The Song of Flowers - Chapter 5: The Only Ones for Each Other (6)

“You’re really something, aren’t you? How did you even manage to get the new lord wrapped around your finger?”

Stella’s heart had raced the moment she laid eyes on the grandson of the Lady in White, whom she had only ever heard of. She had attended many social parties, but she had never encountered such a perfect man. He was young, handsome, and the head of a prestigious family.

‘If he escorted me to a party…’

If she could get close to him, she could instantly become the center of high society. She was desperately looking for an opportunity to talk to him, but seeing Adele getting along with him was infuriating.

Stella couldn’t bear the thought of losing to Adele again, as she had lost the Lady in White’s affection to her.

Stella, full of venom, seemed to not care at all, but Adele simply found her tiresome.

‘This is so annoying.’

She didn’t understand why Stella always seemed to be so hostile towards her. She had known since long ago that there was no real reason behind it, but she still couldn’t comprehend it. If Adele were in Stella’s shoes, she wouldn’t have cared at all about someone like her, a child who couldn’t even leave her home.

Adele’s indifferent reaction only further provoked Stella.

“I wasn’t going to bring this up, but don’t you know there’s a rumor that you’re the illegitimate child of your late uncle?”

Adele’s eyes flickered.

“That’s why the Lady in White never let you out in public, always hiding you away. People say that’s why she barely participated in social events, too.”

Rumors often came with baseless and malicious gossip. It was a low-class rumor. People wouldn’t have dared say such things while the Lady in White was alive, but now Stella felt no hesitation.

“Do you have any idea how much you tarnished her reputation? And now, are you planning to ruin the new lord’s name as well?”

As Adele’s face paled, Stella’s cruel smile deepened. Suddenly, her expression shifted, and she turned to leave. Adele watched blankly as Stella hurried away.

“Are you okay?”

Before Adele realized it, he had come over and crouched down to meet her eye level. Adele now understood why Stella had left so quickly.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

Ron had noticed Adele standing with someone. From where he was, he couldn’t see her expression, but her posture seemed tense and uneasy.

‘Is my mere existence… causing harm?’

Adele looked at him and then shook her head.

“It’s nothing. I’m just… tired.”

“I’m sure you are.”

The ceremony had started early in the morning and lasted into the afternoon, and all the participants had to stand the entire time without even a sip of water. It was a grueling event even for adults, so it was impressive that she had managed to endure it.

“Can you hang on a little longer? The will is about to be read.”

“The will…? Does it have anything to do with me?”

“Of course it does. If you’re too tired, we can postpone it until tomorrow.”

“No, I’m fine.”

A flicker of curiosity returned to Adele’s tired eyes. She was eager to hear her grandmother’s final words.

A legal officer had been dispatched from the capital to read the will.

The Central Court in the capital handled disputes involving major families, such as inheritance battles, succession disputes, or conflicts between great houses, where impartiality was critical.

The legal officer had brought the will that had been sealed and kept in custody. Deborah confirmed the presence of the magic seal and proceeded to break it.

Only the heirs of the will and any witnesses designated by the deceased were allowed to be present at the reading. Shima had designated Basil and Kou as witnesses, with Deborah as a special witness.

The heirs were the new head of the Levas family, Adele, and the Malone family.

“I will now read the first will. It was written and later amended once.”

The legal officer announced the date the will had been written. It had been drafted about six months ago. Realizing the significance of that date, Malone’s face turned pale. It was around the time when Paul had died and Shima had fallen ill. From the start, his sister-in-law had made sure everything was meticulously prepared.

The revision had been made on the day Shima regained consciousness. Malone’s expression became even more tense.

“Malone Brody.”

“…Yes.”

“I bequeath the three-story house in the city and five chests of gold coins. Two chests of gold coins are designated as marriage support for your two children, with one chest each. However, the marriage funds will be held in trust at the Central Court, and the children will only be able to claim them directly when their marriages are formalized.”

The faces of Malone’s family changed rapidly as they listened to the will. One chest of gold coins was enough to comfortably sustain a middle-class family for ten years. However, for the lavish lifestyle of the upper class, it was far from sufficient. Malone’s family had been spending about one chest of gold coins per year, all funded from Shima’s personal wealth.

“Adele Stone.”

“W-wait!”

When the legal officer called Adele’s name, Malone interrupted hastily.

“Is that all? Is this everything?”

“According to the will, yes.”

Malone’s face turned ashen. He didn’t stop to consider that Shima had shown her final generosity, preventing them from being completely left out. Instead, he was filled with bitterness over being handed what he considered a paltry sum and cast aside.

Seeing their parents’ serious expressions, the siblings’ faces also hardened. Stella, unsure of how much a chest of gold coins was worth, whispered to Chase, who clicked his tongue and explained. After doing some quick calculations, Stella’s face twisted in frustration. She didn’t know much about living expenses, but she knew the cost of a single dress. And in terms of dresses, the money wasn’t enough.

