“The manager took all of this?”

An enormous sum. In real-world terms, a fortune. The man glanced around nervously and then spoke.

“I know where the manager went.”

It was now plain as day that they had been in league with him. I looked at him with a firm expression, and the man bowed his head deeply.

“I am sorry, Miss Roseline. I have committed a grave offense. If you report me to the investigators, I will accept whatever punishment comes.”

“Facing consequences is only natural. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

The man’s lips moved briefly before he spoke.

“The manager told us that if we stalled for a little time, he would give us half. And we had been close with him for a long time, and he had never lied to us before, so we believed him.”

“How long were you planning to hide this? Did you think I would never find out?”

“……”

“Did you think the person you were dismissing was too foolish to catch on?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m handing all of you over to the investigators. You need to face the consequences.”

The kneeling workers and the man kept their heads down. I called for a knight immediately.

“Report these people to the investigators. They were in league with the manager who embezzled from this mine, and they also made insulting remarks to a noble.”

The bearded man quickly bowed his head.

“Miss Roseline, I am truly sorry for everything I said yesterday. I wasn’t in my right mind……”

“It’s too late for that. If you were going to say it, you should have said it yesterday.”

The man’s eyes shook. The knight took the workers away. There were enough of them that the knights had to make several trips.

Haser came running to my barracks shortly after.

“Roseline!”

“I’ve reported all the workers.”

Haser looked at me without speaking. I held out the ledger to him.

“They had the ledger all along and still refused yesterday.”

Haser took it with a grave expression. He turned the pages one by one, and his eyes grew harder with each one.

“To think they took this much. They were even making more money than what they sent to me.”

“They must have been splitting it among themselves. They were all in on it in the end.”

The more I thought about it, the more infuriating it was. And yet they had suddenly appeared before me begging forgiveness. Come to think of it, I still couldn’t understand why they had changed so abruptly.

“Did you say something to them, brother?”

“Say what?”

“Tell them to get on their knees and beg my forgiveness.”

Haser looked genuinely surprised.

“They got on their knees and begged your forgiveness?”

“When I woke up this morning, they were all kneeling outside.”

“I didn’t even see them yesterday. I had nothing more to say to them.”

“Then who was it.”

I thought quietly, and Nicaine came to mind. I had mentioned yesterday that the workers had insulted me.

‘I thought he hadn’t really heard it.’

But come to think of it, the look in his eyes when he asked who had insulted me had been unmistakable. The atmosphere had been that of someone who would deal with it on the spot.

‘Was it Nicaine.’

The more I thought about it, the more certain I became. Haser spoke then.

“Roseline. Go to the hospital now. I’ll wrap things up here.”

“Will you be all right on your own?”

“The most urgent fire has been put out, so it should be fine.”

Nicaine had said he would find the manager, so I had no worries on that front either.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, once you’re better, let’s talk again soon.”

I nodded. The bandaged wound on my back was aching a little. There were occasional pangs in my heart too.

*

It was nearly lunchtime when I arrived at the hospital room. Chesha looked after me attentively and asked about everything.

“Miss, is there anything else you need?”

I shook my head. I was in the middle of eating lunch when Chesha asked quickly.

“Shall I bring more apples?”

“I’m fine.”

I looked around as I said it. The room was large for a single-patient room, almost like my room at the residence. Strangely, a painting of roses hung on the wall, the deep red roses that Roseline had always loved.

“Was that painting here originally?”

Chesha looked at the painting I was looking at and turned back to me.

“I think it was put up for you this time, Miss. This is the hospital Master Nicaine sponsors.”

“So Nicaine told them to hang that painting?”

“Most likely. Red rose paintings aren’t usually hung in hospital rooms.”

Then Chesha quickly added.

“Of course, since you like them, Miss……”

“That’s all right. You don’t need to say that on my behalf. And I don’t really like roses anymore.”

“What?”

Chesha looked genuinely shocked.

“My tastes seem to have changed since I collapsed. Now I find daisies prettier than showy roses like that.”

I genuinely liked daisies. Their meaning was hope and peace. A simple and beautiful flower, fittingly so.

Chesha looked at me in bewilderment, then spoke quickly.

“Should I have the painting changed?”

“No, that’s not necessary.”

I had just finished lunch and was about to have the tray taken away when a knock came at the door and an unexpected visitor arrived.

A black uniform without a speck of dust or a single crease. Neatly swept hair without a strand out of place, strong brows, and deep blue eyes that drew the gaze naturally.

‘Why has Nicaine come.’

There had been no word that he was coming. I was looking at him in surprise when he walked over with long strides.

“How are you feeling?”

His eyes were unexpectedly attentive. Nothing was hurting, so I answered honestly.

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t go out no matter what comes up from now on. Think about your body.”

Nicaine exhaled as though he were the one who was more frustrated.

“And don’t go far from the hospital either.”

Was this because of yesterday? I had thought things ended reasonably well. I glanced at Nicaine without thinking, and his gaze was quite intense.

I opened my mouth awkwardly.

“What brings you here?”

“To see you.”

I blinked in surprise, and he continued.

“I think things are awkward between us.”

The bluntness of it left me speechless. Of all things to say so directly. Of course things were awkward when we were together, but I had never said it out loud.

And yet Nicaine had said it plainly. That it was awkward.

The air around us seemed to go cold and still. I had no idea what to say in a moment like this.

“So I think I should come by more often.”

“……”

“Now that we’re friends, wouldn’t it be better to get closer?”

I nodded in a daze.

“That’s true.”

Getting closer to Nicaine quickly was the only way to visit the secret garden and get the pale violet narcissus. Thinking about it, Nicaine was right.

But I had never imagined he would be this proactive about it.

‘Does he have some ulterior motive too.’

I glanced at him, and our eyes met in that instant.

“What.”

“No, I just……”

“Tell me if you’re hurting. I’ll call the doctor right away.”

“……”

“And eat more. Don’t pick at your food when you’re already ill.”

“I do eat a lot.”

“And you’re still that light?”

“What?”

My face went red with embarrassment.

‘Why does he know what I weigh?’

Then Poenin’s words came back to me. That he had carried me all the way to his room.

“I’ll have them bring you more nutritious food, so don’t leave anything.”

“……”

“Roseline.”

Nicaine stared at me intently.

“You have a chronic illness, don’t you.”

He remembered things about me with a strange attentiveness.

I looked at him with wide eyes, and the intensity in his gaze softened slightly.

“You should have said something sooner. I didn’t even know, and you……”

Nicaine stopped mid-sentence and turned his head. He exhaled slowly, then looked at me.

“Take care of yourself.”

I nodded. Nicaine looked at me for a long while with a firm expression. The wordless gaze made me uncomfortable, and I lowered my head.

Sitting alone together like this, I had nothing to say. There was no particular common ground between us, no closeness, nothing I was curious about. I already knew everything about Nicaine from the original novel.

A low voice reached my ear.

“The Royden Knights are looking for the manager, so you should hear back either tonight or tomorrow morning.”

My face brightened at that. Something to talk about at last.

“Thank you. Things worked out well because of you.”

“You said we’d help each other when things get hard.”

I smiled and agreed.

“That’s right. That’s what friends are for.”

Nicaine looked at me without answering. His gaze was strangely deep. The way he looked at me was different from before. The characteristic coldness wasn’t there.