A Sweet Celebration
The storage shed Monia had built was so close to the main shelter that it was practically attached. If they were to connect them with a ladder, the distance between the floor of the house and the roof of the shed would only be about three or four rungs.
"Look here! I put a lot of thought into how the house and the shed connect!" Monia pointed to the opening she had cut into the floor of their house and the corresponding opening in the roof of the shed.
"If I just left a hole in the shed's roof, the rain would pour right in, wouldn't it? So, I thought of a chimney and built it like this!"
Around the opening on the roof, bamboo stalks were arranged in a neat square, mimicking the shape of a chimney.
"You actually used your head," Chester teased.
"Hehe, right?" On top of that, she had layered broad leaves around the base to prevent any potential leaks.
"Did you put the ladder away on purpose?"
"Yes. It would be troublesome if it got tangled with the house's ladder."
Chester nodded at her explanation. The ladder that had been dangling from the shed while she was working was now nowhere to be seen. Looking at the shed from the outside, there was no visible entrance other than a small window.
"Oh."
"Ah."
Just then, Ant poked his head out of the window and barked happily at them.
"When did he get in there?"
"Do you think he fell in by accident and can't get out?"
"Hmm. Well, that's enough looking at the outside. Shall we go in?"
"Yes! Let's go inside! Hehe."
As Chester and Monia entered the house, Ant seemed to realize they were close and began to whine eagerly.
"My goodness."
"Look at you, getting stuck."
"Hmm, I'll need to build a little step here."
Chester climbed down through the opening where Ant had fallen and stepped into the shed Monia had built. "Oh, this isn't bad at all."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Chester walked to the center of the shed and hopped up and down to test its structural integrity. With every bounce, the bamboo stalks forming the floor flexed, swaying slightly under his weight. Nodding in approval, Chester began to pace around, pressing his feet firmly against the floor, when he felt a piece of bamboo roll slightly under his sole.
"Hmm."
Are the floor ties a bit loose?
It seemed she hadn't bound the bamboo tightly enough to the supporting branches. When he applied a bit more pressure, the bamboo rolled again.
"Ah."
Seeing this, Monia's face flushed red with embarrassment. And here I thought I checked everything so thoroughly!
But no matter how meticulously one inspects their own work, humans are bound to overlook a detail or make a mistake. The funny thing about human nature is that the flaws we miss, despite our most rigorous checks, are always the easiest for someone else to spot.
Chester inspected a few more spots before nodding in satisfaction. "Yep." He spun the loose bamboo stalk back and forth with his foot. "Aside from this one, everything else is perfect."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You did a much better job than I expected."
"Ehehehe." At his praise, Monia's tense expression melted away, and she began to grin foolishly. "Ehehe."
"Let's just tie this bamboo down properly, and we'll call it done."
"Yes! I'll do it!" Monia rushed over and bound the bamboo stalk Chester had pointed out, securing it tightly so it wouldn't budge.
"Finished! Now it's truly, officially complete!"
"Indeed." Chester looked out the window of the newly built shed. The vibrant green of the endless, dense forest imprinted itself on his eyes.
"You did a great job," Chester murmured, letting his words drift away on the passing breeze. Monia beamed with pride once more.
But Chester meant every word. Even if she had built a shoddy shack, he would have praised her effort, but this was genuinely impressive.
Come to think of it, Monia always did have an eye for quality.
Even back in the kingdom, Monia was renowned for her exquisite aesthetic sense. It wasn't something beaten into her by tutors in the Duke's estate; it was an innate talent. Artisans of all kinds—from jewelers and dressmakers to architects and master carpenters—had practically begged for her seal of approval, desperate to brand themselves as "craftsmen recognized by Lady Monia."
Of course, very few could ever satisfy her exacting standards.
Maybe that's why. She did a far better job than I anticipated.
Chester's philosophy of building was simple: prioritize durability, make sure it has a basic shape, and ensure it functions. Monia, however, was different. Unlike Chester's shelter, where thick and thin bamboo stalks were haphazardly lashed together, Monia's shed featured stalks of uniform thickness and length, neatly aligned to form clean, straight walls and floors. It was highly pleasing to the eye.
It must have been exhausting just finding and matching all these pieces.
Even the ropes were handled with care. Every single knot was tied neatly, tucked away so as not to disrupt the visual flow.
How did she manage this? Actually, looking closely, the answer was obvious. She must have planned it out from the moment she began twisting the bark into rope, calculating exactly where each knot would land and how it would look.
