A very short chapter, and hey everyone, happy new year!
Sorry for the 1 week schedule slip, I was uh… incapacitated after the holidays, hahaha.
TN: Toasty
ED: Toasty
The spring sunlight is warm. If you stay still, the gentle sunlight will take you to the world of dreams.
I might be thinking about this even more because someone was dozing off on my back.
「Flora, I’ll wake you up when we get there.」
「Hmm, but it’s just a little bit more……?」
I realized that there were vibrations coming from behind me, interrupting her eyelids that were about to close, and I can’t help but smile at her.
We’re on the way to the secret garden, or rather, the self-study garden for apprentice gardeners. Although it is on the Ernest family grounds, there’s some distance from the residence area to the garden. Flora, who’s four years old, would have been exhausted by the time she arrived, so I’m carrying her on my back.
「Zack, are you okay?」
「That’s right. Don’t push yourself too hard, just leave it to me.」
「I’m fine. If I’m tired, I can rely on you.」
I respond to the worried voice of Ojou and the strong voice of Pochi, her escort.
It’s true that a four year old kid is heavy, but I’m almost twelve years old and my body is a little bit more mature, so it’s not a problem. Pochi boasts he can do what I can, but the physical difference between people two years apart is noticeable at the age, so it might be a little difficult for him to carry Flora on his back.
When Pochi was first taught about the self-study garden, he made a fuss about it being an abuse of authority, but kept quiet after being offered cookies as hush money.
For some reason, Pochi, a noble, seemed to like the commoner cookies, which were different from the ones he usually tasted. I guess because they are cut out of a mug and are larger, they are more satisfying to eat than cookies for nobles. For a growing man, quality is more important than quantity. I also choose the latter if it’s really delicious or if it’s reasonably delicious and I can eat enough to fill my stomach.
Ojou has also gained a lot of strength. Thinking about that, I glance at her. It’s common now, but until she was able to go back and forth between the self-study garden and the mansion without any trouble, she often took short breaks in between. I really doubted whether Ojou would have the stamina, but it seems like it wouldn’t be a problem since she uses her physical strength in dancing and the like.
Duke Ernest’s house is where I, Isaac Baumgartner, an apprentice gardener, work. Lydia von Ernest, the daughter of my employer, was the first person I showed the study garden I built, and since then, she has come to see it every time I have rebuilt it.
Several years have passed since I met Ojou, and the existence of the garden, which was supposed to be a secret, has become known to many people, including my friends, Ojou’s sister, and her bodyguards. That seems like proof that she isn’t alone, which is good to me.
As I was thinking about this, incidentally I made eye contact with Ojou who was looking at me. Her pale blue eyes sparkle in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
「……wh, what is it?」
As if she didn’t think I was watching, she gave me a reproachful look. Her cheeks turned a little red, maybe because she was angry.
「No…… I’m happy.」
I followed her sparkling eyes with my own and gave a response that lacked explanation. So, Ojou tilted he head in suspicion.
「What is it?」
「A lot of things.」
Even though I knew that Ojou wouldn’t be satisfied with that answer, I answered with a tone of satisfaction.
If I explain it in detail, Ojou will probably get angry at me for treating her like a child. However, I know a time when Ojou was working hard on her own. That’s why I’m satisfied with the current situation where Ojou’s younger sister is with her and there are people who recognize her efforts even though they are her bodyguards.
Ojou, who seemed offended because I wasn’t giving her a proper answer, turned away.
While we were having this conversation, we arrived at our destination. I covered Flora with a large cloth and slipped through the gap in the hedge. Ojou puts on Pochi’s hooded cloak and sneaks under the fence and Pochi followed us.
After I pass through the hedge and take the cloth, I set Flora down. Then, Flora let out a shout and started running around.
「Waaah, the garden is so big!」
Flora approaches the nearest potted plant and bends down to look at it in its entirety.
「It’s Rabbit-san!」
「This is all Zack’s……?」
While Flora was having fun holding up a carved wooden rabbit, Ojou put her hand to her mouth and gave me a slightly surprised look. Then she looks around at the scattered potted plants.
「The old man at the garden shop sold it to me cheap.」
Potted plants may break during the transportation process. So, I asked an old man who works as a gardener to sell me some broken and chipped potted plants because he was having trouble disposing of them.
