IBML 15

Chapter 15

“Ah~ the weather’s so nice!”
[Truly. At times like this, it’s best to take a bath in the soft soil of a flowerbed.]

I stretched out and shaded my eyes with one hand. With the other, I patted Shuivan, who I held in my arms.

Riventa was flying above my head.

My body felt a little stiff, probably from yesterday’s training.

We had agreed to practice with the spirits briefly but consistently at least once a day.

It wasn’t anything grandiose.

They said that to properly handle our abilities, we needed to start with the basics and get used to our own elemental attributes.

So for several days, I’d been outside, feeling the wind and getting my hands dirty in the soil. Riventa sometimes blew wind at me playfully, tangling my hair.

Shuivan busily flung soil at me with those tiny feet. And it really was serious business.

I thought it might be pointless, but they were earnest.

While I was doing this, they also explained the details of their abilities, so I couldn’t exactly call it pointless.

Anyway, after crouching for so long, my body didn’t feel completely refreshed.

After training, I also read the book Rekalin had given me.

I lifted my head and gazed at the sky.

It was the perfect Sunday. The gentle breeze carried the faint scent of flowers and grass.

I checked my watch. Tea time was scheduled for exactly 3 PM, well past noon. Perfect for afternoon tea.

Rekalin hadn’t suggested any alternative dates and had simply agreed to whichever day Kalian wanted.

When I first suggested having tea, Rekalin had nodded. But when I mentioned Kalian would accompany me, she had briefly looked puzzled before agreeing.

In a way, it almost seemed like she was a little disappointed.

The tea would take place on the second floor. The building had several rooms besides the gallery, and we decided on one with wide windows.

On a day like today, it would have been perfect to lay out a mat outside and eat kimbap. I couldn’t help but feel a little wistful.

It would have been nice if there were an orangery or greenhouse in the garden.

Before the weekend, I had pressured Rekalin and Kalian enough to figure out their personal preferences.

I also made sure to subtly highlight each other’s strengths to set a pleasant mood.

As a result, I could narrow down a few shared interests.

I stayed up all night selecting topics for conversation and planning everything—including how to use Riventa and Shuivan.

That’s why my face probably looked pretty drawn.

I was approaching my thirties, not twenty, so staying up all night had its consequences.

I planned to attend this tea myself, then find an excuse to skip future ones so they could continue meeting privately.

So I needed this tea to go as smoothly as possible.

So far, things had gone reasonably well, so I hoped this one would too.

“Let’s go together, Rife!”

I quickened my pace, almost running, and caught up to Kalian as he tried to climb the main building stairs.

Kalian looked back at me with a playful smile.

Today, he looked radiant. Like sunlight scattering in water, Kalian seemed to shimmer even in the chandelier’s shadow.

In a way, it was like watching someone slowly swim beneath a deep lake.

I led Kalian to the designated spot.

He wore a white men’s blouse with small floral embroidery and frills, paired with sleek black trousers rolled up slightly.

He looked just like an actor stepping onto a stage.

“Your outfit looks great today.”
“Same goes for yours, Rife.”

I was wearing my usual clothes, only with a newly draped outer garment embroidered with silver thread. Still, hearing him compliment me felt nice.

We leisurely ascended the carpeted stairs.

“By the way, Rife, what do you have in your hand?”
“It’s a gift for the duke.”

He was holding a box about the size of two apples.

A dainty ribbon decorated it, showing it had been carefully wrapped.

I asked about the gift, but Kalian said he couldn’t show me since I wasn’t the recipient.

A pity, but there was nothing to be done.

We rounded the corner and arrived at the tea room. I knocked, and the door soon opened.

Rekalin’s silhouette appeared faintly.

Kalian entered the room with Lasha.

Half the wall was occupied by a large window, and a round table made of pink marble glittered in the sunlight at the center.

Velvet-cushioned chairs were plush and inviting.

Various treats for tea were laid out on the table.

On a three-tier tray were blueberry scones, grilled tuna spicy sandwiches, and strawberry-pistachio macarons stacked neatly.

