The Song of Flowers - Chapter 3: The Heir of the Great Family (3)

Not knowing how to comfort a crying child, Ron watched as tears streamed silently down her face. His sharp mood softened slightly.

He crouched down so they were eye-level and took in her overall appearance: long hair cascading to her waist, a nightgown made of fine embroidered fabric. She was clearly a well-raised young lady.

He gently patted her head, unsure what else to do.

Adele looked up at him with wide eyes, tears still hanging on her lashes. A single tear dropped as her surprised eyes curved into a faint smile.

“She’s a pretty child,” Ron thought.

It was the first time he’d had such thoughts about a child. Ron didn’t usually like kids. They were noisy and uncontrollable.

“Hey, kid.”

The girl frowned, clearly not pleased with the nickname. Ron smirked at her reaction.

“You know, you shouldn’t be sneaking into other people’s rooms without permission at this hour. Hide and seek is for daytime.”

The pale girl’s face flushed red. She quickly bowed her head.

“I’m sorry. I was being rude.”

Adele was mortified. The moment he mentioned “hide and seek,” she realized just how reckless her actions had been.

“I won’t make excuses for my behavior, but I promise I didn’t mean any harm. I just…”

Her words trailed off as she met his gaze. His violet eyes, so reminiscent of her grandmother’s, stirred a deep longing within her. She had missed those gentle eyes, the ones that always smiled warmly at her.

Adele reached out her hand. Ron’s brow furrowed as her small fingers brushed against the area around his eyes.

“You’re fearless, aren’t you?”

Startled, Adele quickly pulled her hand back.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to… I don’t know why I did that!”

Flustered, she covered her face with both hands, unsure of what to do. Ron, watching the girl, stood up. She was clearly not a dangerous intruder.

“Kid.”

Adele immediately lifted her head.

“I’m not a kid.”

No one had ever called her that before. It was the first time she’d heard such an impolite address.

Ron found her indignant reaction amusing.

“What do they call you then?”

“…They call me Miss.”

Just as he had expected, she was a child raised in luxury.

“Alright, Miss. Do you live here?”

He decided to gather information. In his experience, children often provided surprisingly useful details.

“Adele.”

“What?”

“My name is Adele Stone. You don’t need to call me ‘Miss.’ Just call me Adele.”

She smiled sweetly, and Ron remained silent for a moment. She was oddly friendly. Hadn’t anyone taught her to be wary of strangers? He thought her guardians were doing a poor job.

“I have a few questions for you…”

“Really? Can we talk for a bit longer?”

Adele glanced around the bedroom before making her way to the sofa, sitting down with her hands neatly on her lap, eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

“There’s definitely something wrong here.”

He made a mental note to have a word with whoever was responsible for raising this overly trusting child.

“Seven? Maybe eight?”

He estimated her age. She was just a little girl, but something about her drew his attention. Her beauty wasn’t the typical kind of pretty.

Beauty could be an advantage for a woman, but too much of it was dangerous. Girls born into powerful families were often sold off into political marriages at the whims of their fathers or brothers. If she were a commoner, she might be kidnapped and forced into a life she didn’t choose.

“This one’s likely headed for a political marriage.”

At least families with some conscience waited until their daughters were of age before sending them off. There were plenty of perverted men with power who preferred their brides young and beautiful. The continent of Haran probably wasn’t much different. People everywhere behaved the same.

Ron had once stumbled upon a secret auction while working as a mercenary. Even the most expensive children sold there hadn’t been as pretty as this girl.

Ron sat on the sofa across from Adele.

“Does anyone know you’re here?”

Adele shook her head firmly.

“No. No one. I didn’t tell anyone.”

“…I’m not asking because I’m worried you told someone. I’m saying that if they realize you’ve disappeared, there’ll be a big commotion.”

“It’s fine. No one will notice.”

No one would realize if this girl disappeared. The security here was so lax that she had made it all the way to his room without getting caught. Ron gathered the information from her response.

“It wouldn’t matter if an entire group of assassins came—they wouldn’t notice.”

He began to seriously question how long he could survive here.

“I know I shouldn’t be here. I just got so curious… I think I lost my mind for a moment.”

“Curious about what?”

Adele couldn’t say she was curious about her grandmother’s grandson, so she deflected.

“It’s just… it’s been so long since we had a guest. So…”

“Is this place really supposed to be the grand estate of a powerful family?” Ron thought, frowning inwardly.

Alan had assured him that the room was safe and asked him to stay out of sight for a while. But the fact that even a child knew about him meant the secrecy had already been compromised.

The security chief at Levas Castle would be horrified if he knew what was going through Ron’s mind.

“Do you live here?”

“Yes.”

“With your family?”

“…No, I don’t have any family. I’m a guest here too. I don’t know who my parents are, but my grandmother is my guardian and takes care of me.”

Ron guessed that this might be why the child seemed so mature for her age. Her tone and mannerisms were beyond her years.

“But my grandmother has been ill for some time, and I haven’t seen her in a while. So when I heard we had a guest, I got really curious.”

She left out many details, but her story made sense. A lonely child without parents might be eager for human interaction, which explained her behavior.

Ron let his guard down around the girl. Constantly suspecting everyone and staying on high alert was exhausting. A little girl who could be easily overpowered posed no threat. For once, Ron found himself relaxing around someone.

“Who told you there was a guest?” he asked.

“Um… Patty…” Adele quickly came up with the maid’s name, not wanting to mention Alan.

