The Song of Flowers - Chapter 5: The Only Ones for Each Other (1)

Adele had been by Shima’s side, but after she fell asleep, Adele quietly left the bedroom. She had longed to talk to her grandmother about everything they’d missed, but seeing how exhausted Shima was, she didn’t want to burden her.

As Adele walked back to the southern tower, her shoulders drooped with weariness.

“Miss,” Mel called, quickly approaching her. It seemed she had been waiting, her expression filled with curiosity and questions. Adele gave her a gentle smile.

“Grandmother is fine. She woke up and spoke.”

“That’s such a relief!”

“And she mentioned that she has a grandson. She recently found him after not knowing all this time.”

“My goodness! So that’s why all those people went into the central tower!” Mel’s eyes sparkled with excitement. The atmosphere in the Levas castle had been gloomy for a long time due to Shima’s prolonged coma. Given her naturally cheerful nature, Mel must have found it difficult to endure the dark mood.

“Who is he? Did you meet him?” she asked eagerly.

Adele had already met him unofficially, but after a moment of hesitation, she shook her head.

“Why don’t you find out and tell me?”

“Me?” Mel’s eyes widened, clearly delighted with the task assigned to her.

“Go ahead. I’ll take a short nap in the meantime.”

“I’ll be back soon, Miss!” Mel chuckled, unable to hide her excitement, and quickly disappeared. She was probably heading to the central tower to gather information from other servants.

Unlike Sonya, Mel wasn’t the type to stick by Adele’s side all day. If there was nothing specific to do, Mel would ask permission to leave or sometimes disappear without asking. She would always return with all sorts of stories and rumors to share with Adele. It wasn’t as if Adele had asked her to gather information—it was just that Mel loved to stir things up and gossip.

Mel had a remarkable ability to make friends, regardless of age, with maids all over the castle.

Since her work was never neglected, Adele let it slide, enjoying the amusing stories Mel brought back.

After sitting on her bed for a moment, Adele left her room. The southern tower, normally quiet, felt even more deserted today. She walked down the corridor, climbed the stairs, and stopped in front of a door.

Opening it, she stepped into the drawing room and knocked on the bedroom door. There was no answer. She knocked again, but still no reply. Carefully, she entered the bedroom, only to find it empty. She let out a short sigh.

“Of course, he’s not here. How foolish of me. Why would he be?”

The southern tower was reserved for guests. Since he was Shima’s grandson, tradition dictated that he should move his quarters to the eastern tower, where the family of the lord resided.

The bedroom was already neatly arranged, with no signs of recent occupancy. Adele looked around the spotless room before sitting down on the sofa. She curled up, hugging her knees with her arms.

“What am I going to do now?”

She felt lost. Her grandmother’s words kept replaying in her mind.

「Now, he’ll be there for you in my place.」

“There’s no way anyone could take Grandmother’s place…”

She muttered sadly.

In just a few months, she had lost many familiar faces. The maid who had served her for a long time had left the castle, Paul had died, and now it seemed her grandmother would also leave her.

“He’ll find me a burden.”

Adele recalled his violet eyes watching her. Those eyes, so similar to her grandmother’s, looked at her with a cold, dry gaze. Unlike Shima, there was no warmth or affection in them.

If he found out that she didn’t grow, he would become even more distant. There was no telling how long he would have to take care of her. To him, she was just a burdensome responsibility. In a normal situation, a girl her age would eventually marry, but that wasn’t an option for Adele.

“Why did I start living with Grandmother in the first place?”

She knew she was an orphan, and that had been enough for her. She had never looked into it further, and her grandmother had never told her more.

Adele’s earliest memory was of meeting her grandmother. Before that, she had no recollection of where she lived or how she came to be with Shima.

“Why did my parents abandon me? Who was I living with before I met Grandmother?”

These thoughts made her feel even more sorrowful. Adele buried her face in her knees and began to cry softly. Eventually, she lay down on the sofa, falling asleep with tears in her eyes.

As the afternoon light faded, dusk settled in the bedroom.

The door creaked open, and Ron stood at the entrance, gazing into the room. He walked over to the sofa, where Adele was curled up, fast asleep.

Just as Adele had predicted, he no longer stayed in this room. It wasn’t his choice to change rooms, though.

When he had left earlier to meet with the lord, he had no idea that his quarters would be moved. Wanting a moment of quiet, he had asked to rest, but they had led him to a new, unfamiliar room.

The only reason he returned was to retrieve something important. He had hidden a crucial document in this room, one that he had brought with him to the Levas castle, ensuring that no one else would find it. He hadn’t expected to find Adele here.

He knelt down in front of the sofa, observing the girl’s tear-stained eyelashes. When he gently touched her cheek, a tear rolled down.

“Do you always cry yourself to sleep?”

Although he had promised Shima to take care of Adele, he wasn’t sure how to handle a young girl. It wasn’t about age—he had never made an effort to get close to anyone before.

Whenever he had free time, he would train with his sword. As a mercenary who could die at any moment, his skill was his only means of survival. It wasn’t that he was particularly attached to life; he simply wanted to be prepared to protect Leon if the need arose. As his skills surpassed Leon’s, he became even more obsessed with swordsmanship.

Leon, on the other hand, was different. He always said they should enjoy today, even if they might die tomorrow. Leon’s ideal type seemed to change with every new village they passed through.

“If Leon were here, he’d know how to handle this,” Ron thought.

Every time Ron faced a difficult situation here, he wondered what Leon would do.

