Chapter 2: Responsibilities of a Young Lady

“Miss!”

“Nick! You’ve come at just the right time! Look at these rose flowers. I propagated them from cuttings last year, and they’ve bloomed beautifully!”

Another childhood friend, Nick, arrived at Eva’s rose garden. Nick is the son of the estate gardener of the Marquis family.

“Indeed. They’ve bloomed splendidly. Good for you… wait, that’s not it! Why are you so calm?”

“What do you mean? …Did you hear it from Annie, perhaps?”

“Annie was crying. Is the young lady okay?”

“Rather than being okay, well, it finally happened… that’s my current state of mind.”

Ignoring the flustered Nick, Eva turned towards the rose trees.

“At this rate, a few more will bloom soon.”

She happily smiled at Nick.

“Miss, please tell me everything.”

Nick takes Eva to the house of Nick and his father, Roger, a gardener, located in a corner of the Marquise’s mansion.

“Dad, are you here?”

Even before Nick opened the door, he anxiously called out from outside.

“What’s with the commotion? Nick, let go of the young lady’s arm. Welcome, young lady. We were just about to have tea. Would you like to join us?”

Roger, appearing from inside, scolded Nick and offered a gentle smile to Eva.

“Yes, I’ll join. Thank you. By the way, Roger, the roses I propagated from cuttings last winter have bloomed. They’ll be in full bloom soon.”

“That’s great to hear. The young lady took great care of them.”

“I just followed the master’s teachings. ‘Observe carefully and listen to the voice of the flowers,’ he used to say.”

The two exchanged glances and laughed.

Eva’s mother was skilled in nurturing flowers. Eva’s childhood was spent in the mansion’s garden, where she enjoyed gardening with her mother. Her interest naturally shifted towards plants.

During walks in the garden, she bombarded adults with questions and curiosities.

“Hey, what’s the name of this flower?”

“Hey, when will this tree bear fruit?”

When her mother was around, she would get answers, but in her absence, she questioned maids and nurses during walks.

One day, Eva received a thick plant encyclopedia from her parents.

“Whenever you have questions about plants, start by researching in this encyclopedia. If you still don’t understand, ask Roger, the gardener.”

From then on, she always observed her mother nurturing flowers with the heavy encyclopedia in hand, and she started walking around the garden alone, observing flowers and questioning Roger about things she couldn’t understand from the book. And, before she knew it, she had become Roger’s apprentice.

“What on earth happened?”

When Eva took a sip of the tea Roger had made and put the cup back on the table, Roger asked, seemingly timing it right.

“The young lady is getting married!”

Answering with a raised voice, Nick, without even touching the tea, clenched his fists on his knees and looked down.

“Moreover, to a man much older than her as his second wife.”

Eva, seeing Nick’s distressed expression, raised her eyebrows.

“Nick, are you angry on my behalf?”

After those words, Nick blushed and muttered.

“Is Nick angry on my behalf?”

After blushing at those words, Nick muttered quietly.

“They’re just trying to take advantage of the lady.”

“Nick, thank you. But it’s okay. Noble marriages are like that from the start. I can’t choose. I’ve always been prepared for it. So, I’ll be fine.”

She smiled as if to reassure.

Yes, she knew.

Being forced into a marriage felt like being politely kicked out.

Not being allowed a marriage that would make her happy.

One hour earlier…

Eva, who visited her uncle’s office, was surprised to find her cousin Matilda, Bonnie, and even her aunt gathered.

“I’m sorry for being late. I heard you call for me.”

Ignoring the mocking glances from the three women, she addressed her uncle.

“Oh, sit there.”

Her uncle, who was at his desk, raised his face languidly.

(It doesn’t seem like good news for me.)

Sitting opposite her aunts, the piercing gazes from the three in front were bothersome.

(I wonder what this is about.)

“At the royal ball in two weeks, the debutantes for you three have been decided.”

The spring ball at the royal palace is also a debutante party for the aristocratic children. It targets noble children aged 15 to 17. Eva and her cousin Matilda are 17, while Bonnie is 15. It’s convenient to have them all debut at the next ball.

