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“Mm…”
A faint breeze brushed across my face, and I slowly opened my eyes. The sunlight that instantly poured down on me made me squint. I blinked several times to clear the blur from my vision.
As my focus gradually returned, I looked around, bewildered. I was lying alone in an unfamiliar room. Where am I?
I remembered collapsing from excruciating pain. Right before losing consciousness, I had heard Lucius’s voice… Was it him who found me and brought me here?
“Ugh…!”
I tried to push myself up from the bed, but pain shot through my body, forcing a groan from my lips. It wasn’t as unbearable as before I passed out, but the throbbing ache told me my body was still far from well.
Lying back down, I took a deep breath and stared blankly at the ceiling. Just then, the door opened and people stepped inside.
“…Tiana?”
“Lu…cius…”
Our eyes met first, and when I saw Lucius rushing toward me with a shocked expression, the unease that had weighed on me quickly melted away.
“You’re awake. Thank goodness, Tiana.”
“Lucius…”
“Don’t move yet. Stay lying down.”
He gently stopped me from trying to sit up and held my hand. His other hand brushed my cheek, though his expression still seemed clouded. I smiled faintly and squeezed his hand in return. Only then did his trembling fingers finally steady, and he let out a relieved sigh before smiling softly.
Seeing some of the worry lift from his face, I moistened my dry lips and asked,
“Where am I?”
“We’re at Viscount Ezach’s estate. Do you remember being struck by that iron bar and losing consciousness? You were in critical condition, so we brought you here for treatment.”
“I see…”
“Your back was badly injured. A priest treated you, but they said you’ll feel lingering pain for a while. How do you feel now?”
At his concerned question, I took stock of my body. The pain was still there, but thanks to the treatment, it wasn’t overwhelming.
“I’m alright. There’s some pain, but I can manage.”
“That’s a relief.”
He smiled at my reply, leaned close, and pressed his lips against my forehead. The sudden kiss startled me, but the warmth of his touch brought a strange sense of security.
As his face drew back, I felt another set of gazes and glanced toward the door. Standing there, uncertain of what to do, were three people: Viscount Gracel, wearing a conflicted expression; Baron Vien, calm as always; and Viscountess Ezach, who smiled when our eyes met. After briefly glancing at Lucius, she approached me carefully.
“Your Grace, I’m so glad you’ve woken.”
“Viscountess Ezach… I feel bad for troubling you.”
“Troubling? Not at all. On the contrary, I should be the one thanking you. Truly, thank you for saving Rina.”
As she bowed, the child’s face flashed across my mind. Oh no—how could I forget? I’d been so focused on understanding my own situation that I hadn’t thought of her. A surge of worry made me ask hurriedly,
“Ah, Rina… Is she alright? Where is she?”
“She’s fine. Thanks to you, she wasn’t hurt at all and has calmed down a lot. She’s in her room right now.”
“That’s good to hear. But… is she alone? Will she be alright on her own?”
“One of the greenhouse staff is with her. And just in case, a priest is also staying by her side. Please don’t worry.”
“I see… that’s a relief.”
The image of the frightened child still lingered in my mind, but knowing she wasn’t alone eased my heart. If she’d truly calmed down, then throwing myself in harm’s way had been worth it.
As relief washed over me, the tension drained from my body. While I lay back more comfortably, Viscountess Ezach spoke again.
“Your Grace, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Before you lost consciousness… did you say anything special to Rina?”
“Something special? I don’t think so… Why do you ask?”
“Rina has stabilized significantly. It’s as if she’s almost completely returned to her old self. Of course, we’ll keep watching her for a while, but the nervous tics and unconscious behaviors are gone.”
“What? Really?”
My voice rose in surprise. I hadn’t been unconscious for very long—or so I thought—and yet the girl’s condition had changed so drastically? How…?
Seeing my shock, the viscountess nodded and continued,
“It’s true. We were just as surprised. She’d improved gradually, but there were still signs of instability. Then suddenly, she seemed to return to normal.”
She looked as bewildered as I felt. I glanced at Lucius, and when our eyes met, he spoke gravely.
“She’s right. As unbelievable as it sounds, Rina’s condition has improved remarkably.”
“How?”
“It’s been about five days since you collapsed. In that time, we’ve monitored her carefully. All of her unconscious behaviors have disappeared, and she no longer shows signs of anxiety.”
“Five days…?”