I fill the broken potted plant with soil, and cut off the chipped pieces to prevent it from collapsing. I can create a small garden by combining succulents and broom grass that are easy to scatter there with small, colorful flowers. If I place a small wooden house on the top or add carved wooden animals, I can create a picture book-like world.
If I plant the lapis lazuli arabesques and the star pupils together, the pale blue flowers of different sizes will create a warm hue like the blue sky in spring, and contrast the deep blue-purple of the perennial grass of the lapis lazuli. If I sprinkle yellow grass and grass, it will look like a starry sky.
When I surrounded potted plants of deep orange daisies and bright yellow red and yellow grasses with colorful wisteria flowers, the red and yellow grasses were less abundant than I expected. When the white-leafed white chrysanthemums and the cotton cedar chrysanthemums are sprinkled with pink peach-colored cold tiger canes, they look like lights and lamps dotting the snowy fields. After a while, the pink color will fade and it will turn white, so the dark green leaves will stand out.
By scattering them around the fountain, I hope it will make her feel like she’s are walking through the world of the story. In my previous life, when I was a kid, I played a game where I had to cross various planets, so I used that image to create a different atmosphere for each bowl.
「Is this Rabbit-san’s house?」
「I wonder, huh? What does Flora think?」
「Umm, umm, it’s the owner of Rabbit-san’s house.」
「Then, what about this?」
「Ah, Rabbit-san’s friend!」
She asked me about the small tree house at the top of the potted garden, so I asked Flora back. Children this age have rich imaginations, so I’m sure they’ll be able to come up with much better stories than I can think of. Pointing to the potted garden next to her, Flora headed towards it, still holding a carved wooden rabbit. She also left the other carved wooden animals there, it seems that Flora has become friends with the rabbit.
Ojou watches with a smile as Flora jumps from one potted plant to another.
「Flora looks like she’s having fun.」
「What about Ojou? Is it to your liking?」
「Yes, it’s cute and wonderful.」
「I see.」
Ojou, who was admiring the garden with potted plants, answered my question honestly. It was clear from her expression that there was no lie in her words.
When I saw Ojou’s mouth curling into a smile, I smiled too.
Moments like this are the best. As far as I know from my memories of my previous life, even if Ojou is a rival in an otome game, that doesn’t matter to me as I don’t appear as a mob in the game. As long as the Ojou in front of her right now is smiling, that’s fine.
All I want to do from now on is to create a garden that will make Ojou smile.
「What!? Why are you looking at me?」
Ojou, who was looking at the garden, and Flora, noticed my gaze and turned towards me. Immediately, her face turned bright red.
「Eh. I like seeing Ojou smile.」
It’s normal to look at the reactions of the people who see the garden I’ve crated. I’m sure I’ll be happy if I can make them happy.
When I immediately answer, Ojou bit her lip. She trembles, as if she’s holding something back. The blush on her cheeks seemed to increase eveen further.
When I tilt my head to see what’s wrong, she glared at me.
「Why is Zack always like that!?」
「What??」
「Just close your mouth already!」
「Lydia-sama is right. It is your fault.」
「Eh—」
I was scolded by Ojou for some reason. Pochi agrees with her. Well, Pochi has no choice but to obey Ojou. But if he’s like me, he probably doesn’t understand why Ojou is angry.
「Onee-samaaa, Isaaaac, come heeere.」
Flora’s voice was heard, so Ojou regained her composure. She clears her throat and glances at me.
「Flora is calling, so it can’t be helped.」
Saying that, Ojou walked with a stride towards her sister. Thanks to Flora, I was able to escape the preaching course and followed Ojou.
There is nothing useful with remembering past lives. However, thanks to remembering my previous life, I feel like I can live a life with fewer regrets.
Let’s treasure these casual moments today and continue to see the smiles on Ojou’s face.
I took a step forward, thinking that it would be best not to anger Ojou as much as possible.
Not a whole lot to say, I think I’m happy for this sort of shorter vignette chapter compared to the absolute beast some of the other chapters have become.
My goal is to finish this one by the end of this year. I want to try to get back to that biweekly schedule, so here’s hoping.
See you all next chapter!
Toasty Translations 