The Song of Flowers - Chapter 5: The Only Ones for Each Other (8)

“There was a knight I instructed earlier to escort Adele. Summon him.”

The knight was called in, and Ron questioned him about what had happened. The knight, standing rigidly, reported in a firm voice.

“I made sure to escort her to her room and confirmed that her maid took her inside, my lord.”

After dismissing the knight, Ron sat at his desk, tapping his fingers as he waited for news from the butler. His fingers hesitated in mid-air.

‘Could it be…’

He suddenly remembered the light that had surrounded Adele in the garden near the southern tower. He stood up abruptly.

He immediately headed for the southern tower. People were milling around, unsure of where to search, as there was nowhere specific Adele could have gone.

“Did you check the garden?”

“Yes, but she wasn’t there.”

“Search the entire castle, if you have to.”

The search for Adele set the entire castle on alert. All staff members and even the knights on duty were mobilized.

Ron sat in the drawing room of Adele’s quarters, waiting for word that they had found her. Night had completely fallen, and as time passed, his expression grew more grim.

Finally, he went out into the garden. In the darkness, the garden felt completely different from how it appeared in the daytime. The wind howled eerily through the densely packed trees.

He ventured deeper until he reached the tree with the swing. There, standing tall in the clearing, was the giant tree, its swing swaying gently in the wind. The swing was empty. All around him was darkness. Adele was nowhere to be seen. There was no trace of the small light either.

‘It couldn’t be…’

He exhaled deeply, running a hand roughly through his hair.

‘Do I hate the idea of Adele disappearing? Why?’

If Adele stayed by his side, it would stir up painful memories of his past, memories he had tried to suppress. Yet, despite knowing this, he still wanted to keep her near him. It was a pull he couldn’t fully explain.

Suddenly, another place came to mind. He turned without hesitation and headed back inside, climbing the stairs of the southern tower to the room where he had stayed a few days ago.

He left those who had followed him outside the door and entered alone. The drawing room was empty. He moved into the bedroom. There, in the dark, curled up on the sofa, was Adele. As soon as he saw her, he exhaled in relief.

Ron quietly lit a small lamp and sat down beside her.

“The entire castle was searched for you.”

Adele, who had been resting her head on her knees, looked up at him with wide eyes, startled. She glanced around and sighed softly, realizing how much time had passed. She had been lost in thought, unaware of the passing hours.

“I’m sorry. We were supposed to have dinner together.”

Adele flinched when he reached out to touch her face. He gently brushed his fingers beneath her eyes.

‘Oh… he’s checking to see if I’ve been crying.’

After confirming that her eyes were dry, he withdrew his hand.

‘I don’t understand. Is he really worried about me, or is it just out of duty?’

No matter how much she thought about it, Adele couldn’t figure out why he would worry about her.

“I’m sorry.”

“You can still have dinner, even now.”

“I wasn’t referring to that. I mean, my grandmother’s will.”

“What about it?”

“Why did she leave me such an inheritance?”

Ron thought he knew. Shima didn’t trust her grandson. She had likely foreseen the possibility that Adele, left alone, might face hardship or persecution. The vast inheritance was her final attempt to protect Adele.

Would he have been hurt by Shima’s decision if he had been her blood-related grandson? He didn’t know, but he understood her reasoning.

“What originally belonged to you has wrongly fallen into my hands. I don’t need it. I’ll find a way to return it to you.”

“Adele.”

He laughed softly, almost like a sigh.

“That’s yours. You don’t have to feel bad for me at all.”

“But it’s too much. It doesn’t make sense for you, the lord, to be poorer than I am.”

Ron let out a low chuckle.

“Poor? Me? What do you think the Levas family is? The money the head of this family manages in a year dwarfs the personal wealth left behind by your grandmother.”

Adele blinked in disbelief. She couldn’t quite comprehend the scale he was talking about.

“I’m not trying to diminish the value of your inheritance. It’s just that the amounts are on a completely different scale, so comparing them isn’t appropriate. That said, the wealth you’ve inherited is substantial. But what your grandmother really left you wasn’t money, it was power.”

“Power…?”

“There’s no force as powerful in this world as wealth. While money isn’t everything, it can achieve a great many things.”

Adele had been so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of wealth that she hadn’t even thought about that.

‘Is it really okay for me to receive this much love?’

Her grandmother’s love, which had always seemed natural to her, now felt almost overwhelming.

“You’ll have to learn how to wield the power you’ve been given.”

