TGDHC Chapter 65

Chapter 65 – Instead of a Bouquet 

“I was surprised to see the flowers just now starting to bloom.”

‘To be honest, I’ve never even seen spring in the capital before.’

As I quickly tried to say something about spring, Countess Avoir glanced briefly at Baroness Gelfry.

Even though it was just a short look, Baroness Gelfry noticed and quickly changed her attitude.

I had heard that Rancart Gelfry, who was originally just the son of a wealthy merchant, was only able to become a baron and head of the Merchant Guild thanks to the Avoir family.

So, in truth, the one really in charge of the Merchant Guild was Countess Avoir.

‘They say the mother and daughter control the social scene completely.’

Watching her smoothly shift the mood, it was clear she was more skilled than Lady Meisel.

‘I hope I can go rest soon.’

Feeling myself grow more and more tired, I took a bite of the dessert Berni had prepared.

***

After tea time, I returned to the Grand Duke’s castle feeling completely drained.

But the carriage stopped earlier than expected.

‘Huh? We’re not even close to the castle entrance yet.’

Then, to my surprise, the door opened and an unexpected face appeared.

“Your Grace?”

“Did you have a good time?”

The Grand Duke smiled and reached out his hand to me.

‘Wow… he looks just like a prince.’

The wind lifted his bangs slightly, revealing a smooth forehead and sharp eyes with gently lowered corners.

His long neckline peeked out from the cravat I had carefully tied for him.

From his broad shoulders to his well-fitted suit, his whole figure looked stunning.

With the sunset casting a soft glow over him, the Grand Duke looked absolutely dazzling.

‘Maybe it’s because I dressed him to my liking, but he’s getting more handsome by the day.’

My heart fluttered embarrassingly.

Trying to hide my trembling legs, I calmly took his hand and stepped down from the carriage.

“Where were you coming from?”

It seemed like he was waiting there alone. There were no other carriages or horses around.

“If you’re not too tired, would you like to walk with me to the castle?”

He asked with a slightly nervous look instead of answering my question.

“Sure.”

Leaving a surprised Tierne and the knights behind, we started walking together.

“Were you… waiting for me?”

I asked curiously.

Come to think of it, Cecilia had said she’d follow later after cleaning up. Maybe she knew the Grand Duke would be here.

The Grand Duke’s throat moved deeply.

“There’s something I wanted to show you…”

‘What is it?’

I asked with my eyes, but he only opened and closed his mouth without saying anything.

Even though walking in heels must have been uncomfortable, he patiently matched his steps to mine.

“How was tea time?”

“It was nice. The weather was good.”

“No one made you uncomfortable?”

“Nope. Everyone liked the lake view. They said it was beautiful.”

“That’s a relief.”

He nodded but seemed distracted.

His hands were tightly clenched too. He looked nervous.

‘Why is he so tense?’

Just as I was about to lose patience, I caught a faint scent on the breeze.

‘What’s that smell?’

I sniffed and looked up—and saw the castle gardens in the distance, filled with color.

“Huh?”

What am I looking at?

“What… what is that?”

Without realizing, I started walking faster.

“Please slow down. You might fall,” the Grand Duke warned, but I couldn’t stop myself.

As we got closer to the castle, the view became clearer.

‘Wow…’

I let out a silent gasp.

The once-barren garden was now full of spring flowers.

In the center, there was a patch of nefras (a type of flower), and from there, paths branched out through beds of pink, yellow, and red flowers.

The golden sunset added to the scene, making the colors even more magical.

I took a deep breath, and the sweet, sugary scent filled my lungs.

When I looked to the side, the Grand Duke was watching me nervously, fidgeting like he didn’t know what to do.

“What happened here?”

I asked in amazement.

“There was nothing here before I left.”

I definitely remembered how the garden looked just a few hours ago when I got into the carriage for the tea party. I even complained to Cecilia about how lifeless it was.

“Do you… not like it?”

He pushed his bangs back awkwardly, looking anxious.

“I didn’t even tell you and changed the garden on my own…”

“No! I love it! Really!”

“Truly?”

“Yes! I had no idea it could be this beautiful.”

When I nodded with a big smile, he finally relaxed.

“…I’m so glad.”

“But why did you suddenly change the garden?”

He hesitated, then cleared his throat and said,

“Well, with the orphanage and everything else lately… I felt I owed you a lot. I wanted to give something back.”

“Give something back?”

What did I do?

“Just think of it as a small gift from your husband.”

So this whole garden was a gift for me?

I was speechless.

Even though I’ve planned many events before, this was the first time anyone had done something like this just for me.

“I thought you’d prefer a field of flowers over a bouquet…”

The Grand Duke mumbled awkwardly, noticing my stunned face.

“Was a bouquet better?”

“…No.”

I reached out and touched one of the petals. It was soft and alive.

“It’s much better seeing them alive in the ground like this.”

Honestly, I’d never even liked receiving flowers that much.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too many thrown away after events—shoved into foam or glued into vases, then tossed in the trash once the ceremony ended.

But seeing this huge garden full of flowers gently swaying in the breeze… I couldn’t explain it, but my heart felt full.

Maybe I didn’t get reincarnated for some grand reason.

Maybe the being who pitied my past life just wanted to give me a little happiness.

Whether this moment was a dream or real—what did it matter?

I had just gained the most precious memory of my life.

Suddenly, I felt like I might cry.

“I really love it. Thank you, Your Grace.”

I smiled sincerely at the Grand Duke.

***

Watching the Grand Duchess breathe in deeply and enjoy the scent of the flowers, Loic let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Earlier, when she first saw the garden and gasped, she didn’t speak for a long time.

—“What happened here?”

That surprised look on her face—with no sign of whether she liked it or not—had made him panic.

‘I’m glad I listened to her maid.’

At first, he had ignored his aide’s suggestion to give the Grand Duchess flowers.

But when he heard that the maid herself had made the suggestion, he couldn’t ignore it.

And when he found out the Grand Duchess had seemed gloomy…

‘She never showed it to me…’

Just imagining a shadow on that small face made his heart drop.

‘I have to make her smile no matter what.’

But she didn’t seem to like bouquets much.

He remembered when she had admired the Nefras flowers in his mother’s greenhouse.

When he offered to make her a bouquet, she had hesitated.

—“They’re so pretty… it would be a shame to pick them.”

Even that small thoughtfulness made him admire her more.

Looking out the window then, he had seen the empty garden starting to sprout segments of green.

‘She said she likes looking at flowers.’

Then maybe filling the whole garden with them would be a good idea?

If the entire front garden bloomed with flowers, surely it would look nice enough.

—“I’m sorry… what did you say?”

—“In three hours. Fill the garden with flowers while the Grand Duchess is out.”

—“Wait, I was talking about a bouquet… how did that turn into a whole garden?!”

Perel had grumbled in shock, but in the end, the garden was transformed in time.

Seeing the Grand Duchess looking at it with wide eyes made Loic smile without realizing it.

“Your Grace, is this the mage’s work too?”

“….”

Well, yes. Only a mage could have planted so many flowers in such a short time.

Following the excited Grand Duchess as she ran off to look at the flowers, Loic bit his lip to hide a grin.

He would have to make sure all the staff kept quiet about how they had worked up a sweat planting everything just a few hours ago.