Chapter 47 – The First Gift and the Second Gift

‘Oh dear, not this again.’  

Lenoa stood still, her entire body accustomed to the situation. Although she felt slightly awkward about Kairan’s sudden actions, her reaction was overwhelmingly positive. After all, the man who had been bedridden all this time had regained some energy upon seeing the flowers. His posture made it evident.  

“Let go now.”  

Lenoa lightly removed Kairan’s hand with a shy smile. Even after their hands parted, his bright expression remained unchanged.  

Was the rose the gift, or was it me? 

Lenoa pondered briefly before reaching out to hold one of Kairan’s arms. It was a gesture of support, just in case.  

“Can you stand up?”  

“Yes.”  

“Walking might still be too much, right?”  

Kairan silently nodded. As expected, standing up and immediately walking was only possible back when he was a healthy knight. His current recovery was likely temporary. Lenoa could feel his arm trembling under her grip.  

She carefully supported him with both hands, guiding him to lie back on the bed. After covering him with a blanket, she handed him the vase once more.  

Lenoa murmured the thought that had just crossed her mind.  

“I can’t tell if the flower is the gift or if I am.”  

After a moment of silence, Kairan alternated his gaze between the flower and Lenoa before responding.  

“Both are. The flower and you, who are more beautiful than the flower.”  

‘…Oh my.’  

At Kairan’s unexpectedly heartfelt words, Lenoa’s ears turned a deep red.  

Having spent most of the day in this room, conversing with Kairan, she had seen a different side of him several times today. Perhaps because they had been alone for such a long time, or because Kairan was now a patient, he was saying romantic things, like comparing her to a rose—things he wouldn’t normally say. Although this wasn’t the first time, such rose-scented words from Kairan always felt unfamiliar to Lenoa.  

“Stop joking around. Anyway, look at the rose. Isn’t it pretty? I picked it from the garden.”  

“A joke…? Ah… Yes, it’s beautiful.”  

Only then did Kairan turn his gaze to the rose.  

The rose had been freshly picked, roots and all, so it would thrive beautifully with proper care. It was a particularly stunning bloom, chosen with care.  

Kairan, who had been smiling as he admired the flower for a while, suddenly froze. 

Was his condition worsening again? 

Just as Lenoa began to worry, he spoke.  

“Your Majesty, you didn’t… hurt yourself while picking the flowers, did you?”  

Kairan looked at Lenoa with excessive concern.  

So that’s what it was?

Lenoa calmed her own unnecessary anxiety and replied.  

“I’m fine. There was a lamp in the garden, and I brought a knight and a maid with me. Although I picked it myself, I wore gardening gloves, so I didn’t get hurt.”  

It was entirely true. While other flowers might have been fine, roses had thorns and were dangerous to pick. Gardening gloves were specifically made for such plants. Though the gloves were a bit loose, she wore them on both hands, and the rose came out smoothly, roots and all, without any issues. Lenoa had even tilted her head, wondering, ‘Does it usually come out this easily?’  

It was almost as if the rose had sensed her intent to gift it to the ailing Kairan and helped her. After all, roses were his favorite flower.  

Lenoa waved her hands in the air to show she was unharmed. Only then did Kairan smile in relief.  

“Ah, have you finished your personal time?”  

“Yes, but there wasn’t much to do. Nothing seemed fun.”  

“Then, was bringing the rose…?”  

“That was fun. I didn’t get hurt, I got to explore the garden after a long time… And most importantly, I got to give it to you as a gift.”  

Lenoa cheerfully recounted the uneventful experience. However, throughout her story, Kairan remained silent, gripping the vase with both hands. His face even darkened.  

Did I say something wrong? 

Lenoa was flustered when Kairan suddenly reached out and touched her hand.  

As she moved from confusion to surprise, her gaze landed on his face. Tears were welling up in his eyes.  

“K-Kairan? What’s wrong?”  

“…Ah, I’m just deeply moved.”  

Kairan hurriedly wiped his tears away. His amethyst-colored eyes now carried a reddish hue.  

Lenoa quickly took out her handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from his face. His eyes widened momentarily, but he soon turned his head toward her, accepting her touch.  

It felt like a scene where a mother comforts her crying son after scolding him for doing something wrong. Of course, Kairan had done nothing wrong, nor was he being scolded, but there was something childlike about him.  

Even though his tears were from being touched, the atmosphere in the room felt heavy, like a cloud had settled over it. After drying his tears, Lenoa spoke to lighten the mood.  

