Chapter 51
I Came to Welcome You
I turned around again, and from the direction of the main building of the ducal estate, I saw Cedric walking toward me.
His steps were neat—neither slow nor fast. We met halfway along the path in front of the main building.
“Your Highness.”
“Good afternoon, Duke.”
“Yes, good afternoon.”
The sun was setting in the sky. The red glow of the sunset shone into my eyes, dazzling. I faced Cedric while trying not to squint.
“Were you on your way somewhere?”
Unless he was heading to the garden, Cedric seemed to be going in the direction of leaving the ducal estate.
“I happened to see Your Highness stepping down from the carriage while looking out the window. I came to welcome you.”
“Oh, I see. Um… thank you.”
A host did not usually have to come out to welcome a guest every time they returned. His words were unexpected, and I was briefly at a loss for how to respond.
“It’s nearly dinner time. Would you care to dine together?”
“I’d love to!”
I naturally placed my hand atop the one Cedric extended. We began walking toward the main building together. At some point, it had come to feel completely natural for Cedric to escort me like this.
“Where have you been?”
“I went to Shop Mémétir to meet Designer Mia.”
“Did you purchase a new dress?”
“No. Designer Mia said she wanted to speak with me, so I paid her a visit.”
I deliberately didn’t mention Mia’s shopping-clothes boutique. I didn’t know how widely Mia had shared her plans with outsiders.
“I also bought some chocolates on the way back. Isn’t the wrapping pretty?”
“Yes. It is.”
I lifted the chocolate box in my other hand and gave it a small shake in front of him. The red ribbon decorating the box fluttered gently. Cedric glanced at it briefly, then met my eyes again as he replied.
By now, I knew that Cedric didn’t particularly like sweets, so I didn’t offer him any chocolate.
“Did anything else noteworthy happen?”
It was a casual question—something one might naturally ask when welcoming someone back from an outing. I reflected on the events of the day.
“While riding in the carriage to a dessert shop, I helped someone who was in trouble.”
“How did you help them?”
By then, we were passing through the entrance hall of the residence. The butler, Mason, opened the door from inside and bowed deeply toward Cedric and me. I didn’t stop speaking, but I inclined my head slightly in greeting.
I explained how a conflict had arisen between a shop owner and a customer, how the owner’s beliefs had led him to refuse to sell his goods, and how many people had gathered in front of the shop.
“The carriage stopped briefly because of the commotion, and I saw someone come flying out of the shop. It looked like there had been a physical altercation inside.”
I also mentioned that I had bought the goods on the customer’s behalf—how I handed over some coins and received five candles along with several coins in change.
As I spoke, I asked Cedric whether he knew how much candles usually cost. Cedric replied that he didn’t know the individual price either, and added that what I had bought was probably priced differently from the beeswax candles used at the ducal estate.
Cedric fell silent for a moment, as if picturing the situation.
“If there were that many people, were you in any danger?”
“Not at all! When I suddenly appeared, everyone froze in surprise. And Sir Matisse and Sir Diego were right beside me.”
I pointed toward Sir Matisse and Sir Diego, who were walking behind us. Cedric turned his body to look back at them as well.
Come to think of it, since I hadn’t told them to go on ahead, the two knights had followed us all the way inside the estate. I gave a small nod to indicate that they could leave now. Both knights bowed respectfully and changed direction.
“I’m glad to hear nothing dangerous happened.”
I recalled the strange man I had met afterward. I didn’t feel the need to mention him in detail—it was unlikely I would ever see him again. Likewise, the knights’ apology was a matter between the Rundra royal family and their knights, so I didn’t think it necessary to bring up.
When I said there was nothing more to tell, we arrived at the third floor, where my room and Cedric’s room were located. We agreed to meet in the dining room shortly and then went our separate ways.
Colorful garlands stretched across the road. The street bustled with shops, stalls, sellers, and buyers.
Merchants played flutes to draw customers, shoppers haggled over prices, and children ran about laughing after letting go of their parents’ hands. The air was lively and noisy.
