Myne's Awakening

“Tuuli!”

Around the end of autumn, Lutz came running into Mrs. Corinna’s shop while calling my name.

Lately, Lutz had been joining the Plantin Company in their talks with nobles, and it had a positive effect on his growth. His sudden entrance into the workshop caught me by surprise, but I managed to gracefully tilt my head in response.

“Lutz, did something happen?”

I checked my surroundings as I asked him. Lutz gave a start and also looked around before coughing politely and composing himself.

“Benno wants to see you. Once you’re done with your tasks, head over to the Plantin Company.”

“Understood. I will go as soon as I can.”

It was also rare for me to be summoned to the Plantin Company. It had been quite some time since Mr. Benno called for me.

As I continued to work while wondering what had happened, the girls around me started talking in cheerful voices.

“Lutz certainly seemed very happy.”

“Maybe he just wanted to use the request from the Plantin Company’s owner as an excuse to see Tuuli? Lutz has been in Haldenzel since the spring, so it has probably been a while since he got to be with her.”

On the days when I wasn’t working, I would either go to the temple with Lutz to learn etiquette or the two of us would go back together to see our parents, and so it seemed that everyone around me misunderstood it as the two of us seeing each other romantically. Our etiquette lessons were also put on hold while Lutz was in Haldenzel, so I had been going out less while he was gone, which only served to strengthen those misconceptions.

I couldn’t visit the temple without Lutz, as I needed permission to go to the orphanage or the Rozemyne Workshop, and since he’s affiliated with the Plantin Company. Besides, my etiquette teacher, Wilma, had to travel to Hasse to oversee a gray shrine maiden giving birth. Unfortunately, I couldn’t share this information with anyone else.

I was aware that Lutz had recently returned from Haldenzel, but I had no reason to go see him right away, as we would probably see each other on Earthday anyway. Lutz also didn’t come over to tell me he was back, so this was normal for the two of us.

Although I can’t deny that we are using each other as a way to avoid romantic advances from other people.

“Tuuli, we’re fine over here, so go on ahead to the Plantin Company.”

“Mrs. Corinna?! I still have work left.”

“My brother summoned you, didn’t he? Go on now, hurry up.”

Mrs. Corinna, who had recently come back to work after having her second child, gently urged me to go, so I quickly tidied up my thread and made my way to the Plantin Company.

Mrs. Corinna had told me to hurry, so I wanted nothing more than to rush over, but I mustn’t forget to be elegant.

“It has been a long time. I have arrived.”

“Thank you for coming, Tuuli. The Master is waiting for you in his office. Lutz, please guide Tuuli.”

Mr. Mark welcomed me into the store with refined movements. Lutz maintained the usual expression that he has at work while he guided me to Mr. Benno’s office at the back of the store.

“Excuse me, Master Benno.”

“Ah, you’re here, Tuuli.”

Mr. Benno greeted me with a soft smile that resembled Mrs. Corinna’s. Lutz made sure that the door was closed before glancing at Mr. Benno, who responded by slightly raising the corners of his mouth and nodding.

“The two of you can go back to your parents’ house today. Just make sure that you are back as soon as first bell rings tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

”…Eh? Why is that?”

I glanced between the two of them, puzzled by the situation, but all they did was share happy smiles without uttering a word.

“Hurry up and get changed, Tuuli. We gotta go.”

Lutz was just radiating joy, and that prompted me to hurry back to my room in the Gilberta Company and get changed into the clothes that I use when I go back home.

Maybe, just maybe, it finally happened.

Their smiles, not entirely concealing a sense of relief, confirmed my intuition and made my heart quicken its pace.

Eager to hear the news without delay, I threw off the elegant airs that I had been so careful to maintain recently and burst out of my room.

“Hurry up, Tuuli!”

As I dashed down the stairs, I spotted Lutz, donned in the attire he wore when returning home, waiting for me. He extended his hand, and as soon as I grasped it, he started to run. Much like myself, Lutz’s conduct abandoned its usual politeness. The girls at the workshop would surely be taken aback if they witnessed this side of him.

We sprinted down the quickest route to my house. It had been two or three years since I’d last dashed through the streets like this. I could feel my spirits soaring to the extent that I felt like bursting into laughter.

“Mom! Kamil! Open the door! It’s me, Tuuli!”

Breathless, Lutz and I sprinted up the stairs and pounded on the front door. We barged in as soon as it opened, catching Mom and Kamil off guard.

“What happened, you two? Don’t you have work today?”

“We do, but Lutz came to see me, and they said I could go home for today. Lutz can tell you why. Haah… I can barely breathe…”

While catching my breath, Kamil handed me a cup of water. I chugged it down and wiped my mouth on my sleeve, too worked up to worry about maintaining any semblance of elegance.

“Thanks, Kamil. Give some to Lutz as well.”

“Okay. Here you go, Lutz.”

“Thank you, Kamil.”

Lutz gulped down the water and tousled Kamil’s hair which looked so much like Myne’s.

Kamil liked Lutz a lot, as he was always bringing him new picture books. He was probably looking forward to a new one today as well.

“So, what happened then?”

Mom looked at Lutz, who grinned widely and replied.

“Myne woke up yesterday!”

“Eh?!”

Mom’s eyes widened as she looked at Lutz, but I had already sensed it from his expression, so I just said, “I knew it!” Yet, the confirmation of my hunch naturally relaxed my expression.

“When are you going to see her?”

“I got word from Gil this morning and we had a meeting this afternoon.”

“Huh? You’ve already seen her, Lutz?! No fair! I thought we all found out together!”

“Hey, it caught me off guard too. Seems like she’s moving to the Noble’s Quarter tomorrow or the day after, and they wanted to have a work meeting before that happened.”

“Was Myne okay? Did she get taller, like we talked about before?”

I remembered when Lutz and I talked about how crazy it would be if she grew super tall in the two years she had been asleep and came out looking like a totally different person.

Lutz shook his head to the side.

“Not at all. She’s better now, but she looks and acts exactly the same. I kinda couldn’t believe how tiny she is, but she certainly seemed to be self-conscious about it. She cried about how she wanted to get tall.”

“Oh…”

Myne had always been self-conscious about being so small.

I felt sorry for Myne knowing she cried about it, but I was very relieved to hear Lutz say that she was the same as I remembered her.

“So, Lutz… Do you think she’ll order a new hairpin?”

“Who knows? But I’ve got plant paper, ink, and new stationery ready. No matter what she needs, I’m prepared.”

Lutz grinned as he said that. Apparently, Myne used plant paper and ink the most among the Plantin Company’s goods.

“Act as smug as you want; it doesn’t bother me at all. I mean, I’ve made so many hairpins for Myne over the past year in preparation for when she wakes up.”

Lutz grinned at me, and I smiled back in return. As we looked at each other, tears started to well up in Mom’s eyes.

“I’m so glad… This isn’t a dream… Myne really did wake up…”

As Mom covered her face and started crying in happiness, I felt the tears well up in my own eyes as well. The past two years have been long. So very long.

Kamil blinked his light-brown eyes and glanced around at us, puzzled by the sight of our tears.

“Who’s Myne?”

Kamil would be turning four in the coming spring. He was at the age where he would tell people everything he knew, and ask everyone about everything they knew. We couldn’t risk him talking about Myne to the neighbors.

Mom, Lutz, and I all frowned at each other. We were glad that Myne had woken up, but we were suddenly faced with a difficult question.

Now, how in the world do we explain this to Kamil?

In the end, we deflected the topic by telling him that we could talk about it once Dad was back, and decided to dump all the responsibility on Dad who would no doubt be weeping tears of joy at the news.