The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady. - Chapter 12
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- Chapter 12 - The Withered Tree Lady and the False Siblings
The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.
Chapter 12 The Withered Tree Lady and the False Siblings
Three months had passed since Julia became engaged.
“Julia, this is a gift,” Kent said as he handed Julia a basket woven with ribbons upon returning to the mansion during the autumn break.
“Oh, is this for me? What’s the occasion?” Julia asked.
“It’s a belated engagement gift. And also a thank you for always decorating my room with flowers,” Kent replied. “Since you started arranging flowers, I’ve felt more at ease. I can sleep better at night in this mansion too.”
Julia had noticed that her usually expressionless brother’s face had become slightly softer recently. However, she never expected him to smile at her, so she felt a flutter of joy in her chest. And to top it off, it was a gift.
Inside the basket were pinecones and various acorns of different shapes.
“Aww, how adorable. Thank you. I’m so happy,” Julia exclaimed.
“I gathered them from the schoolyard. Sister, I know you use these nuts to make small crafts, right?” Kent asked.
“Yes, you know me well. They’re quite popular at the church bazaar,” Julia replied.
“Can you make something for me too?” Kent asked shyly.
“Of course,” Julia assured him.
As Julia smiled with joy, Kent couldn’t help but blush and smile as well.
“Thanks to Lord Romand’s flowers, I’ve been able to become closer with my brother. Thank you so much.
It’s no wonder Lord Romand is called the Flower Baron. The flowers he cultivates bring happiness to people…”
Julia expressed her gratitude to her fiancé in her heart.
Then, Julia became curious and asked her brother the following.
“You mentioned earlier that you can sleep well at night. Were you suffering from insomnia, Kent?”
“Not to the extent of insomnia, but I’ve always had trouble sleeping for a long time. However, it’s only when I return to this mansion. I can always sleep soundly in the dormitory.”
“Oh my! I wonder why?
Hmm, come to think of it, ever since I came to this mansion, I feel like my sleep has become lighter. But around three months ago, I started being able to sleep deeply, just like Kent. Could it be thanks to Baron Romand’s flowers that our sleep has improved?
When I used to work at the farm, I had much more energy than I do now. Perhaps there are many flowers blooming around Kent’s academy or the dormitory?”
“Of course, the flower beds are always filled with flowers throughout the year. I’m in charge of the flower beds, and this year we won first place in the nationwide Flower Bed Contest.”
“Oh my, that’s amazing, Kent! I’m delighted to hear that. I didn’t know you were also fond of flowers.”
“Not only flowers, but like you, Julia-sama, I love all kinds of plants. My academy is located in the middle of a forest, and the air there is incredibly pure, always refreshing my spirits.”
“However, whenever I come back to this mansion, I suddenly feel down. I used to think it was because of my family, but perhaps it’s also because there aren’t many plants here?”
“Hmm, maybe it’s a combination of both factors.”
“The people in this mansion always seem unhappy and easily irritated, don’t they? It could be partly due to their natural personalities, but perhaps the environment also plays a role.”
As Julia spoke, she gazed at her brother’s face. And then, she had a sudden thought.
Perhaps Kent is also a fellow “Green Thumb” like herself.
“Hey, Kent. I’ve received an invitation to visit Baron’s estate tomorrow, on Sunday. Since you share my love for plants, would you like to join me?”
“Huh, is it alright for me to go?”
“I’ll inquire on your behalf. You’re my beloved brother, and I trust they’ll welcome you.”
“But, I actually…”
“You are my precious, precious brother. And I am your true sister.”
Julia tenderly grasped both of Kent’s hands and whispered these words. Kent’s eyes widened, and a blush spread across his cheeks as he happily nodded in response.
Julia now had the means to exchange letters with her father through Baron Plant’s assistance. It was through one of these letters that she discovered the truth about the WoodcliffEarl’s family.
