CHAPTER 136……………………………………………
Such a Thing as Love
It turned out that the granddaughter of Marquis Crow and the man he had been looking for, Hans, was actually Anje. Otherwise, how could Anje have known how to send the secret signal that only the two of them shared and evade death at Hildegarde’s hands? The instruction to move to the right had been a promise between herself and Hans.
And on top of that, she possessed a secret ability unknown to others… What else had that woman been hiding from me? No, rather, the question was what exactly had I managed to learn about her?
After the emperor’s death, the meeting had descended into chaos, with loud arguments breaking out between the opportunists who had quickly aligned themselves with Algernon and those insisting that politics still needed to be reorganized around the council. It was less a formal session and more like a raucous brawl among street thugs.
Taking advantage of the overheated atmosphere, Duke Side had just declared a recess.
And now, this was the scene before him.
Following Elliott’s suggestion to take a walk, the duke moved toward the greenhouse and glanced around. In place of the sofas and tables once enjoyed by the emperor and his consorts, the space was now filled with exotic flowers that Algernon was fond of.
Duke Side, walking along the narrow path between them, appeared calm, but his mind was a tangle of thoughts.
“Your Highness! Now! To the right!”
The duke frowned as he recalled Anje’s voice ringing sharply in his ears. Now that he thought about it, her small frame did resemble Hans. Hair color could be changed with a wig, and her naturally pale skin could have been concealed with makeup.
Still, to be deceived so completely… it felt like he had become a fool.
According to Davi, it seemed the woman had lied in order to survive.
Now, every time he thought of Anje, Duke Side’s stomach churned. Like an adolescent boy, his mood fluctuated wildly even within a single day.
“Miss Anje is destined to die at Your Highness’s hands. The two of you were never meant to meet. Didn’t she struggle desperately to escape?”
She had tried to run, making every excuse possible. But the duke had assumed, like any other aide, that she was simply shirking work.
In retrospect, in many ways, he had been deceived by the woman called Anje for a long time. Though she had not intended to mock him, the thought that she might have secretly laughed at him somewhere pricked his pride.
“Oh, Your Highness. You’ve come out again today?”
The gardener, seeing the duke, quickly approached and bowed.
“What flowers are you seeking today? The ground roses are blooming early. It’s a variety called Austin rose, with a beautiful blend of pink and orange.”
The duke only glanced in the indicated direction and said nothing. Tilting his head in confusion, the gardener pointed to the opposite side.
“Ah, if the roses seem too extravagant, how about Prunfelsia? Modest in appearance but with an exquisite fragrance. Its petals can even be dried to make bath salts… Oh, I misspoke. Since Your Highness sends flowers every day, it must be for a lady of noble standing, so suggesting a wildflower was inappropriate.”
The gardener, trailing off, glanced at Duke Side, who had been silent all along. Had the lady been displeased with the flowers? Had they quarreled? If so, the gardener felt some responsibility.
He looked increasingly serious.
“Your Highness, if you cannot find a flower you like here, the gardens of the Imperial Palace or Empress’s quarters may have better options. I’ve heard that the palace gardeners replaced many species in preparation for a perfect greenhouse before His Majesty’s coronation.”
“I cannot take flowers from the Imperial Palace without His Majesty’s permission.”
“Of course…”
Yet even a petty dispute seemed unlikely from the emperor. Moreover, the gardener knew that without the Side family, Duke Algernon would have no foundation in the empire and could not have become emperor.
Understanding the gardener’s puzzled gaze, Duke Side shook his head.
“It is not your fault. It is not because of the flowers.”
“Pardon?”
The gardener blinked, utterly confused.
“I never bothered to learn what she truly liked. I gathered all sorts of trivial things, but failed to learn the important things. What flowers she prefers, her favorite colors, or her taste in accessories. I gave many gifts, but foolishly, I merely imposed my preferences upon her. Those gifts were expensive garbage, nothing more. If Anje had sold them long ago, they might now be in some back-alley pawnshop or night market, and I could not protest.”
Realizing this now made him unbearably ashamed.
Davi had mocked astrology and fortune-telling as mere superstition, but now, reflecting on himself, Duke Side wondered if there might be some truth to it. He still did not think he would kill Anje, but death does not always require a lost life.
A person can die from unbearable loneliness or despair. Perhaps even from insomnia, as he was experiencing now.
Having gone a month without proper sleep, the duke raised his hand to rub his eyes.
“Pardon?”
The gardener, frowning, repeated his question, but the duke did not answer. Shoulders slumped, he turned and began retracing his steps.
Hands clasped, the gardener shouted after him.
“Your Highness, please let me know whenever you need my help. I am truly grateful for covering my son’s tuition last time. I will never forget your kindness!”
Duke Side, however, continued on his way without looking back.
The air smelled faintly of fallen leaves, as if a servant had left a window open. The chill at his nose suggested it was still early morning. Overnight, the fireplaces had been lit, and the morning routine for the staff included opening windows to ventilate each room.
Soon, Josh would likely rush in, closing each window while scolding the servants for letting cold air in despite a patient being ill.
Smiling faintly, Anje reached toward the bedside. Her hand paused, then groped more urgently. Finding nothing, she let out a light sigh and sat up.
Her recovery from consecutive injuries was slow, and every inch of her body ached.
Looking around the bedside, she saw that instead of the usual morning bouquet, there was only a single book she had left unfinished the night before.
Anje’s gaze lingered on the empty bedside for several minutes. Just days ago, it had been adorned every morning with fresh, vibrant flowers.
A fine crack had appeared on her smooth forehead, and her tightly pressed lips betrayed subtle tension.
“The gold mines and trading post in the Ilai region still belong to the Crow marquisate. The ports are owned by the marquis as well, but the imperial court plans to lease them permanently.”
“Permanent lease implies payment. How much will my trading post receive in return? Maintaining the ports costs a fortune. There’s no reason for me to take on a losing venture.”
Caught off guard by Anje’s sharp question, Duke Algernon looked sheepish. Anje’s gaze, bright and clear, had barely looked at the bed.
He could scold or even threaten the Crow marquis, but even for the granddaughter, he could not do that to Anje. Algernon looked at Mariana for help, but she had no intention of intervening.
Instead, she shrugged and glared.
“You aren’t a thug, I assume. You don’t mean to occupy a trading post rent-free, do you?”
“A… thug? No, I…”
Unable to admit the truth, Algernon sighed and stepped back.
“My business minister will explain the details to you.”
“I trust you won’t push the responsibility of claiming a free lease onto the minister. There’s no such thing as free in my book, not even for His Majesty.”
“That’s harsh. I even gave you a marquisate.”
Anje snorted at the duke’s lament. Algernon, youthful-looking for his age, still gave off a delicate, almost boyish charm that allowed him to sway the hearts of naïve noblewomen like Mariana.
Yet when considering his actual age… a “youthful boy” appearance was absurd, unless he were some century-old supernatural being.
“Do you know how many employees the Crow trading post has? How many family members rely on it? If you considered the trading post merely His Majesty’s petty cash, you would be mistaken. Of course, if you are displeased, everything can be returned to its original state.”
“Hmm… hm!”
