“Can I take one more stroll around the street? I want to enjoy the flowers a bit more.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“I can go alone.”

“No, you can’t. I can’t allow that. Let’s go together.”

“Okay. Got it then…”

To completely sink in, I needed to focus on something. Rather than being with Kaern, who kept shaking my heart, it was better to be alone. So, intending to spend time alone under the pretext of enjoying the flowers, I tried, but I was rejected by Kaern. Unable to do anything, I got off the carriage with him and headed back to the bustling street. After that, deliberately trying not to think about anything else, I devoted myself to enjoying the flowers. And by the time the sky was covered in pitch darkness, I returned to the inn. “Thanks to Kaern, I had such a delightful day. Thank you.”

“Likewise. Now, rest well. We’ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. Kaern, you rest well too. Oh, about the walk…”

I recalled our promise to take a walk instead of drinking wine.

“Today should be fine, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Okay. I understand then.”

“Rest well.”

“Yes.”

After our final farewell, I entered my room. And immediately after finishing a bath, I prepared for bed.

“Phew.”

Perhaps from wandering around all day, exhaustion hit me as soon as I lay on the bed. But even so, sleep didn’t come easily.
I turned my body and alternately stared at the bouquet of flowers on the table and the flower that had shed its petals after looking at the flower fortune earlier.

Both were flowers I received from him, but the meanings they held were completely different.

“Let’s stop thinking about this.”

If I continued to dwell on something I couldn’t change to this extent, it would eventually lead to nothing but misery.

No more expectations, just go with the initial mindset.

With that determination, I tried to sleep once again.

The carriage that carried us spent another full day on the road, leaving Clare. It was only late at night that we finally arrived at our ultimate destination, Gronis.

After a few days of forced marching, we took a break as soon as we arrived in Gronis. And from the next morning, we began inquiring throughout the territory.

However, unlike the small village of Clare, finding something in the city-level Gronis wasn’t an easy task.

Just in case, we visited every flower shop in the city center, but there was still no one who knew about Asdel here.

If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes at Viscount Warren’s, I would have doubted whether Asdel was a real flower. The traces of Asdel were completely untraceable.

Thus, it was already the third day of wandering in vain.

Today, too, we didn’t give up and roamed around Gronis, searching for someone who knew about Asdel.
While wandering around Gronis, we heard about an old man who had lived there the longest.

“Do you think this person knows Asdel?”

“I don’t know. But it’s not impossible.”

Hoping to gain at least one more clue about Asdel this time, Kaern and I waited for the old man at the inn where we were staying.

A little later, one of Kaern’s subordinates brought an old man into the room. The man looked quite old at a glance.

“Please have a seat here.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Kaern gestured for the old man to sit across from us, he sat down with a grumbling sound.

“We’ve come to find you for one reason, we have something we want to ask you.”

“Yes, please ask anything.”

“Do you happen to know about Asdel?”

“Asdel?”

Ah…

Watching the old man’s reaction, I inwardly shook my head.

The reactions we received when asking people about Asdel until now were all similar.

Expressions of hearing about it for the first time.

Faces that had no idea what it was.

And the reaction of the old man sitting in front of us was too similar to those.

“I see. Do you know about it?”

“That… it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“I see.”

In the end, it felt like we were spinning our wheels again, and it drained my energy.

Nevertheless, thinking that there might be a chance, I quickly unfolded the book I had brought.

Then, I extended the page with the drawing of Asdel to the old man.

“It’s a yellow flower like this. Have you really never seen it before?”
“Wait a moment, um.”

The old man leaned forward, repeatedly pulling the book closer and then pushing it back, examining it. Suddenly, with a surprised exclamation, he opened his mouth.

“Oh! I’ve, I’ve seen this before.”

“You’ve seen it?”

“Yes, yes. I distinctly remember seeing it.”

“Where? Where did you see it?”

“That… when it…”

Asking about the specific location, the old man who had been speaking confidently until now hesitated and avoided giving a direct answer.

“Where did you see it?”

When Kaern stared at the old man with sharp eyes, the old man flinched and averted his gaze.

“That is…”

Continuing to evade the answer, the old man receiv
“Yes. This flower is correct. There were only these bright yellow flowers in abundance there. But it was too hot. Unbearably hot, and I remember not enduring it for even a minute.”

Eastern Marquisate, huh.

This instantly explained how the empress possessed Asdel. If the old man’s words were true, someone seemed to have created a greenhouse garden to cultivate Asdel.

“Uh… Can I take this money now?”

The old man cautiously reached for the pouch while looking for a reaction.

“Take it.”

“Oh my. Thank you. Thank you.”

With continuous expressions of gratitude, he clutched the pouch to his chest and promptly stood up. After bidding farewell, he quietly exited the room, leaving only Kaern and me inside.

“What do you think? Do you believe the old man’s words?”

Kaern asked, looking at me and seeking my opinion.

“If it’s Eastern Marquisate, it’s likely related to Her Majesty the Empress. So, there might be some possibility.”

“I’m thinking the same way.”

With that statement, Kaern fell silent, seemingly contemplating something. I, too, pondered on what to do next in the ensuing silence.

After a while, Kaern called his subordinate outside.

“Send a letter to Eastern Marquisate right away, saying I’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Yes. Understood.”
Once his subordinate disappeared again, I asked Kaern with a slightly surprised expression, “Are you going to the Marquisate?”

“I need to go. We have to confirm if Asdel is really there.”

“But…”

I hesitated for a moment but couldn’t contain my curiosity and spoke up, “Do you suspect the Empress, Kaern?”

Kaern stared at me with clear eyes in response to my question. “And what about you?”

Instead of answering me directly, he threw a question back at me. “I… I’m a bit suspicious.”

“Me too. I can’t be completely sure, but it’s the most likely possibility right now.”

“But if it’s true, wouldn’t it be a bit dangerous for us to go to the Marquisate? We would be revealing that we suspect the Empress.”

“That’s exactly why we’re going.”

“What?”

“I already know, so I’m warning you not to act recklessly.”

Kaern’s eyes shone fiercely as he spoke. In those eyes, there was also a determination not to meddle with the people around him again.

A few hours later, a response came from the Marquisate, stating that it was okay for us to visit. The next day, Kaern and I headed to the Eastern Marquisate.

Upon arriving at the Marquisate and getting off the carriage, Adrian, the Marquis of Eastern, welcomed us. “Welcome. Duke Laverion and Lady Rosentia.”