To pull that off is incredible. She didn't even have measuring tools, which means she did it all by eye.
As a result, though the ropes were visible, they looked like an intentional part of the floor's design. Even the loose spot Chester had pointed out was now tied as neatly as the rest.
The window, too. In an emergency, one would naturally focus solely on functionality like Chester did, ignoring aesthetics entirely. But when time permitted, paying attention to these visual details was a welcome touch.
"Um..." As Chester continued to admire the shed, Monia approached, cradling a whining Ant in her arms.
"So... what do you think?" She had received praise, but she hadn't yet heard the official verdict on whether she had passed her coming-of-age ceremony. Seeing her anxious expression, Chester smiled.
"Yes. It's perfect. You've succeeded beautifully, far beyond my expectations."
"...!" Monia's face lit up instantly, a radiant beam spreading across her features. Seeing her so overjoyed, Chester spoke.
"Shall we have a party tonight to celebrate your successful coming-of-age ceremony?"
"A party?"
"Yes." At the word 'party,' Monia's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and Chester did not disappoint.
"Let's eat all the remaining honey." Since there wasn't much left anyway, he decided to be generous and indulge.
"Waaaaah!" For Monia, who had always been teased with tiny, tantalizing drops of honey, this was the most magnificent declaration she could have hoped for.
"Wow! Wow! Really?! All of it?!"
"Yes. It's all yours."
"Waaaaah! ...! Gasp!" Monia was so shocked she literally forgot to breathe for a second. Her face flushed red with excitement, she squeezed Ant tight and began to spin around in a joyful dance.
* * *
Night fell over the Floating Island as the sun dipped below the mountains, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Normally, they would have eaten a quiet meal inside, but since they were throwing a party, Chester decided to go all out. He stepped out into the yard and began stacking firewood.
This wasn't their usual firewood; Chester had gathered it earlier while it was still light. In truth, calling it "firewood" was a bit of an understatement, considering the massive logs he was currently stacking before Monia's eyes. After clearing away all the grass to expose the bare dirt, Chester stacked the heavy logs several tiers high. He stuffed smaller branches, kindling, and regular-sized firewood into the gaps between them.
He threw plenty of combustible wood inside the log structure, then brought over hot embers from their indoor hearth and tucked them into the kindling. With a few gentle breaths to coax the embers, it wasn't long before the towering stack of logs—reaching as high as a man's chest—erupted into a roaring blaze.
"Ooooh!" Monia gasped, completely forgetting the honey she had been happily licking from her fingers as she leaped to her feet in awe.
Fed by the dry kindling, the flames grew rapidly, devouring the massive logs. The fire surged high into the night sky, dancing and flickering as if trying to scorch the heavens themselves—a truly magnificent spectacle.
"Wow! Ah! Ohhh!" Monia lost all coherent speech, letting out strange, breathless noises as she stared at the blazing fire.
She was used to their daily cooking fires, but she had never realized that the very same element could feel so colossal, majestic, terrifying, and wondrous all at once.
Chester watched Monia, who stood completely spellbound by the towering flames. He stepped up to her and extended his hand.
"?"
"Would you... care to dance?" Having served as a butler, he had witnessed countless dances in grand ballrooms, but offering an invitation himself felt terribly awkward. He offered a slightly sheepish smile as he held out his hand.
Staring at his outstretched hand, Monia carefully set down the honeycomb she had been holding. She reached out to take his hand, but then—
"Oh." Realizing her hands were completely sticky with honey, she flinched and tried to pull back in embarrassment.
But before she could withdraw, Chester reached forward. "It's fine. It's just a little honey." He firmly grasped her hand.
She felt the warm, solid grip of his hand pressing through the sticky sweetness. Her face burned red at the contact as Chester gently pulled her closer to the fire.
Feeling the intense heat radiating from the blaze, Monia murmured, "It's hot."
"It is, isn't it?"
"It's huge, and hot... and just... incredible."
Chuckling at her description, Chester began to move his feet in a light, rhythmic step. It was nothing like the formal, rigid dances Monia had been taught in high society; it was a simple, carefree expression of pure joy.
Though she stumbled clumsily at first, dragged along by his lead, it didn't take long for Monia to find her rhythm. Soon, she was laughing and dancing alongside him, spinning around the massive bonfire.
Meanwhile, Ant watched the two of them with a quiet, knowing look—before stealthily licking up the honey Monia had left behind.