The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady. - Chapter 13
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- Chapter 13 - The Withered Wood Lady and the "Green Spirit User"
The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.
Chapter 13 The Withered Wood Lady and the “Green Spirit User”
“Welcome to our Plant family…”
Kent, who had descended from the welcoming carriage alongside his sister Julia, passed through the vibrant red rose gate.
There stood a strikingly beautiful young man, resembling a spirit of the roses themselves.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Kent Woodcliff. Um, I am Julia’s…”
“Nice to meet you, Kent-kun. I am Romand Plant, your sister’s fiancé. I have heard a lot about you from her. I am delighted to finally meet you.”
The baron smiled kindly at Kent as he spoke.
He already knows about the Woodcliff Earl’s family… that’s what Kent thought.
Knowing that the children would be leaving early, their stepmother, the lady of the house, neither instructed the servants to prepare breakfast nor did she personally attend to it.
In fact, there were no servants taking care of the preparations, except for Viola, the maid, who secretly handed cookies and an apple to Ruffie.
“Do you have any dislikes? What do you enjoy eating?” Viola asked.
“I don’t have any dislikes. I enjoy vegetables in general,” Kent replied.
“As the lord of the estate, that’s delightful to hear. It seems our tastes align with your sister as well,” the baron said, wearing an elegant smile that resembled a noble red rose. It was not an artificial smile of the aristocracy.
Kent couldn’t help but blush as he thought, “So, this is what a perfect smile looks like.”
On the gazebo table in the garden, breakfast for two and tea for three were laid out.
“Well, it looks like a café-style breakfast. I apologize for the trouble,” Julia said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“So, this is what they call a ‘morning’… Green salad, rye roll bread, bacon and eggs, and milk. They all look delicious and fresh. Our meals back home were also fresh because sister would buy them from the morning market every day. But could the difference in taste be due to the skill of the chef? Or perhaps the vegetables from the baron’s estate are special?” Kent wondered.
Lost in his thoughts, Kent’s cheeks had relaxed without him realizing, and Julia watched her brother with a smile on her face.
Observing her, the baron’s cheeks also softened.
It is a delightful development that Julia, who had been lonely within the mansion since coming to the capital, has found a trustworthy companion. That’s what Romand thought.
Even Ruffie, who has now become an ally to Julia, devoted himself to her, but their relationship is slightly different from that of blood relatives.
After finishing breakfast, Julia and Kent switched to a spacious double-horse carriage belonging to the Plant Baron’s family. Together with the baron and his family, they embarked on a journey to their estate, which would take almost half a day to reach.
Kent, who had rarely experienced such travels, had an excited expression on his face, exuding an aura befitting his age.
“What kind of plants do you cultivate in the baron’s estate? Are there many fresh flowers?”
“We grow flowers throughout the year, but our main focus is on vegetables and livestock. Flowers seem to be better known, though.”
Kent’s face showed surprise at the Plant Baron’s explanation.
“Ah, you’re referring to the famous ‘Baron of Flowers’ in the social circle, Baron Plant, right? I assumed he earned such a nickname because he solely focused on cultivating flowers.”
“Well, since our master supplies fresh flowers to the royal family, the name naturally came about.”
“Well, that means he’s appointed by the royal family? That’s a great honor.”
“No, it actually happened by pure chance. Two years ago, just two days before the Queen’s birthday party, a hailstorm hit the vicinity of the capital, completely destroying the flower fields in our usual farm.”
“Then suddenly, we received an urgent request, and we managed to prepare everything overnight to meet the deadline. During that time, we had a variety of flowers different from the ones commonly found near the capital, which caught people’s attention and garnered positive reviews. By coincidence, it caught the royal family’s interest. We felt sorry for the previous owners of the farm, but…”
The Baron had a slightly troubled expression on his face. It seemed he didn’t particularly appreciate benefiting from someone else’s misfortune.
However, in response, Lord Santos furrowed his brow and said, “Are you still saying such things? You’re still quite naive, my dear Baron-sama! They brought it upon themselves!”
“They brought it upon themselves? If it was a natural disaster, isn’t it beyond their control?”
“You do know some complicated words, don’t you, young Kent? But it wasn’t beyond their control. They failed to properly manage the risks that come with being suppliers to the royal family.”
“Risk management, you say?”
“Yes, you see, we never know when or where a natural disaster might occur. And farmers have to deal with nature as their partner. That’s why they should have diversified their flower fields.”
“But instead, they only focused on efficiency. They were solely interested in profits and had no affection for the flowers. That’s why they didn’t hire someone who possesses the most important skill in farming, the ‘green thumb,’ just because they demanded higher wages.”
After hearing this, Kent finally grasped the meaning behind Lord Santos’ words.
“If they had someone with the ‘green thumb,’ they could have revived the damaged flowers, and there wouldn’t have been any inconvenience caused to the royal palace, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“It’s such a pity for those flowers that were supposed to be displayed in the palace.”
Nodding in agreement with her brother’s words, Julia asked further, “So what happened to the farm and its owner afterward?”
“The farm went bankrupt, and the land became state-owned property. There was an offer to transfer it to us, but we declined. It’s no joke to deal with such a cursed land.”
“A cursed land?”
“Where do you think the farm owner is now? In prison. They held a grudge against us and set fire to our estate in the capital.”
“What?!”
“Fortunately, the royal guards promptly extinguished it, so it was just a minor incident.”
“The royal guards?”
“Actually, Prince Stuart, who is a close friend of our master since their academy days, secretly assigned the royal guards out of concern for the grudge held by the farm owner.”
“Oh my!”
“It seems that the prince had been considering removing that farm for some time. He couldn’t feel the freshness or soothing aura in the delivered flowers anymore.”
“While the prince doesn’t possess the ‘green thumb,’ he can sense the ‘vitality.’ However, since there was no clear fault, they couldn’t abruptly terminate the business dealings with the farm, and it had been a challenge to handle the situation for a while.”
“Was His Highness originally considering the farm owner as your successor, Baron?”
“I don’t believe so. I think at that time, he was simply desperate and turned to our master, who is his friend. However, due to the positive reputation, he ultimately chose our farm.”
“Well, His Highness is one of the few who knows the abilities of our master, so perhaps he had the confidence to entrust the task to him.”
“Was His Highness aware of the Baron’s abilities?”
“Yes. As the Crown Prince, His Highness has been studying imperial governance since childhood. It seems he recognized our master’s capabilities quite early on.”
“Sister, when you mention the Baron’s abilities, are you referring to his ‘Green Thumb’?”
Julia looked at the Baron’s face in response to her brother’s question. Seeing him nod, she took it as confirmation and spoke to her brother accordingly.
“Of course, he possesses the ‘Green Thumb,’ but the Baron is also a ‘Green Spirit Master.'”
“A ‘Green Spirit Master’!”
Kent’s eyes widened in amazement.
Indeed, a ‘Spirit Master’ refers to someone with the extraordinary ability to directly communicate with and connect to spirits, supernatural beings that exist in the realm beyond. They serve as intermediaries between spirits and humans, playing a vital role in protecting the country alongside the royal family.
In this kingdom, in particular, the protection is bestowed by the ‘Green Spirits,’ making the ‘Green Spirit Masters’ highly revered among the citizens.
“It is an honor to meet a ‘Green Spirit Master.'”
Kent, sitting upright in the carriage, straightened his posture. The Baron chuckled at the sight.
“An honor, you say? I’m sure you’ve met plenty of ‘Green Spirit Masters’ before.”
“Huh?”
Kent looked bewildered.