Chapter 15
Shall We Step Outside For A Moment?
Now I understood.
This was proof that one had participated in a meaningful day.
I quickly took out 2 harc from my bag and handed it to Royce.
“Here. For me too.”
Royce stared at the two coins I placed in his hand with a happy expression.
“I wanted to celebrate together.”
“Yes, today is a day we welcome together…”
My heart felt warm. I decided I’d stop by the cathedral welfare society later to donate some more.
“You understand what day it is now, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
I nodded with genuine admiration.
I felt embarrassed thinking about how I’d been calculating profit rates of 10,000% earlier.
“Senior, you even take care of things like this… I see you in a new light.”
“What?”
“I’ll work harder too.”
The dishes began arriving one by one. As expected of a place approved by Royce – it was delicious.
“Here is the special dessert you ordered.”
Near the end of the meal, the chef himself brought us ice cream.
It was chocolate ice cream, with two bars stuck together to be pulled apart.
“This is called ‘Sansang Bar,’ made with chocolate from the Sansangte region in the north.”
It resembled an ice cream I knew well.
“Serdin, I heard this is…”
“Oh, I know.”
“Really? You’re always a step ahead.”
“Not really.”
Royce and I each grabbed one side of the bar.
With slightly expectant eyes, he said,
“On the count of three, pull.”
“Okay.”
I answered, but I knew how to pull to get the bigger piece.
“One, two…”
Just before he said three, I twisted my wrist with a flick.
At the optimal angle, I split the ice cream bar.
Most of the piece on Royce’s side came over to mine, leaving him with only half.
“Wahaha!”
I shook my 3/4 piece gleefully.
But then I saw Royce’s expression.
Holding his half-piece, his face had turned pale.
“…….”
“Senior?”
Seeing him so downcast made me feel like I had been too petty.
Yes, how could I do such a sneaky thing just to eat a little more ice cream.
“Senior, here. You have it.”
I quickly handed my ice cream to him.
“No, Serdin. It’s not that I wanted the bigger piece.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I just… I wanted us to have equal pieces.”
“Ah…”
He was right.
He had been training me so hard, and here I was being petty over ice cream. I must have disappointed him as his trainee.
Royce tried to give the ice cream back, so I just pushed it into his mouth.
He looked a bit flustered at first.
But seeing that I wouldn’t pull away, he accepted it obediently.
Watching him chew the ice cream, I thought,
‘Yes, from now on, I need to become a better person too…’
Evening Donation
After dinner, as we walked, Royce lifted the pouch and asked,
“What do you want to do with this?”
“Can I decide?”
“Of course.”
Though technically I only contributed a small part, Royce agreed readily.
Since I planned to donate at the cathedral welfare society anyway, I took him there.
While donating my money, I handed over Royce’s pouch too.
“I want to donate this here.”
“Serdin…”
He looked at me with what seemed like admiration.
Was he impressed by my decisiveness?
But knowing myself, if I delayed it, I’d forget. Better to do it now.
“Can it be under my name too?”
“Of course.”
“No, let’s do it under both our names.”
Royce muttered softly,
“Both of us…”
Somehow, it felt like he’d done this before.
“Good. That’s a really good idea.”
Then I thought further.
Wasn’t this money collected from Simon, Enia, and countless others too?
“What if we list all the donors’ names?”
“If that’s what you want, let’s do it.”
He picked up a pen and began writing.
‘Didn’t he say this was collected from 2,222 people?’
He really was something else.
“I’m curious – why 2 harc from each?”
“That’s just how it’s done.”
“I see.”
Was there a donation certification guide for this?
Regardless, I saw Royce in a new light that day.
“Senior, I’m honestly surprised you do things like this.”
“Well, of course.”
“Please forgive me for ever doubting your character.”
Yes, my Royce always had a plan!
From that day, I began seeing him differently.
Feeling happy about doing something good, I left the cathedral.
