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The next day, Lev arrived at the duke’s mansion.
He was accompanied by Toma, the lens craftsman in charge of developing the microscope; though the two had very different personalities, they seemed to have become quite close.

“Milady, it’s been a while.”
“Welcome, both of you! I’ve been waiting for you.”

Greeted by Ekaterina’s radiant smile, Lev looked as if he were dazzled.
Sitting across from each other in the parlor, with tea now served, Ekaterina began by apologizing to Lev.

“Lev… I must apologize to you. I used the blue rose hairpin you gave me as an offering to a certain deity.”
“Huh?”

To Lev, who was staring at her wide-eyed, Ekaterina briefly told him about Selene, the Maiden of Death.

“She was absolutely delighted. She said she was so happy to finally be able to touch a flower she hadn’t been able to touch for two thousand years… ‘How beautiful,’ she said. But I’m sorry for taking the liberty of using something you so kindly gave me.”
“No… it’s actually an honor. I’m so happy that such an amazing person enjoyed it.”

Lev smiled with genuine joy.

“I’ll make another ornament, so would you please use it?”
“You’re so kind, Lev. But you’re going to get very busy from now on. Please make sure to rest your body whenever you’re not working.”
“It’ll also serve as inspiration for my glass pen designs. So please, let me make them.”

Ekaterina was surprised that Lev, who was usually so gentle he seemed timid, spoke so decisively.

“Is that so…? If it’s part of your work, then feel free to create whatever you want without holding back. But you must make sure to eat properly and get enough sleep. You promise me that, won’t you?”
“Yes, thank you. I will certainly create something worthy of you, my lady. That alone is enough for me.”

Lev nodded happily. Feeling as though she didn’t quite grasp the full meaning of his words, Ekaterina tilted her head slightly.
Toma was patting Lev on the shoulder.
¹ .

Ekaterina thanked Toma for the microscope that had arrived in Jurnova.

“My Great-Uncle, Professor Isaac, was absolutely delighted. You perfectly recreated the design I requested… and it seems the magnification of the lenses is even higher than before. It’s truly impressive.”
“Yes, well, I’m flattered.”

Looking a bit embarrassed, Toma scratched his head. Though he usually has a bold and brash personality, being praised unreservedly by the young lady seemed to make him feel quite proud.

“It’s all thanks to the Jurnova family’s commercial division introducing me to a skilled blacksmith. I was surprised at how effortlessly he created such a complex mechanism—adjusting the focus by screwing the tube containing the lens up and down.”
“Jurnova is a region known for its metals, so I hear we have many connections with craftsmen skilled in metalworking. But truly, that craftsman’s skill was remarkable. However…”

Great-Uncle Isaac specializes in minerals, but ordinary minerals aren’t suitable for viewing under a reflecting microscope. It just so happened that what I saw at that time was a prismite—transparent and containing light—so the microscope was usable.
That said, Isaac cheerfully remarked, “I’ll give it some thought myself. I think it can be done with a little ingenuity,” and the fact that he seems capable of pulling it off makes him seem both reliable and… well, a bit intimidating as a genius.

“Is there a problem?”
“No! I would like to continue asking you to research the special lens I requested.”

What Ekaterina has asked Toma to research is the creation of an achromatic lens. A special lens made by combining a convex lens and a concave lens that prevents color fringing and blurring at the center of the image.

“Yes, I’ll do my best. It’s not going very smoothly, but it’s fun.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You’ve only just started, so please take it easy.”

Once the business matters were settled, Ekaterina looked at Lev with an excited smile.
Lev nodded knowingly and handed her a long, narrow velvet box.

“My lady, this is Her Majesty the Empress’s glass pen. Please take a look.”

.

The box was a deep crimson. Purple is the color of the Emperor, while crimson is the color of the Empress.
When she opened it, three glass pens sparkled inside.

All three had a base color of blue-green. They perfectly captured the shade of Magdalena’s hair, which Ekaterina had thought resembled the waters of a coral reef.

One featured a twist of summer-sky blue and blue-green, as if the blue of the sky and the azure of the sea were embracing each other. It was almost identical in design to one of the pens she had presented to Emperor Konstantin.

The next one had a thick handle that tapered toward the tip. Only the thick part was transparent, and inside it, a sailing ship was depicted.
A large sailing ship with its white sails fully unfurled, cutting through the waves at full speed. Surely, it was a ship capable of sailing beyond the mountain ranges of the gods, all the way to the distant eastern lands. Though the painting was no larger than the tip of a finger, it was rendered with terrifying precision and vivid detail.
On the outer surface, Ekaterina was about to assume that the white lines depicted white waves, but she suddenly widened her eyes. What she had thought were waves were, in fact, a row of white lilies. The lily is the symbol of the Jursein family, the Empress’s birth family.

