“Ah…”
The moment Julia stepped into the garden to meet the spirits, she spotted Aslan and was about to call out to him.
However, she quickly silenced her voice and hurriedly hid her body.
“Is this good? Or not? Is this better?”
“….”
Aslan, kneeling in the dirt without caring that his knees were getting dirty, examined the flowers.
His behavior was not something one would expect from someone like Aslan, who showed no interest in flowers.
The fact that he was picking flowers he didn’t even like meant he was likely doing it for someone who did.
But who could that be?
It was obvious.
Of course, it must be the lady, Emilia.
‘So beautiful and elegant, she seems like a personification of the word lady…’
Is Aslan truly fond of such women?
Mature, courteous, knowledgeable.
She is nothing like her. She’s clumsy in everything, and there’s so much she doesn’t know, always having to learn from Aslan.
Does he find her annoying…?
‘These days, he goes out quite often…’
Aslan’s usual routine involved wrestling with paperwork somewhere in the mansion.
Recently, however, he had been dressing nicely and leaving the mansion more frequently.
Whenever asked where he was going, he always replied he was going to meet Miss Emersy.
Has he lost interest in me?
He doesn’t even lend me his hand to hold while sleeping anymore.
Of course, that’s partly because I said I didn’t need it anymore…
Julia bit her lip, feeling an inexplicable gloom.
‘I knew it. I knew how Aslan thought of me.’
A cute little child.
A being to be protected.
To Aslan, I was merely a “child.”
There was a time when I thought he was raising me to accept me as his wife.
But that was all just gossip from the maids who loved to chatter.
Aslan had never said such a thing in his own words.
Now I don’t judge people based solely on what others say.
At first, everyone spread rumors that Aslan was a wicked, heartless villain.
But in reality, he was a very warm person.
Believing the rumors spread by the maids would be foolish.
So, it means Aslan thinks of me as a daughter and is raising me…
What should I do?
Should I meet Aslan’s expectations?
Or should I honestly express my feelings?
Ugh, I don’t know. I don’t know…
My heart felt heavy, and at that moment, Julia sniffled.
“Ah. Is that you, Julia?”
“Yik!?”
“Perfect timing. I was just about to call for you. Please come over here for a moment.”
“…”
Aslan caught her.
Did her hair give me away?
Julia tried to hide her pouty expression as she stepped out from behind the bushes.
“What is it…? ”
“Could you help me pick some flowers?”
“Flowers for whom…? ”
“For Miss Emersy.”
He’s really asking her to help him choose a gift for his marriage partner? Seriously?
Ugh, the worst…!
Julia felt a rush of anger rising within her but couldn’t turn away.
She approached Aslan.
“What, what kind of flower do you want? Should I recommend one with meanings like eternal love or unchanging heart…?”
“Nothing like that. I want a flower that attracts low-level spirits.”
“Spirits? Why is that…? ”
“You can hear what the spirits are saying. I thought that by gifting flowers to Miss Emersy, I could find out what the spirits talked about there.”
“Ugh, that’s low… ”
Oh no.
She meant to say that in her head.
She accidentally spoke her contemptuous thoughts out loud while making a disdainful face.
Eavesdropping on someone you love?
That’s creepy.
Low-class.
Disgusting.
Trashy.
If she told Emilia about this, the engagement would be over immediately…
Ah. Should she really say it?
Julia’s lips trembled as she was swept away by a strong impulse.
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it? I’ll give you a chance to explain… ”
“I discovered that Miss Emersy is a puppet of my sister, Irene Vermont. They approached me for an engagement to use me. I need your help to find out what kind of scheme they’re plotting against me, Julia.”
“Ah, huh!? Ah…! So, that’s what it was… I see. Of course, I noticed. I was aware from the beginning. Ugh.”
At Aslan’s response, Julia’s eyes widened in surprise, and she stumbled over her words.
So everything was a strategy?
So, Aslan wasn’t actually interested in that woman!
Well, that makes sense.
It’s unreasonable that he still doesn’t remember the name of the person he loves, right?
So, yeah.
She knew it all along.
She had suspected it from the start.
Vaguely…?
Julia felt a sudden lift in her mood, and the corners of her mouth began to twitch.
“The flower that spirits especially love is this Ghost Flower…”
“Oh. Then I guess this will do.”
