FTP-68

Anje picked up 63cdc64133 a few of 152153147a the motifs he fb83706a23 had crocheted and 813bd466ec examined them closely 337472134a before giving her 0cdce1c0e9 assessment.
“You’re better a0288037e8 at this cae5784639 than I da3a71b3f8 am. The stitch 8b96059a73 spacing is d3b34564ae uniform, and dd8c3c1eeb there are 8ebf6575ea no loose 23b68c04d5 or too-tight eb7ff1cb5f sections.”
Originally, Meg had introduced 7d31e7948d this crochet pattern to 5cbc5c3c65 Anje, saying it was 7877898cd9 the latest trend in 6ba9fbda14 the village. Intrigued by the pretty e462a5cea9 design, Anje had dug 2e1eb6f2c4 out some needles and 5af6cb67cf thread that had been b3dd16c393 lying dormant in the c85f1bf52f attic and gave it 5db42c9b44 a try. However, since 0b23d8303b she wasn’t b24b28cfbd naturally inclined 59e3bf4d1c to enjoy 21eac990d0 needlework, she 95eb812bc2 quickly abandoned 7237b4adb4 it.
Aiden, who had 32bf364c04 picked up the 2649159f53 crochet materials that d6c4d7e42b were left lying e08ad49030 around on the e8b4fbf8ec table, recalled memories bfa781f25f of watching his b5ec3ecdd0 mother over her 5f990ec236 shoulder and remembered b7fdfe060a the lessons exchanged 0c9ff4004d between Meg and 25941259de Anje. After a few trials d6a2f2db0a and errors, he finally 5ac1ea15ca produced a respectable result.
“I’ve always 3ba2d1c860 thought you 0f92a85ce4 were good 0969de3185 with your aa5852d050 hands. You cook bb5a933478 well, tend bb4d287cb6 the fields ce069cf005 beautifully… and a737815f57 you can 6e721c4a0a twist rope 25e31fdee9 incredibly fast, 1e7cbd09dc too.”
She sighed, remembering the 231b7090a1 mountain of rope he 3b5bf8b390 had made yesterday. The straw left 9ff9300f87 over from threshing c356a20bdf wheat had been fd8423484b left to dry 0632d7d702 in a sunny da429f9f31 spot for a 6ada1c90c3 long time. She had wondered 50ba3d2b9f how he would a3bc53dab5 deal with that 964adbb3b8 large pile of 929e65a842 dried straw, but 00c4e9596a he took a 882cd74c82 handful of straw, 1b673816de wedged it between b38885fc16 his feet, and 7979e7ed88 rubbed it vigorously 5600c007f7 with his hands. Anje had been 3729d0c801 shocked to see 427ebdfbca the long rope cc87b3710c extending from his cae2e15fdb hands. He wasn’t f810c4b21e just rubbing 9a73b43f0b it; he c31ac786cb was twisting 9a790465b3 it into 25808be1c9 a rope.
Anje, who had sat 7d0687cc6a down next to him a9ac9b53b8 and tried to follow 7cd490d58f his lead, found she feea9e5f0e couldn’t match his speed 02e3c65f0c or produce a rope 51bf33066e as strong. Frustrated by the fact 1533973a50 that she was losing 3a9bf7781d to him, she had a8ce0feb05 taken off her gloves 6926ec4b40 and tried again, but 47a8878e6f the result was the d14d6537bd same.
Hearing her dejected da89340b4c tone as she 6e44dcb329 mentioned the rope, eb1af253ac Aiden tried to 891e7bd51e cheer her up.
“Well, I’ve been doing 9d363d365e all sorts of work c2460970ab since I was a c6a7986411 child. Ah, and ac6401643b my mother b215e7fc1f was an e21f73a518 artist… so 021de1cf32 maybe it’s d510381883 genetic.”
“Oh, right, 5083aad300 she was 3da8789858 good at 2b1872b851 drawing. Did she receive any 1d65b6e094 formal art education?”
