The Eldest Daughter Walks the Flower Path 001
~ In some cases, the lives of eldest daughters are painful simply because they were born eldest. ~
[Arc 01. The Death of Another Eldest Daughter]
A knight on horseback rode through the gates of Tilrod House.
The knight's sudden appearance was a harbinger of tragedy.
His armor was completely covered in the black blood of a monster, reeking of something, his own wounds oozing blood through the heavy metal of his armor.
And it was as if he could barely stay in the saddle.
"Ugh..."
The knight, groaning in pain, slid from his horse as soon as he crossed the gates of the manor.
The gardener who was working by the fence was startled and immediately rushed over to him.
"No, Miss Radi..."
The gardener hastily corrected himself and used the proper title.
"Young Master David!"
As he tried to remove the knight's helmet, he yelled at the village children who had followed him, driven by curiosity.
"You filthy brats! Are you sightseeing? Go away! Go on!"
"Uwaah! Mr. David is dead!"
"S-Brats!"
The fallen knight was David Tilrod, the eldest son of the Tilrod family and the respected vice-captain of the Imperial Subjugation Squad, which was in charge of hunting monsters.
As far as the rest of the world knew.
The gardener, who had menacingly chased the village children away, quickly placed the knight on the ground and removed his armor.
Before long, the red hair cascaded down and slipped over the knight's shoulder.
"Good heavens, miss! Please wake up!"
Wanting the knight to breathe more easily, the gardener straightened the knight's head.
The unconscious face was drenched with the black blood of the monsters and the knight's own red blood, but it still retained a distinct beauty.
The gentleman's brows furrowed, then the eyes beneath them slowly opened.
"Ugh..."
"Miss, are you awake? Please let me help you."
The gentleman rose from the ground without a word, walking slowly and declining the gardener's offer of assistance.
With a mixture of sadness and respect, the gardener watched the gentleman's retreating figure and bowed his head.
* * *
At that moment, dinner was in full swing inside the Tilrod house.
Margaret, the lady of the house, was busy tending to David Tilrod, the eldest son, who was seated at the table.
"David, my baby! Eat some vegetables too."
"..."
But David was busy looking at a book of poetry.
Sitting across from David was Jurich, the second daughter in the family.
"Leave him alone, Mom! Big brother is busy looking for poems to write in his love letter."
"Oh, a love letter?"
David, whose nose was buried in his collection of poems, looked up at Jurich.
"Hey! Shut your mouth!"
"..."
"Oh!"
Margaret pushed a plate of meat in front of David.
"David, don't be so hard on your sister. Going out with someone isn't something you should be ashamed of. But who's the lucky woman? Ho Ho Ho!"
Instead of answering his mother, David yelled at Jurich.
"You're married! Why do you keep coming here?! Hey, if you and your big mouth want to cause trouble, do it with your husband!"
"What? Big mouth?!"
"Stop, stop!"
Margaret stopped the little squabble between brother and sister before it could escalate into a more serious argument.
Just then, a maid approached Margaret.
"Madam, Master David..."
The maid noticed David sitting at the table and quickly corrected herself.
"No, Miss Radis has returned."
Margaret snapped at the maid.
"What did you say?"
"Her injuries are very serious."
"..."
Margaret sighed deeply, the back of one hand against her forehead not in a gesture of concern, but of annoyance.
Her silverware clattered on the table as she slammed her hand down.
"I have to go. David, eat your vegetables, okay? And Jurich, don't provoke him anymore."
After Margaret left, Jurich put down his own knife when his appetite vanished.
He stared at the fish on top of David's plate.
It wasn't just fish; it was piled high with vegetables, bread, and some grilled meat.
No matter how much you looked, all the good dishes were placed in front of his brother.
Jurich stared at David, who was still engrossed in his poems.
Without even looking at the food, he used his own fork to help himself to every dish, as if it were all his.
Finally, Jurich decided he couldn't stand it anymore, so he parted his lips in a malicious smile.
"Oh, our poor Radis."
"..."
"She sacrificed her life for her family, for our dear older brother, only for him to turn out like this.""
David turned sharply towards Jurich when he heard his sarcastic tone.