Seeing that I didn't look well, Anna naturally pushed the wheelchair toward the garden. She knew I loved the garden here. It certainly had a certain soothing quality to it.
“Would you like some tea here? I think it will make you feel better.”
“I heard it’s usually too cold to do it.”
“Just a moment.”
I smiled and nodded, and Anna walked me to the tea table, then went back into the villa to get the tea.
Meanwhile, the gardener came running out of breath.
“Madam! Why are you out here in this cold weather?”
“It’s a little cold, but this is the best place to drink tea.”
“Anyway, you are very healthy.”
The gardener said with a warm smile. He clapped his hands and ran off somewhere.
“Please wait a moment!”
Suddenly, I found myself waiting for both Anna and the gardener. This kind of leisure was something I could only experience at this villa.
As I was idly gazing at the garden, the gardener reappeared, holding a bouquet of very dark purple flowers in one hand.
“What kind of flower is this?”
The gardener scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.
“Yesterday was my wife's anniversary, wasn't it? I was deeply moved when you sent me a bouquet of flowers.”
“I just happened to hear something and took care of it.”
"Still, you did give me what I wanted. I'm grateful, but I'm sure you've already had everything I have, so I thought long and hard about what I could give you... And then I brought you what I'm best at. This is a flower called Julia, which blooms only high in the mountains."
“Julia?”
"Yes. No matter how cold it is, it's a flower that always blooms around this time. It's really pretty, but it's hard to see because it blooms so high up. I picked a few for you to see, madam."
I accepted the flower from the gardener. "Julia," it was a name that really brought someone to mind. I smiled and brought my nose close to the flower. It had a rather rich fragrance.
“Thank you. It’s a really pretty flower.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The gardener smiled kindly. He was a good man, even if he was a bit clumsy.
“Did you have a good time on your wife’s anniversary?”
"Yes, thank you. My wife would have been surprised to see the bouquet you sent."
I laughed out loud at the exaggerated words.
“It seems like you and your wife had a really good relationship.”
"Yes, even when I was sick, my wife took such great care of me. It must have been hard for her to pay for the medicine."
“Really? Were you in a lot of pain?”
The gardener nodded at my words. Thinking back, it seemed like a long time ago.
"I almost died. At that moment, I really thought I was going to die. I considered myself incredibly lucky not to have died then, but looking back now, I feel guilty, wondering if I even brought my wife's life upon her."
“Don’t say that. Your wife will be upset if she hears that.”
"She will. But it was so sudden. I'm so sorry for making her suffer. Oh, am I saying too much?"
The gardener seemed at a loss, perhaps thinking he'd been too talkative. But I, too, shook my head, having nothing better to do.
"No. I'm glad you're telling me this, because it makes me wonder if I'm a bad master. Was your wife sick, too?"
“No. My wife was perfectly healthy. She was...robbed and killed.”
“I asked the wrong question.”
I answered with a regretful expression. Looking at the gardener's age now, his wife must have been around the same age. If she had died a few years ago, it would have been a very young death.
Even if it was a robbery. Her death couldn't have been comfortable. The gardener's expression was heartbreaking.
"No. I just regret it. I thought my wife was worried that day, but I said I was busy and couldn't listen. If I had known this would happen, I would have at least listened to her worries... It's funny, but I feel a little comforted by confiding in you. I'm sure my wife felt better just by confiding in you."
I smiled bitterly. The gardener seemed about to finish speaking, but then he added, as if something had occurred to him.
“I think she was probably feeling guilty about the death of Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”
"Yes?"
"Yes. I guess she felt sorry for neglecting Her Highness's health while caring for my health. She was such a kind person..."
As I listened to that story, I felt a chill creep into my heart. But I didn't want to reveal my feelings to the gardener, so I answered calmly.
“Your wife is now resting in peace in a good place.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The gardener smiled and stepped aside. Soon after, Anna brought the tea.
“Did the gardener say something interesting? I heard you chatting away.”
“Rather than being funny, he talked about his wife.”
“His wife, whose anniversary was yesterday?”
I nodded. Anna poured me some tea. I held the warm cup in my hand and sniffed the aroma. The scent of the tea, mixed with the floral notes, created a fragrant atmosphere. But my mind was elsewhere.
