Falling To Paradise

“It seems great! Since the walls are white, it should be a bright color. And there are a lot of flower seeds in the attic…”

 

Anje stopped speaking abruptly and covered her mouth with her hand.

 

“Attic?”

 

“Yes… I didn’t mean to open it. I went up to put some stuff away and I saw a pretty bag, so I was curious and touched it, and it opened.”

 

She made a flurry of excuses, but to be honest, she had discovered it by poking around, curious about the attic.

 

Aiden, fortunately, showed no sign of displeasure and handed Anje all the washed dishes.

 

She naturally took the dishes and began to wipe and stack them with a dishcloth. Her movements were clumsy but diligent in their own way.

 

Having a history of breaking dishes several times, she was being extra careful.

 

“I didn’t know there was something like that in the attic. I’ll have to go up and take a look later.”

 

“Can I go up with you?”

 

She was curious about what the dried grasses hanging from the ceiling or the locked boxes were, even if she didn’t have to.

 

If she went up with him, she could ask what they were.

 

“Sure.”

 

Excited, Anje almost broke another dish, but Aiden nimbly caught it from the side.

 

“First, let’s focus on what we need to do today, princess.”

 

“…Alright.”

 

* * *

 

Going back and forth along the dyke to plant tomato seedlings was an intense labor exceeding Anje’s expectations, so as soon as the work was done, she collapsed onto the kitchen table.

 

Aiden seemed equally exhausted, so dinner that evening was relatively simple: buttered turnips sprinkled with parsley and jerky made from dried venison.

 

Still, Anje ate without any complaints. Everything that went into her stomach tasted delicious.

 

“Milk and sugar in your tea?”

 

“Plenty, please.”

 

What will the tomatoes that she meticulously planted in neat rows along the dyke taste like when they ripen?

 

Every time Anje showed signs of exhaustion, Aiden would list off a string of dishes he could make with those tomatoes.

 

Arabiatta pasta, tomato beef stew, tomato scrambled eggs, sun-dried tomatoes…

 

‘Wait, won’t I be gone by the time the tomatoes ripen anyway?’

 

Thinking about the dishes he could make with the tomatoes made her mouth water, and she immediately asked Aiden,

 

“Sir, when will the tomatoes be ready to harvest?”

 

Handing her a warm ceramic cup, Aiden replied,

 

“Usually, they’re harvested in the summer. Depending on the weather, maybe around July? This year is warmer than usual, so as long as we don’t get too much rain before harvest, we should be fine.”

 

“Why not rain?”

 

Isn’t rain good for crops? That’s what Anje thought simplistically.

 

“If the ripening tomatoes get hit by rain, the fruits split open, allowing rainwater to seep in, making them inedible.”

 

“Oh, really?”

 

She should start praying when the tomatoes start ripening. Even if she might not get to eat them, it would be a waste to abandon these tomatoes that she worked so hard to grow.

 

Having abandoned religion, Anje decided to be a short-term fatalist just this once.

 

‘I wonder when the other fruits will ripen. Oh, when will the flowers bloom if I plant them today? It would be a shame to leave after planting them and not taking responsibility.’

 

She wanted to ask, but she didn’t want to seem too eager and risk scaring him off.

 

Anje swallowed the questions she couldn’t spit out, along with her tea. She had worked so hard to earn Aiden’s trust; she couldn’t afford to appear suspiciously curious.

 

As both teacups emptied, Aiden broke the silence first.

 

“Shall we head up to the attic now?”

 

Holding the tray with the candles, Aiden led her up the stairs to the cozy attic, just the size of a guest bedroom on this floor.

 

She watched his shadow flicker in the light and reassured herself.

 

‘Whether it’s flowers or crops, even if I leave them behind, Aiden will take good care of them.’

 

She knew well how capable his calloused and rough hands were.

 

‘And who knows, maybe I’ll be able to return home later than I think.’

 

If her escape failed, she might have to stay here longer than expected.

 

In that case, she would not only see the flowers bloom but also witness the fruits of her labor in the fields she tended.

 

Oddly, imagining a negative future felt surprisingly light-hearted.

 

* * *

 

Just then, as she climbed up to the attic, she remembered. As a very young child, she often used to sneak into the attic of the Duke’s mansion.

 

‘Lady, where are you?’

 

‘Lady, come out. There are delicious snacks here.’

 

It was fun to watch the panicked maids and servants running around here and there looking for her.

