The Song of Flowers - Chapter 1: The Girl Who Never Grew Up (2)

Chase wandered aimlessly down the corridor, his expression dark.

“Leave the castle?”

The reality was only a few months away. He needed a plan.

“Aunt won’t just let this slide.”

Once they reached their coming-of-age birthdays, she would undoubtedly tell them to leave the castle shortly afterward. And worse, their family had already fallen out of favor.

“Father’s no use.”

In front of their aunt, his father always cowered, smiling submissively and agreeing with everything she said, never daring to refuse.

Chase had forgotten that everything he enjoyed had been secured by his father’s subservient demeanor. He only felt embarrassed by his father’s cowardice.

“Maybe I should go speak to Aunt myself…”

But the brief surge of courage quickly deflated as soon as he imagined his aunt’s stern face. For all his complaints about his father, he wasn’t any different. His legs would tremble whenever he stood before her, and he could barely meet her gaze.

He circled near the lord’s office in the central tower but ultimately turned away. As he trudged down the stairs, Chase suddenly stopped in his tracks, mouth agape and eyes wide.

Climbing the stairs towards him was Adele. She hesitated briefly, a slight wrinkle forming on her otherwise smooth brow. Masking her discomfort, she greeted him with a polite nod before continuing past him.

Adele only ever left the southern tower when crossing to the central tower.

‘What’s Chase doing here?’

It had been a long time since she’d seen him, but she recognized him immediately. His childhood features were still evident.

Except for Melon, the other three in the family never ventured near the central tower, where the lord’s office was. Thus, they rarely encountered the Melon family, who stayed in the east tower.

Chase stood frozen as Adele walked by. Slowly, he turned and stared blankly at her graceful figure retreating down the hall. After a moment, he began climbing the stairs again.

From a distance, a maid happened to see both Adele and Chase. After a brief moment of contemplation, she quickly ran off.

The maid hurried to Matilda’s office. There were two housekeepers who managed the castle, and Matilda was the one in charge of the maids.

“Housekeeper, I have something to tell you.”

The maid whispered into Matilda’s ear. A subtle glint flashed in Matilda’s eyes. She then called for another maid, one skilled in speech and expressions.

“Go to the lord and report that the young lady is in trouble.”

“Yes, housekeeper.”

The news of a maid being mistreated in Stella’s room had already spread rapidly among the servants. As was often the case with employees, they had to endure indignities quietly, but that didn’t mean they didn’t get angry. The incident quickly reached Matilda’s ears.

Matilda had served the lord for many years, overseeing the castle’s operations and managing the maids. Unlike other servants, her standing was far higher. Even the lord respected her, but the Melon family treated her like a mere servant. Matilda had long been harboring resentment towards them.

A brief smirk flickered across her lips before she returned to inspecting the food supplies being delivered.

Though the position of a servant was low, there were far more things they could influence than people often realized.

***

“Hey.”

Adele stopped walking and turned around. Chase had been following her and was only a few steps behind. After rudely calling out to her, he now hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“It’s been a while.”

“What do you want?”

“…You haven’t changed.”

The first time Chase had seen Adele, he thought she looked like an angel. He used to think all girls were like annoying little sisters, but the sight of this blonde girl had shocked him.

“Did you stop me just to see if I haven’t changed?”

Chase was startled by Adele’s cold reaction.

“Why are you acting like this? I’m just happy to see you after all this time.”

“Since when were we ever on such friendly terms?”

Chase awkwardly scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

‘Seriously? Is she still upset about what happened back then?’

Like most boys, Chase had been a mischievous kid. He loved pulling his twin sister’s hair and playing pranks on Adele. He didn’t think he had done anything terribly wrong. After all, when he teased his sister, it wasn’t out of malice, and the same went for Adele. He had just wanted to get her attention, that’s all.

‘Maybe Stella was a bit much,’ he thought.

Chase didn’t believe he had done anything wrong, but he knew Stella had been worse. Stella had been friendly with Adele for only a short while. Once she realized Adele wouldn’t report her to their aunt, Stella became more vicious, and Chase had simply stood by.

To Adele, there was no difference between Stella and Chase. She couldn’t stand either of them.

Chase felt a pang of frustration as he noticed the faint contempt in Adele’s eyes.

“That was so long ago. Are you still bitter about it?”

