It took only three days after completion for Felix to secure an appointment with the Crown Prince. He must have been anticipating for some time; when he brought the matter to the Prince’s chamberlain, he was given a date that very same day.

“Hello, welcome, Miss Porta.”

Aurora gave a stiff smile as she saw the Crown Prince with his arms outstretched and a broad smile on his face. The proper etiquette that had been ingrained in her body worked properly even in this state, and she bowed her head deeply. Felix, with a sour look on his face, also knelt and bowed.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

His smiling face was curious and mischievous, strikingly similar to the princess I had seen the other day. Intimidated by the splendour of the Crown Prince’s reception room, Aurora simply bowed her head and said, “I am sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“I’ve heard the story. Word reached me that you were busy preparing for Marquis Loomis’s evening party. It was Marquis Clavis who told me, so I suppose I can overlook your delay.”

Having discovered the source of the information, the two gave up and raised their heads as urged, then took their seats on the sofa as instructed. The glossy weave of the silk fabric, its smoothness to the touch, and its firm elasticity made Aurora break into a cold sweat as she sat upright. Felix, sitting stiffly beside her, was even more expressionless than usual; perhaps he was nervous in his own way.

“Hmm, you seem extremely nervous. …Ah, feel free to speak. I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you”
“What on earth is going on that we would be led to a room like this, Your Highness?”

Felix frowned. Aurora tilted her head in confusion, and the Crown Prince continued with a smile.

“This room is particularly well-known for its anti-eavesdropping magic. It’s also used for secret meetings with dignitaries from other countries.”

Beside Aurora, who stood frozen in shock with her mouth agape, Felix muttered, “Just as I thought.” As a magician, he likely sensed the specific enchantments that were cast in this room.

“But why?”
“I’ve invited others besides yourselves today. ――You may come in.”

The Crown Prince clapped his hands once. At the far end of the reception room, a white door—presumably leading to the inner chambers—swung open silently. A knight wearing familiar spectacles emerged, accompanied by a man in a monocle. The man wore robes of a hue even darker than autumn leaves, and around his neck hung a silver chain with a gold ring bearing a silver star. It was the mark of ‘The Tower,’ the kingdom’s elite circle of mages.
The middle-aged magician ran his fingers through hair that had likely once been jet-black but was now streaked with grey. Noticing Aurora and Felix, he placed his palms together over the left side of his chest and bowed his head slightly. Felix returned the traditional magician’s greeting with an identical gesture.

“Allow me to introduce him. This is Aranus, Deputy Researcher at ‘The Tower.’ He is a scholar who has spent years unearthing the sorcery of the ancients. I summoned him because his expertise is indispensable for measuring… shall we say, the unique magnitude of Miss Porta’s power. However, as you are well aware, Felix, those of ‘The Tower’ must sever all ties with the outside world. It would be quite scandalous if it were discovered that I had summoned him for my own personal curiosity. That is why I have received him here, in the reception room with the highest anti-eavesdropping capabilities. The soundproofing magic cast on this room is quite something. After all—”

“Your Highness, your bad habits are starting to show again.”

Aranus, no doubt accustomed to such whims, offered a gentle rebuke, to which the Prince offered a witty reply in kind before snapping his fingers. A different door from the one before swung open, and a servant entered carrying Aurora’s basket. As she took the sewing basket—which had once again cleared inspection—Aurora finally allowed herself a sigh of relief.

“Well then, let’s have a look”

Felix offered a steadying hand at Aurora’s waist as she nodded and stood. She carefully drew the scarf from the basket and spread it across the broad surface of the round table.

“Oh…”
“Wow, this is amazing!”

Both the Crown Prince and the magician were left breathless by the traditional celebratory patterns adorning the unfurled scarf. Even setting aside the question of magic, it was plain to see at a glance that the piece was a masterpiece.

“The Royal Library reportedly houses a collection of embroidery patterns used in ancient weddings, which many capital embroiderers use as a reference. I borrowed a copy myself; however, since Her Ladyship is of the same age as His Royal Highness, I have modernised the design slightly to better suit contemporary tastes.”

The circulating universe and the intertwined wheels of fate are nestled within a thicket of star-filled arabesque patterns. It is a powerful motif—one that celebrates the continuous flow of life and the new bonds forged through marriage.
The Crown Prince marvelled that such a pattern had been preserved as an embroidery design, while the magician marvelled at the sheer magical power of the one who had stitched it.

“No, it truly is a lovely pattern. Thank you, Lady Porta. She may be entirely clueless about magic, but she genuinely appreciates beautiful things; I am certain she will be pleased.”
“That’s too kind of you”
“…..May I touch it?”

Aurora nodded at Aranus’s words. At Felix’s prompting, she sat back down on the sofa. The magician began his examination, first touching the cloth, turning it over and back again, tracing the intricate pattern with a single finger. He brought the fabric close to his face—pressing his ear to it, then his nose—before finally closing his eyes to focus entirely on the star at the centre. With his palm resting flat against the embroidery, he went utterly still. The room was instantly enveloped in a silence so profound it was almost painful to the ears.