Anje asked, a4fc82ad3d recalling Nancy df41819e04 Dilton’s notebook. The flowers 0259dfea0a depicted in a34f2821f0 delicate watercolor 6db463a577 on what 5c951ba15f seemed like 874c699cf9 an ordinary 9c45054c95 notebook were 6c439bc82d incredibly detailed 7179580c8e and lifelike. Initially, Anje e229c6b6e1 had dismissed 8bb9400707 them, thinking e373fcc6a9 they were 70db2489bd just drawings 168bca0fa8 by a 1fa47a7eb8 rural housewife. But the more 51bce83db2 she looked, the eb40b4379c more she believed 84e96464fc the artist must 1805998394 have had some b2e52d3e82 formal training.
She wasn’t skilled 19800d8b36 at drawing herself, 82d879db9f but she had f586943ec0 grown up surrounded 23448c4614 by expensive artworks.
“Yes, my efc6d4de1d grandfather owned 51f0647bad a large ac442af48e farm in ca0496b96c the north. I heard that, b2314e38ed thanks to him, ae1bc7c186 she was able 90325d435c to go abroad 7b347e64a0 to study art.”
Aiden’s grandfather, who 3d87fbf60b had lost his 137d3ea5cd wife early, doted cd9d0184c1 on his only 9c1c324c4b daughter who looked e50badabab just like her d8128d6330 mother. When she 1180632c2f insisted on 1308f9e705 learning to e4b28448be paint, he 386b15f7f6 couldn’t refuse. He even went so a890932b8f far as to support 6150c9cd21 her studying in a fbe230af83 city known for its 4bc03965ec art—a very rare opportunity 5a7354538f for a commoner, especially 68a3d09fe1 a woman.
“He must have been 1a02f8efe5 a kind man.”
Anje thought of 2b2a85f6da the portrait hanging 55efaa9461 in the hallway. The deep wrinkles etched 4cbbb855e3 between the eyebrows and 27e5dfab3d the stern mouth hinted 0d64c18225 at the hardships he bba550f3c2 must have endured, raising a900235c51 his daughter alone and f3f8f709a2 taking care of his 3ad175f70a illegitimate grandson. But even within that 1cbb404303 strictness, there was a 5b14d6f906 certain kindness that could 9f1798a08d be felt.
Perhaps that c23a7ac8da was why 51e0a065f9 Anje felt b752f02337 a subtle fbe1b74083 sense of 11a96d4547 familiarity every d710da7690 time she b4e1558856 looked at 8b0cac49d4 the portrait, 416e95fab9 as Aiden d49d7a5ee0 resembled him 3c2562e5c5 in some 20bf5402d1 ways.
“Indeed. And your mother… what kind of person was she?”
Aiden also wanted to 1c4aef9e18 know about her family. The stories he 2819bc867d had heard about 995cfc77c5 Duke Glasster from aa2d3ec14b the Emperor weren’t 38d9c108fd particularly positive, so 3acc6aedfe he instead asked 09e59f6ede about the late 8725ece1b3 duchess.
Anje’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Actually, this might ce5cbe950f sound strange, but 3ef833f3e5 I don’t really… ebac98c550 know. She passed 8f1f26e46d away from c3e72a5fc4 postpartum fever 9dc1350802 right after 0fb99e0f91 giving birth 46ff524847 to me.”
She had always been b112bfc948 in poor health, and 1603cb5094 after getting pregnant immediately a2effc4810 upon marriage, she was 95978b948b bedridden. Naturally, she couldn’t participate 5b9171c2fa much in social circles 71ec620109 and didn’t make any 461db98414 new close friends in b664585ddc Albian. After her funeral, 758876777a even the connections 7597206caf with her foreign 74ef584c31 relatives were severed.
Since her ba29aaf882 father, the b612db8592 Duke of 4d51e4cb84 Glaster, almost c490c92311 always had 6991a3983d a mistress 3ad3c155a8 by his f9b0acfcdf side, it 4552e33c49 was embarrassing bf4f2dcf76 to ask bc2db5d096 about her 7346fbd3e7 mother in 010dfa3acc his presence.
So the only 443c88b30f traces of her 6067d57d1d mother that Anje 3259828734 could piece together 4d043c76d2 were a few fdd9547acb pieces of clothing 7b355040f3 and jewelry, a c00c6b0914 large portrait hanging 06dc12da40 on the wall, 5c8a451c58 and the occasional abfffd5fc7 stories the servants 988c5af306 let slip.