“She’s a maid. We’re very close.”

Ron noted that the maid also needed to be reminded about discretion.

“Patty wouldn’t tell anyone else. She can’t, actually. She can’t speak. But I figured it out because… well, even without words, I just knew…”

“I understand. Just because she can’t talk doesn’t mean she can’t communicate.”

Alan had mentioned that there was a maid who couldn’t speak and would help with some basic tasks. It all lined up, so Ron had no reason to doubt the story.

“So, you can’t be mad at Patty, right?”

“We’ll see…”

“No, you can’t! It’s not her fault. She might even get kicked out for no reason if you blame her. Patty told me she needs money to take care of her younger siblings.”

“You discuss these things with the maid?”

“Mel told me. She’s another maid. She’s friendly with everyone and loves wandering around, so she knows everything happening in the castle.”

Listening to the girl chatter on, Ron suddenly found himself chuckling. It was all trivial information, neither here nor there, but spending time idly like this—engaging in meaningless conversation—was something he hadn’t done in ages. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it.

He nodded to reassure her that he wouldn’t scold Patty. The fact that he was relaxing was evident in his posture as he leaned back comfortably on the sofa, resting one arm on its back.

“Are you… a knight?” Adele asked, her eyes drawn to the sword at his waist.

“Knights don’t carry this kind of weapon.”

“How’s it different?”

Ron untied the leather strap holding the scabbard and placed it on the sofa table. The blade was longer than a dagger, with a slightly curved edge.

“A knight’s sword is longer and shaped differently.”

“I saw you holding it earlier. Why?”

“I thought you were an intruder.”

Adele’s eyes widened in surprise.

“An intruder? But all the entrances to the tower are guarded.”

“Sometimes ten guards can’t stop a single thief.”

“But the knights are amazing! No one could sneak in past them.”

“What if one of the knights let someone in?”

“What?”

“Most crimes happen between people who know each other. What if someone with bad intentions got in by pretending to be good? Could you stop them if they snuck into your room?”

“…That’s never happened before.”

“You snuck into my room.”

Adele’s face turned crimson.

“I’m sorry.”

She was a polite child, and Ron found himself thinking that her guardians had at least done a good job raising her with manners.

“You did well to knock first.”

He smiled at the blushing girl, and for the first time in a long while, it wasn’t a sarcastic smile, but a genuine one.

“Is your sword defective? Why is it curved?”

Adele, usually reserved, had become unusually talkative. Though typically shy, she was showing an unexpected level of sociability.

“It’s not defective; it’s supposed to be shaped like this. It’s a variation of a typical sword. Because of its curve…”

He unsheathed the sword, resting the curved edge on his palm to show her.

“It’s more effective for slashing than stabbing.”

“Is there a big difference between slashing and stabbing?”

“A slash can create a larger wound with less force, causing more pain and blood loss, which shocks the opponent.”

“Where do you learn that kind of thing?”

Ron looked at Adele for a moment before answering nonchalantly.

“Experience.”

There was a brief silence.

He wondered why he was telling such things to a child. Feeling it was enough, he sheathed the sword and tied it back to his waist.

“That’s enough small talk. You should head back to your room. It’s late.”

“…Alright.”

Adele stood, her face showing disappointment. Ron opened the bedroom door wide, and the light from inside illuminated the dark sitting room.

Adele walked toward the door, then paused to look up at him. She hesitated, making Ron tilt his head slightly.

“Can I come again?”

“Aren’t you afraid of me?”

Adele shook her head.

“You should be. I’m a stranger, stronger than you, and I have a weapon.”

“Really scary people wouldn’t warn me about that. Can I come again?”

She was polite yet persistent, with a subtle defiance in her gentle tone.

“If you can come without getting caught.”

He couldn’t refuse. He didn’t want to disappoint the eager-eyed girl, even though they had only met today. Ron couldn’t understand why he was being so lenient with a stranger.

Seeing Adele linger, he asked, “What is it now?”

“Um… My name is Adele.”

“You already told me.”

“Since you know my name, I want to know yours.”

When there was no response, Adele’s expression turned a bit sad.

“…Leon.”

Adele lifted her head joyfully but noticed a fleeting sadness in his eyes as she met his gaze.

“Leon?” she asked softly.

He gave a faint nod.

Just before opening the door to leave the sitting room, Adele turned her head back and gave him a warm smile.

“I’m glad I got to meet you.”

She opened the door, stepped out, but then popped her head back in for one last glance. Leon stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the bedroom door. She felt a strange sense of comfort knowing he hadn’t immediately gone back inside. With a final farewell, she said cheerfully:

“Welcome to Levas Castle, Leon.”

As she heard her own small footsteps echoing down the corridor, Leon let out a quiet chuckle.

Returning to her own bedroom, Adele kept repeating his name in her mind.

“Leon. Leon.”

Lying down, her heart still fluttering, she tried to calm herself. She closed her eyes, filled with the same anticipation she hadn’t felt in a long time, eager for tomorrow to arrive.

“He has a nice voice.”

She wished the room had been brighter so she could have seen him more clearly.

“Everything will be alright,” she thought.

Now that they had found her grandmother’s grandson, surely her grandmother would recover soon.

The reason Adele had been able to endure the past six months was her firm belief that her grandmother was not in grave danger.

“I miss you, Grandma,” she whispered in her heart.

As Adele drifted off to sleep, a tear slid down her cheek, soaking into her pillow.

 

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