 

She also enjoyed running around the attic freely without anyone’s permission, doing acrobatics on old furniture, and spreading her imagination while wearing old dresses.

 

However, her little pleasures were shattered one day when her hiding place was discovered.

 

A heavy lock was placed on the door to the attic, and she was told how many mice and bugs were there.

 

‘Without you knowing, tiny bugs can get into your earlobes and eat your brain.’

 

‘There was also a case where a lady who was locked in the attic was found dead, eaten by mice.’

 

The description was so vivid and realistic that Anje, who heard the story, was afraid of narrow, dark places for a while.

 

However, the attic of Aiden’s house was far from such a gloomy description.

 

Above their heads, onions, herbs, and dried medicinal herbs were strung together like mobiles. On one side were large and small pumpkins, and on the other were unused antiques.

 

A wooden rocking horse that Aiden rode when he was a child, Christmas ornaments that decorated the living room every year, and canvas paintings that someone in the house had painted.

 

Anje’s new crinoline cage and shoes, which she had moved in, felt a bit out of place in this warm atmosphere.

 

Aiden picked up the bag Anje was pointing at.

 

“This is what you were talking about, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She tried to take a closer look because the antique-looking decoration was pretty, but it opened up and a pocket full of seeds fell out.

 

She was so busy picking them up and putting them back in place that she didn’t get a good look at what kind of flowers they were.

 

“What kind of flowers are there?”

 

Aiden placed the candle on a nearby box and checked the contents.

 

“Let’s see. Delphinium, pansy, lily of the valley, geranium, anemone, sunflower, peony, forget-me-not……”

 

They were probably flowers his mother had collected. He vaguely remembered his mother’s voice explaining the flowers.

 

His mother, Nancy, loved to paint, especially landscapes with flowers, so she probably collected various flower seeds for that reason.

 

He thought for a moment and asked.

 

“Hmm, it seems like it would be too much work to plant all of these now. Is there one you’d like to grow the most?”

 

“Sunflower!”

 

Anje approached Aiden’s face and exclaimed in a passionate voice.

 

“A tall and proud flower blooming gorgeously. I like that pose. I also like the fact that it tilts its head and looks at the sun that resembles me, and that there’s a legend associated with it.”

 

‘A fairy who was in unrequited love with the sun god took root in the earth and transformed into a flower.’

 

Aiden looked at her with an expression of wonder.

 

“Isn’t it too plain? I thought you’d want something like a rose.”

 

“I’m sick of roses. I’ve seen all the roses I’ll ever see in my life.”

 

Her father, who coveted the rose, the symbol of the royal family, had the garden of the ducal mansion cultivated like the royal garden. There are precious roses everywhere.

 

“Well, sunflowers are easy to grow, so they’ll be easy for you to grow.”

 

“Me? I’m going to grow them?”

 

Anje asked back in surprise.

 

“You said you wanted to grow them, so you should be responsible for growing them.”

 

He was determined to teach her everything about gardening, from A to Z.

 

“……What if I kill them by growing them wrong?”

 

She quietly looked at the sunflower seed packet in her hand. The packet, lighter than a button, felt heavy.

 

“It’s such an easy flower to grow that even you can grow it, so you don’t have to worry so much.”

 

“Tsk…….”

 

Aiden’s words were no comfort to Anje. He scratched his cheek for a moment and added hesitantly.

 

“I’ll help you too…….”

 

“Really?”

 

A smile bloomed brightly on her face like a flower in full bloom.

 

“Is it a promise?”

 

He briefly met her eyes and then dropped his gaze to the seed packets.

 

“It would be lonely to plant just one sunflower, so I’ll try growing a few myself.”

 

Pansies, nasturtiums, and poppies might be the only plants that would grow well if planted now.

 

“What about the lily of the valley?”

 

Anje subtly hinted at her preference from the side.

 

“It’s a bit late to plant lily of the valley seeds now.”

 

Usually, they are sown in late autumn and sprout in early spring.

 

“Oh, that’s a shame.”

 

She had read in a fairy tale that fairies used it as a cup for tea parties, and she had always wanted to plant it someday. Her most prized perfume, a gift from her father on her coming-of-age, was also a lily of the valley fragrance.

 

Before disappointment spread across Anje’s face, he offered another option.

 

“There are many lily of the valley growing naturally in the woods, so you can dig up a few and plant them.”

 

“Wow, really?”

 

Unable to contain her overflowing joy, Anje clung to his arm like an excited puppy jumping on its owner.

 

The candle went out with a puff in the commotion.

* * * *

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