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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Rose Garden
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After leaving the house.
We took a carriage and toured the Viscounty of Ansi.
“My goodness, it's so beautiful...”
Gazing at the sparkling azure sea, the Duchess was completely captivated.
“Lady Ansi! The sand is so soft! It tickles my feet!”
“Be careful, you'll fall if you run like that!”
Walking barefoot on the soft white sand, the Duchess and I burst into loud laughter side by side.
We also didn't forget to browse the shopping district and buy all sorts of souvenirs.
“Duchess, what on earth are you going to do with that seashell necklace...?”
“Does everything have to be useful to be bought? Some things in this world are valuable precisely because they're pretty and useless.”
The Duchess spouted her sophistry without batting an eyelash.
And I... just went along with it.
It wasn't the first time I'd heard her specious reasoning.
“Ah, today was so much fun.”
The Duchess finally murmured, her face as content as a well-fed cat.
“Duchess, you must be tired, right?”
At the same time, I played the trump card I'd been saving.
“Shall we have a snack and rest for a bit?”
“A snack? That sounds lovely.”
Among the current hot spots in the Viscounty of Ansi, there was one place I knew the Duchess would particularly love.
That place was...
“Wow.”
The Duchess looked around, her face filled with enchantment.
The place I had brought her to was a coffee house in the Viscounty of Ansi, famous for its beautiful garden.
In the spacious garden attached to the coffee house, summer roses of every color were in full bloom.
The rich scent of roses tickled the tip of my nose.
The Duchess, who had been admiring the scenery as if mesmerized, soon turned around, her eyes sparkling.
“How on earth did you find a place like this? It's truly amazing!”
“I promised, didn't I? That I'd be your exclusive tour guide.”
I smiled, my eyes crinkling.
“I put some thought into it.”
Well, I am the daughter of the Viscount of Ansi, after all.
I know my way around the famous tourist spots and shops in the viscounty.
And on top of that, my experience running around attending to Serapina was a big help...
A bitter taste filled my mouth for no reason, so I deliberately spoke in a more cheerful voice.
“Back in the capital, you took me to that famous brunch place, remember?”
“Hm?”
The Duchess blinked.
The day I first visited Madame Kristensen's dress shop and that brunch spot with the Duchess.
That day was still vivid in my memory.
The day I felt like the protagonist of my own life for the first time.
“Then would you mind shutting your mouth and moving aside? I'd like to eat in peace.”
The words the Duchess had snapped at Gregory, who had been picking a fight with me for no reason.
A friend my age who took my side.
A time when I wasn't attending to someone, but sitting across from them and laughing together.
...How happy that time had been.
Feeling my face flush for no reason, I subtly glanced down at the floor.
“So I wanted to make sure I created a good memory for you too, if I ever got the chance.”
“Lady Ansi.”
“That day... was really fun.”
I added awkwardly.
“Though I'm sure it was nothing special for you.”
Even so, I had always wanted to tell her someday.
How much strength her small act of kindness had given me.
How special she was to me.
But then.
The Duchess suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Me too!”
Her eyes, bluer than the southern sea we saw today, stared straight at me, unwavering.
“I had a really great time with you too, Lady Ansi!”
The Duchess raised her voice again, her tone bursting with emotion.
“So! That means you don't have to think about repaying me or anything!”
“What?”
“I just like being friends with Lady Ansi... ah, well, it's a contract, of course, but still!”
The Duchess's face, as she rambled incoherently, turned as red as a ripe tomato.
I stared blankly at her.
So, the Duchess was now...
‘Is she being shy?’
The Duchess, who had been biting her lip, quickly turned away.
“I'm, I'm just going to go look at the roses for a bit!”
“D-Duchess?”
“Go on in and sit down first! Order whatever you want to eat, okay?”
With that shout, the Duchess scurried off toward a cluster of roses.
Staring blankly at her retreating back, I let out a soft laugh.
‘I think I finally understand why the Duke cherishes her so much.’
At first, I just planned to get close to the Duchess to get back at Serapina.
I thought it was just a calculated relationship, to the point of writing up a friendship contract...
‘How could anyone not love someone so adorable?’
Something tickled deep inside my chest.
...I felt incredibly happy.
Grinning foolishly, I entered the coffee house.
Until that moment, I had been in the best of moods.
To the point where I thought it was a truly perfect day.
But.
“Oh my, Lari!”
As soon as I stepped into the coffee house, a cheerful voice called out to me.
Wait, this feeling of déjà vu... what is it?
I flinched, my shoulders tensing.
‘No way, that voice is!’
I had a feeling my mood was about to be dragged through the mud.
Turning around with a reluctant expression, I saw a group of ladies occupying a large table.
Among them, one person was leaning back in her chair like a queen.
Wavy, light green hair, and deep green eyes that resembled lush foliage.
And the elegant smile playing on her lips...
“...”
I was at a loss for words.
‘Serapina?!’
No, why is she here?
Didn't they say she was staying in the County of Gusto?
“It's been a while, Lari.”
Serapina beamed at me.
“Fancy seeing you here. Lari, you seem to be having a lot of fun with the Duchess lately, hm?”
“Well, yeah.”
I replied sullenly.
For a moment, Serapina's brow furrowed slightly.
My defiance, when I used to be so subservient, must have bruised her ego, right?
But as soon as our eyes met, she skillfully hid her displeasure, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
I, on the other hand...
‘Why does she keep provoking people?’
I came here with the Duchess, so I don't want to cause a scene.
I faced Serapina without even trying to hide my irritation.
Serapina seemed a little taken aback by my indifferent attitude, but...
“Speaking of which, I heard a rumor that the Duchess came down to the Viscounty of Ansi. Did she happen to come with you?”
As if determined not to be pushed back by me, she kept talking with a bright smile.
“If so, why don't you join us? It's just so nice to see you.”
Serapina added in a gentle voice.
“The tea's on me, okay?”
In the past, I probably would have been touched by such a kind gesture from Serapina.
I might have fawned over her like a fool, trying to stay on her good side.
...even if it meant driving a nail through the heart of someone who truly cared for me.
But now.
“I refuse.”
A faint crack appeared on Serapina's smiling face at my firm reply.
“For one, I'm not particularly happy to see you. And for another, I see no reason why the Duchess and I should have to sit next to you.”
I continued indifferently.
At that, the ladies sitting beside Serapina rose to their feet like a swarm of bees.
