Still, Lila, Michael, and the table didn’t get wet. The rain poured down on them and the hydrangeas as if they were wearing transparent umbrellas.
Lila stared at the mysterious sight, unable to breathe, and then let out a belated exclamation.
“Wow…”
She didn’t have time to think about it, just stare at the beauty and wonder.
The hydrangeas swaying in the rain seemed to welcome it. The cool water quenched their thirst and moistened their tiny petals.
Rainwater bounced off the tiny petals and flicked them to the side. Then a head popped out of the hydrangea.
Chocolate-colored hair, just like Michael’s, was soaked and sunken.
Lucas, approaching them, frowned slightly and brushed the wet hair away.
“Michael, you can’t use magic in a place like this.”
Chiding his nephew, Lucas pulled off his soaked jacket. The jacket was made of lightweight material, so his shirt was also a little wet.
It clung to him, exposing his muscular body.
Sitting down in the chair next to Lila, Lucas kissed the back of her hand lightly.
“I hope you had a good time, my lady.”
A small shiver ran down Lila’s spine as his wet, slightly cold lips touched the back of her hand.
His scent, drenched in water, seemed even stronger than usual.
“Lila said hydrangeas were good on a rainy day. Should I not give my aunt something if she wants them?”
“Then did you at least block it so that people can’t see it? If so, I will praise you.”
Lucas said, taking a teapot from the trolley parked beside him and pouring it into a teacup.
Michael pouted his lips at his words.
“I haven’t quite gotten the hang of that yet.”
“The mouths of servants are lighter than feathers, and they know where they’re going to be. I keep saying that your ability should be known as late as possible. To the imperial family.”
Lila’s eyes widened at their conversation. Somehow, she felt like she had overheard something very important.
“Hmm… It seems to be an important talk about the family, but would you like me to step aside?”
She had a strong premonition that she shouldn’t say anything more here, and Lucas, ghostly aware of her thoughts, drew a dark line at the corners of his mouth and turned to Michael.
“It’s a secret that the imperial family has abilities. The other nobles know nothing. Isn’t it? Even the emperor and crown prince don’t know that you use magic.”
Lila turned her head toward Lucas, looking as if she’d been slapped in the back of the head.
Despite her expression, Lucas calmly and gracefully sliced off a piece of the purple lemon tart and popped it into his mouth.
“Mmm… tastes better than I thought.”
“So, Uncle, what happens to the person who learns the family secret?”
Michael’s question was something Lila had been wondering as well. They both watched as she looked from Michael to Lucas and back again.
The two men bit their lips to keep from laughing.
“I suppose one of you two knows of the family secret.”
“What is it?”
Unable to breathe and focused on their conversation, Lila hadn’t noticed the two men communicating with their eyes.
“First of all, we’ll have to sort out who belongs to the family and who don’t, and if it’s determined that they don’t, then…”
Lila’s head snapped toward Lucas, who was deliberately dragging his feet.
“And then what happens to the person?”
At Michael’s question, Lucas stroked his chin and snapped his fingers, resting his chin on them.
“Well… its probably best to kill them.”
Staring wide-eyed at Lucas, unable to comprehend the murderous, inhumane statement, Lila’s hands went weak and she dropped the fork she was holding.
Lila had been holding the fork since before. Stunned by Michael’s magic and surprised by the conversation between the two, the fork she had been holding so tightly was now rolling across the grass.
“So, what are the qualifications of those who might belong to the family?”
Michael asked, feeling sorry for her as she grew paler and paler, quickly forcing her to come up with another answer.
Lucas, noticing her condition, smiled and answered succinctly.
“I’ll have to keep them around for the rest of their life.”
“Ugh!”
The more Lila listened to their conversation, the more she felt like she was in a swamp she couldn’t get out of.
Lucas and Michael let out a silent chuckle as her heart, which was still torn by the uncertainty of her future even as her mind drifted toward him, was kept on a leash.
Still wandering, the blue hydrangea that was so much like her beautiful cobalt eyes grew darker and darker in the water droplets.
* * *
The garden was filled with not only blue hydrangeas, but also white, red, and purple hydrangeas. The sound of cheerful laughter filled the air.
“Your Highness Theo, you should try these.”
