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Chapter 42
The gardener touched it with the palm of his hand and said,
“This stalk has grown this much in just one day. The speed is frightening. I honestly can’t even tell what it is anymore.”
“W-What is this…?”
Grandmother’s face first turned deathly pale, then flushed red with anger. Clenching both fists as if she were about to rush off and strangle Father on the spot, she questioned the gardener.
“Are you saying those bastards didn’t just break the agave leaves, but also did something strange to the agave itself?!”
But this wasn’t the result of some bizarre act. I grabbed Grandmother by the arm.
“Wait, Grandmother. This isn’t anything strange.”
“Then what is it?”
To be honest, I didn’t know much about agave either. Where I used to live, agave wasn’t grown as an ornamental plant, and at school I’d only learned about it in theory.
And in that theory lay the answer to this stalk.
“Agave flowers are extremely rare by nature. They bloom only once in several decades and then die, so people say that if you see one bloom, you should make a wish. Just like this—suddenly the flower stalk shoots up and blooms.”
“It blooms… and then dies?”
I nodded firmly at the startled Grandmother.
“Yes. This one is trying to show you its flower one last time, Grandmother.”
“One last time…!”
Grandmother turned back to the agave. The light in her sparkling eyes as she gazed at the stalk was different from before. She squinted at the tip of the stalk, then tilted her head.
“But I don’t see any flowers.”
“The stalk will grow even more. Much, much taller than it is now. And then the flowers will bloom. Maybe in about three days?”
“Three days…”
In truth, I didn’t know the exact timing either. All I really knew was that the flower was so rare people jokingly called it the “hundred-year flower.”
Still, that shallow bit of knowledge was enough to comfort Grandmother. She stared at the plant with an indescribable expression, then broke into a genuinely happy smile. Seeing that, I shrugged and smiled too.
Right. This is why growing flowers is also a way of growing oneself.
Some might say that flowers, which can’t even speak, are useless—but even silent flowers can surprise us with gifts like this.
“Riena, would you check on the agave every day until it blooms? I’m worried it might die from that wound before the flowers open.”
Honestly, there wasn’t much I could do…but I nodded readily.
“Of course, Grandmother. I’ll check the farm in the morning and make sure to stop by the greenhouse in the evening.”
Restoring the completely burned watermelon field would take a long time, but thinking about everything Lady Grandmother had done for me, visiting the lord’s castle every day was nothing.
And I’ll get to see Kamin when I come here.
Because of Grandmother’s earlier talk about weddings and babies, I felt inexplicably embarrassed and couldn’t look Kamin straight in the eye. I glanced at him sideways and thought to myself,
When the agave blooms, I’ll make a wish too—that Kamin and I can be happy every single day.
And then, the very next day.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t made my wish quickly enough, or maybe it was the final obstacle to our love. An unexpected person set foot in Postin.
“Hello! I’m the crown princess of this kingdom, Kang Sena!”
Kang Sena—there she was.
Kamin knew about Kang Sena as well.
She was a girl from another world who had suddenly appeared in the kingdom. The temple had bestowed upon her the title of “Sacred Maiden” and tried to place her under its jurisdiction, but interference from the kingdom prevented that plan from succeeding.
That was because she herself refused to be acknowledged as a Sacred Maiden belonging to the temple, and instead wanted to marry Crown Prince David of the kingdom.
Smart move. If she does that, she can borrow the authority of the temple.
The country was vast, the people numerous, and news from the capital didn’t travel quickly.
Because of that, superstition sometimes played a surprisingly large role in ruling the populace.
Much like how the Ego Sword symbolized the emperor in the empire.
With a Sacred Maiden staying in the country, you can stir people up by saying that only good things will happen to this land from now on.
And that kind of agitation worked fairly well.
Whether that happened or not, the reason Kamin remembered her was because the kingdom’s diplomatic delegation that came to announce Crown Prince David’s marriage had been utterly arrogant.
“Since the gods have chosen our kingdom, doesn’t this mean it’s finally time for our prosperity to rise?”
They phrased it politely, but the meaning was clear.
You lost the Ego Sword, didn’t you? Serves you right for acting so proud. You’ve got nothing left but decline ahead of you, while we’ve got nothing but ascent.
You might be able to manipulate the common people, but once even high-ranking nobles fall for that kind of talk, there’s no saving it. Resting his chin on his hand, Kamin thought that the kingdom’s future wouldn’t be nearly as bright as that man claimed.
