On the day of Lappland's birthday in 1082, in Siracusa, Brunello City, at the Saluzzo family vineyard—
Bright sunlight shone over the plump, ripened grapes. Salvadore, who also happened to be Texas's grandfather, asked:
"I've always wondered—why are the grapes here always of such excellent quality?"
Alberto reached out to the attendant beside him, accepted the pruning shears, and laid a hand on the grapes hanging from the trellis.
"Every cluster of grapes from the Saluzzo family is pruned when the fruit first begins to grow. Weak branches and shriveled fruit are cut away, and only the best parts are kept... The Saluzzo family is the same."
Floating beside Lappland, Su An spoke up.
"Don't listen to your dad."
Little Lappland's ears twitched, but she did not turn around.
"He's only making excuses because he can't guarantee every single grape will grow well."
If he, Su An, were the one handling it, there would be no weak branches or shriveled fruit. Wish-power could do anything.
Unfortunately, there was no persuasive force at all in his expression, because he was staring fixedly at a particularly full cluster of grapes.
"And besides, if I remember right, wine grapes don't even taste good."
Lappland finally turned her face and looked at Su An. To anyone else, it only seemed as though the Saluzzo family's eldest daughter was curious about what that cluster of grapes tasted like.
"But you really do seem curious about what grapes taste like."
"I'm just looking at them because they're pretty, not because I want to eat them," Su An muttered.
Lappland did not call him out on the lie.
She stepped forward, plucked the fullest grape from the top, and placed it in his outstretched, insubstantial palm.
The grape slipped straight through his fingers and fell into the dirt.
Su An lowered his head and looked at the fruit lying in the mud.
"...It fell."
Lappland also stared at the grape.
"What a pity..."
"What's the pity?" Su An did not understand. Didn't this little girl already know he couldn't touch anything?
It's a pity you can't eat it... Lappland knew Su An was right. In this entire vineyard, not a single grape tasted good.
Seeing that Lappland did not respond for a long while, Su An tried to comfort her.
"It's fine. The thought is what counts. Even if I could catch it, I wouldn't be able to taste it anyway."
Lappland bent down and picked the grape up off the ground. If Su An could not taste it, then she could let someone else do it.
Salvadore gave a slight nod, then turned sideways to glance at his silent granddaughter.
"I see..."
"Heheheh, well said, Alberto."
"My granddaughter, Cellinia—look carefully. This is Siracusa. Family, honor, and inheritance."
The girl did not answer. She only looked at the crushed grapes and nodded.
From not far away, Alberto's voice came again as he introduced them to Salvadore.
"This is my daughter, Lappland. She's the same age as Cellinia."
Salvadore turned to his granddaughter.
"Go on, Cellinia. Go make a new friend."
Lappland stepped forward a few paces and opened her hand. In her palm was the grape she had picked up from the ground.
"Want to try it?"
Texas lowered her head, glanced at the grape, took it, and popped it into her mouth. A sharp wave of sour bitterness immediately shot through her mind.
"Mm—?!"
"Hahahaha!!" Lappland pointed at Texas and burst into laughter.
Su An did the same, only even more wildly and unrestrainedly, since no one but Lappland could see him.
"I told you those grapes were sour!"
Texas chewed with a twisted expression, swallowed, and then returned to calm. She did not get angry. She only said:
"Sour..."
Then she asked, "What were you looking at over there just now?"
Lappland followed her gaze and turned back. The place where she had been standing earlier was completely empty.
Lappland smiled faintly and extended her hand toward Texas.
"It was nothing. Welcome to Siracusa, young lady of the Texas family from Columbia."
Texas looked at the hand extended toward her, then placed her own hand in it and introduced herself.
"...Texas."
"I know."
That night, the Saluzzo family estate blazed with light.
Alberto had arranged a banquet in Lappland's name for her birthday, inviting the Texas family and several other families as well.
The adults sat around the wine tables, discussing cooperation, alliances, borders—things from the adult world that never seemed to end.
The children were allowed to remain in a corner of the great hall, dressed properly and maintaining proper silence.
Su An floated in midair, looking at the room full of guests, and felt only boredom.
He had seen scenes like this countless times over the years. Toasts and laughter, empty courtesies, mutual deception, veiled calculations.
Banquets like these were never meant for celebration. They were for display. He had no idea how many people like this he had helped climb to the peak of power. It was all incredibly simple—and unbearably dull.
With nothing better to do, Su An drifted over and whispered in Lappland's ear:
"Guess when your dad's going to drag you out for a performance."
Lappland's ears twitched, but she ignored him.
"I'm betting within the hour," Su An said to himself. "At a gathering like this, he's definitely going to haul you out and show you off."
But no matter how long Su An talked, Lappland refused to respond. He knew it was because she did not want outsiders—or the Texas girl beside her—to notice that the Saluzzo daughter was talking to herself.
Even so, he still found it irritating. What's with ignoring me?
By the time the banquet was half over, the adults' conversation had finally reached the real subject.
Alberto raised his wineglass, his gaze settling on Salvadore.
"The Texas family has been operating in Columbia for many years. You must have already mapped out the channels for the Originium transport routes, yes?"
