Chapter 18. A blade is sharper when it is hidden. (4)
The interior of the room had a neat and tidy atmosphere, unlike the flashy first floor. If you think of a nobleman’s office, it’s definitely like this.
“ah.”
Melina could no longer continue thinking about this room.
“Are you here?”
Because Abel was waving his hand in front.
“-!”
Light poured in from a huge window that took up an entire wall, and I could see him sitting on a chair underneath it.
“Melina.”
His lips moved and uttered his name.
A white shirt with stiff collars and a vest made of high-quality, shiny fabric. Everything fit perfectly, as if it had been made for Abel from birth.
“You’re late.”
Abel was leaning in his chair and looking at the documents. His elegant yet intelligent appearance was exactly that of a flawless nobleman.
“Oh, Master Abel?”
Melina was so embarrassed that she froze in place.
Abel staring at the documents in the sunlight was so dazzling.
All past appearances at Obest Territory were forgotten, and only this moment was engraved on Melina’s retina.
“ah…….”
Excited, Excited.
My heart was beating fast.
Abel had changed so much in just a few weeks.
His grim face calmed down, and his voice took on a skill that was not typical of a young man.
‘What happened so far?’
The last day I saw Abel, I had a premonition that he would go far away.
However, I had no idea that I would be in the capital city so far away and that I would be the owner of such a huge building.
“Oh, hello.”
Melina first came to her senses and bowed. As she placed her hand on her chest, she could feel her heart still beating fast.
‘Calm down, Melina.’
I couldn’t continue to look stupid.
“It’s been a while since I saw you, master.”
“Come this way.”
Abel pretended not to hear Melina’s greeting and made a gesture. It still looked like that.
As soon as Melina sat down on the chair next to the table,
“Are you a little taller?”
When Abel asked in a teasing tone, Melina became upset.
“It’s grown!”
“Really? I think it’s the same.”
“I heard you’ve grown up!”
Abel chuckled and stood up.
“I’m sure you brought what you ordered, right?”
He sat down opposite Melina.
“uh…….”
Melina was taken aback for a moment. This is because the moment Abel sat down, she gave off a strong and languid scent.
“Melina?”
When Abel asked again, Melina finally came to her senses.
“Oh, yes. I got it right.”
I tried to focus my gaze on Abel and focused on my backpack. She untied the straps at her entrance and began to rummage inside her.
As it was an item requested by Abel, he always carried it with him so as not to lose it.
Meanwhile, the woman who guided Melina quietly walked over and stood behind Abel. She seemed to be assisting him.
“Here you go.”
As Melina took out the sack, Abel tilted his chin.
“Take it out.”
Melina opened the bag, picked out a few gems from it, and put them down.
“As you said, we even succeeded in getting an emerald cut.”
Abel picked up the jewels one by one and began to look at them. She looked closely, as if she were keeping score.
gulp.
Melina felt the inside of her mouth becoming dry. The longer Abel’s silence went on, the more her heart pounded in her chest.
“Not bad.”
Finally, Abel finished evaluating all the jewels. His sharp gaze fell on Melina’s shaft.
“I don’t think this is the end.”
“……!”
It was a word that seemed to pierce my heart.
“in fact…….”
Melina thought for a moment and then revealed the truth.
“I was so excited that I tried various cuts….”
“If it’s this or that cut, what would it be?”
“I also tried marquise and cushion cuts. The refractive index and brilliance are different depending on the type of ore.”
He was hesitant at first, but before he knew it, he was excited and talking. One way or another, she was truly serious about jewelry making.
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“Then I thought that this cut would suit this ore, so I tried a new cut.”
At that moment, Abel’s eyes brightened sharply. It was a look in her eyes as if she had finally caught the prey she wanted.
“Try taking it out.”
“Huh? But it’s not at a level that’s worth showing to others….”
“hurry.”
Melina reluctantly took out the jewels as Abel picked her up. She didn’t forget to mumble an excuse.
“You can’t laugh at me… I just did it for practice. Did you know?”
“That’s my heart.”
“…….”
Charrrrr.
The jewels Melina took out were scattered on the table. Abel kept his mouth firmly shut and looked at each of her jewels.
“This…….”
Next to Abel, a woman let out a groan-like sigh. Abel and Melina looked at her at the same time.
“What’s going on?”
When Abel asked, the woman hesitated before answering.
“……I’m a little surprised.”
“why.”
“Currently, there is no craftsman in the capital who can perform this level of cutting.”
Melina, who was very nervous and focused on the woman’s words, couldn’t believe her ears.
“yes?”
“Miss Melina must not have been twenty yet… Such delicate workmanship.”
The woman placed one of the jewels on her palm.
“Look at this brightness. To produce this level of light, the refractive index must be kept constant and attention must be paid to polishing.”
The woman’s fingers picked up the jewel and turned it slowly.
“Do you see this flash? It is produced when the appropriate cut is made accurately according to the size of the gem.”
“Uh….”
Melina just twitched her fingers, not knowing what to do with the pouring praise.
“It’s not that surprising.”
Abel responded harshly. He rested his chin on hers and stared at Melina.
“I knew Melina would do it.”
It was a meaningless remark to Abel, who had seen the original, but not to Melina, who heard it.
“Uh, uhuh….”
