novelNo matter what you call a flower, its color never changes (3)
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Chapter 98: Chapter 98 No matter what you call a flower, its color never changes (3)
"... I want to find someone."
"It's our specialty to find people. Can you tell me the name, age and impression of the person you're looking for? The more detailed the better. Oh, let me give you this paper here."
He took a piece of paper from the drawer and handed it to her with a quill.
Looking at the paper for a moment and reflecting on what she was doing, Francis moved the quill with a smile. There was no more hesitation in her actions.
"Is this person a lady of the Hazlet family? Did she go missing?" Zephyllin said, looking at the paper she wrote down. Instead of replying, Francis talked about a woman believed to be Olivia.
"... I think I saw her at the emperor's birthday celebration party recently. So I want you to look for her in and around the capital."
"At the eve party?"
"Yes."
The party to celebrate the emperor's birthday was canceled because of the assassination attempt. A banquet was held, and as it was an unprecedented incident, the list of the participants in the banquet was kept more closely by the imperial family because all of those who attended it were potential suspects. Obtaining the list was not easy, but he had no problem with obtaining it with the Eldon's intelligence gathering power.
"Let me try to find her. As the timing was delicate, I'm afraid you have to pay more."
"It doesn't matter how much it costs, " Francis said cynically.
He smiled at her as if he liked her attitude, "Good. I will contact you as soon as I find her."
Pascal liked Wendy's lemon tea. He didn't usually enjoy sweet and sour food, but when he leaned over a cup of tea at the flower shop, he felt a peace of mind in the atmosphere filled with the scent of flowers. Wherever he saw, it was quiet and beautiful. He was afraid that he might be addicted to this peace that he had never experienced before.
"Would you like another cup?"
"Of course. I would appreciate it."
When he put down the teacup, she poured in yellow tea. His dark straight eyebrows softened.
Looking at his expression, she said, "It looks like you like lemon tea."
"Not necessarily. But I really like the tea you make, Miss Wendy."
She stared at Pascal when he was talking.
"Well, was there any dirt on my face?" He asked.
"Ah... No."
While hearing him, she thought about the blunt imperial knight Lard. He had grey eyes and made little change in his facial expressions. But even that man had praised her lemon tea.
As she recalled serving Lard tea reluctantly at the flower shop she grinned unconsciously.
As if he was conscious of her, Pascal seemed to look at her, but she lifted the lemon jar from the table, pretending not to have noticed him. The jar was nearly empty. She tapped on the jar then tilted it. There was not much of the sticky lemon left. She decided to grow a lemon tree with lots of yellow lemons this evening.
Right at the moment the door was opened with the cheerful ringing of the bell.
The hot sunshine outside filled the shop.
"Please come on in!" Pascal welcomed the customer with the customary greetings he became familiar with in a few days.
"Ah... Oh my..." Pascal stuttered, opening his mouth. He felt embarrassed as soon as he looked at the customer.
"Oh, Sir Dowain. It's nice to see you working hard here."
The visitor was Crown Prince Isaac von Benyahan. Dressed in casual gray clothes, he stuck his hand in the pocket of his vest like a young man in the street.
"Wendy, how are you?" He said, looking at her hardened face.
Now that the situation was in chaos in the empire, she never expected that the prince would come to her shop like this. She couldn't respond properly as if she was very embarrassed by the unexpected guest. Discreetly making eye contact with her, he looked at her embarrassed face. After she managed to calm down, she asked him to sit down with a contorted expression. With a smile he sat in the chair that she pointed to.
"I never thought you would come here."
"As you didn't want to see me, I had no choice but to come here. Don't be so mean and welcome me with a smile, please. I've brought you some gifts!"
When Isaac beckoned, the man who escorted the prince put down several large bags.
"I can't buy flowers at the flower shop, so I've been thinking a lot about the gifts. Come to think of it, I felt you take substance more seriously than ostentation, so I've brought Montrapi powder. Do you like it?" Isaac smiled awkwardly unlike him.
"...Thank you for your consideration. I will enjoy it."
"I'm glad that you like it. By the way, can I talk with you in a quiet place? Just between you and me." The prince whispered, looking around the interior of the store.
"... If you prefer a quiet place, there is a flower garden inside the shop. Of course, it's not a good place to talk."
"Great! Your flower garden! I really wanted to see it. Let's go. Escort me there."
Responding with delight, he stood up first. With a little sigh, she walked reluctantly.
Leaving the prince's attendants and Pascal left behind in the shop, the two stood side by side in the flower garden. He breathed out as if he felt uncomfortable about the muggy air.
"Are all the plants here growing with your care?"
"Yes, many of them."
"Oh, what I mean is those flowers that you created with your magical 'touch'."
Then Isaac raised his hands high and smoothly moved his fingers as if he were playing the piano.
"Yes, mostly...."
She replied, without hiding her twisted lips. There was wariness in her dark green eyes.
"Well, I'm curious what kind of principle is working here. Is it magic? Or something like the mysterious power handed down from generations? No matter how much I think about it, I can't find the answer. Actually, I stayed shut up in the imperial library, rummaging through dusty books for several days. But nowhere is there a story about your wonderful power, " Isaac asked, touching the four-colored rose vine with turquoise leaves with his thumb and index finger. It was the rose that she grew after seeing it in the imperial garden at the recent title awarding ceremony.
She opened her mouth without any hesitation, staring at the prince's curious expression.
"Your Majesty, don't ask me any more about my power. No matter what you ask, there is nothing I can answer. Please remember that you promised to keep silent about my power, and don't ask me any more."
"... If you insist, let me respect your opinion. But, Wendy, even if I forget about satisfying my pure curiosity, I can't help but think it's a waste of your power if you keep it secret."
"Waste? No way. You are now looking at the plants here with your own eyes!"
"What I mean is you're using your power for so trifling things like this. I think if you can use it for a greater cause, your power will be much more appreciated. I feel lots of regret about it."
Wendy moved with a subtle smile at the prince's words. Wendy decided to be brave today. From the moment she saved the prince's life, she thought she was no longer weak.
"Can I ask what you mean by a greater cause?"
"You have infinite power, right? I think you can change the fate of the empire with that."
"I am not interested in changing the fate of the empire. Everyone has his or her own standard. The greater cause that you mentioned is purely your own standard. Did you think you could convince me of it?"
"There is a common standard that everyone agrees with. You are no exception, I guess."
"Well, there are people who don't agree to that common standard. I think that's me."
Wendy put her hand in the apron pocket and pulled out a small pruning shear as long as her index finger. She moved her hand over a rose that bloomed splendidly and cut off its stem.
"Wendy, don't you want to use your power for the righteous cause? Your power can be hope for those in grief."
"... If you had not promoted me at the recent ball, I would have felt what you said was true."
Isaac stopped at her reply and looked into her face.
"I don't resent you. Maybe you did what you had to as the crown prince. But I can't deny that it wasn't very pleasant."
Isaac stroked his cheeks with a hardened face. His expressionless face was neither like a boy musician nor an unruly prince.
"... Do you know the region called Charpanti? There is an imperial summer palace. It's a very beautiful place with the beach, but if you go further, riding a horse, you will find a village where the poor farmers take their miserable poverty as fate. If you see their miserable life, everyone including you will be ashamed. I was, too."
The prince paused, staring at the cut stem of the rose. His brown eyes, like the bark of trees, subsided as if they were wet with rain.
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