“Miss!”
Thankfully, Rita showed up not long after Richt left.
Looking back, that glance toward the stairs must’ve been because she sensed Rita approaching.
I cried out her name and flung myself into her arms, bursting into tears.
Rita had no way of knowing what had happened, but instead of asking questions, she simply patted my back gently.
When the sobs finally quieted into sniffles, Rita pulled me away and swept aside my damp bangs with her hand.
…Oh no. I got tears and snot all over her clothes.
“Rita…”
“Feeling better now, Miss?”
I hated the way my nose sounded all stuffed up, but Rita didn’t seem to mind. She just calmly tucked my wavy hair behind my ears.
“You scared me, being here all alone.”
“…Sorry.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No…”
I had landed on my bottom, but it didn’t seem bruised or anything.
After crying my heart out, it felt like all the bad stuff had been washed away—like my mind had been rinsed clean.
“But what were you doing here instead of waiting in your room?”
“Well…”
Now that I was thinking more clearly, I started to wonder whether I should tell Rita about running into Elder Richt.
She clearly didn’t get along with him… Would I just be throwing oil on a fire?
If I told her, I might cause a fight.
If I didn’t, I’d feel guilty.
She also looked a bit upset that I didn’t wait like I was supposed to.
What do I do?
“Miss, please don’t keep anything from me. Whatever happened while I wasn’t with you is my responsibility to handle.”
“…”
The way she said it made it even harder to keep it secret.
Besides, even if I didn’t say anything, someone in this giant manor might’ve seen what happened.
It’d probably feel better for her to hear it from me directly than through someone else, right?
“…I met Elder Richt here.”
“Here? Really?”
“Yeah. There was a man and a woman with him too.”
“I think I know who they are.”
Just saying the genders was enough for her to guess? They must be stuck together like glue.
“What did Elder Richt say to you?”
Now came the hard part.
Should I tell the truth, or lie because I was scared?
Honestly, I wanted to spill everything.
But that warning he gave me—“Keep your eyes shut and ears closed if you want to survive”—still lingered in my head.
Yeah… Maybe I’ll tell Dad instead. That feels right.
“He didn’t say anything. I just got scared on my own.”
“…Really?”
“Mhm. Richt just… looks scary.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
Rita seemed unsure whether to believe me or not. Have I gotten better at lying?
“Rita, I wanna go see the pretty flowers now!”
“Ah, sure. Let’s go. They just finished setting everything up, it’s the perfect mood-lifter.”
“I’m soooo excited!”
I took Rita’s hand and got up, heading toward the garden.
Even though I felt guilty for lying, I pushed that feeling aside and focused on how amazing the garden must look now.
“Whoa! No way!”
As soon as the garden door opened, I couldn’t stop gasping in awe.
Was this really the garden I helped plan?
“It’s so pretty!”
Even standing right in front of it, it didn’t feel real.
The white swing in the center, the (still inactive) fountain, the four pathways branching out, and the flower beds arranged by color—all of it looked like a painting.
The sunlight streaming through the glass ceiling, the fluttering butterflies…
It was breathtaking.
And to think it all came from inside my head!
Sure, I didn’t draw it out—Rita helped me with that—and the guards did the planting but the plan was mine.
That alone meant the world to me.
It was something I could never do in my past life—or at least, never finish.
Everything I tried back then, I gave up halfway…
This had always been a lingering regret for me but now it felt like that burden had finally lifted.
No—it had lifted.
I made no effort to hide my excitement.
“Bodyguards!”
I ran straight to the five who were standing at nearby. Even the squeaking of my shoes couldn’t ruin my mood.
“Young lady, please be careful! You might fall!”
“Yeah! If the young lady gets a scratch, we’re dead!”
“Hey, don’t say that out loud to her!”
The captain kicked the shin of the one who said that, instantly silencing them all.
“Thank you sooo much!”
“…”
“I, Senika, am counting on you from now on!”
The five of them stood frozen for five whole seconds before they collectively burst into emotion.
Four of them started crying.
