Misfortune 113

Chapter 113

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"A gift? For me?"

Delnia's eyes widened as she asked, and Jack nodded, setting the gift down on the side table.

She carefully placed her hand on the paper-wrapped package. Beyond the rustling material, she felt a hard texture. She couldn't quite guess what it might be.

"May I open it?"

"Of course."

She slowly peeled away the paper. A small flower pot revealed itself.

What was unusual was that the pot was already filled with soil.

"It looks like something's already planted in there, right?"

"That's right. I helped the nursery improve some flower seeds this time and succeeded. I planted one of them. If you water it well and take care of it, it should sprout in the spring."

As always when talking about plants, Jack spoke with a proud tone, his words flowing smoothly.

But Delnia murmured in a slightly uncertain voice.

"If it's a seed you just successfully improved, isn't it precious to you, Jack? I wonder if I can take good care of it..."

Feeling like she was needlessly dampening the spirits of someone who had gone out of their way to think of her, Delnia's words trailed off.

But Jack paid no heed, instead asserting himself with even greater conviction.

"It's fine. I'll help take care of them while I'm staying here. And if they don't sprout, we can just plant new seeds. If we miss this spring, we'll just wait for the next one."

As if it were the simplest logic, Jack continued nonchalantly.

"No matter how long the wait, spring always comes eventually. Right?"

Jack's gaze, seeking agreement, touched her wrist for a moment before dropping away. Delnia didn't miss that brief instant.

That's why she understood. Why Jack had carefully carried this heavy flowerpot all the way from the capital. What he knew, and what he pretended not to know.

"Yes, that's right."

Delnia affirmed calmly. She herself was slightly surprised at how light her voice sounded saying it, but she was simply happy to be able to give Jack such an easy affirmation.

"Thank you for the gift, Jack. I'm very happy."

"You're welcome."

"But what kind of seeds are they? Is it a flower I might know?"

"That's a secret."

Jack, who always wore a gentle smile, unexpectedly curled the corners of his mouth up like a mischievous child.

"Plant it yourself and see."

Hearing that made her even more curious, but Delnia didn't press him. It seemed much more rewarding to bloom the flower herself and find out, just as he said.

"Oh my, what a cute little pot. It'll be perfect by the window."

Leticia, who had approached unnoticed, said in a pleased voice. Just then, Margaret also entered the room carrying a tray.

And so, a small, simple tea time began in Delnia's room. The biting winter wind blew fiercely, like a villain threatening peace, but it never quite crossed the threshold.

***

Roan, just entering the bedroom, rubbed his stiff neck. The skin, exposed to the winter wind for so long, stung as it struggled to adjust to the sudden warmth.

The supply officer had urgently called a meeting, leaving him no spare moment to return to the residence today. It had been such a chaotic day he kept forgetting whether he'd sent a messenger to tell Milan not to wait for him at home.

So feeling more tired than usual was only natural. Though he found himself wondering if the intensity felt a bit excessive, even by his own standards.

"Colonel."

He was just about to step into the dressing room to change into comfortable loungewear. Someone knocked cautiously on the door from outside.

"Come in."

With quiet permission, he turned back toward the door. As it opened, a familiar yet long-unseen face appeared.

"I'm here, Colonel."

Jack bowed politely at the waist, and Roan acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod.

"It's late, but I felt I should come and greet you in person. Are you very tired?"

“I’m fine. You’re the one who shouldn’t be pushing yourself.”

He said this knowing Jack's strict daily routine, rising with the sun and retiring with its setting, perfectly aligned with nature's flow.

Jack smiled broadly in response.

"It's winter, so I'm sleeping in a lot. One day won't hurt."

Roan’s eyebrows lifted slightly at the smooth reply, flawless from intonation to phrasing.

He had first met Jack aboard a pirate ship. At the time, Jack had been captured by pirates and forced into labor, only regaining his freedom when the Brunois navy arrived to suppress them.

Sadly, Jack had already lost his entire family. Hearing that he had no reason left to return home, Roan saw his own past reflected in Jack and impulsively offered to take him in.

But that didn't mean he and Jack had developed any particular closeness or friendship. Neither of them had a warm, affectionate nature to begin with.

Moreover, since he knew nothing about gardening and left it entirely to Jack, they rarely crossed paths. He couldn't even recall when they'd last had a proper conversation.

Yet, unlike before, Roan could instantly recognize Jack's now fluent Imperial language.

“The head maid said it back then too! How close the slave is to the gardener, as if they're falling for each other…”

Suddenly, the filthy words of the maid who had conspired to kidnap Delnia flashed through his mind.

He certainly didn't believe those words, spat out in a fit of rage as if refusing to die alone.

He hadn't, but he had still ordered Milan to investigate the facts.

“It doesn't appear to be that kind of relationship, but according to the maids, it seems true that she is closest to the gardener.”

Milan added that the gardener seemed to be helping her adjust. He defended her, saying that arriving in a strange place overnight, she surely needed someone to confide in.

Then, recalling how Roan had deliberately excluded Jack from accompanying him when he came down to Blois, he blurted out, as if rebelling against that utterly petty past.

"Your Imperial language has improved greatly."

"Thank you."

Jack responded with gratitude, as one would expect. It was a compliment anyone would find plausible. Except for Roan, whose tongue suddenly felt rough and dry.

Still, thinking back now, it was fortunate. That there was at least one person to whom the woman, gasping under the weight of his hatred, could open her heart.

Thanks to that, didn't it mean he had more gifts to give her now?

Still, if Jack had been a woman, his heart might have felt a little lighter.

'Even in a situation like this, I'm thinking about crap like that.'

Yeah. He was a pathetic bastard, plain and simple. Roan decided to accept that fact about himself without much fuss.

"So, what's the state of the garden? Can it be fixed?"

The petty bastard brought up the main point without hesitation. He hadn't planned to rush things, but since Jack had come in person, there was no need to delay.

Truthfully, he'd summoned Jack to Blois for two reasons.

One was to be a welcome guest for Delnia. The other was to spruce up the garden visible from her room as much as possible.

Of course, he hadn't made any specific demands. He knew nothing about landscaping.

But every time he passed her room, the bleak view beyond the window kept nagging at him.

It was already a time of short days. Adding gloomy scenery to that made him worry it might unnecessarily dampen her spirits.

"I took a look. The area visible from the window gets plenty of sunlight, so the ground isn't frozen. A few trees should be fine. Just make sure to plant only evergreens."

Roan gave Jack a slow nod as he reported in a more serious tone.

He already knew this wasn't the ideal season for landscaping. Still, he decided to be satisfied with the fact that things could be at least a little better than they were now.

"You'll have your work cut out for you. I'll be counting on you."

Despite the ordinary greeting, Jack's eyes widened. As if he'd never seen an employer like this before.

Then, he gently narrowed his eyes and flashed his usual simple smile.

"Not at all."

Seeing no need for further conversation, Roan gave only a slight nod.

The greeting was exchanged, the business concluded—he should have left by now. Yet for some reason, Jack didn't move to leave the room. Instead, he stared intently at Roan.

Under that piercing gaze, Roan finally relented and spoke first.

"Why? Is there something else you need to say?"

"No. Not really. I just... thought you like her a lot.”

At the unexpected remark, Roan raised his eyebrows in confusion and asked back.

"Like? Me?"

"Yes."

"What?"

Jack tilted his head as if he couldn't understand Roan asking that, then calmly opened his mouth.

"Not what—Delnia."