56. Affectionate Surveillance
“Well, there must be something precious there. After all, he’s the prince, how could there not be any valuable heirloom?”
He shrugged his shoulders. Yet, my answer did not seem to suffice as he continued to be deep in thought.
“And it’s a bit strange.”
“What is?”
Every detail of the external surveillance is carefully monitored. But internally, I’m not sure. It seems like they only strictly monitor those entering from the outside. Could there really be something within the prince’s castle? Considering they restrict the entry of outsiders, I guessed maybe they are secretly raising a private army here. The imperial throne is not decided yet, so it is possible that they are strengthening their forces. But having looked around inside, it doesn’t seem to be the case either…”
Contrary to what I thought that I would be confined to my room upon reaching the capital, he had set me free.
Maybe he thought that having Edan around, I wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.
After all, I only went to the bakery, met with the trading guild bringing in goods, attended Elizabeth’s tea parties, the tailor’s shop, and the greenhouse.
The routine was so monotonous that there was hardly anything worth monitoring. Having Edan as manpower by my side was almost embarrassing.
“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to come in next time. They told me to go back even when I came to check on a supposedly faulty timber delivery. I showed them a confirmation letter that I had an appointment with you, but I was still interrogated… Like you said, escaping seems impossible. If you come without a valid reason, they’ll block you right from the entrance.”
“I’ll have to order something else next time you visit.”
He pondered. It would be suspicious to call upon a small trading guild instead of the well-known shops for jewels or dresses.
“What’s the main product your guild sells?”
Philip wandered around the greenhouse, pointing at various things.
“It’s like this. Trees, flowers, vines. We mostly buy a lot of flowers. Since the land is expensive in the capital, we import a lot of flowers from the provinces.”
He opened his bag and took out a catalog.
“Want to check it out?”
He flipped through a large album. It contained everything from strange trees imported from hot countries, to crop seeds and rare flowers, each illustrated with descriptions. Below each, there was a price listed according to the waiting period and the months needed for the crops to mature.
I looked around. Before meeting Philip, I had instructed other guilds to fill the greenhouse with vines, so now it was packed without space to even step.
I pointed to one of the few empty spots.
“Perhaps we could place about four or five vases there?”
He shook his head decisively.
“A guild leader wouldn’t personally come for just that amount of flowers.”
“Then I’ll have to buy a lot.”
I surveyed the greenhouse from the flower beds to the ceiling. It was already filled to the brim with nowhere else to plant. That’s when I noticed a bird.
My little bird was picking through its feathers while perched on a thin bar inside a cage.
“Then get a sturdy tree that the bird could nest in.”
“A bird?”
The bird did not flee into its nest to escape the newcomer, but it wasn’t as relaxed or chirping as usual either. It was merely preening the feathers that stuck out over its head.
“It’s a Mochia bird.”
He responded, looking at the bird.
“You know it?”
“Yes. It’s a seasonal bird that lives only briefly. A bird born in summer only knows summer, and one born in winter dies knowing only winter.”
That was exactly what Suren had said.
“Do you have any supplements in your guild that could make these birds live longer?”
He shook his head.
“There’s nothing like that. How could we extend a life that’s already destined?”
“…I see.”
I had hoped it would live longer than me. It was bittersweet.
“It must be difficult to keep it as a pet. Why not choose another bird? There are other birds at the end of the catalog.”
He pushed the album towards me again.
“No. I keep this bird because it’s special to me.”
“Really?”
He closed the catalog.
“It’s likely to die before you even get attached. Can you handle that?”
“I can’t just give up. Besides… this bird was born in the north. It has already seen the winter there and made it through the spring in the capital, so it’s a miracle it’s still alive. It could live longer if well cared for…”
I found myself desperately making excuses and protecting the bird, even though this was just a story about a bird, not my plight.
“It’s good to see you doing better than I thought. I didn’t know you had a hobby of decorating greenhouses. After all… the baron’s estate wasn’t in a position to have one.”
“I’m not particularly interested now. It’s more for… the bird to have a good environment. It could live longer that way.”
He took another look around the greenhouse.
“It’s overly elaborate for just a bird. I didn’t know you liked birds so much. It’s a bit of a luxury…”
He stopped speaking, and I continued the thought he hadn’t finished.
“Luxurious?”
Philip scratched his head awkwardly.
“I’m sorry. I should have kept that thought to myself. But I’m glad you’re getting to have this experience. Because you’re a mistress, I thought you’d have to be more cautious and live observantly.”
“He’s wealthy, so he’s quite generous even to a ,mistress staying temporarily.”
