The gardener of the ducal mansion, Josh, was pacing anxiously with a devastated expression.

This was because his carefully cultivated anemones had suddenly received an eviction order.

“Oh no, my poor babies…”

“Move them over here. One, two.”

“Careful, be careful! You mustn’t damage the roots!”

What kind of disaster was this on a Saturday morning?

Servants who had barged into the greenhouse without warning were digging up all the flowers he had painstakingly cultivated and loading them onto carts.

Josh rushed over with his trowel, but it was of no use.

“Has His Grace developed some grudge against these innocent flowers?”

“These are His Grace’s orders.”

“You know how much care I’ve put into raising them, don’t you? Please…”

“We cannot disobey His Grace’s orders.”

“Oh, my poor babies!”

The area that had been decorated with anemones for the past few years was instantly bare.

That wasn’t all.

Starting with yellow tulips, then astilbes, marigolds, alliums, and many other flowers were also targeted for removal.

“Where are all these poor flowers supposed to go? His Grace is being too harsh!”

“Don’t be so sad. They’re not being thrown away, just relocated.”

“Even so, to evict them so suddenly… sob”

“Come now, man.”

Nick, another gardener, tried to console Josh.

He understood the feeling of losing flowers that had been raised with such care overnight.

However, no matter how much they were raised like one’s own children, they couldn’t defy the mansion owner’s orders.

Eventually, Duke Frith appeared in the chaotic greenhouse.

“Your Grace.”

“That’s enough greeting.”

He looked around the devastated flower beds and muttered coldly.

“You’ve removed everything without exception, I presume?”

“Yes. Everything has been loaded onto the carts.”

“These things must never take root in the ducal mansion again.”

“Oh, no…”

Thud.

The despairing Josh collapsed on the spot.

Then he crawled on his knees toward Duke Frith.

His fingertips, unable to grasp the Duke’s trouser hem because of his soil-covered gloves, pathetically groped the ground.

“Your Grace, what is all this about?”

“….”

“If I’ve done something wrong, please tell me! These flowers are innocent!”

Josh had been in charge of the ducal mansion’s greenhouse for 20 years.

From ordering seedlings to repotting, even artificial pollination.

Nothing in this greenhouse had escaped his hands.

Moreover, it was well known that Duke Frith had been indifferent to the greenhouse all this time.

Wasn’t there even an incident where he ordered Ruby Roses in bulk from a flower merchant despite having perfectly good roses already?

So why suddenly uproot all the flowers?

Josh was beside himself with frustration.

But Duke Frith looked down at him with cold eyes.

“The flowers are innocent?”

“Th-they’ve never even left the greenhouse their entire lives, what crime could they have committed? So please…”

“You must know this book.”

Derek promptly held out a thick book.

“1001 Plant Encyclopedia.” It was very familiar to Josh as a gardener.

“I’ve read it hundreds of times already. But why…”

“Then you must know well.”

“…?”

“The flower language of those things.”

Duke Frith quickly flipped through the pages with a deeply furrowed brow.

“Yellow tulip, impossible love. Astilbe, love without promise. Marigold, sorrow of parting. Allium, drifting heart.”

“…!”

“Must I recite more of these terrible things?”

Josh’s pupils trembled slightly.

‘…What’s wrong with those flower meanings?’

Aren’t flowers simply plants cultivated for their beauty, not just for their symbolic meanings?

However, Duke Frith seemed to think differently.

“I have no intention of growing flowers with such cruel, negative, and vicious meanings.”

“….”

“So I have no choice but to uproot all those malicious things.”

“But—”

“Your Grace!”

At that moment, accompanied by the rattling of wheels, the assistant Lucas appeared.

“Huff, the seedlings you ordered have arrived. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with them, but where should we put them?”

“It would be faster to consult with the gardener.”

“My, my goodness…!”

Josh’s mouth fell open as he witnessed the endless procession of carts.

The largest number of seedlings in the history of the ducal mansion greenhouse were pouring in.

From cockscomb to pinks to verbena.

Flowers with different growing environments, blooming periods, and appearances caught his eye.

These were flowers he had long coveted but had to give up on due to a lack of space.

“Just plant them wherever there’s empty space.”

“How can I possibly…!”

“I’m sure you’ll manage the growing well. If you need anything, relay it through Lucas.”

“Ah…!”

Josh stroked the seedlings with trembling hands.

Oh, the abundant vitality spreading through his fingertips!

The gardener’s blood boiled with excitement.

He could hardly bear the desire to provide these plants with a warm home right away.

Josh instantly changed his expression.

“Leave it to me! I’ll do my best! M-may I start working right away?”

“As you please.”

“Thank you!”

His hand, picking up the dropped trowel, was now resolute.

Derek watched the gardener’s enthusiastic back before leaving.

‘It will be finished soon.’

It seemed the day when the ducal mansion greenhouse would be filled with abundant love and trust was not far off.

***

The carts that departed from the ducal mansion scattered throughout the empire.

