The child was about waist-high to Melissa, with long brown hair braided on both sides. When there was no answer after tugging at her skirt and asking, a second question came.

「Do you live in this castle?」

This time she grabbed Melissa’s skirt with both hands as if demanding an answer. The skirt seemed like it might tear.

Though she had met children before, most of them followed noble etiquette and manners. Since those without perfect manners were completely excluded from social activities, this kind of encounter was a first.

「Big sister can’t understand me either? There’s no one here who can talk to me. I don’t even know where the bathroom is.」

The child grumbled as she let go of the skirt and stepped back. Though she looked young, it was surprising how fluently she spoke.

Melissa spoke to the child who was turning away with a pouty expression.

「The guest bathroom is on the right.」

The child immediately turned back around, startled by Melissa’s fluent Tavanian. Her expression could be seen brightening in real time.

「Oh my!」

Her face was like she had met a long-awaited noble person.

The discussion between Reizen and the merchant that began in the reception room after lunch continued without pause.

The merchant’s purpose in visiting was none other than the harbor owned by Reizen.

Though his business had succeeded in Tavania, he needed a sea route to import goods to his homeland, the Sys Empire.

The closest port was Maidos, but he harshly criticized the Count of Maidos with an expression of utter disgust.

“When using a port, you’re supposed to pay a certain fee, right? I understand other countries usually charge around 10%.”

“And?”

“Maidos wrote 10% in the initial contract, but later raised the fee to 80%. When we refused the fee, they even deployed the navy to completely block entry.”

A faint shadow crossed Reizen’s face.

“With no coal to return with, what could we do – we had to pay the money and unload everything even at a loss.”

“While still paying the fee?”

“Yes. I even considered abandoning the ship and cargo and escaping rather than pay the fee… but when their navy came onto our ship and put guns to our heads, well…”

“You had no choice.”

“My daughter was on the ship and she cried her eyes out. We’ve never experienced anything like this in other countries, only in Sys… She says she’ll never live in Sys even when she grows up.”

The merchant’s expression showed he still felt furious just thinking about it. He went on to explain that ultimately trust was more important than location, and that was why countless common merchants sought him out first.

For Reizen, he would receive astronomical amounts of money just by keeping the harbor open, while the merchant could distribute goods stably without emotional distress, so it was good for both sides. Thanks to this, the contract was quickly settled, though it took quite some time to coordinate the details.

By the time they finished talking, the sunset was already visible outside the window.

“You said you’re departing tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You should rest comfortably at the castle. Have some meals too.”

“How could I so suddenly…”

“I was planning to offer anyway. Are we strangers who just met? How many meals did I mooch off you when I was a student?”

“Mooch off…”

The merchant followed Reizen out of the reception room with a flustered expression. Reizen stood in the lobby and slowly looked around.

“By the way. Didn’t you say your daughter came with you?”

“Yes, yes.”

“The last time I saw her was in her mother’s belly, I wonder what she looks like now.”

Reizen showed a gentle smile. During his academy days, he had no money left after paying the tuition.

Most who majored in military studies were like that, except for a very few nobles like Sion. So during breaks, they all participated in railway construction projects together, and the merchant had provided free meals to the common academy students then.

At that time, the merchant’s wife was pregnant. The memory of her bringing meals while holding her belly that was swollen as big as the moon was still vivid.

“What was her name again?”

As Reizen asked the merchant while coming down the main entrance steps…

「Big sister! You’re so pretty!」

They saw a little girl placing a flower crown on Melissa’s head and bouncing up and down in place.

In that moment, Melissa caught Reizen’s eye.

A blanket was spread on the grass, with traces of playing house scattered around. Seeing heart shapes made of crushed grass placed in teacups using decorative garden pebbles made his head spin.

He thought that woman would never sit on grass in her life.

“Mel…”

Not only that, he thought she wouldn’t even mix words with a common girl. Since the child who didn’t know a gram of noble etiquette must have made her quite flustered.

She was a woman who naturally adapted and accepted things as soon as she returned to noble life. So he thought her behavior would naturally return to how it was before too.

“Clara!”

The merchant who recognized Melissa ran out like a bullet. He was horrified as he pulled his daughter away from rudely touching Melissa’s hair.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

Then he prostrated himself on the grass in apology instead of his daughter. As far as the merchant knew, the ‘Grey family’ was the family that created the nobility system.

Being from the Grey family, he thought she might punish his commoner daughter for her rudeness. With the prince behind her, though she might not kill the child, he seemed tense wondering if there might be some punishment.

Just as Reizen was about to step forward, Melissa Grey first brushed off her dress and stood up.

“No, I had fun too, thanks to her.”

She had grass stains on her dress and was holding pebbles in her hand.

When Reizen’s gaze fixed on her hands, Melissa slowly hid the pebbles behind her dress, conscious of his attention.

“Really?”

When the merchant confirmed in an anxious voice, she smiled shyly.

“Yes, really. Please get up.”

Her cheeks were flushed as if she had enjoyed playing with the child. He tried to imagine this woman who looked like she had never gotten dirt on her hands in her life crushing grass with stones while playing with a child.

Strangely, in his imagination the child resembled both him and her. Reizen became confused.

***

Spring deepened. The bulbs planted in the winter garden sprouted and colorful tulips bloomed.

Though Melissa had seen countless homes growing tulips in the capital, she had never seen such beautiful scenery as here.

The gardener was a white-haired old man over ninety. The old man who was said to be deaf went busily back and forth across the garden holding a shovel.

The ground was muddy from spring rain. A maid holding an umbrella ran to him as he climbed the hill trying to protect the tulips and shouted.

“Mr. Robert, they say it’s dangerous now because of the rain, so do it again later!”

The old man couldn’t understand and brought his ear closer.

“The madam says! Do it tomorrow! Now, because it’s raining!”

The maid shouted loudly while holding her aching throat. The wind and rain blew fiercely.

Melissa stood in the corridor connecting Mielin Castle and the adjacent gallery building, watching the struggle between the maid and gardener.

She hoped the gardener would relent and come down. Though the castle’s landscaping was important for the family’s dignity, it wasn’t worth the life of a gardener who had been born and lived here his whole life.

“Mr. Robert! It’s dangerous! Or later we can call people to do it together…”

No matter how much Laila raised her voice and spoke in segments, the gardener stubbornly waved both hands. He was determined to put covers over the flowers right now to protect them from damage, even if it killed him.

The maid who came down the hill alone made a crying face.

“What should we do, madam?”

Having misjudged the northern weather after several warm days. They had expected that even in the north, spring would bring mild weather, but in just three days, rain was pouring like a storm.

Suddenly there was a thunderous sound and the sky flashed. As lightning struck a garden tree nearby, flames burst up.

“Eek!”

Along with the maid’s scream, the old man lost his balance and fell.

“Mr. Robert!”

Along with the maid’s shout, Melissa ran out into the rain.

Though she wore a dress that was more practical than in the capital, any dress became very heavy when wet.

Moreover, it was worse since she went into the garden to check on the old man who had fallen in the mud.

Not just the maid but passing servants all came together – some put up covers, while others carried the old man into the castle.

Robert had fallen face-first onto his shovel and seemed to have cut his face, as he was carried by servants while stained with blood.

“Oh my, what happened!”

Laila checked Melissa’s complexion while sobbing.

“Madam, are you really alright?”

As they entered the castle entrance, drops of blood could be seen dotted on the floor.

“His Highness told you not to go outside today… Please go inside quickly! Please?”

Laila pushed on Melissa’s back with a worried voice. But she stubbornly turned her steps to follow the path the blood drops indicated.