Chapter 17
Hyacinth
After the day Renard staged that little act, I started avoiding him.
My anger toward him had mostly faded, but it was embarrassing that I had ended up with tears in my eyes in front of him.
However, it seemed the incident hadn’t been uncomfortable for only me.
Since that day, Renard’s attitude toward me had also changed in a strange way.
How should I put it?
Before, he had that sly, fox-like charm typical of the scheming male lead from the original story.
But now…
It felt like a screw somewhere had come loose.
Whenever he happened to run into me, Renard would roll his eyes around awkwardly, looking completely at a loss for what to do.
It was very different from the old him—who had lied and schemed while remaining confident and arrogant.
Lately, Renard had been truly strange.
* * *
Douglas had never found life as a butler this difficult before.
“I’m sure of it. Rose is still angry with me.”
His young master had never acted this oddly before.
“She’s avoiding me on purpose. She must still be really mad. What should I do?”
For the past few days, every time Renard opened his mouth, he talked about Elrose.
Douglas felt like his ears were about to develop calluses.
‘It seems like she’s angry not because of the scheme but because he got hurt. Isn’t that actually good? I thought she wasn’t interested in him at all… If that’s not the case, then it sounds like a good thing. But why is he so worried?’
Douglas couldn’t understand Renard, who was fretting endlessly.
But he couldn’t voice that thought aloud.
Because Renard was currently angry with him.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You cowardly traitor.”
Renard glared at Douglas.
“Why am I a traitor? I’m truly being wronged here.”
Douglas made a pitiful face.
“That was a plan we made together, yet you ran away to save yourself. Have you already forgotten, you despicable traitor?”
“Strictly speaking, you made the plan, Young Master. I merely agreed.”
“You said it sounded like a good idea. That women are weak to men who save them.”
“I read that in a fairy tale. Did you really trust advice from someone who’s hopeless at dating?”
“Are you joking right now?”
“I’ll shut up.”
Warm spring sunlight poured in through the office window.
But under Renard’s still sharp gaze, Douglas felt cold sweat running down his back.
“…You saw the Grand Duchess’s expression that day too, didn’t you? I swear, if I hadn’t run away right then, she looked like she’d cut my head off.”
“So you were hoping only my head would get cut off? If someone tries to kill me in the future, will you just stand there watching? Because helping me might put you in danger?”
“Oh come on, why say it like that… Anyway, I’m just glad your head and body are still nicely attached…”
“You call that something to say?”
“Mouth.”
Douglas clamped his own mouth shut.
At the same time, both of them recalled Elrose’s cold, frozen eyes.
They shuddered.
“…Is there really no way to make Elrose forgive me?”
Renard bit his lower lip.
“Well… when it comes to calming a woman’s anger, flowers are obviously the best, aren’t they? Women like flowers.”
Douglas had worked his brain hard to come up with that idea.
But Renard narrowed his eyes, clearly unimpressed.
“I know women like flowers. I’ve been guarding that Orlando brat for five years. Of course I know.”
“That prince still sends flowers to every woman he meets? And those flowers are actually sent by you?”
“Well, thanks to that, I met Elrose at the flower shop on Bovent Street, so I suppose I should be grateful. Usually it’s just annoying.”
“I was really surprised when he ordered a greenhouse built just to grow blue roses. Because the flower meaning is ‘a love that can come true,’ right? He wanted to send them to all the women he dates. Since they’re hard to find outside. For someone who barely understands the word ‘love’…”
“Blue roses… Right. Elrose does seem to like flowers. She looked happy when she saw the blue roses. But Rose is angry right now. Do you really think such an ordinary gift will work?”
“I’m not sure if ordinary gifts will work on the Grand Duchess… but since it’s uncertain, wouldn’t it be better to go with something ordinary? If you try something weird, you might just lose more points…”
“…That makes sense.”
‘Phew.’
Douglas secretly sighed in relief.
‘Let’s push this idea. I can’t have this conversation dragged out for days.’
“That’s how it is. People feel better when they see something they like. So even if flowers aren’t amazing, if she sees a flower she likes… won’t the Grand Duchess’s anger ease a bit? It seems the most likely option right now. For example, if you saw Emperor Turnut’s face smashed to pieces, wouldn’t you feel at least a little better?”
Renard seemed slightly persuaded and nodded.
“But honestly, I don’t understand why women like flowers. Why would they like the reproductive organs of seed plants?”
“Well… that’s because… those reproductive organs of seed plants are pretty…?”
