Blooming Like a Flower - 1
My purpose has always been Lobelia's happy ending.
Treason and status were nothing more than tools. The nobles like Kalupen and Aran felt like nothing more than difficult instruments to wield.
…It's about time for internal division to begin. I need to meet Lobelia.
I entered the imperial palace once again today.
“Isn’t that the crazy bastard called Hawin?”
“I heard he fell out of the princess’s favor. How is he still wandering around the palace…”
The guards’ whispers reached my ears, but I ignored them. A high-ranking noble’s recommendation was firmly in place, after all. The place where I stayed had been granted by Kalupen, a high-ranking noble of the imperial court, so there was no issue.
Kalupen was the Imperial Financial Minister. And after he learned that I was toying with the rotting noble Mainas, he quickly approached me out of interest.
Kalupen. I’ve used him quite a lot. He’s also a hidden threat.
He was a man disillusioned by the ways of the decaying nobles. On top of that, he harbored great ambition. In other words, an extremely useful person. With the Imperial Financial Minister—a key imperial position—already rotting away, how could internal division not occur?
…Before the invasion of the kingdoms, I must prevent that first.
That was why I had already restrained Lady Aran and Kalupen. I told Kalupen to focus on gathering information while I bewitched the other nobles. As for Aran right now—
“Scream in hell for all I care.”
Standing beside her, I received a look of genuine disgust from Aran. Her eyes glistened with tears like some tragic heroine.
Hmm. Did I push her too far?
Still, attempting to poison someone was going too far. It had failed in the original timeline too, but that young man Jack had taken all the blame.
“Such harsh words. I’m truly wounded.”
“I never should have shared a drink with a bastard like you. You son of Satan…!”
“If you keep crawling up like that… hm, I think you’ll regret it?”
I looked at her with the corner of my mouth lifted. Lady Aran bit her lip hard, trembling all over.
“It’s fine. Once this matter is over, I’ll have a little chat with the Minister of Intelligence. Lady Aran. I rather like your ambition, you know?”
“Shut up!”
“It’s the truth, so please don’t look at me like that. Don’t I seem like I might die from how hurt I am?”
Aran eventually closed her mouth. The reason I deliberately walked around with her was to draw the eyes of those around us. To make the figure known as Hawin the center of attention. And to mock the real downfall of Lady Aran.
I still need to use Lady Aran later, after all.
It was better to completely crush any thought of rebellion in her.
“Lady Aran, I’d like you to do what I asked today.”
“What terrible taste. Spreading all the evil deeds you’ve done yourself.”
I glanced at Lady Aran. She nodded with an expression like she had bitten into a bug.
Aran’s role is to spread rumors about me to the other nobles and manipulate public opinion.
Whether the nobles here viewed me as a dangerous figure or not, for me it was beneficial to increase the weight of the name Hawin—whether as a new opportunity or a threat. Whether it was infamy or simple fame, the higher it rose, the more the world’s attention would naturally focus on me.
“Very good.”
“We’ll see how long you can keep this up.”
“At least until I die together with you? In that sense, we really are a match made in heaven! Hahaha!”
“Crazy bastard.”
Aran spat with contempt. Then she whirled around, her dress fluttering, and stormed off.
Next is Lobelia.
I knew all of Lobelia’s habits and movements. If I went to a place where she was likely to be right now, she would be there.
I walked through the imperial palace at a natural pace. My destination was the garden. Sometimes Lobelia would be there alone, and sometimes her younger sister Kamilia would be with her.
Kamilia is still young and doesn’t particularly like the garden itself, so she doesn’t show up often.
Bright light poured down. The chirping of birds could be heard. A beautiful garden unfolded before my eyes. The guards blocked my path, but when I mentioned Kalupen’s name, they stepped back in confusion.
“Greetings, the Empire’s little sun.”
“You.”
Lobelia, who had been strolling through the garden, reacted to my voice and immediately frowned.
That hurts a bit too much.
Of course, she always reacted with such disgust. Still, she usually only showed it after hearing what I had to say or after I did something worth despising. This time she reacted immediately.
Sigh. What the hell is this?
I let out a sigh inwardly while smiling on the outside as I approached.
“I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”
…
“…I told you not to stand out.”
