Crown
“This is the present for Dad…”
“Originally, it was a cube. The elven artisan spent one year to carve it. There isn’t a single fault on it.”
Vera felt proud of herself as she carefully passed the crown to Liu Yue. Though Liu Yue was aware elves were meticulous with their handcrafts, as the elves with longer lifespans could make the most exquisite handcrafts with their miraculous magic, she had never seen top-end elven handcrafts. By her standards, the crown would qualify as top-end quality.
The perfect carving was symmetrical. There wasn’t a single fault to be found. It was so refined that one couldn’t believe it was man-made. Humans, who didn’t have magic, would unlikely be able to make such a superb product. Exquisite gems were inlaid; each gem was akin to an eyeball watching the world. The golden crown’s inlaid gems were more expensive than the gold. Every gem was sourced from across the continent, with each gem being the one and only version.
“I have to say this is very heavy.”
“It’s made from gold. What did you expect? Of course, it’s not meant to be worn on your head. The main function is probably to symbolise imperial power. It’s going to be stored in the museum afterwards, for that matter.”
Liu Yue placed the crown onto the table and took in a deep breath. She enviously remarked, “How nice. If I could have an elven artisan make me gold jewellery when I get married, that’d be nice… It’s so beautiful. I want one, too.”
Vera cheerfully patted Liu Yue’s shoulder with a smile: “I’ll be sure to find someone to make you one when you get married. You are my sister, after all. Everyone will be happy when my sister gets married.”
Liu Yue took a heartbeat’s time to understand what Vera was thinking. She mischievously smiled: “What if it’s my wedding with Dad, then? Would you still kindly make me pure gold jewellery?”
Vera didn’t get flustered or angry. She just revealed an eerie smile: “It’s all right. I know that day will never come. Dad still hasn’t come to me, so how could he possibly marry you? You’re better off pondering what gift you’ll be preparing for me when I marry Dad.”
“Hmm… are you two… really not scared of letting your moms hear what you’re discussing?”
Nona, who was to one side, fearfully looked behind her sisters. The both of them found there was a hand on each other their heads. The two shuddered. They slowly turned their heads to meet with a kind smile. Ling Yue pinched her daughter’s ear and softly giggled: “Everyone says the word ‘fox’ is in the word ‘vixen’, but I don’t want my daughter to be a family-wrecking vixen, you know? I think it’s time to educate you. You’ve gone a little awry.”
“Vera, while Mommy hasn’t been by your side for a long time, are your feelings for your father not weird? Mommy gave up Mommy’s entire life for you father. Mommy won’t hand him over even if you’re Mommy’s daughter. I think I need to get a little serious with a girl who has come of age, huh? You want to have a duel with Mommy?” Lucia threatened.
“Help! Mom! Help! I’m sorry!! Don’t grab my ear!! Don’t grab my ear!! Help! Save me!!”
“No, no, no!! Mom, I was just joking; it was just a joke. I don’t have any intention of going for Dad. Not at all! I don’t! Don’t do this! Don’t do this! Sorry! Sorry!!”
Nona, who was behind the sofa, quivered as she watched her moms drag her sisters off. When Lucia grabbed Vera, she glimpsed at her younger daughter and said, “Nona, remember to put the crown away properly. That’s your father’s present.”
Nona nodded: “Yes, Mom.”
Nona then picked up the crown in a flustered fashion. Unfortunately, she forgot how heavy the crown was. When she picked it up, the crown dropped straight out of her hands.
“Aaaahhh!” Nona screamed.
Instead of catching it, Nona ended up smacking it aside due to her poor reflex in a frantic state. As it flew along a spectacular curved trajectory, it hit the balcony, and then rolled and fell through the gap. Everyone inside screamed…
“Call me if you need me again,” said Luna, bowing to Freya.
Freya picked up her tea cup and laughed in a soft tone: “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the luxury of enjoying afternoon tea. It sure is soothing. I have you to thank for preparing afternoon tea for me, Luna. You’re His Majesty’s personal servant, yet…”
“It is noth-”
Bang! A golden object came crashing down. The object made a hole in the table, thereby littering everything with the amber tea and shattered porcelain. Luna and Freya had yet to realise what happened. They both looked at the golden object that made a hole in the table and was buried deep in the ground. Both of them were dumbstruck. Freya didn’t even have the chance to be scared.
Freya dug out the object. Luna blankly looked at the crown stained with dirt. Luna commented, “Is this not the crown prepared for His Majesty as a present? How come it is here? Should it not be upstairs? Honestly, I find it amazing it did not sustain any damage after dropping down from up there.”
“I don’t think it’s unscathed.”
Freya placed the crown on her thigh and gently wiped off the dirt. With a smile, she then said, “See? The corner that hit the ground is now dented. I’m glad it’s not broken. Actually, it’d be better if it broke because we could melt it and recast it.”
The crown had eight protrusions similar to parapets, but the corner that hit the ground was concaved due to the collision. The inlaid gems sunk into the dent.
“By the looks of it, some people are going to be busy. I think it would be best to melt it, and then recast it. Otherwise, the damage will be permanent. That would be too shabby for a gift, right? How many days left do we have?”
“One month.”
“All right, then. How about asking the Consorts what we should replace it with? Luna, you take this to Imperial Consort, then, let’s go for afternoon tea somewhere else.”
“Are you still going to have afternoon tea…?”
“Of course. I don’t want to waste a beautiful afternoon.”
Glossary
*Vixen in Chinese shares the same spelling as Fox, except with the addition of the character 精（jing）on the end. Vixen is used as wordplay in this scenario.
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