"On Siracusa's side, the Saluzzo family can provide every guarantee needed on the ground."
Salvadore gave a slight nod.
"The Texas family will seriously consider the matter of Originium trade."
"We are indeed interested in the Siracusan market. But this time, our main purpose in returning was to let Cellinia become familiar with the family roots."
"Of course," Alberto said with a smile. "Siracusa will always be the Texas family's home. Coming back for a visit is only natural."
The two men raised their glasses and clinked them together lightly. Two old foxes—neither willing to say anything outright.
Salvadore nodded, taking the gesture for what it was.
"The matter of Originium trade involves too much. It will need long-term consideration. However..."
"The grapes here truly are excellent. The wine they produce should have a market."
"Then once the Texas family has settled in, we can discuss it at leisure."
Su An curled his lip and floated lower, leaning close to Lappland's ear again.
"Your dad really does know how to phrase things nicely, but what he actually means is, I've been waiting forever for you to make your position clear."
Lappland's ears twitched again.
She sat in the corner on a chair, with Texas seated right beside her.
The two ten-year-old girls sat half an arm's length apart, neither saying a word.
Su An circled around them once and thought the pair looked like dolls. The only problem was that, under normal circumstances, he could not touch them.
It really was a pretty harmonious picture. Just far too quiet—quiet enough to make his skin crawl.
He floated in front of Texas, crouched down, and brought his face close to hers, examining her carefully.
"The young lady from Columbia, hmm?"
"Cellinia Texas. That name's way too long. No wonder later on you'll make people call you Texas."
Naturally, Texas gave no reaction. Her eyes remained fixed straight ahead, as though... she was daydreaming?
Tilting his head, Su An suddenly began imitating her expression.
Blank-faced, staring forward, lips pressed into a line, hands placed properly on her knees.
"What are you looking at?" he asked in a rough northeastern accent. "Looking at you, so what? Try staring again—go on, try it and die—"
He got more and more into the act, completely failing to notice that Lappland's ears had already twitched several times from suppressed laughter.
"Look at this stiff little face," Su An said as he drifted around to Texas's other side. "Like somebody owes you a million LMD. Come on, little miss, give me a smile? No smile? Fine, then I'll smile for you..."
He bared his teeth, made an exaggerated ghost face, and thrust it right in front of Texas's eyes.
Lappland's shoulders trembled ever so slightly.
She turned her face a little, and from the corner of her eye she glanced toward Su An. That transparent fool was twisting himself into knots, trying to make a girl laugh who could not even see him.
Texas noticed her glance and tilted her head slightly, asking with her eyes: Why are you looking at me?
Lappland withdrew her gaze and pretended she had seen nothing.
But her fingers lightly tapped twice on the armrest of her chair.
That was the signal she and Su An had agreed on:
Cut it out.
Su An floated back over and leaned close to her ear.
"What are you tapping for? Think I'm annoying?"
Lappland's ears twitched again, but she still ignored him.
Su An got even more carried away. He floated upside down directly in front of her, his face so close it was almost like he might kiss her—though even if he did, he would only pass straight through.
"I'll annoy you all I want. If you've got the guts, make a wish and tell me to shut up!"
Lappland lowered her eyes, and the corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. It was an expression she had only recently learned—somewhere between speechless and helpless.
Texas glanced at her once more.
Triumphant, Su An floated back toward Texas and resumed his one-man performance.
"Do you know how cool you're going to be later? Dual swords out, Arts activated—can Lappland cover the whole screen like that? Didn't think so."
He paused, then leaned in again to take another look at Texas's profile.
"But right now... you're just a little gloomy beanpole, exactly like the one beside you."
He turned and pointed at Lappland.
"Two gloomy beanpoles—perfect match."
He was about to keep teasing them when the center of the banquet hall suddenly fell silent.
Alberto set down his glass, rose to his feet, and swept his gaze across the guests before letting it settle at last on Lappland in the corner.
Su An raised his brow.
"Here it comes, here it comes. Showtime."
"Ladies and gentlemen, today is my daughter Lappland's tenth birthday."
Everyone followed his gaze. The silver-haired girl sat upright in her chair, the expression on her face utterly out of place with the occasion.
Alberto lifted a hand, beckoning her over.
"A daughter of the Saluzzo family must naturally be worthy of the Saluzzo name."
"These past few days, she has been undergoing training. Today, it is only fitting to let you all see the results."
The guests immediately understood. One after another, they rose to their feet. The older, more experienced ones had already begun discussing it in low voices.
"How long has the Saluzzo girl been training?"
"I heard she only just started."
"She's being put on the floor already, after only just starting? Alberto means to—"
"That is precisely the point. The sooner she sees blood, the sharper the blade."
Alberto gave a faint nod and gestured toward the back door of the banquet hall.
Lappland stood.
Su An floated to her side. For once, his expression turned serious.
"I take it back. If you don't want to go, you can make a wish to me—pretend to be sick, say your stomach hurts, whatever."
Lappland did not slow her steps.
"If I don't go, then I'll become one of those useless things Father talks about."
Silently, Su An followed at her side, drifting toward the back door leading out of the banquet hall.
For the first time, he suddenly felt that something was very wrong...
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