Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: The Secret Meaning of the Gift
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"Nngh..."
The birthday gift from the Young Master was undoubtedly a wonderful thing, but it left me with one troubling issue.
Just what did the gift he gave me mean?
Of course, a birthday gift naturally carries congratulations.
But had the Young Master put only congratulations into it?
Up until last year, as bitter as it was to admit, I would have thought he picked it out without much thought.
Back then, he'd openly ask what I wanted, and the gifts were whatever was trending that year, so I didn't read too much into them.
But this year?
This year was different.
He didn't ask what I wanted. He prepared it in secret.
It was the first time he'd made something himself, and the first time it deviated from trends to carry a specific theme.
The way he fidgeted the whole time he handed it over, anxious about my reaction—it'd been ages since I'd seen that.
And the most decisive clue of all: the books on his desk.
'Special' person.
Those words brought back his meaningful remark from months ago when he'd given me the necklace, stirring up hopes I tried to suppress.
What kind of "special person" was written about in those books?
Why had the Young Master gone so far as to look up "flower language" and study flower combinations?
And what did the combination of comb, mirror, and hair tie signify?
These questions hit me belatedly, one after another, driving me mad.
I could just ask him directly, and it'd be settled in an instant. But judging by the mood, he wouldn't answer honestly even if I did.
If he were the type to explain when asked, he'd have told me already.
No, the moment he'd voice the meaning hidden in his heart would be right at the very last second, dragging it out until the finale.
So it was up to me to figure it out myself—but that wasn't easy.
Even as the Young Master's close aide, I was fundamentally a commoner.
The noble culture I picked up from eavesdropping had its limits.
And the noble culture I learned from being at the Young Master's side... well, even exaggerating, it wasn't vast.
Asking someone else for help was an option, but who? There was no one suitable.
The Earl and the Young Earl weren't people I could approach casually, and the Lady of the House—the one I had some pretext for—was away at the estate tending to the Young Earl's wife's recovery.
If even the family I served was out of reach, others were even more impossible.
But I needed help in this bind.
After much agonizing, I slipped out of the workshop and headed to the servants' waiting room. Closing my eyes tight, steeling myself for the rudeness, I approached the one person I could somewhat approach privately.
"Lady Sera."
"Emily? What's wrong?"
I rarely came to this room unless it was something important, and now here I was shuffling over nervously, calling her name with a tense face. Sera blinked in surprise and met my eyes.
"It's not a problem or anything... I just have some personal questions. Would it be okay to ask a few...?"
"Of course. What is it? I'll answer anything I can."
"Do you know much about flower language?"
"Flower language? Oh... you mean that trend from the Romayon Kingdom?"
"Mm..."
I furrowed my brow, searching my memory.
Romayon...
I wasn't certain, but I thought I'd seen a similar name in one of the books on the Young Master's desk.
"It's the thing where flowers are given special meanings, right?"
"I know a little about that."
"Then could you tell me about flower language?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
I flashed a relieved smile and bowed deeply to Sera.
Flowers were so varied, she probably didn't know everything, but knowing some to speculate from was worlds apart from guessing blind.
Besides, if even Sera couldn't help, there'd be no one left to ask, so I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
"But why the sudden interest in flower language, Emily?"
"Well... the Young Master gave me a gift, and I'm curious if it has any meaning..."
"Hmmm~"
Sera let out a knowing hum, her lips curling into a sly grin as she eyed me meaningfully.
"Too many ears here... Shall we move to the break room and chat?"
"Uh... sure..."
Facing Sera's playful expression, regret suddenly washed over me.
Come to think of it, she even teased Her Imperial Highness sometimes...
"Gulp..."
Anxiety surged, drying my mouth.
Did I... pick the right person to confide in...?
