The Spirit in the Garden
The carriage carrying us, now fully prepared, raced along the brightly lit road toward the count’s estate where the party was being held. The magical lamps lining the way shone with a brilliance that could easily rival modern streetlights.
“Whoa…”
Lene stared in wonder at the lights. Even though our own territory and mansion had magical lamps, they weren’t nearly this bright. Father, noticing her reaction, muttered to himself that he’d have to start maintaining the magical lamps in our territory the moment we returned.
It wasn’t intentional, but Mother simply shook her head with an expression that said she had given up trying to stop Father from finding yet another new project.
After traveling quite a while along the well-paved road, our carriage slowed down at the guidance of the count’s servants who had been waiting for us in advance.
“Welcome, my lords.”
The count’s head butler greeted us with a polite bow as we stepped out of the carriage that had stopped at the mansion entrance. He kindly offered to guide us, explaining that tonight’s party was taking place in the garden behind the main building.
Father accepted the consideration with a nod, and the rest of us followed slowly behind the butler as he led the way.
Walking through the mansion’s interior, past corridors lined with expensive works of art, we eventually reached the garden. Instead of being overwhelmed by the noisy chatter of the guests who had arrived earlier, we found ourselves gasping in admiration at the vast garden illuminated by magical lamps placed everywhere.
We had always thought our own mansion’s garden was quite large and beautiful, but this place was on an entirely different level.
‘Wow, maintaining this must be an absolute nightmare…’
While Mother and Lene stood with their mouths open in awe at the garden, I found myself gaping for a completely different reason. I was marveling at the sheer effort it must take to keep a place like this in such perfect condition. As we approached the entrance to the party venue, a young servant who had been waiting there quickly cleared his throat after catching a glance from the head butler.
I secretly hoped he would announce our arrival in a loud, dramatic voice just like in the novels.
And as if to reward my expectations, the servant announced us in a voice loud enough to cut through all the chatter in the party hall. Instantly, the elegantly dressed guests turned their eyes and attention toward the entrance where we stood.
“Eek…”
When so many people suddenly focused their gazes on us at once, Lene flinched in surprise. I casually took a step forward and hid the startled girl behind me. That naturally drew even more eyes and interest toward me, but I did my best to maintain a calm, indifferent expression.
Compared to the pitying stares I’d received in my previous life after slipping while rushing off a bus and tumbling straight into a muddy puddle…
‘Ah, that memory was way too cruel.’
I quickly pushed away the terrible recollection by remembering something slightly less embarrassing. Even though quite some time had passed, the shame still felt painfully vivid.
“Marquis Lorelei. It is truly an honor to see you again.”
“It really has been too long since the last party…”
“This fruit wine was made from the harvest of our orchard this year…”
As soon as we entered the party hall, people approached Father as if they had been waiting, each greeting him with their own personal motives hidden behind polite smiles.
“You look exactly the same as before. I’m so jealous.”
“Do you have some special skincare routine…?”
Mother, meanwhile, was quickly surrounded by noblewomen of her own. Seeing her looking slightly troubled, my sister and I quietly slipped away so we wouldn’t get dragged into the conversation.
Not far away, we spotted a group of children staring at us with wide eyes. We narrowed our own eyes at them.
“Let’s go that way.”
“Y-yeah.”
The little brats who had caused a scene on the street a few days ago and then run away with their tails between their legs had apparently confirmed that we really were the young ladies of the Lorelei Marquisate. They quickly scurried off with rather amusing expressions.
When Lene and I giggled at the sight, Arlan and Aran asked if we knew them. We decided it would be better not to mention what had happened a few days ago, so we simply shook our heads and played innocent.
“First time seeing them.”
“That’s right. We just laughed because their faces looked funny.”
“That doesn’t sound convincing at all…”
Though the two tilted their heads in suspicion at our obvious lie, they generously chose not to press the matter further. We gave them a small bow in thanks for their consideration and turned our attention to the fruits, sweets, and drinks prepared for the party.
“Mmm, this is really delicious.”
“This pie topped with candied fruit is amazing too.”
“Let me try… Mmm, it really is.”
We were so focused on the sweet snacks that we didn’t notice Arlan and Aran had disappeared until much later. Rather than panicking, we decided to take the opportunity to explore the garden, which still bloomed with vibrant green life even though it was already autumn.
In our own garden, the trees had long since lost their leaves, but here the foliage was still lush. Not far away, flowers full of vitality were in full bloom. I was wondering what kind of magic could make this possible when I heard voices coming from near a small pond. Following the sound, I saw Arlan talking to a young noblewoman with beautiful golden hair. I quickly grabbed Lene’s hand and stopped her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just think the other direction looks more interesting.”
The two of them were blushing and smiling at each other, and the atmosphere seemed pleasant. Not wanting to ruin the moment by interrupting, I deliberately turned Lene’s attention in the opposite direction and led us away.