“Ah, our paths just happened to overlap.”
Lobelia shot me a cold glare. A gaze mixed with irritation and revulsion. Hawin simply smiled as if brushing it off with a light joke.
This guy… what exactly is he?
The more Hawin stayed by her side, the stranger the emotions that bloomed within her. It was an irritation so intense it made her shudder, so she didn’t want him near. Yet here they were meeting today. While she had been walking in the garden that morning, Hawin had approached with that smile of his.
Lobelia glared at him as if he displeased her, then clicked her tongue.
“You stopped my assassination. No matter how blinded Lady Aran was by ambition, that was far too reckless a move.”
“Haha, who could have known that Lady Aran would say such things while drinking with me? Just in case, I turned on the recording artifact. They say luck always follows those who are thoroughly prepared, right?”
Hawin said with a sly grin, lightly tapping his chest. Lobelia clicked her tongue again. She disliked that playful attitude of his in everything he did. It would have been better if he were upright and without pretense like Rogiwell.
That smile… for some reason I keep seeing it.
She stared at the fake smile hanging on Hawin’s lips. Even if she wanted to shake him off, she had no justification, and he was gradually becoming a person of interest. It would be better to keep him within sight. There was no telling what he might do if she drove him away.
Lobelia spoke with her hands clasped behind her back.
“I know this cannot be explained away as mere luck. Hawin, I am watching you.”
“Ohh, to receive the princess’s attention. Such an honor will be rare in my entire life.”
“I should have just sewn that mouth of yours shut.”
Lobelia wrinkled her face in clear distaste. Hawin’s laughter only irritated her more. Many men sent courtship and marriage proposals to her, who would soon become an adult. But none of their eyes held any sincerity. They were simply men bewitched by her appearance, moths burning with ambition.
He’s the first one like this.
Hawin was fake from beginning to end. He looked interested, yet his gaze seemed to know everything rather than hold love or desire.
“Hawin. Who are you?”
Lobelia glanced into his eyes. Hawin smiled back with the same composure. But unlike his playful demeanor, his eyes were cold and chilling.
“I am Hawin. Hawin. What else would you call me but myself? Just as I call Her Highness Princess Lobelia by the name Princess Lobelia… explaining who I am is rather difficult.”
“You keep hiding it. If you came looking for me, you must have a purpose. Make your request.”
Lobelia stopped and spoke arrogantly. Hawin, who had been following, also halted. He let out a soft “Hmm?” and sent her a surprised look.
It’s better to charge straight ahead. What his purpose is, and…
His attitude was irritating, but it didn’t leave a single scratch on her dignified face. Hawin furrowed his brows as if pondering, then glanced outside for a moment. Then he spoke again in that playful tone.
“A request… It would be wonderful if I could continue to have audiences with Your Highness.”
“Are you asking me to waste my time with you? That is an absurd request. I refuse.”
“Oh dear, is that how it sounded? Your Highness’s time is worth its weight in gold. Even if I offered my entire life, it would not be enough to buy it, so how could I dare?”
Lobelia snorted coldly. Hawin simply nodded in agreement.
…What is he saying?
Her puzzled eyes turned toward him. After straightening his clothes once, Hawin paused deliberately before speaking.
“These empty moments when your lips remain closed. I simply wish to converse with you during that time. It doesn’t seem like a bad deal for Your Highness.”
“It’s unpleasant.”
Lobelia showed clear annoyance. Hawin didn’t seem particularly disappointed and simply laughed.
“If it’s unpleasant, then it can’t be helped. But this much is true. It would be good if I could continue to have audiences with Your Highness. I beg you.”
“As I said before, I refuse.”
“Haha, refusal wounds me. Please think it over so you won’t regret it. I have a favorite saying. The world moves slowly.”
“If you miss the chance, it flows… quickly….”
Lobelia spoke as if it were obvious, then her eyes widened. Her shocked gaze fixed on Hawin.
What?
She felt like she had heard it somewhere before. But she couldn’t remember. A corner of her chest ached faintly. The image of someone smiling gently as they spoke overlapped in her mind.
Hawin also wore a dazed expression. Lobelia stared at him, lost for words.
“You… who are you?”
“How could Your Highness know that…”
Hawin looked at her with an expression of incomprehension.