Chapter 55 : Making an Order for Oath Cuff

T/N: h.e.l.lo there! I"m baaaaack! My wedding was perfect! I love my makeup, the dress was beautiful, the food.. Well they said the food tasted delicious ( I didn"t have any chance to eat the food though, I had early dinner before the party.) All in all, now I"m busy with my (our!) new home!~ Ah I"m rambling~ Anyway! Enjoy the story!

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"Everyone, the cuff suit each and every one of you so perfectly but I"m truly sorry I have to interrupt your conversation but may we continue our discussion regarding the oath cuff?" Ernst-san called out to the four of us who were smiling so happily since we had just gotten our engagement cuff.

"Thank you very much. You"re right, we still need to talk about the oath cuff. Can you please tell  us who created these cuff?" Fer-san thanked Ernst-san for his honest praise.

"It"d be my pleasure, Fernando-sama. The cuff was created by Marcel, I"m happy to see his work suit your preference. I can introduce him to the four of you so you can have a more in depth discussion regarding the oath cuff design with him. "

Marcel-san?

It seemed Marcel-san was the one who created the engagement cuff we had chosen.

"So he"s the one that created this cuff?"

"Yes, Marcel is still young but his skill as a craftsman is nothing to scoff at."

Ah, he was a young man huh.

Somehow, I always imagined a craftsman as an elderly person since it"d take years of experience to be able to create such beautiful cuff. 

Turned out Marcel-san was still young huh.

"Hoo.. Then let"s meet with that Marcel guy. I have a feeling he will be able to create the perfect oath cuff for Ren."

"That"s right~ Let"s meet with him~ I think having the same craftsman for both cuff is a good idea after all~"

Sig-san and Chris-san was completely satisfied with Marcel-san"s work so they both agreed to have Marcel-san make our oath cuff. 

After hearing Sig-san"s and Chris-san"s opinion, Fer-san asked Ernst-san to introduce us to Marcel-san by today,"I see, then please introduce him to us. Is it possible to have a talk with him today?" 

"I will confirm his schedule first, please wait a moment. I will be back soon." Ernst-san replied before he went through a door inside his shop.

Maybe that was the door to the workshop? 

The design of this engagement cuff was really delicate and stylish, I really liked it. 

I agreed that Marcel-san would be able to create a beautiful cuff for us. 

"Ren, this cuff really suit you."

"Ngh-" 

Sig-san gently stroked my left ear, making me gasped in surprise. 

Thanks to these three thorough training, my body became overly sensitive to touches. 

"The cuff also suit the three of you, you know?" I replied.

"We managed to find the perfect cuff for all of us,yeah?~" Chris-san chirped in. 

The three of them looked really good with the cuff on. 

Well actually they looked good no matter what, I think they could pull off any kind of cuff available here. 

"So… Umm.. Is it truly alright? I mean.. I haven"t contribute much to our engagement and stuff.. But I consulted it with Ernst-san and he said I should smile earnestly as my grat.i.tude but still! I think…"

"That"s right. We already feel satisfied to be able to see Ren-kun"s smile. You don"t need to worry about trivial things like money. We are all rank adventurer you know? We have a lot of saving since we didn"t have anything to splurge on. So please, don"t worry about it." 

Ah, so a smile was the best thing to give to them after all. 

But you know, this cuff didn"t have a price tag on. It"d be impossible for me to not mind it. 

I had been feeling anxious on how much the cuff actually cost…

"Then.. I will gratefully accept this cuff..Is that alright?" 

"Ahh.. Ren you"re too modest. We"re going to be married, so it"s alright to ask for more expensive things from us! In fact, don"t hesitate to be more selfish with us, will ya?" 

"Th-that kind of thing! I already happy to be able to receive this beautiful cuff, there"s no way I can ask for anything more! This cuff is already more than enough! Really!"

There was no way I could ask for anything more expensive than this cuff. 

This cuff was already expensive enough as it is! I didn"t know the exact price but I knew it was expensive!

"Everyone, thank you for waiting. Please allow me to escort you toward our parlor to discuss about the design of the oath cuff." Ernst-san returned and gestured us to follow him into the same door he had went through before. 

Ah.. I didn"t have anything to add regarding to the design of our oath cuff…. I wonder whether my presence was necessary or not.. 

In the end, the four of us followed Ernst-san and what laid beyond that door was another hallway with several door lining on the left and right. 

Ernst-san stopped on one door. 

Using his left hand, he opened the door for us and said," Please wait here while I fetch Marcel to come and join us." 

Ernst-san gave us last bow before he left us, closing the door behind him. 

Inside the parlor, there was one three seater sofa and two one seater sofa with a low table in the middle. 

I sat on the three seater sofa with Fer-san and Chris-san beside me while Sig-san sat on the one seater sofa closest to us. 

"Umm.. Does my attendance really necessary here? I don"t know what I should do here.." I sheepishly asked the things that had been bothering me. 

