Chapter 7
“Huh?”
“The birthday party for Duke Croyt is next weekend.”
“Oh…!”
She had completely forgotten.
‘How could I forget Uncle’s birthday?!’
Riette felt a pang of guilt.
After all, every year she received extravagant gifts from the Duke.
Last year, he even gave her a pure white, elegant horse as a companion. It was so fast and agile that she named it Atom…
“Did you prepare a gift?”
At Duchess Meren’s question, Riette shook her head.
After all, she was only fourteen, and every year she had given Duke Croyt gifts that were all heart and no use—like origami cranes.
Yet the Duke had always been genuinely delighted.
‘It’s too late this time to make anything…’
Last year, she had carved a wooden figure of his face for his birthday.
…He just didn’t realize it was supposed to be him.
“Thank you, Riette! It’s clearly Evan!”
“Yes… that’s right.”
He looked so happy that she couldn’t bring herself to tell him he had been the model.
Feeling sorry for her struggling daughter, Duchess Meren offered a hint.
“How about a drawing as a gift, Riette?”
“But don’t you remember how angry he got when I drew that portrait of you?”
“Oh… that’s true…”
Though Riette was bright and athletic, she completely lacked artistic sense.
She was, quite literally, “all thumbs.”
“…What if I baked a cake?”
“He said the one you made last time tasted like poison.”
“Sorry about that…”
The Duchess bowed her head in apology, but then suddenly brightened with an idea.
“Flowers!”
“Flowers?”
“It’s dahlia season.”
Dahlia…? It was a flower name Riette had never heard before.
“Dahlias are a kind of chrysanthemum. The late Duchess Croyt adored them.”
Hmm… Is that so?
“Would that really be enough?”
“The Duke loves anything that comes from you, doesn’t he?”
Riette nodded.
Even if she couldn’t put in much personal effort this time, she should at least find something the Duke would truly like.
On a sunny afternoon, a girl with flowing red hair galloped on her white horse, turned to glance behind her, and smiled triumphantly.
‘Still far behind, huh?’
The finish line was just ahead—the lower stream of the Artrenta River. Riette spurred her horse on.
The scenery rushed past, and in her mind, she could already hear the fanfare of victory.
‘Almost…!’
At last, she passed the finish line marked by an old tree. As she wiped away her sweat, she cried out—
“Phew! I won—”
“Sorry, Riette.”
From behind the tree, Evan stepped out.
“What the—? I saw you way behind me!”
“I took a different route midway.”
She had assumed he’d fallen behind because he disappeared, but that wasn’t it at all!
“The path was too narrow—I thought we might crash. So I went around.”
She was surprised that he had known of another route and even more so that he had taken the longer way, watered his horse, and still arrived first.
“Do you carry a map around in your head or something?”
“You know me, Riette. Once I see something, I never forget it.”
His tone was as calm as someone stating, “Mountains are mountains, and water is water.”
If it were arrogance, she could’ve argued. But she knew it was true.
Riette got off her horse with a sulky expression.
“Move. I need to give Atom water.”
She couldn’t help but feel the growing gap between her and Evan.
In height, body, stamina—every physical aspect.
She knew it was inevitable, but the strange sense of defeat whenever she looked up at Evan always left a bitter taste.
‘Hmm.’
That thought made her want to look down at him again for once.
Riette tied Atom to a post and climbed up a nearby apple tree.
“Riette?”
“You’d better be grateful, Evan! I’m picking apples for you!”
Since childhood, Riette had loved climbing trees. She was a natural.
Evan, though timid as a child, had always followed her up into the branches.
But now, with that big frame of his, there was no way he could follow.
High in the tree, she pretended to pick apples while actually enjoying the view down at Evan.
There was a hint of worry on his face.
“Riette, that looks dangerous.”
Seven years of tree-climbing—she had never fallen. Even monkeys sometimes fall, but Riette didn’t.
She reached for two red apples.
After wiping one on her clothes—
“Here!”
—she threw it to Evan, and took a big bite of the other.
“Delicious!”
Fresh from sweating, the juice tasted even sweeter.
“…Aren’t you coming down?”
But Evan didn’t eat the apple. He just kept looking up at her.
