Chapter 20
It’s All Thanks to You, Miss
“Chanel, did you get plenty of rest over the weekend?”
“You’re in early today, Captain.”
With a smile on her face, Chanellica entered the Knights of Kaisel building. Thanks to the maids at the Cartel mansion taking such good care of her over the past two days, her ankle had healed quickly. It was now well enough for her to walk without issue.
As always, Chanellica took her seat in the small office that had been assigned to her and gauged the amount of documents she had to translate for the day.
Looks like today won’t be light either.
The translation itself wasn’t too difficult, but transcribing everything by hand was definitely a laborious task.
Derwin had told her there was no need to keep working now that she was back at the mansion, and Chanellica had briefly considered taking his advice. Maybe she should just enjoy herself, do what she wanted, play when she wanted, and stay in the human world until she fully matured into a dragon—just like she’d originally planned.
“I want to keep working as a translator.”
But in the end, she chose differently. She had come to the human world with nothing, and this job was something she had earned through her own efforts. Quitting now would mean losing the compensation for all her work so far—and that felt unfair. Besides, the job gave her a sense of accomplishment. It was tough, sure, but also rewarding in its own way.
Still, the biggest reason she chose to keep working was because of her mate, Derwin. He spent most of his time at the royal palace, often in the company of the princess.
She had no right to interfere with their affairs, but… she couldn’t help being curious. It’s better to keep him in sight, she thought.
So, being able to observe Derwin during her comings and goings from the palace—that felt like a good enough reason to keep working.
Come to think of it, this might be the first and last time she’d get to engage in human “play” with her mate. Dragons didn’t typically share in such things—not even with their mates. This whole situation was only possible because her lord had lost his memories. That made it a rare exception.
Anyway, I’ve decided to keep working—so I’d better give it my all!
Chanellica looked at the pile of documents and made a firm resolution. Though, she also decided to take things a little slower. After some time on the job, she’d realized something about these high-ranking people in the palace—the faster you worked, the more they gave you.
Knock knock.
Just as she was about to open the first document, a knock sounded at her office door, and someone stepped inside.
“Captain?”
It was Stern, whom she had just greeted outside a few moments ago.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
Chanellica was about to say she had stuffed herself, but then stopped.
The fact that she had returned to the Cartel mansion had to remain a secret. A little digging would reveal she was staying there, but fortunately, no one paid that much attention to a foreign translator.
“I had a light breakfast.”
“Oh? You’ve got enough time to eat breakfast now?”
Stern chuckled, a twinkle in his eye.
“Then I guess I brought this for nothing. I thought of you and brought it along.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Dried fruit. It’s a rare variety from the southern region.”
Chanellica’s eyes lit up with curiosity. In the small basket in Stern’s hand, there were several types of softly dried fruit. Just the sight of them made her mouth water.
“Even if I ate breakfast, I can still eat more!”
“Haha. Want some?”
“Thank you, Captain!”
Chanellica jumped up from her seat and scampered over to receive the basket. Stern affectionately ruffled her hair.
“You probably won’t finish it all today. Leave it here and snack on it whenever you get hungry.”
“You’re so kind, Captain!”
“Eat up and stay strong today too.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Stern burst into laughter as he watched Chanellica beam up at him with sparkling eyes. That unfamiliar sound of laughter startled the knights passing by the office, turning their faces pale.
What’s going on? The Captain’s laughing out loud?!
“Ah, I feel great.”
The sweet juice of the dried fruit lingered in her mouth. Thanks to Stern’s gift, Chanellica hadn’t even had time to feel hungry. The firm but sweet texture was exactly to her taste.
When I go back to the lair, I’m going to pick all the nearby fruit and dry it myself!
Snacking on dried fruit all day while working, it was suddenly time to go home. Chanellica recalled what Derwin had told her.
“It may be inconvenient, but I ask that you walk from the palace to the far left corner of the central plaza. I’ll have a carriage prepared there for you—please board discreetly and return to the mansion.”
That was their agreed-upon way of commuting. It would’ve been easier to just travel with Derwin, but he was human—he had his own position and reputation to maintain. Chanellica decided to respect that as much as possible.
I mean, he feeds me and gives me a place to sleep—what more could I ask for?!
She cheerfully prepared to leave. She was running later than usual, but she didn’t mind. Back at the Cartel mansion, a warm bed and a lavish dinner would be waiting for her—and late at night, she’d get to see her handsome mate’s face.
