Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: The Perfect Gift
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As early December—when we could still manage without scarves—passed and mid-December arrived, with fluffy white snow starting to drift down from the sky...
“Hoo...”
I finally finished the neckties to present to His Highness.
Four different kinds, no less.
The first was a versatile navy tie with gold stripes.
The second, a white bowtie for the most formal occasions.
The third, a skinny brown tie made as narrow as possible to suit His Imperial Majesty's tastes.
And the last, a gray ascot-style tie tailored to the general preferences of the nobility.
These four neckties, each in its own distinct style, had taken a full three days to complete.
And that wasn't just me working alone—Adelaide and Caterina had pitched in too, using the finest materials and pouring every ounce of effort into creating these masterpieces.
We'd been so meticulous that not a single hair's breadth of error was tolerated in the stitching positions, spacing, embroidery, or measurements.
And that wasn't hyperbole—it was literally true on a physical level.
“Urgh...”
I blinked my bleary eyes furiously, set my loupe aside at arm's length, and stretched my screaming lower back—which had been hunched for half a day straight—while tilting my head back.
Even staring at the ceiling, my vision swam with the woven patterns of silk from fixating on fabric and seams for so long.
“Ugh...”
“You did great. Here, have some cookies and catch your breath.”
As I rubbed my nose bridge and let out a groan like some old uncle, Emily approached cautiously with a tray topped with a few cookies.
Normally, you wouldn't eat in front of the workbench, but right now my brain was screaming for something sweet.
“Thanks...”
I mumbled my gratitude in a weary voice, picked one up, and shoved the whole cookie into my mouth.
- Crunch!
My teeth crushed it, flooding my mouth with buttery richness and sugary sweetness.
I hadn't even swallowed yet, but as soon as the sugar hit my system, my brain cheered, rousing my body from its drowsy slump.
“Hoo... I might actually survive...”
It already felt like the sugar had seeped into every neuron.
I wanted to sip some black tea and relax, but there was no time for that. I grabbed one more cookie, gestured for her to take the tray away, and meticulously wiped my fingers with a handkerchief.
“Are they finally done?”
As I scrubbed my hands like I was determined not to leave even a speck of oil or crumb behind, Elizabeth—who'd just handed some fabric to Adelaide and returned—sidled up next to Emily and eyed the neckties with interest.
“Yeah, just packaging left now.”
“How are you going to wrap them?”
“I've got that covered too. Take a look.”
I flashed a confident grin, reached under the workbench, and pulled out the premium mahogany box I'd gone to great lengths to obtain, setting it on the table.
The wood gleamed with its signature dark red sheen, polished to perfection.
“Whoa~ This is insane... the wood itself is glowing.”
“Oh my...”
It was such high quality that even though they'd seen it several times since I got it, they still marveled every time.
Elizabeth let out a soft exclamation as she lightly traced her finger over the box's surface.
“Top-grade mahogany, huh? You actually managed to source wood from across the sea?”
“Took me about a month of hunting around, but yeah.”
“Hmm~ You really put in the effort.”
“Of course. It's not like I'm giving this to just anyone.”
This gift was for the very person who'd put me in this position. Skimping on it was out of the question.
Sure, it meant extra hardship... but after receiving my barony, half-assing it would be an embarrassment.
“Good job.”
As if to prove my efforts had been the right call, Elizabeth looked at me warmly and rested a hand lightly on my shoulder.
Her sincere praise made my shoulders want to float up to the heavens.
Now that my judgment was validated, it was time to package the gift.
“Hoo...”
I took a steadying breath, gripped the lid with utmost care to avoid scraping the wood, and gently lifted it off, placing it softly on the velvet stand beside me.
With the lid removed, the interior came into view.
It was divided into four near-square compartments, perfect for rolling the ties neatly. The base was lined with velvet enclosing cushions stuffed with cotton and down from wild waterfowl, while the lid's underside was adorned with gold leaf for extra flair.
“Heh...”
Elizabeth peeked over my shoulder at the interior and let out a dry chuckle.
