The next day
Anasta sat at her desk as usual to write a letter to her sister, then read a little from her theology book.
After that, she tidied her room, sat down before the chessboard Ryan had given her, and began reading to learn the rules.
Her gaze kept drifting back to the board.
It was the very first gift she had ever received.
The wood's polished, sleek surface and the gleaming squares made it clear that a craftsman had poured immense care into it.
By the time she had read a while, glancing at the board now and then, the clock struck ten.
Even with the room's windows open, Anasta felt a lingering stifling heaviness.
She realized she had not stepped outside the annex once since arriving at the Soltaire estate.
Though her leg would not let her walk without a crutch, she wanted to move around a little more.
“May I go outside for a short while?”
Anasta approached the maid standing outside the door and asked.
“Where do you intend to go?”
“I would like to take a walk. I was told I am permitted to stroll through the front garden.”
“I will ask the head maid for permission.”
A few minutes later, the maid returned with approval.
“Shall I prepare a wheelchair for you?”
“I can manage with my crutch. I will only be walking for a short while.”
“I will help you with your coat.”
With the maid's help, Anasta tidied her appearance, put on her coat, and stepped outside.
Just as she expected, two maids followed close behind.
Though their presence was excused as attendance, in truth they were watching to ensure she did not run away.
Anasta had no intention of running, so she paid the two maids trailing her no mind.
She stepped into the garden before the annex, greeting the razor-cold breeze.
“…There is a glass greenhouse over there.”
As Anasta gazed at the winter flowers, a domed structure caught her eye in the distance.
“Yes, you may have a look inside.”
“I would like to go there.”
She made her way over, leaning heavily on her crutch.
Inside, the glass greenhouse was a fair size.
It housed an array of flowers and trees, and butterflies—the first to discover this wonderful place—fluttered softly all about.
Marveling at how the white puffs of her breath vanished in the warmth, Anasta soon turned her eyes to the blossoms.
Her gaze fell on beautiful blooms that could never be found in the depths of winter.
With a tender smile, she brushed her fingers against the petals, felt the soil, and ran her hand over the tree trunks.
A pleasant scent, a splendid view. She instantly loved the place.
Spotting a bench in the center, she sat down and opened the chess book she had brought along.
“I shall read my book here for a while.”
“As you wish, Miss.”
Anasta kept her gaze fixed on the book with a tranquil smile.
The moment she concentrated, her eyes never left the words.
She turned the pages in deep focus, the movements of her hands and the expression on her face entirely earnest.
She was so absorbed that she did not even notice someone watching her.
Ever since arriving at the estate and taking up residence in the main building, Duran had lived a life drenched in sheer boredom.
He spent his days sleeping, eating, flirting with the maids, and sitting on the windowsill humming idle tunes.
It was a dull routine, but having been so busy before, Duran had not thought the idle stretch would be all that bad.
Two days in, however, his mind had changed completely.
The Soltaire estate was suffocatingly quiet and endlessly tedious.
When he thought of heading to the capital to carouse with his friends, he found them all tied down with family affairs after graduation.
Having nowhere else to turn, Duran decided to seduce a maid who had been watching him.
“M-Master Duran.”
She was an intensely shy woman. Duran captivated her at once with his handsome face and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“I—I am so happy.”
‘So easy.’ Duran smiled faintly.
“Truly?”
“Yes. You are so handsome, Master Duran. In truth, being kissed by you was my dream.”
“Congratulations, then. You have made your dream come true.”
“I want… I want more kisses….”
“Shall we head to the greenhouse, then? It is small and old, so it will be quiet.”
There, he would give her a deep kiss, whisper sweet words, and lead her on.
In a few days, she would surrender completely and give him everything.
That would keep him entertained for a few days, at least. Yet when Duran made his way toward the greenhouse with this scheme in mind, signs of movement inside gave him pause.
“Is someone inside?”
In this weathered old greenhouse.
At first he assumed it was the gardener, but it was not.
A blonde woman was sitting on the bench, quietly reading a book.
Duran watched in awe as she sat poised over her book, undisturbed by the breeze brushing against her.
She was striking, captivating to behold.
She seemed like the greenhouse's singular, exquisite bloom—a color that had sprouted all the more nobly here to escape the freezing wind.
“Master Duran…?”
Sensing Duran's unusual gaze, the maid grew uneasy.
“Someone is there, so we should go somewhere else. Let us go to your room instead, shall we?”
The maid's hand brushed temptingly against Duran's chest, but he did not budge an inch.
It was not some clichéd love at first sight, yet the moment he saw that woman sitting with her book, his interest in the maid melted like snow.
