WWOT 16

Chapter 16

Before long, brilliant spring sunlight poured down over the neatly restored garden of the Crowley estate.

Everything was changing.

The scenery of the garden, and the hearts of the young ladies and gentlemen who had finished their debutante ball.

But in Onyx’s hands, as he stepped out of the Crowley estate, there was once again a stack of documents.

The only difference was that instead of his usual ornate Crown Prince’s uniform, he wore a light shirt.

Visiting the estate of his great-aunt, the Grand Duchess of Crowley, dressed so casually made him feel as though he had returned to his days as a Grand Duke—when he bore no responsibility for anything.

Leaving Drukes behind today, simply because he wanted to enjoy himself for once, also helped.

As he walked through the garden, Onyx opened the documents.

As the stack grew thicker with time, so did his certainty in the magic stone business. Gaining the support of the “Imperial Second Club,” whom he had met again after a long time, strengthened that confidence even further.

The Imperial Second Club.

Though he had once scolded whoever came up with such a childish name, Onyx, during his days as Grand Duke, had been one of its most diligent members.

Like many other nations, the Visk Empire strictly forbade members of the imperial family from participating in politics. Should they gain influence, it could threaten the next successor to the throne. Thus, most royals traveled freely under the pretense of conducting business.

Naturally, Onyx—born as the Emperor’s nephew—had once had only one goal in life: to travel the world with his uncles and aunts and live as a free businessman.

As if their blood were different, the imperial family of Visk were all sharp when it came to money and trends. Even among them, Onyx’s eye was so exceptional that seasoned businessmen could only click their tongues in admiration.

But when the former Emperor died suddenly without an heir, Onyx was unexpectedly raised to the position of Crown Prince. He had no choice but to give up his dream of being a businessman. Yet what saddened him even more was being expelled from the Imperial Second Club.

His gaze, which had been swiftly scanning numbers in the documents, shifted to the well-kept garden.

Has Great-Aunt begun tending the garden again?

Only then did he properly lift his head and slowly look around. His eyes caught on a piece of red cloth floating on the pond. It looked similar to the red water lily held by that brazen young lady who had thrown herself at him the other day to appeal to him.

[Onyx.]

The memory of that day surfaced along with the water lily drifting on the water.

Onyx could not understand why he had uttered only his name.

Why had he hidden his identity? Was it because he wanted to play along with that cunning young lady who pretended not to know who the Crown Prince of this empire was?

Frowning, he gazed quietly at the pond. Over the red cloth shaped like a beautiful water lily, the woman’s clear smile from that day overlapped.

As if trying to forget his uncharacteristic behavior, Onyx let out a faint scoff and returned his eyes to the documents.

“Be careful!”

Clink.

As he crossed the garden quickly, something rough crunched beneath his foot.

“Your feet—!”

Clink.

Startled by a woman’s voice rushing from behind, he lifted his foot. The ceramic object that had barely retained its shape completely shattered.

“Ah… It’s completely broken…”

A woman was already crouching at his feet, anxiously examining the broken pottery. It was the very face that had appeared among the pond’s water lilies.

Minuet LeVine.

Where on earth had she come from?

Onyx looked around the wide-open garden and almost felt like applauding the woman who had suddenly appeared. Her diligence in tirelessly crafting scenarios without a moment’s rest was astonishing.

Every encounter ended awkwardly.

Either she ran away, collapsed drunk, or he himself left the scene.

That was why he had never been able to grasp her intention. Her actions seemed to have no clear purpose.

Today’s situation was also beyond his expectations.

“I apologize.”

With a cool apology, Onyx quickly turned to leave. The more he became entangled with this woman, the more he found himself acting in ways that were unlike him. He wished to avoid further mistakes.

[Onyx.]

Despite the unpleasant feeling rising again, his gaze naturally drifted to her lips.

To the mole above them.

“You can’t just leave…”

As he hurried forward, the hem of his trousers was tugged tight. Looking down with disbelief, he saw the woman crouched on the ground, holding the broken pot and clutching his trousers firmly as she looked up at him.

She may have missed her bridal training due to illness, but had she not even learned basic etiquette and dignity as a noble lady?

“What should I do… This is pottery sold only at Mr. Kurkle’s shop…”

“I will compensate you.”

