DGDITMIAE 16

Chapter 16

“Why… are you trying to buy seeds?”

Argo asked, not even bothering to hide his exasperated tone.

Terestia already had all her excuses prepared in her head.

*There’s no way flowers will bloom in this cold North, I didn’t know wasting money was your hobby, or perhaps you’re a child who believes in druid legends…*

The only reason she didn’t immediately spill all of that out was because Terestia’s eyes were sparkling with anticipation.

“Argo. If you had a better memory, you wouldn’t make the mistake of forgetting your own words.”

Terestia puffed out her chest for the first time in a while and lectured Argo with a smug air.

Despite her firm warning, the rumor that the Grand Duke of Inyument was a demon continued to spread.

In fact, it seemed to be described even more viciously and horrifically now.

What was it they said… that she bathed in human blood every day, or something?

Why on earth would she bother doing something so dirty and troublesome!

Anyway, back then, Argo had consoled her with a leisurely face, saying, *”If you do things that demons wouldn’t normally do, won’t the rumors die down?”*

“Don’t you think flowers don’t really suit a demon?”

If it were sparkling jewels that humans bought and sold at high prices, maybe.

But flowers, which they considered useless, seemed completely out of place with a demon, no matter how you looked at it.

Yes, people would think that a dignified demon like herself couldn’t possibly like flowers…

“So you’re saying that now, just because of some mere rumors about being a demon, you want to create a garden?”

“‘Mere’!”

“Yes, so you’re saying you want to create a garden.”

Argo calmly saw through Terestia’s true intentions.

Terestia was obsessed with small, cute, and pretty things—she just wouldn’t admit it herself.

Feeling exposed now that Argo had read her heart, Terestia jumped up.

“It’s to quell the rumors! That’s all! Because the Grand Duke of Inyument must have no connection to demons!”

“Understood. I’ll purchase all the seeds as you’ve instructed, but… how do you plan to make the flowers bloom?”

“…What do you mean, how?”

“Yes, how. Are you planning to grow them yourself, Your Highness?”

“What are you talking about? We need to hire a gardener.”

At Terestia’s tantrum-like outcry, Argo didn’t bother hiding his sigh this time.

Then he shook his head and woke her to reality.

“How are we going to find a gardener in the North, Your Highness?”

“…Well, we just find one. Say we’ll pay a lot of money. I have plenty of money!”

“Well, to get a gardener skilled enough to make flowers bloom in the North, we’d have to go all the way to the capital to bring one back, but as you know, the rumors about Your Highness in the capital are… what they are.”

So in other words, she’d have to bring a gardener from the capital, which was currently full of rumors that *”The delinquent Imperial Princess, who was driven out to the North after losing a power struggle with the Dowager Empress, is still causing havoc there and is being called a demon.”*

Terestia quietly shut her mouth and rolled her eyes.

But the silence didn’t last long.

When Argo had counted to ten in his head, Terestia scrunched up her face, put strength into the fork in her hand until it bent, and shouted.

“I’m trying to get rid of those rumors! How can that be! Can’t we just buy the seeds and scatter them? Grass grows on the streets too!”

“Flowers are more fragile than you think, so it’ll be difficult. Things like weeds would grow, but… those are called weeds, aren’t they? Weeds in the Grand Duke’s garden… well, yes.”

No weeds! They’re not pretty!

Frustrated, Terestia bit her lip and glared at Argo, conveying that he should find a way somehow.

Argo, who had been gleefully teasing Terestia about how entertaining it would be to see weeds in the Grand Duke’s garden, subtly averted his gaze and quickly rose from his seat.

“Well then, I have work to do, so I’ll be going now, Your Highness.”

“What, where are you going! What about the gardener! Hey!”

*I know you’re not even that busy!*

No matter how much Terestia shouted, her magic-adept aide vanished without a trace in an instant.

*That useless bastard. Fine, go ahead!*

Left alone, Terestia clenched her fist, took a big spoonful of the fruit pudding into her mouth, and chewed it vigorously while thinking of her aide who had dared to abandon his master and run off, vowing revenge.

Anyway, forget the incompetent fool. She could come up with a plan to create a pretty garden all by herself.

Terestia thought that, and pictured in her mind the Grand Ducal Residence as she wished it to be.

Even though it was spring, the Grand Ducal Residence was dreary—wouldn’t it be pretty if there was a garden in bloom?

Walking around with cookies while smelling the fragrant flowers would feel wonderful…

But as Argo had said, even if she bought all the seeds, it would be hard to hire a gardener—was there no way around it?

No matter what, weeds were just too much!

What if she just uprooted some flowering trees from the mountain and brought them back?

Compared to a graveyard-like wasteland overrun with weeds, having trees with at least a few flowers on them might actually look like a ‘garden.’

As she was mulling over all sorts of thoughts, her violet eyes sparkled at that moment.

“Mountain?”

It was just a random thought, but going to the mountain might not be a bad option.

Yes, she had nothing to lose anyway!

She’d take Argo along and have him use magic to transplant any pretty trees with flowers on them…

Terestia, who had been thinking that far, frowned reflexively at the name ‘Argo.’

Wait. Why would she bring that good-for-nothing aide who ran away in a flash?

Besides, that bastard hadn’t even told her that Lady Kiraldur was watching him.

If she told him about this grand plan, he’d surely betray her again.

Just thinking of that slimy, good-looking bastard made her snort automatically.

If Argo found out about this plan, he’d probably run straight to Lady Kiraldur and tattle this time, wouldn’t he?

And Lady Kiraldur, upon hearing the plan, would stare at her with those unfocused red eyes and scold her, stopping her in her tracks.

“Ah, no. He’s the kind to tattle *after* I go to the mountain!”

How cunning and wicked that bastard was!

Then Lady Kiraldur would dunk her straight into the bathwater like yesterday, and she’d be in danger of having to bathe twice in one day. Good heavens!

Of course, unlike the filthy rumors like *”demons hate bathing,”* Terestia was actually a clean freak.

But bathing twice in one day was a completely different matter!

Anyway, it had to be kept a secret from Argo, and to do that, moving in the dark of night was the best option.

Because Argo didn’t sleep in any room of the Grand Ducal Residence when it got late at night—he vanished entirely.

So she’d go to the mountain then.

She’d open the window and sneak out through the back door.

First… yes, the mountain behind the residence that was visible even from the Grand Ducal Residence.

For an ordinary person, going into a mountain in the pitch-black darkness of midnight would be practically suicide.

But for Terestia, who could easily uproot a single flowering tree by herself, nothing other than Argo and Lady Kiraldur would get in her way.

Terestia popped the last piece of pudding into her mouth and smiled at the perfect plan she’d devised all by herself.

Even after the sun set and dusk fell, Argo was nowhere to be seen.

Well, Argo had always disappeared at night and never showed himself anyway.

His bedroom, which had been given to him in the Grand Ducal Residence, was always empty—so much so that it was questionable whether he even slept properly.

But not showing up even for dinner time.

Terestia clicked her tongue and shook her head, thinking he must have found the whole garden business too much of a hassle.

*Fine, I don’t need a traitor like you either!*

After a hearty dinner, Terestia stood proudly in front of the main gate of the Grand Ducal Residence—then paused.

‘Wait, if I open this gate and go out, how am I supposed to get back in?’