Who could LeBlin, an orphan, possibly give a carnation to as a gift?
The only person left was Duke Dobled.
“Oh!”
The followers screamed as if they had finally found a lifeline.
“Look! Our Happy Owner!”
“Cloves!”
“It is the only one! She will give you cloves!”
The followers welcomed Carnation LeBlin, looking ready to jump for joy.
The Duke paused in front of me and looked kindly at me.
I twisted my hands, my face shy. *I thought the word “cloves” was just an excuse for them to fall behind in the struggle for power.*
I had been offended by what they said because I had no experience with such things.
It seemed like something useless to receive.
Still, it wasn't too bad to get them. *What mistake did I commit?*
The Duke's eyes on me were extremely intense.
*Is he angry because I spent too much money in the store?*
*Or did he notice that whenever I draw him in my sketchbook, I always give him horns?*
*Why are you looking at me like this?* My insides were burning with anxiety, while the followers continued to smile.
“Do you have them?”
“Did you buy cloves for me?”
“Yes!”
My followers were thrilled when I answered.
Then, the Duke's mouth wrinkled.
*Wow, he looks even more terrifying today.* I grabbed Nos's leg, but the henchmen smiled and gently pushed me back.
“What is your opinion? Should she deliver them now?”
“Yes, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it?”
I knew I had bought the cloves, but it felt weird to procrastinate.
*This is the first time I'm giving him cloves, so I feel a little embarrassed.* I twisted my hands.
The followers grew impatient and urged me, “Go ahead! Go ahead!”
The people around me parted like the Red Sea, leaving a straight line leading to the Duke.
I shyly took out the cloves.
I gave them to Leah.
“! ...”
“! ...”
“Oh, my God.”
Leah closed her mouth, looking as if she never expected to receive them.
*Since I gave you these, you'll give me more snacks, right?*
Leah bent her knees in front of me, tears in her eyes.
“Are you... are you really giving these to me?”
“Nia is too kind.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Leah, I like you. Thank you.”
“Thank you, little miss! I will keep them close to my chest!” Leah hugged me, rubbing her face against my neck.
But something was strange.
*Why is the air around my head so cold?*
I looked back, wondering what was happening.
Except for the maids and me, the men were looking alternately at the carnations and the Duke with bluish faces.
“LeBlin,” the Duke called.
“Yes?”
“Mine.”
“...?”
“Do you not have any for me?”
“Yes!”
*I didn't buy any because I thought you would be upset with me. I did the right thing, didn't I?*
The Duke wiggled his eyebrows as I laughed in Leah's arms.
For some reason, I stared at the henchmen. Their faces were terrified, pale as they swallowed dry saliva.
That evening, an order abolishing Thanksgiving Day was issued immediately by the Duke of Dobled.
Leah wore a red carnation on her chest all day.
Every time I looked in the mirror, I felt so happy.
Of course, I felt good because Leah was happy.
*Leah's group gave me light meals.* I was very happy because I ate snacks until my stomach was full. Then, Nos came to see me.
“Are we going?”
“Today is the day I am supposed to tell the Empress Dowager how I am doing.”
“Yes!”
Nos laughed, and I answered out loud.
“You were very courageous this time.”
I nodded, my cheeks bouncing.
When Nos saw this, he extended his hand.
He seemed to want to touch my cheek.
But suddenly, the maids jumped in and blocked him.
“Oh no... I'm in trouble!”
Nos lowered his hand roughly as the maids shouted with disapproving looks.
“We have a list!”
As Linda put it, the other maids stepped in with looks of disapproval.
“You have one chance per week, and you must walk away within two seconds.”
“If I touch her for too long, her sensitive skin cannot bear it.”
*When was this rule established?*
I looked at the maids with a puzzled expression.
Unlike me, Nos nodded his head.
“I understand. I almost committed a grave error.”
They quickly discussed the matter with wary faces.
“You must wait three weeks!”
Nos looked at the list.
“Wait three weeks?”
“I will give you a fast pass. However, according to the command, a fine is necessary, or you must wait for a month.”
“Are there really that many people waiting?”
The maids snorted at Nos's words.
“Our baby girl's cheeks are the most beautiful, nice, and softest in the world.”
“Everyone wants to touch them!”
