Special Side Story 5

“Dyffrin, you know people wear flower crowns during the summer solstice festival, right?”

On the day of the summer solstice festival, Evelyn asked as she sipped her morning coffee.

Elia had gone out early for her riding lesson, and Woody was being looked after by Dunswell, so Evelyn could enjoy a relaxed and leisurely breakfast.

“I know. You wear a flower crown you made yourself, then at night you let it float down the Elberon River. That’s the tradition of the festival, isn’t it?”

The flower crowns sent down the river unfurl in the current and return to nature.

It’s a long-standing festival in the Duchy, but Dyffrin had never seen the scene for himself.

He’d never had the leisure to enjoy festivals since childhood, nor did he care for such trivial customs.

“Will you wear a flower crown today, just for this once?”

Dyffrin fell silent.

To him, flower crowns were unwelcome enough to be dismissed as a trivial custom.

“It’s just a waste of flowers.”

Dyffrin said indifferently as he drank his water. Evelyn chuckled at his reaction.

“Yes, looking at your face, that might be true. But what should I do? I’ve already made them.”

Saying that, Evelyn disappeared for a moment and returned holding two flower crowns.

The crowns, woven from wild grass and flowers, weren’t elaborate but had a simple beauty.

Of course, regardless of their beauty, Dyffrin wasn’t pleased.

“If I walk around wearing a flower crown, people will laugh.”

“So what if they do? A Lord walking around with a flower crown makes you look more approachable, don’t you think?”

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders, and Dyffrin realized there was no way out.

“…Just for a little while.”

Seeing Dyffrin’s displeased expression, Evelyn burst out laughing again.

“All right.”

After lunch, the blazing sunlight lit up the whole land. The cloudless, clear sky was fresh and bright, announcing summer’s arrival.

Expecting the hot weather, Dyffrin rolled up the sleeves of his thin shirt a couple of times.

Before heading out, he tried on the flower crown Evelyn had prepared, looked in the mirror, frowned, and quickly took it off.

The beautiful crown and his stiff face were as mismatched as frost in this hot weather.

Dyffrin sighed and placed the crown on the nightstand.

But when he remembered Evelyn’s bright smile as she handed him the crown, he couldn’t bring himself not to wear it.

‘In the past, she couldn’t even give me a single flower.’

Dyffrin unconsciously compared the Evelyn of the past with the Evelyn of now.

It wasn’t that he missed the old Evelyn or was dissatisfied with the current one.

It was just an unconscious realization that came whenever he saw different behaviors from the same person.

Maybe it was because he’d recently taken out the wine-colored ribbon he’d never been able to give Evelyn as a gift.

He felt the smooth texture when he put his hand in his pocket. The ribbon that had been tucked in a book was now always in Dyffrin’s pocket.

When he slowly took it out, the ribbon stretched long in his hand.

Even now, looking at this ribbon made him want to hear the truth from Evelyn.

He knew it was a useless desire.

Staring at the ribbon for a moment, Dyffrin soon crumpled it back into his pocket.

Evelyn was waiting for him outside.

Evelyn, waiting for Dyffrin, was wearing a white muslin dress and holding a parasol.

Under the blazing sun, Evelyn looking at him was so beautiful and precious that Dyffrin wanted to remember it for the rest of his life.

Dyffrin didn’t hide the natural smile that appeared on his lips.

As Dyffrin approached, Evelyn fanned herself.

“I knew it’d be hot, but it’s really scorching.”

“Should I get you ice like before?”

Dyffrin was referring to the time he’d brought ice to win back Evelyn’s heart.

When he brought up that day in a light tone, Evelyn glanced at him with a playful look.

“No, if I see ice, I’ll remember those days and probably resent you.”

“That wouldn’t be good.”

Dyffrin laughed softly and escorted Evelyn.

Once in the carriage, Evelyn opened the window wide and watched the people enjoying the festival.

“Look over there, Dyffrin. Everyone’s wearing flower crowns!”

All the crowns seemed handmade, each with its own look—clumsy or elaborate, each was beautiful in its own way.

Seeing the festivalgoers, Evelyn put on her own flower crown.

“How do I look?”

“Beautiful.”

Dyffrin’s simple answer made Evelyn smile with satisfaction.

