The Song of Flowers - Chapter 1: The Girl Who Never Grew Up (3)

Late in the afternoon, a visitor came to see Adele.

A young man with black hair greeted her with a warm smile.

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

“Calvin.”

Adele returned the smile, one that came from her heart. Her dear friend was always welcome, and seeing him after nearly two months made it even more special.

Once Sonya left to give them some privacy, Calvin relaxed into the sofa.

“When did you arrive?”

“Early this morning.”

“You passed, right?”

Calvin responded with a silent grin.

“Congratulations! How many more to go?”

“Just two more, and I’m done.”

Now that they were alone, Calvin spoke more comfortably. The two had been close friends since childhood. However, since Calvin joined the knights, a subtle change had occurred between them. In public, he had started treating her with more formality.

“Wow. The day Calvin Koh becomes Sir Koh is not far off. Congratulations in advance.”

The boy who had once been shorter than her was now just two training sessions away from becoming a full-fledged knight. Time had changed everyone but Adele, to the point that even children had grown into adults.

“Don’t congratulate me too soon. Don’t think you can just brush this off with words.”

“What kind of gift do you want? I can’t afford anything fancy.”

“Can’t afford it? With just a word from you, the Lord would handle everything for me. If you think of me as a friend, put in a good word.”

“Are you serious?”

Calvin came from a prestigious knightly family in the East. His father was practically a legend, and his only brother was also famous for being an exceptional knight. Calvin often felt overshadowed by his family’s reputation but held onto a healthy mindset of proving himself purely through his abilities.

Adele admired her friend’s integrity, which is why his sudden request for help from behind the scenes was so shocking.

Seeing Adele freeze up, Calvin sighed.

“I’m joking, I’m joking.”

As Adele took his words seriously, Calvin felt a bit awkward. After spending so much time in rough training, daily conversation had devolved into insults, and casual jokes weren’t even considered funny anymore. He had spoken thoughtlessly, only to realize once again how innocent Adele was.

“When I say things like that, you’re supposed to laugh and say, ‘Yeah, right.'”

Adele scoffed and gave him a playful glare. As they continued talking, the gap between them felt more noticeable, leaving her with a quiet sense of sadness. She feared that one day she might lose the only friend she had left by her side.

“Ah, this last training session was brutal. I thought I was going to die.”

Calvin began exaggerating his tales of the grueling training, telling them in a dramatic fashion. If his fellow trainees had heard him, they would have booed him for sure.

“Really? That sounds awful,” Adele said, believing every word.

Her genuine reactions only fueled Calvin’s enthusiasm, and he continued his over-the-top storytelling.

“So, this guy…”

As the door opened and a maid entered, Calvin immediately fell silent. Sonya approached Adele and announced,

“My lady, Miss Stella has arrived.”

Adele furrowed her brow, staying silent for a moment before speaking.

“Tell her to wait. I have a guest.”

“Yes, my lady.”

After the maid left, Calvin pressed for answers.

“Why is Stella here?”

“…”

“Aren’t the siblings banned from the South Tower? Surely the Lord hasn’t lifted that order.”

When Lord Shima found out that the siblings had been tormenting Adele, his rage was unmatched. Later, Matilda, the housekeeper, quietly mentioned to Adele that in all her years of serving him, she had never seen the Lord so furious.

Adele hadn’t known at the time, but Shima had wanted to throw the Marlon family out of the castle altogether. The parents of the siblings had begged on their knees, pleading for forgiveness, insisting their children were still young and didn’t know any better. Unable to fully turn them away, Shima had instead banned the siblings from entering the South Tower, where Adele’s room was located.

Calvin had been part of the group of children they used to play with. But since he only visited occasionally and for a few hours at a time, he hadn’t noticed that the siblings were bullying Adele. Once he found out, he cut ties with them completely and assured Adele that he no longer acknowledged them in any way.

“The Lord doesn’t know, right? You’re not still…”

“It’s just Stella. Chase hasn’t come. And I’m not that little kid anymore. I don’t stay silent and keep it all bottled up.”

Calvin studied Adele closely, but her calm expression showed no signs of distress. His furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

“So what’s the deal? She’s not here to apologize and make amends, is she?”

Adele shrugged.

“Maybe.”

“No way. You think I don’t know them?”

“How could you?”

“You wouldn’t know, but…”

Calvin hesitated for a moment, gauging her reaction.

“I see them often. At gatherings and parties.”

“Oh…”

Adele nodded, briefly wondering if Calvin had reconciled with the siblings. She realized how foolish she had been to even entertain the idea. She was the only one living in such a small, confined world. Everyone else was out there, mingling in the larger world.

“Neither Chase nor Stella has a good reputation.”

“Why?”

“People tend to associate with those of similar character. Both Stella and Chase run with a crowd of low quality.”

Calvin stopped there, avoiding diving into the details. Even if he was simply stating the truth, he wasn’t one to enjoy badmouthing others. Adele understood his nature and didn’t pry further.

“Anyway, why did Stella come?”

“She came to borrow some of my jewelry.”

Stella had been coming to see Adele for about a year.

