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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Suspicious Flowers and an Unwanted Visitor
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“Your Majesty, are you really going to eat all of those yourself?”
Enoch, who was laying Riana down on his bed, glanced back at the grumbling voice.
Still hadn't given up, had he?
The Black Elder, with Ariel on his back, circled around Enoch.
“Yes. I’m going to eat every last one.”
“You might burst your stomach.”
“I don’t care.”
“Your Majesty, I never knew you were such a greedy person.”
“You didn’t? I’m quite greedy.”
As if to prove his point, Enoch placed the bag of cookies on a high shelf before returning.
The Black Elder’s eyebrow twitched at the sight of it, placed at a height he couldn't reach even if he stretched.
“So Your Majesty is petty and greedy! After serving you for so long, this is the first I'm learning of it!”
A hint of fatigue touched Enoch’s cool face as he let out a faint smile, amused by the Elder’s tantrum.
Seeing Enoch rub his stiff neck, the White Elder pushed the Black Elder back by the forehead.
“That’s enough out of you. By the way, Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“When do you plan on informing the Little Marquess?”
“……About what.”
The lighthearted mood of moments before instantly grew heavy.
“That there seems to be no record of the Little Marquess and the Duke’s Daughter manifesting their special abilities.”
“Hah.”
Enoch ran a hand through his hair, a headache coming on as he recalled the temple’s excuses for not showing him the records.
This wasn’t something that should be taking so long.
The temple’s attitude certainly made it seem like they were hiding something.
“Nothing is certain yet. I’ll tell them after I’ve confirmed it myself.”
“That’s not all. It’s also strange that, contrary to her reputation for being tyrannical, the Little Marquess rarely left the estate or interacted with others.”
According to what they had found, Riana only ever left the marquessate for two reasons.
To visit the ducal estate on a set date, or to attend an event hosted by the imperial family.
“The only ‘trouble’ she ever caused was occasionally asking to see Your Majesty. And even that request never reached you, so we’ve only just learned of it…”
“It is also quite strange that the only people she associated with were the Duke and the Duke’s Daughter. Isn't this the age when one should be actively socializing with friends?”
“Your Majesty, this. I mean, this is…”
The White Elder, who had been trying to choose his words, spoke carefully.
“Something isn’t right. You must feel it too, Your Majesty.”
“Perhaps the Little Marquess’s incomplete memories are related to Duke Herington. Also.”
The Black Elder, his playful demeanor now gone, took a deep breath.
“This is just my speculation, but… the Duke may have been involved in the former Marquess’s death as well.”
“……”
Enoch, who had been quietly gazing at the sleeping Riana, brushed a speck of flour from the tip of her round nose.
“Later. Just a little later.”
“But, Your Majesty.”
“We don’t have anything certain yet, do we? It’s all just speculation.”
Yes, it was only speculation.
With incomplete information, he didn’t want to burden Riana with hasty assumptions.
Especially if it meant reopening an old, festering wound.
So, once he had more solid information, he would tell her then.
“The records archive will be empty soon. Prepare to enter the temple without being noticed.”
“……Understood. But, Your Majesty. Will you really be alright?”
“What about?”
“Perhaps it would be better to just wait for the temple’s response?”
“And who knows when they’ll respond? Rather than humor the temple while they make absurd demands with no intention of providing anything, it’s better to raid the place myself.”
“But if you are discovered, Your Majesty’s dignity will be—”
“I won’t get caught, so don’t worry. Elder, you have a tendency to underestimate me.”
Why did he sound so proud of his plan to go commit burglary?
In the end, the White Elder took a step back and let out a weary laugh.
“If you get caught, I don’t know you.”
“Mmm, Enoch?”
Enoch, who had been shrugging confidently, turned his head at the sound of his name.
“Are you awake? We must have been too loud.”
“No, I think I just dozed off for a bit. *Yawn*. By the way, did you try the cookies I made?”
“Of course.”
“How were they?”
“…Mm… They were delicious. Truly.”
***
*Plink. Plonk. Plink.*
Ariel, who had been staring at the rain outside the window with a pout, trudged over and buried her face in my leg.
From above, her squished white cheeks looked like little rice cakes.
“Ariel, what’s wrong?”
“Mommmyyy… Water keeps falling from the sky.”
“I know. The weather seemed nice lately, but now it’s raining again.”
I watched the raindrops stream down from the dark clouds that had completely hidden the sun and gently poked the pouting child’s cheek.
“Are you in a bad mood because of that? Because we can’t go on our picnic?”
“Mmm, that’s part of it…”
“You don’t like the rain, Ariel?”
“Nope!”
“Why?”
“It’s all wet, and it tastes yucky!”
…You’ve tasted it?
Blinking at her unexpected answer, I burst out laughing.
“I’m bored! ‘Riel is gonna go play with Sister Roa.”
