Transmigrated To A Beastworld As The Lazy Wife Of The Fox Lord

Chapter 241: The wedding gift.

It was late in the afternoon, Sienna sat cross-legged on a blanket in the gardens of the Veythar estate. Beside her, Ali was similarly cross-legged and bent over a length of shimmering purple cloth.

Opposite them was Jess, sitting on a low bench. She was regal, even in her plain dress and cloak, threading a needle with steady hand.

The three of them were sewing, which looked like an ordinary domestic scene, except for the fact that the garments spread across their laps were clearly sized for something....not human.

Elias, who had only risen from bed thirty minutes ago, happened to walk upon this scene. He was in the company of his father, grandfather and brothers. All the men had woken up late, after their long night out.

"Ah, the sober gentlemen of our family," Jess looked up from her sewing. "Does anyone have a headache?"

Jesse yawned. "That would be me." He settled next to his wife, stretching his legs like a sailor that had been stuck on a small boat for many days. "What are you lovely ladies up to?"

Ali lifted a dress that was as small as her hand in the air. "We are making clothes papa."

Elias narrowed his eyes. "Sienna," he said slowly, "why does the sleeve of that shirt look like it belongs to a creature with no arms?"

She looked up, her face bright with mischief. "Because it does. Grandma Jess suggested that we add a personal touch to the gifts meant for Princess Lina. We are giving her the worm. Ali said it looked ugly naked, so, we are dressing it."

Ali giggled.

Gael shook his head, snatching the dress from Ali’s hands. "See what I told you about these two and drama?" He looked at Marius, raising his brows, "They thrive in it. What sane person would come up with the idea of giving a royal princess a worm as a wedding gift?"

"A worm that doesn’t belong to her in the first place?" Miro snorted. "This is Precious Twindell, Jacinta Twindell’s worm. It has a BeastNet following of 300,000 fans. I don’t think she will be too happy to see it dressed and entered into the royal pet genealogy."

Sienna said cheerfully, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. "Princess Lina adores unusual pets. Everyone else will be giving her jewels, cutlery, clocks and other ordinary things that she can afford to buy herself. But not us. We are Veythar’s, so we have to stand out. What better way to do so than present a famous worm dressed in finery?"

Her response had all of the Veythar’s staring at her in half-amusement, half-horror. Even Jess, who was dragged into the worm dressing activity by Ali, was still befuddled. Sienna had dressed up her worm theft and re-gifting so nicely, that there was hardly any room for a counter argument.

"Have you considered a horse?" Elias asked.

Jess smirked, "I asked the same question. The worm is ridiculous. But she insists. And so does Ali Mochi Paws. So here I am, wasting my eyesight on worm-sized stitches."

Sienna lowered her voice, gesturing for everyone to huddle closer. And they did! They looked like a circle of conspirators to those looking on from outside. "It’s not just any worm. It’s a temple dust worm, rare and blessed. The princess will squeal with delight. Imagine the people’s faces when she parades it around in a cloak of fox embroidered silk."

The others backed away, exchanging glances and smiles.

Elias pressed his fingers to his temple. "Sienna, do you realize how absurd this wounds? A worm in a silk cloak? Presented to royalty."

Ali piped up. "It’s not absurd, it’s adorable. Look, I even stitched tiny lion patterns on the hem. They shimmer gold when the worm wiggles. Mama says it’s a skill that could earn me money if I am not not a fox princess someday."

Elias crouched, examining the cloth. Indeed, the embroidery glowed faintly, catching the light in a way that suggested enchantment. He sighed. "You added dragon thread."

"Of course," Sienna said. "Otherwise Precious would look plain. We can’t have that."

His brothers laughed.

Jess muttered, "In my days, the only acceptable gifts were jewels, land deeds, silks, wine and food. Not worms."

Sienna smiled, "Times have changed, who still has land to give away as a gift? With the exception of nobles, that is. Most people can only afford one apartment or one house and this is after a decade of hard work. My mother worked hard her whole life and she still couldn’t afford one after two decades."

"Then I will buy her one or two. Choose a location and send the details to my assistant. " Jess said.

Sienna was so startled that she pricked her finger. She looked at the older woman with wide eyes. "Grandma, that will not be necessary. I didn’t say it to buy sympathy. My mother works for me now, she makes a good salary and bonuses on honey sales. She also opened a braised and fried meat shop at the trading center near the dock with my aunts. Within a year or two, she will be able to afford a medium sized apartment on her own. I think she will be prouder of that than being handed one by her in-laws." She never wanted her family to be leeches, like Cadelaria’s people.

Jess nodded. "Alright." Her lips curved up in an approving smile. The offer had been genuine, but it was also a test and Sienna had passed.

Sienna added, "People should give gifts according to what they can afford or what emotions they want to convey. I can afford the worm and I want to make the princess smile. She will laugh when she sees it. She will gossip, tell everyone that the fox lord and his family gave her a worm in a gown. She will write about it on her gossip column. That kind of notoriety is priceless."