“Yes, I love them.”
Her eyes curved softly as she smiled, utterly lovely.
It was only a simple answer. And yet, for some reason, the moment he met that smile, Cain had the illusion that his whole body had gone rigid.
But Viola added calmly, as if it were nothing:
“A lot of flowers are used as medicinal herbs, you see. Though even if they weren’t, I’d still just love them.”
“Which flower do you like best?”
She knit her brows as if taking the question very seriously.
“Hmm… There are so many I like.”
“If you had to choose?”
“Then it has to be sowthistle!”
Sowthistle?
The name had such a rustic ring that Cain let out a disbelieving laugh. He hadn’t expected an answer like that.
But the woman only went on listing sowthistle’s merits.
“It’s really useful. It can draw out toxins, so it’s great as a medicinal herb. Oh, and in some countries they even eat it!”
Most people would say they liked flowers like roses or lilies. Even at a moment like this, Viola seemed to think of nothing but medicine. If anything, that made it all the more like her.
She really is a peculiar woman, every time.
And… an interesting woman, too.
He had to admit it now.
Cain found Viola fascinating.
The way she reacted to every little thing with such rich expressions, the way she was oddly bold for someone so small.
She was a charming woman whom anyone would be bound to be captivated by.
While he was lost in thought, she turned her head without thinking, and their eyes suddenly met.
Those eyes, like tender blades of grass, watched him steadily, as if asking whether something was wrong.
…!
It wasn’t as though he’d been thinking anything he should be ashamed of. And yet, for no reason, he felt embarrassed.
At the feeling of his breath stopping, Cain looked away before he knew it.
Something rang loudly inside his ribs. The violent pounding of his heart was unfamiliar. Not even when a monster as big as a house stood before him had this ever happened.
Perhaps because he’d looked away, the woman took another step toward him, as if worried. On instinct, Cain hurriedly pointed at whatever was nearest.
“That flower.”
“Pardon?”
“Do you know that flower’s name too?”
An abrupt change of subject. But thankfully, Viola obediently turned her head to follow the tip of his finger.
The straight gaze that had been fixed on him was withdrawn. It was exactly what he’d intended, so why did he feel a pang of regret?
Viola lowered herself a little to examine the flower closely.
“Wow. This is a silvermoon flower! I heard they’re incredibly hard to grow—your gardener must be really skilled.”
With a bright expression, she bent down. Her eyes sparkled like a child who had found treasure.
“Do you know why it’s called a silvermoon flower?”
“I can’t say I do.”
“By day it just looks ordinary, but at night it changes.”
Viola pointed carefully near the petals.
“Look. See how it shimmers in the moonlight?”
Just as she said, the edges of the petals were glowing softly. As if they held a sliver of moonlight.
She gazed at the flower in wonder, then looked up at Cain and smiled radiantly.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“…Beautiful.”
Cain answered quietly, as if agreeing, but his gaze wasn’t turned toward the flower bed at all.
What filled his vision completely was her, under the soft moonlight.
His lips moved before he knew it.
“…Could you tell me the names of flowers now and then, like tonight?”
It had come out on impulse, for no reason he could name, and worried he might have put pressure on her for nothing, Cain hastily added, as if to smooth it over:
“That is, if we happen to run into each other like this again.”
“I’d love to! It’s not hard at all. Actually, I love talking about plants too. I just don’t have anyone to talk about them with.”
She chattered on.
“So when will you be taking your next walk, Your Grace?”
“…Tomorrow.”
He’d had no such plans, but there was no need to reveal that.
“I was actually thinking of coming out tomorrow too… Shall we just happen to run into each other here again tomorrow?”
A playful voice. It only pretended to be chance in words; in truth, it was as good as a promise.
He didn’t much care for wordplay, but for some reason, at this moment, it was welcome.
When Cain gave a slight nod, Viola smiled with the corners of her mouth turned all the way up. That smile that was hers alone.
Moonlight fell from the sky. Even in that faint light, the woman’s smile sparkled endlessly. Like a petal holding moonlight.
Cain gazed blankly at that smile.
Then he repeated it to himself once more. Beautiful.
The next day.
I woke up feeling refreshed and started my day right away.
Mm. I was worried I’d be tired, but I feel great.
I’d only meant to get a little fresh air.
But I must have walked with Cain longer than I thought, because when I got back to my room, a lot of time had passed.
I didn’t keep him from anything when he’s so busy, did I?
I shook my head inwardly.
Nah. If I had, he wouldn’t have agreed to walk together again today.
There was a more pressing problem to worry about than that.
For example, how on earth I was going to get my hands on a horribly poisonous herb.
“Miss Viola, what is it you need help with?”
Phew.
A little nervous, I looked at Conrad in front of me. I was the one who’d asked him to come, so why was I so jittery?
“There’s something I absolutely need for the treatment…”
“Please, name anything. There’s nothing Asheln cannot obtain.”
He answered readily with a smile, but the words still wouldn’t come easily.
I know, I know.
Anyone who doesn’t know what Asheln is capable of can hardly call themselves a citizen of the empire.
It was just that this wasn’t that kind of problem.
Because what I was going to ask for was an extremely powerful poisonous herb!
The gamjong herb, nicknamed the Sweet Reaper.
It tasted sweet, but eating it would put you into a state of near-death within thirty minutes—an extremely dangerous poison.
Roughly the third-favorite poison among assassins, I’d say.
So selling it was banned at ordinary herb shops—no, anywhere at all.
Sob. Is he going to look at me like I’m crazy if I bring it up?
But I had to be brave. This was a poisonous herb I absolutely needed to treat Jayden.
“So, um.”
“Yes.”
“Could you get me… some gamjong herb?”
I squeezed my eyes shut as I blurted it out, and only once I’d finished did I carefully open them.
But Conrad’s reaction was completely different from what I’d expected.
“Don’t tell me, Miss Viola. I trusted you—are you an assassin?”
“What? N-no! I’m not!”
Shocked by the absurd misunderstanding, I hurriedly denied it, but then Conrad burst into a small laugh.
“I was joking. What assassin in the world would ask someone else to get them a poisonous herb?”
“Oh, you scared me. Right. What idiot assassin would ask for the Sweet Reaper so openly and look that suspicious?”
“Exactly. Now, if it were blackbane, perhaps.”
Behind the clear lenses of his glasses, Conrad’s eyes curved as he smiled.
Ahaha. I laughed along with him.
He just casually brought up the assassins’ number-one favorite poison.
But… that was a joke, right?
Conrad, smiling so calmly with the kindest face in the world, looked especially terrifying today.
“At any rate, I’ll get you the Sweet Reaper. It should take about two days.”
“Thank you!”
Conrad added:
“I’ll report it to His Grace separately. However necessary it is for the treatment, it’s a highly toxic plant. Reporting something like this is the rule.”
“Oh, of course! Naturally.”
I clasped my hands and smiled gratefully.
Honestly, I thought this would be much more complicated. And it’s settled just like that.
I’d expected, if not suspicion, then at least a barrage of questions. I’d even prepared what to say in advance.
But Conrad had simply accepted it the moment I said it was needed for the treatment.
He trusts me.
That meant not only Conrad, but Cain, whom he served, trusted me too.
Then I have to live up to that trust.
I clenched my fist.
All right.
Jayden, my little one, just you wait.
Now I can make the perfect syrup medicine!
But I soon found out.
That the real problem wasn’t getting the poisonous herb at all, but lay somewhere else entirely.
