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Chapter 23
Diana had known for a long time that she wasn’t exactly a welcome presence, but she hadn’t expected it to be this blatant. Faced with the reality before her, she let out a deep sigh. This was no time to be blindly happy just because she had earned his recognition.
The ecosystem among maids was far more cutthroat than the aristocratic social scene. Diana, who understood that better than anyone, was certain that winning their hearts would take longer than crossing nine mountains.
In the end, the only ones left were a middle-aged woman with a build noticeably larger than Diana’s—bigger both in height and breadth—and a young maid about the same size as Diana, or perhaps a little smaller.
Well, at least not everyone left, Diana thought, forcing herself to be positive.
“Shall we start with introductions, then?”
“I’m terribly sorry, milady. I’ll go drag those impudent brats back here right away, even if I have to kick their backsides myself. I truly have no excuse—eh?”
“We can’t just sit around doing nothing now that things have turned out this way. As I said earlier, I’m Diana Fenril.”
“A-ah! Um… I’m Elka. Sasha, what are you doing? You should greet milady too!”
“…Sasha,” she said.
When Sasha bowed her head, the thin line of her neck was fully revealed between the two braids hanging down.
Come to think of it, Sasha wasn’t an unfamiliar face.
“Oh, you were the one who brought me breakfast last time, weren’t you? Thanks to you, I really enjoyed it. It must’ve been quite heavy… thank you so much.”
Apparently she hadn’t expected Diana to mention that incident, because Sasha’s shoulders twitched noticeably. But when she lifted her head again, her face was slightly redder than before.
“It seems like it’ll be hard to find help inside the castle… Do you happen to know anyone outside the castle you could recommend?”
As if she’d been waiting for the question, Elka immediately named someone.
“There’s a forest keeper who’s also the gardener. He usually lives outside the castle, so it seems he didn’t come here.”
“There was a gardener…?”
Then why was the greenhouse in that state? Diana shot the head maid a suspicious look.
Walter was the gardener of Fenril Castle, as well as its forest keeper—and its gamekeeper.
Unlike other forests that were common property, the forest surrounding Fenril Castle and everything it produced belonged solely to the Grand Duke as his private property.
Hunting or gathering fruit there without permission was strictly forbidden.
In that regard, Walter was perfectly suited to the role of forest keeper and gamekeeper.
Anyone who came face to face with his massive, hibernating-bear-like build and his face that looked like a bear just awakened from winter sleep would never again dare approach the Grand Duke’s forest.
Disliking crowded places, Walter lived not in Fenril Castle but in a cabin near the forest. Thanks to that, aside from those who came to deliver daily necessities at Elka’s request, many people didn’t even know of his existence.
That day, after patrolling the forest—pruning overgrown branches, clearing dead shrubs, and pulling out poisonous mushrooms—he headed home, looking forward to the cozy darkness and the cool, comforting air that would be waiting for him.
But instead of a dark, empty cabin, what greeted him was a brightly lit window and endless white smoke rising from the chimney.
“You’re back?”
“Are you Walter?”
“….”
The axe he’d brought, ready to swing if needed, slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Elka stirring a pot in front of the hearth as if it were her own home was something he’d experienced a few rare times before, so he was used to that.
But who was the young woman in obviously high-quality clothes? And what about the even younger little girl in Fenril Castle’s maid uniform?
Since the cabin had been built, this was the greatest number of visitors it had ever seen. Cold sweat trickled down Walter’s forehead.
“If you’re back, why are you standing there like a doorpost instead of greeting Her Grace the Grand Duchess right away?”
“H-huh…?”
“It’s all right. I’m the one who came because I needed help.”
“G-Grand Duchess…?”
“I am Diana Fenril.”
As he floundered over the unfamiliar title, the woman called the Grand Duchess narrowed her eyes and smiled lightly.
Throughout her explanation of why someone who should have remained in the inner quarters of the castle had come all the way out here, Walter couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“So, Walter, I need your help. Would you be willing to lend me your strength?”
