Chapter 21. Accomplice

Someone’s gaze pricked his sensitive nerves.

That irritating sensation woke him from a long-awaited deep sleep. Enoch frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

What came into view was light, the sky, and a cluster of white flowers.

When he turned his gaze in the direction of the presence, an unexpected guest was standing there.

Among the white flowers, with a face as pale as if she had seen a ghost.

…Ellenore.

When Enoch murmured that name in a low, husky voice, Ellenore flinched greatly and rolled her eyes. It was as if she was looking for an escape route.

Noticing her unsatisfactory reaction, Enoch raised an eyebrow and suddenly realized that Ellenore’s posture was strange. She was in an awkward position with her arms stretched forward.

“……”

As he looked at her, frozen like a statue, Enoch slightly furrowed his brow.

She wouldn’t have reached out to touch me while I was asleep.

Nor would she have mistaken me for someone else and reached out.

Then why that posture?

She looked just like a thief trying to steal flowers…

“……”

Ah, could it be?

When their eyes met, Ellenore quickly averted her gaze like a nervous thief caught red-handed. As if finally released from her petrification, she awkwardly retracted her outstretched arm.

Enoch chuckled. So it was true, after all.

“Eavesdropping, and now even theft?”

“…! No, it’s not!”

He had only probed lightly, but her startled and vehement denial confirmed his suspicion. Watching Ellenore clench her fists tightly near her chest and bite her lips, Enoch burst into laughter.

After laughing heartily, he tilted his head and looked at her, and for some reason, Ellenore had a dazed expression. Finding her face amusing, Enoch let out another light chuckle.

“Why, is it your first time seeing someone laugh?”

He asked in a voice still tinged with laughter as he hopped off the bench. When he approached her side, Ellenore flinched and stepped back. Enoch instinctively reached out and firmly grabbed one of her arms, ensuring she couldn’t escape.

Though it was done almost unconsciously, Enoch wasn’t particularly surprised at himself. It was a perfectly natural impulse to want to chase after her if she showed signs of fleeing.

“You seem to have a knack for ambushes. You did the same in the carriage.”

“T-That was a mistake…!”

“Is this also a mistake? It seems too deliberate for a mistake.”

“No, this time, I momentarily mistook you for someone else.”

“You? Mistook me for who? Surely not Marquis Anderson.”

“…Definitely not him!”

She shouted, resembling a chirping chick. Enoch laughed once more, feeling slightly out of sorts from just waking up.

“Using me and then giving attention to another man is too much.”

“I’ve never used Your Grace. You acted on your own.”

“But it helped, didn’t it?”

Watching Ellenore open and close her mouth as if at a loss for words, Enoch felt satisfied. There was something oddly pleasing about teasing this woman. Indeed, Ellenore Lopez seemed like the best playmate he couldn’t afford to lose.

“Have you thought about my offer to become my mistress?”

“It’s an offer not worth reconsidering.”

“Then how about a lover?”

“Stop throwing things out like that.”

“If you don’t want to be a mistress or a lover, do you prefer being a maid? Do you have a knack for chores?”

“It’s not that I prefer being a maid; I just don’t want to be Your Grace’s mistress or lover. But yes, I’d rather be a maid.”

Her sharp tone and stubborn expression were intriguing. If she just fell into his arms, everything would be easier, but why did she insist on maintaining such pointless pride?

Should I have offered 1.2 million lupins instead of 600,000?

“You’re more expensive than I thought, Miss Ellenore Lopez.”

“…Yes, so please give up.”

“How about 1.2 million lupins a year?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Even as he laughed at her startled reaction, Enoch pondered why she wasn’t trying to escape.

She was in his grasp, yet she didn’t seem to have any intention of struggling. Normally, she would have tried several times to break free from him.

It didn’t seem like she had any materialistic motives as suggested by the trashy gossip magazines. Her eyes were too clear to harbor any ulterior motives.

From afar, they just looked blue, but up close, they resembled the deep waters of the Reden River flowing through Schleswig from east to west.

Those eyes, transparent, almost as if you could see through them. Staring into them, Enoch finally spoke.

“What are you doing here?”

“…Of course, I came to see the flowers and plants.”

Her answer was a beat late. Avoiding his gaze, she seemed to have a guilty conscience. Her next question, hastily thrown to change the subject, confirmed it.

“So what brings Your Highness to sleep in a place like this?”

“I ran away.”

“……?”

“There was a charity event nearby. I got tired of the pretense.”

“……”

“This place is usually empty at this time. It’s perfect for hiding and taking a nap. Plenty of sunlight, too.”

“…You’re like a cat finding a sunny spot to nap.”

