Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Black Flower
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After the meeting ended, Jin and I sorted through the documents.
And finally….
"Uwaaah! It's finally over."
The long, grueling task of organizing the old documents was perfectly complete.
Looking at the stacks of books in front of me, a swell of pride washed over me.
Having sorted all the free-form documents sent up from the Interior Ministry of the Grand Duchy.
"From now on, these forms should make things a lot easier, right?"
"Yeah. It's just a matter of classifying them now."
In the future, as long as they come up in the forms I created, I can just sort them by form name, which will speed up the work efficiency tremendously.
"Oh? It's quitting time now. Jin, you head on home."
I wanted to clock out too, but Luna had told me to come see her before she left, so I couldn't just go yet.
"By the way, why do you think Her Highness the Grand Duchess wants to see you, Secretary Aiden?"
"Beats me. Anyway, I've got to go see her."
As Jin and I stepped out of the office and were about to part ways,
Jin spoke up in a tone like he'd just remembered something.
"Oh! Right, at this time, she's probably at the training grounds."
"Training grounds?"
"Yes, you haven't been there yet, have you? I'll show you the way."
Jin, his eyes sparkling, led the way.
But….
Why were his eyes sparkling like that?
There'd been more than a few odd moments with this guy before.
Why does he like me so much?
Ever since I became Guard Commander, he'd always been friendly toward me.
At first, I thought it was out of respect, but maybe it wasn't?
I mean, what guy gazes at another guy with shining eyes?
This kid… is he into guys or something?
Jin had been giving me those uncomfortably intense looks for a while.
I'd heard he was dating some cook from the Grand Duchy….
On a hunch, I asked,
"What happened to that girlfriend of yours from last time?"
Jin blinked rapidly at my question.
"Huh? Who?"
"You know, the one who cooks in the Grand Duchy."
He paused for a moment, deep in thought.
"You mean Emily? Or is it Ellie?"
"Huh? I'm talking about your girlfriend. What are you on about?"
Jin looked puzzled as he asked back,
"There are only two girlfriends who cook in the Grand Palace."
"What?"
I felt like I'd heard something bizarre.
"But who are you talking about?"
"The one… who gave you chocolate."
At my words, Jin's face lit up.
"Oh! You mean Ellie. She's in charge of desserts."
"Uh… right."
I was shocked that a kid not even an adult yet had two girlfriends.
Or maybe two wasn't even the end of it….
"How many girlfriends do you have, anyway?"
He flashed a bright smile.
"I haven't counted."
"I see…."
Damn… jealous.
"Won't you get beat up by the girls if you get caught?"
He made a face like that made no sense.
"Why? They all know they're dating me together."
His shocking words made me, as a fellow man, truly envious.
Well… Jin was still a boy, but he was pretty handsome and capable.
And as a squire, he had to be good at fighting too.
A total alpha male.
Guys like him are why I don't have a girlfriend.
They swoop in and monopolize all the girls.
As I inwardly revised my opinion of Jin upward,
He led me out of the Grand Palace.
Seeing we were heading behind the garden, I asked,
"Where are we going?"
"Almost there."
There was a fence stretched out behind the garden.
Beyond it, I could see Luna and Charles.
Were they training with swords?
Charles stood at a distance, scanning the area around her, while Luna held her sword and stood still.
"I'll head out now. See you tomorrow!"
Jin sauntered back into the Grand Palace with an innocent look.
Why wasn't he going home and heading into the palace instead?
To see his girlfriends?!
A flicker of annoyance bubbled up inside, but I pushed it down, thinking I needed to meet Luna quickly and get home. As I started toward the training grounds,
Charles blocked my path.
"Her Highness will finish her training soon. It won't take long, so please wait a moment."
"Ah…"
At his words, I looked at Luna.
A blue sword aura clung to her blade, and winds swirled around her, kicking up sand and dust in all directions.
Luna stood with her eyes gently closed.