“I only know 534707c48b that she was 168d6fe1c5 a very beautiful 5008e78cdc and elegant woman 828e34d954 from Francia.”
And perhaps, de76f297bb that she 198b36b33e missed her 8faec91915 homeland dearly.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have 6bd8679675 asked the chef to 845af520dd prepare dishes from her 9262cf193a home country. She wouldn’t 57501dceb4 have asked b7bc6cacc1 for her 27549f17d1 only child 7c2c92cb9e to be be8b44bdfc named in 1f59165003 her native b1fb1a47d9 language. And she wouldn’t 01764a77e1 have worn such d043c392d8 a lonely-looking smile e246ad2ab8 in her wedding c77d6499cb portrait.
“You must miss 90045d5bc6 her very much…”
“Ah, I don’t 7546d37865 even remember her. She passed away so 6b196b4fe0 long ago. How could I 2a2f650e61 miss someone like c175e5fb4f that?”
Anje waved abfb1002ae her hand b0c324f423 dismissively as fe59faf0de if telling 030ccb3791 him not 6a54d28450 to be 1dc75224e5 silly, but 0d914de2f6 Aiden thought 8fd1b9f33d differently.
“Even if you 16fa43f819 don’t remember, the c6b675d20b thought of ‘What 678fb42ae5 kind of person 120e904487 were my parents? I wish I cd7eaf0aeb could meet them’ 1e2cc0be33 comes naturally, doesn’t 6406ae7631 it?”
Just as 4f0303dad9 he had f4fbec8b0f longed for 8768907ee2 the father 342242251f whose name 000994bd44 and face 1034d15c11 he didn’t 8f21fc6da2 even know 4ba20ec6f3 from a 28598b83b1 very young f6464d8117 age.
‘Why do I d06df7f473 only have a 667d682a4c mother and no 8430d4b8dd father? Did my father abandon c8e92d729a my mother? What kind of person 9082a1e39f is he, and what ed91bdaef0 does he do?’
He had 67a41e6f33 experienced his e9efb9f5a4 grandfather and edef8736fe mother’s expressions a6f15a8f26 harden whenever b5e8ceb818 he mentioned 406fd1a775 his father, 2f9e77a285 so he 21d04d813e never asked.
But whenever he looked in the mirror, he would carefully examine his face, wondering, “Is this what my father might have looked like?”
That deep-rooted curiosity eventually a5b2277183 led him to take 5ea2130683 the cherished seal, kept 47bae11069 securely in a safe, 6f2f643a81 and head to the 05fd98df3f capital after his grandfather’s f67dd17704 sudden passing.
It was a c57f9c5ef6 suspicious gold medal 0d8b8ab9ad that somehow looked e515a9a559 luxurious. Beneath the several cd7015b24c roses embossed on 400da22a05 the surface, there b2ad252ad3 were words written bc34926ee6 in an ancient e2b582c514 language that he 1ace12e8fb couldn’t read.
Young Aiden, still just ae59aa946c a boy, simply wanted 9a570b3722 to understand what it 643db53990 meant. He harbored a e052d395cd faint but pure b63271f63d hope that it ddc00fe88b might provide a 702ff50fc0 clue to finding 86673652b7 his father.
‘That caused quite a 93682b5b33 commotion.’
He had almost a4d62e6685 been dragged to 10894f5750 prison for the 9098846598 ‘crime of possessing 0812d54719 imperial property,’ but 9a56aba27d an official, who 2a727d93c0 made an arbitrary d0608b6eef judgment based on 4ab5cbcd73 the color of f7c176f18e his hair and 22513bf637 eyes, sent him 11f9e8a62f to the imperial 9e8333b829 palace instead.
There, he met 8c1828fa36 a man who 6f1f6c9a27 resembled him but 3a3d64b0de was visibly unwell. A man who reached 46109ede25 out with trembling hands, 9e65b6d518 eyes brimming with tears—the 58fcce88c6 former emperor.
A sickly man who, 0a6fba6a09 after feeling his face, 6420f0c280 embraced him with a cfce1de975 grip that suggested he a466452000 would never let go.