“You should wear yours too. We’ll be getting off soon.”

Just as Evelyn said, the carriage soon stopped in front of the plaza. Before getting out, Dyffrin put on his crown.

Naturally, when people saw Dyffrin wearing a flower crown, their eyes widened.

“The Duke is wearing a flower crown!”

Children giggled and pointed at Dyffrin.

Despite feeling awkward about their reactions, Dyffrin kept his promise to Evelyn and didn’t take the crown off.

Fortunately, as he walked through the streets, he got used to people’s gazes and forgot he was even wearing the crown.

“I can’t remember the last time I walked with you like this.”

Evelyn spoke with sparkling eyes, focused on the moment.

Since the children were born, they spent more time together as a family than as a couple.

Of course, those times were happy too, but Evelyn sometimes missed the days when she and Dyffrin went out alone.

“If you want, we can do this more often.”

Dyffrin felt the same. He simply wanted Evelyn to be a devoted mother, so as her husband, he acted accordingly.

“But Woody would be sad.”

Evelyn replied with a gentle smile.

Dyffrin just chuckled, having expected that answer.

Evelyn and Dyffrin wandered the city until sunset, enjoying the festival.

Evelyn danced with people, and Dyffrin sat nearby, watching her.

They tasted various seasonal fruits and browsed handmade hair ornaments and necklaces.

“Is all that’s left the flower crown-floating ceremony?”

As the sun began to set, the festivalgoers headed toward the Elberon River.

They wanted to end the day’s festival by sending their flower crowns down the river.

At Evelyn’s question, Dyffrin nodded as he removed his crown.

“It’s already that late, huh.”

Evelyn wasn’t the only one who’d lost track of time while enjoying the festival.

Dyffrin was so caught up watching Evelyn’s childlike excitement that he hadn’t noticed the day was ending.

He felt a little regret. As Evelyn said, they rarely went out alone together, so this was a precious time.

“But do you know you’ve been wearing your crown all this time?”

Evelyn asked playfully, clasping her hands behind her back.

“Of course I knew. You hold back your laughter every time you look at me.”

Noticing how much Evelyn enjoyed seeing him in the crown, Dyffrin didn’t take it off.

The price for enduring this mismatched crown was seeing Evelyn stifle her laughter.

“It’s a shame, but it’s time to say goodbye to these crowns.”

As the carriage stopped in front of the Elberon River, Evelyn teased him.

“I might cry.”

Dyffrin played along, taking Evelyn’s hand to help her out of the carriage.

People were already crowded along the riverside.

“We’re too late, aren’t we? All the best spots must be taken.”

Evelyn spoke with disappointment.

With the riverbank packed, it seemed hard to even watch, let alone float their crowns down the river.

They said the view of the river filled with flowers was truly spectacular.

“It’s too soon to be disappointed.”

Dyffrin took Evelyn’s hand and walked toward a quiet spot.

Surprisingly, he found an excellent spot between the bushes—a place with a perfect view of the crowns floating down the river mouth.

Evelyn, amazed, asked,

“…How did you know about this place?”

“When you inspect the territory, you end up visiting more places than you’d think.”

Evelyn smiled at his words and slowly removed her crown, sending it down the current.

Her crown floated away, not too fast or too slow, gently carried by the water.

Watching her crown drift away, Evelyn said,

“I was so happy today.”

Her voice, mingled with the sound of grasshoppers, settled softly in Dyffrin’s ears.

Dyffrin turned to look at Evelyn.

Did she know?

That every moment he spent with her was happiness itself.

Reflecting on this truth, Dyffrin fixed his gaze on Evelyn.

He felt the petty greed and possessiveness in his heart melting away.

“What are you doing, Dyffrin? Aren’t you going to send your crown down?”

When Evelyn urged him, Dyffrin gripped his crown tightly.

Instead of immediately sending it down the river, he took the wine-colored ribbon from his pocket and tied it around the crown.

Evelyn, watching Dyffrin’s actions, tilted her head in curiosity.

But without a word, he sent the crown with the ribbon into the river.

The crown floated gently on the water, slowly disappearing with the current.

Dyffrin watched the crown until it vanished from sight, then smiled at Evelyn and said,

“I love you, Evelyn.”

<The Goal Is Alimony> Special Side Story Complete