Leon had been carefree, even if he did harbor anger toward the father who had abandoned him and his mother. He wasn’t the type to hold a grudge for long. If Leon had been here to meet their grandmother and Adele, he would have been thrilled to have a little sister.

“A sister. Leon’s little sister…”

Thinking of Adele as Leon’s sister made her seem different in Ron’s eyes.

Ron stood up and walked to the painting on the wall. He lifted the frame and retrieved the envelope hidden behind it. Then, he returned to Adele, carefully sliding his arms under her legs and neck to lift her. He hesitated for a moment at the door.

Adjusting her in his arms so he could free one hand, he opened the door. Adele stirred, making a small noise, and snuggled closer to his chest. Her soft, downy face pressed against him, and Ron felt something strange.

Leon had always been careless, and watching him could be nerve-wracking at times. Without realizing it, Ron had taken on the role of Leon’s protector. Even though Leon was a grown man, Ron had always felt the need to look out for him. Still, Leon was strong, and while he could be unreliable, Ron had never thought, “If I don’t protect him, he’ll die.”

But the girl in his arms was different. Adele seemed fragile, small, and defenseless. It felt like she needed to be protected.

「Take care of her.」

Shima’s request resonated with him now. He understood why she had been so worried about Adele.

As he stepped into the drawing room, the knights waiting for him widened their eyes in surprise before quickly composing themselves. Alan’s gaze wavered slightly as he asked, “Shall I call for a physician?”

“No. She’s just asleep.”

“I’ll summon her maid then.”

One of the knights moved to act, but Ron stopped him. “There’s no need.”

The knight returned to his post. “Do you know where Adele’s room is?” Ron asked.

“Yes, sir.”

Alan led Ron to Adele’s room. Just moments before, Mel had returned and was looking for Adele, preparing to search the garden since she couldn’t find her anywhere.

When the knights suddenly appeared with an unfamiliar man carrying Adele, Mel was so surprised that she bowed her head deeply without saying a word.

Ron entered the bedroom and gently laid Adele on her bed. He started to stand but hesitated, sitting back down beside her to look at the sleeping girl. Stray strands of hair had fallen across her face, and they bothered him. He raised his hand, pausing for a moment before carefully brushing the hair away from her forehead, tucking it neatly back.

As he gazed at her, a sense of relief washed over him, as if he had been floating aimlessly but had finally found solid ground. Protecting Adele was a clear duty, something concrete he could hold onto, almost like a redemption.

‘A cowardly excuse,’ he thought with a bitter smile.

***

It was a small, shabby room. A young girl sat on an old bed. Adele recognized the girl with blonde hair and blue eyes immediately.

‘That’s me…’

There was no doubt about it—the girl was her. But strangely, Adele herself seemed to be floating around the girl, like an invisible observer with no physical form.

The girl wasn’t alone. An elderly woman in a white robe had crouched in front of the bed to be at eye level with her. Adele recognized her instantly.

‘The Great Sage.’

It was Deborah, the Great Sage of the White Tower. Deborah occasionally visited Levas Castle, about once a year, to see Adele’s grandmother.

“What’s your name?” Deborah asked the girl.

“Adele Stone,” the girl answered.

“And your age?” Deborah inquired, but this time the girl remained silent.

“Do you remember what happened yesterday? Can you tell me anything that comes to mind?” Deborah asked a series of questions, but the girl didn’t respond to any of them. Adele, floating nearby, studied the girl’s expression closely. Her eyes were vacant, her gaze unfocused.

“What’s your name?” Deborah asked again.

“Adele Stone,” the girl repeated, like a doll programmed to respond only to that particular question.

“She’s neither deaf nor mute…” Deborah muttered. There was another person in the room, a male mage also dressed in white robes, who responded.

“The child seems deeply shocked by what happened yesterday.”

Deborah clicked her tongue in frustration. “Why wouldn’t she be? Wretched people…”

“I thought people living in places like this would be more simple and honest,” the mage remarked.

“That’s not always the case, as you’ll learn,” Deborah replied.

“Shall I take the child with me?” the mage offered.

“What’s your plan?”

“I was thinking of sending her to the orphanage run by the Mage Tower.”

“To Haran?” Deborah asked.

“I doubt there’s a proper orphanage anywhere else on the continent. Besides, the girl… stands out,” the mage said, trailing off as he looked at the girl.

“With her striking appearance, what happened yesterday could easily happen again. At least the Mage Tower’s orphanage would protect her until she reaches adulthood.”

“That’s true,” Deborah conceded.

Adele listened to their conversation, as clear and vivid as if she were right there with them. She realized this was a memory from her past. The girl sitting on the bed was her younger self, and she was witnessing what she had once experienced.

“I’ll take care of her for now,” Deborah said.

“You, Great Sage?” the mage asked, surprised.

“I want to help the child recover and explain things to her gently so the shock isn’t too overwhelming.”

“Are you thinking of taking her as a disciple…?” the mage asked hesitantly.

“No, she has no talent for magic,” Deborah replied.

“Can you tell that just by looking?” the mage asked, astonished.

“It’s a feeling, but I’ve never been wrong before. You’ll understand it one day, once you reach my level,” Deborah said confidently.

“I doubt a day like that will ever come for me,” the mage replied with a sigh.

“You’ve got potential,” Deborah reassured him.

While the two of them conversed, the girl remained seated, blinking occasionally but otherwise unresponsive.

“I’ll leave the cleanup to you, then,” Deborah instructed.

“Yes, Great Sage.”

Deborah then took the girl’s small hand and called her name. “Adele.”