He chuckled softly. Seeing this, Philip frowned and rubbed his hands as if he felt sorry.
“It might be a bit luxurious, but isn’t it good since it also boosts your guild’s performance?”
“That’s true. But it seems a bit different from back home… you used to dislike birds.”
That was a hometown story I didn’t know.
“Ah, that’s right… But I guess people change as they age. Everyone does. My mother used to say the same.”
I naturally made an excuse.
“Your mother liked them?”
His expression turned complex.
“Yes.”
“Do you remember that? About her?”
“Of course… she’s my mother.”
Had I made a slip of the tongue? His expression was odd.
“Why do you say that?”
“No, it’s just unexpected. It’s rare for someone to remember their childhood so vividly… It’s unlikely Baron Sien would have spoken about your mother.”
I was confused. Why such a reaction?
“There are many who remember their childhood.”
“That may be, but your mother passed away less than a month after you were born. You never mentioned this before, so I didn’t know.”
“What?”
Memories flashed by in an instant.
Elizabeth receiving a prognosis of preterm labor from the doctor, Leonie’s mother who passed away early, the chosen blood sent off easily to the north.
It felt like fitting puzzle pieces with missing gaps. I wasn’t sure what the complete picture would look like, but I felt strongly that it was something I couldn’t miss.
“Wait, Philip. There’s something else you could do for me.”
I hastily tore off a blank piece of parchment from the edge of the catalog.
And on the back, I started writing down names, one by one.
Names that could never be forgotten, even after leaving the north.
Ray Houston, Frasie Duncan, and two others…
These were names listed on the gravestone of previous generations.
I carefully noted down their birth dates and places of birth to avoid any confusion, and handed the slip of paper to Philip.
“Can you also look into these people? I want to know about their lives, especially how they were born… if any of them were born premature or similar cases.”
He scanned the note. It seemed like too little information, but he carefully folded the paper and placed it in his bag.
“Um… Our guild doesn’t normally handle detective work, but since you’ve asked, I’ll inquire through guilds I know.”
I felt relieved. I let out a small sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Philip.”
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Are you planning to move a mountain? …Or perhaps you intend to erect one?”
Viter had stopped flipping through the budget document and laid it down on the desk. He repeatedly picked up and set down his pen, struggling to sign off on the approval.
It was a substantial amount of money, far exceeding the maintenance expenses for three months of a prince consort.
“His Highness said to use whatever is necessary freely. Are you worried about the financial status of the ducal house?”
At my words, he put down his pen.
“It’s not about the money… Where are you planning to plant all these?”
He ran his fingers through his hair in irritation. His neatly styled brown hair, swept to the side, became disheveled.
“There’s a small forest behind the prince’s castle.”
“That’s ridiculous. And if it’s filled so densely, how would people navigate through?”
“It would be great for preventing assassins from moving about.”
“Young lady…”
He ran his hand down his face.
“Then we’ll just have to remove what’s already there.”
I recalled how we used to replace almost new items just to use up the leftover club budget.
Oh, if we switch everything to fir trees and then change them back to pine if they don’t look right, maybe Philip could visit for an extra day?
“I’ve learned something valuable thanks to this. I never knew that mature trees are more expensive than high-quality dresses… It makes my younger sister, who begs for a new dress every day, seem thrifty for the first time.”
He reluctantly signed the approval section.
“The bark of the birch should also be finer than silk, or else it feels like my insides would burst.”
Viter commented as he turned the next page.
“There are many types, but they all come from the same guild. Will you contract with this guild only?”
I flinched. Knowing the perceptive and meticulous Viter, I expected him to point this out.
“Yes. I noticed last time that their quality was good. I was satisfied.”
“If you order from one place, it might take longer. Didn’t you want it delivered immediately even if the price was higher?”
At his sharp observation, I could only offer an awkward smile.
“It’s okay. I can wait that long.”
“The guild lacks recognition, and it’s newly established, so it might be better to deal with other, more established guilds. If you search well, you’ll find guilds with a wider variety and better quality. For a prince, having an unknown guild master frequenting…”
That was the crux of the matter. I feigned ignorance.
“Do we really need to do that? It’s also good to continue trading with a place once you’ve started.”
I flipped to the last page.
[Kandal Guild, Philip]
Viter finally signed above the line for his final approval.
That at least meant Philip could visit the prince’s castle three more times.
T/N: so guys I saw that there are a lot of mistakes in my old translations That I didn’t see before. Im gonna edit them. I’m sorry I was really busy with my thesis and uni that I couldn’t focus on translations and at that time my editor also vanished. I’m truly sorry. Please feel free to comment and let me know if there are any mistakes n this chapter.
