Chapter 13
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Chapter 13 : Even a Troublemaker Prepares Thoroughly (3)
“Mad… Gasp!”
Legina clamped her hands over her mouth to prevent any more outrageous sounds from escaping, as her eyes took in Aaron, who clearly seemed to have just washed. She had thought only his golden hair, lightly swaying in the breeze, was beautiful, but his golden hair, wet and clinging damply to his nape, was beyond words. Furthermore, his generally flushed face, ragged breathing, and slightly informal attire, unbefitting proper etiquette, led the viewer to fall into strange imaginings.
And it was dangerous. She couldn’t quite explain why it was dangerous, but it was. At least for Legina’s heart, it was very, extremely, maddeningly dangerous, that much was certain.
“Your Highness?”
“My lord… No matter that it’s your home, going around like that is a crime.”
“What?”
“Though, I suppose anyone would welcome this kind of crime.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“It’s fine if you don’t understand. Your brother seems to have understood everything.”
As if it were a common occurrence, Gissley, who had nodded at Legina’s words, beckoned Aaron to sit beside him. Aaron, who had unknowingly become a criminal, sat next to Gissley, tilted his head, and then nodded. He seemed to have understood something, but Legina couldn’t be sure if it was the same thought she was having.
“Ahem, so what were we talking about?”
“You were saying you wanted to take some Danilan flowers from our mother’s garden.”
“Yes, that’s right. So, what do you say? Will you allow it?”
“It doesn’t matter, but…”
Gissley’s blue eyes darted back and forth between Aaron and Legina. It seemed he sensed something between the two, but he hadn’t quite grasped it yet. Legina, knowing well that giving him more time here would only benefit Gissley and wouldn’t help her, rose from her seat as soon as his words ended.
“Then I’ll ask Sir Aaron to guide me.”
“That, I…”
“No, I’d prefer to ask my sword instructor to guide me, rather than you.”
Gissley pondered for a moment, then slightly bowed his head. He believed it was a much more appropriate and safer pairing for his younger brother, who was soon to have his coming-of-age ceremony, to escort the underage Imperial Princess, rather than himself, an adult.
“I will prepare servants to carry the flowers.”
Legina nodded at Gissley’s words and rose from her seat, whereupon Aaron followed suit, rising and extending his hand to escort her. Gissley watched silently as Legina exited the drawing-room with Aaron’s guidance.
A moment later, upon arriving at the Duchess’s enormous garden, Legina stole a glance at Aaron’s profile as he guided her into the greenhouse, specially maintained for growing Danilan flowers. His golden hair and slender yet sturdy physique were certainly inherited from the Duke of Vestein, but the breathtaking beauty and red eyes, which made viewers gasp, were unmistakably inherited from the Duchess of Vestein.
Having inherited the blood of the Empire’s greatest beauty so strongly, it’s only natural he’d be beautiful.
Barbara Vestein. She was a woman of high society who held the title of the Empire’s greatest beauty, and her red eyes and dazzling reddish-gold hair earned her the nickname “Rose of the Empire.” Due to her exceptional beauty from childhood, she had faced many hardships but found stability after meeting the current Duke, Vellichi Vestein. She was also one who had succeeded in a love marriage, a rarity in the Empire. Having given birth to two sons, her health had deteriorated, so she spent most of her time recuperating at the ducal family’s villa, meaning Legina had only met her a few times in person. However, her splendid face was not one easily forgotten, so Legina clearly remembered her.
Come to think of it, isn’t Sir Aaron now called the Empire’s greatest beauty?
She had heard rumors that other noblewomen, who hadn’t properly seen him, gossiped about that nickname. However, it was a baseless rumor that would quickly vanish after Theore’s birthday banquet.
If they saw this face in person, all their complaints and grievances would completely disappear.
Thinking so, Legina stepped into the greenhouse, the door opened by Aaron himself, and was momentarily captivated. Everywhere she looked was overwhelmingly filled with a dizzying redness.
“Did the Duchess cultivate all of this herself?”
“She cultivated them herself until she left for recuperation.”
“How amazing…”
Long, wide, dark green leaves and blood-red petals. The greenhouse was filled with Danilan flowers, clearly cultivated with love. Due to their unusually faint scent and excessively red petals, they weren’t typically considered ornamental flowers. However, when the petals were steeped and dried, and hot water poured over them, a moderately pleasant aroma rose, making it a main ingredient for tea that people consistently sought out once they tasted it.