“Oh no! Just looking at it gives off a creepy vibe, doesn’t it? This flower is also known as the death flower, so it’s associated with death. You absolutely must not give it to your marriage partner…!”
“Then what kind of flower do you think would be natural and good?”
“Actually, well, it doesn’t really matter what flower it is. The spirits will fulfill my requests really well, so even if it’s a flower they usually dislike, it’s easy to make them stick to that flower.”
“Does the effect of the spell continue even after time passes and distance increases? That’s impressive.”
“Hehe…”
Right? I am a bit amazing, aren’t I?
Julia rubbed her head against Aslan’s large palm as she leaned into him.
Julia let out a pleased hum.
“Ah!? I told you not to mess up my hair…!”
“Oh. Was that so?”
As if he suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, Aslan jolted and pulled his hand back.
She had told him numerous times that she disliked this…
Yet, Aslan merely chuckled and, as if forgetting, reached out to pat her head again.
Is she getting used to this?
At some point, she stopped minding when her neatly arranged hair got messed up in the morning.
She even found herself leaning her head against him.
It felt like she had become a puppy…
Not that she entirely disliked it.
“Then should I go with this flower?”
“Mmm. Roses are pretty too. Should I pick one for you…?”
“It seems like you’re in a strangely good mood. Please do.”
“Ugh, not really? It’s… not a good mood… Hmm. That’s strange…”
Does she really look so happy?
Please tell me I’m not grinning like a fool. Ugh, I’d hate that.
Just as Julia was pondering how to shape her lips.
“Ah!”
“…!”
With a jolt, she quickly pulled her hand away from the rose, feeling a sharp sensation.
She had pricked her finger on one of the few thorns.
Normally, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt, but she was distracted by Aslan…
‘It hurts…’
She wanted to skillfully pick the flower and arrange it nicely, but what a disgrace.
Seeing droplets of blood forming on her index finger made a wave of pain rush through her.
Just as Julia was about to withdraw her hand with tears welling up,
“Oh no. You should have been careful. Always pay attention when handling something sharp.”
“Yik!?”
Aslan quickly grabbed Julia’s hand and, without hesitation, put her finger in his mouth.
He sucked the blood from her fingertip and immediately pulled out a handkerchief to press against her wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
The suddenness of the situation left Julia speechless, standing frozen.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t look like it will leave a scar. Wouldn’t it be upsetting to have a mark on such a lovely hand? Be careful.”
“But Charlotte’s hands are full of calluses and scars…”
“Charlotte handles swords, doesn’t she? A swordsman should be ashamed if their hands are clean.”
“Mm…”
I see.
He was worried about my hands getting hurt. He doesn’t care about Charlotte’s hands but values mine immensely.
Julia felt a rush of warmth flooding through her again, unable to suppress her smile.
“Yeah… I’ll be careful. And here are the flowers. For the next two months, low-level spirits won’t stray far from these roses. If they wilt, it could be a problem, but roses can be grafted onto other roses or even briars.”
“Thank you. Keep the handkerchief pressed. I’ll bring a bandage soon.”
“Oh, right! By the way! How dare you suck on a lady’s hand without permission! Isn’t that too much!?”
“Where exactly is this lady you speak of? I don’t see her.”
“Ughhh!!!”
With a smile,
Aslan stood up and started looking around at eye level, pretending to search for something. Below him, Julia stood on her tiptoes, fuming.
“When will you start seeing me as a lady!?”
“Being a lady doesn’t just come with age. Just look at Sylvia. Does she seem like a lady to you?”
“Well… that’s definitely true. ”
“Still, assuming you meet all the other criteria… Fine. Sixteen. When you turn sixteen, I’ll recognize you as a lady.”
“Really! No second thoughts about it…!”
Julia exclaimed, her face lighting up.
If she turned sixteen, there would be just two years left.
In two years, Aslan wouldn’t be able to dismiss her as just a child anymore!
Maybe then she could honestly confront her feelings…?
Ah, but she was afraid of being rejected…
Just as Julia was swept up in a wave of joy, she was also buried in worry and concern.
‘It’s a bitter taste…’
Aslan nodded, chewing on the residual metallic taste in his mouth.
It was both the color and taste of healthy blood.
At least she wouldn’t have to worry about diabetes for now.