Adele scoffed. The way he talked, as if the past was some lighthearted memory, was laughable.

“Is that why you stopped me? To mock me for holding a grudge?”

Chase grumbled to himself. Women who argued like this were exhausted. But he had a purpose right now, so he needed to get on Adele’s good side.

“About before… I’m sorry.”

Adele narrowed her eyes. His apology didn’t feel sincere, and she wasn’t looking for one. The past had caused her great pain, but as Chase said, it was long ago. Time had slowly healed her wounds. She wasn’t still suffering because of it.

“I see.”

She didn’t want to continue the conversation and turned to leave, but Chase called out again.

“Wait!”

After a brief pause, he spoke.

“You’re going to see my aunt, right?”

“Yes.”

“Could you… pass on a message for me? Our family made a promise to Aunt years ago, and we might be kicked out of the castle soon.”

“So?”

“Aunt will listen to you. If you could say a few words on our behalf, it would help.”

Adele stared at him for a moment, then let out a laugh. She couldn’t believe it. His apology had only been a means to get what he wanted. How little must he think of her to try such an obvious tactic? He wasn’t worth engaging with.

Without saying a word, she turned to leave.

“Hey!”

She ignored him, but suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her arm and spun her around. His grip hurt.

Adele frowned and glared at Chase. When they were younger, his mischievousness had been somewhat bearable, but now, his presence was far more unpleasant.

“Are you ignoring me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“What?”

“Why should I help your family stay in the castle?”

Adele tried to pull her arm free, but she couldn’t overpower a grown man. She felt a surge of anger as she realized just how powerless she was.

“I don’t have to see any of you again. Why would I miss out on that? I’ll ask Grandmother, just in case she’s forgotten about that promise.”

“You little—!”

“Let go of her, now!”

A booming voice echoed down the corridor. Startled, Chase immediately released Adele’s arm.

Standing at the top of the stairs, glaring at him with furious eyes, was none other than Shima, the head of the Levast family and Chase’s aunt. Chase quickly lowered his gaze, his shoulders slumping as he backed away.

“You’re such a disgrace.”

Shima strode toward them, her eyes filled with anger as she looked at Chase.

“I told you not to go near Adele, didn’t I? Did my words mean nothing to you? Haven’t you learned your lesson yet? Are you still tormenting her?”

“I wasn’t… tormenting her,” Chase mumbled, his head bowed. He fidgeted with his hands, clearly uncomfortable under her fierce gaze.

“I saw it myself. Don’t even think about denying it. You haven’t changed one bit.”

Shima’s voice was so commanding that Chase couldn’t move. She was small and frail-looking, but no one ever mistook her for weak. Her decades as the head of one of the great houses of the East gave her an undeniable presence.

“I’m fine, Grandmother.”

Adele tried to calm her down. She wasn’t trying to defend Chase; she was more concerned about Shima’s health, fearing her anger might take a toll.

“What did that boy do to you?”

“We were just talking. It got a bit heated, that’s all.”

Adele could have easily exaggerated the situation, and Chase would have faced serious consequences. But she didn’t feel the need to go that far.

“He doesn’t even know how to have a proper conversation.”

Shima clicked her tongue at Chase. It was pathetic how he couldn’t even look her in the eye. He always acted like a frightened child in front of her.

“I can’t stand to look at you. Get out of my sight.”

Chase quickly backed away and hurried off. One of the maids standing behind Shima suppressed a smile as she watched him flee.

When the maid had exaggerated her report earlier, Chase had only been talking to Adele. But the scene Shima had witnessed now perfectly aligned with the maid’s story, making the lie come true.

Chase had walked right into the trap the servants had laid. For a while, this incident would make its way around the castle, much to the servants’ satisfaction.

Shima knelt down and opened her arms toward Adele, who hugged her tightly. Shima gently patted her back.

“You must have been so scared.”

“I’m fine, Grandmother.”

“This hasn’t happened before, has it?”

“No, it hasn’t.”

“Good. If anything ever does happen, don’t bottle it up like you used to. Promise me you’ll speak up.”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

“You should have told me you were coming.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you. I was going to leave if you were busy.”

“Disturb me? Nonsense. There’s always time for my Adele.”

Shima affectionately tapped Adele’s cheek and took her hand. As they walked to the study, their quiet conversation echoed through the corridor.

***