Chapter 128: Roses That Resemble You |
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Even after I found out who she was, nothing changed.
Still, I would write silently or stand on the railing of the deck with a pale face, and she watched me from a distance of about ten steps away.
After two more days, the ship arrived at the Principality. It was early morning, and her bed was empty.
After a moment of staring at it, I hastily got dressed, grabbed my belongings, and left the cabin.
The harbor at dawn was foggy and windy enough to make you think it was Sorne. I thought as I quickly blended into the crowd of people disembarking.
It’s strange. This is clearly the Principality of Lunoa, but why does it feel as comforting as returning home?
As I walked towards the exit through the crowd like a flock of clouds, my whole body felt electrified one moment and then relaxed like cream on a scone the next.
I couldn’t calm down, wanting to rush to Alan’s castle immediately.
“Ah…”
“I’ve called a carriage for you.”
I had thought she might be a foreigner, perhaps unable to speak, but she spoke with clear pronunciation. Instead of saying I can speak a bit of Lunoan too, I cautiously replied,
“……Thank you.”
“Then, please take care on your way back.”
Watching her simple farewell and her figure disappearing into the crowd, I couldn’t help but think: the reason I could return safely to Lunoa after meeting my loved ones alone in the kingdom and crossing the sea was not just because of luck.
‘She’s a woman of many talents, after all.’
Anyway, he’s really skilled at discreetly assigning people……
Instead of recalling the memory of when I found him terrifying, my heart somehow felt sentimental. I vividly remembered the beautiful and pitiful face shedding tears of anxiety.
The fact that he tried to protect me the best he could, that he strained his heart for me, couldn’t have been more endearing. It was also cute to think that he would have struggled to remind me of his fear.
Although the woman who shared the cabin with me inadvertently exposed the perfect covert operation by accidentally revealing a handkerchief, the important thing was that Alan made an effort for me.
His heart was more precious than anything else. As I held onto the flapping edges of my clothes in the sea breeze and finally set foot on land with difficulty, I saw a familiar black carriage not far away.
It was the carriage adorned with Leopold’s crest that we had ridden when William and I arrived at the port.
I ran towards the carriage like a child on their birthday. The biting winter wind pierced through my clothes.
I couldn’t believe it had been over a month since I left Alan’s embrace. At that moment, all I could think was, I hope we won’t be separated for so long again.
“Miss Collins.”
The coachman who approached me took my luggage. Feeling excited, I asked abruptly,
“How did you know I was coming back today?”
“Well, this carriage has been here all along. I was commissioned to come to the port every day until Miss. Collins appeared.”
The middle-aged coachman spoke with a somewhat refreshing expression.
“It’s been over a month already, but now we can finally head to Lunos.”
“….Goodness.”
Just a few weeks away on a voyage to the kingdom, and he already assigned such a task in my absence? It seems so inefficient no matter how I look at it.
Didn’t he consider the possibility of me having second thoughts about boarding the ship to the kingdom?
What on earth could be so frightening and worrisome for him to have such thoughts…
It was natural for me to remember what Mrs. Kearney had told me about my anxiety because my love was so precious and dear.
Her mentioning that my lover whom I left behind in the Principality would have the same feelings as mine.
“Then let’s go.”
I asked the coachman, who was about to close the carriage door, with a stunned face.
“How long will it take to get to the house?”
“Ummm.”
The coachman scratched his temple a couple of times and replied.
“Even if I let the horses rest for a while on the way, we should arrive around lunchtime. You might as well take a nap.”
After he finished speaking and closed the door, the bustling noise of the dockside disappeared and a complete silence came.
I exhaled shallowly, burying myself in the seat for a moment, then, feeling restless, I opened my handbag. And then, with trembling hands, I tightly grasped the small velvet box inside.
“….It’s impossible to even think about falling asleep.”
Finally, I returned. To the tender embrace of my beloved.
* * *
“William!”
“Welcome back, milady.”
Before the grand castle, Butler William and several servants awaited me.
“I’m relieved you’ve returned not too late.”
As I tried to enter the main hall, William subtly remarked. His formal tone strangely warmed my heart, prompting me to respond in a cheerful tone that wasn’t quite like myself.
“It hasn’t even been a week since I arrived in the kingdom. Saying ‘not too late’—I couldn’t have returned any sooner, could I?”
Then the butler said something strange.
“Thinking of the person who waited for over a month without even going out, I can’t say that the return to home was early.”
“…Pardon?”
A soft breath escaped me. I halted my steps, unable to comprehend his words, and asked.