"Now, can you show me what gift the Howard Young Lord gave you?" "Just a moment, please." Sera dove straight into the topic the moment we sat in the break room, staring at me with barely contained excitement. I wondered if it warranted this much excitement, but I couldn't criticize my helper. Instead, I soothed her, untied the scrunchie from my hair, and placed the mirror and comb from my pocket on the table. "These are the gifts I got this morning. This one's a hair tie called a scrunchie." "You were already wearing it? You must like it." "That's part of it, but... he put it on me himself, so it felt awkward to take it off right away." "Getting along so well from the morning... Making me jealous..." "Ha, haha..." Sera's eyes flashed fiercely for a split second. I averted my gaze with an awkward laugh, and she crossed her arms, pursing her lips slightly before speaking. "But why take off the scrunchie? It suits you perfectly. No reason to remove it." "It's too nice to wear casually..." "Fair enough. If there's only one." "I have two more." "You're in deep too, huh~" "......" Even I thought so. If others saw it that way, my ears burned with embarrassment. "What makes this gift so special?" "It's my birthday today, so the Young Master remembered." "Oh my, happy birthday." "Thank you." "It's rare for a noble to remember a maid's birthday... Has he always kept track?" "Yes, even when I said it was fine, he never missed one." "Hmmm~" Sera's eyes narrowed. She delicately raised her right hand, resting it lightly on her cheek, and tapped thoughtfully with her finger. "...Emily, mind if I take a closer look at the gifts?" "Of course. Feel free to handle them." "Thanks." With my permission, Sera carefully picked up the items, turning them this way and that, examining them intently. She paid extra attention to the scrunchie, tilting her head in various expressions as she inspected it. "Tsk..." Finally, with a light click of her tongue, she set the scrunchie down and met my eyes, brow furrowed. "It's... intriguing." "Intriguing? What do you mean?" "The comb and mirror are off-the-shelf items, nothing special there. Across the sea, combs carry weight as gifts, but it's not common here. Probably matched to the hair tie's theme." "I see." "So the real meaning's in the scrunchie..." "Gulp..." Tension built as Sera trailed off hesitantly. I licked my lips, swallowed hard, and stared at hers, waiting for them to move. "I don't know." "!" She doesn't know! Such a shocking answer... "...Pardon?" A beat late, I processed it and stuck my head forward like a turtle, dumbfounded. "I can't tell what it means. Or rather... it's ambiguous?" "...?" "From what I know, it's one of two things." Sera held up two fingers, then folded one down. "He just picked pretty flowers." "Mm..." "No real evidence, but considering the Howard Young Lord's personality, he might've gone light on something like this. Not likely, but possible." I doubted he'd research flower language just for that, but I couldn't outright deny it. He was deep in some ways, shallow in others... "Then... what's the other possibility?" "A confession. A pretty passionate declaration of love, even." "......" My breath caught. As I flapped my mouth for words, Sera pointed at the scrunchie and continued. "Looking at the embroidered flowers: lavender means waiting or confession, soapwort is impossible love, freesia is friendship or gratitude, hydrangea is caprice or unrequited love, and rose is love or beauty." "Ah..." "Freesia stands out a bit, but the rest align consistently, right?" "Y-Yeah." My lips twitched. It felt like a stretch, but recalling the necklace... maybe it fit. No, I wanted it to fit. He kept leaving openings, so a little hope couldn't hurt. "Oh my, Emily, aren't you thrilled? You two getting so sticky behind closed doors." Sera dropped her serious demeanor, gleefully teasing me for her 'interpretation fee.' "It's not like that...!" I waved my hands in flustered denial, but she propped her chin, gazing warmly, unwilling to let go. "Then what is it?" "W-Well... it's..." I wanted to argue, but the greedy Emily in my heart kept clogging my throat, refusing denial. No excuses came. Watching me, Sera raised a brow, nodded knowingly, and waved dismissively with a magnanimous smile. "It's fine. I get it without you saying." "No, that's not...!" "Sigh~ Her Imperial Highness needs to step it up. The gap's widening, and I'm worried she'll cause a scene someday." "D-Don't tease." "Emily, you look so prim and proper, but you're quite the vixen deep down?" "Ugh...!" Sera was fully fired up now. Neither the Imperial Princess nor the Young Master was here—I had no way to stop her. "Give Her Imperial Highness a lecture on vixen tricks later." "Agh, it's not like thaaat...!" All I could do was blush crimson, tremble in mortification, and wait for Sera to be satisfied.