The Price of a Cake and a Bracelet

Stepping out of the dessert shop, after bidding the children farewell, Audrey subtly remarked:

“Rhine, I imagine you enjoy sweets as well, don’t you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because you add ketchup and sweet sauce to your bread, and two lumps of sugar to your milk.”

“Is that so? I just add them randomly.”

“Then why did you give the cake to someone else? I bought it for you.”

Rhine was about to say he had long passed the age for cakes and sweets, but upon reflection, he found such a statement rather inappropriate.

“There are plenty of cakes in the world, and I’m not lacking for a bite. It’s better left for those who need it more. Besides, staying by your side, I’ll have ample opportunities to taste even finer cakes.”

“Oh, I see.”

Audrey turned her lovely face slightly, a faint blush subtly appearing on her cheeks.

“Then let’s establish this now: you’re only allowed to eat my cakes, no one else’s.”

“What kind of rule is that?”

“As my attendant, isn’t that only natural?”

“Natural? How is that natural at all! Aren’t cakes made of flour? By your logic, I wouldn’t even be allowed to eat flour from anyone else’s home in the future? Do you even understand the rational division of labor in society?”

Audrey nearly choked on her own blood, casting a regretful glance at Rhine, who was visibly pleased with his own logic. Should she deem him overly clever, or simply thick-headed?

“In any case, a cake is a cake, and flour is flour. If I say you can’t eat it, then you can’t. There’s no need for all this chatter.”

“Other households even pay high salaries to maintain integrity, you know. If you feed me daily until I’m sick of it, then I might agree.”

“What’s the big deal? I’ll feed you. Is that satisfactory?”

Rhine eyed the self-assured young lady with a distrustful gaze, his eyes imperceptibly pausing for a fleeting moment on the alluring curves of her cream-colored corset. He then gave a slight, gentlemanly nod, a classic instance of someone taking advantage and still feigning innocence.

“By the way, how did you come to know those little rascals? Do you often sneak out?”

“Don’t you dare lump me in with those mischievous brats!”

‘Mischievous? That description suits you perfectly!’ However, he decided to rein himself in, knowing that it would take ages to appease Audrey if she became upset.

“As you probably know, most large towns nowadays don’t have walls. The tall walls constructed in Lanburg County historically served primarily to guard against beast infestations from the Ancient Zhi Forest to the south. Auetland doesn’t solely refer to the area within our walls; the surrounding villages and towns also fall under the Cavendish family’s jurisdiction.”

“Many boys like them, who can’t attend school, are sent to orphanages, where they are disciplined by the director. Priests frequently visit these orphanages to read scriptures from the Holy Church. The Cavendish family sponsors over a dozen such orphanages, and I was dragged along by my father, forced into these engagements, which is how I reluctantly came to know them.”

“It seems their mental development isn’t entirely barren, then. The ones I’ve encountered before were indistinguishable from barbarians—fond of giving others insulting nicknames, smashing windows, stealing fruit, and mimicking sorcerers by performing crude sacrificial rituals… Ha, can drawing a few scribbles on the ground and disemboweling cats and dogs truly be called a sacrificial ritual?”

“That sounds like an issue with local enforcement, then. At least Lanburg County hasn’t experienced such incidents.”

“Restraining little brats with cumbersome doctrines is the only practical use the Holy Church has.”

“If devout believers heard you say that, they’d undoubtedly revoke your ecclesiastical and national standing, chasing you all the way to the Eastern Continent to cut you down. While not all residents of Lanburg County are religious, they certainly wouldn’t appreciate hearing such remarks.”

“I have a feeling this story sounds rather familiar… Anyway, I don’t believe in gods or religion, and only you can hear these words, so what is there to fear?”

“Alright, alright, you’re the most formidable.”

Audrey replied noncommittally, a playful smile gracing her lips.

After walking a few more steps down the street, Audrey’s gaze was once again drawn to a souvenir shop. She cheerfully approached the dazzling array of beast bone ornaments, pondering them with earnest attention.

“There are so many bones I don’t recognize.”

She picked up a string of bone jewelry, examining it closely, then tapped it curiously, producing a crisp, musical sound.

“What you’re holding are the finger bones of a Forest Ape. With their agile long arms, they can effortlessly climb every towering tree in the Ancient Zhi Forest.”

“And this one?”

She then shook a necklace, resembling a circle of white marbles.

“That’s the larynx of a Hundred-Hear Bird. In spring, the males vocalize, singing to court the females with voices as melodious and enchanting as the most skilled opera singers.”

“You’ve heard them?”

“They’re ubiquitous in the Ancient Zhi Forest. The last time I heard them was, well, the last time.”

Audrey lifted the necklace, inspecting it more closely.

“Hmm… it’s quite beautiful, but hearing you explain it, I can’t shake a strange feeling.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Hundred-Hear Birds use their songs to pursue love, expressing their yearning and aspirations. But if I were to wear their affections on my hand, wouldn’t that be a form of sacrilege?”

Rhine paused, a hint of exasperation in his expression.

“I believe you’ve misunderstood the situation. If there’s any sacrilege, it’s their sacrilege against you. You are far beyond what those foolish birds could ever hope to pursue. When their lingering spirits gather to sing and fawn over you, you should majestically cast this trinket aside and declare: ‘This young lady finds you big, silly birds utterly beneath her notice.’ That would be the proper course of action.”

“While what you’ve said makes a lot of sense, could you please refrain from making a story that once sounded quite beautiful so… abstract?”

Audrey retorted with an exasperated huff, yet she was surprised to see Rhine take the necklace and haggle over the price with a merchant speaking in a regional dialect, eventually grudgingly pulling out a silver Koller.

However, the romantic scene she had envisioned quickly took a sharp turn for the worse—

“No, I still feel like I’m getting a raw deal. I know quality, you see. Are you selling a gold necklace or a silver one? Is it guaranteed genuine? You’ll have to throw in a freebie to make this worthwhile, won’t you?”

‘Just as I thought… she shouldn’t have believed Rhine would have any sudden inspirations; this was precisely how he was meant to be.’

And perhaps that was for the best, Audrey mused. She wished to understand Rhine more deeply. What she desired was not for Rhine to change himself to maintain their superficial master-servant dynamic, but rather to catch a glimpse of the unbidden truth that occasionally escaped his guarded, reclusive heart.

As Rhine haggled with the merchant, his expressions became even more theatrical, resembling the most cunning chameleon. After finally settling the deal, his mouth twitched twice, and he reluctantly paid an additional silver Koller, managing to extract a light black bracelet from the stingy merchant’s grasp.

“Hey, wait a moment, don’t move just yet. I think I’ve seen something similar in a natural history book… Let me think hard, it’s—”

“It’s a Blue-Collared Whale’s gallstone.”

“Oh, you stole my line!”

“Words stuck on the tip of your tongue will never escape. If I don’t say it, you won’t remember anyway.”

“Hmph, you’re just being glib.”

“After a Blue-Collared Whale dies, many pearl-like black concretions form within its body. Local fishermen along the southern coast all wear such a string, praying for safe passage at sea.”

Rhine explained patiently, placing the light black bracelet into Audrey’s palm.

“This is for you, to repay the favor for the cake.”

“Who said I wanted you to repay a favor? You’re making me out to be far too petty.”

“It’s simply common courtesy.”

“Wait—” Audrey returned the bracelet. Just as Rhine regretfully assumed she disliked it, a slender, fair arm extended towards him.

“You, put it on for me.”

Time, it seemed, froze in that instant. Lingering in his sight for a fleeting moment was the girl’s blushing smile, born of her newfound courage.