When I first heard about the robbery, I thought it was truly heartbreaking. I also felt the same way when I heard about the troubles he had been having.
But a thought suddenly occurred to me, along with the fact that the worry had something to do with the former Grand Duchess.
'What could there possibly be to steal from the gardener's wife and the estranged Grand Duchess's maid?'
He was a vicious robber, capable of killing a person. And yet, he only attacked a maid? Had he even attacked a carriage coming and going from this villa, he could have gotten even more.
What if the robbery was just an excuse and the real intention was to kill the maid?
The maid had something on her mind regarding the former Grand Duchess. And it was not long after her death.
At that very moment, the maid needed a lot of money due to the gardener's illness.
Could all this be a coincidence? I began to have ominous thoughts.
“Anna, I’m sorry, but I have to go upstairs.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll call the people.”
While Anna called the people over, I pushed the wheelchair myself up the stairs. Soon, the caretaker and other attendants safely carried me upstairs. Normally, I would have exchanged a few more jokes there, but now I was in a hurry.
“Thank you. I’ll ask you again tomorrow.”
After saying that, I headed straight to the bedroom. Anna hurriedly followed me.
“Madam, is there something urgent?”
“Anna, could you please close the door?”
"Yes, yes!"
After Anna closed the door, I headed toward the jewelry box on the desk. Next to the box sat a neatly polished silver key. I paused for a moment, then inserted the key into the lock.
“Madam, didn’t you say you were going to see it with His Highness last time?”
“Yeah, but I have something to check.”
If it contained only jewels, I'd close it right away. But if it contained something like a notebook... There might be something there to confirm my anxiety.
At first, the jewels caught my eye. "Well, that's what I thought," I thought, and glanced at them. Then, I saw that the fabric beneath them was sticking out a bit. It looked like... a notebook.
I felt the bottom of the jewelry box with my hand. Sure enough, something was hidden underneath. I looked closely at the jewelry box. I saw a small seam in the box, so I dug my fingernail into it and applied pressure.
Click.
The jewelry box was separated, revealing the lower part of the cloth. Inside was a truly small notebook.
“Madam, I’ll be out. Call me if you need me.”
Anna said quickly.
"Thank you."
I waited for Anna to leave and then opened my notebook. The elegant handwriting densely scribbled in the small notebook clearly belonged to a nobleman. And only the former Grand Duchess could possibly have hidden such a jewel box in this villa.
XX month XX day
"I came to the villa with Julian. The garden is empty, and the house is shabby. The servants seem to dislike Julian, and I don't like him at all. But I can do it. I'll be happy here with my beautiful son. Just give me a husband or something! Or die!"
My eyes widened at the harsh words written in elegant handwriting. The former Grand Duchess seemed to be a more energetic person than I had imagined.
XX month XX day
"I planted Julia flower seeds in the garden with Julian. Somehow, Julian seems to be better at it than I am. I gave birth to him, but there's nothing our son can't do. I have to teach him well, because I think he'll make women cry when he grows up."
"Your Highness, Julian has grown up to be a man who does his best for his wife, so don't worry."
“Would you like some tea here? I think it will make you feel better.”
“I heard it’s usually too cold to do it.”
“Just a moment.”
I smiled and nodded, and Anna walked me to the tea table, then went back into the villa to get the tea.
Meanwhile, the gardener came running out of breath.
“Madam! Why are you out here in this cold weather?”
“It’s a little cold, but this is the best place to drink tea.”
“Anyway, you are very healthy.”
The gardener said with a warm smile. He clapped his hands and ran off somewhere.
“Please wait a moment!”
Suddenly, I found myself waiting for both Anna and the gardener. This kind of leisure was something I could only experience at this villa.
As I was idly gazing at the garden, the gardener reappeared, holding a bouquet of very dark purple flowers in one hand.
“What kind of flower is this?”
The gardener scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.
“Yesterday was my wife's anniversary, wasn't it? I was deeply moved when you sent me a bouquet of flowers.”
“I just happened to hear something and took care of it.”