‘The Great Sage said something similar…’

“Oh, by the way, the Great Sage left. I forgot to tell you.”

Deborah had disappeared without a word, just as suddenly as she had appeared. That was always the way it was whenever she visited the Levas estate. Those who were familiar with her didn’t find it odd when she suddenly appeared or vanished without notice.

“What did she say to you?”

Ron had a feeling that Adele’s deep contemplation had something to do with the Great Sage. His guess was confirmed when Adele hesitated. The darkness made it hard for him to see her expression clearly, and it frustrated him.

“She asked me… if I wanted to go with her.”

Adele had been deeply moved by Deborah’s offer. It gave her a choice. Even if she left the Levas estate, she now had somewhere to go, and that gave her peace of mind.

“Do you want to go with her?”

“…I don’t know.”

If Deborah had made the offer yesterday, Adele might have thanked her but declined. The Levas estate was filled with all her memories of her grandmother. If she could stay here, she wouldn’t want to leave.

But after hearing what Stella had said, Adele was torn. If her staying at the estate would cause trouble for Ron, she felt she should leave. She already felt guilty for being the subject of rumors that had tarnished her grandmother’s reputation. She didn’t want to cause him discomfort as well. That was why she hadn’t declined Deborah’s offer outright but instead said she would think about it.

Ron reached out and took her hand. Adele flinched in surprise, but when she moved to pull her hand away, he tightened his grip.

“Don’t go.”

Adele wanted to see his expression. In the dim light, she could only make out parts of his face, the rest obscured by shadow.

“I don’t want you to leave.”

Ron wasn’t sure how to explain his complex emotions.

At first, it had been because of his promise to Shima. But now, there were more reasons.

There was nothing in the vast Levas estate that had originally belonged to him. He had no particular attachment to this place. To him, the Levas family had always been a tool to achieve his goals.

But Adele was the only person he could keep by his side without thinking of any ulterior motives or benefits. The thought of Adele disappearing left him feeling empty, alone in the vastness of the estate.

It also dawned on him that Adele’s presence, which reminded him of the painful memories he most wanted to forget, might not be a mere coincidence. Perhaps it was a sign that he needed to stop running from his past and face it.

Just as meeting Leon had marked a turning point in his life, meeting Adele at this new crossroad seemed significant. He didn’t know what lay at the end of the path he had chosen. He might end up regretting his decisions just as much as he regretted his past.

But as long as he didn’t lose Adele as he had lost Leon, he felt he could face whatever future awaited him.

“You don’t have any obligation to take care of me, my lord.”

“I do have an obligation. Until you come of age next year, I’m your guardian.”

“Did my grandmother… ask you to take care of me?”

“Yes. I promised her.”

Adele’s excitement quickly deflated. Of course, that was it. She smiled bitterly.

“You mentioned earlier how to wield the power. Can you teach me?”

“I’ll teach you.”

“When I learn how to use the power my grandmother gave me, what will I be able to do?”

Could she stand on her own without relying on anyone? Right now, she didn’t have the courage to leave the estate.

“…Well, you should be able to do most of what you want.”

“Things I want to do… I’ll have to figure that out. I’ve never really thought seriously about what I want.”

Adele smiled at him brightly.

“Then I’ll be counting on you, legal guardian.”

For some reason, he felt oddly uncomfortable, as if he were watching a young bird spread its wings for the first time, preparing to leave the nest.

“You’re not seriously planning to call me that, are you?”

“Oh no, of course not. That would be far too disrespectful to the lord.”

“Why don’t you stop calling me ‘lord,’ then? You’re not my vassal.”

Adele thought for a moment before cautiously suggesting:

“Mister…?”

“Why ‘mister’ of all things?”

“I used to call Paul ‘mister.’ Paul was….”

“I know who he is. Just call me by my name.”

“But…”

He’s the lord… Can she really call him by his name?

“You called me by my name just fine before.”

“That was because you weren’t the lord back then…”

“Should I start calling you ‘young lady’ then?”

Adele shook her head quickly. After hesitating, she finally whispered softly:

“Leon.”

“Yeah.”

She thought he almost seemed to smile as he gave the brief reply.

“Don’t forget, Adele. We’re the only family each other has.”

Adele couldn’t bring herself to ask why he considered them family. Perhaps his definition of family was just “people who live under the same roof.” But the idea that she was included in his concept of family left her overwhelmed. Her voice trembled as she barely managed to respond.

“…Okay.”