“You’re the first person to cry after receiving a gift from me, Kairan. I wonder what people would say if they knew.”  

Kairan, now tear-free, simply smiled before responding.  

“I don’t mind if they know. I can proudly say that I’ve received my first gift from you, Your Majesty. And it’s something tailored to my taste, something you remembered.”  

‘Ah….’  

Realizing the significance, Lenoa’s face flushed.  

A first gift, a first memory. Lenoa had remembered Kairan’s fondness for roses and had personally picked one as her first gift to him. She had only thought about giving him something he liked, without considering the deeper meaning behind it. If she had thought about its significance, she would have realized how meaningful it would be to him. Mentioning it would have brought him even greater joy.  

Moreover, Kairan had given her countless gifts, including the earrings she was wearing now. She had even declined his gifts, feeling overwhelmed by their abundance. Compared to his endless presents, she had only just given him one.  

Suddenly, Lenoa felt deeply apologetic toward Kairan. While he never expected anything in return and had even stopped giving gifts when she asked him to, she felt she should have given him something in return.  

In the past, she had sent postpartum care packages to Countess Haim, among other thoughtful gifts to others, yet she had never given anything to Kairan, nor had she even thought about it. She felt ashamed of herself.  

“I-I’m sorry. I’ve always been the one receiving gifts, and I’ve never given you anything….”  

“It’s alright. After all, I was the one who kept giving them to you, even though you didn’t want them.”  

“Still, thank you. And… I’ll make sure to wear the earrings you gave me more often, starting today.”  

Lenoa awkwardly touched her left ear, where the remaining earring hung.  

The gifts Kairan had sent her were always accessories, bags, or shoes—fashion items. And since Lenoa already had a mountain of such items, she rarely had the chance to use his gifts. The resourceful maid had even taken measures to manage them.  

This earring, though, was unique. Each of them now possessed one side, making it impossible to wear as a pair, but it served as a symbol of their reunion and promise. Among the countless gifts, this tiny earring carried immense significance.  

Kairan nodded happily and looked down at the vase. As they had talked only about the people exchanging the flower rather than the flower itself, the rose had become a secondary thought.  

“I will treasure and care for this flower… along with you.”  

Kairan added something softly, but Lenoa, not hearing it, smiled brightly and chattered away.  

“Make sure to take good care of it. Flowers require far more attention than earrings.”  

“Of course.”  

“Unlike lifeless items like earrings, flowers are living things. They’re not much different from people.”  

Kairan seemed to want to say something in response, but Lenoa’s words stopped him.  

“Well, now that we’ve exchanged gifts… Ah, it’s already nighttime.”  

Lenoa turned to look at the window. The window was now spilling the dark hues of night into the room. With the lamp already lit, she hadn’t realized how late it had gotten.  

“You must be tired, so I’ll take my leave now.”  

With those words, Lenoa tried to stand up, but Kairan held onto her hand.  

“I’m not sleepy yet…”  

‘What?’  

“Now, as my second gift, I’d like to receive a lullaby from you, Lenoa.”  

‘What?!’  

The sensation of Kairan holding her hand sent a ticklish feeling through her entire being. His request for a lullaby was a thought far beyond the roses they had just discussed—it was entirely unexpected.  

A lullaby. Lenoa recalled how her parents used to sing lullabies to her when she was a child.  

‘Our dear Lena, let’s leave yesterday behind and greet tomorrow in the land of beautiful dreams.’  

Her parents would whisper her nickname as they sang lullabies. If she stubbornly refused to sleep, they would bring a storybook and read to her alongside the nanny.  

‘Once upon a time, there was a princess of marriageable age…’  

‘A princess? Like me?’  

‘Of course! This book has a princess, and so do we—our Princess Lena!’  

Her parents would point to the picture of the princess in the book and then to Lenoa, embracing her warmly. Lenoa would giggle, forgetting all about the story, and shower them with affection before falling asleep.  

‘Ah, those were the days.’  

Recalling the past, Lenoa smiled bittersweetly. Like the lyrics of the lullaby, her present self cared more about today than yesterday and more about tomorrow than today. That song seemed to have foreshadowed her future.  

“If a lullaby is too much, perhaps a fairy tale?”  

Ah, she had completely forgotten.  

Kairan, perhaps taking her silence as a refusal, changed his request. When Lenoa looked at him again, he was smiling bashfully.  

“A lullaby? And a fairy tale? What are you, a child?”  

“Oh, I see. Then a novel or a poem would be fine, Your Majesty, Queen Lena.”  

Suddenly, it felt as though she had no choice but to give him a gift.