Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Jacob brought over a little rabbit figurine that looked like it had seen better days. It was rough around the edges and had one ear broken off, clearly not something bought from a shop.

"The year she went missing, I made this for her during the Starlight Harvest Festival. She got grounded that year for making a mistake, and couldn't go out to play. I was supposed to have the servants buy her one, but my dad didn't allow it as part of her punishment. "So, I secretly made this one out of clay and baked it at home. After it was baked, I painted it, but the colors have faded over time. When she got it, she seemed to dislike it and dropped it on the ground. That's when one of the ears broke off." Jacob's voice trembled, and his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"She didn't like this figurine at all. She seemed almost offended by it, and cried. I thought if she felt that strongly about it, it must have left an impression."

Violet looked at the shabby rabbit figurine, its faded paint and broken ear making it quite the eyesore. "If someone gave me something like this, I'd cry too. It's something I'd never forget in my life."

"Exactly. Things are either deeply loved or utterly despised, and both kinds stick in your memory," Jacob said, reluctantly handing the rabbit figurine to Violet. "I have some other toys from her childhood, but they're all too ordinary-things anyone would have. This one is one of a kind."

"One of a kind? That would just make me cry even louder." Violet accepted it with some disdain.

Seriously, it really couldn't get any uglier. Even its features were all muddled.

Jacob shot her a hurt glance. "Don't say that. I hadn't learned how to make these before. It was my first attempt."

"And you burned the back of it." Violet turned it over in her hands. "Actually, the whole thing is black. You just covered it in paint, right? You must've had to touch it up later?"

fading, so I had to keep adding more. I haven't done it in two or three years. But if she sees it, I'm sure she'll

face away just in time to catch Rafael's

"Just like

just thinking that her

do everything perfectly. Our junior guild member here has

you have special skills or abilities, feel free to show them off so I can

shot a cold glance

He hadn't called Carissa's embroidery ugly.

changed the subject. "Jacob, tell me some fun stories about you and your sister from when you were

he reminisced about the past. His father was a seventh-ranked county chief in Cloud County, and his family had a

and

the daughter of

them lived a comfortable

Cloud County was plagued by poverty and chaos, with bandits and thieves causing

upon himself to

local officials and guards to hunt down the bandits. After more than ten attempts, he