“If you move you could get cut by a thorn, Erica.”
Then he carefully placed a rose behind my ear.
“It suits you.”
His calm, kind voice tickled my ears.
Did I get cut by a thorn? I feel burning and heat in my ear.
I would like to hide behind my palms to hide my cheeks, which turn red just like a rose.
“I was going to give the rose to my sister too. It's not fair that you beat me to it, brother!”
Carlex stroked his brother's head, who was complaining in apparent reproach.
“When you become an adult, you will present the rose to the lady of your choice.”
“I will give the rose to my sister Erica when I grow up!”
When Michael answered confidently, Carlex's eyes lit up with strange interest.
“Why Erica?”
“Because... I love my sister.”
Despite his shyness and squirming body, Michael spoke frankly.
Calix's curious expression turned serious.
“I never imagined that I would be competing with my little brother. It really is...”
What is this man trying to say in front of the child?!
I suddenly jumped up, extended a cake to Carlex, and shouted loudly:
"Taste this please! It's so delicious you might get dizzy at the first bite!"
I poured the tea into his cup until it was almost overflowing, so that he could not say anything else strange.
“And we have plenty of tea too. Please, come in!”
Although Carlex seemed confused by my exaggerated behaviour, he ate the candy and drank his tea like an obedient child.
Oh my God, I almost had a heart attack.
A catastrophe could have happened.
Please, refrain from such dangerous statements.
Michael continued to stare furtively at Carlex, who was quietly drinking his tea, as if the sight surprised him.
“Sister, you are truly amazing. This is the first time I have seen my brother enjoying tea. What if we taught the other ladies how to make it? Maybe then my brother will attend high society parties. He always said he doesn’t go because the tea is bad.”
"Really? That's a great idea."
Carlex set down his cup elegantly.
"I have no interest in high society. And I certainly have no interest in any other lady's tea. I hope you will make me tea yourself from now on."
“Thank you for liking my tea, but it's hard to do because I have to go back to my job as a book reader.”
When she politely rejected him, Carlex's gaze turned sharp.
When I felt the atmosphere getting heavy, Michael quickly changed the topic.
“By the way, Auntie sent another picture. She insisted that we respond to her.”
The fatigue was clearly visible on Carlex's face.
“My aunt never gets bored. If only she could channel all this enthusiasm into something else.”
Michael seemed worried that Carlex would reject him, so he quickly showed the photo and introduced it.
“It's Miss Frisia of Count Rubel's family. You know her too, don't you?”
Carlex looked at the picture with a deadpan expression.
I sincerely hoped.
I saw Freesia in the library, had lunch with her, and met her at the equestrian arena.
Couldn't some feeling have arisen between them?
He may not have fallen in love at first sight, but as a suitable partner, couldn't he feel impressed even now?
“I have to send a message to my aunt. Tell her we're having a family tea party.”
"What? Really?"
Michael opened his eyes in surprise.
I almost dropped the tea cup from my hand.
Did Freesia really like him as a marriage partner?
“I have to tell her there is no need to send any more pictures.”
“Brother, do you like Miss Rubel?”
“You don't seem to get my point, Michael. It's not about her.”
Carlex's steady, determined gaze immediately turned towards me.
It was a look that entangled you in its threads like a spider's web, so you could not move.
He didn't say anything.
He simply stubbornly followed my gaze, expressions, and movements one by one, while slowly tasting the tea.
“Young Master, it's time for class. The teacher is waiting.”
The stifling tension broke when the servant came.
“Is it time already? I would love to play more with my sister.”
“Goodbye, young master. See you at dinner time.”
Michael left the garden with repeated sad looks.
All that remained on the table was heavy silence, the delightful, dizzying scent of roses, and the image of Freesia, so vibrant as if it were real.
Were her eyes in the photo, which looked as if they were blaming me, just an illusion created by my guilt?
“Will you walk with me for a while?”
Carlex extended his hand towards me.
My mind whispered to me: Never hold that hand.
Refuse and turn around.
Don't get involved more.
You're not the one who should be holding that hand.
But the whispering stopped immediately.
Because he was the one who grabbed my hand tightly and pulled it towards him first.
“The rose garden in Duke Reinhardt’s palace is luxurious and beautiful. I would like to show you.”
Carlex walked slowly leading me.
I walked behind him as if I was enchanted.
The garden was a festival of diverse colors and shapes of roses.
As if the skillful touch of the gardener had reached it, each flower flaunted its unique beauty.
With every step, the deep and fragrant scent of roses surrounded us so much that it made our minds dizzy.
As we walked slowly through the garden that extended around the huge palace, Carlex did not speak.
A wind blew from somewhere.
The rose trees moved like waves in the wind.
Even Carlex's black hair, which was walking in front of me, moved as if it were dancing.
I pulled my hand away from his.
At the same time, my ankles tripped over my unfamiliar high heels.
Inadvertently, I grabbed a live hedge full of roses, only to cut my hand with a thorn.
Drops of blood collected on the tip of my finger.
“Erica?”
Carlex quickly grabbed my finger, then took it to his lips as if it were normal.
The touch of his lips against my finger was more painful than the prick of the fork itself.
"What do you do?!"
I woke up sharply in my astonishment.
Carlex, who removed his lips from my hand, answered coldly:
“Wipe the blood.”
