After caring for Caspian in the morning, Cordelia had nothing to do.

When she tried to bring lunch, Catherine stopped her, saying not to attend to the young master for the rest of the day.

Though she didn’t understand why, Cordelia obediently followed her instructions.

However, as Caspian’s personal maid, Cordelia had no other proper duties besides attending to the young master.

After being cooped up in her room, Cordelia soon left her place. This situation was no different from when she had idly waited for her mother in the inn room.

The mansion was understaffed compared to its large size. Catherine had introduced only about ten maids.

Including other servants she had seen in passing, there were barely twenty people. Cordelia thought it would take a full day just to clean this large mansion with such few staff.

While lingering around the kitchen, Cordelia helped other maids with washing dishes and cleaning.

Some maids found her helpfulness admirable, while others gossiped about her, calling her a “dirty Therion.”

Noticing the chilly atmosphere she had caused, Cordelia left the kitchen.

Back in her room, Cordelia scribbled in her notebook to remember the Imperial language she had hastily learned.

She realized she still hadn’t introduced herself to the young master. She had intended to do so while greeting him this morning, but had completely forgotten because he was ill.

Since Catherine had told her not to attend to the young master today, it seemed she would have to wait until tomorrow.

But wait—Catherine had said not to attend to him, not that she couldn’t see him, right?

Cordelia recalled Catherine’s gestures when conveying the message. Thinking about it now, the meaning was ambiguous. She inwardly regretted not having learned more Imperial language beforehand.

She looked out the window. The sunset-dyed sky was as red as flames.

Suddenly sitting up from where she had been lying on the bed, Cordelia put her notebook in her pocket and went outside.

The sunset-tinted garden had a different charm than when seen under a clear sky.

White flowers took on a strange reddish hue, as if dyed by the twilight. Admiring the flowers in their different-colored evening attire, Cordelia relieved the boredom of her day.

While deeply engaged in her garden stroll, Cordelia spotted an unfamiliar person. The man, with distinctive upward-curled mustache, was trimming trees with intense focus in his eyes.

Cordelia approached him, watching his dazzling scissor work with curiosity.

“Yikes! You startled me!”

The man, who had been stepping backward with his arms crossed, yelped when he noticed Cordelia.

「I’m sorry.」

When Cordelia showed her written apology, the man, now calmed down, scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“No, it’s just that I don’t notice my surroundings when I’m concentrating.”

Seeing the clumsy handwriting, the man recognized her as the new mute Therion maid.

The servants were less interested in “how long this child would last” than in “why the head maid had hired her in the first place.”

Everyone believed without doubt that this child, too, would quit and leave within a few days.

Regardless, the man cared about nothing except garden maintenance.

Face to face with the subject of rumors, the man stroked his mustache.

“I’m Jack, the gardener of this mansion. What’s your name?”

Cordelia inferred his question from Jack’s gesture toward her and the Imperial word for “name.”

「I’m Cordelia」

“Nice to meet you, Cordy.”

Jack extended his right hand for a handshake.

When Cordelia took his hand, Jack shook it roughly with considerable strength, then pointed to the tree he had just trimmed.

“What do you think of that tree?”

“…”

“I’ve been researching new forms for the garden trees since last night.”

Jack continued talking without waiting for an answer after asking for her opinion.

Cordelia’s head spun as she listened to the rapid Imperial language he was speaking.

Ignoring the child who was staring blankly up at him, Jack kept chattering.

“This mansion has only one gardener—me! That means the beauty of this garden depends entirely on my hands! The servants here might have some strength, but they’re stupid and have no aesthetic sense, so they’re utterly useless!”

“…”

“This place is different from Obenhart! There are so many beautiful flowers and trees here that couldn’t grow in that cold land, but they don’t appreciate them…!”

Jack, who had been speaking like a machine gun, suddenly clicked his tongue.

Cordelia, who had been listening to Jack’s complaints without understanding, looked at the tree he had pointed to.

