BEW 9

 “Wow. It’s clear. It’s really clear!”

Finally, it was clear! 

I woke up and screamed with joy at the bright sunlight streaming through the curtains. 

The annoying, humid, and cold rain had finally ended.

I dashed out of bed and stuck myself to the window, when I heard a voice from behind me.

“The rain… has stopped.”

I turned around, startled.

And then I was amazed.

“Oh. This is a bit new.”

Dante, who had just gotten out of bed, blinked his eyes with his disheveled hair. His face was full of questions and a bit swollen.

Wow, that’s new too.

Even though we both went to bed at 10, Dante always woke up earlier than me.

As a result, I had never seen him just after waking up, but today, I woke up first due to the blinding sunlight.

Maybe it wasn’t the sunlight that woke me up, but rather my strong desire for sunlight.

Anyway, Dante who had just woken up was new and cute.

How could a monster duke be that cute? As expected, since he’s so talented, no matter what he does, it’s always new, thrilling, cute, and chaotic.

I internally expressed admiration that would probably shock Dante if he heard it and turned my gaze back to the window.

“The sky is so clear. Looks like the rainy season is over.”

“Indeed. It seems so.”

“I was so bored with it. I feel so refreshed. I hope it stays clear for a while.”

There was no reply to my mumbling comment.

***

After a simple breakfast, Dante went to his office to work.

I also prepared to work.

“Give me my favorite dress. I want to wear that. And my favorite boots, favorite hat, favorite trowel, favorite fertilizer…”

“Calm down. Please calm down, madam.”

“I can’t calm down. Oh, you don’t know how much I’ve been itching. If it had rained for just two more days, I would have had a funeral.”

Dressing hastily, I rushed out to the garden.

And then, I sat down right there.

“Oh no. Nooo!”

My garden.

My herbs.

My babies!

The herb garden was completely devastated.

It had been a sweet home for my babies before the rain, but now it was like a burial ground.

Oh dear. Someone needs to take care of the workers’ compensation for my babies.

As I fumbled through the herbs buried in the dirt with trembling hands, shadows began to appear around me.

“I tried my best to protect them, but it was not enough. Sob. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, madam!”

Markov, holding a huge trowel, was on the verge of tears.

“Oh dear. It seems the garden needs repair. Or, how about expanding it and adding some facilities? You could also take this chance to tend to the garden…”

Barhan, seizing the opportunity to push for a garden expansion project.

“It’s okay, madam! Plants naturally go through cycles of life and death. You’ll succeed next time. By the way, if that’s the case… will you be taking a break from baking cookies for a while?”

Sienna’s lips twitched strangely as she tried to comfort

And even Mari, who was giving her a sidelong glance.

Not only them but also the passing servants all offered their condolences.

“Oh no. I can imagine how upset you must be, madam. We had become attached to the herbs too. But, will you be taking a break from making cookies for a while?”

“You must be very upset. You won’t be able to make herb cookies for a while either. Oh, how disappointing.”

Sob.

As expected of the affectionate Richter household, I silently accepted their kind words.

In the midst of the kind condolences added by everyone, I resolved to start over.

“Okay. I can just start over. I’m a genius at growing herbs, right?”

“Of course!”

Markov nodded enthusiastically, giving me a thumbs up.

I also nodded in agreement and gently brushed the pitiful herbs.

Then I gathered the somewhat intact leaves into the basket that Mari had brought.

“…What are you doing, madam?”

Sienna, who had been quietly watching, asked curiously.

“It seems a waste to leave them like this. Since we’re starting over, I’m going to take all the usable ones and make cookies, cakes, and tea to share with everyone. How about it? Exciting, right?”

“…Oh. My goodness.”

“Why are you reacting like that? Do you dislike it…?”

“No? I’m just so excited. Wow, this is really amazing. Ha, haha.”

Sienna eventually burst into a bright smile.

How nice that she likes it.

Seeing Sienna’s happy expression, I smiled.

I guess I’ll hit it big if I open a shop later, right?

I was busy all day.

The first task was to clean and sort the herbs.

Some herbs could be used for the stems, roots, and others the leaves.

After sorting them into those that need to be juiced, crushed, or finely chopped, then asked Marie, Sienna, and Ena for help making cookies and cakes.

I handed out a cookie to the three exhausted people and then called other servants to give them a full load of desserts.

“Wow, haha. Thank you. Really… truly…”

Everyone who received them seemed overwhelmed and many were even in tears.

Ah, I really feel proud.