Lord Shima not only bought Adele expensive dresses but also provided her with matching jewelry. Somehow, Stella found out and came to visit Adele.

The entrance to the South Tower was always guarded by knights, so Stella couldn’t come in herself. Instead, the knight conveyed the message. Being a relative of the Lord, the knight couldn’t just send her away.

Curious as to why she came, Adele met with her. For a brief moment, she hoped Stella had come to offer a sincere apology. Of course, the reason for the visit was far from that.

With astonishing boldness, Stella had asked to borrow a necklace as if she were simply retrieving something she’d left behind. She didn’t seem to consider the possibility that Adele might refuse.

Out of fear of getting into trouble with her grandmother, Stella had bravely asked, and Adele, feeling somewhat sorry for her, lent it to her. After that, Stella occasionally returned to borrow things.

‘At least she’s braver than her brother.’

A flash of Chase came to Adele’s mind. Even now, he was as paralyzed in front of their grandmother as he had been in his childhood. Honestly, it was almost laughable.

“Why do you lend it to her?” Calvin asked.

“Because I feel sorry for her.”

“For Stella?”

“No. For the beautiful jewels that are left to sit in the jewelry box, unused.”

“… Does she at least return them?”

“Of course. Otherwise, I’d have told my grandmother by now.”

“She’s shameless. How does she even have the nerve to ask? Did she at least apologize the first time she came?”

Adele chuckled.

“Do you think she did?”

Calvin furrowed his brow.

“Of course not. It’s no use being kind to her. The problem is, you’re too soft-hearted.”

Adele smiled silently.

‘I’m not that kind.’

In fact, lending her the jewelry gave Adele a sense of superiority.

Grandmother bought all of this for me. You’ll never have anything like it.

Whenever Stella returned the borrowed jewels, she couldn’t hide her jealousy, and Adele secretly enjoyed watching her squirm.

Adele acknowledged the childish pettiness that had taken root in her heart. It was something she had learned from the siblings.

The pure heart she had as a child had been stolen by them. She had learned bitter lessons, like the reality of unprovoked malice and that kindness doesn’t always beget kindness.

“I should get going,” Calvin said.

“Stay for dinner. I can arrange for you to dine with Grandmother if you’d like.”

“Ugh, no thanks. I’d rather not.”

“Then just have dinner with me.”

“Uh…?”

Adele noticed Calvin’s hesitation.

“Stella came to borrow jewelry, so I assume there’s a party tonight, and you’re going, right?”

“Uh… yeah.”

Adele laughed softly.

“Why are you acting guilty? It’s not like I care.”

“It’s not that I want to go…”

“Stop. You’re making me feel like some weirdo. I really don’t mind.”

Calvin gave an awkward smile.

“Yeah, I guess it’s not a big deal. I’ll come by again soon. Next time, we’ll have dinner—just the two of us. But not with the Lord.”

“Alright.”

As Adele followed Calvin out of the drawing room, she flinched when he stopped suddenly. She had to look up to meet his gaze. The boy who used to complain about not being tall had long since surpassed her in height.

“… You’ve grown taller.”

“Really? I’m still shorter than my brother, though.”

After Calvin left, Adele stood there for a while, her emotions swirling. She looked down at her hands—small, delicate hands that still resembled those of a child.

“My lady. Miss Stella is…”

“She doesn’t need to come in. Tell her to pick out whatever she wants.”

Adele didn’t want to see Stella right now.

The words she had spoken so casually to Calvin—about not caring—were all lies. In truth, she was curious. She longed to see what these social parties were like, the ones she could only imagine. She envied Stella for being able to attend them so confidently.

She walked over to the mirror that had been left untouched for so long. Hesitating, she closed her eyes tightly and pulled off the white cloth covering it.

After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes and despaired at the reflection. A young girl with sad eyes stared back at her.

Her golden hair shone brilliantly, her eyes as clear as ocean-blue gems, and her pale skin was tinged with a soft blush. Her unusually red lips gave her a strangely alluring look. The girl staring back at her seemed like a living doll.

But the sadness in her eyes was far beyond her youthful appearance. There was an eerie depth to them, like a melancholy shadow lingering in her gaze.

‘Why don’t I grow?’

No matter how much time passed, Adele’s appearance remained that of a little girl, around six or seven years old. No doctor, no matter how skilled, had been able to determine why.

No one saw her as her true age. Even knowing she wasn’t a child, they still treated her like one. Even her beloved grandmother handled her as if she were a delicate flower petal that would break if touched too roughly.

Only Calvin treated her like an equal, speaking to her like a friend. Though she knew he was a good person, there were times when she resented how easily he moved on without her.

But her inability to grow wasn’t Calvin’s fault. Hating him was a foolish, childish impulse.

‘I can’t let myself think like this.’

Adele rested her forehead against the mirror, trying to calm her turbulent emotions. If she let her bitterness grow, it might one day manifest in her appearance, turning her outward beauty as ugly as her feelings.

‘I can’t lose the one thing I have.’

She was old enough to understand how much of an asset her appearance was. The only thing that hadn’t matured was her body.

***