Several years passed since then, and now—
Kamin propped his chin on his hand as he watched Riena sitting across from him, diligently eating her breakfast.
To think that the person whose engagement was broken off because of the Sacred Maiden back then would be Riena.
Fate really was strange, the way it connected things like this.
Crown Prince David really has no eye for people.
To cast aside someone as cute and lovely as Riena. As Kamin was thinking that and staring at her hamster-like cheeks, Riena, flustered, blushed bright red and spoke.
“Kamin, hurry up and eat. Why are you just staring at me?”
Normally she was bold and said whatever she wanted, but at moments like this she became shy. That contrast was adorable, and Kamin smiled lazily, chin still in his hand.
“Just watching you eat already makes me happy.”
“W-What kind of thing is that to say?”
It meant that Riena was someone special to him.
I never thought I’d start having thoughts like this.
Kamin’s life had been spent charging straight ahead, never looking back, all to become a great emperor. It wasn’t that he lacked popularity, but when it came to marriage, this was more or less what he had thought:
As long as they’re someone who can strengthen imperial authority, anyone would do.
Someone untainted by the previous generation, not corrupt, and capable of assisting his reign.
To be frank, Riena didn’t fit those conditions.
She’s from the kingdom, so it’s good that she’s unconnected to the empire’s corrupt past—but at the same time, she doesn’t really have any ties that would be a source of power.
A young lady working in pigtails, a straw hat, and work gloves—someone he’d never seen anywhere in the imperial palace.
But that’s exactly why I like her.
With deep eyes, Kamin gazed quietly at Riena. She, at a loss, kept her head bowed, her face growing redder and redder.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Lady Aurelian spoke in a stern voice.
“Children, could you show some restraint when this old woman is right here?”
“Eep!”
Riena startled and hunched her shoulders. Even that sight pleased him, and Kamin’s smiling eyes deepened.
So cute.
As he watched Riena for a while longer, recent events naturally came to mind.
Can Riena really be satisfied with just condemning Duke Pond? It wasn’t even much of a punishment.
He had planned to detain Duke Pond in Postin for about a year, but only he and Lady Aurelian knew that. Riena only knew that the duke had been prevented from approaching her.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince David and the Sacred Maiden—who actually caused her suffering—are living their lives just fine.
If it had been him, he wouldn’t have let them off so easily.
But Riena seemed to have no intention of seeking revenge at all. It was clear that, as long as they didn’t bother her anymore, that was enough for her.
Riena is kind.
That was the only conclusion. As Kamin gazed at Riena with a contented expression—
Lady Aurelian, unable to endure the pink, lovey-dovey atmosphere between the couple any longer, stood up from her seat.
“…I’ll just go eat in my room.”
“G-Grandmother?!”
Riena jumped in surprise and grabbed the hem of Lady Aurelian’s clothes, even though she hadn’t finished half her plate yet.
Lady Aurelian was a big eater despite her thin frame, and it was rare for her to leave the table without finishing her food.
Clicking her tongue, she shot Kamin a glare.
“I had no idea my grandson was this kind of boy.”
Kamin merely shrugged.
After Lady Aurelian left the dining room, Riena, flustered and nervous, sat back down, her face burning red as she covered it with both hands.
“I’m seriously going to die of embarrassment.”
It looked as if steam were rising from her red head. Tilting his head, Kamin asked,
“What’s so embarrassing?”
“It’s embarrassing that Grandmother saw all our lovey-dovey behavior! Stuff like this is supposed to be done only when the two of us are alone!”
“Hm?”
It was hard for Kamin to understand. To begin with, was it even possible to be affectionate when no one else was around? In the imperial palace, eyes were everywhere.
Kamin was an emperor, and his every move naturally drew countless gazes. It was as natural to him as breathing, so it was only natural that he couldn’t quite grasp Riena’s embarrassment.
And to be honest, even this moment felt too precious to waste. He picked out the tastiest bite from his plate and held it out to Riena.
“Here. Say ‘ah.’”
He was worried because she hadn’t been able to eat properly, distracted by Lady Aurelian. At his gesture, Riena slowly peeked out from between her fingers and grumbled,
“…Kamin, you’re really a no-brakes, straight-ahead kind of guy.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a thing.”
Riena sometimes said things that were very hard to understand. Kamin tilted his head again.
Just then—
“Lord!!”
Following the gardener, this time a soldier burst in.