By the time I had handled everything, it was already close to evening.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

“I’ve prepared the bathwater, madam. Please go wash up and rest. You’ve overexerted yourself today.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Marie.”

Thanks to Marie’s thoughtfulness, I went straight to my room and immersed myself in hot water.

“Ah, I feel so much better.”

The fatigue that had accumulated in my body seemed to wash away with the hot water.

I enjoyed the drowsy feeling, soaking in the bathtub for a while.

While doing so, I thought of Dante.

“I wonder if he’s still working?”

The moon had already been up for a long time outside the window.

The last time I saw Dante was in the morning.

There had been so much to do from morning until evening that we had eaten lunch separately and dinner separately.

…Oh, come to think of it.

“I didn’t bring any desserts to my husband?”

***

It was quiet.

Dante liked this kind of silence.

Whenever he went out, people naturally followed with their eyes and voices.

<He looks really scary.>

<That man is the monstrous duke, right?>

<Will he surpass the age of thirty-five this time?>

<I wonder how ruthlessly he dealt with monsters to be cursed by them? Even if he’s protecting the empire, it’s a bit gruesome.>

<Did you hear? The young Duke Richter. There was talk about breaking off the engagement…>

She’s dead.

Apparently, she took her own life.

And the one who found the body was…

“Ugh.”

The bile rose in his throat.

Dizziness from the rising nausea made him feel short of breath.

It was strange.

He liked silence.

He liked the kind of silence that was free from pointless noise.

Why was the silence now so disturbing, making him recall useless things?

At that moment.

Thud, patter. Ting.

The pen Dante held fell off the desk rolled noisily under it.

It made a commotion reminiscent of raindrops hitting the window.

Dante then realized why the silence was so unsettling.

No. In fact, he had known all along.

The selfish wish of hoping the rain wouldn’t stop had ultimately not come true.

The rain had stopped.

Serafina was overjoyed.

Seeing her, Dante…

“Are you feeling disappointed?”

Yes. He was disappointed.

He was disappointed and also sorry.

The exact reason was unknown. Perhaps it was because of the warmth they had shared while sleeping together or the pride in blocking out the rain for her.

He still didn’t know.

Even after watching Serafina, lively and energetic throughout the day, he couldn’t figure out the reason.

She wore a faded dress with dirt stains, rubber boots on her feet.

Happily digging up soil with a straw hat with a hole in the back and gloves on.

Busy running around with a few maids, a gardener, a cook, and a butler.

Baking cookies, making cakes, and preparing hot tea to share with everyone.

Even after watching her for a long time, he couldn’t find the reason for his disappointment.

The only thing he knew was that she was like sunlight, shining brilliantly.

Surrounded by people and glowing like sunlight.

Then what about himself?

Was he the dark cloud?

Dark, ominous, and heavy with curses.

Dante felt as though he was waking from a dream under his own dark cloud.

With the heavy rain suddenly stopping, it felt like he was dragged back into reality.

Perhaps the nights of the past few days were a dream of an early summer night.

The thoughts led him to the conclusion, ‘Could it be that Serafina is starting to fear me again?’

It was a funny thing.

The rain had stopped, yet his own sky was full of dark clouds.

As he quietly collected himself, he heard a knock.

“May I come in?!”

His head, which had been drooping, slowly lifted.

His blue eyes turned towards the door.

“Hello? Duke? Are you there?”

Suddenly, he remembered the saying about the power of a person’s voice.

Sometimes, a voice can…

“Duke?! No. Is he really not here?”

Clears the dark clouds in his mind in an instant.

Like a ray of sunlight emerging from the dark clouds.

Dante got up from his seat as if possessed and walked toward the door.

Then, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

At the same time.

“Where on earth did he go—oh, whoa! You scared me!”

Serafina, who had been pressing her ear against the door, lost her balance and staggered.

Her golden hair, like sunlight, fluttered in the air.

For some reason, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

The fluttering blonde hair.

Two hands supporting her arms.

A round forehead touching his chest.

“Whew, I almost cracked my head.”

Slowly, she lifted her head, blinking her eyes at him.

“I came to bring you a snack. Are you done with work?”

After the casual question, she smiled cheerfully.

“If you're all done, should we just skip the snack and go to bed? I'm a bit tired and want to sleep early.”

Dante still didn’t understand anything.

Where his disappointment came from.

Why the storm of thoughts in his head suddenly disappeared.

But one thing—

There was one thing he knew.

Serafina was, as always, a radiant sunlight.