The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.

Chapter 52 Julia’s Confession

Hardis has been praised for his intelligence, shrewdness, and wisdom since childhood. However, as pointed out by Romand and Robert, he had convinced himself that what he understood was also understood by everyone.

“It’s not common for someone to grasp ten things by hearing one. In fact, many people need ten explanations to understand just one thing. Perhaps the Earl, surrounded by capable individuals, didn’t notice,” remarked Robert.

Robert’s words held true. Consequently, Hardis overlooked giving specific instructions to Ruffie, thinking that someone as capable as him would understand.

To his sister-in-law Cindy and the butler Virgil Hunt, Hardis had ordered absolute obedience to Ruffie’s instructions, feeling completely assured by this.

However, Hardis didn’t fully understand Ruffie’s upbringing environment. While it might be natural for a high-ranking noble, as Julia pointed out, he struggled to comprehend why he had delegated even matters concerning maids to Ruffie.

For some reason, Hardis had assumed that Ruffie would manage those aspects as well. If that were the case, he thought, he should have given Ruffie that authority from the beginning.

During those days, Hardis was frantically dealing with the matter of the ‘Black Spirit User’ in the west. In that case, he should have at least consulted someone trustworthy, perhaps his close friend, Marquis Jade Rudolf.

Unlike his younger days, he had already succeeded to the title and taken the ‘Oath of the Green Circle.’ Jade was undoubtedly a suitable confidant.

However, Hardis hesitated. He had already caused Jade plenty of trouble in the past. He hadn’t repaid any of those favors, and he questioned whether it was right to trouble him again.

Moreover, at that time, Jade, like himself, was occupied with the circulation issues of the fake ‘Black Spirit Jewels’ and ‘Tears of the Black Spirit’ in the west. If he sought help, it would mean taking away precious time Jade spent with Lady Liana and their four children. Hardis felt he had to avoid that.

He didn’t want to subject Jade to the same mistakes he had made.

The next person who came to mind after Jade was his other close friend, the ‘Green Spirit King’ Filam.

However, Hardis stubbornly convinced himself to uphold the boundaries he had set for dealing with the ‘Green Spirit King.’

In truth, when there’s something you truly want to protect, shame, reputation, and even pride can become hindrances. He should have cast aside all such concerns and consulted Filam about his wife and children.

Even if he couldn’t provide concrete solutions, just sharing the burden would have given him peace of mind and perhaps led to the discovery of a different path or way of life.

As Hardis sunk into deep despair on the sofa, Julia arrived and knelt, gently wrapping her hands around his.

“Father, um, it’s a bit late, but I’m sorry for saying such terrible things.

Actually, when I left the estate, everyone told me something. If you want to improve your relationship with your father, you should first express all your dissatisfaction and anger, just let it all out.

If we keep tiptoeing around each other, not saying what needs to be said, the gap won’t close, and our parent-child relationship will remain shallow forever.

If a father is aware that he has done something terrible to his daughter, he should be willing to accept everything. If he avoids facing the discomfort and tries to evade it, it either means the father lacks magnanimity or doesn’t truly love his daughter.

If that makes the father dislike me, I don’t mind. So, they told me to give it a good shot and come back here anytime if needed…”

Julia’s words, which didn’t seem fitting for her lovely, flower-like appearance, left those around her wide-eyed with surprise. Nevertheless, Julia continued her words, paying no mind to the reactions.

“Since it was everyone’s advice, I decided to put it into action. However, I hardly had the chance to meet Father, and we never had the opportunity to talk alone, so it never happened.

So today, finally meeting Father, I thought I would take the chance to say it. I originally wanted to say it in a private place, but I didn’t know when I’d meet Father again, so I went ahead and did it. But I never expected to push Father to the point of tears. I went too far. I’m truly sorry.

But you know, Father, I’ve never disliked you. However, after hearing the conversation until a while ago, I’ve come to like you even more, now that I understand how you felt about Mother and me…”

Hearing these words from Julia, Hardis once again tightly embraced his daughter, shedding tears this time. With the sound of his father’s sobbing in her ears, Julia felt uneasy, but at the same time, she was happy to touch her father’s true feelings.

Indeed, you can’t truly understand each other without facing each other honestly. Well, it might be frowned upon in noble society.

In that moment, Julia suddenly realized.

“I, um, accidentally let slip earlier.”