Monaca’s complexion hardened at the sound of Charlotte’s voice. Sitting next to Theobald, Monaca quickly offered him another dessert.
“Your Highness, the green grapes are so refreshing this year. How delicious they are with whipped cream.”
“Theo is not a big fan of fruit, Lady Arias.”
Charlotte, who had been calling him by his first name, spoke formally. Her face was filled with pity, and she seemed genuinely concerned for him.
“So, Your Highness, how about these macaroons? They’re the latest creation of the imperial pastry chef. He says they’re made with pigment extracted from lilac flowers.”
Theobald’s eyes shifted as his gaze wandered to the sweet scent of lilacs in the distance.
His red eyes, filled with boredom, stared at the mauve macaroon Monaca held out to him.
He didn’t hear the two women’s voices chattering around him or see Heinrich and Alfonso staring at him impassively.
He was only thinking about the beautiful woman who had visited him in his dreams last night.
His face was so expressionless that it didn’t show, but he kept thinking of her.
He could almost smell the scent of lilacs on his hands as he ran his fingers through her long, mauve hair with hints of gray.
The way she looked at him, sometimes tenderly, sometimes with a hint of resentment, and sometimes he wanted to cover her dark blue eyes with his hands.
When she called him ‘Theo’ in her crisp, clear voice, goosebumps would break out all over his body. He wanted to answer her call willingly, but in his dreams, he didn’t.
Rather, it only pressed down on her, forcing her to respond.
For she did not want only Theobald. There were countless men around her, like bees on a lilac flower.
Among them were Heinrich and Alfonso.
Theobald smiled wryly as he caught sight of Heinrich in his thoughts.
He remembered the conversation he’d had with her in his dream.
‘You smell like me.’
The mere mention of the word smell brought back the woman of his dreams, her scent deadly and seductive.
‘From me you get drunk on fragrance…’
Theobald’s brow furrowed at the vividness of the dream.
But the dreams weren’t always beautiful, they were sometimes brutal.
She’d stained his bed red, her eyes closed, or she’d fled in terror at the sight of him…
When he had not spoken for some time, lost in thought, Alfonso asked.
“Your Highness, will the hunting tournament in the fall be held in the mountains owned by the imperial family, as it was last year?”
“Well… it will be, but… I’m afraid the same hunting competition every year is a bit boring.”
“Still, it’s a hunt with a long tradition… so why not keep it as it is?”
Alfonso, who was uncomfortable in his seat because Theobald, who was seated at the head of the table, had remained silent, made himself known in the conversation.
That’s when Charlotte skillfully joined the conversation.
“So, what if this time we circulate the invitations differently than last year, for example, inviting the Duke of Montefeltra?”
Her words intrigued Theobald.
Hunting tournaments are attended by wives, or lovers.
This is because the tradition of hunting tournaments is to rank the hunters in order of the number of prey they have killed, so that they have the opportunity to present their lady with jewelry from the imperial treasury as a prize.
Many male aristocrats also use it as an opportunity to confess their love to the woman of their dreams.
Before departing, they might ask for a handkerchief with a warrior’s symbol, or, if they performed well, a gift of imperial merchandise for their lady.
Theobald frowned as he remembered Lila shivering beside Lucas. He found her scent irresistible, but her appearance was unacceptable.
And he didn’t like the way she seemed uncomfortable with him.
“Hmm.”
Placing his hand on the armrest and tapping it, Theobald pondered. It shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.
But Theobald was torn. He didn’t want to see Lucas, but he also wanted to see the ugly young woman who would become his wife.
He didn’t want to admit it, but it kept coming back to him. Like the woman in his dreams, she was a figure that confused him now.
Perhaps, he convinced himself, it was the same hair color and eyes as in the dream.
Four pairs of pupils stared back at him with a puzzled expression on a handsome face full of coldness.
The hesitant crown prince was unfamiliar. It was strange that he should be so indecisive, so inclined to give an immediate answer.
Heinrich thought briefly of Lila, dancing merrily at her coming of age.
He wanted to find out who she was, but he wanted to focus on Charlotte in front of him.
He didn’t like the way she was flirting with Theobald. Her violet eyes were dark with obsession.
Each had a different thought in mind.