"Still, you did give me what I wanted. I'm grateful, but I'm sure you've already had everything I have, so I thought long and hard about what I could give you... And then I brought you what I'm best at. This is a flower called Julia, which blooms only high in the mountains."
“Julia?”
"Yes. No matter how cold it is, it's a flower that always blooms around this time. It's really pretty, but it's hard to see because it blooms so high up. I picked a few for you to see, madam."
I accepted the flower from the gardener. "Julia," it was a name that really brought someone to mind. I smiled and brought my nose close to the flower. It had a rather rich fragrance.
“Thank you. It’s a really pretty flower.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
The gardener smiled kindly. He was a good man, even if he was a bit clumsy.
“Did you have a good time on your wife’s anniversary?”
"Yes, thank you. My wife would have been surprised to see the bouquet you sent."
I laughed out loud at the exaggerated words.
“It seems like you and your wife had a really good relationship.”
"Yes, even when I was sick, my wife took such great care of me. It must have been hard for her to pay for the medicine."
“Really? Were you in a lot of pain?”
The gardener nodded at my words. Thinking back, it seemed like a long time ago.
"I almost died. At that moment, I really thought I was going to die. I considered myself incredibly lucky not to have died then, but looking back now, I feel guilty, wondering if I even brought my wife's life upon her."
“Don’t say that. Your wife will be upset if she hears that.”
"She will. But it was so sudden. I'm so sorry for making her suffer. Oh, am I saying too much?"
The gardener seemed at a loss, perhaps thinking he'd been too talkative. But I, too, shook my head, having nothing better to do.
"No. I'm glad you're telling me this, because it makes me wonder if I'm a bad master. Was your wife sick, too?"
“No. My wife was perfectly healthy. She was...robbed and killed.”
“I asked the wrong question.”
I answered with a regretful expression. Looking at the gardener's age now, his wife must have been around the same age. If she had died a few years ago, it would have been a very young death.
Even if it was a robbery. Her death couldn't have been comfortable. The gardener's expression was heartbreaking.
"No. I just regret it. I thought my wife was worried that day, but I said I was busy and couldn't listen. If I had known this would happen, I would have at least listened to her worries... It's funny, but I feel a little comforted by confiding in you. I'm sure my wife felt better just by confiding in you."
I smiled bitterly. The gardener seemed about to finish speaking, but then he added, as if something had occurred to him.
“I think she was probably feeling guilty about the death of Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”
"Yes?"
"Yes. I guess she felt sorry for neglecting Her Highness's health while caring for my health. She was such a kind person..."
As I listened to that story, I felt a chill creep into my heart. But I didn't want to reveal my feelings to the gardener, so I answered calmly.
“Your wife is now resting in peace in a good place.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The gardener smiled and stepped aside. Soon after, Anna brought the tea.
“Did the gardener say something interesting? I heard you chatting away.”
“Rather than being funny, he talked about his wife.”
“His wife, whose anniversary was yesterday?”
I nodded. Anna poured me some tea. I held the warm cup in my hand and sniffed the aroma. The scent of the tea, mixed with the floral notes, created a fragrant atmosphere. But my mind was elsewhere.
When I first heard about the robbery, I thought it was truly heartbreaking. I also felt the same way when I heard about the troubles he had been having.
But a thought suddenly occurred to me, along with the fact that the worry had something to do with the former Grand Duchess.
'What could there possibly be to steal from the gardener's wife and the estranged Grand Duchess's maid?'
He was a vicious robber, capable of killing a person. And yet, he only attacked a maid? Had he even attacked a carriage coming and going from this villa, he could have gotten even more.
What if the robbery was just an excuse and the real intention was to kill the maid?
The maid had something on her mind regarding the former Grand Duchess. And it was not long after her death.
At that very moment, the maid needed a lot of money due to the gardener's illness.
Could all this be a coincidence? I began to have ominous thoughts.
“Anna, I’m sorry, but I have to go upstairs.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll call the people.”
While Anna called the people over, I pushed the wheelchair myself up the stairs. Soon, the caretaker and other attendants safely carried me upstairs. Normally, I would have exchanged a few more jokes there, but now I was in a hurry.