“Master Duran, please.”
“Who is that woman?”
Duran finally spoke.
“…Ah. You mean the woman who is nothing more than a pretty face? They say she is the daughter of a ruined count's family. A woman sold off to the second young master.”
“Her?”
Duran asked again, looking thoroughly incredulous.
“Yes. Why?”
“Isn't she far too beautiful to be sold to a young master drawing his last breaths?”
“Master Duran, are you betraying me now, looking at someone else?”
“Betrayal?”
The corner of Duran's mouth curled upward.
“No, hardly betrayal.”
“Truly?”
“Was there ever anything between you and me to begin with?”
The maid's face went stiff.
Duran shoved her hand away and spoke in a cold tone entirely stripped of his earlier gentleness. “You and I were merely seeking a bit of fun.”
“I—I… that is not true! I was sincere!”
“Were you?”
“Are you going to go to that woman? She is your brother's bride!”
“From what I understand, she is not his bride just yet, is she?”
The maid's face twisted at Duran's smirk.
“I—I will tell the Duchess everything.”
“Go ahead, do as you please. But you had better thank that woman. Thanks to her, you managed to keep your virtue intact.”
· · ·
“Ah. Or was there none to begin with?”
Staring at Duran's laughing face, the maid stormed off, her cheeks burning red.
Duran made no move to chase after her, returning his gaze to Anasta instead.
When he had heard his brother had a fiancée, he had wondered what kind of madwoman would agree to such a thing, but she had turned out to be an extraordinary beauty.
‘Perhaps her mind is twisted, then.’
There had to be some hidden defect. Driven by curiosity and intrigue, Duran moved to approach Anasta.
Right then, Anasta closed her book and straightened her back as if preparing to leave.
‘Is she injured?’
Only then did Duran notice her moving with the support of a crutch.
It did not appear to be a permanent limp, for the leg that did not lean on the crutch was sound and bore her weight well enough.
It seemed something had happened between that woman and his brother while he was away.
“Miss, are you finished with your book?”
“Yes, the greenhouse is so lovely that I was able to concentrate quite well.”
Anasta spoke in a pleasant, melodious voice, still completely unaware of Duran's presence.
“Would it be possible for me to come again tomorrow?”
“I will ask the head maid.”
“Very well.”
Duran tilted his head, watching her speak so politely even to a servant.
Her personality did not seem flawed either….
‘Well, tomorrow it is, then.’
Duran smiled triumphantly. It seemed he had stumbled upon something amusing in the midst of his suffocating boredom.
“I heard you went outside.”
Anasta nodded at Ryan's blunt tone as she brought in his medicine along with his meal.
“I had no idea there was a garden and a greenhouse.”
“A small greenhouse?”
“Yes, it is truly a lovely place. I liked it very much.”
Ryan had been staring out the window, but he shifted his gaze to Anasta without unknitting his brow.
“It was well maintained?”
“Yes.”
“Strange. I thought it would be in shambles.”
Anasta did not understand why Ryan would think that. He soon dispelled her wonder.
“It was a place my late mother tended.”
· · ·
“After she passed away, my eldest brother and I looked after it. But then my brother entered the seminary to become a priest, and my body ended up like this, so the place was abandoned.”
Ryan let out a dry scoff.
“Yet you claim it is beautiful. I can hardly believe it. Are your standards of beauty lower than I thought?”
“I, too, know how to look upon flowers, and I know how to appreciate trees. I know what a well-tended garden looks like. It was so pleasant that butterflies were fluttering all about.”
“Ahem.”
“If you do not believe me, Sir, why not go see the place for yourself?”
Ryan's eyes turned sharp in an instant.
“And why would I? It is a place everyone has abandoned. I have no reason to go there.”
“It was merely a suggestion, not a command.”
“Give me my food.”
Anasta set a small table before Ryan and served his meal.
The small greenhouse.
It clearly held great meaning for Ryan, and it seemed a terrible pity for him to ignore it without ever setting eyes on it again.
Anasta watched as Ryan took up his spoon.
Lately, he had taken to reading books and playing chess.
Even so, this room had to be a dreadfully narrow world for him.
Anasta had felt the same way when she lived at Count Winterlit's estate.
A place so old, so dilapidated, filthy, and confining.
Believing that going outside held no meaning either, she had simply lain there like a corpse.
The person who had dragged her into the light had been Natasha.
And when she had stepped outside holding her sister's hand, she had found the world vast and vibrant with color, so unlike the dull monotony she had pictured.
“…Sir, would you not like to go outside?”
Ryan's hand froze at Anasta's careful question.
END
