Sensing that Zen was not in good condition, Delina immediately went to the garden. And there, she found Zen.

“Zen!”

At Delina’s voice, Zen rose from the bushes. As Betty mentioned, Zen’s condition did not look good. His hair and clothes were covered with grass and dirt, and his complexion was pale.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you hurt?”

“Delina…”

Worriedly examining Zen’s condition, Delina discovered a completely drenched Zen covered in dead grass.

“I… I lost it.”

“Huh? Lost what?”

Instead of an answer, Zen pointed to his neck with his finger. Zen’s scarf was missing, and Delina could see it as well.

“You lost your scarf?”

Relieved that it wasn’t an injury, Delina’s face still showed deep concern upon hearing about the lost scarf. She knew how precious that scarf was to Zen.

“How did it happen?”

“While planting flowers in the flower bed, the dirt got on it. I washed it in the water and left it to dry… but when I woke up, it was gone.”

It seemed that the scarf disappeared while Zen was trying to dry it in the sun, soaked in water.

“So, you were looking for it like this?”

“Yeah.”

“But judging by how you haven’t found it until now… it might have been blown away by the wind.”

“…”

As Zen’s eyes teared up, Delina quickly changed the subject.

“It could be, but we don’t know for sure yet. Maybe it’s buried somewhere around here. I’ll help you look for it.”

“Yeah… thank you.”

Delina swiftly rolled up her sleeves and started searching through the bushes. Zen, too, moved energetically to find the scarf. Though he was actively looking, his face remained dark.

“He must be shocked. He hardly took it off all this time.”

While it was heartwarming that he cherished the scarf I gave him, it was worrying to see him so distressed over its loss. Considering Zen’s personality, he would probably stay in the garden until he found the scarf.

“Was it around here that you lost it?”

“Yeah. I tied the scarf to a branch and took a short nap here.”

Delina, wondering if it might have blown away, looked up at the wall.

“Did you check beyond the wall?”

“I did. But it wasn’t there.”

“I see. Well, how about asking the servants? The garden maintenance staff, have you asked them?”

“Yeah. They said they haven’t seen it.”

Knowing that none of the staff would be unaware of Zen’s scarf, Delina’s face darkened even more. She had considered finding a similar scarf and giving it as a gift.

“He’s searching so desperately.”

Zen continued to dig the soil as if reaching to the end. Delina, circling the garden again, heard a servant’s voice from a distance.

“Miss, the hunting outfit has just arrived.”

“Oh, really?”

As if notifying that the clothes had arrived, the servant conveyed the message. Delina glanced at Zen, who seemed to have noticed her gaze.

“I’m fine, Delina.”
“Okay. You can wear the clothes later; it’s not urgent. Let’s just search together.”

“No. Since I lost it, I’ll look for it. Let’s go quickly.”

Seeing Zen trying to smile as if nothing had happened, Delina felt even more sorry.

“Zen.”

“Yeah?”

“…Just in case, if by any chance, you can’t find the scarf, don’t strain yourself too much. Okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I got it.”

Although he said he understood, there was no sign of Zen giving up. Delina turned away but continued to wear a worried expression.

‘At this rate, he might search until dawn. He probably hasn’t eaten properly. Did he even get a good night’s sleep?’

Thinking of bringing some food later, a question suddenly popped into Delina’s mind.

‘…But was Zen always such a heavy sleeper?’

If the wind blew strongly enough to make the scarf fly away, Zen would have surely woken up. He was more sensitive to movements and sounds than others. However, Zen slept without knowing that the scarf had disappeared. And it lasted quite a long time.

“Come this way.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Although urged by the servant’s voice, Delina’s face grew worse as doubts slowly arose.

“It’s not here, not here…”

Delina’s prediction was spot on. The sun had set, and night had fallen, but Zen was still searching for the scarf. After thoroughly inspecting every corner of the garden for the last time, Zen muttered disappointedly with a gloomy face.

“…”

Looking uneasy, Zen felt his dry throat with his hand. His shoulders were slumped as if blaming himself for losing it.

“!”

At that moment, a rustling sound came from beyond the bushes. Zen reflexively blinked his eyes, assuming a defensive posture.

“Oh, it’s me. Did I startle you?”

When Celine revealed herself, Zen relaxed his face. However, he blinked with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you here?”

Instead of answering Zen’s question, Celine smiled and revealed what she had hidden behind her. It was Zen’s scarf.

“Were you looking for this?”

“!”

Zen’s eyes widened as he saw the sky-blue scarf in Celine’s hands.

“It was hanging by my window. When I took a closer look, it seemed like yours.”

“Yeah, it’s mine.”

Anxious, Zen reached out for the scarf, but Celine took a step back.