…Well, I guess that was my way of officially accepting them.
It was like saying, “I trust you with my safety.”
Feeling a little embarrassed, I scratched my warm cheeks and scurried back to Rita.
“Rita, I wanna show this to Daddy!”
***
“Daddy!”
I burst into his office without knocking again but Hale welcomed me without a hint of surprise.
Maybe because this wasn’t the first time.
“Senika, did you finish the garden?”
“Yup! It’s sooo pretty, I wanted to show you!”
“Should I go see it now?”
“There’s one more thing first.”
“What is it?”
I had a new idea on the way here, a plan to make even better memories.
Operation: Take Happy Garden Photos With Daddy!
I wasn’t sure if they had cameras here, but… I was going to ask anyway.
“Let’s take pictures in the garden!”
“Pictures?”
“Yeah! You and me, all dressed up and cute! We’ll keep the photos forever! You have a camera, right?”
Please, please say yes. I need this to work.
Hale walked over and picked me up.
His handsome face came close, and I inhaled sharply.
His face really never gets old.
“Why do you want a photo?”
“’Cause you’re handsome, and the flowers are pretty, and I wanna put all the pretty things together! And keep them forever!”
He blinked slowly, then smiled softly—almost… wistfully.
“You’re not planning to leave me, are you?”
“Huh? Why would I?”
There was sorrow in his voice.
Just as I was about to ask why he looked so sad, his expression brightened again—like nothing had happened.
“My little princess wants it, so I’ll make sure we’re ready to take pictures tomorrow.”
He bumped his forehead gently against mine and started walking to the garden.
When we arrived, the guards were still sweeping up the last bits of mess with Rita watching over them.
As soon as Hale and I entered, everyone rushed to line up—brooms in hand, wearing serious faces.
“Pffft!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
They didn’t say anything, but all their eyes turned to me. I got flustered and hugged Hale’s neck.
“Good work, everyone.”
“Yes, sir. Please enjoy your time together.”
Hale waved them off, and the guards vanished in a flash.
Rita closed the door behind her, and finally, it was just us.
I turned to look at Hale—and flinched slightly. Had he been watching me this whole time?
“Why are you startled?”
“Um… you’re just really close.”
“Better get used to it.”
Had I ever looked this closely at a father figure before?
…Well, once. When I was being scolded unfairly.
My previous life’s father had screamed at me after believing my brother’s lies, but this time was different.
Dad, I don’t know when I’ll stop being overwhelmed by your handsome face… but I’ll try.
“Okay.”
Hale adjusted his posture so I could see ahead.
I thought it’d be uncomfortable, but his sturdy arms and broad back were surprisingly secure.
From this height, I saw the garden from a new angle and it looked even more beautiful.
With white flowers—my favorite color and the color of our clan—as the focus, the garden matched the manor perfectly.
I snuck glances at Hale’s expression as we walked in silence. I was happy, but what if he didn’t like it?
When we reached the center, he set me down on the swing and sat beside me.
Time for the verdict.
I clenched my fists and stared at him.
“You did a great job.”
“Really?”
He turned his head to look at me.
With the sunlight framing his face, Hale looked like a radiant spirit.
His pale cheeks were tinged with pink, and his eyes held a wistfulness that made him look like a man in love.
His long silver hair brushed my cheek gently.
He looked like a god, like a one I wasn’t meant to see.
“I’m glad I trusted you with it.”
His hand gently brushed my curls—like a blessing.
At first, I thought I was making this garden for him, but now I realized something. This garden didn’t belong to me.
It belonged, unmistakably, to Hale.
“…Daddy, I’ll give it to you.”
“Hm? What?”
“The garden I worked so hard on. I’m giving it to you.”
It had never really been mine to begin with but I gave it to him anyway, like it was mine.
Hale smiled, brightly, like the sunlight behind him.
“Thank you, Senika.”
“Mhm! You look even prettier when you smile!”
“Really? Then I guess I’ll have to keep smiling, so I can keep you this happy.”
“And I’ll keep making you even happier, Daddy!”