The first to receive them were the families who had attended the birthday ball.

However, the cart headed for Count Kevelson’s mansion was loaded with precious ingredients instead of flowers.

The next destination was the imperial palace.

“Your Highness, flowers have been sent from Duke Frith’s mansion.”

“Duke Frith?”

Princess Diana, who had been embroidering while sitting on her bed, quickly stood up.

The embroidery frame and needles tumbled messily to the floor, but she paid no attention to them.

“My goodness!”

The princess stepped outside and involuntarily covered her mouth.

The flowers loaded on the large cart were all exquisite.

It looked as if someone’s entire garden had been relocated.

“I’m told there are many carts that haven’t even been brought in yet.”

“So… he sent quite a lot. Such an inflexible man.”

Despite her critical tone, the corners of her mouth curved up pleasantly.

‘After acting so stiff. Now he even knows how to steal a woman’s heart.’

By all accounts, Duke Frith’s recent changes were very welcome.

Compared to his past as a cold, unfeeling block of wood, this was tremendous progress.

In fact, the princess had been feeling resentful toward Derek.

He had planned to host a birthday ball, which he had never done before, but hadn’t given her even a word of notice, despite her having prepared a gift in advance.

If she had known beforehand, wouldn’t she have canceled her tour schedule?

And now, such a thoughtless man had ‘voluntarily’ sent flowers as his first gift.

He had a more romantic side than she thought.

“Shall I have them transplanted to Your Highness’s garden?”

“No, that wouldn’t be right.”

“Then what shall we do with all these flowers…”

“I was just about to redecorate my room, so this is perfect timing.”

The princess had all the flowers brought into her room.

Then she first summoned the imperial magician.

“Your Highness, I heard you called for me.”

“Finally, you’re here.”

“May I ask why you summoned me…”

The princess looked around the room with a pleased expression.

“Ah, I received flowers as a gift, and I’d like to be able to enjoy them for a long time. Isn’t there some way to do that?”

“You mean preserving their condition?”

“Well, you could say that. Flowers wither too quickly. I’d like to maintain their original form if possible.”

“We could use magic stones, but I believe my abilities should be sufficient for this.”

“Excellent.”

The imperial magician immediately began chanting spells toward the flowers.

Then, small sparkles invisible to ordinary people began to gently settle on the petals.

It was an advanced preservation spell that only high-level magicians could perform.

The princess alternated her gaze between the magician and the flowers, trying to spot subtle differences.

“It’s done.”

“Already? I don’t see any change.”

“Preservation magic doesn’t show visible effects on the surface.”

“Well, if you say so. I’ll trust you.”

“You’ll probably notice the effects after just two days.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

The princess then summoned several maids with good handiwork.

She had some flowers transplanted into pots, while the rest were cut at the stem to make fresh flower decorations.

The princess’s bedroom was instantly filled with flowers.

“Where should I hang this?”

The princess, wearing a crown made of yellow tulips, paced around holding a wreath of marigolds of the same color.

The bed was already surrounded by astilbes hung upside down instead of curtains.

Then her gaze fell on the hunting trophy on one wall.

“Should I make another one and hang them on both sides of the deer antlers?”

“That’s an excellent sense of style, Your Highness.”

“Good. Then one more marigold wreath—”

Knock knock.

“Your Highness. Princess Catarina requests an audience.”

“…That woman?”

Princess Diana put down the wreath with an annoyed gesture.

She clearly wasn’t pleased by the unexpected visitor.

‘What is she plotting?’

It’s not as if the two were close enough to visit each other’s bedrooms.

Besides, to the princess, Catarina was nothing more than the woman who would marry the foolish Patrick.

“Your Highness? Should I tell her to come back another time?”

“….”

But the princess, looking down at the wreath, smiled meaningfully.

“That won’t be necessary. Show her in now.”

This was an opportunity to properly show the difference between a princess from a border kingdom and the princess of the Kriant Empire.

It seemed necessary to establish discipline before, so that nobody got too haughty wearing the Empress’s crown.

Soon, a very intimidated princess appeared in modest attire.

“I pay my respects to Your Highness.”

“Yes, what brings the princess all the way here?”

“It’s the weekend, isn’t it? I thought we might… have a chat, woman to woman.”

“A chat? You and me?”

“….”

Princess Diana openly snorted.

Ah, it was so obvious.

Clearly, either the princess’s father or brother had pressured her.

Don’t be timid, be proactive in getting recognized as a member of the imperial family. Something along those lines.

“Well then, go ahead and say what you want to say.”

“I… I…”

“I said go ahead, didn’t I?”

The princess frantically rolled her eyes, trying to find a common topic of conversation.

Then, following the scent of flowers, she looked around the princess’s room.

“Ah! You’ve also received fl-flowers, I see.”

“‘Also’? What do you mean by that?”

“I-I heard that Duke Frith’s mansion sent flowers to the imperial palace… or am I mistaken?”