It had clean, evenly rounded lines without a single angular branch sticking out. The trees lined up beside it were also neatly trimmed in the same shape.

Noticing Cordelia’s gaze, Jack spoke with heightened enthusiasm.

“Isn’t it wonderful! You can’t take your eyes off it, can you? Come over here and look at these flowers too! These are flowers I put my heart and soul into blooming every year!”

Jack’s touch on the lushly blooming roses was like caressing a baby.

Cordelia clapped her hands as she looked at the flowers and trees he was proudly showing off, though she didn’t understand what he was saying.

By now, the day was fading and the garden growing darker.

“Cordy, you really have an eye for beauty. I can’t express how happy I am to find someone who appreciates the beauty of my garden! The people in this mansion have no interest in the garden at all…!”

Jack, who had been habitually snipping his scissors, became so engrossed in his story that he spread his arms wide. In doing so, he carelessly moved his scissors and snipped something off.

Cordelia and Jack’s heads turned simultaneously.

A white rose fell to the ground with a soft thud.

“Oh…”

After a moment of silence, Jack covered his face with one hand and sighed.

“Look at me. I’ve been working all day since morning, so my concentration is slipping… Look! The sun has already set!”

Cordelia picked up the fallen rose. Even in the dim twilight, the petals were white and pristine.

She handed the flower to Jack, who was lamenting with slumped shoulders. Jack shook his head.

“What would you do with a flower cut off by my mistake? You’d only be disappointed in my inadequate skills.”

“…”

“Still, it’s a shame to waste such a beautifully bloomed flower, so you take it. If you put it in a vase, it should last at least two days.”

Jack placed both his hands over the child’s small hand holding the rose.

Cordelia smiled brightly at the rose firmly placed in her hand. Jack’s eyes widened slightly.

“You like flowers, don’t you?”

Jack smiled gently.

Cordelia looked up at the second floor of the mansion. The young master’s room should be somewhere around there, but the curtains tightly covering the closed windows didn’t reveal any light.

Yesterday, the young master had been looking at the garden. Perhaps he was too ill to come out to the garden now. If so, wouldn’t he be pleased if she brought him this flower?

Even though this was only Cordelia’s second time seeing the garden, she could tell how beautiful the flowers and trees were. That was something she could fully appreciate with her eyes, even without understanding Jack’s passionate boasting.

Surely the young master, who had spent a long time in the villa, must love this garden.

The emotion in “those eyes” was probably longing.

Cordelia’s blue eyes sparkled with innocent anticipation as she carefully held the rose.

* * *

Standing in front of Caspian’s door, Cordelia took a short deep breath.

Having received Catherine’s permission to give the flower to the young master, she also planned to introduce herself properly, which she hadn’t managed to do earlier today.

The sound of knocking echoed in the quiet corridor. Soon, Caspian’s voice invited her to enter. Cordelia opened the door carefully and stepped in quietly.

Caspian was sitting up in bed, reading a book. Without looking at Cordelia, he spoke.

“I said no more attendance was needed today. Didn’t Cathy tell you?”

Caspian had already changed into his nightclothes. His eyes, still lowered toward the book, were visible through his golden hair.

Cordelia moved a little closer to the bedside.

Finding it strange that there was no answer to his question, Caspian turned his head.

Instead of the maid’s face, a white rose suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Caspian didn’t take the flower but shifted his gaze behind it. The child’s cheeks offering the rose were tinged pink.

Closing his book with a thud, Caspian got off the bed.

He hadn’t seen her since morning and had wondered, but as he expected, Catherine hadn’t sent the child away. She must have thought his mind might change if the child stayed out of sight for a day.

Caspian didn’t want to know why Catherine was so determined to keep this child by his side.

“I’m going to give you a choice now.”

Caspian showed absolutely no interest in the rose, to the point where Cordelia’s outstretched hands became embarrassed. She fidgeted with the flower in her hands.