“I wish I could gift you a garden rather than a bouquet, but following custom, I send this bouquet first. I promise a greater gift next time.”

As soon as the brief message ended, he presented what had been behind him to Eve.

It was a bouquet full of blooming calla lilies.

Eve reflexively accepted Medric’s gift from Hans.

The bouquet was so large that Eve was almost completely hidden behind the flowers.

“Wow, my lady. I’ve never seen such a large bouquet before. The Duke must be completely smitten with you.”

Marie exclaimed in admiration. She wasn’t alone. The servants who had gathered after hearing Hans’s voice also joined in the admiration.

This incident would likely spread throughout the mansion, becoming a rumor that Medric was deeply in love with Eve.

“Then I shall return to the Duke. Please call me when you need anything, my lady.”

With a satisfied expression, Hans left, and Eve remained standing in the room, holding the enormous bouquet in a daze.

The peach-colored silk slip that had filled her thoughts earlier was long forgotten.

In the kingdom, there was a custom of giving flowers to someone after spending the night together as a token of appreciation.

This custom was sometimes omitted for marriages of convenience or those not based on mutual desire.

Naturally, since Medric and Eve’s marriage was for mutual benefit, she hadn’t expected such a gift.

‘A garden…? A greater gift…?’

She couldn’t understand his thinking at all.

“My lady, shall I bring a vase?”

Snapping back to reality, Eve nodded.

Regardless, the beautifully blooming flowers needed to be placed in a vase and properly cared for.

Marie, excited as if it were her own affair, happily left the room, saying she would bring one right away.

The bouquet, densely packed with calla lilies, was too heavy to hold for long.

The bouquet placed on the floor appeared to contain at least 500 flowers.

As she was wondering what to do with all these flowers, Marie quickly returned carrying an armful of vases.

“My lady! I asked Marlin, who used to be in charge of the garden, and she said the meaning of calla lilies is ‘love for a thousand years’!”

“Is that so?”

Marie showed an exceptionally bright smile.

‘This story will spread far and wide soon.’

Eve placed a single calla lily in the vase Marie had brought.

“Aren’t you happy, my lady? You received such an amazing bouquet! It will be considered one of the most remarkable gifts in Ptotr. It’s so romantic.”

Marie gazed at the calla lilies with sparkling eyes, clasping her hands together.

“I am… pleased.”

‘But how am I going to arrange all these flowers?’

Looking at the pile of calla lilies stacked by the door, Eve felt overwhelmed.

***

Eve decided to take a walk after a long time.

Her body felt stiff after being confined to her room for days due to illness. Now that her strength had largely recovered, she had no problem moving around.

“The Duke said he would like to take a walk with you and asked to meet briefly.”

How perfect—just when she was about to go for a walk!

She couldn’t very well pretend to be sick again and go back to bed.

Besides, she had things to ask him anyway. She agreed and changed clothes with Marie’s help.

Eve put on a navy blue dress that sparkled like stars with every movement, then selected accessories to wear.

All the necklaces and rings Marie showed her were gifts from Medric. Of course, since she hadn’t bought any herself.

“How about this?”

Marie pointed to a set of accessories—a necklace, ring, and bracelet with blue sapphires.

Thinking they would match well with her navy dress, Eve agreed and put them on.

After getting ready, she opened the door and came face to face with Medric, who was waiting.

‘Goodness!’

She hadn’t expected him to arrive so early and be waiting.

Composing herself after the surprise, she looked at him, only to find him staring intently at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re wearing my gift.”

“That’s hardly surprising. Everything I’m wearing from head to toe was given by you, Duke.”

“But that one I personally selected.”

Come to think of it, this was the first time she had worn a necklace given by Medric rather than the one from Ivan in his presence.

She couldn’t keep wearing only Ivan’s necklace.

Eve touched the blue sapphire on her necklace.

“More importantly, don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“What should I say?”

“My wife seems to have a habit of forgetting things.”

Her face turned sulky at his criticism of her memory.

“I just got up from my sickbed, so I might forget things. What am I supposed to say to you, Duke?”

When Eve genuinely seemed not to know, Medric stopped walking.

Eve also stopped and looked at him.

Medric stepped closer to her and continued in a quiet voice.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit much to say nothing at all about falling asleep on our wedding night?”

“….Oh.”

She had been meaning to ask about the flowers he’d sent despite them not having spent their wedding night together.

How could she have forgotten about that?

Eve lamented her memory.

And it seemed there was something else she had forgotten.

“If you were going to forget anyway, why did you wear that nightgown?”

‘Right, the nightgown!’

At the word ‘nightgown,’ Eve’s face turned as red as a radish that had been scalded.

She had meant to ask Marie about it as soon as Hans left! She had completely forgotten.

Eve barely restrained herself from smacking her own head.

“That… I didn’t put that on myself.”

“If you didn’t want to wear it, you would have told the maid dressing you that you didn’t like it.”

“That’s…”

Once her words faltered, she couldn’t continue properly.

With a reddened face and lowered head, Eve bit her lip. She tried to change the subject.

“By the way, why did you give me calla lilies when we didn’t even spend our wedding night together?”

She had been curious about the calla lilies all along.

She understood that he had given them to help establish her position in the mansion.

But why specifically calla lilies among all possible flowers?

Why flowers that meant “love for a thousand years”?

Eve focused on the answer that would come from Medric’s lips.

Medric answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Calla lilies have several meanings. ‘Purity,’ ‘love,’ and also ‘chastity.'”

Eve mentally reviewed the meanings he had just stated.

‘There was also a meaning of chastity?’

When Marie had told her, she had only mentioned “love for a thousand years.”

That’s what she had been curious about!

Eve’s face flushed hot again, realizing she had misunderstood once more.

Watching her reaction with amusement, Medric smiled and asked:

“Did you think I gave them to you as a symbol of love?”

‘Of course!’

She hadn’t even considered there might be other meanings.

It was too late now to scold Marie for only telling her one meaning of the flower.

She felt so embarrassed she wanted to find a mouse hole to hide in.

“No. I… knew calla lilies had other meanings too.”

“You can’t even remember whether we spent our wedding night together, yet you knew about the ‘chastity’ meaning and that’s why you asked me?”

Eve couldn’t respond anymore.

When she was with Medric, she strangely felt like he always took control of the conversation.

She fanned herself with her palm as heat rose to her face.

She wanted to escape this situation. This was beyond embarrassing.

Medric strolled through the garden, saying he was glad to be taking a walk with his wife after so long. Whether he knew Eve’s feelings or not, he persistently sought her gaze as she kept trying to avoid his eyes.

‘He definitely knows.’

Otherwise, why would he occasionally burst into laughter with those relaxed lips?

Though the outcome wouldn’t change, Eve regretted deciding to take a walk today.