“Thank you. I’ll ask you again tomorrow.”
After saying that, I headed straight to the bedroom. Anna hurriedly followed me.
“Madam, is there something urgent?”
“Anna, could you please close the door?”
"Yes, yes!"
After Anna closed the door, I headed toward the jewelry box on the desk. Next to the box sat a neatly polished silver key. I paused for a moment, then inserted the key into the lock.
“Madam, didn’t you say you were going to see it with His Highness last time?”
“Yeah, but I have something to check.”
If it contained only jewels, I'd close it right away. But if it contained something like a notebook... There might be something there to confirm my anxiety.
At first, the jewels caught my eye. "Well, that's what I thought," I thought, and glanced at them. Then, I saw that the fabric beneath them was sticking out a bit. It looked like... a notebook.
I felt the bottom of the jewelry box with my hand. Sure enough, something was hidden underneath. I looked closely at the jewelry box. I saw a small seam in the box, so I dug my fingernail into it and applied pressure.
Click.
The jewelry box was separated, revealing the lower part of the cloth. Inside was a truly small notebook.
“Madam, I’ll be out. Call me if you need me.”
Anna said quickly.
"Thank you."
I waited for Anna to leave and then opened my notebook. The elegant handwriting densely scribbled in the small notebook clearly belonged to a nobleman. And only the former Grand Duchess could possibly have hidden such a jewel box in this villa.
XX month XX day
"I came to the villa with Julian. The garden is empty, and the house is shabby. The servants seem to dislike Julian, and I don't like him at all. But I can do it. I'll be happy here with my beautiful son. Just give me a husband or something! Or die!"
My eyes widened at the harsh words written in elegant handwriting. The former Grand Duchess seemed to be a more energetic person than I had imagined.
XX month XX day
"I planted Julia flower seeds in the garden with Julian. Somehow, Julian seems to be better at it than I am. I gave birth to him, but there's nothing our son can't do. I have to teach him well, because I think he'll make women cry when he grows up."
"Your Highness, Julian has grown up to be a man who does his best for his wife, so don't worry."
I chuckled inwardly, addressing the former Grand Duchess.
"No, that's not what I was looking for. I quickly flipped back."
XX month XX day
"Julian asked when he could go home. I think he misses his father. He's still too innocent to tell him his father is a piece of trash. I had no choice but to lie and hope time would heal him. It breaks my heart."
The former Grand Duchess's frustration seemed to be conveyed in the short diary entry. I turned the page further into the diary.
XX month XX day
"Harry's husband was seriously ill, so I gave her some jewels. I hope this will solve her problem. Unlike me, Harry and her husband have a good relationship, so I hope she can live happily ever after."
I ran my hand over the date. If my guess was correct, Harry was the gardener's wife. I flipped through the diary again.
XX month XX day
"Harry betrayed me. He told me herself. She said she poisoned my tea, and that's why I'm not getting better... What should I do now? Will punishing Harry make any difference? It's pointless if I don't stop my brother anyway. What should I do about Julian? How can I protect him?"
Brother? So, does that mean the Emperor was the one who gave Harry his blessing? I turned the page with trembling hands.
XX month XX day
"I found a way."
XX month XX day
"Julian asked when he could go home. I think he misses his father. He's still too innocent to tell him his father is a piece of trash. I had no choice but to lie and hope time would heal him. It breaks my heart."
The former Grand Duchess's frustration seemed to be conveyed in the short diary entry. I turned the page further into the diary.
XX month XX day
"Harry's husband was seriously ill, so I gave her some jewels. I hope this will solve her problem. Unlike me, Harry and her husband have a good relationship, so I hope she can live happily ever after."
I ran my hand over the date. If my guess was correct, Harry was the gardener's wife. I flipped through the diary again.
XX month XX day
"Harry betrayed me. He told me herself. She said she poisoned my tea, and that's why I'm not getting better... What should I do now? Will punishing Harry make any difference? It's pointless if I don't stop my brother anyway. What should I do about Julian? How can I protect him?"
Brother? So, does that mean the Emperor was the one who gave Harry his blessing? I turned the page with trembling hands.
XX month XX day
"I found a way."
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