After the two of them merged back onto the main road, the laughter and shouting of the crowd once again entered Flora and Lena’s world.
Their footsteps slowed down unconsciously. Flora walked beside Lena, her gaze drawn to the new things constantly appearing around them. She didn’t stop intentionally, choosing instead to simply take everything in as they walked.
Just then, a slightly noisy yet rhythmically paced sound reached them.
“Hurry, hurry! There isn’t much time left!”
Flora instinctively followed the sound with her eyes.
On a small square not far away, several long tables had been temporarily set up. Balls of yarn and wooden knitting needles were laid out on the tables.
A circle of people surrounded the area. Some were peeking in while others were pointing and discussing; the atmosphere was more lively than expected.
“What is…?” Flora slowed her pace.
“Oh, this.” Lena took a look, her tone suddenly becoming light. “The Knitting Contest. It’s held every year in White Stone City, a sort of community event.”
Flora blinked.
“A small community contest?”
“That’s right.” Lena smiled. “Using the available yarn, you knit a small item on the spot. It doesn’t take long, and the judges are just some residents who know the craft. There are even small prizes if you win.”
She suddenly turned her head to look at Flora. Her eyes were shimmering.
“Your Highness, do you want to try?”
Flora’s footsteps came to a halt.
“Come on,” Lena said with an incredibly natural tone. “Since we’re already here.”
Flora shook her head almost immediately.
“No.”
Her voice was firm, and her speaking speed was a bit fast.
Lena blinked.
“Eh? Why not?”
“I don’t know how,” Flora said bluntly. “And… it’s too conspicuous.”
“It’s fine if you don’t know how.” Lena didn’t seem to care at all. “Everyone is just playing around. It’s not a formal competition.”
Flora glanced at her sideways, her expression appearing quite speechless.
“Then why don’t you go?”
Lena was momentarily stumped by the question. Then she smiled and scratched her cheek.
“Me… I’m too clumsy. I tried to learn at home before, but even my mother looked down on the things I knitted.”
Flora fell silent for a moment.
Logically, there seemed to be nothing wrong with that. But she felt like something was off.
‘Wait! If she’s clumsy, I’m clumsy too! Why should I be the one to go up?!’
Before she could speak again, a warm voice suddenly came from nearby.
“Young lady, would you like to sign up and try? We only need one more person to be full!”
The speaker was a middle-aged demon race woman holding a registration board with a bright smile. Her gaze rested on Flora for a moment before she added: “Don’t worry, it’s not hard. It’s just for fun.”
Flora instinctively took half a step back.
“Just try it,” Lena whispered behind her. “Just think of it as an experience.”
Flora looked back at her.
The girl’s expression was incredibly innocent.
‘I really…!’
The gazes of the surrounding people shifted toward her unknowingly, filled with the kind of benevolent curiosity unique to festivals.
This was an attention devoid of scrutiny, something she hadn’t felt in a long time, making it difficult for her to refuse directly.
Flora opened her mouth, but the words died on her lips.
If she were in the castle, she could refuse anything unnecessary or anything she was unwilling to do. But now, she was standing on a town street, amidst a festival crowd.
And right now, she wasn’t a princess.
“… Fine,” she finally said.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough.
“Excellent!” The organizing woman immediately beamed. “Come over here and register.”
Behind her, Lena clearly breathed a sigh of relief.
Flora sat at one of the empty tables and looked down at the materials provided.
There were many colors of yarn, ranging from light to dark. The knitting needles were polished smooth, feeling foreign in her hands.
She looked up at the other contestants.
Most were ordinary town residents, some young and some old. Some looked skilled, clearly accustomed to such work. Others frowned as they knitted, obviously there just to join in the fun on a whim.
Flora sighed softly.
‘Sigh, I ended up getting dragged into this after all.’
The competition began soon after.
With a simple announcement, the surrounding noise gradually lowered, leaving only the subtle sounds of yarn being pulled and needles clicking together.
Flora didn’t start immediately.
She looked at the yarn in her hands, her fingertips unconsciously twisting it.
‘What should I knit?’
Her mind was empty for a moment.
She didn’t care about the prize, and winning or losing didn’t matter. But since she was already sitting here, she didn’t want to just go through the motions.
Her gaze drifted slightly.
At the other end of the street, children were running through the crowd, and someone was taking a big bite out of a freshly bought Wall Biscuit, ignoring the crumbs falling to the ground.
The scene was very ordinary — so ordinary that it felt meaningless.
Flora lowered her head and looked back at the ball of yarn.
‘But if it’s just a small thing…’
She slowly raised her hands, adjusting the position of the needles between her fingers.
‘Maybe I can make something “useless.”‘
It didn’t need to have a meaning. It would be enough to just record some traces of existence.
As this thought surfaced, she finally began to move.
The yarn was gently pulled out and looped around the needle.
It was very slow. But she didn’t stop.
Flora stared at the yarn in her hand for a few seconds before she finally moved.
She first tried to wrap the yarn around the needle, imitating the person next to her. Although her movements were cautious, the yarn was disobedient; it would slip if she wrapped it too loosely, and it would get stuck if it was too tight.
She frowned slightly.
‘This isn’t right.’
She changed her angle and tried again. This time was better, but after only a few stitches, the spacing of the yarn became uneven. Some parts were dense while others were loose, and it already looked a bit crooked.
Flora stopped.
She looked down at the small section she had completed and remained silent for two seconds.
‘As expected, I can’t do it.’
This wasn’t something she was familiar with.
Magic, rituals, theories — she could complete those by relying on understanding, memory, and control. But something that relied entirely on feel and experience was quite unreasonable.
She took a deep breath but didn’t unravel it to start over.
If she tried again, the result wouldn’t necessarily be much better.
So she continued to knit.
Her movements were slow but very focused. She no longer sought to make it “look good,” but instead tried to make each stitch as complete as possible so it wouldn’t unravel.
The needles clacked softly, making tiny sounds.
Her attention gradually deepened.
The surrounding sounds felt as if they were separated by a layer. The crowd’s chatter and occasional laughter became blurred. All that remained was the yarn in her hand and a rhythm that was becoming clearer.
Pull the yarn, loop the needle, push.
Occasionally it would get stuck, and she would stop to slowly smooth it out with her fingertips. When the ball of yarn rolled a short distance across the table, she pulled it back and continued.
The product gradually took shape.
… It looked like a small, irregular knitted patch.
The edges were uneven, and the angles were skewed. The color of the yarn was soft, but the overall piece couldn’t be described as exquisite.
Flora looked at it and couldn’t help but sigh softly again.
She had originally wanted to knit a small bag or an amulet pouch. But looking at it now, it probably couldn’t hold anything.
‘Then I’ll just call it… a coaster.’
She continued to knit without making any further changes. When the time was almost up, she tied off the yarn. The knot wasn’t pretty, but it was very secure.
“Time’s up!”
The organizer’s voice rang out.
Flora put down her knitting needles and gently pressed her hands onto the knitted piece.
She felt unexpectedly relaxed.