“…What?”

“Turns out, he was a masochist and didn’t even realize it. But as he endured my branch of justice, he… awakened to it. In other words, I accidentally brought it out of him!”

“…”

Rohayden, who had been earnestly listening until now, was at a loss for words.

“Of course, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having your own preferences. Some people like getting hit, and some people like hitting others. It’s fine as long as you’re not harming anyone. But that guy tried to force himself on me, so naturally, the engagement couldn’t continue.”

“…”

“However, his family didn’t want to give up the engagement. They came to our house, apologizing for his actions, asking if we could overlook it just this once, considering the long-standing relationship between our families. They even threatened us, saying it would be bad for both sides if I were to go on trial for assault due to the injuries he sustained. When I told them that their son’s inclinations were of this nature, they flew into a rage, accusing me of tarnishing their family’s honor…”

“How did it end?”

“The next day, my fiancé eloped with his private tutor.”

“…”

“It turned out that his tutor had disciplined him quite harshly. I found out later when he sent me a thank-you note in my name.”

“Incredible.”

Rohayden rubbed his forehead in exasperation. He’d never heard a story that left him so speechless. Leaning against a tree, Mail grinned at him.

“A friend once told me, after hearing this story, that she didn’t know whether to laugh, sigh, curse, or applaud.”

“Same here.”

If he hadn’t been wearing a mask, he likely would’ve shown a rather dumbfounded expression to the other person.

Rohayden watched Mail, who was staring at him with a soft smile after sharing such an unexpectedly shocking story. While the bizarre twist left him bewildered, on one hand, he felt…

“I’m glad.”

“What for?”

“That you weren’t hurt.”

“…”

Mail froze for a moment, meeting Rohayden’s gaze. Despite the shocking turn of events—awakening a deviant, a broken engagement, and the ups and downs of it all—he was relieved that she hadn’t been harmed in any way through it all.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time she’d heard something like that. Some relatives or friends, after hearing her story, expressed their concerns similarly. It wasn’t exactly new…

‘But somehow, it feels different.’

She hadn’t realized that receiving concern could feel so strange. Somehow, she found it hard to keep looking directly at him. Avoiding his gaze, Mail searched for a topic to shift the conversation, fumbling inwardly. Right, the book.

She had brought a book from her room, one she’d borrowed from the library with Riela’s help yesterday.

The cover was black with gold-embossed lettering. It was a book she had planned to enjoy reading leisurely in the garden after lunch.

“Ahem, I think I’ll start reading a bit now.”

“A book?”

Rohayden’s interest was piqued. After finishing a meal in the garden, now she was going to read a book. At this rate, he thought she might even nap there one day.

Although he’d taken care of the garden meticulously, he hadn’t considered using it so diversely. Her idea seemed amusing to him.

“Reading in this spot, huh? Not a bad idea. So, what kind of book is it? It seems like… the garden…”

Rohayden’s words trailed off. The moment his eyes caught the title, he stopped moving. His red eyes suddenly trembled.

…Did he read it wrong? No matter how many times he looked, the words didn’t change. After a short silence, Rohayden spoke, doubting his own eyes.

“That book.”

“Yes?”

“Did you borrow it knowing what it’s about?”

Mail noticed that his gaze was fixed firmly on the book cover. She lowered her eyes and saw the elaborate gold-stitched title.

“Alone in the Garden with My Hot Lover♡”

A cute heart was even added beside the last character.

Lifting her eyes, Mail responded in a tone that implied it was obvious.

“It’s about planting trees alone in the garden with my hot lover, right?”

“…”

“Are you alright, Master?”

Mail was startled. Rohayden suddenly slipped down the tree he was leaning against.

He slumped, shoulders shaking as he lowered his head. Now it was Mail’s turn to feel baffled. What? What’s wrong?

“That… that book, are you planning to read it now?”

His voice sounded strained, as if he were trying to hold something back. Curious about his reaction, but seeing no harm, Mail answered sincerely. Yes.

“Are you interested in it? I’ll lend it to you when I’m done. I’ve borrowed it for a generous period.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“…?”

“You said you’d start reading it now, right? Could I ask you to read it aloud?”

Rohayden’s lips trembled slightly as he managed to speak with feigned calm.

Mail had no idea. That he was straining every nerve not to burst out laughing—using every ounce of restraint he hadn’t even applied during training. Rohayden held back. Not yet. Now’s not the time to laugh.

“Reading aloud? Sure, that’s no problem.”

Mail readily accepted his request. She often read aloud for her seven-year-old cousin back home. Reading out loud was no big deal for her, though she wondered why he’d asked for it.

Clearing her throat, Mail opened the book with confidence.

“I’ll skip the table of contents. Oh, there isn’t one anyway.”

The book had no preface or chapter titles, jumping straight into the main content. Mail placed the book on her lap and began reading the words in a bright, clear voice.

“Roselia was a refined woman. Raised with strict guidance, she wore gloves even when visiting her garden. She never forgot her wide-brimmed hat that covered most of her face.”

Inwardly, Mail admired Roselia’s careful nature. Gloves were essential for planting trees. Even if she wanted to show off her well-maintained hands, gloves were a must.

And given the long hours spent in the garden, wearing a wide-brimmed hat on sunny days was indeed wise.

As expected of a gardening book. Approving the protagonist’s preparedness, Mail moved to the next paragraph.

