The morning after the fall dawned glossy and gold over the Featherington estate—beautiful, deceptively calm, and entirely untrustworthy.
Much like the household itself.
Ellie—Penelope—woke with the urge to test everything.
The merged memories had settled into place like quilt blocks, every piece stitched with quiet clarity. Her mind felt sharper today, more focused. Her arm ached only a little—Potion Basics had done its job.
And the System hummed faintly, coaxing her onward.
⟦ TUTORIAL: CRAFT SKILL TREE – THREAD MANIPULATION⟧
⟦ Mana-thread sensitivity activated. ⟧
She sat up straighter.
Mana-thread?
She threaded a needle experimentally, choosing a soft pink thread.
As she held it between two fingers, a tingle ran through her skin—warm, humming, like the thread wanted to respond to her.
"Okay," she whispered. "Let's see what you do."
She pulled a single stitch through the fabric.
Light flickered—pale, delicate, dreamy.
Her breath caught.
Magic.
She tugged another stitch.
This time, the thread thickened with purpose, reinforcing the fabric beneath it. Not physically stronger—emotionally sturdy, like it could anchor a person.
Ellie blinked.
Was this—
Another screen opened without prompting.
⟦ MLP CROSS-SYSTEM DETECTED
Emotion-Stitching: Awakened
You may now bind emotions to thread-based creations.
Current emotions accessible: Calm, Focus, Comfort.]
The thread pulsed faintly in her fingers.
She swallowed.
This was… beautiful. Dangerous. Powerful.
Her fingers moved faster, guided by instinct and two lifetimes of skill. She stitched a series of tiny swirling runes around the edges of the handkerchief.
They glowed a soft sky-blue.
A gentle aura rolled outward like a warm sigh, smoothing her thoughts.
"Oh," she breathed, delight blooming in her chest. "You're perfect."
The System chimed:
⟦ CRAFTING BRANCH: LEVEL UP ⟧
[Craft Skill Tree – Needlework: Lv. 2
New Branch Available: Stitch Reinforcement
New Subskill: Calming Runes: Rank 1]
She clutched the enchanted handkerchief close.
This could save her.
This could protect her.
This could give her control in a world where eleven-year-olds had none.
Her door opened without warning.
Portia Featherington swept inside, silk rustling irritably.
"There you are—Penelope, why is your hair still down? And what is that in your hands?" Portia demanded.
Penelope instinctively hid the handkerchief behind her back.
Portia sniffed. "Let me see it."
No. Absolutely not.
Portia would boast about it as if she had made it, then hand it to Prudence or Philippa while telling Penelope to "try harder next time."
Her pulse spiked, but she forced her expression soft, sweet, perfectly mild.
"It's just practice stitching, Mama," she said, voice small but steady. "It isn't very good."
Portia snatched it anyway.
The runes immediately dimmed.
Ellie forced her calm. Don't activate. Don't glow.
Portia inspected the corner. "Hmph. It will do. At least one of my daughters shows some diligence."
She tossed it back onto the bed, already losing interest.
Ellie exhaled silently.
Portia didn't notice a thing.
But Penelope did.
Penelope saw everything.
Every backhanded compliment.
Every grabbed achievement.
Every stolen scrap of pride.
And for the first time, Ellie felt Penelope's old, buried ache flare beneath her ribs.
She smoothed her face.
Sweet. Polite. Harmless.
But inside?
She catalogued every danger in this house, marking them like pins on a map.
⟦NEW MISSION: SECURE SAFE SPACE ⟧
[Objective: Create a hidden, protected crafting zone undetectable by household meddling.
Reward: +800 SC
Bonus: Unlock Storage Integration (Lv.1)]
Yes. Yes, she needed that.
Ellie slipped from her room, navigating hallways she now knew too well. The Featherington house was full of rooms too stuffed to be useful—too much decoration, not enough warmth—but in a forgotten storage alcove under the stairs, she found exactly what she needed.
Small. Shadowed. Overlooked.
Perfect.
She cleared out the old hats and broken ribbons, tucked a small stool inside, and hung a shawl over the opening to disguise it as another messy storage nook.
Then she summoned the System shop.
⟦ WELCOME TO THE STORE ⟧
[Featured Item: Animal Crossing Storage Closet
Capacity: 3,000 items
Cost: 999 SC
Aesthetic: Adorably illegal in this century.]
Her heart squeezed in soft nostalgia.
Her old cottagecore soul needed this.
She purchased it instantly.
A tiny wooden wardrobe appeared in her hands—cute, pastel, absolutely out of place in 1807. She tucked it deep into her hidden sewing corner.
Inside, she stored everything she'd need:
Threads
Needles
Scraps of fabric
The enchanted handkerchief
And every tool she would gather from here on.
A small, secret empire in miniature.
The System pulsed warmly.
⟦MISSION ACCOMPLISHED⟧
[Safe Space Established
Reward: +800 SC
New Feature Unlocked: Storage Integration Lv. 1]
Ellie curled up inside her hidden corner, inhaling the soft wildflower scent of the enchanted handkerchief.
The house outside was loud.
Demanding.
Judgmental.
Unforgiving.
But here?
Here she had peace.
Here she had magic.
Here she could build something that was hers.
One stitch at a time.