Though her voice lacked confidence, Minuet finished speaking. Despite her courage, Onyx’s response came swiftly and coldly.

“It’s not that compensation is the issue… Mr. Kurkle came yesterday, and I only just chose this piece. I can’t trouble him to come all the way again…”

So?

Her cryptic words held Onyx in place.

For merchants to bring goods to noble houses was perfectly normal. Why was she making such a fuss over it?

She met him.

That fact alone made all the days she had spent waiting in the garden worthwhile.

This is how difficult romance is.

Just when she was growing weary of waiting endlessly for a man who did not appear for days, he finally came.

And yet here she was, standing before the man she had waited for, speaking clearly about a broken pot.

Damn occupational habit…

Though she now lived as Minuet, inside she was still Min Yuae. No matter how she struggled, she was a team leader from Interior Design Team 1 down to her bones.

“You seem to know quite a bit about pottery.”

Once she started speaking, she could not stop. Before Onyx, she launched into a detailed explanation of the broken pot’s unique material and pattern.

“Ah, I’m responsible for decorating this garden.”

Garden decoration?

Onyx alternated between looking at the woman speaking and the garden itself.

At last, his question about why she kept hovering around his great-aunt’s garden was answered.

But why?

It still made no sense.

He gazed at the familiar garden. It was a place he had occasionally visited to clear his mind when the Grand Duchess was away.

The Grand Duke had left the servants in place so that whenever his wife returned, she would feel at ease. Thus, the estate had always remained neat and peaceful.

But as the Grand Duke’s business expanded, the couple’s visits grew rare. Unlike the carefully maintained estate, the garden quickly lost its lushness. The gardener had no need to keep flowers blooming year-round for a couple who visited once every one, two, or three years.

That had been the standard for budget allocation set by the Grand Duchess—who was as sharp in calculation as her husband was in business.

If she was tending the garden again, it meant her complete return to the Visk Empire.

And that was precisely what Onyx wanted.

But why was a count’s daughter involving herself in another noble family’s garden? And not just any family—the great House LeVine?

“You are decorating the garden, my lady?”

“I didn’t do it all myself. The Grand Duchess of Crowley assigned people to help me.”

Of course she did.

Onyx slowly examined the noble lady before him, who expected him to believe she dirtied her dress to decorate a garden. His eyes became like those of an officer interrogating the truth.

Her pale skin was flushed as if tired from unfamiliar exposure to the sun. Her reddened cheeks lent credibility to her claim of working in the garden.

Could it be true?

“Miss LeVine?”

“Yes.”

“You are a count’s daughter, are you not?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

What trick was this now?

That such a precious young lady of House LeVine would treat garden work as nothing special—

Even as Minuet spoke naturally, Onyx found it hard to believe her. Instead, he wondered whether this entire situation was yet another carefully crafted scheme to toy with him.

If she could devise schemes this well, might she not even be useful in state affairs?

The thought that she possessed qualities befitting a Crown Princess made him let out a small laugh.

He was once again convinced that stepping on the flowerpot had also been part of her precise calculation.

Minuet, her cheeks filled with anticipation, asked softly,

“Will you really… compensate me?”

Onyx found himself almost impressed by her, smiling at him as though nothing were wrong.

Was she changing genres each time to leave a special impression on him?

“How much shall I give you? If I don’t have enough money on me, I’ll send someone to the LeVine estate.”

“I have money too. As you said, I belong to a noble house.”

Minuet stated her intention clearly.

After humming thoughtfully for a moment, she looked at him steadily.

“Did you come on horseback, perhaps?”

At her question, Onyx glanced toward the horse tied at the end of the garden.

“Yes.”

“Then could you take me to the shopping district? That will serve as compensation for the round trip.”

He had expected her to demand a higher price for the pot.

Instead, she asked to go out together.

Were newspaper articles not enough? Did she intend to parade through the city to show even more clearly that she was playing with the Crown Prince?

Caught off guard, Onyx gave a short laugh.

“Isn’t that excessive for a single flowerpot?”

“It’s not just the flowerpot. You’ve taken my time and effort as well, so I suppose I’ll take a bit of your time too.”

With a bold expression, Minuet stared at him.

And then that bold look transformed into a bright, irresistible smile that made refusal nearly impossible.