She must have been getting antsy just sitting around.
Ariel announced she was going to play with the new maid and scurried out of the room.
Waving at her retreating back, my expression quickly turned serious again as I looked at the plate in front of me.
“Lady Riana? Is something the matter?”
“Hmm…”
“You’ve been acting strangely ever since you returned from the imperial palace a few days ago. Did something happen with His Majesty?”
Noticing my concern, Dane approached with a teapot.
*Trickle.*
Even as warm tea filled my empty cup, I continued my staring contest with the object on the plate before calling Dane’s name seriously.
“You know, Dane.”
“Yes.”
“The world is vast and people’s tastes are varied, so there must be people who like rather unique flavors, right?”
“Pardon?”
Ignoring Dane’s ‘what is she talking about’ expression, I picked up the object from the plate.
“What is that, by the way? You’ve been glaring at it for a while.”
“A cookie.”
“……? A cookie?”
*That’s* a cookie? *Where?*
I shot a mild glare at the butler, whose thoughts were plainly written on his face, and took a deep breath.
Then, I took a bite of the cookie, which was identical to the one I had made for Enoch a few days ago.
“Ugh.”
My face involuntarily scrunched up in disgust.
“Dane, would you like to try this?”
“……Are you certain it’s edible?”
*Chew, chew.* I didn’t know why a cookie would be so rubbery, but as I chewed the contents of my mouth, I offered him a piece. Dane leaned his upper body far back.
The old butler reluctantly reached out and accepted the cookie. With each chew, the color of his face began to change dramatically.
“How is it? Delicious?”
By the time his face had gone from red to white, and then to blue…
I asked him how it tasted. Dane forced himself to swallow the cookie and pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile.
The problem was that the twitching of his smile was visible even from a distance.
“It’s… delicious.”
“Be honest.”
“……I have never tasted anything like this in my life. What on earth did you put in it?”
“Huh? Just butter, sugar, flour…”
I only used the same ingredients everyone else does, so why did it turn out like this?
Staring at the cookie, which was a mystery even to its creator, I scratched my chin.
“Dane, I think His Majesty has a very special palate.”
“Pardon?”
“He said this was delicious.”
“……”
As I watched the butler open and close his mouth, searching for a polite yet appropriate response, a purple flower on one side of the room caught my eye.
“Hm? What’s that? I haven’t seen that flower before.”
“Pardon? Wasn’t it sent by His Majesty?”
“What are you talking about?”
“For the past few days, other servants have been bringing me flowers, saying they were from His Majesty.”
My response, which made it clear this was the first I was hearing of it, brought a look of bewilderment to his pale eyes.
“Wait, a few days ago? You mean there are more besides that one?”
“Yes. He always sends the same flower, so I’ve placed them not just in this room but all over the estate. I naturally assumed you were aware…”
“I had no idea.”
So that was why the estate had been filled with a strange fragrance lately…
*Did Enoch really send them?*
He did send me things from time to time.
But Enoch always asked for my opinion before sending anything.
“Hmm… I don’t think so.”
Once I became aware of the flowers, I felt a throbbing headache coming on, so I pushed open the window.
*Plink.* The cool raindrops on my skin seemed to soothe the pain a little.
Dane, who had been watching me, said he would find out for certain and left the room. He returned a short while later.
“Lady Riana, it seems there was a misunderstanding.”
“Oh?”
“The people who brought me the bouquets were also just delivering them at the request of others.”
No one had heard directly that His Majesty had sent them, Dane explained with a bow.
“It seems a rumor got mixed in as the message was passed through several people. It is my fault for not confirming it thoroughly.”
“Hmm.”
“I apologize. As His Majesty is the only one who sends things here, I, too, believed them without a second thought. I will gladly accept any punishment.”
“No, it’s an understandable mistake.”
As Dane said, whether it was goods or people, no one but Enoch and the Elders ever came here.
No matter how bad my reputation was, this was still a marquessate, yet it was as isolated as a remote island, with no visitors to speak of.
So, if it had been me instead of Dane, my first thought upon receiving the flowers would have also been that Enoch sent them.
“Still, just in case, I’ll ask His Majesty, so—”
I was about to say, *so please get rid of the flowers in the meantime*, when I spotted a carriage making its way through the rain toward the estate and narrowed my eyes.
“Dane, were we expecting anyone today?”
“Pardon? We received no word from the imperial palace—”
“No, not His Majesty. I mean another guest.”
“…….That can’t be, can it?”
As if to mock Dane’s words about who would possibly visit, the carriage, bearing an unfamiliar crest, stopped in the puddle-strewn garden.
And through the opening door, a bouquet of purple flowers, identical to the ones decorating this room, came into view.
“Huh? Those flowers…!”
And where the flowers ended, the person smiling sweetly, looking directly at me, was…
“It’s been a while, Riana.”
It was Karhel.