“Duke, how about this tree? The leaves look like almonds—they’re so pretty, aren’t they?”
“Yes, it’s nice.”
Cedric nodded.
A yellow tag tied to the trunk read: Fig Tree.
Since Cedric said it was good, I ordered several fig saplings. I took just the smallest one and placed it into a rattan basket, arranging for the rest to be delivered to the ducal estate and writing down the address.
“This plant is pretty too. The long, symmetrical leaves are very harmonious.”
“I agree.”
I pointed to another plant with sharp, dark leaves. Cedric nodded once. Ordered. Again, one went into the rattan basket, the rest for delivery.
“Should we buy this flower too? Would it look nice planted near the entrance?”
“Yes, it would suit it well.”
One pale-lavender flowering plant went into the rattan basket, and the rest were marked for delivery.
It had already happened several times. Whatever my fingertip pointed at, Cedric said it was good. At first, I thought he genuinely liked the plants, but now it was clear—he was simply agreeing to everything.
Without realizing that Cedric was a “sounds good” kind of man, I had already filled the rattan basket with saplings.
Cedric and I were at the seedling market. A few days ago, during dinner, we had promised to come here together—and today was the day.
I’d heard that one section of the market, held every five days, was devoted to seedlings.
Various stalls lined both sides of the road, with banners displaying handwritten advertisements in ink hanging here and there.
There were vendors selling tiny tabletop pots, others selling only specific types of saplings like fruit trees or flowering trees, and even merchants offering towering, fully grown trees.
Drawn together by their shared focus on plants, all these sellers gathered in one place.
To come to this seedling market, I had woken up very, very early that morning and prepared thoroughly.
I wore a deep blue dress that wouldn’t show grass stains easily. I chose a large rattan basket to carry the plants. Since I’d be standing in the sun for a long time, I secured a wide-brimmed hat firmly with a ribbon.
I braided my long hair tightly into two plaits so it wouldn’t get in the way, added just one ribbon so it wouldn’t feel too heavy, and kept everything neat.
And so, with Cedric, I wandered through the market, weaving through the paths and browsing the seedlings.
When we encountered merchants selling unfamiliar trees, I asked what they were. When I found a plant I liked, I asked how to care for it.
Since a cooling spell kept the ducal estate’s greenhouse at a lower temperature, I made sure to ask whether each plant could grow well in a cool environment.
I found a pot I liked, showed it to Cedric, and bought it, placing it into the rattan basket.
Cedric effortlessly carried the basket, now so full it looked ready to overflow, following wherever I led.
At first, Sir Matisse carried the basket, but since I kept adding more plants and moving back and forth between Cedric and Sir Matisse, Cedric eventually said he would carry it himself.
The decorative pearl ribbon tied to the basket’s handle swayed back and forth with each of Cedric’s steps.
And then—
I came to an abrupt stop.
Cedric, walking beside me, stopped as well. He had been like this all day—when I stopped to look at a plant, he stopped; when I said something was nice, he agreed; when I walked, he walked.
In the end, I laughed. I covered my mouth with my palm, lowered my head slightly, and laughed softly.
“Your Highness, why are you laughing?”
“Because you keep copying me, Duke.”
I smiled brightly at him and said,
“Let’s organize things.”
“What do you mean?”
“The seedlings. They’re all piled in so messily that the delicate leaves might get damaged before we reach the estate.”
I pointed at the rattan basket Cedric was holding.
Cedric let out a small “Ah.”
Benches were placed throughout the market. We took two benches—Cedric and I sat on one, while Sir Matisse and Sir Diego sat on the other.
At some point, Sir Diego handed me a box of hard candies. I popped one into my mouth. Mint-flavored? Sweet, all the same.
We set the rattan basket between Cedric and me. We took out all the seedlings we’d bought and lined them up on the bench.
When we reached the tenth seedling, Cedric quietly shifted backward to make more space. Even so, there wasn’t enough room, so we placed several at my feet.