In the garden outside, I smelled a familiar scent.
‘Jeiji flowers?’
The blue Jeiji flower was Royce Velkerente’s favorite in the original story.
There was a scene where, mentally broken, he collapsed into a field of Jeiji flowers, regaining some calm.
It really did have a soothing scent.
“This is your favorite flower, right, Senior?”
Oops, I shouldn’t have revealed that. It was from the original novel.
Royce blinked at me as if wondering how I knew.
I fumbled for words.
“I just like them too. Many people do.”
“Say that again.”
“What?”
“What you just said.”
“That I like them too?”
He nodded.
“Yes, I… like them too.”
His voice trailed off.
“I like them.”
His face turned red. Liking flowers wasn’t something to be embarrassed about, but he seemed shy.
For the rest of the day, Royce looked as if he were intoxicated by the scent.
And the next day, it was me who was intoxicated.
Not by flowers – by something else.
Serdin’s Birthday
Having drunk midday with classmates, I staggered back to the dorm.
‘I need to lie down as soon as I get in…’
I hadn’t planned to drink at lunch. I just went out for drinks, and it happened to be lunchtime. That’s important to clarify.
In the dorm mailbox was a package. Inside was a small necklace with a red pendant and a card.
「Happy Birthday. –Uncle Dinel」.
It was from my uncle, Count Dinel Vivi.
I fiddled with the necklace already around my neck.
‘He probably doesn’t realize it’s the same as last year’s.’
I took off the one I was wearing and placed it next to the new one by my bed, then sat by the window table.
Still tipsy, I sank into the chair to rest.
Most people spend their birthdays surrounded by family. I hadn’t done that since childhood.
It wasn’t particularly lonely. It was always like this.
I sat there blankly for a while.
Feeling like I should do something, I murmured,
“What should I do now…”
As I muttered, someone knocked on my dorm door.
“Serdin, it’s me. Are you in there?”
It was Royce.
Did he lose something yesterday?
“What is it…”
I threw on a shawl and opened the door.
But instead of Royce, what I saw first was…
A huge bouquet, filled with pretty blue petals.
The fragrant scent washed over me.
It was a bouquet of blue Jeiji flowers.
At a glance, there must have been over a hundred stems – the biggest, most beautiful bouquet I’d ever seen.
I blinked. Was I hallucinating from the daytime drinks?
“Serdin.”
But as I reached out and touched the flowers, I realized it was real.
Holding the massive bouquet, Royce placed it into my arms.
“Wow.”
What was this?
I wasn’t a dreamer, yet this felt like a dream.
Maybe it was the alcohol. Or maybe it was simply too big and beautiful to feel real.
“Happy birthday, Serdin Vivi.”
Royce placed his flower-scented hand gently atop my head.
“Did you know? That today is my birthday?”
Was this what ducal households were like? Did they always give such extravagant gifts?
Wherever he found out, he knew it was my birthday.
I’d never received such a bouquet.
Overwhelmed, I hugged the flowers and ran back into my room.
“Thank you. Where should I even put these? They’re big enough to plant in a garden.”
As I stood there, hugging them, Royce remained by the entrance.
“Senior?”
He looked flustered.
Oh, was this not for me?
“Ah, sorry.”
I tried handing it back, but his expression grew even more surprised.
“Why are you giving it back?”
“It’s really mine?”
“Of course.”
I smiled again, feeling happy.
Royce, his cheeks slightly pink, reached out to touch my flushed face.
“Have you been drinking?”
“With my classmates. We had a party today.”
I giggled softly.
Royce looked closely at my face.
Come to think of it, his face seemed pink too.
When I stared at him, he gazed at me vacantly.
“Senior?”
His eyes suddenly trembled.
He covered his face with one hand.
What was wrong?
“Serdin… shall we step outside for a moment?”
“Why?”
With his head lowered, he murmured,
“Because… I feel like I’m losing myself from the scent of these flowers.”