My fingertips trembled.
I felt out of breath.
I tried to hide the tremor by clenching my hands and making a frown.
“If saliva gets stuck, the wound may become infected with germs and become worse.”
"Germs? What do you mean?"
Has the science of germs not yet developed?
With incredible irony, the feeling of reality returned, and I burst out laughing.
I laughed lightly and raised my chin slightly.
“It is best to wipe with alcohol, such as wine. If you are also injured, my lord Duke, be sure to disinfect the wound.”
He spent a moment with an ambiguous expression, then a slight smile quickly appeared on his lips.
"You've perked up. You just looked worried."
“I'm always energetic.”
Carlex extended his arm elegantly.
“So that you don’t stumble again, allow me to offer you my arm.”
“It's okay. I can walk on my own.”
“It appears that Miss Dale has not read the
. When a gentleman offers to accompany you, it is a lady's virtue to accept the offer.”
His tone of voice, full of humor, sparked a challenge in me. I intentionally grabbed his arm forcefully.
Carlex led me into the rose garden.
As we passed a small angel statue, a small fountain, and carefully landscaped trees, we reached the deepest point of the park.
Amidst the beautifully landscaped trees and rose climbers, a clear glass greenhouse shone with sparkling light.
“Is this the greenhouse?”
“Yes. I really wanted to show it to you.”
When I entered the greenhouse behind him, we were greeted by pleasant warmth and the scent of fragrant flowers.
The inside was small enough for two people to rest.
We sat carefully on a long bench in the middle of the greenhouse.
Then we looked at the sky for a moment.
The hot sunlight that fell on the glass ceiling dripped into the colors of the rainbow.
It was like the twinkling stars in the middle of the day.
I was immersed in the beauty created by the glass and lights.
Suddenly, Calix's deep, low voice rang out.
“How beautiful.”
“Yes. I didn’t know a greenhouse was so beautiful.”
“I was talking about you.”
I turned around in surprise to find Carlex staring at me.
Maybe he's been staring at me with that urgent look ever since we got in here...
I didn't know what to say, so I pinched the edges of my dress tightly.
Why is it so hot? It's like I'm in a sauna.
I tried to pretend not to care and look elsewhere.
“Do you come here often?”
“I come sometimes when I need a break. It's quiet and perfect for taking a nap.”
“Then, shall I leave the place to you? So that you can rest comfortably...”
As I quickly rose from my seat, Carlex's eyes narrowed with a skeptical expression.
“Are you avoiding me now, Erica?”
“Haha, no way. I’m just worried about your health, Sir Duke.”
You're staring at me like that, and that's what makes me act like this.
I smiled awkwardly and sat down.
Carlex leaned back comfortably on the chair, staring at the rose garden seen through the glass window.
I unconsciously stopped breathing as I looked at him.
His sharp nose, square chin, and black hair flowing over his forehead.
Sometimes I am surprised at such moments.
It's like a statue of David is sitting next to me, leaning over.
“This is the first time anyone else has come here. I have ordered the Shadowhorse not to come except in emergencies.”
Just as I was about to ask why, I suddenly remembered a passage from the original story that I had completely forgotten.
'When little Carlix was tired or lonely, he would rush to his little castle, the greenhouse.'
He grew up learning that the head of the Duke family was not allowed to show weakness, so he would run away to the greenhouse when he wanted to cry or felt afraid.
During the day, he took comfort in the warmth of the sun's rays in the greenhouse, and at night, he swallowed his tears as he listened to the songs of the twinkling stars from behind the greenhouse.'
As if I could see his little shoulders hunched as he tried to hold back his tears in the greenhouse.
So, here was the place.
The place where your childhood found solace.
“Thank you for inviting me to your dear greenhouse. This place... is like your warm heart.”
I felt that the words that spilled out of my mouth unconsciously were somehow familiar.
Wait, aren't these the words of the heroine Freesia? From the greenhouse episode in the original story.
When Carlex first felt admiration for Friesia and invited her to the duke's palace.
Carlix walked with her through the rose garden and showed her this greenhouse that was his heart.
What did you do? I stole the heroine's words.
Hello. Let me gather my strength.
It's not too late. I will talk about freesia.
“By the way, wasn’t the picture of Miss Frisia we just saw really beautiful? Countess Demeter seems to be considering her as a potential bride for you.”
I look at the peaceful garden view and start talking with feigned cheerfulness.
“Why are you bringing this topic up?”
His calm breathing was disturbed.
His gaze directed at my side was sharp.
I took a deep breath.
Don't get emotional. Don't be affected. Don't look back. Calm down.
I suppressed the petty, stubborn feeling that was boiling in my chest.
In my real life before I moved into this world, I experienced countless loves and separations.
I knew when I fall in love, and how admiration turns into love,
How the joy of love turns in the end into pain and sadness and then into numbness, and I repeated that repeatedly.
So I have to stop here.
I have to get the “story” back on track.
“Great. You two really get along. Congratulations.”
“……”
Carlex didn't answer.
Maybe he didn't hear me well? I carefully turned my head to look at him.
At the same moment, it took my breath away.
Carlex's cobalt blue eyes, like a raging sea, stared at me.
“Are you telling the truth, Erica?”
“To be continued in the next chapter”
Loving translation