She looked indescribably strange on the dirt ground, yet she felt like a single black flower.
A proud black flower blooming upon the earth.
Whether such a flower existed in the world was beside the point; that was simply how she struck me in that moment.
What was she thinking right now?
I waited a long while for her concentration to break.
-Whoooosh.
The winds swirling around her gradually died down.
Swordmasters really were something else.
The blue-glowing sword aura and the eerie winds filled me with awe and mystery.
-Clack.
Luna sheathed her sword.
She turned her head and looked at me.
"Sorry to keep you waiting so long."
With a nod of her chin,
"Then I'll take my leave."
Charles departed.
"Come with me. I have something to discuss with you."
I followed behind Luna as she walked ahead.
-Step… step….
In the brief quiet between our footsteps, I took a moment to think.
Why did she want to meet?
My proposal hadn't been finalized yet.
We'd agreed to review it after the existing schedule.
Thanks to that, the charge of insult against me had been lifted, so there were no major issues right now.
But why call me out at this late hour to some remote spot?
A faint whisper echoed in my chest, but I quickly dismissed it as impossible.
What kind of woman was she to call me alone because she couldn't forget that night?
We walked in silence until the palace garden came into view.
The novel had described it as beautiful, but maybe because it was autumn?
Seeing the garden without a single flower, I felt a bit disappointed.
"Walk beside me. I have something to say."
At Luna's words, I quickened my pace to her side.
Now for the main topic?
Had she realized I'd spouted nonsense just to escape the insult charge?
Logic told me no way, but the fear creeping in was unavoidable.
But what I heard was unexpected.
"Whenever I have complicated thoughts, I often come here."
Her voice, beautiful yet somehow weary, lingered in my ears.
"Coming here lets me reminisce about my family from when I was young, and feel happy, if only for a moment."
In the novel, her hardships began when her parents died in a tragic accident.
Before that, there were many descriptions of her close, loving family.
Her wistful voice stirring old memories left me unsure what to say.
"Aiden…."
"Yes?"
"At first, I hated you. You knew my weaknesses and brazenly became my secretary. Honestly, I hated seeing you around me all the time."
I was startled by her voice, which sounded almost petulant.
I'd never imagined the always steadfast, composed, cynical woman could sound like that.
"But seeing your plan gave me hope. A slender thread of hope."
I waited calmly for her next words.
"For a long time, the Grand Duchy has waged war against the northern different species, developing amid conflict. At first, we had golden victories aplenty, but as time passed, only ashen ones remained."
-Step.
She stopped walking and looked at me.
"Even victories no longer bring prosperity like before. And we couldn't stop the war either. That is the fate of our house and the Heyron Grand Duchy."
Her red eyes fixed on me.
"But if this continues, we'll collapse someday, and my subjects will bear the brunt of the damage."
The responsible, unflappable demeanor was gone.
Luna looked poignant.
Her red eyes seemed different from usual—no, they were different.
I could see emotions in them I'd never glimpsed before.
Regret, trembling fear, and a fierce resolve never to let it happen, all blazing red and piercing right through me.
"But your plan offers us a new goal. So, Aiden… help me. For our house, the Grand Duchy, and my subjects, your plan must succeed."
Uh… that was just from the novel.
Now she says this… am I dead?
At Luna's desperation and determination, I swallowed hard without thinking.
-Gulp.
What do I even say right now?
I never imagined a casual lie would balloon this big.
If it flops, will she hang me from the gallows for poor performance?
Panic raged inside, but I couldn't let it show.
Not now—above all, the novel thing couldn't come out.
If it did… I wouldn't die easy.
I met her gaze with a firm expression.
"I'll do my utmost to make it succeed."
Luna gave no reply.
As she turned away, a small voice whispered in my ear.
"And… thank you. For saving me that night… I'm heading in now, so you go too!"
Watching her run off, I muttered,
"I'm really… really screwed."