“How much did you spend on the packaging alone? At this point, the neckties are just the packaging, and the box is the real gift.”
“Pretty close, yeah.”
“They'd probably love the box even if you sent it empty.”
“Whew, that's a relief.”
Her glowing approval eased my mind a bit.
At least it wouldn't reflect poorly as a gift, so I could focus purely on making it as beautiful as possible.
“Alright, first...”
I clenched and unclenched my hands to steel my slightly loosening focus, glanced sideways, and picked up the white bowtie first.
I spread it carefully on the workbench to avoid damaging the fabric or thread, then gently grasped the end.
Holding my breath to steady my hands.
Firmly, so the shape wouldn't distort.
Loosely enough not to crush or wrinkle the fabric.
Not even letting my nails touch it.
Concentrating on the feel of my fingertips, I rolled it as meticulously as possible.
“Sip—hoo—”
As my heart started pounding and my fingers trembled slightly, I took deep breaths to relax them.
Once my head cleared, I held my breath again and resumed rolling.
The cylinder gradually bulked up.
When just a finger joint's length remained unrolled, I delicately lifted the bowtie and placed it in the second compartment as tenderly as laying down a baby.
It fit perfectly into the square space, shape and size impeccable.
“Kuh~”
The motion lulled me into a trance, easing my tension.
Buoyed by that confidence and relaxed mindset, I picked up the next tie without hesitation, smoothed it out beautifully, and rolled it.
Ascot style, skinny tie, then the striped one—I repeated the process in order, until finally all four stood in a perfect straight line inside the box.
Immaculately arranged angles.
“What do you think?”
I slid the box sideways for Elizabeth's better view and looked up at her proudly.
“Beautiful. It's so perfectly arranged, no one would dare pull one out carelessly.”
“I think so too.”
Nodding with a satisfied smile, I placed the tie pin for securing them to shirts in the box last, then closed it with the lid I'd set aside.
Since the recipient wasn't here to hand it to directly—and it wasn't time yet either—I laid out an ivory silk cloth under the box, easily three times its width.
The polished mahogany's luster blended with the silk's sheen, creating an illusion like stained glass unfolding before my eyes.
These pricey materials exuded luxury on their own, no extra embellishments needed.
“Hee...”
A soft gasp of delight escaped me at the opulence. Grasping the silk furoshiki's opposite corners, I drew it closed around the box.
Then I lightly tapped the fabric upward, letting gravity pull the box toward the center.
Once it had shifted enough, I repeated with the other corners, centering the box perfectly.
With the box gathered in the middle, I pulled the fabric taut to avoid wrinkles, bunched all four corners together, and tied a neck as close to the box as possible.
I wrapped cord around that neck to secure it, folded and shaped the dangling corners like rabbit ears into petals and a calyx, then tied the cord again to fix them in place. Voilà—a furoshiki wrap with a blooming flower atop the box.
“All done...!”
The moment I beheld the plump, perfectly symmetrical flower, I let out a triumphant shout, fist clenched in joy.
This was no slouch; it wouldn't lose to anyone else's.
“When did you learn to wrap like that? The furoshiki looks like a work of art.”
“Picked it up from Emily for this. She was a brutal teacher.”
“Just looking at that flower tells me how much grueling practice you put in. It's symmetrically perfect, like it was measured with a ruler.”
Mastering this technique alone had taken a full two hours.
Petals uneven.
Petals not plump enough.
Calyx too short.
Weird wrinkles.
One petal too short.
One calyx too long.
And so on—she'd coldly declare “Do it again” for every flaw, drilling me until I passed. Now I could craft plump, pretty petals blindfolded.
And I'd unleashed that skill fully to wrap His Highness's gift near-perfectly.
Just flawless delivery left, and this job was done.
Liberation washed over me.
“Haa~”
Leaning back against the chair, I stretched languidly and stared blankly at the ceiling.
With this major task wrapped up, I could take it easy for a while.
“Heh heh~”
I felt on top of the world.