Episode 39. Chapter 5. Flower Farm (9)
Asha had long wanted to observe this place, but since it belonged to no one else but Vaihartz, getting permission wasn’t easy.
“I heard there’s a legend about this lake,” Yuriel said.
Asha looked at her in surprise.
Yuriel met her gaze and smiled warmly before continuing.
“They say you have deep knowledge of history. If you’re also interested in legends, please feel free to visit here anytime.”
“That would be wonderful for me,” Asha replied.
She should have politely declined once, but her happiness showed, and she nodded right away.
The Grand Duchess seemed to read her heart perfectly. Even Andria didn’t know about Asha’s interest in this lake.
“Sometimes, legends become history,” Yuriel added.
Since meeting Akrun, she had learned about his family and the West. Through her own experiences, Yuriel realized that legends could indeed become history.
“I’ve never met someone who thinks the same way as I do,” Asha said in awe.
“Really? I’m glad. To think I share such thoughts with a refined lady like you.”
Yuriel was genuinely happy and asked if someday Asha could tell her more about the history of the West.
Asha was so surprised that all she could do was nod.
The Grand Duchess was like magic itself—almost as if she had the power to make people fall for her.
“Then let’s just walk to that area and go back,” Yuriel suggested.
The lake was too vast to circle completely, so the ladies decided to walk only up to where the types of flowers changed and then return.
As they walked, they enjoyed the scenery and chatted softly about various topics related to their fields.
But strangely, Shine didn’t join in. She didn’t look at the lake or join the conversation—she only kept sneaking glances at Yuriel.
“Lady Shine?” Yuriel suddenly called.
“Yes?”
Shine froze at once, her face stiff and cold.
‘Oh no. Again,’ the other ladies thought, clicking their tongues inwardly.
Ever since she was a child, Shine had trained with her knight father. Her hair was always cut short, her skin was dark from training outside daily, and freckles dotted her face.
As she grew, her limbs lengthened, and she became taller than most men. Combined with her blank expression and lack of emotional display, misunderstandings followed her everywhere.
And because she was so shy, once a misunderstanding happened, it was nearly impossible to clear it up.
“You’ve been looking at me for a while,” Yuriel said gently.
Shine’s face hardened even more.
The ladies who knew her understood she was just flustered—but the Grand Duchess probably didn’t.
At a past party, another young lady had burst into tears, thinking she had offended Shine, just because of that same stern expression.
“Your Grace…” Shine muttered.
She was a kind soul, but her stoic look always betrayed her.
Bionce, aware of her history, was about to intervene and pull Yuriel away from Shine—when Yuriel spoke again.
“Do you like my hairpin, perhaps?”
“What?”
Everyone except Yuriel and Shine blinked in confusion.
Yuriel acted as though nothing about Shine’s stiff, cold aura bothered her. She simply wanted to confirm her guess.
“N-no, not at all,” Shine stammered, lips twitching.
Yet even as she denied it, her eyes kept darting toward the jeweled pin holding Yuriel’s hair in place.
‘So it’s true,’ Yuriel thought.
And indeed, the jeweled hairpin was unusually pretty.
The truth was, Shine loved anything cute or pretty.
But people always mocked her, saying it didn’t suit someone like her—a tall knight-in-training who wielded swords.
No one had ever noticed this side of Shine. Not once.
“Would you bend down for a moment?” Yuriel suddenly asked.
Before Shine realized it, Yuriel was standing close.
Flustered, Shine bent down—her tall frame making it awkward.
Yuriel’s pale, delicate hand brushed aside Shine’s short hair and pinned it with the jeweled clip, tidying her loose strands.
Then she stepped back, looked at Shine, and smiled.
“So cute.”
Shine’s tanned face flushed bright red.
“It looks even better on you than on me. Would you accept it?” Yuriel said kindly.
Shine’s mouth opened and closed, unable to form words.
‘Did she just call me cute?’
It was something she hadn’t heard since childhood.
Everyone saw her as tall, stern, and intimidating—never cute.
But Yuriel’s words kept echoing in her head like little cherubs circling above: So cute. So cute. So cute.
“Y-you really mean it?” Shine finally asked, voice trembling.
Bionce squinted, suspicious—was Yuriel mocking her?
But the Grand Duchess’s pure, gentle face held no trace of mockery.
“Yes, of course,” Yuriel replied simply.
Only then did she realize the silence around them and feel embarrassed.
“Ah, I’m sorry if I offended you by giving something I was already using.”
She quickly apologized, but the odd atmosphere didn’t fade.
This was Yuriel’s first time meeting Shine.
At first, she worried—could she get along with someone who looked so serious? But soon she realized Shine was different from appearances.
Shine seemed to really like small, pretty things. Even during teatime earlier, she had stared at the tea set longer than anyone.
‘She must like the cups,’ Yuriel thought.
But it wasn’t just the cups. The cookies served with tea were tiny and adorable, decorated with jams that sparkled like jewels.
Even the ladies who didn’t enjoy sweets praised them.
Yet Shine had stared at the cookies so intently, as if enchanted.
Yuriel understood—Shine wasn’t suspicious of poison. She simply liked how cute they were.
‘She really must love cute things.’
Yuriel noticed again while walking—Shine would stop briefly when spotting small, delicate flowers.
Her expression never changed, but her eyes sparkled.
It was the gaze of an ordinary girl who simply liked beautiful things.
Though Shine walked the path of a swordswoman, to Yuriel she seemed more like a shy girl who loved flowers.
‘So Lady Shine is younger than me,’ Yuriel realized.
No wonder she felt drawn to her.
Back in the capital, Yuriel had always envied close sisters.
But she and Fiona had never shared that bond.
‘When we were little, I tried so hard,’ Yuriel remembered.
She had put effort into being a good sister, but Fiona only saw her as useless and unworthy.
‘If only I had a younger sister like this.’
Looking at Shine, that small dream stirred again.
“You feel like a younger sister to me, Lady Shine,” Yuriel admitted honestly.
Thinking of Fiona no longer hurts. Realizing this surprised Yuriel herself.
Around her, the atmosphere softened. The strange stares from before had faded.
“I was just… surprised, because no one ever said that to me,” Shine finally spoke.
Her voice broke the silence. Though still shaken, she didn’t want Yuriel to be treated strangely because of her.
‘Unbelievable,’ the other ladies thought.
Even this small response shocked them. Shine usually avoided speaking up—her words too often led to misunderstandings.
If not for Andria’s suggestion, she never would have attended.
‘It will be fine,’ Andria had assured them.
And indeed, she was right.
“Really?” Yuriel asked, surprised.
Shine’s blush deepened.
Perhaps this was what Andria meant all along.
People of different ages and backgrounds were now forming bonds—thanks to Andria’s keen insight.
She truly had an eye for people.