“Of course they do.”
If you're human, you can't help but feel it.
Nos shook his head vehemently again, but I startled him.
“Let's go!”
He didn't react until he heard me and came back to his senses. “Oh, yes.”
I walked down the hall to the Duke's office.
There was a pile of things in the hall, and the staff were frantically organizing them.
When I looked at them with a strange expression, Nos said, “We are arranging gifts for the Emperor's birthday party.”
Thinking about it, the nobles were always busy preparing gifts at this time of year.
The Duke of Amity, the father from my first life who had no interest in me, usually gave polite, small gifts.
But the Duke of Valois used to borrow money just to prepare a gift.
At such times, he would throw money at the Emperor, but he was incredibly stingy with others.
Especially with me.
When I was the daughter of the Duke of Valois, I once bought a rather expensive fountain pen.
At that time, the Duke of Valois was so angry that he locked me in the attic for three days.
Trapped in an old, dark attic, I trembled and cried for my mistake.
I remember hearing Valois's second son ask the eldest son:
“Brother, does Father allow you to purchase pens and ink?”
“Why not? It makes Father and Mother happy, so they asked me to buy them. What parent doesn't love children who ask for school supplies?”
“But why did he reprimand LeBlin?”
“Because she isn't his real daughter.”
That was when I realized I wasn't their child, and that I had to try desperately even for trivial things.
*Now, I must do things the Duke of Dobled likes.* If I don't behave well, my adoption might be revoked.
Thinking of this, I entered the Duke's office.
The Duke, who was sitting at his desk, sensed my presence and raised his head.
The silver-rimmed glasses he wore to read documents matched his blue eyes perfectly, leaving me tongue-tied.
But was it because of the glasses?
Somehow, he seemed more ferocious than usual today.
When I clung to Nos's leg, Nos smiled awkwardly.
He sat me on the Duke's couch and whispered so the Duke wouldn't hear.
“He isn't angry with you.”
“I think he is angry about something else...” Nos said with a tearful look.
*What the hell?*
“Someone please tell me why he bought two sets of cloves!”
Ah...
Only then did I realize the truth and was amazed.
All the funds I used in the store belonged to Dobled.
It must have been very expensive because I chose so many things.
*Is he upset because of the cost?*
*I bought them for Leah, but I used the Duke's money.*
I only had to buy two carnations.
He seems to really like cloves.
But that has already passed.
*Let's do something to please him instead.*
Was there anything I knew that could help the Duke?
As I struggled to think, I saw something on the sofa table.
Inside a luxurious jewelry box was a stone.
*Why is a stone kept in such a luxury box?*
I tilted my head in curiosity.
Suddenly, my lungs tightened.
Nos's voice broke, and I felt the speed of the world around me slow down noticeably.
It was as if time was passing differently for me than for the rest of the world.
A swarm of light flowed over the black stone and quickly dispersed to form a line.
It soon became a six-pointed star with two triangles crossing it.
A chill ran up my spine in an instant.
*Peep!*
Something entered my mind.
[Float...]
[You...]
[My will...]
It was a sound that seemed to seep straight into my head without passing through my ears.
It was too small to be heard, yet powerful.
[My baby girl.]
Only then did Nos's crushed voice and slow gestures return to their original state.
Nos muttered in a steely voice, “Did you feel that? Was there an earthquake?”
But the vibrations faded in an instant.
The Duke pulled back the curtains and looked out the window.
“Send an exploratory journey to Mount Rub. Perhaps that was a sign of a volcanic eruption.”
“Yes.”
While the Duke and Nos were talking, I pressed my chest with a pale face.
My heart was beating so fast that I couldn't breathe.
What on earth is this?
The bright light that fell upon me, and this voice that keeps echoing in my head.
The voice from the stone called to me anxiously.
My hand moved toward the stone as if guided by a will of its own.
It was like a magnet.
And when the stone entered my hand...
“...”
It collapsed in an instant.
Only then did I come to my senses, my lips parting in complete surprise.
*What? What? What!*
Startled, I looked at the Duke and Nos.
*What do I do! What do I do!*
Nos was shocked to see the remains of the rock fluttering through the cracks in my hand.
For the first time, the Duke's eyes widened in surprise.