise and intelligent. Why would you think otherwise?”
“Such high praise, Jean.”
“It’s the truth. Because of you, I can dream of all this. If Master Amelroi taught me magic, you’re the teacher who taught me about the world. In the end, this revolution was possible because of you.”
Jean’s face, usually full of playful mischief, was now serious.
Looking into her face, Miranda smiled faintly and took her hand.
“So, is Gemma the shepherd?”
“…Of course. Gemma is the true star of today.”
Jean’s eyes sparkled dreamily.
“Look forward to it. Today will be the most perfect day.”
* * *
The next day dawned.
Jean woke up early in the morning, soaking in rosewater and shampooing her hair with fragrant soap.
It was Madame who took her out of the bath and seated her in the vanity.
“Madame, a simple look will be fine. I’m not going to show off, I’m just meeting a friend.”
“That meeting will be watched by many. Someone will capture that moment in a photo.”
Madame busily applied powder as she worked with her hands.
Jean, who was about to protest, saw Nix coming down the stairs and quickly opened her mouth.
“Nix, you talk some sense into her. I just wanted to quietly meet Gemma, but Madame is…”
“How are you going to meet her quietly?”
Nix stifled a yawn, brushed his messy hair aside and picked up the kettle hanging over the fireplace.
“She will probably be too busy about the birthday. She’ll be surrounded by people all day…”
“So, why don’t you just go and secretly deliver my message to Gemma?”
“I told you already. I’m banned from entering.”
The sound of water being poured echoed especially sharply.
Jean glanced at Nix’s profile in the mirror. His hair, usually swept back without hesitation, was now neatly combed down above his eyebrows, giving him a looser, more decadent look than usual.
“After the big fight, I can’t even go home without permission. Today, though, there will be too many eyes on me, so they might let me in through the front door.”
“You fought… and that’s why you’re banned?”
Madame sighed as if to make sure everyone heard.
Jean reached out for the newspaper that Madame was signaling.
The front page of the newspaper, dated a few days ago, featured a huge picture of Nix’s face.
Surprised, Jean quickly skimmed her eyes over it.
[‘The ‘Steel Madman’ Reappears in the North… Who Will Be the Next Victim?’]
“What’s this…?”
[Citizens of the North are trembling in fear. The infamous Colonel Nix Heidegger has once again appeared along the Northern coastline.
“Last time, the village square was completely cleared. The benches and the old fountain were completely blown away!”
T, a resident of Avon village, who had been caught in the battle between Colonel Heidegger and a pirate group six months ago, testified. The ‘time bomb’ known as Colonel Heidegger leaves a trail of devastation wherever he goes…]
“Nix, what is this?”
Jean asked again in disbelief.
Nix, who was now sitting on the sofa and casually drinking tea, responded in an uninterested tone.
“What?”
“Is this all true? Are you the kind of guy who destroys villages while fighting pirates?”
It wasn’t unheard of.
There were those who could be perfectly fine until they picked up a weapon, and then they became madmen.
“If I’m going to break something, I might as well break it big. That way, it gets reported in the media, and the military will compensate me properly.”
“But what if someone gets caught up and gets hurt?”
“Doesn’t matter. By now, most people run the moment I show up.”
Nix nonchalantly sipped his tea and turned the page of the magazine.
The stunned Jean couldn’t find the words to respond. Frustrated, Madame handed him the newspaper herself.
“Is that all? Aren’t you ashamed? You’re ruining the honor of the Heidegger family!”
Madame immediately opened the entertainment section and pointed at a photo.
In a dark alley, Nix was standing so close to a woman that it almost looked like they were about to kiss.
The dim light from a gas lamp and the angle of the photo made it feel like they were secretly watching an illicit affair.
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