The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady. - Chapter 16
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- Chapter 16 - The Withered Tree Lady and the Boy of First Love.
The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.
Chapter 16: The Withered Tree Lady and the Boy of First Love.
Lord Plant and his fiancée’s entourage arrived at the Baron’s estate, well past nine o’clock at night.
They had a light dinner and retired to their respective rooms for the night.
And the following morning, as Julia awoke with the break of dawn, she opened the curtains of her guest room window and was astonished by the sight before her.
Beyond the sunflower field spread out in front of her, there was a vast pond that resembled a sea, and the morning sun reflected off its surface, shining brilliantly.
The cityscape of the capital had completely embraced the colors of autumn, but the ever-warm estate of Baron Plant still held remnants of summer throughout the year.
It was a landscape that seemed to disregard the sense of seasons, resembling a world straight out of a painting or storybook… Julia couldn’t help but feel that she had seen this before.
No, she had undoubtedly seen it. It wasn’t a mere déjà vu; she distinctly remembered witnessing this scene with that boy.
He had reddish-brown hair and freckles scattered across his face. Slightly plump, with small eyes that narrowed into crescents when he smiled—adorably three years her senior, her gentle first love.
On the dawn of their farewell day, the two of them watched as the morning sun rose from beyond the pond, amidst the sunflower field. It was incredibly beautiful.
However, they hadn’t been there specifically to witness the sunrise at that moment.
In a corner of the sunflower field, they had been waiting for the blooming of a flower bud known as the “Lady’s Tear,” located in a flower bed.
“I wonder if it will truly bloom this morning?
We made a promise to the Earl today. If we deliver flowers with the same color as the Countess’s eyes on her birthday, he will extend the repayment deadline for our debt.
Thanks to Julia, the soil in the field has improved, and both vegetables and flowers are growing well. If we can just get the deadline extended, I believe the Baron will be able to keep this estate and won’t have to let go of the farm…”
“Don’t worry. It will definitely bloom this morning. After all, that’s what it’s telling me.”
“Who were you talking to just now, Julia? The flower spirit?”
“More like the spirit of nature, the Green Sprite. When I speak to it, the sprite shares various stories with me. Why don’t you try talking to it too, Lord? You should give it a try…”
At that moment, Lord had a slightly puzzled expression. He was probably thinking, “What is she talking about? Is she crazy?” or something along those lines.
Each time Julia recalled that moment, she couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of embarrassment. Back then, she had believed that she could communicate with the Green Sprite, anyone for that matter.
Nevertheless, at that time, Julia had repeatedly pleaded with the Green Sprite to make the flowers bloom on the Countess’s birthday. She explained that if the “Lady’s Tear” didn’t bloom, the estate would be ruined, and the land would become barren, unable to support any plants.
In response, the sprite made a promise to Julia. It assured her that it would undoubtedly make the purple flowers of the “Lady’s Tear” bloom on that day, and it would protect this estate.
And so, after witnessing the blooming of those exquisite and precious purple flowers that morning, Julia and her mother left the estate together.
On that day, the Baron had instructed them to leave this place.
The Green Sprite would surely protect that estate. If that happened, Lord and his mother wouldn’t have to lose the farm.
They had shown kindness by helping Julia and her mother, who had collapsed in front of the estate three months ago. Julia believed that the least she could do to express her gratitude was to ask the Green Sprite for help.
Oh, so Romand-sama is the son of the Baron of that estate. At that time, I hadn’t met anyone other than the Baron.
Is Lord still working here? I wonder if I can see him?
Even though I have become Romand-sama’s fiancée, I still can’t help but think that I want to meet him again, Julia thought.
What kind of young man has he become?
Julia changed out of her nightgown into a simple and comfortable dress and left her room.
As it was early in the morning at the estate, the servants were already awake, but they seemed to be considerate of the guests as they worked silently, without making much noise.
Julia quietly approached one of the maids and greeted her.
“Good morning.”
“Oh my, Miss, you’re up early. Are you already awake? Have we disturbed you?”
“No, I always wake up at this time. I apologize for inconveniencing you. It seems like everyone is already working.”
“Yes, although there’s no shipping work today, we still have to take care of the livestock and the ranch.”
“That’s true, you can’t take a break when it comes to living creatures. There’s something I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is there still a servant named Lord here?”
“Lord? I haven’t heard of that name before. I’ve been working here for only a year and a half, and there are many people working here, so I’ll ask the others as well.”
The maid kindly responded, so Julia decided to make the request. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if there were things she didn’t know about Lord, even though he should have been working here for a long time. Perhaps he wasn’t here anymore…
Julia’s excited heart took a nosedive. It was a big shock since she had thought she would be able to see him soon.
Julia called out to the maid and then headed outside. She made her way towards the sunflower field.
To her surprise, there was a greenhouse at the front of the field that hadn’t been there before. She peered inside through the transparent glass and saw numerous purple flowers blooming there.
Among them, she spotted the “Lady’s Tears” she had been longing to see.
Indeed, it was thanks to these flowers that the estate remained safe. But why wasn’t Lord, who had been nurturing these flowers, known to the household members? Could it be that the people of this Baron’s family are ungrateful towards the efforts of their servants?
The thought of her fiancé, Baron Plant, contrasted so greatly with the image of these unappreciative individuals that it was hard to believe.
One of the reasons Julia visited the Baron’s estate this time was to pay her respects to the former Baron, Romand’s father.
The former Baron had injured his back and became unable to walk shortly before Romand’s graduation from the academy. As a result, he retired to the estate and passed on his title to his son.
For someone with a back injury, traveling by carriage was quite difficult. Consequently, the former Baron never came to the capital city again since that time.
The former Baron had once driven them, his own family, out of this place.
However, it was perhaps unavoidable. At that time, the management of the estate was in decline, and there was no room to hire additional staff.
However, if they had also expelled the Lord and his family, who had contributed to the estate…
She couldn’t bear to become the stepdaughter of such a heartless person, she thought.
Since meeting Romand and getting to know him, Julia had never once disliked him. On the contrary, she felt fortunate to have crossed paths with him and considered herself lucky.
But now, for the first time since arriving here, a shadow had been cast over her feelings.
Julia had always questioned why he proposed to someone like her.
She had a sense of suspicion about being evaded whenever she asked about it.
Suddenly, an unsettling feeling spread within Julia’s heart.
Perhaps the Baron had some ulterior motive.
Could it be related to her ability as a “Green Spirit User”?
Or was it simply a desire for the power of the “Green Thumb” to expand the estate…