She timidly glanced toward Romand. He looked at Julia with the same gentle eyes as always. Seeing his expression, silently saying, “I’m glad,” Julia felt relieved that she wasn’t being scolded. Ruffie was also uncommonly smiling a little…

Although Robert and Marquis Rudolf and his wife were left in bewilderment.

For a while, Julia was embraced by Hardis, but she soon remembered that there were things she needed to say.

“Father, I know something serious seems to be happening right now, and it may not be the best time for such a conversation, but there’s something I really need to tell you.”

“What is it? I’ve already done what I had to do, so don’t worry about the time. Feel free to tell me anything. After all, this soirée can continue all night.”

Hearing Hardis’s words, Julia’s face lit up. She couldn’t believe she could be with her father until morning!

“Father, I… well, it seems you also had a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“The reason why Mother took me and left the house. We believed that Mother decided to leave because of Mrs. Cindy’s lie. However, that wasn’t the case.”

“What?”

Not only Hardis but everyone present was taken aback by Julia’s unexpected words.

“What do you mean, Julia…”

“Yesterday, just before the incident occurred, I was in the rose garden. At that time, I heard about Mother from Spati-sama.”

“Spati is your spirit, right? So, you already knew the name of your spirit.”

Not everyone who is a spirit user knows the name of their spirit. Julia had already become so intimate with her spirit to the point of knowing its name. Impressive, thought Hardis.

However, Julia shook her head.

“I only learned the name yesterday. I apologize to the spirits, but for me, ‘my spirit’ always referred to the one who has always been by my side. So, I didn’t realize that each spirit has a unique name, and there are many spirits in this world. I regret not knowing Spati’s name earlier; maybe I could have had more conversations. I might have been able to consult about Mother…”

Julia expressed regret, lowering her eyes. ‘Oh, she is feeling the same way I do,’ thought Hardis. Still, realizing this at seventeen is quite something. ‘I only realized it when I was nearly forty,’ he thought.

✽✽✽

The rose garden at the Earl of Woodcliff’s residence was adorned with roses considered precious, known as the original species of roses that had bloomed since the time when the country was covered in greenery and humans had yet to tread there. Today, apart from the Earl’s residence, these precious roses could only be found in the Royal Botanical Garden and the palace grounds.

The reason such valuable roses were planted at the Earl of Woodcliff’s residence was…

In ancient times, the ancestors of the current royal family, the hero lineage, recklessly cleared the forests of this country without considering the consequences. As a result, they incurred the intense wrath of the green spirits, nearly leading to their demise. At that critical moment, an ancestor of the Earl of Woodcliff who was on a journey of saintly training, intervened between the two parties, reconciled their differences, and together with the hero, founded this nation.

Even after the green spirits and the heroes reconciled, deep down, the spirits still did not fully trust them. Consequently, the spirits preferred to be close to the only saint they could trust.

Therefore, the saint established a mansion deep in the forest, where various plants grew, and started living surrounded by the spirits. Naturally, the original species of roses were already planted there.

Today, unlike the time of the country’s founding, the surroundings of the Woodcliff’s family have transformed into a noble residential area, and the once-forested area has diminished. Along with this change, the number of plants inside the mansion has significantly decreased.

However, the roses, being a flower beloved by generations of spirit kings, have remained as a symbol of the Woodcliff’s family and have been cherished for generations.

The most crucial duty of the Lady of the Woodcliff Earl’s household can be accurately described as tending to these roses.

To discover that Cindy had delegated this task to Julia left Hardis utterly astonished. What’s more, Cindy had largely neglected the care of the roses, leaving it entirely to the gardeners.

Julia, from the early days of her residence in the Earl’s mansion, took care of the rose garden. However, she made it clear that she wasn’t forced into it.

“It seems like there might be a misunderstanding. Just like the morning market shopping, I was genuinely happy to be entrusted with the care of the rose garden. You see, the Woodcliff Earl’s residence has relatively few green spaces (compared to the farm), and since being taken in, it felt stifling.

But during mentally and physically challenging times, going to the rose garden felt like vitality being infused into my body… It gave me a sense of rejuvenation and lifted my spirits.

However, it wasn’t just a fleeting feeling; I was genuinely saved. If it weren’t for the spirits dwelling in the roses coming to my aid, I might not be here like this today.”

Julia’s impactful revelation left the entire scene frozen in silence.