“That’s rude, Winster. Interrupting the Lord you are serving and yelling so loud that other people stare. If Bethany sees this, she’ll be astonished.”
The Duke shook his head slowly. Winster felt wronged.
“My Lord, please consider me a little. This is neither the camp nor the Duke’s house. While the butler may be okay because he is not an ordinary person, I am a very average, common person.”
“A common person? Even when you drink?”
At those words, Winster shrank his neck. The image of himself, who would take the lead in cursing the Emperor once he drank, came to mind.
“It’s not just me; the chef does it, and so does everyone else.”
Hmph. The Duke snorted. Winster quickly changed his stance.
“……Now that I think about it, you must be reluctant to go.”
“It’s not as much as before.”
“Of course. Now we are all ready. Look how strong the Duke’s house has become. If we just get back the white crystal mine from Her Highness the previous Duchess, everything you desire will come true.”
Winster spoke with a resolute face. The Duke’s smiling face flitted beneath the robe.
As Winster was reminiscing about the prosperous Duke’s house after the hard days, the Duke was taking in the spot where the carriage had disappeared.
Red eyes were filled with expectation, as if promising to meet again soon.
[This is the time separator]“Have you arrived, Miss?”
“Uhhuh. Was there anything special while I was away?”
At Olivia’s words, the butler spoke as if he had been waiting.
“Yes. A little while ago, flowers and a card came from the palace. As always, I placed them in your room.”
“Thank you.”
Leopold had sent bouquets whenever he broke a promise, but it was the first time it had arrived on the day. Perhaps because he had been seen with Maria Etel earlier.
“Did His Highness the Crown Prince send the flowers again today? He asked you to come early because of your flowers, didn’t he!”
Sally ran up the stairs with a bright smile and opened the door. As they entered the room, it was just as the butler said. A bouquet was on the table, small purple flowers, unlike the usual flamboyant ones.
“That flower is.”
Sally pretended to know. Olivia nodded as if agreeing. It was the same flower she had received from the knight who was her correspondent in a letter a year ago. How had this same flower come?
Olivia picked up the bouquet. A card had been inserted into the bouquet, accompanying it for the past few weeks.
What words would be written today? As always, it would be an explanation of today’s situation. Suppressing her anticipation, Olivia opened the card, her eyes widening.
If the princess knows the language of this flower, it would be nice. I write it here just in case you don’t. The language of this flower is ‘My heart’s end is towards you.’ Look forward to next Monday.
The phrase on the card seemed to be spoken in Leopold’s tone.
It was the first time. Leopold’s card, not an excuse for the situation he couldn’t attend, but an effort to reveal his heart to her.
Between reading the cards several times, what was once a firm lump had melted away like snow. A smile kept creeping onto her lips, and her eyes curved like crescent moons.
Sally teased her, saying, “What did His Majesty send today to make the young lady’s face bloom like a flower?”
A fleeting glance in the mirror revealed her face was indeed flushed. Olivia grinned.
“His Majesty taught me the language of flowers.”
“The language of flowers? That flower’s message ‘I send my victory to you’ is correct, right?”
Sally stammered, recalling the memory. Olivia had read the flower’s message that was written in the knight’s letter.
Instead of answering, Olivia smiled. It seemed there was another meaning to this purple flower that she was originally unaware of.
The message Leopold taught her, ‘The end of my heart is with you,’ was also incredibly touching.
Yes. This was the Leopold I knew.
The kind man who rescued me in my troubled younger days. The man who still cared enough to carefully choose flowers with thoughtful meanings to send to me when I was wounded.
Olivia pressed her nose to the bouquet. A subtle fragrance wafted up. In the feeling of comfort, Olivia justified Leopold’s actions that had once made her feel inferior.
Leopold breaking his promise with me now, being with Maria Ethel instead of me, must all be for good reasons.
It was because he was angry at being separated from his lover. Or maybe it was because he couldn’t help but not love me yet due to my dishonor of being called incomplete.
Once all of this is cleared up, Leopold will love me. He is trying his best right now for that.
Olivia consoled herself, opening her desk drawer.
Inside, six cards were revealed. Olivia placed the new card on top of them.
As she looked at the piled cards, unkept promises came to mind, but Olivia forcefully turned away. She looked down at the bouquet again, suppressing the loneliness that flowers and cards could not soothe.
Broken promises of the past are not important. What’s important is this effort to care for me in this way.
Everything will be fine someday. If I do my best, someday Leopold will truly look at me.
Olivia touched the flower with a beaming smile. Sally, who was looking on contentedly, said,
“By the way, Miss. Dinner is ready. Will you check it now?”
At the Madeleine Duke’s dinner, generally only three people were seated. Conrad, Olivia, and Esella. Esella, who had been eating her salad with a sullen face, finally put down her fork.
“I’ve really finished eating, big brother. Done!”
“You haven’t even eaten half?”
Conrad gestured to Esella’s plate. Esella quickly pretended to eat the untouched steak and said,
“I really did eat it all! I have to eat this much for the debutante preparation.”
“…A letter from Jade came at dawn; you don’t want to see it, do you?”
At Conrad’s ultimatumlike words, Esella’s eyes widened. Conrad smiled wickedly, gesturing to Esella’s almost untouched salmon steak. She quickly began to eat.
“Big brother, the steak is really delicious today. So, you’ll give me the letter?”
At the clumsy acting, Conrad lovingly smiled and nodded his head. As soon as she received the affirmation, Esella looked at Conrad almost resentfully.
“Really, big brother. We’ve waited so much for news of Brother Jade. Right, sister?”
Caught off guard by the sudden words, Olivia unknowingly nodded her head. Conrad’s eyes narrowed. Realizing her mistake a bit too late, she could not help it. It had been a long time since they heard from Jade.
Jade Madeleine, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial 3rd Knight Division, an excellent knight, volunteered to the southern border during the war with Hefertiti a year and a half ago, and they had not seen him since.
While other knights returned regularly with promotions and vacations, Jade only sent news through occasional letters.
Certainly! Here’s the translated passage:
“Will there be a letter for me this time?” Olivia asked, trying to calm her trembling heart.
“Uh, big brother. Can I go to get the mail too?”
“…Hm. Did you have a specific letter to receive?”
“What?”
At his pointed words, Olivia somehow felt the need to swallow her breath. Conrad’s eyes twinkled as if in jest, but his slender, folded eyes were cold.
“It seems not this time. There’s no letter for you.”
“…You must be very busy.”
Olivia answered nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders toward Esella as if it were no big deal. Conrad’s one eyebrow raised sharply, but it was fine at this level.
Since, in the awkward atmosphere, Esella was obviously starting to get angry.
“No way! Really, big brother Jade. When you come, I’m really going to say something. If your arm isn’t really injured, no mercy. Everyone. Understand?”
Naturally, no one responded. Esella quickly changed the subject.
“Oh, sister! Tell us about your debutante ball. Your debutante preparations were perfect, weren’t they?”
A perfect debutante ball. The words felt strange as they rolled off her tongue, and Olivia scoffed inwardly.
My debutante ball was more of a mess. That word fit better.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
