Chapter 1263: Chapter 1263: Crown
“Reason? Let me guess, before you returned to Tobesk, did you see some girl’s legs?”
Lecia smiled at Shard in the mirror, but there was no displeasure in her tone:
“Don’t worry, you were pretty good last night. Actually, such a passionate night is exactly what I was hoping for.”
She then asked her sister:
“Angelina, how does my complexion look?”
Little Princess stood behind Lecia holding a comb, looked at her through the mirror, and honestly said:
“Very good, even dazzling. I think you don’t need makeup; you are prettier than any young lady in this palace.”
Though it was true, the term “young lady” was deliberately used to hint at her sister’s somewhat advanced age.
Lecia, satisfied after putting on her earrings, leaned close to the mirror, touching her cheek:
“Actually, my complexion has always been good, especially after Shard shared some small techniques from the [Immortality Magic]. I thought sleeping only an hour would…”
“Cough cough!”
Angelina accidentally coughed, and Lecia glanced at her through the mirror with a subtle smile. Looking at Shard, he was holding Mia, repeatedly tossing her onto the bed, while the cat enjoyed bouncing back and forth.
“What are you doing?”
She asked while letting Angelina braid her hair.
“Watch.”
Shard lifted Mia, her back against the mattress. When he let go, the cat landed and flipped a hundred and eighty degrees, its four little paws touching the mattress:
“I found that cats always land on their feet, no matter how they fall. So, I’m wondering, if I had two Mias tied back-to-back and dropped them from a height, what would happen?”
He said with a laugh, as the cat clung to his hand, wanting Shard to toss it again:
“But a cat as smart and adorable as Mia, probably doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.”
Lecia shook her head at Shard’s childish behavior, while Little Princess laughed:
“Two cats landing, suspended in self-rotation, when the speed reaches a certain limit, become a perpetual wheel?”
All three laughed, with Lecia still watching the two behind her in the mirror:
“Sunday is Angelina’s birthday party; I originally wanted to give her Shard as a present… Oh! Angelina, if you dare pull my hair, I will definitely show you what sisterly authority is!”
She threatened displeasedly, with Angelina quickly apologizing and continuing to fix her hair, blushing.
Shard wanted to disagree, but Lecia waved her hand:
“I knew you would definitely disagree, so it’s off. But it’s fine; based on Shard’s performance last night, I’m still a bit reluctant to share with Angelina. Angelina, I know what you’re thinking, but Shard disagrees, and I can’t force him; after all, I’m his lover, not the other way around…”
She used an eyebrow pencil to touch up her eyebrows, satisfied with her complexion today:
“Originally, I thought I’d play with Shard at the birthday party, blindfold him for some thrilling games, and then call you in midway.”
Angelina’s face turned red, seemingly about to drip blood, similar to Miss Lathis last night. But Shard knew Lecia was intentionally teasing her sister; a Circle Sorcerer’s perception isn’t solely reliant on eyes, “another me” is the strongest form of perception for a Circle Sorcerer.
“That must be interesting, but you see, it’s Shard who disagrees, not me opposing.”
She looked at Angelina behind her in the mirror, as the sixteen-year-old girl hesitated for a moment, so Lecia concluded;
“So, let me further hone Shard, and in the future, you can directly enjoy the warmth, the strength…”
“Lecia!”
Shard couldn’t listen any longer.
“Embarrassed now? You were bold last night, my knight.”
Lecia put down her eyebrow pencil, carefully selecting a lipstick color. The lipstick of this era is quite different from what’s in the Outlander’s memory; makeup products in this era commonly contain lead powder. But fortunately, the presence of Circle Sorcerers has somewhat advanced chemical developments, so people are gradually recognizing what is toxic.
“Galina will probably return to Tobesk on Friday or Saturday; she’s really quick with things. She’s prepared a pair of earrings worn by our great-grandmother, the former Queen, for Angelina; I prepared a small estate and its farm in the southern Kingdom as her seventeenth birthday present. Shard, what did you prepare? If you haven’t prepared, as we discussed before, I’ll prepare one for you. Or, would you like to hear Miss Writer’s opinion?”
She discussed birthday gifts in front of Angelina, but fortunately, Angelina didn’t mind; her thoughts lingered on the “game” Lecia described earlier.
“Originally, I had no ideas, but today is Monday, so I thought of something.”
Shard pet Mia, who seemed displeased that Shard wasn’t playing games with her.
Lecia thought for a moment before understanding:
“You mean that God’s Gift Box? But does Angelina count as a child?”