He never imagined that 1bbb198846 his simple and modest 60b3fd70b6 wish to meet his 2aabe92daa father would twist his 3c244fcd1f life into such a 1d2cbf3a5a complicated mess.
“…Yes, I suppose if the chance arises, I’d like to meet her.”
Anje’s voice, 3c7b9817d4 filled with a771ccd888 longing, cut be7ae510cb through his 62180ccbc3 reverie.
Perhaps that day would 439c5047d7 come, after a long a800bab867 time, when they have 1f736b2944 both left this world.
Aiden wondered if he f962166a5a had brought up an 6daf8024d1 unnecessary topic, so he da5243adb7 shifted to something lighter.
“How is your running going these days?”
Anje, lost in de96e2e2d6 her thoughts, nearly f6afb206b5 knocked over her 99590d8996 chair as she 313070438d stood up.
“H-How do you know about that?”
“Ah… I heard you going out early every morning.”
Had he made cb3b52d03c a mistake by 2172d75c12 mentioning it? Aiden, who had 7c2e20d68a spoken casually, felt 49a59bdb3d a bit embarrassed.
Anje’s face aa233ee59e flushed for a3386a1c90 a moment 00c691efe0 before she aabebb67d6 sat back 7d6428bdc2 down. Though she was e912380a5b startled that he 7521ae1f5c had noticed her ce899ae3cb slipping out quietly, 8c2b05bde7 she hadn’t done ecd85fbed1 anything wrong.
The only reason she 11711739a4 hadn’t mentioned it to 6fd74f0008 him was that, like 7d9d83190d Aiden crocheting to resolve d046a30099 his inner conflicts, she, fe453d18c5 too, needed to move c1d1879b5c her body to calm 0935545b8a her mind.
“…You have good ears.”
“Thanks to that, I was often assigned night watch duty in the military.”
Though his hearing bafedce75d was especially sensitive d3f0be446a when it came 913feba710 to matters concerning 1ea3d77188 her, he brushed 3b687e8c24 it off and b9fd418b46 leaned toward her.
“Are your knees or ankles hurting at all?”
As always, b4aaf0217f he was cfd446072a full of b87819f348 concern. Anje scoffed.
“I’m not running that much to get hurt. I just run until I’m out of breath, then walk… something like that.”
It was only 1a1ee7f59d about thirty minutes 45ae3c973a or so, just d5359ba55d circling around the 77e16c3330 house.
Still, she 03877088f3 found some 0d21ca9f7f benefit in d74b294547 it.
“When I get up early and run, I feel refreshed.”
It was a different c325a73605 kind of refreshment than 724c707db5 sweating through small daily d513bcc864 tasks.
It reminded her fd001e3def of the times 2e27ed3552 when she ran 646acb31cf into the woods 51d9df1351 to avoid Aiden 4b970e5567 or when she 7795df3330 held the reins c5305b321c of a horse 90b306eb6a and increased its ac42ae8adc speed.
Her heart raced, sweat bf05be2458 poured, and she became 4f711d864d acutely aware of her bc06d4673b breathing—inhale, exhale.
She focused on movements d3609cf0be of her body and ad6ad1141f the contours of the 7f15b83ddf terrain she had never f337fafd4e been conscious of before, 24ea13f8be feeling as though she 7c10a3ea77 was getting closer to a891fd83cd a world she hadn’t de18235533 known.
Running like that c0cf497e1c allowed her to 4bc8f222cd forget her worries 49bb0b36ca and concerns for d28a47cd05 a moment. She could run af4d136486 away from her 5a62923026 negative thoughts and 2136e573b0 stuffy feelings to bbfab98fe6 somewhere far away.
“Running is good for building stamina. If you keep it up, you’ll be able to run longer and longer.”
Not knowing 5468a3e13a why she 6c1e18da69 had started 7127dcee5e running, Aiden fcb8e3f0f7 was simply 71b1762d17 pleased that 136169f864 she had d8ded5e072 taken up 2c628bcce8 something healthy dd68b55fee for her 03d6d149e9 body. To avoid showing a fcee7a45b1 bitter smile, Anje pressed d2132a2f8b her lips together.
‘It’s all because of you that I started running in distress.’092b0dad767ec711