Chapter 178: The Bear Consults Cliff

Chapter 178:
The Bear Consults Cliff

 

THE NEXT DAY, I went with Fina to Cliff’s estate. After greeting the guards at the gate, we were guided into the usual room. We sat on a sofa and waited. Fina fidgeted nervously beside me.

“You okay, Fina?”

“Yes. Fine! Very fine, extremely fine. The most fine!” she said robotically, looking incredibly un-fine. I thought she’d gotten to know Noa pretty well in the capital, but I guess it hadn’t done much for her nerves. “I just get a little nervous thinking about meeting Lord Cliff,” she added.

Ah, that made sense—so it was Noa’s dad she was worked up about. But Fina had stayed at Ellelaura’s place at the capital and had even met the king, so you wouldn’t think meeting Cliff would still be a big deal.

“You’ve met the king. Meeting Cliff should be a cakewalk.”

“Of course it’s not! A feudal lord is just like meeting a king to me. I’d normally never meet somebody like that. I mean, I’m not even important enough to come into his house. And…and oh no, I’m sitting on his sofa. Should I be sitting on his sofa? Yuna, what if it’s a forbidden sofa?! Maybe we should stand instead?”

“It’s fine. If Cliff gets mad at you, I’ll take him on.”

“I’m not angry, so I’d really prefer you not,” someone else chimed in.

Cliff and Noa came into the room.

“Were you eavesdropping?” I asked.

“I just happened to hear that.”

“Yuna, Fina. Welcome.” Noa poked her head out from behind Cliff.

“Noa, sorry for coming by so early in the morning,” I said.

“G-good morning!” Fina stood up and bowed while I stayed hunkered down in my seat. “I-I apologize for intruding.”

“Not at all,” said Noa. “You two are always welcome.”

Cliff and Noa sat facing us from across the table on the opposite sofa.

“Thanks,” I said. “Sorry for diving right in, but could we ask about something?”

“It’s about Misana, isn’t it? I was just about to send someone your way.”

“Yep, thought so. Noa got an invitation too?”

“Yes, we received one as well. Gran also asked me to bring you both along.”

Right, Gran—he helped me out with buying land at the capital too.

“So…can we turn them down?” I asked.

“You’re turning them down?”

“We’re commoners. We’d stick out like a sore thumb at a noble’s birthday party, you know? Even with invites, we can’t just waltz in there.”

Fina nodded along with my every word.

“That should be fine,” said Cliff. “The only ones going to Misana’s party are her relatives.”

“But...” I did want to visit Misa. I just didn’t want to go to a noble’s birthday party.

“Noa and I will also be going,” he added. “I can deal with any issues that may arise.”

“You’re going, too, Cliff?” Was it really okay for the feudal lord to leave his town just for his daughter’s friend’s birthday party? Even if they were all nobles, it seemed weird.

“Yes, although I’m really going to Gran’s birthday party.”

“Gran’s?”

“Gran’s fiftieth birthday is just before that of his granddaughter, Misana. That’s the party I’m actually attending. I was hoping to take you with me when I attend it. I don’t usually participate, but it is his fiftieth, after all. Misana’s birthday is just a nice extra. You really should go. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Let’s go together,” Noa urged us. “It will be fun. Besides, I think Misa wants to see you too.”

“But I...” Fina hung her head.

“Don’t you want to see Misa, too, Fina?” asked Cliff.

“But...”

“If you don’t go, Misa will be sad. She might even cry.”

“Uh…”

“Misa went through all the trouble of asking for your addresses. She sent the invitations herself.”

So that was how the invites had gotten to us. I was wondering—I never told Misa my address, after all.

“If you don’t go, she’ll be so sad.”

She definitely sent us the letters because she really did want us to come—not that I ever thought she sent them to be mean or anything.

“If you sent Yuna an invitation, Fina, and she didn’t turn up, wouldn’t you be sad? I’d be sad if I sent you an invitation and you didn’t come.” Noa pretended to look a little forlorn. Yeah, that was gonna be a critical hit. I bet Fina would cave under that look.

“O-okay... I’ll go.”

I knew it, she couldn’t say no. Noa was actually being mean, but she also wasn’t wrong.

“Fina’s coming, so won’t you come as well, Yuna?”

Fina gave me a look now. I could practically read the words in her eyes: Please come with me. There was no way I could let Fina go by herself. Honestly, she seemed like she’d burst into tears if I said no.

“I’ll go too.”

“Yay! Then that means we can go with the bears.” Noa was delighted.

Wait…riding on my bears hadn’t been her actual goal, right?

“Well, Fina,” she said, “let’s figure out the dresses we’ll wear for the birthday party.”

“What?” But Noa had already grabbed Fina’s arm and started pulling her along. “Yuna?!” Fina gave me a pleading look, but I saw her off with a smile; I really didn’t want to get dragged into any of that.

With that, Fina was whisked away no matter her protests. Ehh, they were just helping her pick a dress. It wasn’t like she was dying. I pressed my hands together while facing the door in sympathy.

“We’ll depart in five days, and Yuna? It’ll be early that morning,” Cliff discussed the plan without commenting on his daughter’s actions.

“Is Misa’s town far?”

“Not at all. It’s about two days by carriage.”

Which was just a few hours, in bear time.

“I don’t know anything about nobles’ birthday parties. Do I need to bring anything?”

“We’ll make all the necessary preparations. You just make sure to bring a present that Misana will enjoy.”

Hmm…

“Could I get her gemstones or a dress or something?”

“You must realize that Misana wouldn’t enjoy such things.”

“But I don’t know what a noble’s daughter would actually like.”

“Why don’t you give her one of those dolls that you have as decoration at your shops? She would like that, wouldn’t she?”

“Can I really give her one of those as a present, though?”

“My daughter would love them.”

True, yeah. But…wait, if she enjoyed the bear decorations at my shop, maybe she’d enjoy the stuffed animals I was having made? Stuffed animals were like a standard gift for girls, right?

“Thanks,” I said, “that was helpful. I’ll head back home. Could you take care of Fina?”

“Certainly. I’ll make sure she’s safe, so don’t worry about her.”

I abandoned Fina—that is, uh, I left Fina the freedom to pick her own dress for the birthday party.

A noble’s birthday party at that. I really hoped it wouldn’t end up being a pain…