🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 41
Even though I was a married woman but a lifelong single at heart, the imperial princess began a love consultation with me.
“Since you’re the Countess of Winchester, who managed to win over the stoic Sir Winchester, I thought you’d know a lot about this field.”
You’re mistaken. The only men I know are the ones printed in books, and my knowledge of romance comes purely from novels!
“And to think that Sir Winchester even treats you kindly now—what’s your secret?”
“Well… I wouldn’t say there’s really a secret….”
The secret is that there is no secret….
“But it’s not like I know that much about men or romance.”
“Ah! Of course. The Countess of Winchester isn’t the hostess of a salon or anything, so how would you know?”
I tried to carefully confess the truth to the princess, but she didn’t seem to hear a word. She looked at me like I was just being modest.
“But you see, it’s hard for me to talk about this with anyone else. I obviously can’t tell my family, and my closest friends know who he is. If I think about what might happen later, it becomes even harder to talk about.”
What she said made sense. If a princess of marriageable age admitted she liked someone, the imperial family might immediately start arranging a marriage. Depending on who the man was, if he was considered suitable as a royal consort, maybe things would proceed. If not, they’d probably forbid her from seeing him at all.
And it would be the same with people around her. If she confessed and things worked out, great—but if not, it would just become a lifelong embarrassment. On top of that, for a princess, such a story could easily turn into a political weakness.
“How should I express my feelings to the one I like?”
“Well… maybe just by being honest?”
“How?”
“Just… if you like him, say you like him?”
“Oh my! Then, did you confess first to the Count of Winchester?”
“Uh….”
I hesitated a moment.
“…Yes.”
I answered. It was technically a lie, but not a complete one—I did confess to secretly liking Sir Winchester before.
“You’re so brave! Maybe that’s what made Sir Winchester fall for you. He’s a knight to the core, after all.”
I-Is that so? Could that really be it?
For a moment, I felt like I might understand why Sir Winchester had proposed to me, something that had always been a mystery.
Maybe he was actually shy, and just waiting for a woman to approach first? Then he saw me confess so boldly and fell in love on the spot….
‘As if!’
I accidentally imagined him blushing and covering one cheek with his hand, and instantly shattered the ridiculous daydream into pieces. That unbalanced image was so absurd.
From the start, even if he was a single father, Sir Winchester was still a man with that face, that fortune, and that title. There’s no way I was the first woman to ever like him, or the first to confess to him.
‘Seriously, why did he marry me?’
It still remained a mystery.
“But my situation is a little different from yours.”
Despite the jumble in my head, the love consultation continued.
“For one thing, it would be too burdensome for him, and then there’s my social status and reputation….”
Well, yes. I was just the daughter of a minor baron, while she was the princess of an empire.
“Then maybe you should wait patiently for him to confess first?”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“Then it means he doesn’t like you, and you should just give up….”
“That’s not right! With my position, it’s hard for me to approach him, but at the same time, it’s not easy for him to approach me either. So even if he does like me, he might not be able to confess.”
I almost blurted out, So what do you want me to do about it?
She wasn’t willing to confess first, but also didn’t want to wait, yet still wanted to know his feelings, and hoped things would move forward, though she herself couldn’t take action.
What was I supposed to do—I wasn’t a magician!
“Hmm….”
But instead of So what?, only a troubled groan came out of my mouth. Compared to the princess, I was just a humble countess.
The princess looked at me eagerly, waiting for an answer. I only averted my eyes and kept groaning like I was thinking hard.
“Umm….”
The longer my silence dragged on, the more her expression drooped. Seeing her shoulders slump and hearing her sigh heavily made me feel sorry for her.
I remembered a saying I’d once read in books: love comes like a traffic accident.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, to anyone, equally.
Even for the woman in front of me. Despite her noble status, love had found her, and she was struggling helplessly with the feelings just like anyone else.
‘…She’s kind of cute.’
Until now, she had only seemed intimidating, and I’d wondered why she was even talking to me about this. But seeing her look so vulnerable and even adorable, I suddenly wanted to help her.
The problem was—I had no real solution.
‘Isn’t there some good idea?’
My wandering gaze fell upon the lilies in a turquoise vase.
‘Oh! So the pleasant scent in this room was lilies. Of course, this is the palace. The stems are thick, the colors vivid—such elegant flowers. They suit the princess well. Was the flower’s meaning purity? Innocence? Noble love? I can’t quite remember….’
“Ah!”
A thought suddenly struck me.
“Your Highness, what if you did this?”
“Do you really think this will work?”
The princess frowned. She clearly found my idea suspicious.
“What Your Highness wants is for him to recognize your feelings, but without it being too direct. There should be room for him to decline, and if it doesn’t go well, you can still feign ignorance, right? A way to confess without confessing.”
It was practically magic—but I had figured it out!
She wouldn’t use direct words, but flowers could express her heart. If he rejected her, she could say it was simply a token of friendship and nothing more.
Maybe I really was a genius?
“It’s just… hard to believe he’ll understand my feelings from flowers. Of course, giving flowers is a sign of affection, but to expect him to grasp the exact meaning seems unlikely, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not as explicit as a letter, of course. But every flower has a hidden meaning.”
“Hidden meaning?”
“Yes. Each flower we see has its own secret language.”
I glanced around the carefully tended palace gardens, where colorful flowers bloomed in profusion. Some I recognized, some I didn’t. My eyes landed on a familiar one.
“For example, lavender means silence.”
“Silence?”
The princess gazed at the small purple blossoms with their strong fragrance, looking intrigued.
“Why does lavender mean silence?”
“That’s tied to an old story. Once upon a time, a princess fell in love with a prince from another land. The prince seemed to like her too—he often met her eyes, smiled at her….”
“Oh! Then they both liked each other.”
Her doubtful expression vanished, replaced by sparkling eyes. Maybe she empathized with this princess, whose situation was so much like her own.
“But when it was time for the prince to return to his country, the princess thought he would surely propose. But he didn’t.”
“Why? Did he not actually like her?”
“The princess wondered the same thing, so she asked him if he loved her.”
“And what did the prince say?”
“He didn’t answer. He only gave her that same smile she had fallen for.”
The princess’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Later, word came that the prince’s country was going to war with a neighboring kingdom. The princess was so worried she rushed to him and begged him, ‘Tell me you love me, so I can wait for you faithfully.’”
“Did he say it this time?”
“No. Again, he only gave her a sorrowful smile. Heartbroken, the princess returned to her country. Still, because she loved him, she prayed for his safe return. And then, one day….”
“…Whis….”
The princess bowed her head and murmured something under her breath.
