Chapter 45

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 45

Chapter Title: The Dead Forest and the Fairy Garden (2)

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"What on earth have you done to this garden?"

An unexpected question made Roxiana glance around the garden. She couldn't tell what about it displeased Elledrun Hills Countess.

"It's too beautiful."

"Pardon?"

"This garden is excessively beautiful."

It was impossible to tell if she was scolding or complimenting. As Roxiana searched for a response, Elledrun stepped right up close.

"How did you make it so stunning?"

"Well, the gardeners put in so much effort..."

"No, miss. Gardeners alone couldn't keep a garden this beautiful. I won the Fairy Garden Contest last year, I guarantee it. This is your doing."

'There's even a Fairy Garden Contest, huh.' As that thought crossed her mind, Elledrun drew even closer.

"Please, tell me. How do you get those flowers to bloom in this weather?"

Roxiana looked at the flowerbed Elledrun pointed to. It brimmed with vibrant blossoms, some she knew by name, others unfamiliar.

Come to think of it, she'd once overheard the gardeners saying, "The plants in this garden don't seem to care about seasons. Is it the fertile soil? Or thanks to Her Highness?"

Roxiana hadn't even realized the flowers in that bed weren't in season.

The spirits chattered away.

Now she understood what was happening in the garden, but she couldn't explain the reason to Elledrun.

Misreading Roxiana's troubled expression, Elledrun spoke up.

"Of course, you must have your own burdens, and here I am being rude over something trivial. I'm sorry. My head's been aching over our gardens... We probably won't even enter the contest this year. Just thinking about Countess Tiburang lording it over us twists my gut... Oh dear, what am I saying?"

The spirits burst into giggles.

Once again, the spirits' rambling didn't give the full story. All Roxiana could guess was that "Henaraya" was the "Countess Tiburang" Elledrun had mentioned.

"Head Maid."

Elledrun, turning to leave, paused at Roxiana's call. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked up. Roxiana felt a bit burdened but kept it hidden and said,

"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea? You can tell me all about it."

Sir Arsen Chetek, captain of the White Eagle Knight Order, strolled along the path, glancing toward the archway leading to the Lily Palace garden. Not to spy, but to check for anything suspicious.

He caught sight of Roxiana and Elledrun entering the building together.

'Where's the baby wolf?'

Arsen quickly scanned the garden.

There, rolling on the lawn, was a nimbus-like gray wolf pup, plump with glossy fur. Seeing it so well-cared-for eased his mind—it seemed Roxiana was taking good care of it.

As he meant to pass by, a thought struck him.

'Fur alone won't tell. I need to check the teeth and hind leg muscles for accuracy.'

He wasn't intruding without permission. The Lily Palace garden was open to all in the Grand Duke's Palace—as long as one got approval to enter the building.

Besides, as knight order captain responsible for security, no place was off-limits. With that, Arsen passed through the arch into the garden.

Sensing an intruder, the wolf sprang up, crouching low and baring its teeth.

To show he meant no threat, Arsen squatted, palm up, extending his hand. Confirming no eyes on him, he parted his lips.

"Choo-choo-choo."

At the soft, affectionate coo, the wolf's face seemed stunned for an instant. Wolves don't have expressions, yet Arsen felt it so.

But it vanished quickly, so he dismissed it as imagination.

The wolf growled as if to charge, then whipped around and bolted inside.

Ignored with hand outstretched, Arsen didn't despair. Young ones were rude by nature.

This was Elledrun's first time entering the Lily Palace since Roxiana moved in. The first-floor parlor was as luxurious as ever, but something had changed.

'Why decorate everywhere with Adelia flowers?'

Cushions, carpets, mantel edges—all etched with Adelia flowers. She knew Floyd had ordered a major remodel of the Lily Palace, but never dreamed it involved carving Adelia flowers everywhere.

'Unique taste.'

Elledrun assumed this odd interior was Roxiana's preference.

Even the white teapot and cups brought by the maids bore Adelia flower designs. As flowers for the dead, they gave Elledrun a funeral vibe.

She wondered if Roxiana stayed sane here, yet the princess calmly poured tea from the pot.

Roxiana's delicate, courteous motion as she offered the cup on its saucer felt dignifying. Elledrun cleared her throat awkwardly, feeling like an honored guest.

"I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Bothering me? I have nothing to do here in the Lily Palace anyway."

"That's not what the staff say. They say you're busy helping in the kitchen, cleaning, even laundry."

"I'm just doing what's fitting for my station. It's what everyone does."

Only then did Elledrun recall Roxiana bore a slave brand. She'd known, yet somehow forgotten.

"His Grace ordered us to treat you preciously. You needn't seek out such tasks."

She meant to say something about earning her keep, but different words slipped out. Roxiana merely lifted her cup, not even a polite smile.

Now that she'd invited her, broaching the topic felt awkward. To Elledrun's small talk, Roxiana said,

"So, what happened to your garden, Head Maid?"

"Ah, well..."

Elledrun described her garden's惨 fate from magi: blackened falling leaves, foul soil stench, plants refusing to revive despite tilling and fertilizing.

"And with how busy things are now, I can't complain about a garden. It's a real headache. I heard once land's tainted by magi, it takes years to recover—if ever. Even replowing doesn't help if it's seeped deep."

Roxiana had heard such tales.

Rifts birthing magical beasts didn't just plague Torkan Grand Duchy—abandoned lands dotted other regions too, forsaken after failed purges.

Killing beasts didn't make land livable. Only mass blessings by mighty priests could cleanse the magi.

'But powerful priests are scarce now. Useless lands get left behind.'

A thought flashed through Roxiana's mind.

'Right, abandoned lands.'

Unchecked lands became "magical beast zones," access forbidden. After three unmanaged years, they became ownerless. Purify the magi, claim ownership.

Thus, empires allied with the Grand Temple wielded immense power. Nations needed priests for tainted lands, requiring the emperor's favor to summon them.

Yet most stayed forsaken. Even if holy knights slew beasts and priests cleansed, rifts meant reinfestation. Better to abandon than repeat futile efforts.

'If spirits could purify those lands...'

Ownership would follow.

'Surely some valuable ones were abandoned. Purify and claim them... No, exposing my power would make the empire my enemy before I act. Then...'

A stepping stone to Lucas and Elise formed in her mind.

'Give them to the Grand Duke. He'll know how to claim them cleanly.'

Torkan had once been rift-tainted and abandoned. But Floyd expelled the magical beasts, making it habitable.

No empire or nation contested his prowess.