Walking a long way down the stone path to the left of the magnificent fountain in the center of the Duke’s Estate, I finally reached a patch of dirt.
The blue sky was lined with puffy, sheep-shaped clouds. Trees stretched high enough to pierce the heavens, while the castle ramparts loomed in the distance.
I had always moved only between buildings, so walking for a stroll after such a long time made my heart feel like it was bursting open.
Once I cleared the thicket, a vast garden carpeted in green grass unfolded.
Unlike the gardens of other noble families, there were no fine ornamental trees or manicured flower beds to be seen. However, the lush green grass under the blue sky created a picture-perfect landscape all on its own.
Now, all I had to do was find the Mandlesong, which grew like weeds anywhere.
“Found it.”
Scanning the garden, I spotted a dense colony of Mandlesong growing exactly where the sunlight hit the earth.
Marin picked as much as she could carry, filling her picnic basket to the brim. I needed a significant amount; I had to extract the juice.
“This is good exercise, too.”
My lower back felt stiff from the constant bending and straightening. As I tapped and patted my aching spine and looked up at the sky, it seemed the sun would soon set.
After returning to my room with the basket, I fell into deep thought.
“How am I supposed to juice this?”
I needed a mortar and pestle. Should I ask Yuria to bring me one?
Looking out the window, the sun had already dipped below the horizon; it was almost time to go to the Duke.
While I poked at the yellow petals of the Mandlesong, a subtle peppermint scent wafted up. When I held the flowers closer to my nose, the aroma sharpened, crisp and cooling.
Marin picked a single yellow petal, placed it in her mouth, and chewed.
My palate felt instantly chilled. It wasn’t burdensome at all, much like sucking on a peppermint candy.
“I can just chew it to make the juice.”
Marin gathered enough flowers to fill her palm. Squeezing her eyes shut, she put them in her mouth and chewed vigorously. Fortunately, the cooling properties made the process pleasant rather than repulsive, leaving my mouth feeling refreshed.
After changing into the dress Yuria had altered, Marin stuffed her pouch full of Mandlesong flowers and picked up the fairy tale book.
I planned to head to the Duke’s office while finishing off the remaining petals.
* * *
Marin arrived in front of the Duke’s office, still rhythmically chewing the flowers. Even before I could knock, the Duke’s voice cut through the silence.
“Come in.”
Marin, now accustomed to the routine, lit the candle and stepped inside. The Duke remained submerged in the usual gloom.
I swallowed the pulp of the flower I was chewing and approached him. As I drew near, I held out my wrist. The Duke gripped it firmly, then released it immediately.
“Why are you still wearing your old dress?”
Marin narrowed her eyes, observing him with suspicion. Is this man truly blind?
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“The dress was tailored today, so it takes time. ‘Thank you’ is a greeting for the gift you provided.”
“Is it a fairy tale book again today?”
As he pivoted the subject, Marin pretended not to notice and followed his lead.
“Yes. Then, I shall begin.”
“……Imsi, what is that scent?”
The Duke turned his head toward her, his brow furrowed.
“Scent?”
“What were you eating earlier?”
Only then did I realize what he meant. He must have caught the lingering fragrance of the Mandlesong.
“I tried eating some flowers.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“Olive doesn’t seem like the type to neglect his work.”
He meant to ask why I was foraging for flowers instead of eating the meals provided.
“I just felt like it.”
Marin didn’t have a proper excuse, so she brushed it off vaguely.
“I should tell Olive to try harder so you don’t feel bored. Imsi’s mouth is precious.”
“Yes?”
Marin asked back, eyes wide with surprise.
My mouth is what, now? I never expected such words from the Duke.
“Are you not working?”
“Yes, I am. Then, I will read.”
Marin gave him a side-eye with a strange expression before opening the fairy tale book.
“Once upon a time, a mother who had lost her husband long ago lived with her kind and beautiful daughter. The kind mother coincidentally met a fine gentleman and soon fell in love with him.”
“Is that really a fairy tale book?”
“Yes, it is. Shall I continue reading?”
Marin said confidently.
“Go ahead.”
“One day, the mother told her daughter: My dear daughter, it seems you will soon have a new father. And you will also have two kind older brothers. The daughter was genuinely happy. Because her mother was happy.”
*Gurgle.*
Marin was startled by the sudden protest from her stomach and pressed one hand firmly against it.
I checked the Duke’s reaction; he sat motionless, his face unreadable.
“The daughter was very much looking forward to the day she would meet her new family…… Aaaah.”
*Gurgle. Gurgle-gurgle.*
The sound from her stomach grew louder, more insistent. My vision blurred as the internal pressure spiked.
“Imsi?”
“D-Duke, ugh, Your Grace.”
Marin squeezed the words out through grit teeth.
“Imsi?”
The Duke straightened his posture, tilting his ear toward her.
Don’t tilt your ear!
Marin clutched her abdomen, cold sweat drenching her skin, and barely managed to continue.
“I, my stomach, my stomach…….”
*Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle.*
Thunder was rolling inside her.
“I, later……. Ugh.”
“Go.”
“Yes. S-sorry……. Ugh.”
Marin threw the fairy tale book down and scrambled for the door. She thought she heard a sharp, crisp laugh echoing in her wake, but lost in the agony of her stomach, she couldn’t be sure.
* * *
Gerald laughed heartily, his shoulders shaking. It was the first time he had laughed out loud since he went blind.
He was so amused that, for a moment, he didn’t even feel the piercing pain in his ears.
The curtain behind him trembled slightly in response to his mirth. Gerald leaned back into his chair, lingering in the aftermath of the rare release.
She was a woman whose next move could never be predicted. She insisted she was a commoner, yet she carried herself like the daughter of a noble house.
The young ladies he had encountered at parties were all obsessed with appearing clean and innocent. If they heard even the slightest “dirty” talk, they would avoid the seat, feigning absolute ignorance. Many would refuse to drink even a sip of water just to avoid the indignity of needing a restroom.
And yet, here was a lady who had bolted out of the room with such undignified urgency?
Tomorrow, she would probably write a suicide note out of sheer embarrassment and attempt to end her life.
The smirk on Gerald’s face suddenly stiffened.
What if she really attempted it? I couldn’t let her go so easily. She was now a person he absolutely needed.
“……Kay.”
“…….”
He felt Kay, who had prostrated himself quickly before him, in the shift of the breeze.
“Tell Olive to take care of Imsi’s medicine. And keep someone on surveillance to see if she attempts suicide.”
Kay, head bowed, disappeared like the wind.
The cool floral scent that had emanated from her still lingered in the air. It was a fragrance he had never known before, yet it felt incredibly refreshing. He had never been interested in flowers, and ever since the monster flower that blinded him, he had shunned them entirely.
Unaware that he was worrying about her, Gerald closed his eyes and deeply inhaled the scent, which was, for the first time, not repulsive.
* * *
After a desperate struggle in the bathroom, Marin lay on her bed with a pale, exhausted face.
Fortunately, the stomach pain was settling down, likely due to Zero’s medicine, which I had prepared in advance.
“How embarrassing. How am I supposed to look the Duke in the face now…….”
Marin buried her face in her pillow and kicked her legs. The bed was so plush that her feet sank into the velvet.
The situation in the office earlier floated back into her mind. She could have sworn she heard a loud laugh.
“No. There’s no way the Duke laughed. The male lead never laughs loudly. Right. Never.”
Marin went through a moment of denying reality as she brainwashed herself.
It’s strange. There’s no way the Duke would have laughed, so why are tears forming?