The clearing of the territory is still underway, but Ed and Adelaide have already returned. With the old butler Marcus watching over things, Ed is quite at ease.
However, this hat from Adelaide stumped Ed; he didn't know what to do with it. If he used linen, it would be flimsy and unattractive. If he used leather, it would be too much trouble.
It will take a long time to make something that isn't very practical, but I promised Adelaide yesterday, so after thinking it over, I decided to make it anyway, since someone is taking care of things in the territory now.
Meanwhile, in the castle hall, Adelaide lay sprawled on the long table like a corpse; it was unbearably hot outside. "The river outside the village is probably about to dry up," Adelaide muttered.
Ed's heart tightened upon hearing this. Could there be a drought? But first of all, he didn't believe it himself. If the stream outside the village had run dry, someone would have told him. Since no one had come to tell him, it meant there was still water.
Ed looked at Adelaide, who was lying there like a corpse. How could she be lying there at such a young age? This was not the behavior of a good young man.
"Adelaide, go and get some water and leather, and a log as big as your head." Ed couldn't let Adelaide waste her youth.
"Master, is it something to make to shield from the sun?" After receiving Ed's affirmative answer, Adelaide quickly sat up and went outside to find what she needed.
Watching Adelaide leave, Ed began to think again:
How should this hat be made? What shape should it be? Leather is too plain. Hmm, you can put a layer of red-dyed linen over the leather, tie a bow at the junction of the brim and the top, and maybe put a string through it, otherwise it might fall off in the wind.
Not long after, a haphazardly stitched, dark dome with several limp pieces of dark leather hanging from it—which could only be roughly identified as a hat—was placed on the table.
"Master, is this what you call a hat that can block out the sun?" Adelaide glanced at the very strange thing and looked at Ed with a strange look. She thought that wearing this on her head was not as good as that leaf.
Adelaide's gaze made Ed feel a little embarrassed; his leatherworking skills were indeed not very good.
"Of course not, this is only half done. Now I'm going to put it on this log and fix it like this." Ed put the top of the hat on the log, and used wooden strips to support the brim so that it wouldn't droop.
...
"Adelaide, is your red linen ready? It's your turn now." Ed was about to hand over the rest of the work to Adelaide, feeling that she would definitely do a better job than him.
Adelaide waved the red linen in her hand.
The hat now looked proper. Ed took off the hat, which had already been shaped, and handed it to Adelaide.
Adelaide then followed the outline of the leather hat and covered the leather hat with a red linen cloth.
It has to be said that Adelaide's craftsmanship is far superior to Ed's; the entire red linen was firmly attached to the leather without a single unevenness or bulge.
However, Adelaide doesn't know how to make a bow, so Ed will have to step in again. The bow is made of natural linen, with a slightly grayish-white color.
The hat is now complete. Ed is increasingly satisfied with it. Although the materials are simple, the finished product has a unique charm. It is simple yet sophisticated, understated yet luxurious.
"Adelaide, try this hat on."
Ed wanted to see how Adelaide looked in the hat.
When this hat, which didn't belong to the present, was placed on Adelaide's head, the whole world lost its color in Ed's eyes.
It seemed as if only one voice kept echoing in his mind:
"Your Excellency, Miss Adelaide, your beauty is unparalleled. Would you please join us for dinner?"