Hortus Arcanus planēta

ACT 2

jewelry

From the shabby little attic room, the morning sunlight peeked through.

Ella stirred with a slow, heavy movement, rubbing her eyes as she lifted only the upper half of her body.

“Good… mornin’?”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted into the distance, her mind seeming slightly absent.

As for me, I woke up at the exact moment Ella said, “Huh?”

It felt as though both Ella and I were still trapped somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, drifting inside a soft haze of drowsiness.

Another morning had begun.

Another day of work had started.

At breakfast that morning, everyone was in an uproar because a dressmaker and accessory tailor would be arriving for the grand ball being held the following week.

The stepmother, Surie, along with the older sister Perona and the younger sister Nepe, were so excited that the entire meal turned into a noisy frenzy.

At ten in the morning, Ella and I were cleaning the endlessly long hallway with brooms and rags.

Meanwhile, Nepe and Lope were arguing over accessories that would match their dresses.

“Sister, this one should be mine. I found it first.”

“No. I picked it up before you, so it’s obviously mine.”

Something like that.

Pretending to continue cleaning, I secretly glanced over for just a moment.

And then, I found a jewel that felt perfect for both Ella and El.

It was an earring with a crystal-clear black gem and a deep crimson opal, like a fusion of Ella and El themselves.

I became so captivated by the earring that I stared at it absentmindedly.

And that was when Surie, the stepmother, noticed me.

“That does not belong to you. It is something worthy of being worn by us. A sly little gutter rat like you could never possibly suit such a thing.”

My heart pounded nervously inside my chest, but I quietly replied, “I’m sorry,” before leaving the room.