“Is Alan here?”
“Yes.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Aren’t you pleased?”
“Pleased…”
…Wait, why?
Why is Alan here?
I was planning to surprise him after tidying up, taking a bath, and waiting in his room…
No, more importantly, what do you mean by not going out for over a month?
What about his work? Office? What is this…….
“Please leave your luggage this way and follow me.”
After handing over all the luggage to the servant standing nearby, I hurriedly followed Willem and asked.
“He hasn’t been out for more than a month? Did something happen?”
“It would be better for you to hear it directly.”
“Ha…”
I gripped the hem of my dress tightly in frustration. Who’s burning up inside…!
As I hurried along with an absurd expression, I suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.
This direction wasn’t leading to Alan’s room, the dining hall, or the study.
At that moment, William swung open a door at the end of the corridor. A cool breeze swept in.
“William, where are we going? Is Alan out here?”
“Yes. He’s always here at this time.”
The spot where the butler stopped was in front of a greenhouse tucked away in a corner of the garden. The graceful dome-shaped glass structure resembled a beautiful aviary.
“…I never knew this place existed.”
As William gently opened the door at that moment, I instinctively held my breath. It was because I was completely captivated by the unexpected, deep and rich scent of roses.
When I looked up at William with a startled expression, he nodded slightly. It was right after that gesture that I dashed into the greenhouse as if I were a horse released from its reins.
Inside the greenhouse, everything was covered in pink roses.
The space, adorned with tantalizing blossoms emitting a sweet fragrance, was a world that made one forget even the seasons.
And there, in the deepest part of this surreal, dream-like scenery, I finally found him.
“Al…!”
Alan was inspecting a bouquet of flowers, holding a small watering can in one hand. He was dressed not in his usual formal coat and cravat, but in a loose silk shirt…
“Alan…”
His appearance was unfamiliar yet indescribably precious.
Alan, sensing my presence belatedly, turned his head.
His beautiful profile looked pale like a cold moon.
In that fleeting moment, I couldn’t help but tremble with the fear that he might have completely forgotten about someone like me. He was so incredibly beautiful that he seemed untouchable.
However, when our eyes met,
He smiled.
His smile was so warm that I froze instead. I never dreamed Alan Leopold could smile like this. It made the years I’ve loved him seem pale.
And the fact that this radiant smile was because of me, it was just too…
“Melissa.”
I heard the sound of a water stopper falling to the floor. In an instant, I was in his arms.
Welcome, Alan whispered.
I just lost my mind. The scent and warmth coming from his chest, his low and calm voice, the arms that hugged me tightly, all of it was so enchanting that I couldn’t handle it.
“This too…….”
I barely managed to utter a word in Alan’s arms.
“……Is it a catalyst for a novelist?”
Alan answered, smiling like the wind.
“No. It’s a bouquet.”
“W-Who calls this a bouquet of flowers…….”
He looked at me quietly as I sighed and chuckled. Under his thick lashes, his gray eyes held an incredibly serene light.
It’s like we met just yesterday. My heart races as if it’s about to burst, and I feel like my whole body could melt away, as if there’s no one else but me
“Were there flowers like this in the greenhouse?”
Then Alan whispered, organizing my hair.
“For a flower, it resembles you.”
“Ha.”
Feeling incredibly absurd yet happy, I laughed with tears in my eyes. How can one be so relaxed even in moments like this?
Feeling mischievous, I pulled Alan’s collar and kissed him wildly.
His lips were unbelievably sweet and soft like a dream. Alan seemed a bit surprised at first, but soon he swallowed my breath smoothly as if he was used to it.
How could I have endured a month without this kiss?
After what felt like an eternity, our lips parted, and he silently stared at me before speaking.
“I wrote a poem.”
“Did you write poetry? For me?”
“Yes. It’s a sonnet… It’s in the room.”
“Ah…”
His words of writing a poem for me sounded like a fervent and sweet hymn, so I momentarily forgot to speak. Then, without waiting for my response, Alan spoke with a restless expression.
“It’s nothing special.”
“How does it start?”
“It starts with… When spring comes, the snow melts…”
“Pffft.”
I know it’s rude, but I naturally laughed at the childish and cliché that only a child could use.
Alan then swept his hair black as if he was embarrassed. Of course, one arm was still tightly wrapped around my waist.
“……As expected, forget about poetry.”
“No, I don’t want to. I’ll go to the room and see—”
Alan’s lips silenced me. With a click, a low murmur escaped his parted lips, tinged with red.
“I’m sorry, Melissa.”
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