“…..wonderful”

Amidst a tension as palpable as a sudden drop in temperature—and a silence so profound it made one hesitate even to breathe—the other three let out a collective gasp at the words that were finally squeezed out. The atmosphere instantly eased, and the room seemed to warm. Aurora wiped the sweat beading on her forehead with a handkerchief, her shoulders dropping in relief. Beside her, Felix patted her back gently, offering soothing comfort.

“It is truly magnificent. Its effect is modest, yet it is imbued with a perfect 『Blessing』. The bride who carries this will surely be granted countless small moments of happiness. It behaves precisely like the ancient spells cast by those once known as witches—long before the concept of magicians was ever established. The magical energy flows with absolute perfection.”

Aranus’s intelligent eyes, peering out from behind his monocle, sparkled like a child’s as he released his grip on the scarf.

“Spells evolved into what we now call magic, and from there, the art of sorcery branched off. Modern sorcery simply would not exist without those ancient foundations …Is this needlework your own creation, young lady?”

When asked, Aurora nodded hurriedly.

“Yes, I stitched it myself. …..But, I am certain my magical capabilities are quite ordinary.”
“It is highly probable that the young lady is a 『Primordial Witch』—one who possesses the rare gift to imbue objects with 『Prayer』 as a form of magic. That this manifests through needlework is likely because the craft is deeply familiar to her. History tells us that Primordial Witches—women who wielded magic long before the title of ‘witch’ was ever coined—did not possess the overwhelming raw power of modern sorcerers. Precisely because their mana was restrained, their intent manifested as ‘spells’ rather than destructive forces. In ancient chronicles and folklore, the word ‘witch’ emerges at the exact moment those carrying this precise power first walked the earth.”

“Truly marvellous,” Aranus muttered once more, earning a deep, solemn nod of agreement from the Crown Prince. Aurora, whose understanding of magic was vastly limited, could only look on in utter bewilderment alongside the spectacled knight, Sentence.

“Are you serious?”
“Yes, isn’t it wonderful?. I hadn’t realised there were still people with such magical powers around.”
“Given that the Porta family was a branch of the Magic Count’s lineage, it was highly probable that they still carried the ancient bloodline within them.”
“I see; that makes perfect sense. It is said that prominent witches have married into—and been born from—that noble house for generations. It is hardly surprising that their ancestral bloodline would manifest in a distant descendant.”

While the Crown Prince and the magician chatted cheerfully, Felix, Aurora, and Sentence—who remained focused solely on his duty as a guard—exchanged quiet glances.

“…..Your Highness, Lord Aranus. Our guest has been left out of the loop.”
“Whoops, sorry about that! Aranus, if she’s the real deal, then that thing…”
“Yes”

The magician pulled a bundle of papers from his pocket, among which was a piece of old parchment with slightly scorched edges. The use of parchment had long since fallen out of common practice, suggesting the document was at least several decades old. Seeing it, Aurora and Felix couldn’t help but peer closer.

“This is an embroidery pattern recovered from a cloth that once wrapped an artefact excavated from an ancient ruin. Although the fabric itself deteriorated over time and is now in tatters, the design was preserved because scholars meticulously copied it when it was first unearthed.”
“Are you suggesting I try embroidering this design?”

In response to Aurora’s question, both the magician and the Crown Prince gave a deep, synchronised nod.

“I am certain that some kind of wish was woven into this pattern as well. Miss Porta’s unique magic seems perfectly suited to resurrecting this ancient art, so I would truly like to ask for her aid.”
“That may be so, but the effects of my embroidery have always relied on the manifestation of my wishes. If I were to embroider this design while lost in thought, won’t those idle thoughts take shape instead of the intended magic?”
“I think that’s fine. Within this pattern, there’s a remnant of an ancient language that explains why this embroidery was done. You can read ancient language, right?”
“Yes”

For the nobility of the Kingdom of Welbum—known as the ‘Land of Magic and Scholarship’—the ancient language is an essential part of their education. Aurora, of course, had been studying it with a private tutor since childhood, and even now she occasionally received instruction from her older brother.

“Well then, I’d really appreciate it.”

The Crown Prince smiled, and Aurora replied, “Understood,” as she took the parchment. Of course, there was no way she could refuse the Crown Prince’s offer.

＊＊

As the time for the afternoon’s official duties drew near, an attendant came to announce it, and today’s audience came to a close. Watching Aurora leave, escorted by Felix, the Crown Prince and the magician exchanged whispers.

“So it was real after all…..”
“It was the real deal. I believe it is a very rare find.”
“Will ‘The Tower’ want her?”
“Yes…..”
“Accepting the invitation would make their marriage even more difficult. He wouldn’t agree easily. So, what now…..?”

The ominous words, of course, went unheard by the two young people, falling with a thud onto the floor of the reception room. A stifling silence once again settled over the room.

They were both young, though the Crown Prince was around 25.