“If something is pretty, does that mean everyone should like it? That doesn’t make sense. If your logic is correct, then I should like Elrose too, and you should also like Elrose.”
“…Are you serious?”
“If your argument is correct, that’s what it means.”
Douglas instantly lost the will to continue the conversation.
He had no idea how to respond.
“Well then… I guess I like the Grand Duchess too…”
He said it carelessly.
Renard’s eyes immediately turned dangerous.
Startled by the fierce aura, Douglas shrank back.
Eventually, Douglas admitted that flowers might not be the best idea after all.
But since they couldn’t come up with anything better, Renard finally sighed heavily and left the office.
To personally buy flowers for Elrose.
* * *
I had dinner early and was returning to my room, trying to avoid running into Renard.
Just outside the dining hall, I noticed a single flower lying on the floor.
“…What’s this?”
I picked it up.
It was a flower with several small light-purple blossoms on a green stem.
‘What was this flower called again?’
After walking a few more steps, I saw another identical flower.
When I looked up, I realized the same flowers had been placed along the corridor leading to my room at regular intervals.
‘Ren… ard?’
Why did that name come to mind first?
Picking up the flowers one by one was strangely fun.
It was a different kind of amusement from raising a Tamagotchi.
It felt like I had become Hansel or Gretel from the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel.”
By the time I reached near my room, the last three flowers each had a small note attached.
[I’m sorry.]
[Are you very angry?]
[I won’t do it again. Please forgive me.]
That was what each note said.
I couldn’t help but laugh a little.
It seemed he had mistaken my awkwardness for anger.
Holding an armful of the nameless light-purple flowers, I entered my room.
But there were more flowers inside.
On the decorative table beneath the window sat a bouquet—made of the same flowers I had picked up—filling a transparent vase.
And in front of it was a small flower-meaning sign used by Natasha’s flower shop.
Hyacinth: Eternal love, I’m sorry.
‘…Was the original Renard really this kind of person? Someone who cares this much about other people’s feelings…? No…’
Then again, maybe this was also part of a scheme to seduce me.
Or maybe—not to seduce me—but to at least remain friends…
My thoughts grew tangled.
Just then—
Knock knock.
Someone tapped on the window.
Come to think of it, the curtain was closed.
‘I’m sure I left it open when I went out?’
I placed the bouquet in front of the vase and opened the curtain.
And the next moment—
I stopped breathing.
“……Ah!”
My vision spun.
Through the opened curtain, dozens of sky-blue butterflies poured in together with the crimson sunset.
When the butterflies scattered from my sight, I saw Renard standing outside the window.
Renard holding a bouquet of deep purple hyacinths.
Renard with the glittering sunset behind him.
The vivid crimson light colored him, making him glow red.
Renard took a step closer to the window.
Then he carefully held out the bouquet toward me.
“Grand Duchess.”
Even though I didn’t respond, he continued speaking.
“I know why you’re angry with me. I won’t deceive you again. So just this once… could you please forgive me?”
‘He says he’ll never deceive me again.’
That sounded unlike him.
It must be just something he was saying to get through this situation.
Still… I could understand why he would lie like this.
He believed I helped with his nightmares.
So he must be desperate.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t brought him tea lately either.
Suddenly I felt a little guilty.
But since I didn’t answer for a long time, Renard’s reddish-brown eyes began to shake uneasily.
As if he were anxious.
The image overlapped with the way he had seemed lately—like something had come loose.
The anxious look of my stray cat made me anxious too.
So I accepted the bouquet.
To reassure the cat.
“I’m not angry.”
Renard fell silent after hearing that.
He still looked tense.
“…Is that… really true?”
He asked.
When I nodded, the tension in his eyes finally eased.
The next moment, Renard smiled brilliantly—like a spring sunset.
“I was really worried. I thought the Grand Duchess might be so angry that you would keep ignoring me forever.”
Because of his nightmares, Renard needed me.
But he smiled as if it were simply that he needed me.
“If you’re not angry, then you won’t avoid me anymore, right? That’s the case, isn’t it?”
Anxiety was beginning to return to his eyes, so I quickly nodded again.
Renard smiled in relief.
Just then, a breeze blew past, carrying the sweet, cool scent of musk from him.
The scent tickled my nose strangely, and I complained half-heartedly.
“At this rate, my room will turn into a flower garden because of you. There aren’t just one or two flowers—how many bouquets are there now…”
I had no idea that my complaint would make him say something even more embarrassing.
“In that flower garden, the most beautiful flower is you, Grand Duchess.”
