“It’s truly an honor to be able to offer even a little help. Oh, Yeongae. Do you happen to remember when you asked me to rescue Asdel some time ago?”

Of course, I remembered. And I was genuinely surprised this time because I didn’t expect him to mention Asdel first.

“Yes. I did ask for help before, but I told you it’s okay because I didn’t want to make Viscount uncomfortable.”

“That’s correct. And I haven’t provided an answer to that matter yet.”

He seemed to be about to explain why he hadn’t responded to me.

‘Is he deliberately trying to brush it off, or was it really something irrelevant to him?’

Before asking about this, I remained silent, wanting to hear the story first.

Then he extended the large box he had been holding all along towards me.

“It’s something Yeongae asked me.”

He asked? Could it be?

“This is…”

“Open it.”

I had only made one request to him. If that was the case, then what was inside this box must be Asdel.

With a face even more astonished than before, I reached for the box. I felt a bit nervous, and my fingertips were trembling.

‘Stay calm.’

I took a deep breath inwardly and exhaled, trying to calm my mind. After regaining some composure, I slowly opened the box.
Inside the box was a potted plant, and blooming in that pot was none other than a yellow flower.

It was indeed Asdel.

The feeling of seeing the real thing, identical to what I had seen in the book, overwhelmed me like waves.

“Is this the flower called Asdel?”

I managed to calm my emotions and pretended not to know as I asked him.

“Yes. That’s right.”

I brought my face closer to the potted plant and observed the flower.

The petals were more ordinary-looking than I had imagined, with a yellow hue.

Inside, it seemed to be filled with seeds, each containing the rumored poison.

“Oh, be careful!”

As I reached to touch the seed part, Blake stopped me.

“Asdel has poison in these seeds. The part you consume in tea is the leaf right here.”

For some reason, Blake seemed to know quite a lot about Asdel.

“How did you obtain this flower? Didn’t you say it only blooms in the western desert? To obtain it in full bloom like this, did you…?”

Glancing at him with reasonable suspicion, Blake immediately spoke.

“Yes. I went to the western desert.”

“You really went there yourself?”

“Yes. Her Majesty the Empress said she no longer had the flower, so I went to the desert to get it.”

As he said this, he smiled as if expecting praise, but no, I couldn’t understand no matter how grateful I was for him fetching Asdel for me.
The question of why I did all this lingered in my mind throughout because of the wonder of what I had said to you.

“But why…”

“It’s because it was Youngae’s first request to me, and I wanted to fulfill it. That’s why I hurriedly went to the western desert without delaying the response.”

When I couldn’t hold back and asked for the reason, he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

However, even after hearing that answer, I still couldn’t understand.

Due to the climate difference, the desert flowers would have withered quickly once out of the desert. How to express gratitude for this vivid state… I didn’t know. I also had to repay the Marquis somehow.

“No, Youngae has already given me plenty in the past.”

“What?”

What is this talking about again?

As I looked at Blake, who was making incomprehensible statements, with bewildered eyes, he spoke again.

“Do you remember when I told Youngae it had been a long time?”

“Yes, I remember. But unfortunately, I don’t have any memories of meeting the Marquis.”

“That’s possible. It’s been quite a long time since we met.”

He started to talk about the old days.

“Like Youngae, I lost my mother early. It was when I was 12.”

At 12, I was two years younger than when I bid farewell to my parents. Even though it’s only a 2-year difference now as an adult, when I was young, a 2-year gap was quite significant.
Having experienced an absence at the age when one needed a mother’s touch, it could be speculated how difficult his heart might have been. But didn’t he mention before that his mother had descended to the estate?

As if my thoughts were plainly written on my face, Blake immediately provided an answer.

“Right now, my mother is my stepmother. After my mother passed away, my father remarried immediately. Well, others say that my father and stepmother’s relationship is an affair. I agree with them.”

It was already challenging to lose a mother, but to accept a stepmother who committed adultery right away was even harder. He felt ashamed.

However, his story didn’t end there.

“Mother probably knew about father’s affair. She took her own life, you see.”

“Ah…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I couldn’t comfort him, nor could I empathize with the pain.

Listening to his story was the best I could do for him now.

“I still vividly remember the day of my mother’s funeral. How can I forget the moment she went so lonely?”

He mentioned that his mother’s funeral was very modest. His father was completely infatuated with his stepmother, even neglecting the mother who had passed away.

In my mind, I silently shook my head at the behavior of Lord Warren.
“However, foolishly, I couldn’t bear to stay at the funeral home. I didn’t want to admit that my mother was gone, so I couldn’t bring myself to enter the funeral home. I stayed outside, crying endlessly.”

I was well acquainted with those emotions. When my parents passed away, it was too difficult for me to guard the funeral home. However, as the head of the Rosentia family with my parents no longer in this world, I was the family representative. I couldn’t afford to show such vulnerability to others.

So, I endured it. Throughout the funeral, I resisted the urge to run outside, cry, and vent all the words bottled up inside me. At that time, the Lavellion siblings comforted and supported me, helping me endure.

“I met you back then.”

Me?

He met me?

I tried to sympathize silently with Lord Warren’s sigh, but I couldn’t help but speak up at the mention of meeting me at my mother’s funeral home.

“You met me?”

“Yes. Young Ae approached me while I was crying in a corner of the garden, unable to make a sound.”

It was Lady Warren’s funeral.

I tried to retrieve the memories hidden at the bottom, but they didn’t come easily. If Blake was 12, I was 8. I couldn’t remember everything that happened at the age of 8, so I looked at him apologetically.

“I’m sorry. No matter how hard I try, I can’t recall the memories.”

“No, it’s okay. I understand.”
Saying that, he sadly smiled. “Well, could you please tell me more specifically? You never know; hearing more might trigger your memory.”

“Okay. So, I was crying in the garden when someone tapped my shoulder. At that time, dealing with anyone was challenging for me, so I shouted at them without even looking. However, that someone continued to tap me from behind. Eventually, when I turned around, a little girl was looking at me.”

“That was me?”

“Yes, that’s right. She was a small and adorable girl.”

I groped my memories once again. Suddenly, a certain memory struck my mind, and Blake’s recounted memories began to resurface bit by bit.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“Hey…”

Startled by the girl’s voice, Blake, who was silently crying in the garden, shook his shoulders. Go. Just go. He wished she had left him alone. He wanted to be alone now. He didn’t need anyone other than his mother. So, without responding, he continued burying his face in his knees. However, the girl, seemingly determined not to leave until he responded, tapped Blake’s shoulder again.

“Are you okay?”

Go away. Blake screamed silently in his mind. “Is there something hurting…?” However, the little girl was persistent. She seemed determined not to leave until Blake lifted his head.
In the end, Blake wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and lifted his head. When he turned around, as expected, a small girl was staring at him intently.