As Annie busily cleaned the stair railing, a white figure flashed past her eyes. It moved so quickly that only an afterimage remained, but she knew exactly what—or rather, who—it was.
“Aiden!”
It was none other than Anje—or, more formally, Mrs. Fitzroy.
If it wasn’t her, who else in the mansion would dash through the corridors so excitedly just to see their husband a little earlier? Annie chuckled and picked up a tuft of white yarn that had fallen from Anje’s clothes.
A man with silver hair opened his arms and smiled shyly.
“Anje.”
The woman, who was more than a head shorter than him, threw herself into his embrace, savoring the moment.
“Honestly, why did you take so long to come back? I thought my neck would stretch from waiting.”
Annie exchanged a knowing glance with Sophie, who was cleaning the railing on the opposite side. Anyone watching would think they had been apart for months, but in reality, Aiden had only been away for half a day.
Sophie whispered softly,
“Wouldn’t they make a great poster couple for promoting marriage?”
“No kidding. Ah, they must be thirsty—I should hurry and prepare some tea. Can you handle the rest of the cleaning?”
The Fitzroy couple disappeared, hand in hand, towards the small, worn-out greenhouse where they often had tea.
Why did they prefer that place over the grand reception hall or the dining room? When someone, unable to contain their curiosity, once asked Anje about it, she had simply replied, ‘Because it’s cozy and familiar.’
They were an unusual couple, no doubt.
“Wait, it’s my turn to take the tea this time—Annie! Hey, you little cheat!”
Ignoring Sophie’s complaints, Annie grabbed her skirt and hurried down the stairs. Serving tea to the young couple was far easier than scrubbing the railings. Besides, ever since returning from Leslie, “Miss Anje” had become much more gentle and easy to attend to.
“Thanks for the delicious tea, Annie.”
And sometimes, like today, she even left a gold coin on the table as a tip.
Grinning from ear to ear, Annie bowed her head slightly before quickly composing herself. If Sophie saw, she’d insist on splitting it.
“Please enjoy your conversation, Madam—uh, Mrs. Fitzroy.”
Calling Anje “Madam” still felt strange to Annie, given how young and fresh-faced she looked. But since Anje liked being addressed as Mrs. Fitzroy, Annie made sure to use the full title.
Anje, who had been acting more composed in front of the maid, immediately turned to Aiden with a long-awaited question as soon as Annie left.
“So, how was the gathering? Was the journey difficult?”
While she had worried about the mood of the gathering itself, she was more concerned about whether Aiden had suffered any seizures due to the city’s noise.
If he hadn’t insisted, ‘I need to practice adapting to unfamiliar sounds alone so I can become a stronger husband for you,’ she would have escorted him, at least for the journey between the meeting place and the duke’s estate.
“Thanks to the carriage you lent me, the trip was very comfortable. And the gathering went much better than I expected.”
Aiden’s lips curved into a smile as he gently stroked Anje’s hand.
Her fluffy white dress, made of soft wool, was her first winter dress of the season. It suited her warmth, but at the same time, it made her look like a small, adorable puppy.
‘Was it called a Maltese?’
He had the urge to tease her, but it was better to finish the conversation first—she had likely been worrying about him all this time.
“At first, it was a bit awkward, but once we started teasing Doug, the atmosphere loosened up. We reminisced about our time on the battlefield, shared old memories, and mourned those who had passed…”
Aiden had just returned from meeting Doug and his former comrades—McCain, Walter, Bennett—the names Anje had heard in passing before.
It was a gathering Aiden had organized himself after deciding, during his last meeting with Doug, that he needed to confront the past he had been avoiding out of guilt.
“Is everyone doing well?”
Anje’s question made Aiden’s smile stiffen.
“As I feared… many of them aren’t doing well.”
That was another reason he had arranged the meeting. After learning that Doug had been swindled and suffered hardships, he worried about how the rest of his comrades were faring.
Unfortunately, his concerns proved to be justified. Many discharged soldiers struggled to adapt to peaceful civilian life, haunted by memories of the battlefield.
Not only did they have trouble reintegrating into society, but some suffered from auditory hallucinations—hearing explosions or gunfire—or were plagued by nightmares.
Even those who hadn’t been prisoners of war had witnessed death and suffering countless times. It was no surprise they carried scars.
Trying to re-enlist wasn’t an option either. Since the emperor had ceased conquest wars, there were no longer positions for them in the military.