“Adele Stone.”

“Yes.”

Adele, who had been tense, answered.

“I bequeath the five-story house in the city, the three-story house in the capital… ownership of a mine generating an annual revenue of seven chests of gold coins…”

The list of bequests from the legal officer seemed endless. Adele hadn’t expected her grandmother’s will to be about material wealth. She had been waiting to hear her grandmother’s final words or heartfelt messages, but now she was overwhelmed. Even from what little she had heard so far, it was clear she was inheriting an enormous amount of wealth.

“…I also bequeath shares in the trading company.”

The legal officer’s long recitation finally ended.

“This cannot be!”

Malone jumped up, shouting.

“My brother’s wife was the deceased! I am her only in-law! There’s a legitimate grandson right here, and yet she gave all the wealth to some nobody girl?”

Malone pointed back and forth between Adele and Ron, his voice rising with indignation.

“My lord! Speak up! This inheritance rightfully belongs to you!”

Ron smirked as he watched Malone’s outburst. It was absurd—just a while ago, Malone was rejecting him as family, and now he wanted to rope him in for his own benefit.

It didn’t matter to Ron how much wealth was going to Adele. From the start, he had never cared about the money.

Ignoring Malone, Ron turned to the legal officer.

“Is there anything in the will addressed to me?”

“As the legal heir of the deceased, you automatically inherit whatever isn’t explicitly bequeathed. Anything not already granted to others will go to you.”

“So, is the reading of the will concluded?”

“There is a second will. However, its contents are confidential and will only be revealed to the relevant parties.”

“Are there any people here who are not involved?”

“Yes. Sir Malone Brody and his family are not relevant parties.”

Ron looked at Malone.

“You heard that, didn’t you? You’ll need to leave now.”

“My lord!”

“Shall I have you removed?”

Malone flinched. The cold look in Ron’s violet eyes had not a trace of warmth. Malone ground his teeth and gestured for his family to get up.

As they were leaving, Stella kept glancing back. She was shocked by the cold attitude of the young lord toward her father. Stella, having no idea about the history between the deceased Lady and her father, was disconcerted by this unexpected distance.

Once Malone’s family had left, the legal officer handed the second will to Deborah.

“The contents of this second will are confidential, and according to the deceased’s wishes, it will be handled by the Great Sage. Please call for me once the reading is finished.”

After the legal officer left, Deborah opened the will.

“Adele Stone.”

“Yes.”

“I bequeath to you a five-percent share of the dividends from the sale of tium.”

At this, the heads of the Basil and Kou families exchanged brief glances.

When the private reading was finished, the legal officer returned and read out the follow-up measures.

“Until the heir, Adele Stone, reaches adulthood, her assets will be managed by a trustee appointed by the Central Court…”

Adele was barely listening. Her mind was dazed.

‘Grandmother… why did you do this?’

Adele had suddenly become the heir to a massive fortune. It didn’t feel real, nor did it make her happy. The inheritance felt like a price she had paid for being left all alone.

As Adele stood there in a daze, Malone’s words came back to her. He had said that the inheritance rightfully belonged to someone else and had been unfairly taken by an outsider. His words weren’t entirely unreasonable. Her heart beat anxiously. Even in her final will, her grandmother had mentioned her, leaving a will that was solely for her.

Adele glanced at him, but she couldn’t read his emotions. He didn’t seem angry. After exchanging a few words with the legal officer, he met Adele’s eyes and said,

“All the important matters are done. Go take a nap. Let’s have dinner together later.”

He spoke with his usual calm demeanor. His tone was dry, but the content of his words was kind.

“…Okay.”

“Shall I escort you?”

“No, I can go by myself.”

Ron called for a knight.

“Escort her to her room.”

“Yes, my lord.”

‘I can go by myself…’

As Adele walked through the hall with the knight, she locked eyes with Stella, who was lingering nearby. Stella’s eyes narrowed sharply. Adele was glad the knight was with her, otherwise, Stella would surely have followed her and said something cruel again.

Adele kept replaying Stella’s words in her head. It didn’t seem like she had made them up out of thin air.

‘Thinking about it, Stella’s words make sense.’

Her grandmother’s affection for her had been so unconditional that Adele had never questioned whether she was truly her granddaughter.

‘Grandmother must have known about the strange rumors.’

Adele didn’t believe that her grandmother had hidden her away because of the rumors. Her grandmother had never been ashamed of Adele for not growing. She had even planned a grand debutante ball for Adele on her fifteenth birthday at the castle hall.

But Adele had been the one who ran away. Back then, she had been extremely sensitive about her stunted growth. Her sensitivity had only worsened over time, and she eventually refused to meet people, causing all her tutors to quit.

Shima had never forced her out. She had simply enveloped Adele with unconditional love. Adele had never doubted that love.

Still, what Stella had said stung. Not as much as the day she cruelly shattered Adele’s belief by telling her she was an orphan, but it hurt nonetheless.

***