The view of Evan from above was thrilling.
‘Hmm… was his nose always that sharp?’
Apparently, he hadn’t just grown in size. His nose, jawline—they’d grown sharper too.
Riette realized just how much time had passed and finished the last bite of the apple’s pale flesh.
Still, Evan just stared up at her, apple untouched.
‘Do I owe him money or something?’
Confused by his gaze, Riette placed a foot down to start climbing down—
“Please be careful!”
“Don’t worry, Evan. I’m better than any monkey at—”
Her voice cut off mid-boast.
She had slipped.
She braced for the pain of crashing to the ground—
“…?”
“…?”
She opened her eyes—and found Evan right in front of her.
No, not in front—beneath her. Their noses were practically touching.
“AAAAAH!”
Realizing what happened, Riette jumped off him in panic.
He had been way behind—how had he gotten there so fast?!
“Riette.”
Evan’s low voice made her gulp in tension. His tone was different from usual.
“Y-yeah?”
“I told you it was dangerous!”
He shouted.
In the past, she would’ve yelled right back—Who are you yelling at?—but fourteen-year-old Evan rarely expressed emotion so strongly.
Which meant—he was really mad.
And he confirmed that by walking away and mounting his horse.
Even in his movements, she could see the anger.
She’d been with him for seven years—she didn’t need words to read his mood anymore.
And she also knew what to do in times like this.
“Evan.”
Riette stepped in front of his horse. His black eyes were dark and brooding.
“I’ll be more careful from now on.”
That was all she said.
Evan would know from that much that she felt remorse.
“…Haa.”
Just as expected, his stiff expression softened.
“Riette.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t ever do that again.”
She wanted to say no way, but since he cushioned her fall, she kept her mouth shut this time.
“My heart dropped when I saw you falling.”
Sometimes, Evan acted like an overprotective parent. Kids grow up by falling and getting hurt!
Riette grumbled to herself.
“Let’s go, Riette.”
Just as she knew Evan well, he also knew her.
He knew how far he could push her, when to stop, and what would make her angry.
It was clear that if he said anything more, she’d snap.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Their horses slowly trotted along, the hoofbeats fading behind them.
They had raced hard earlier, so they were taking their time going back.
As the breeze turned cooler, Evan suddenly stopped.
“Huh?”
Following Evan’s gaze, Riette spotted it too.
A bright red flower was blooming in the distance.
“…Dahlia.”
Evan murmured, and Riette’s eyes widened.
“Dahlia?”
“You know dahlias, Riette?”
She scowled.
“Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I?!”
She had only learned about it a few days ago, but she had no intention of telling Evan that.
“It’s not a well-known flower, so I figured you wouldn’t. I only know because my mother liked them.”
“I heard that too.”
Riette nodded, then suddenly thought of something.
“What are you going to give the Duke for his birthday?”
“My father? Hmm…”
Evan genuinely seemed to have no idea.
Riette had expected that reaction.
As he grew, Evan’s relationship with the Duke had started to change.
Though the misunderstanding that the Duke hated him had been cleared up, Evan naturally began to grow curious about his mother.
But every time he asked, the Duke would shut down.
Evan began to feel that something was off about his father’s evasive responses.
One day, Evan told Riette,
“When I ask about my mother, my father always avoids answering.”
Seeing how troubled he looked, Riette had replied,
“Maybe it’s just too painful for him.”
After all, she might still be a painful memory for Duke Croyt.
He would sometimes tell Riette stories about his late wife—but perhaps it was different when it came to his own son.
“I don’t know… Sometimes I wonder if he really loved her.”
“What are you talking about? Of course he did. Why else would he have kept your mother’s room exactly the same for over ten years?”
Evan usually accepted her views, but not on this topic.
He reacted stubbornly, and that wall he built against his father only grew taller.
‘Is this… puberty?’
Otherwise, he couldn’t seriously believe such an absurd conspiracy theory for years.
Riette looked up at the darkening sky. The clear skies were gone, and storm clouds were gathering.
“Let’s hurry, Evan. It looks like it’s going to rain.”
At that time, Riette didn’t know.
She had no idea that this conversation… would soon bring a tremendous storm.