And then, the last one.
The rear half of the blue-green pen shifted from the color of the sea to a deeper green, transforming into a lily stem, and from the white lily blooming there, a beautiful bird peered out. That was the design.
That bird is the symbol of the Empress, depicted in her coat of arms. Since the ancient days of the Astra Empire, it has been praised in poetry as the “companion of the lion.” Its body is white with a silvery sheen, adorned with black feathers, and its eyes are a vivid orange. Though small, it was rendered in enamel paint, capturing every detail with remarkable realism.

This bird, though beautiful in appearance, is actually ferocious by nature. It is said to feast on venomous snakes—whose poison even lions fear—and to knock out threatening snakes with a single strike of its long leg, swallowing them whole without hesitation. For this reason, its true name is the Snake-Eating Bird.
Since lions dislike snakes, they have a symbiotic relationship with this bird and protect its nest. It is said that lions sometimes let the bird perch on their backs and stroll around together, squinting as the bird preens their manes. In the past, this scene was often depicted in tapestries and the like.

—I’m not entirely sure, but I think this bird probably existed in my past life as well. I saw it described online as a bird so beautiful that the god of a certain manga used it as the model for the Phoenix. I believe the Japanese name was Hebikuiwashi (Secretarybird). I’ve never heard of it having a symbiotic relationship with lions, so I suppose that’s unique to this world.

.

“How beautiful…”

Gazing at them in awe, Ekaterina sighed.

“Lev, I am constantly amazed by your talent. Such intricate work in glass… the gradient from blue-green to green, the white lilies, and the bird… so small, yet so exquisitely detailed… How wonderful…”
“Thank you. I’m so glad you like it.”

Lev bowed his head with a pleased expression.

“My senior colleagues have returned to the workshop, so when I was designing this, I was able to get advice from each of them on the types of craftsmanship they specialize in. Everyone is really fascinated by glass pens.”
“Is that so! As expected of the Murano workshop—the other artisans are truly exceptional as well.”

What a surprise……
Lev, your skill has leveled up even further!
And it seems the day when the other artisans master the glass pen-making technique is drawing near. I’m really looking forward to this!

“I heard His Imperial Majesty said he would spare no effort to help me create exactly what I envisioned. He even lent me a painting of a sailing ship for reference and granted me permission to observe the serpent-eating birds kept at the Imperial Palace. I could really feel His Majesty’s desire to create something that would please Her Majesty the Empress… As a subject, it made me feel rather happy.”

Neither lions nor serpent-eating birds are native to the Imperial Kingdom. Their habitat lies on another continent far to the south. However, from time to time, live specimens are presented as tributes from that country and kept by the Imperial Family. The specimen Lev was allowed to observe was likely one of those.

“Yes, I understand that sentiment very well. Since the glass pen presented to His Majesty featured a lion design, the design for Her Majesty must be one that would serve as its counterpart. It is truly a joy to see Their Majesties so harmonious.”

It was Lyudmila, the first Empress and the lawful wife of Piotr the Great, who had the serpent-eating bird depicted in the Empress’s coat of arms. Known as a childhood friend of the “Four Founding Brothers” and a stunning beauty, she is said to have taken command of counterattacks and sieges as the castle governor whenever enemy attacks occurred during the turbulent early days of the nation’s founding while her husband was away. Some even argue that Lyudmila was a superior commander to Piotr, who was not particularly adept at leading on the battlefield.
Today, what is expected of an empress is grace and elegance. Magdalena, with her tomboyish nature, was sometimes questioned as to whether she possessed the qualities required of an empress. However, looking back at history, one might say she represents a return to the roots of the empress.

That said, Emperor Konstantin likely did not choose this design with the intention of demonstrating that Magdalena was a woman worthy of being empress. If the design were simply meant to represent an empress, a deep crimson would be more appropriate for this glass pen. However, Konstantin wished for the color to match his wife’s blue-green hair and to feature the flower of her birth family, the Jursein. He wanted to give her something that represented his one and only partner.

“His Majesty is sure to love this glass pen. My brother is scheduled to have an audience with him tomorrow. He’ll give it to him then.”
“Yes, I entrust it to you.”
“I look forward to the Duke of Jursein’s glass pen, too.”
“I’m sorry it’s taking so long. …I’ve been struggling with how to depict the goddess of beauty that was requested.”

Seeing Lev scratch his head and say, “No matter how many times I draw her, she always turns out to be a different goddess,” Ekaterina smiled, sensing the artisan’s dedication.
Toma was patting Lev on the shoulder again.