"Hmm.. Well you don"t have to be here during the discussion but I still want you to meet him so he can decide what kind of design would suit you."

"Oh right if Ren-chan doesn"t want to join the discussion,  the end result of the cuff can come as a surprise gift for Ren-chan then~ "

I see. 

Certainly, waiting for the final design of the cuff would be exciting.

Sneaking a glance at the clock inside the parlor, Isaw that it was already 12:00 pm. 

I didn"t realize so much time had pa.s.sed by while they were selecting the cuff so seriously. 

Judging from how long it took for them to choose the engagement cuff, I"m sure the discussion for the oath cuff would be long as well. 

"Ah then after I meet with him, I will go ahead and have lunch first. Everyone had already eaten a few hours before, right? I"m sure you"re still full." 

"Yeah, I"m not hungry yet. There"s a good cafe two blocks from here. You can have your lunch there if you want. What do you think, Ren-kun?" 

"Okay,I will go there. After I"ve finished eating, I will return here."

While we were talking together, suddenly we heard a polite knock from the door. 

"Yes, come in." Fer-san said, giving Ernst-san his permission to enter the parlor. 

"Excuse me. Everyone this is Marcel, a craftsman working for our store. He might be young but I a.s.sure you his craftsmans.h.i.+p is nothing but amazing." Ernst-san said as he introduced the man beside him. 

True to Ernst-san words, the man looked young, around 20ish I think. 

The man had a white towel tied around his head, knot on the back. He wore a short sleeved t-s.h.i.+rt with an ap.r.o.n on. Piercing adorned his mouth, creating a rough look on his face.

His gaze looked sharp as if he was trying to pierce through me. 

He was also as big as Sig-san. Umm… He looked a little scary if I may be honest. 

I shouldn"t judge people by its appearance but truthfully.. He did look scary. 

"Ciao! The name"s Marcel! I will be the one in charge of designing and producing your oath cuff! You can count on me for sure!" Marcel-san said with confidence.

Eh…

The moment he opened his mouth, all the scary image of him disappeared in an instant. 

He looked like an energetic dog instead, his smile was really warm like the sun. 

I was wrong to judge him as a scary and stoic person, Marcel-san looked like a really easy going guy!

Ah, there was a yellow cuff on his left ear, so Marcel-san was already married I see. 

"Ah.. Pleased to meet you. I hope we can work well together." Fer-san looked bewildered at Marcel-san"s sudden outburst of energy but he quickly regained himself and returned the greeting. 

"You! Marcel! Dearest customer, I"m really sorry for his rude behaviour. We still need to train him courtesy some more. His appearance and speech might seem a little off but trust me, he"s really good at what he does. Once again, I"m sorry for his rude behaviour." Ernst-san apologize fl.u.s.teredly for Marcel-san"s speech but I think Marcel-san"s friendly approach calmed my heart instead so there was no harm done here. 

"Hmm~ It"s okay, don"t worry about it~ Our age is not that far apart so there"s no need to be so formal~ Just be yourself ~ Anyway, my name is Chris, please call me Chris~"

"That"s right. It"s easier to talk about the cuff without being formal about it anyway. I"m Sigurd. You can call me Sig." 

"My name"s Fernando. Please call me Fer."

"Ah, you saved me, really. I"m not good at formal speech you know? Hmm.. You can call me whatever you like." Marcel-san said as he scratched his head and smiled apologetically.

His appearance really didn"t suit his personality at all. 

Both Marcel-san and the other three seemed to get along well,I"m glad. It seemed like we can discuss the cuff in a lighter environment. 

"Umm.. And you are..?" Marcel-san glanced at me with troubled expression.

"Oh! Sorry! I"m Ren!"

"Oooh! The otherworlder!" 

"Eh? You know about me? I guess the rumour has spread all over the town huh.."

Marcel-san already knew that I was an otherworlder just from my name. 

Well, my physique was different compared to ordinary Alsar people but I didn"t expect someone to know me just from my name.

"Ah, no no! I know because my spouse told me about you! Not because of the rumor!" 

"It"s alright, I don"t really mind it. It"s a pleasure to meet you, I"m looking forward to work with you. Although.. Our meeting this time is just for the sake of knowing each other"s face though.." 

Ah, spouse.. 

I wonder what kind of person Marcel-san"s spouse was? 

"Ah I see! So I will be talking about the cuff with the other three then? Okay,shall we start our talk now ? What kind of design do you have in mind?" 

"Well then, I will prepare a drink for all of you. Is there anything you"d like to drink?" 

"No, a tea is enough for us." 

"Understood. Then I will leave you guys for a moment while I prepare the tea." Ernst-san nodded and prepared to leave the room. 

"Ah! I"m going out as well, wait for me!" 

I immediately stood from the sofa and trutted along with Ernst-san. 