The ball at the royal palace, with its large number of participants, also serves as a matchmaking venue for nobles from the provinces who rarely get a chance to go to the capital.

Eva has no interest in the social scene and no aspirations for marriage. She dreams of living in her territory, tending to flowers. So, she didn’t want to participate.

However, she swallowed those feelings and answered, “Yes, I understood.”

“It’s said that the crown prince’s fiancée will be decided at this ball. Eva’s name was considered during my brother’s time, but now Matilda and Bonnie will be candidates. Eva, behave yourself.”

“Yes.”

With her uncle’s words, she reluctantly accepted the attitude of the three, including their mocking laughter.

She never wanted to be the crown prince’s fiancée anyway.

“When the crown prince sees your creepy hair color and eye color, he’ll dislike it, so stay away from us as much as possible!”

Matilda, the same age, shouted as if biting.

[I want to stay away. If I could stay away, it would be an unexpected blessing.]

“Yes, understood.”

“Hey, Eva, don’t you think that citizens of the pure-blooded Tifriss Kingdom should become the crown prince’s consort?”

Her aunt stared at Eva with a venomous gaze, saying it in a smooth tone.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Poor thing, unable to make good matches because of foreign blood.”

“Find a partner for the pitiful Eva, Father.”

“Well, you’re both kind. Do you have anyone interested in you? It wouldn’t be right for only Matilda and Bonnie to be happy, haha.”

“Ah, well… a suitable proposal has come. Count Burke has approached me for a second wife.”

“Well!! From Count Burke? How wonderful. But do he know about Eva’s appearance?”

“Oh, that man likes unusual things.”

Watching her uncle’s family, who cruelly laughed as if showing a cheap play, Eva felt as if she were being shown a shabby performance.

“It would be nice if she could get married. It would be more beneficial to this family than becoming a nun.”

Her maliciously smiling cousins seemed unsatisfied with Eva’s reaction. Matilda flashed a nasty smirk.

“I heard that Count Burke is nearly fifty years old. He’s had several wives before, but now there are rumors that there’s no one alive. Haha, you might be lavishly loved by the count too!”

Bonnie and Matilda burst into laughter, as if they couldn’t contain themselves.

(Ah, I see. So that’s the rumor.)

“At the next ball,we will exchange engagement documents with Count Burke. Be very careful not to make any mistakes.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

With that, her uncle seemed to consider the matter finished, focusing on the documents in front of him.

She understood.

As someone born into a noble family, political marriages were expected. She couldn’t choose her partner. And now, with no parents, she was in no position to reject anyone, no matter who they were. In the end, she had to accept it. She had known this for a long time.

“Well… that’s what happened.”

While eating the homemade cookies Roger had provided, Eva explained the situation to Roger and Nick.

“Do you know Count Burke?”

“No, I don’t know him. According to my cousins, he doesn’t have a good reputation, but you know, you can’t always trust rumors, right?”

She was treated differently because of her appearance. She knew firsthand that rumors were not always true.

“What if the rumors are true and he’s a bad person?”

“Well… there’s nothing I can do. Just… it would be nice if the mansion had a beautiful garden. And if the person allows me to tend to it, that would be even better.”

“What’s that!! Is that all you wish for?”

“That’s all I can wish for. For me.”

She murmured and resigned.

She couldn’t ask for much.

She didn’t wish for the uncertainty of being loved.

If she were allowed to grow plants, that would be enough. That would be the happiest thing for her.

“Nick, don’t you dare get involved in the affairs of the nobility!”

Roger, who had been silently listening, scolded Nick.

“But…”

Nick, with a face on the verge of tears, stared fixedly at the table.

“You have no right to speak about the young lady! Cool your head!”

Regretfully, Nick, with a look of frustration, mumbled an apology.

“Sorry, Miss.”

After giving a stern look to the dejected Nick, Roger turned his caring gaze towards Eva.

“Miss, I apologize for Nick’s thoughtless remarks.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad Nick got angry on my behalf. I’ll be fine. I knew a day like this would come sooner or later. I have one request, though. Even after I’m gone, please offer flowers at my father and mother’s graves.”

“Of course.”

Roger nodded, and Eva returned his smile.