To her, who had experienced the extreme cold brought on by the Witch of Winter in the previous timeline, the spring chill felt like no more than a cool breeze.
“Honestly, wouldn’t my appearance look too neat if I put something like that on my shoulders?”
“…Yes?”
The lady-in-waiting blinked, unable to understand Bianca’s words for a moment.
Bianca smiled bashfully as she lightly touched her flawless, white shoulder.
“I don’t know much about my man, but I’ve heard rumors. Aren’t men more interested in things that sneakily look like this?”
****
[Cain’s POV]
‘…It’s desolate.’
That was the thought that came to my mind as soon as I saw the garden behind the Marquis of Castana’s residence. Even to me, an outsider with no interest in gardening and not a hint of artistic flair, the state of the garden was truly dire.
Even the Duke of Estel, who was short on funds and couldn’t afford much for garden decorations, did not leave his garden so unattended. At least, the Duke of Estel made efforts to plant seasonal flowers and shape the flower beds.
In contrast, the garden of the Marquis of Castana lacked even a trace of such minimal effort. Only evergreen trees and obscure wildflowers, like forget-me-nots, populated the space.
Originally, a family’s garden was a place to receive guests, and in a sense, a symbol of the family.
The garden of the Marquis of Castana could not be considered normal by any standard. Now, it would be far more surprising if mages, who were not interested in anything but mana, actually enjoyed gardening in their spare time.
In that sense, Bianca, who wandered around humming and claiming to like this desolate garden, was certainly an outlier among mages. I had concluded that mages were all psychopaths who had withered away their sensibilities, but I had never imagined Bianca would have such a girlish sensibility.
It was then that Bianca, who was examining the garden with a rather excited expression, smiled softly at me and then slipped her arm around my left.
“…Bianca, what are you doing?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing? Isn’t this the obvious thing for a fiancée to do? If you can’t even link arms with someone you’re in a relationship with, what kind of lover is that? Don’t forget, we’re supposed to be in a romantic relationship publicly.”
“…..”
Seeing Bianca reply as if it were the most natural thing, I found myself at a loss for words.
As she said, perhaps it was only natural for a fiancée to link arms. Meanwhile, I could barely hold Sarah’s wrist, even after being engaged to her for many years, and I just stood there awkwardly.
“…Rather than standing here, can’t we talk while walking?”
I nodded silently as Bianca whispered softly to me.
Arm in arm, she and I began to slowly stroll through the garden of the Marquis of Castana. For some reason, today’s Bianca seemed unusually mild compared to her usual self.
“Young Lord Cain, can I ask you something?”
“…What is it?”
“How do I look today?”
Saying that, Bianca stepped back from me with her hands behind her back.
Bianca’s overall appearance against the backdrop of wildflowers scattered haphazardly in the garden caught my eye.
The first thing I noticed was how her white shoulders were casually exposed. A gust of wind suddenly blew through, lifting her hair and her black dress slightly.
In that moment, without even realizing it, the words slipped from my mouth.
“…Pretty.”
“Pretty? Really?”
I nodded as Bianca took a step closer, her eyes sparkling at my thoughtless compliment. At my simple remark, Bianca gave me a faint smile.
“A compliment… from you…”
Saying this, Bianca moved closer to the flower bed, where wildflowers grew at random. Squatting down, she gently caressed the flowers with one hand.
“Young Lord Cain, can you pick this flower?”
“…You want me to pick it?”
“Yes. Pick it, I want you to give it to me. It’s not very difficult. Do it quickly.”
“…..”
If it wasn’t difficult, I couldn’t understand why she was asking me instead of doing it herself. Perhaps she didn’t want to dirty her hands, as she was a girl who had been raised with dignity.
I sighed softly and picked the unknown wildflower before her, handing it to her. The moment she received the flower from me, her face brightened.
Truly, this girl was, in the past, now, and in the future, someone who enjoyed making strange requests of others.
“…Haha, Bianca. You really like flowers.”
“…Do I?”
“Yes, the other day, in the garden of the Duke of Estel, you seemed to love the flowers there too. That was nice.”
I still remembered Bianca, lost in admiration, caressing the hyacinths blooming in the garden of the Duke of Estel.
At my words, Bianca giggled mischievously.
“No way. Young Lord Cain, you know nothing about women.”
She murmured softly, holding the wildflower I had picked as if it were something very precious.
“…Actually, I don’t really like flowers.”
HELP:
During the recent unrest in the country I am from, our family hardware store was broken into and looted by thugs. I don’t know why they did it, since my family has always been minding our own business, without bothering anyone else. I’m guessing some people are taking advantage of the current lawless and chaotic state of the country.
Anyways, the incident now leaves me as the only earning member of my family. Long time readers know that I was already dealing with a mountain of trouble (that I inherited from my father), and was already struggling. I had created a plan of action, and was steadily moving forward. But this incident destroyed whatever plans I had, again. I don’t know why bad things keep happening to me again and again. I might as well be cursed or something.
So here I am, after much hesitation, once again asking for your support. If you are reading this, please help if you are able to, I repeat, help only if you are able to. I am not asking something for free, you can become a Patron at Patreon to gain access to more chapters, or sponsor as many chapters you can from any of the novels you enjoy on Goblinslate here at BuymeaCoffee. Or if you just want to help, you can donate any amount at the Wishlist at BuymeaCoffee.
Thank you.