Chapter 66
Just as the awkward atmosphere inside the carriage was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, it slowly came to a stop.
Thankfully, the hotel wasn’t far, so we returned quickly.
As soon as I arrived back at the hotel, I went straight into the bathroom. Soaking my body in warm water helped calm my mind.
I let the maids take care of me, entrusting myself to their gentle service. Their soft massaging hands seemed to wash away the accumulated fatigue from meeting Baron Hazel at the courthouse and Cecilia at the Tristan Duchy estate.
After the bath, I stepped out, dried myself, and entered the powder room. Ruen, who had been waiting for me to come out, quietly began to tend to my hair.
Sitting there with my eyes closed, letting Ruen’s hands move through my hair, I soon heard the voices of the maids talking about something outside.
Though the door muffled their words, their tone was filled with excitement over something they had seen.
That alone sparked my curiosity—it was rare for things to be so noisy around here.
I opened my eyes in confusion and turned my head toward the direction of the sound. It was coming from the bedroom.
“Shall I go take a look?”
Ruen smiled gently and asked as she continued brushing my hair. I turned my head to look at her and nodded.
“Please do.”
“Yes, madam.”
Ruen set down her brush and walked briskly out of the room.
Moments later, more voices came, and my eyes widened—the sound of Ruen’s voice seemed to be mixed in with the others.
I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer and got up from my seat. What in the world was going on that even Ruen was reacting like that?
Just then, the door to the room opened again, and Ruen reappeared, her face even more radiant than when she had left.
“Madam! You must come see the Rosier flowerpot!”
Ruen said excitedly, joy brimming in her voice.
She suddenly wanted me to check the flowerpot—was something wrong with it? I hurried out of the room and headed toward the window where the Rosier flowerpot was placed.
Two maids were already gathered around it. When they saw me approach, they stepped aside to make room.
It must’ve been these two who had caused the earlier commotion.
Once they stepped back, the Rosier flowerpot came into view.
At first glance, it didn’t look much different from yesterday.
But soon, I understood the reason behind the maids’ excited chatter.
“Wow!”
The tiny bud that had formed on Rosier’s stem had grown to the size of a thumbnail.
It wasn’t just a bud anymore—it was a proper flower bud now, large enough to call it that.
“It’s grown, hasn’t it?”
Ruen asked in a thrilled voice. I leaned in closer to inspect the pot and nodded.
“It really has.”
“I think it’s going to bloom soon!”
Seeing Ruen more surprised and overjoyed than even I was made me smile.
Honestly, I spoke calmly, but inside, I was just as amazed.
It was finally becoming real—Rosier’s flower was preparing to bloom, day by day.
And when it did, I would finally be able to say goodbye to the Darnnella’s disease that had tormented me for so long.
A future that had once felt like a distant, unreachable dream was starting to become a reality, and the thought brought a sting to my nose.
Until now, I had only imagined a future where I would die with Darnnella’s disease.
No matter how hard I had tried, I had never been able to get my hands on the flower that was the only cure—Rosier.
It wasn’t just the rarity and price that made it difficult.
Even after obtaining a Rosier pot, the real challenge was figuring out how to make it bloom.
No one knew how to make Rosier bloom—it was a mystery.
So even after acquiring the pot, I had lived in constant anxiety.
But everything changed when I came to the capital for the lawsuit with Baron Hazel.
I visited the Mage’s Tower and learned how to make Rosier bloom.
And now, I could see the bud with my own eyes.
The things I once thought impossible were slowly crumbling away.
And truthfully, all of these miracles began the moment I met Richard.
But one question lingered in my mind: Rosier was said to bloom by feeding on love.
The mage who had originally cultivated this plant had used a love potion in the process, or so the story went.
If that were true, the flower bud had formed by feeding on someone’s love—someone in this room.
Of all the people who had entered and exited, the real candidates were only two.
Me—or Richard.
Since the two of us were the ones staying here, it made one of us the most likely source.
But I didn’t think it was Richard.
Could it have been my feelings, then?
When I had first arrived in the capital and met Richard, I’d felt something stronger than just a simple liking.
There had never been anyone who cared about me this much—except for my mother.
Baron Hazel and Cecilia, whom I had once hoped would be family, had never treated me as such.
Instead, they saw me as an obstacle to get rid of and had ultimately sold me off to Richard to cover a gambling debt.
But meeting Richard changed everything.
He was the only person who didn’t want me to die.
Even if what he felt for me was just pity, sympathy, or a shared sense of loneliness—I didn’t mind.
Because through him, I’d found a glimmer of hope that maybe I could live.
And not only that—he had even gotten the Rosier pot for me.
I was disappointed at the time, since the flower hadn’t bloomed, but that wasn’t because of Richard—it was because of the harsh reality I faced.
If anything, I was touched by his willingness to do so much for me.
And now…
I’d been feeling it more and more these past few days—I was starting to want Richard for myself.
At first, I thought I would quietly leave once I recovered.
After all, Richard would surely fall in love with Eileen.
Even if that love ultimately led to his ruin, as it had in the original story, I had told myself it was not my concern.
But not anymore.
Now, I wanted to stay by his side in Eileen’s place.
I wanted to remain with him and make sure that he wouldn’t be ruined like in the original story.
Just as Richard had saved me, I wanted to save him.
If what I felt now could be called love in the ordinary sense…
Yes, I suppose this could be called love.
“What are you doing over there?”
Suddenly, a voice from behind made my body freeze instinctively. It was Richard’s voice.
While I hesitated to answer, I heard his footsteps approaching. Before I knew it, he was standing behind me, looking at the pot of Rosier by the window.
“A clear flower bud has formed on Rosier’s stem,”
I said with a conscious smile, trying not to show how nervous I felt. As Richard came closer, a sweet scent of roses tickled my nose.
I hadn’t noticed it before, but he always smelled like roses.
I turned my head slightly to look at him standing behind me. His hair was damp, suggesting he had just washed up like me.
Richard leaned forward slightly, inspecting the Rosier pot. Then, a soft smile spread across his lips.
“It’ll bloom soon.”
“Most likely, yes.”
His usually sharp features, which could seem intimidating when expressionless, softened when he smiled.
I found myself staring, completely taken in by his gentle face. When Richard glanced at me briefly before turning his gaze back to the flower pot, I quickly looked away, pretending it was nothing.
His fingertips reached out toward the Rosier bud.
The small bud swayed gently under his large hand.
Could it be that Richard knew about the conditions required for the Rosier flower to bloom?
He hadn’t been with me when I visited the Mage’s Tower and learned about the flower’s needs, so at first, I wondered if maybe he didn’t know. But I soon realized that was unlikely.
Even if he wasn’t there, his loyal knights—Jason and Loren—had accompanied me. They would’ve reported back to him.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t Richard also be wondering why the Rosier had started budding?
Why would a flower that only blooms by feeding on love suddenly start to grow a bud?
If he tried to find the reason, Richard would surely arrive at the answer in no time.
And when he did…
He would know exactly how I felt.
What would I do then?
No, what would Richard do?
Would he be able to accept someone like me, who had come to love him?
A thousand thoughts raced through my head.
At that moment, I found myself desperately envious of Eileen.
To Eileen, Richard had been nothing more than a villain in the original story.
But to me, Richard was my one and only salvation.
After examining the bud, Richard withdrew his hand and looked at me.
There was a faint hint of worry in the way he regarded me.
“Then… Diarna, it means your illness might be cured too.”
As he said this, he placed a hand on my shoulder.
The weight of his hand resting on me felt grounding, reassuring.
Though his gesture seemed meant to comfort me, I quietly buried my unease and returned his gaze with a soft smile.
