Chapter 25.
“Do you know Lady Bluebell well?”
“Of course. When I was a child, I could never stand those grand banquets. I used to run away every time—and somehow, Bluebell was always there before me.”
So, they were two little outcasts, then.
“When we talked, I realized she was the same kind as me—someone who despised banquets. She said she’d rather read another book than attend one. So I…”
“Did you read together?”
“I gave her the book I was reading—and chased her away.”
“……”
“Thanks to that, I managed to stay hidden until the banquet ended. But why bring her up all of a sudden?”
I thought for a moment.
The young prince must have been just like Bluebell—perhaps even stranger.
That gloomy impression I’d had when I first met him in Eclipse Palace might’ve been fleeting.
Perhaps, the grown prince was far more mischievous and lively than I had imagined.
“Actually, the person who gave me these mushrooms was Lady Bluebell.”
“Oh? Then she really does cultivate mushrooms.”
“Did she always do that, even in the past?”
Calyx leaned back slightly, resting his elbow on the table.
He seemed to nudge his milkshake glass away with that same elbow, though perhaps I only imagined it.
“She used to carry around an herbal medicine book bigger than herself. Said she’d become an herbalist one day—growing herbs and mushrooms of her own.”
“And did you encourage her?”
“I told her to get lost. I wasn’t interested. Back then, I was… a bit of a troublemaker.”
“……”
A bit of a troublemaker? More like a full-blown brat.
It finally made sense now—why Bluebell always frowned like a fly had landed between her brows whenever I mentioned working in Eclipse.
I stared at him, exasperated, while he waved his hands as if pleading innocence.
“It wasn’t my fault! My mother would’ve found me if I didn’t hide. And besides, those banquets were torture for a kid—tight clothes, forced smiles—ugh!”
“Yes, of course.”
“Don’t say ‘of course’ twice… Anyway, did something happen to Bluebell?”
“Well…”
I hesitated, then decided to tell him everything.
He’d find out soon enough anyway.
“So, as payment for the mushrooms, I agreed to return to Duke Leticia’s estate and help organize her warehouse.”
“…Hmm.”
Calyx frowned.
“Honestly, I think Sir Sion is being unreasonable. He’s the Imperial physician—surely he recognizes Bluebell’s talent. So why crush her path with such an outdated mindset?”
“Lady Bluebell worked very hard. For five years, she built that secret storage by herself, cultivated herbs and mushrooms, kept detailed notes—and even spent her own allowance on rare ingredients.”
“That’s passion. Not everyone her age could do that. She’s… quite admirable.”
“But Sir Sion was adamant. He even handpicked potential suitors and demanded she choose one by tomorrow. And Lady Bluebell… complied.”
“He’s acting like a bulldozer. Anyone would think his daughter’s an old spinster.”
“I wanted to help her, but all I can do is clean her warehouse.”
Silence fell between us.
When I glanced up again, Calyx was using his fork to scrape off the dark chocolate coating from the mushroom dessert.
“…Your Highness?”
“No, I just—uh—wanted to see the color of the mushroom she cultivated. Ahem.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Anyway… considering Sir Sion’s personality, here’s what I think we should do.”
Setting down his fork, he clasped his hands and spoke seriously.
“What if we try this instead?”
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Academy, in the headmaster’s office—
Sir Sion Leticia was reviewing documents when Conrad Czerny, the academy’s herbal medicine professor and his long-time friend, entered.
“Sion, your story’s the talk of the Academy right now.”
“My story?”
“They’re saying you’re trying to marry off your fourteen-year-old daughter already.”
“That’s true.”
“Have you lost your mind? Fourteen! She’s barely old enough to stop playing with dolls—well, maybe not, but still! How could you even think of that?”
Sion only smiled in silence.
Conrad dragged a chair over and plopped down across from him, eyeing him incredulously.
“What changed your mind? The Sion I knew wouldn’t even let Bluebell leave the house, much less get married.”
“Time changes things, Conrad. Even a father’s heart.”
“That’s quite a sudden change. Didn’t she used to be obsessed with herbs and mushrooms about seven years ago? That’s my field, you know. Why not send her to me?”
“It was just a passing fancy. Nothing more, nothing less. Certainly not enough skill to impress you.”
“You know your daughter less than I do.”
Conrad chuckled. “You ever heard the saying, ‘a daughter takes after her father’?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That Bluebell has your stubbornness. Once she digs into something, she won’t stop until she’s mastered it. Do you really think a girl like that would quietly agree to your marriage plans? You think she’s truly given up herbal medicine?”
Sion tapped his finger against the desk, his gaze distant.
“Good question. For a daughter as obstinate as mine… she’s been far too calm.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If she were truly my daughter, she’d be charging at me like a bull by now.”
That unexpected remark made Conrad blink.
He’d expected outrage, not composure—and certainly not that cryptic little smile.
Sion stood up abruptly, straightening his coat.
“I gave her the suitor list. Told her to answer by today.”
“You heartless man. She’s going to hate you for this. She’ll ram into you like a horned ox.”
Sion’s lips curved faintly.
“Then I suppose I’d better go get rammed.”
Later that day, Bluebell and I stood before the bookshelf that hid the entrance to her secret warehouse.
Her gloved hands trembled slightly as she looked at me.
I met her eyes and asked softly,
“Do you understand the entire plan?”
I had already told her everything about Calyx’s idea—though I’d omitted his name.
If she knew the Crown Prince had come up with it, she’d likely refuse on principle.
“Yes. We start by cleaning the warehouse, right?”
“Correct.”
She nodded, then grabbed my sleeve suddenly.
“Rosie!”
“Yes?”
“The plan you mentioned…”
She was holding a bundle of papers—the list of suitor candidates her father had chosen.
She still hadn’t decided on one.
“Do you think it’ll work?”
“Are you afraid?”
“To be honest, yes. Showing Father the secret I’ve been hiding for five years—my herbs, my mushrooms, all of it… What if he gets angry? What if he locks me up? What if he stops feeding me…?”
Her sky-blue eyes quivered with fear.
That was right—today, we planned to reveal the secret warehouse to her father.
But first, we’d clean and prepare it.
Calyx’s plan was simple:
“If she’s destined to be married off anyway, then let her show her father everything—her dream, her effort, her passion. Let the truth speak for her.”
I agreed completely.
After all, she was only fourteen.
Too young to abandon her dreams for duty.
Maybe, just maybe, once her father saw the depth of her devotion, he’d relent.
After all—no parent ever truly wins against their child’s heart.
I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but Bluebell’s voice trembled as she continued.
“What about my maid, Tara? What will she think? She might never understand. A noble lady defying her father to study herbs—she might think it’s ridiculous.”
Her words reminded me of Tara.
The auburn-haired maid who’d met me in silence earlier that morning—her expression unreadable, her voice cool.
All she had said was,
“His Grace expects Lady Bluebell’s answer today.”
She hadn’t commented further.
‘She really didn’t seem interested…’
And yet, as a fellow servant of the palace, I couldn’t help but wonder—
Could someone who had served Lady Bluebell for so long truly be indifferent?
Even I, after just a month in Eclipse, found myself wanting to cook better meals for His Highness.
And yesterday, at the end of the corridor—
I’d seen Tara standing there, watching as Bluebell and I held hands.
Maybe, just maybe…
She wasn’t indifferent at all.
Maybe she was only pretending to be.
And perhaps—there was a reason she had to.