Leaving the Knights’ building, Chanellica headed toward the palace’s south gate. But unlike usual, a pleasant fragrance wafted by.
What’s that smell?
She paused and took a deep breath. The scent was sweet, almost intoxicating. Something about it made her want to taste it.
I have to know what it is!
Unable to resist, Chanellica followed the direction of the fragrance. It was in the complete opposite direction of the gate, but she was determined to find its source.
Eventually, she arrived at a place filled with yellow flowers.
“Wow!”
More precisely, it was a flowering tree garden. The enchanting scent definitely came from the large trees lined up in rows. Earlier, the scent had just tickled her nose—now, it was overwhelming.
“They’re so beautiful…”
She couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The soft yellow blossoms decorating the trees were utterly charming.
I had no idea this place existed!
It was a hidden spot—she had exited through the rear gate of the Knights building, passed through what didn’t even look like a proper path, and arrived at this secret garden. Hardly anyone would know of it. Maybe someone had deliberately kept it hidden for themselves, she guessed.
Excited, Chanellica walked the dirt path between the trees. She even spun around with arms outstretched, forgetting all about her injured ankle. With no one around, she twirled and danced, drunk on the fragrance.
It felt like she was exploring a secret, magical place no one else knew about.
“Huh?”
While she was lost in her own world, she suddenly noticed someone standing at the far end of the path. At first, she thought it was just a white pillar—but as she looked closer, it was a person. Maybe they’d been watching her this whole time.
Was I not supposed to be here?
If that was the case, she should apologize. She briskly made her way toward the figure in white. But the closer she got, the more confused her expression became.
“Um… Temple Manager?”
The closer she got, the more certain she was. That blonde hair and handsome face—she’d only seen him once, but she couldn’t forget.
What made her hesitate was that his outfit looked much more refined than before.
“We meet again, Miss.”
The man—Eleusis—greeted her as casually as if they had seen each other just yesterday.
“Wow, yes we do!”
Chanellica’s face lit up with joy.
“It’s really good to see you, Manager! What brings you to the palace?”
Eleusis responded with the same bright smile.
“I came for work. And you, Miss?”
“I got hired as a translator at the palace!”
“Translator? So you’re fluent in foreign languages.”
“Yes. I won’t be here long, but I’ll be working for a while. Anyway, it’s really great to see you again. I’ve been wanting to repay you for helping me back then!”
Maybe it was the dried fruit, or the scent of the flowers, or the sight of the man who once helped her now looking successful—but Chanellica was in a great mood.
“Are you still managing the temple?”
Eleusis replied slowly.
“I now manage the palace temple.”
“Wow, so you got promoted?”
“That’s right.”
“I thought so! Your outfit looks so much more elegant now. Did you use that method you mentioned back then?”
Use what you have.
Eleusis recalled their meaningful conversation from a spring night two months ago. Looking into her sparkling pink eyes, he answered,
“…I think so.”
He mumbled, almost unsure himself.
“Really? That’s amazing! Congratulations!”
“It’s all thanks to you, Miss.”
Even as he said the words, Eleusis wasn’t sure what he was saying.
“Not at all—it’s all because of your own abilities.”
Behind Chanellica’s radiant smile, the yellow blossoms swayed gently in the breeze. Eleusis thought that the flower path he loved had never matched anyone more perfectly than the pink-haired girl before him.
“How did you end up here, anyway?”
“Oh! I was leaving work when I smelled something wonderful and followed it here.”
This was the king’s private land, a place no one was allowed to enter. Maybe the guards were lax today. Normally, Eleusis would have scolded them and ordered tighter security—but today, he felt oddly grateful to those careless soldiers. If not for them, he wouldn’t have reunited with this beautiful girl who fit so perfectly into this lovely scenery.
“Do you know the name of this flower?”
“No, I’ve never seen it before. What is it?”
“It’s called Brünhil. It only blooms for ten days a year during this season. Outside of those ten days, it gives off a foul smell.”
“What? A foul smell? But it’s so fragrant now!”
“It endures all that time just to bloom sweetly for ten days. You’re lucky, Miss—you’ve come at just the right time.”
“Wow, you’re right! I’m so lucky! I got to enjoy this lovely scent and meet my savior too!”
Savior.
That word, born from a single act of impulsive kindness, felt unfamiliar to Eleusis.
“Thank you for telling me the flower’s name, Manager!”
With her slightly flushed face turned toward the blossoms, Chanellica filled Eleusis’ vision perfectly.