“Child isn’t only calculated by age.”
Shard added, and as long as it’s not Sunday yet, the age of 16 actually still counts.
Lecia then looked at her sister in the mirror:
“Indeed, she’s not steady, love for romance and fantasy doesn’t really equate to maturity, and as for her figure…”
She didn’t comment, just smiled and looked away, which, in turn, made Angelina feel the greatest insult to date, yet she couldn’t argue back.
After all, although they are sisters from the same parents, the height difference between the two is significant, and even their body shapes are notably different. Angelina is about to turn seventeen and has no further potential for growth.
“Alright, Shard, I admit you’re right, she meets the requirements. But are you sure about letting Angelina come into contact with that Sage Level relic? After all, she’s just an ordinary person.”
“Her inspiration has already reached a dangerously critical edge, as you yourself have mentioned. I think she might complete her awakening in a few years, and by then, whether she wants to go to Saint Byrons like you or join the ranks of the Witches, she will inevitably encounter these things sooner or later.”
The [God’s Gift Box] possesses three positive traits, namely “Relic Combination,” “Relic Containment,” and “Weekly Gift.” The first two are useless to Angelina, so Shard intends to give this week’s “Weekly Gift” opportunity to Angelina.
He briefly explained the relic’s properties to the Little Princess—disclosing the properties of a divine artifact to a common person is actually a serious violation. As expected, just as Shard thought, even after learning the complete properties of a deity’s creation, Angelina only got a nosebleed.
So, seizing the time before breakfast at Yordle Palace, the two princesses followed Shard and Mia to No. 6, Saint Delan Square. Once Shard carried the [God’s Gift Box] into the second-floor living room, Angelina somewhat nervously watched him open the lid of this ancient chest.
“What do you think Angelina will get?”
Shard asked Lecia, who indifferently shook her head:
“As long as she doesn’t pull out your ‘Book of Pink,’ I wouldn’t be surprised at anything she gets.”
“Mr. Hamilton, do I need to prepare anything?”
The Little Princess asked nervously.
Shard shook his head:
“This box will give you a gift according to your heart’s desire, just relax.”
“According to my heart’s desire…”
She reached into the box and immediately touched something that didn’t belong to the box itself. She roughly judged the shape and, somewhat confused, pulled it out.
The three people and a cat looked over together.
“Meow~”
Seeing it wasn’t food, Mia immediately lost interest.
“A regular item?”
Seeing no elemental traces, Shard relaxed his tense heart.
“A crown?”
The ornate Golden Crown greatly surprised Angelina.
“Wait a minute, why does this look so familiar?”
Lecia slightly furrowed her brows and then saw the newspaper Shard had casually brought in earlier. On the front page was a photo of His Majesty the King:
“That’s father’s crown! The supreme symbol of honor for the Cavendish Family!”
Lecia stood up abruptly, and Angelina shivered as if startled:
“I don’t know why either…”
“Don’t play these tricks with me, I wasn’t blaming you.”
She said as she sat back down and seriously asked her sister:
“Angelina Cavendish, tell me, do you want to become the Queen of Draleon?”
Angelina stammered, unsure of what to say, and seeing the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Shard proactively intervened:
“Even counting the four banknote printing plates in the basement, of all the items I’ve gotten, none have been as valuable as this. It seems the deity also wishes to bless Angelina’s birthday.”
Lecia glanced at him, took the crown over, fiddled with it slightly, and gestured for Shard to lower his head.
“No, I won’t wear this kind of thing, it’s too heavy.”
Shard protested, so Lecia looked at Angelina, and the Little Princess also shook her head:
“Sister, don’t give it to me.”
At least this statement was very honest.
So the heavy crown was placed on the sofa, and then Mia was put into the capacious crown. The cat was dissatisfied, as the metal crown was hard and cold.
“What is the task then?”
Shard asked again, Angelina thought for a moment:
“To express my most sincere gratitude to at least three people who gave me birthday gifts.”
She made eye contact with her sister for approval, then leaned over to kiss Shard on the cheek:
“Thank you, Mr. Hamilton, I really like this gift. However, can I leave it here temporarily? It’s very precious.”
Shard initially considered turning it into a toy by stringing it up for Angelina to wear as a necklace or hair accessory. But considering it might still be useful in the future even as a toy, he agreed:
“But this is my gift to you, what sense does it make to leave it with me? I’ll prepare another gift for you, and you’ll be sure to like it.”