It was surprising enough that I’d been unconscious that long, but Rina’s sudden recovery was even more shocking. Of course, I was glad, but… could someone really heal so quickly? Unless there had been some major change in her heart…
I recalled the faint smile on her face right before I blacked out. Could that have been the turning point?
As I mulled over the thought, Viscountess Ezach spoke again.
“It’s impossible if the child was still in a completely unstable state, but Rina had already recovered somewhat after the incident. Still, it’s rare for such a sudden change to occur without a specific trigger.”
“A… trigger.”
“Yes. Did Your Grace perhaps do or say something to her before we arrived? We’re curious what happened during that time.”
I retraced the memory slowly. “When I found Rina, she was still very agitated. I was watching from hiding, wondering how to approach her, when that iron bar came crashing down above her. I threw myself in to block it. My condition made it impossible to call for help, so I focused on calming her down.”
All four of them listened intently, their expressions serious enough that I almost laughed. I continued anyway.
“She was crying so hard she wouldn’t stop… Ah, yes. I gave her a glass vial.”
“A vial?”
“Yes, a small glass bottle with dried petals inside. It was a test sample of tea made from the blue roses Rina had grown—Baronet Evit had given it to me. I happened to have it with me.”
“So that vial she carried belonged to you.”
“That’s right. She had broken the blue rose she took from the greenhouse, so I gave her the vial instead. The petals inside were intact, so I thought maybe it would help. Luckily, after receiving it, she calmed down.”
“…I see.”
Yes—when she saw the vial, her tears had stopped immediately. I hadn’t thought much of it then, but now, it seemed it had worked better than I imagined.
The viscountess, deep in thought, asked again.
“And did you say anything when you gave it to her?”
“Mm… I think I said a few words, hoping she’d find comfort. That it would be alright… that flowers don’t truly disappear. Things like that.”
I’d told her that her and her brother’s flowers would never wither—that they would live on in a new form. I’d even promised to make it so. The memory of those embarrassingly earnest words surfaced, but I glossed over the details, pressing my lips together. What on earth possessed me to say something so cheesy?
“What did you mean by flowers not disappearing?”
“Well, Reka’s flower had been broken, right? I realized that was why Rina reacted so strongly, so I wanted her to know it wasn’t the end. Flowers themselves are precious, and when processed, they take on new forms—like Baronet Evit’s tea. So I told her she could still see them in another way.”
“Ah…”
“Rina looked so anxious, so guilty, so despondent… I couldn’t stand it. So I just said whatever came to mind. It wasn’t meant to be anything deep.”
At the time, calming her down had been my only goal. Half of what I said had been instinctive, maybe even dramatic. Still, I had said it with her in mind, so I didn’t regret it—though the embarrassment remained.
The viscountess’s eyes softened.
“No, I think those words meant a great deal to Rina. It really is thanks to you, Your Grace.”
“What do you mean?”
“Rina worried over you constantly. Even when we carried you here, she refused to leave your side. She stayed with you until your treatment was over and your condition stabilized—always holding that vial. That’s why we suspected something had happened between you two.”
Her words left me blinking in surprise. Rina… was with me all this time? Just knowing she stayed beside me filled me with joy. It meant my words had reached her. Maybe those embarrassing words had been worth saying after all.
“No matter how many times I thank you, it won’t be enough. Truly, thank you, Your Grace.”
“Not at all. I’m just glad she’s doing better.”
“Yes. We’ll keep monitoring her, but I doubt it will take long. And it’s all thanks to the both of you—for restoring the greenhouse after the accident, and for standing by her.”
“You don’t need to thank us so much. Lucius and I weren’t the only ones—everyone worked hard.”
I waved off her endless gratitude and glanced at Viscount Gracel and Baron Vien. Their faces looked brighter, far more at ease than before. After all that had happened, things had turned out well in the end.
“With Rina fully recovered, we can finally stop worrying.”
“Yes. And the greenhouse restoration is moving along quickly.”
“That’s wonderful. When it’s finished, I’ll take Rina and the children there first.”
If the greenhouse was restored and the children safe, we could even have a picnic before summer ended. The thought brought a smile to my face. But suddenly, I noticed the expressions of the four around me shift.
Puzzled by the abrupt change, I tilted my head. Lucius, after a brief pause, spoke slowly.
“Tiana… about that picnic… I’m afraid it won’t be possible.”