Ellenore glanced up at his face and spoke with a slightly dumbfounded tone. Her voice sounded a bit relaxed as she pronounced ‘cat’. Does he like cats?

Enoch continued his questioning, staring at her intensely enough to make her feel pressured.

“You, on the other hand.”

“……!”

“What were you doing here?”

At that, Ellenore visibly stiffened and began to dart her eyes around. She clasped her hands tightly enough for the blue veins to show through her pale skin.

Enoch’s gaze followed the line of those veins down to her slender wrist, then back up to her face.

“You were trying to pick that flower, weren’t you?”

“……! Ah, no!”

“You were.”

“No, I wasn’t……!”

“When you’re flustered, it shows.”

As embarrassment spread across Ellenore’s face, Enoch couldn’t help but feel pleased. Watching her face turn red with shame was far more entertaining than loitering around a tedious charity event.

But at the same time, he wondered when he would grow tired of this woman.

After all, she was just another new stimulus thrown into his boring life. Just like you.

“Do you like it?”

“What?”

Startled, the woman asked back, looking confused by the vague question. Seeing the reaction he wanted, Enoch’s lips curled into a smirk. He weighed whether to tease her further or get to the point, then slowly repeated the question.

“This flower, do you like it?”

“Ah… Yes, I do.”

The woman answered calmly, showing no sign of disappointment. Enoch’s golden eyes briefly flashed with a sharp light.

How could he not feel mischievous?

Enoch Bayern was already frequently criticized for his sadistic tendencies by those around him. Adding another story to his notorious reputation… well, it wouldn’t hurt.

The young lady of the Philoan Marquis family, who was excited about a marriage proposal with him, might even give up if she heard bad rumors. Though it wasn’t a proposal that would easily fall apart just because she resigned…

In any case, Enoch had no intention of marrying anyone.

“I like it too.”

“…… Is that so.”

The woman seemed to be getting increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. Yet, she didn’t say anything like ‘I’ll be going now,’ indicating she had a purpose.

Enoch laughed at her transparent intentions and reached out towards the white flower.

And he picked it.

Without a moment’s hesitation.

“……!”

Startled, the woman widened her eyes. Enoch drew the flower to his chest and smelled it. The faint scent, mixed with the smell of grass, was subtly conveyed.

“Take it.”

“……”

“What are you doing? Take it.”

Ellenore, who had been staring blankly at Enoch, slowly took the flower with a hesitant motion. When their fingertips brushed, she recoiled in surprise and quickly hunched her shoulders defensively.

With the white flower partially obscuring her view, she looked up at him timidly, and a short sneer escaped Enoch’s lips.

“Now you and I are accomplices.”

“Pardon……?”

“We stole it together.”

Ellenore’s relatively calm expression crumbled at that one word. Watching her face turn almost despairing, Enoch laughed like a sated predator. A secret satisfaction that could be defined as sadism.

“So, where are you going to hide it?”

“……”

Ellenore’s face turned redder than ever.

Ah, Enoch sighed briefly and teased her in a mischievous tone.

“So shameless, Miss Lopez.”

“…… No, I’m not!”

Miss Lopez’s face, flushed with anger and shame, and her flustered reaction, provided him with immense amusement.

It was enough to make it a new hobby for a while.

Enoch burst into laughter once again. It was truly unlike him.

* * *

To conclude, there was no need to hide the astilbe under my skirt and sneak out.

Enoch Bayern took the flower from me and walked confidently through the main gate.

The guards were visibly flustered but couldn’t stop him. Only then did I realize that this was the ‘Royal’ greenhouse, and as a member of the royal family, he had no restrictions on his actions…

In short, I had been played by him. Perfectly.

I thought he was a lazy cat, but he turned out to be a viper.

‘Thanks to him, I got the astilbe.’

Pushing aside the myriad of thoughts about Enoch Bayern, I carefully placed the astilbe I had brought home on the bed.

Next, I took out the jewelry box hidden under the bed and placed it on my lap. In the late afternoon light streaming through the window, the antique jewelry box glowed softly. Taking a deep breath, I picked up the astilbe again.

The astilbe was the key.

It had to be placed in the keyhole of the jewelry box.

Swallowing dryly, I moved my trembling hand to slowly bring the white astilbe to the keyhole of the jewelry box.

Then, something amazing happened.

“……!”

Without even touching it, the jewelry box opened on its own, and a brilliant light spilled out from inside.

As the light gradually faded, the inside of the jewelry box lid revealed the following inscription.

[An unpulled trigger, a golden arrow missed by the god of love.]

It was Mother’s handwriting.