"Well then, I will go have some lunch first."

"Take care~"

"Remember to eat properly." 

"Please be careful, Ren-kun." 

I waved at them as I exited the room, they also returned the gesture to me. 

"Ren-sama, don"t you want to talk about the oath cuff design?" Ernst-san asked, his head was tilted in confusion.

"Fufu, I"m leaving all the decision to the other three. It"s fun to wait to see the end result, you know? I wonder what kind of design they will come up with? If it"s those three, I"m sure the cuff will be beautiful." 

I wholeheartedly believed they would gave me a cuff that would suit me. I couldn"t wait to see the cuff~

"Ren-sama, you really trust your fiance greatly. I"m sure the four of you will be able to build a wonderful family together." Ernst-san smiled warmly. 

"E-eh? That kind of thing is.." I muttered embarra.s.sedly. 

Ernst-san comment came out of nowhere so I was fl.u.s.tered to reply him. 

But.. Family.. It did have a nice ring to it.. 

"Then, Ren-sama have a nice day and please be careful on your way out there." 

Ernst-san escorted me to the store front door and opened it politely for me. 

"Yes, I will see you soon." 

I bowed in grat.i.tude and left the store. 

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Sig"s POV

"Ah, I"ve heard the story from my spouse but he"s really beautiful huh." Marcel said as soon as Ren exited the room.

"Hm? You mean Ren-chan?"

"Yes, my spouse worked in a tavern. You know the tavern is the center of all gossips in Pedrell, right? Ren-san is one of the hottest topic out there."

"Yeah… Ren is not only cute but he"s also very beautiful. On top of that, his cooking is top notch. His personality is great too, really humble and nice. He"s also a great adventurer. Ahh, no matter how I see it, I"ve secured the perfect spouse one can imagine." 

I cannot agree more with Marcel. 

Not only Ren was an otherworlder, he was a truly charming person as well. 

It was given everyone couldn"t take their eyes off him. 

But that also meant I had to be careful so there wouldn"t be any shady guy taking an interest on Ren. 

"That"s true. Well then, enough talking about Ren-san. Do you guys have anything in mind for the oath cuff design? Also can you tell me how soon do you want me to finish the cuff?" 

"We"re going to enter each other in the family register on the 1st October. So can you please ensure me you can deliver the goods before then? As for the design, we"ve discussed what kind of design we want more or less but we also want to hear your opinion first." Fer explained to Marcel for us. 

Last night, after Ren had fallen asleep we went to the guild and talked about the cuff design together. 

We didn"t have any intention of breaking up with Ren so this cuff will be the last cuff we ordered for our whole life. 

The cuff held special meaning to us so the three of us spent quite a lot talking about the design and such. 

But of course, we still wanted to hear the professional"s opinion because we wanted nothing but the best for Ren. 

"I see.. Well for starters Ren-san has delicate and slender build so rather than a big cuff, a small cuff would be better for him. For the jewels.. There are several types of jewels with different variety of colors. I can choose the jewel with the closest color to everyone"s eyes or would you rather pick the jewel yourselves? I"m fine either way but I think you guys would feel happier if you can choose the jewel yourselves." 

"Hmm~ That"s true. If possible I want to choose the jewel myself since the cuff is for Ren-chan after all~ I want to choose the jewel carefully~" 

Ah what a good idea. 

The different type of stone might have the same color but if you looked closely, you could see the difference. 

My eyes color were bright green, imagining Ren"s ear adorned with my color gave me a nice feeling. 

"Okay. The next one is the most important things. What"s your budget?" 

"Actually we don"t really care how much it will cost but.. Ren will feel bad if we splurge too much on him so .. Around 5.000.000 elk I guess? Of course we don"t mind increasing it if you think we need a higher budget. We"re A rank adventurer after all so we had a lot of savings." 

Marcel flinched a little when I told him our budget but that was to be expected. 

That was not a small amount of money after all, it could cover the national budget of a small state. 

Well as we"ve said before the three of us didn"t have anything to use our money for, so our savings was a lot higher than normal people. 

The engagement cuff from before, it didn"t have any cuff so it only cost us around 1.500.000 elk in total. It was cheaper than I expected. 

Ah, right. We needed to finish the payment before Ren returned. 

"I couldn"t wait to get started ! There"s no need to increase the budget unnecessarily so please rest a.s.sured." Marcel said with a hand on his chest. He was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence. 

His confidence looked promising.

Seemed like we were in a good hand, I was glad. 

"Okay and for the design ——–"  Marcel started to steer the conversation back to the design. 

"———- Then in one week I will prepare a list of design candidate for you to choose from. I will be waiting for your return!" He ended the conversation with a bright smile. 

We discussed the design together with Marcel, including the things we had talked about last night. 

I couldn"t wait until next week, I wanted to see what kind of design Marcell would come up with!

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Chapter 56 ( not yet)