The crimson spectacle, stretching from the entrance of the garden to its furthest visible point, made her feel lightheaded. Even though the scent was faint, it was surprising how it only lingered subtly at the tip of her nose, like a lightly brewed tea, considering the sheer number of flowers.
“How is the Duchess’s health?”
“She has recovered significantly.”
“The next time you visit the palace, please meet with the Imperial physician before you leave. I will instruct him to prepare good medicine for the Duchess’s condition.”
“Thank you.”
He didn’t test or feign humility. Legina liked that about Aaron.
Legina carefully moved her feet and began to walk deeper into the greenhouse. Walking through a space where only Danilan flowers existed, except for occasional tools for flower care and shelves to place them, she began to slightly lose track of whether this was a dream or reality.
“At this point, will sound not leak outside?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief.”
Legina stopped in the middle of the greenhouse and turned to face Aaron.
“Before coming here, I sent a letter to the Ducal House of Slyveig.”
“Was it about the matter you mentioned earlier?”
“Yes. You will be my partner at Theore’s birthday banquet this year.”
“As you instructed, I have prepared the attire for that day.”
The timing Legina chose to make her grand, dramatic “big hit” was Theore’s birthday banquet. While she might normally feel bad about causing trouble on her brother’s birthday, given what Theore had put her through, she felt no pangs of conscience. Legina accepted this as an excellent sign of her path to becoming a troublemaker and began to review the day’s plan once more.
“Although you’ll be my partner, we’ll enter separately.”
“Yes.”
“Theore will announce the start of the banquet.”
Normally, the Emperor or the eldest of his descendants would announce the start of the banquet with a dance, but since this banquet was to celebrate Theore’s birthday, it was his role.
“Once Theore’s dance with the young lady of Count Olly’s family is over…”
“I will ask Your Highness for a dance. I remember that clearly.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
First, that would ignite people’s curiosity. Even though he was only her fiancé in name, seeing his fiancée dancing with another man, especially the second son of the Vestein family, would surely bruise Hermann’s pride a little. It was a secondary goal, but if achieved, it might resolve just a tiny, tiny fraction of her regret from before the regression.
And when the murmuring of the crowd grew louder…
“I will personally declare the annulment of my engagement.”
Before that, she also had to stop Theore’s sword dance and deal with the assassin targeting the Emperor, but if things went very well, her bombshell announcement might cause those two events to fizzle out. It was an overly optimistic thought, but somehow, she had a good feeling about it. Legina covered a small chuckle and turned away from Aaron, starting to walk again.
“If that happens, the banquet will… Ugh!”
“Your Highness!”
Legina’s foot tangled as she was about to explain her plan after the banquet. It was an uncharacteristic mistake for her. Furthermore, the scream she let out sounded so undignified that her face instantly flushed with embarrassment.
However, the problem came next. In falling, she bumped into a shelf that had been brought in to stack materials. Fortunately, there was nothing on it, but the shelf toppling onto Legina’s defenseless body was still quite threatening.
“Are you alright?”
“I, I’m alr… Gasp.”
Legina, who had instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact, slowly opened them at a voice close by, then gasped. It was because of Aaron’s face, now right before hers. His hands were on the floor, pinning her in an embrace as if to cover or protect her, and the edge of the toppled shelf was visible behind his back. The feel of soft soil against Legina’s back, the fresh scent of crushed tender grass, and the sudden impact that sent red petals swirling upwards before slowly descending, creating an unrealistic scene.
And right before her eyes, Aaron’s face. His eyes, redder than the scattered Danilan petals, gleamed through the shadows cast by his golden hair, which fell like curtains, looking down at her.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
His slightly furrowed brow, sharp nose, and parted lips, from which his breath escaped with concern for her. The moment his breath touched her cheek, Legina heard her heart thump! as it sank.
“My heart is…”
“Your Highness?”
Aaron’s face, seen up close, was very dangerous. Seriously dangerous. So dangerous that Legina unconsciously worried for her life.
S-Save me. My heart might burst and kill me at this rate!
Legina’s unspoken scream echoed deep within her mind.
– Mochinuna.
