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Chapter 34
Just as Aven cut the cake, a grand performance began, and the surroundings became chaotic.
“Anyway, I need to step aside for Lena and the male leads to have their moment, so maybe this is for the best.”
I carefully avoided Lady Ola and her followers, walking in the direction Cassel had gone.
Unexpectedly, catching up to him was not easy.
Once he left the banquet hall, he disappeared almost immediately.
Frantically scanning my surroundings, I spotted his gray hair vanishing toward the back of the large mansion.
After a brief hesitation, I heard Lady Ola’s voice echoing from the corridor, and without a second thought, I ran toward the back of the mansion.
I didn’t really need to avoid her, but being chased made me want to run.
It was human instinct.
“If I stay near cold Cassel, she probably won’t come close.”
Or maybe not? If it was that Lady Ola I saw at the banquet, perhaps it was possible.
I followed Cassel’s shadow, passing a garden with a fountain, and walked along a stone path decorated with huge crystal ornaments.
Every time I was about to call his name, he disappeared again, almost as if testing me.
“What is he, some kind of clockwork rabbit…?”
After complaining to myself about Cassel appearing and vanishing like a hallucination, I finally arrived at a massive greenhouse garden.
A greenhouse garden so extravagant that only the truly wealthy could afford the upkeep and maintenance.
“Wow.”
It was a scene straight out of a fairy tale: charming, exotic, and delicate.
I forgot all about finding Cassel and walked slowly.
Even the birds, butterflies, and tiny angel statues buried among flowers seemed artistic.
As I followed the winding path, I eventually arrived at a wide-open space.
A garden filled with pink hydrangeas around a small fountain, blooming like fluffy cotton candy.
And there, a tall man stood firmly.
“…Cassel.”
I slowly approached him and crouched down.
Then I carefully examined the blue flower he seemed to be watching.
Its petals spread as if they might flutter away at any moment, a mix of blue and purple, exuding an enchanting allure.
Like butterflies living among fairies.
“It’s a butterfly hydrangea.”
“…Yeah.”
Cassel answered quietly, then crouched beside me, folding his large frame.
Even with his long legs, which might have made it uncomfortable, he didn’t groan once, staring at the same spot. That was so like him.
I looked at his long, pale eyelashes and lost myself in thought.
“Cassel Zenda.”
The man known to users as “my own gentle wolf.”
Gray hair covering his neck, deep silver-gray eyes, neat eyebrows, and a sharp jawline exuded the loneliness of a wild wolf abandoned by the world.
But in reality, despite his massive build, he loved herbivores and adored plants—a big dog in a giant body, popular for that reason.
“He seems indifferent to the world, but his focus and obsession explode when someone enters his territory.”
Winning him over was surprisingly simple, yet not simple at all.
The key was shared interests.
His interest was undoubtedly plants.
But…
Cassel:
“White crystal orchids can grow without chlorophyll. Then where do they get nutrients?”
▷ I don’t know…
▷ They get nutrients from fungi. (Diamond 50)
▷ They have longer roots than other plants and absorb more water to make up for nutrients.
Cassel:
“You… can tell the difference between the species of Campanula, Violet, and White Milk Violet? Then can you find which one is Campanula?”
▷ Purple petals
▷ White petals
▷ White base with purple petals (Diamond 50)
…In my previous life, greedy game operators had microtransaction choices, but not now.
“I wonder if Lena knows the answer.”
Without a convenient answer sheet like a paid-choice game, I had to create some interest in her.
Of course, I hadn’t just done nothing until now.
“Hello, Lady Lena. Do you know what flower I saw today? Ta-da, it’s a Campanula. Can you see the purple streak on the white petals, like watercolor? I found it in the garden this morning and send it to you. Have a day as fragrant as its petals.”
