Chapter: 16
Everyone was left speechless by the shocking confession.
In the meantime, Emily took a deep breath and asked for my permission.
“Lady, may I excuse myself for a moment?”
“As much as you need.”
After receiving my permission, Emily began disassembling the automaton with practiced skill.
Then she took out a gear engraved with her own mark.
“All the machines I make have this mark engraved on them.”
After that, Emily disappeared into the back of the workshop and returned with two music boxes that looked exactly alike.
At first glance, they appeared to have been made by the same person.
However, if you looked closely, there were differences in the finishing of the joints and the craftsmanship of the decorations.
“Emil. You know what this is, don’t you?”
“That is… the one we made when we first started working in the workshop…”
“That’s right. This was the first and last piece I ever made at a craftsman’s workbench, after Grandfather allowed me to do so under the condition that I would never enter the workshop again.”
Even then, Emily began taking it apart without hesitation.
The gears taken out of the music box had the same mark engraved on them as the one on my automaton.
“W-what is this?!”
“I engraved it so I wouldn’t forget that I was the one who made it.”
“You… how dare you deceive me all this time and do something like this behind my back?”
“The one who deceived people wasn’t Emily. It was you.”
How shameless.
“The person who made it and the person who repaired it are both Emily. So why is this workshop called Emil Workshop? How about changing the name now? It’s only one letter difference.”
Because I thought he was an adult who did not deserve any consideration, sarcastic remarks kept slipping out of my mouth.
Why are the works of craftsmen sold at high prices?
Because their performance is excellent?
Because they use expensive materials?
Because they are rare and there are only a few in the world?
Those reasons were not wrong.
But I believed the true reason was “trust.”
Trust that the materials were not stolen.
Trust that the performance did not need to be doubted.
Trust that the creator’s identity could be guaranteed.
Then could Emil truly be called a craftsman?
I didn’t think so.
“Emil. Come with me for a moment.”
“V-Viscount!”
“Miss Emily, could you watch the children for a moment?”
After Father took Emil away to discuss things between adults, I was finally able to breathe.
Emily was equally dazed.
The moment Father and Emil left, she collapsed onto the floor.
“Wh-what… what have I done…?”
“Emily.”
“Lady! I-I’m sorry. How dare someone like me, a mere receptionist, deceive you…”
“The person who deceived people was Emil, not you. You created my automaton and took responsibility for repairing it until the end, didn’t you? If anything, you deserve praise.”
I expressed my gratitude to Emily with the most elegant and polite gesture I could remember.
“Thank you very much. Emily, you are the greatest watchmaker on this street.”
“Such a thing…! No, no. That’s not true. I’m just a mere receptionist… O-of course, I do fix simple things myself, but those are only trivial and insignificant things, ah! But I’m not saying your automaton was like that!”
Her endless humility, almost bordering on self-deprecation, showed how excited she was right now.
“It’s fine. Calm down. If you were going to tremble this much, where did you get the courage earlier?”
“That… I don’t know either. I just saw Emil boasting that he made it himself, and I became so angry that I couldn’t stand it… When I came to my senses, the words had already left my mouth…”
In other words, she had lost control in the moment.
I didn’t know what exactly triggered her, but now that the truth had been revealed, things had actually worked out well for me.
“I think Emily, who puts the same effort into both a royal clock made with precious stones and a broken toy belonging to a child, is the true craftsman.”
Emily’s eyes became wet, and she lowered her head deeply.
Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, and muffled breaths escaped from her.
And so, Emil completely ruined himself, and the workshop closed.
…Was what should have happened.
But it didn’t.
Part of me wanted to completely drive Emil out of the street and tear down the building, but Emily did not want that.
If Emil Workshop, which had been responsible for the royal family’s clocks, suddenly closed because of an ugly scandal, the aftermath would be enormous.
Emily also did not want the workshop that she had grown up in, the place that had been both her playground and her place of learning, to disappear because of a scandal.
Instead, Father made another proposal.
“Miss Emily. Have you ever considered studying at the Academy?”
At Father’s suggestion, Emily’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
“A-Academy?! I haven’t properly learned anything! I only copied what I saw by watching from the side!”
“And yet your skills are superior to Emil’s, who formally went through an apprenticeship.”
“That… may be true, but…”
“If you learn properly at the Academy, Emily will surely accomplish something incredible that will remain in the history of Loire.”
“Someone like me could never do that!”
“What exactly is ‘someone like you’?”
“I…”
Emily trailed off and moved her lips without speaking.
Among apprentices her age, Emil had the greatest skill.
And Emily was a naturally gifted genius who surpassed even him.
Yet Emil was the one who would inherit the workshop.
And in order for him to exist as the craftsman, she had been forced to live her entire life shrinking herself.
Even now, she was still forcing herself into Emil’s shadow.
So much that it was frustrating to watch.
“And above all, people will only acknowledge a female watchmaker if you reach that level.”
“……”
Sadly, Father’s words were not wrong.
“Graduate from the Academy. Then officially become an apprentice and inherit the workshop.”
“Then what will happen to Emil during that time…?”
“That is Emil’s own responsibility and consequence. You do not need to worry about it.”
Father firmly drew the line.
Emily’s absence would lead people to judge that Emil’s skills were not what they used to be.
A decline in reputation would mean a decline in sales and a stain on the honor of a craftsman.
But…
If he disliked that, Emil would have to work desperately enough to risk his life.
“Emily. I believe that the machines you create will surely make the world a better place.”
In my previous life, Emily created not only automatons for nobles but also machines that helped ordinary people in their daily lives.
Machines existed to help people.
That was Emily’s belief.
My role was simply to trust that belief and push her forward a little earlier.
“…I’ll go. Please send me to the Academy.”
Emily decided to use her own power to make the world a better place.
For a moment, I worried that Emil might try to harm her out of spite, and my feet refused to move.
But seeing the determined expression on her face, so different from how timid she had been earlier, reassured me.
However, something still bothered me.
It felt like I had forgotten something extremely important…
Ah!
“Ah! Father! Wait, wait a moment! Stop the carriage!”
Oh my goodness, what is wrong with my memory?
I forgot the most important thing!
“Emily!”
“Lady Adelaide?”
When I jumped out of the carriage, Emily, who had just been about to return to the workshop, instinctively reached out her arms toward me.
“Make a machine that can record sound!”
“Record… sound?”
Emily asked blankly, her eyes wide open.
“Yes! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if sound could be recorded just like pictures or writing? If we could listen to the same song again and again anytime and anywhere without needing the performer, if we could preserve the voices of the people we love forever, wouldn’t that be amazing?”
“……”
“Can… you do it?”
When Emily said nothing, I belatedly worried that I had made an absurd request.
But my concern was unnecessary.
Emily quickly came back to her senses and nodded firmly.
“I’ll try!”
Her confidence was so strong that it seemed like she already had some ideas in mind.
I also found myself becoming more excited.
“But Emily, there is one problem…”
Could you make it in a week?
No.
Could you make it in five days?
I’ll provide as much support as you need!
Please!
If we miss this opportunity, we’ll have to wait at least half a year!