Her father, Hardis, had been devoted solely to his wife Margaret, and the claims made by her stepmother, Cindy, about his affairs and illegitimate children were nothing but blatant lies.
Furthermore, Cindy, her stepmother, was actually the widow of Hardis’ deceased brother, the former Earl Harris.
In other words, for Julia, Cindy was her step-aunt, and the four siblings were the children of her step-uncle, making them her step-cousins.
Cindy, who had lost her husband at a young age, desired to remarry Julia’s father, who had become the inheriting Earl. To achieve this, she resorted to deceiving Margaret and Julia, separating them from Hardis.
Margaret, though unaware of the truth, felt remorse towards her legitimate marriage and her four children. As a result, she disappeared with her daughter Julia from Hardis’ life, saying her apologies.
At that time, even Julia’s older siblings, who had forcefully intruded into their harbor town home alongside her stepmother, were there, crying out in tears,
“Give back our father!”
But those tears were false, a mere performance.
Since being taken into this mansion, Julia endured the hardships inflicted upon her by her stepmother and siblings without defiance.
It was because she considered herself the shadow, burdened by the guilt of temporarily stealing their father away.
However, the truth was quite the opposite. It was they who had taken our father away from our mother and me.
And my mother passed away without ever knowing the true love of our father.
Father remained condemned as an unfaithful man in the eyes of his beloved wife, forever deprived of the chance to dispel that perception.
Upon learning this, Julia’s heart teetered on the edge of darkness.
If it weren’t for her fiancé, Romand, by her side at that time, if she hadn’t received the power of the green thumb at the Royal Botanical Garden, Julia would have surely lost the ability to make beautiful flowers bloom ever again.
Whether it was because Julia’s father no longer cared or out of consideration for the children who had lost their biological father at an early age, he never corrected his nieces and nephews when they referred to him as “father.”
However, he ultimately did not remarry Cindy, who was his brother’s wife.
In other words, Cindy was not Julia’s stepmother or anything of the sort; she was just a mere aunt by marriage.
And this fact was widely known in aristocratic society.
To ensure that Julia remained unaware of this truth, they strictly instructed the servants to keep it a secret.
Furthermore, they prevented her from mingling with the nobility and kept her away from social events.
The only time Julia was allowed to venture outside was during the morning market, where only commoners gathered.
I still can’t forgive my step-aunt, three cousins, and their accomplice butler. However, Kent, the youngest among them, is different.
When they forcefully entered our house in my father’s absence, I remember Kent crying along with us, but he was only three years old. He wasn’t pretending to cry.
Just like Julia, Kent was also a victim of Cindy and the others.
You see, Kirk, the eldest brother, was Cindy’s biological child, but the other three were born to mistresses of our late uncle, whom he had in various ports.
All four of them were half-siblings with different mothers.
Cindy took in her husband’s illegitimate children specifically to gain sympathy from Julia’s father, Hardis, and pressure him into remarriage.
It seems that the two stepsisters were delighted at the prospect of becoming noble ladies in the Earl’s family.
However, Kent’s situation was different.
In order to exacerbate Margaret’s guilt, who was already ill, she forcefully took Kent away from his mother, believing that having a young child would intensify her sense of wrongdoing. They were taken to the capital city against their will.
It’s only natural that a young child would cry inconsolably when suddenly separated from their mother. Moreover, once they were taken in, they were hardly taken care of at all.
That’s why the Earl decided to enroll young Kent in the academy’s dormitory and entrusted him to a close friend who served as the dorm supervisor.
Two months ago, Kent tearfully apologized to Julia, and it was in that moment that Julia learned about the hardships Kent had endured. Overwhelmed with empathy, Julia held Kent tight, shedding tears alongside him.
In that poignant moment, Julia made a solemn promise to herself to become the loving and protective sister Kent deserved. They were united by their shared experiences of being deceived and exploited by Cindy and the others, forging a profound bond between them.