It felt like my mind was turning completely white. Her heart pounded, her heart grew hot, and the tip of her nose became cold.
I remembered my mother’s worried eyes as she watched Melina struggling with the jewel.
‘Just wait and see. Melina will become the best jewelry craftsman in the empire.’
Overlaid on top of that was the face of Abel, who was speaking confidently. He was the first to believe in his abilities and the first to support him.
“…….”
Melina didn’t know what this feeling was. But one thing was certain: she would never forget this moment.
Melina quietly clasped her hands on her knees. Her heart was pounding, and her voice seemed to tremble as she opened her mouth.
“Melina.”
Abel’s calm voice tickled my ears.
“……yes.”
Melina barely managed to control her emotions and answered.
“What is this?”
When I looked up, Abel was holding a transparent gem. It was a gem other than what he had requested.
“That came from thinking about how to bring out the most light.”
“How many facets are there in total?”
“hmm…….”
Melina answered, recalling the memory of that time.
“58 if you include the flat surface at the top.”
“Right.”
Abel glanced at the woman next to him. The woman stood for a moment and then approached her desk where Abel had been sitting at her earlier.
“Here it is.”
What she took out of the drawer was a round gray stone. Melina took it and looked at it, but there was nothing special.
“Why this?”
“Cut the stone like this.”
Abel spoke in a cautious tone.
“As I just said, the key is to allow the most light to shine.”
Melina realized that Abel attached great importance to this work. It is also important to note that the treatment you receive will vary depending on your performance.
“……Okay, I’ll do my best.”
Abel smiled, satisfied with Melina’s firm answer.
“What did you entrust to Alessia?”
“Oh, here.”
Melina took out another pouch from her bag.
Rattling.
Silver accessories such as rings and earrings were revealed. These were works that Alessia worked hard to create.
“hmm.”
Abel picked up the ring and put it on his finger. Thanks to his experience making gauntlets, Alessia was able to create a ring of the correct size.
“It’s perfect.”
Abel’s eyes narrowed as if assessing something. Eventually, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
“Okay, I made it right.”
“Whew.”
Melina sighed. Although she said her mother saw a light when she was making it, she felt uneasy inside.
“Let’s see…”
Abel looked at the hole in the ring where he could insert the jewel, and this time he picked up the earring.
“…How do I attach this?”
Melina thought as she watched him struggle with the earring.
‘Should I do it for you?’
However, I hesitated because it was difficult to come forward. That moment,
“Can I do it for you?”
I heard the soft voice of a woman standing next to me.
“If you leave it to me, I will pierce your earlobes.”
“okay?”
Abel turned to the woman and said.
“Then boo….”
“I’ll do it for you!”
Melina couldn’t stand it anymore and ended up shouting.
“hmm?”
Abel’s puzzled gaze and the middle-aged woman’s gaze met at the same time. Melina felt the back of her head heat up and she spoke again.
“I will do it for you.”
“you?”
Abel looked Melina up and down suspiciously.
“I’ve done it many times. I’m confident I’ll do well.”
“What are you going to do if my ears bleed?”
“How do you pierce your ears without them bleeding?”
“Oh, that’s the same thing.”
Abel chuckled and waved his hand toward the woman.
“It’s okay, stay back.”
“yes.”
The woman quietly retreated. At the last moment, her eyes flickered to Melina and then fell away.
“Hey, give it a try.”
Abel slightly leaned towards Melina.
“-!”
Melina took a breath. Abel’s face was too close.
Long eyelashes stood out under her gently closed eyes, and her slightly pale skin glowed white in the light.
“uh…….”
Melina looked at his face blankly,
gulp.
I swallowed and picked up the earrings on the desk. After disinfecting her saliva with a cotton pad brought by a middle-aged woman, she held Abel’s ear.
“…….”
That part was softer than expected.
It was surprising that Abel, who always seemed so strong and strong that even the tip of a sword could not penetrate, also had this part.
Moreover, the scent that had been wafting in the air the moment he sat down became much stronger. When I smelled it up close, it was even sweet.
‘Calm down, calm down.’
Melina was careful not to wrinkle her nose. She pulled Abel’s earlobe taut and placed the tip of her needle on it.
“It will sting a little.”
“huh.”
“One, two, three.”
As soon as I counted the last number, I powerfully pierced my earlobe.
Pop.
The saliva sank in with the sound of flesh being pierced.
“It doesn’t hurt that much.”
Abel muttered quietly with his eyes closed.
“Yes?”
Melina breathed a sigh of relief and fixed the needle. She stepped back, hiding her slightly red face.
“It’s all done.”
“Let’s see…”
Abel looked at his ears in the mirror brought to him by a middle-aged woman.
“It’s okay.”
As I gently swept up my blue hair, I could better see the silver earrings fluttering in my ears.
Melina was momentarily distracted by the light reflected by her earrings. She looked at Abel’s sharp nose and her delicate lips next to him.
‘… … ah.’
My new, unconscious heart struck again. I felt like something was wrong with my heart today.
‘Ugh, please.’
I was worried that my heart would jump out of my body.
“Oh my, are you nervous?”
Abel smiled at Melina.
“Your face is red again.”
“Oh, no.”
Melina barely answered in a hushed voice. It was difficult for her to look straight at Abel.
‘Why do earrings match so well?’
fantasy,