“That day was no different. Roselia met ‘him’ in the garden. He was a man of lethal charm. The moment Roselia saw him, she knew. He would ruin her.”

…?

Mail tilted her head slightly. Ruin her?

Since they met anyway, they would soon be planting trees together. The book with its wide margins didn’t contain many words per page. Mail turned to the next one.

“He seized Roselia the moment he spotted her in the garden, without hesitation. He dragged her to a secluded spot, pressing her against him. Roselia wanted to resist, but she couldn’t. Facing his dark, black eyes, she felt like she was ensnared in a web.”

Wait, what was this? Mail began to sense something strange. They were supposed to be planting trees, but the book’s tone felt odd. Were they going to plant trees like this?

“Trapped as his prisoner, she could do nothing. All she could manage was to gasp for air as her breath quickened without realizing it. Then he whispered to her in a low voice.”

Hurry up and bring the shovel.

And so, the two lovingly planted a tree in the garden together.

…Or at least, that was Mail’s hopeful wish. The next sentence in the book shattered her expectations completely.

“Roselia, I know you never take off your hat or gloves in front of men. But it doesn’t matter. Because what I want to remove is something else. If you don’t want it, just say so.” With that, he skillfully reached for Roselia’s ski…rt….”

Thunk.

Mail closed the book.

‘What on earth did I just read?’

In the bottom right corner of the page was an embarrassingly explicit illustration. The delicate drawing was shockingly detailed and left little to the imagination.

Mail, who had quickly shut the book with a loud noise, felt her eyes widen in shock. A cold sweat ran down her face. Even she couldn’t help but realize it by now.

They’re not planting any trees.

No trees.

They’re not planting any trees; they’re just…in the garden together…

“…What the…”

“What?”

“Forget it!”

Mail hurled a basket at Rohayden’s head and bolted from her seat. Behind her, Rohayden’s laughter echoed through the garden.

“I’ll curse you!”

Curled up on the bed, Mail muttered to herself. Having woken up earlier than usual, Riela glanced over at Mail while she was eating her breakfast.

“What are you doing?”

“I’d like to be alone. Please, leave me.”

“What are you talking about?”

Riela quickly lost interest. She returned to cutting and eating her grilled fruit with her fork. Feeling like she wanted to punch something, Mail buried her face between her knees.

She’d been tricked.

She’d been tricked by the book’s author. Mail was outraged. She had read a book with a similar title by the same author in the past.

The title was ‘A Seductive Older Sister and Just the Two of Us in the Kitchen.’ Despite the suggestive title, it was an ordinary cookbook. Yes, a cookbook. The seductive older sister was simply the chef!

Why could she cook with the seductive older sister, but she couldn’t plant a tree with the hot guy…

That terrible author… I’ll curse them for real… Struggling with her inner turmoil, Mail writhed in embarrassment at the corner of her bed.

It was mortifying. She felt humiliated. She wanted to bury her face. Her emotions only settled down when Riela had finished her meal and downed her chocolate tea.

Having eaten her fill, Riela glanced at Mail again.

“Why are you sitting there like that?”

“…I just…want to stay like this for today.”

“Then take a look at this.”

Not particularly curious about Mail’s circumstances, Riela approached with her own agenda, holding a brightly covered book in her arms. Mail looked up from her knees, watching as Riela approached.

‘The Princess, the Knight, the Prince, the Dark Lord, and the Dragon, Volume 1.’

Since it was handed to her, Mail accepted it. But she couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Why is she giving me this?

With a serious expression, Riela spoke.

“I can’t decide.”

“Pardon?”

“Between the knight, the prince, the dark lord, and the dragon—which one should I choose?”

…?

Why is the princess choosing?

Hearing Riela’s (supposedly serious) dilemma, Mail looked down at the book, feeling somewhat dumbfounded. Had Riela begun to see herself in the female lead while reading, or was she simply declaring she’d found her ideal fantasy lover? Perplexed, Mail opened the book.

“Do you have to pick just one?”

“You can only marry one person.”

When did marriage plans come into this?

“Anyway, choose. Who do you think is the coolest?”

“…You gave me this book to read, didn’t you? I’ll read it all and then decide.”

It had been a while since Mail had made such a frivolous decision. She almost picked randomly but decided to immerse herself in the book to clear her mind. And it turned out to be the right choice. Sitting there, she quickly devoured all three volumes of *The Princess and…* and successfully cleared her mind.

As her mind cleared, the embarrassment and other emotions that had been troubling her began to fade quite a bit.

Mail was grateful to Riela for pulling her out of the swamp of shame, though she knew Riela probably acted without much thought.

“Princess, I think the Dark Lord is the best.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well, first, he’s handsome, and according to the description here…”

Just as she was cheerfully discussing the qualities of the Dark Lord with Riela, Mail suddenly recalled the voice she had heard while leaving the garden earlier.

“Let’s meet here again when the Goddess Hemera’s blessing fades. I’m holding the basket and the mat as collateral.”

That was what Rohayden had called out to her back as she hurriedly fled. In a way, they had made a sort of appointment. Traditionally, the time when the Goddess Hemera was thought to lose her strength was around 6 p.m., just as the sunset would begin.

“What should I do…”

She liked gardens and sunsets, but the fact that she had—though it was just the beginning—read an embarrassing adult novel aloud and thrown a basket at her master was less than ideal.

Sighing, Mail decided to focus on Riela’s intense analysis of the charms of the Dark Lord and the Dragon.