Third Act: Trifles at Summer's End

A golden beetle slowly climbed up the smooth surface of the hourglass. The hooks on its feet were useless against the glass, and only after several attempts did it manage to grab the hourglass's wooden support and climb up. But just as it reached the top, a pale finger flicked it back down. It angrily beat its wings, making a rustling sound, but could only helplessly fall back onto the walnut tabletop. After turning twice and flipping itself over, it began repeating the same actions as before.

The window gleamed brightly, with lush green leaves hanging down from the sill. Downstairs, Madame Camille was trimming branches beside the dwarf rose bushes. The flower beds in the courtyard had been inherited from the time of Grudin, but Madame Camille was a veteran noble gardener whom Antitina had specifically hired from Ambersell. The madame was unaccustomed to Tonigell's hot climate, but she praised the character of the noble young lady Antitina without end, believing her to be the true epitome of a refined and virtuous lady within a hundred miles. Her bearing and etiquette were no less impressive than those of a princess, and she had likely taken a liking to such a mistress. That was probably why this proud madame had agreed to come to the remote backwater of Fir Territory.

"Brando, you... you're not really blaming me, are you?" In the study, Aloz was looking at Brando with an unusually—one could even say exceptionally—meek expression. Nearby, a tall, white-haired man stared at the scene in astonishment. In his memory, when had this female tyrannosaurus ever shown such a docile side? Among the three great calamities of the dragon race, Aloz was surely number one. If he spread word of her current appearance, no one would believe him. He felt this