“Eh? Uh… um, y-yes….”
His mind elsewhere, Walter hadn’t actually heard what he was supposed to do. All he could manage was to nod his creaking head up and down.
“Just off the top of my head—cleaning up broken glass, replacing the fountain mechanism, filling in new soil instead of the rotten earth, and above all…”
Counting on her fingers, Elka trailed off and glanced sideways at Walter.
“…the trees are dead.”
Without showing much reaction, Walter silently drained the bowl of clear vegetable soup Elka had whipped up in no time. Setting the bowl down, he spoke again.
“Completely?”
“I don’t know just by looking. I know how to cook dead plants, but not how to bring them back to life.”
“…Let’s go see.”
Walter stood, gathered the outerwear he’d taken off, and slipped it back on. Before Diana could even rise from her seat, he hurried out of the cabin.
Seeing his retreating figure—which looked exactly like someone fleeing an uncomfortable situation—Elka clicked her tongue and draped a shawl over Diana’s shoulders.
“For someone that big to be so shy… Still, his skills are solid, so you can trust him.”
Walter’s expression, which had been stiff ever since entering Fenril Castle, darkened so much upon stepping into the greenhouse that it was hard to tell who was Walter and who was the dead tree.
His serious gaze fixed on the dead tree, and the careful way he stroked the branches with his fingertips, as if afraid they might snap, showed Diana how dearly he loved plants.
“Walter, what’s the name of this tree?”
While he examined its condition, the Grand Duchess followed close behind, treating him like a walking plant encyclopedia.
It would’ve been a lie to say it wasn’t annoying. Still, as a gardener, it was gratifying to see the owner take an interest in the garden, so though Walter answered curtly, he didn’t ignore her.
Unlike the other beds, the central flowerbed of the greenhouse rose upward, enough to be called a small hill.
But now, with no towering tree left—only a ghostly tree twisted in silent screams—it was closer to a massive grave than a mound.
To Diana’s question, Walter replied bluntly.
“Wisteria… it is.”
Diana’s eyes widened. Wisteria? This huge thing?
She knew of wisteria. There was one in the garden of Baron Lapin’s estate.
But the wisteria she knew was a vine that grew supported by a pergola, forming a fragrant purple canopy in summer—not a single, massive tree like this.
Though it was now a dead old tree with blackened, burned tips, Diana could easily imagine how beautiful it must have been in bloom.
Without a word, Walter searched for any sign the dead wisteria might still be alive, rummaging carefully. Watching him, Diana felt certain. With hands like those, the greenhouse would surely be reborn.
While he made a thorough inspection of the garden, Diana began drafting a budget as ideas came to her.
- Repair broken glass
- Replace fountain parts
- Replace rotten soil; purchase new soil
- Purchase seeds, saplings, bulbs, and seedlings
“Hmm… everything from start to finish costs money….”
Chewing on the end of her pen, Diana groaned.
Fenril was wealthy enough not to be lacking even compared to the imperial family. Baron Lapin had proven that fact the day he received the list of betrothal gifts—cheering so loudly that he missed a step and tumbled down the stairs.
But what she needed right now was cash she could use immediately.
Who do I have to go see this time?
Once again, Elka solved Diana’s problem in an instant.
“Sir Aquila is also involved in the castle’s internal administration, so he should know all about it.”
“Sir Aquila? I’d guessed he was capable, but to that extent….”
“That’s why the Grand Duke values him so highly.”
Carried away, Elka went on at length about what a fine knight Aquila was, and how popular he was among the servants. She looked just like a proud parent boasting about her child, and Diana found herself chuckling.
“Ahem! Pardon me.”
“No, it’s fine. Shall we go right away, then?”
Elka smiled gently and shook her head.
“Hmm, before we go see the knight, you should change your clothes first.”
At some point, the hem of Diana’s skirt had become a mess of dirt. When she noticed the grass stains on her sleeves and the ink smudges on her fingers, her cheeks flushed red.