Thinking that Arlan had grown up quite a bit already, we continued walking wherever our feet took us. At some point, we realized the noise of the party had grown distant and that we had gotten lost.
“Uh… what do we do now?”
“What else? We’ll just have to find our way out somehow.”
I answered the flustered Lene calmly. When I turned to look back the way we had come, the complicated paths made it clear that retracing our steps would be difficult. I began pondering how best to escape this maze when Lene suddenly tugged on my sleeve.
“What’s the—”
I stopped my train of thought and asked what was wrong. Lene pointed toward a nearby bush. When I turned my head to see what had made her eyes go so wide, I found a girl cautiously peeking out from the foliage.
The girl had large and small flower buds and leaves adorning her head. Her translucent body and the size that made her perfect for hugging made it obvious to anyone that she wasn’t human.
Even though it was our first meeting, something about her felt strangely familiar. Wondering if my suspicion was correct, I slowly approached her.
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
When the girl flinched and tried to hide at my approach, I immediately stopped and apologized. I offered her some of the snacks I had secretly stashed away to eat later. After hesitating for a moment, she came closer, took the treat, and began nibbling on it.
“Hehe, she’s really cute.”
Her appearance was so adorable it was like watching a living doll. I chuckled softly before carefully asking if she was a spirit.
At my question, the girl gave a bright smile and nodded, surprising both Lene and me.
“Wow, you’re the first spirit I’ve met besides Undine…”
After meeting Undine at the villa, this was only the second spirit we had encountered. We watched in fascination as the girl happily ate the snacks. We told her we had gotten lost and asked if she could guide us back to where the people were.
“Ah…!”
At our request, the girl jumped up energetically and, with impressive agility, clung to my shoulder. I felt a strange sensation—like something had climbed onto me and I could sense its weight, yet I couldn’t feel any actual texture or touch. While I was still surprised by this odd feeling, the girl stretched out her hand and pointed in the direction we needed to go.
Following her guidance, the sound of people’s voices grew closer, bringing me a sense of relief. A pleasant fragrance carried by the breeze tickled my nose. It seemed to be coming from the girl. I smiled and spoke to her.
“If you’re okay with it, would you like to form a contract with me later, after I’ve grown up a bit more?”
The girl’s eyes sparkled at my suggestion, as if she thought it was a good idea.
“Hmph, I’m going to contract with Undine.”
Lene pouted when she saw this and grumbled that she was going to make a contract with the Undine at the villa. Since things seemed to be flowing according to the original story, I agreed that it wasn’t a bad idea and cheered her on.
But that must have been the wrong answer, because Lene’s cheeks puffed out even more. To cheer her up, I shared some of the hidden snacks with her.
“Just how many of those did you bring?”
“Hehe, isn’t it good that they’re coming in handy like this?”
Lene, who had been shocked at how many I had apparently stashed away, easily accepted my reasoning and began munching again. We also shared some with the spirit who was kindly guiding us. After walking diligently, we finally succeeded in returning to the party area and raised both hands in celebration.
“It’s all thanks to you.”
When I gave her full credit and expressed my gratitude, the girl scratched her head shyly. But as soon as she heard footsteps approaching, she jumped down from my shoulder and vanished without even having a proper conversation with us.
Feeling a bit disappointed, we turned toward the source of the footsteps and blinked at Aran, who was letting out a very relieved sigh.
“Phew, where have you two been? I’ve been looking for you for ages.”
“You’re the one who left first, brother.”
“That’s right. You went off somewhere else first.”
“T-that’s…”
When Lene and I narrowed our eyes and fired back with sharp words, the flustered Aran quickly claimed he had only stepped away for a moment and shamelessly tried to save face.
When he asked again where we had been, we couldn’t tell him the truth, so we gave a safe answer—that we had been picking flowers.
“Picking flowers from someone else’s garden is… Ah, aah.”
Aran accepted our answer at face value at first, but a beat later he understood the double meaning and let out a stupid sound. He quickly covered it up with a fake cough and walked with us.
When we finally found our parents, we couldn’t help but laugh at Father’s exhausted face. He looked even more tired than when he had come out of his office after working all afternoon.
“Ahem, we’re back.”
In the meantime, Arlan appeared with a strangely flushed face. Deciding we had stayed long enough, we went to greet the count who was hosting the party and then returned to the inn.
With the help of the inn’s staff, we washed up and, overcome by drowsiness, lay down in bed. We fell asleep almost instantly after hugging each other.
The next morning, we woke up surrounded by each other’s warmth and familiar scent. We prepared early and spent the carriage ride back to our territory catching up on the sleep we had missed.
“Haaam… The wind is getting pretty chilly now.”
When we stopped the carriage briefly for lunch, I stepped outside. The breeze that brushed past my hair felt noticeably colder than it had a few days ago. I was thinking that winter must be just around the corner when I noticed the girl nodding naturally on my shoulder in agreement. I blinked in surprise.