— April, 1483 Empire Calendar, your friend Archel
“Hi Lena! It’s May, full of lilac fragrance. On the way to the café, I saw blooming lilac and couldn’t look away. Did you know? If you swallow five lilac petals, luck will come, and your wish will be granted. You can even check love fortune. If the five petals go down smoothly, it means the one I like likes me back. Amazing, right? Remember, five petals.”
— May, 1489 Empire Calendar, your true friend Archel
“What a touching effort.”
I didn’t know which choices Lena might face, so it was important she had a general knowledge of plants.
I didn’t think she read my letters carefully, yet I could at least say I had done my best while apart.
“Good job, me.”
Recalling the past letters with various plants enclosed, I glanced at Cassel again.
Our eyes met, his gaze making me feel like I wanted to pet him.
“Ahem…!”
There might be something to talk about…
“Oh? I haven’t seen this plant before.”
I pointed at a pale green leaf sticking out alone among the butterfly hydrangeas.
Cassel glanced at the sprout and kindly explained:
“This is probably a Hab or a Tahab.”
“Hab is a common wildflower, isn’t it? But I’ve never heard of Tahab.”
“Hab and Tahab seeds look identical, so you can’t tell what will grow until they sprout. You might barely tell them apart when young.”
“Hmm.”
I stared at the tiny sprout, smaller than my pinky, intrigued.
“And what do you think this is?”
“Probably closer to Tahab.”
I perked up at the familiar-sounding name.
“You might not know, though. Tahab flowers are so rare that no one has figured out how to make them bloom consistently. They’re unpredictable.”
“Oh, like a lucky plant?”
“Maybe. Want to hear something more interesting? Tahab petals are usually red, but very rarely, they turn from red to purple.”
“Then its value must be incredible.”
Had I ever talked with Cassel this long before? I found myself completely absorbed in his words.
But then, Cassel made an unexpected suggestion.
“Do you like flowers?”
“Of course. I know quite a bit about them.”
“Then come see them sometime.”
“Huh?”
“They’re at my house. Purple Tahab.”
It felt as meaningful as saying “let’s have a meal together” in Korea, and I hesitated.
“Maybe it’s just a polite remark?”
…Or maybe not, with Cassel.
I missed my chance to answer, and he got up from his spot.
Looking up at Cassel, whose enormous height radiated presence, he smiled faintly.
“Close, isn’t it?”
The change was subtle enough that you might not notice without looking closely, but I began to understand why people called him “my own gentle wolf.”
While I blinked in daze, Cassel had already walked away.
It took a while before I remembered he was the lord of Medina Village, where I lived.
And that Medina Village was on the outskirts of the marquisate.
“Not really that close…”
Inside the quiet carriage, I couldn’t stand the silence and spoke first.
“Is it okay to go back already?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Well, it’s my first time meeting so many people. Wouldn’t it be fine to stay a little longer? Rihart, Cassel, Aven… maybe even Izael if we look for him…”
As I quietly persuaded myself to return to the banquet hall, my words died under Lena’s gaze.
Her long eyelashes, like carefully painted brush strokes, gave her eyes a mesmerizingly deep and beautiful yet cold look.
“Did she notice I was going to leave first?”
After exploring the greenhouse garden with Cassel, I concluded that I couldn’t possibly see all of it today.
So I returned to the banquet hall and boarded the carriage back to the dorm.
Of course, Lena wasn’t there.
By now, she was probably enjoying a flirty moment with the male leads. I didn’t want to appear and ruin the mood.
“My mission today is over.”
Just as I leaned back, exhausted, the carriage suddenly stopped.
“Is the road blocked?”
I thought the roads would be empty since the party was in full swing.
I waited for the carriage to start again, but someone knocked on the door.
“What is it?”
I stood and opened the door.
There stood Lena.
Like an angel coming to find me, who was sulking alone…
Actually, she radiated a subtle decadence, but to me, she looked like an angel. She brushed her hair back from her cheek and asked:
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“What are you doing here alone?”
She looked around the carriage to confirm no one else was there, then curled her lips into a pretty smile.