The sweet aroma mingled with the delicate scent of blended black tea.

Kalian clumsily picked up a teacup and brought it to his lips. Across from him sat Rekalin.

Rekalin was Kalian’s superior’s superior.

He presented a better work environment than Kalian had ever experienced and was more upright than rumors suggested.

He inspired both human affection and respect.

He had also shown kindness by magically cooling Kalian’s suddenly hot hands, and Kalian was genuinely grateful.

Yet there was one tricky point. Kalian hesitated over when to give his gift, placed at his feet.

He planned to hand it over when the tea had smoothed the roughness of the swallow.

Kalian recalled the first day he met Lasha, a day his younger siblings were nearly in grave danger.

Having endured wage arrears, illegal contracts, and workplace harassment, Kalian’s siblings were pillars that allowed him to keep living.

Even if those pillars had once abandoned him, left him behind like luggage dumped by a father returning after years, he still needed them.

He thought life would have been far harsher without them.

He was endlessly grateful to Lasha. Not only had she helped him with a job, she had treated him kindly ever since.

She never crossed the line, and although he himself had sometimes been overly attentive, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her. The progress had been rapid.

Of course, Kalian didn’t think Lasha had no ulterior motive. He always kept in mind the wish she had deferred.

But he didn’t think her intentions were malicious. Even if they were, he was satisfied with the current relationship.

Kalian felt his heart slowly leaning toward Lasha.

She had come into his life like a fleeting dream.

Her hair was the sweet color of caramel, and her golden-brown eyes shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

Her personality could be livelier than Pana at times, calmer than Paul at others.

She blushed easily at his gifts and words, and her dark circles from overwork were endearing.

Kalian remembered how she had casually called him by his name rather than his title.

That soft, small articulation had struck him profoundly.

Without any lewd or sinister intent, it had felt strange yet delightful to hear his name spoken.

In the boundaries set by “assistant” and “gardener,” calling him by his given name was a small rebellion Kalian wanted to see more of.

There was potential—but only if one thing were made certain.

Kalian finished the last drop of tea and set down his cup.

The window behind him let a gentle breeze sway his hair.

He lifted the gift from the floor and placed it on the table. The ongoing conversation paused.

He pushed the gift toward Rekalin and said, locking eyes with him:

“It’s modest, but I prepared a gift for the duke. It’s not gold or money—I made it myself.”

When Rekalin asked what it was, Kalian smiled radiantly, like the sun, like the benevolent god Lire creating the world.

His soft lips parted:

“It’s belladonna.”

I felt utterly elated.

Riventa periodically blew wind to liven the conversation, and the discussion flowed like water.

The desserts on the tray were exquisite.

I smiled as I popped a chocolate macaron into my mouth.

Rekalin, like Kalian, had human affection for him. Anyone would have liked a subordinate who passed difficult interviews and worked diligently.

The topics of conversation were varied, mostly led by Rekalin.

Rekalin smiled often, and I blew small gusts of wind to adjust hair angles perfectly.

Hair truly had a magical property—styled correctly, even a pumpkin could be made to look like a watermelon.

With the window open, the breeze seemed natural.

I felt at ease.

The mood was at its peak, everyone relaxed… when Kalian revealed the gift he hadn’t told me about.

I anticipated what might be inside, but his answer was shocking:

“Belladonna.”

Pfft!

I accidentally spit out the tea I’d been sipping.

Fortunately, the table was wide enough to avoid hitting anyone, but my clothes were splattered.

I set down my teacup and hurriedly wiped my clothes and the table with a napkin.

Belladonna was a famous plant.

Famous for its poison.

Even a single fruit—or a single drop, if refined—would be lethal.

I forced my mouth shut and stared at Kalian in horror.

Rekalin was already glaring at him coldly.

The warm room suddenly felt like a blizzard.

I felt suffocated under that piercing gaze.

From Kalian’s cheerful smile, I sensed this tea time might be ruined.

We had been conversing just fine until now—what on earth was happening?

I swallowed a cough and a tear, thinking:

Who gifts a lethal poison to their superior during tea time?!