‘I worry that I’ve lost my mind… What if I end up hurting my family? That’s why I live alone now.’
‘I even went to the hospital, but all they suggested was committing me to some strange facility… It was no help at all.’
Everything they said was something Aiden could deeply relate to.
Even they did not receive as generous a reward as Captain Aiden. Most of them had enlisted due to difficult family circumstances, so they were not financially well-off to begin with.
Anje furrowed her brows, sharing the same sentiment.
“This is quite a big problem.”
“Yes, I wish I could do something to help.”
Just as he had apologized to Doug, he wanted to offer some tangible assistance.
Hoping to lighten his mood, she joked,
“Should I introduce them to a woman like me?”
“There is only one woman like you in this world. Isn’t that a miracle in itself?”
“If you look hard enough, I’m sure there are a few more high-maintenance women like me out there.”
Setting aside the joke, Anje asked in a more serious tone,
“Your mother’s land and my mother’s paintings—if we sell even a portion of them, it could amount to quite a sum. How about using that money to support your comrades financially?”
Aiden pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
“It might improve their situation temporarily, but it wouldn’t be a long-term solution. Worse, they could end up like Doug, falling victim to scams. I can’t follow each of them around to keep an eye on them.”
She had no choice but to agree. Even in Aiden’s and her own case, money could only do so much. Especially when someone was mentally unstable, a fundamental solution was necessary.
“Then how about helping them find jobs? I can send letters here and there to look for opportunities.”
Though Anje had been disconnected from noble society for a while, her recent influence had stirred things up, and there might be some lower nobles or gentry willing to help her.
“That’s a good idea.”
Aiden’s face brightened momentarily but soon darkened again.
“But will they be able to keep those jobs? I worry they might become a burden to you, since you’re the one giving the recommendations.”
“Are they in such a bad state?”
“Think back to how I used to be. That should give you an idea.”
Now that he mentioned it, even Doug had struggled to make eye contact with her and seemed awkward. Anje recalled how Aiden had been when they first met—uneasy around others, his expression and voice heavy with darkness.
She had chosen not to attend the gathering today because she worried that the soldiers, including Doug, might feel uncomfortable with her presence.
After a brief silence, Anje flipped her hand over and clasped Aiden’s.
“Let’s think about this together. If we put our heads together, we’ll come up with a good idea.”
Both of them were eager to share the happiness they had found with others. Aiden tightened his grip on her hand and smiled.
“Yes, let’s do that. Oh, by the way, since I was already out, I also picked up what you asked for. Would you like to see it?”
“Really? Hand it over, quickly!”
“It’s in my jacket pocket. Hold on a moment.”
Still holding her hand, Aiden fumbled awkwardly with his left hand to reach his left pocket. Despite the clumsy movement, he managed to pull out the item and handed it to Anje.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you! I’ll try it on the roses right away, and if it works well, I’ll buy a whole box for the farm.”
The item Aiden gave her was a plant nutrient, a newly released gardening product.
“I hope it works as well as advertised in the newspaper.”
“I asked the shopkeeper about it, and they said it’s best to use the right amount. If you apply too much in a hurry, it could harm the plants instead.”
“Really? I’ll be careful, then.”
After carefully reading the instructions on the packaging, Anje applied the nutrient near the roots of the rose saplings she had been keeping an eye on for days. The sight of the drooping, withering branches had been weighing on her heart.
‘This is why I love this place.’
The outdoor rose garden, meticulously maintained by the gardeners, was so pristine that she had no room to intervene. Besides, whenever she tried to do something, the staff would panic and rush over, making it difficult to work freely.
On the other hand, this old greenhouse tucked away in the mansion was often neglected by the servants, making it the perfect place for her to secretly play gardener.
“I hope this little one grows healthy before we return to Leslie.”
“With your green thumb, it surely will.”
In the empire, people who were good at growing plants were said to have a “green thumb.” Anje shook her head modestly.
“A green thumb? That’s an exaggeration. I just enjoy watching plants grow strong and healthy.…Oh!”
She suddenly stood up from her crouched position.
“Aiden, what do you think about this? What if you teach your comrades something like this?”
“Like this?”
“How to grow, nurture, and care for plants. Flowers, fruits, or even vegetables.”
Whether it was morning glories or sunflowers, the process of raising something had always given her a sense of accomplishment and confidence. The scent of rich soil and the sight of green leaves soaking in the sunlight had a calming effect on her nerves.
* * * *
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