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“Where is your majesty going?”
Lumine stopped mid-step, feeling cold sweat on the back of her neck. She was busted.
Her golden eyes moved to the new Hofmeister of the palace, who was watching her suspiciously from under his bushy eyebrows. She still couldn't believe the previous one had passed away so suddenly, but what hurt her the most was how restricted she was now.
For example, she couldn't simply answer that she headed to the knights' training grounds, where her brother had fun practicing sword fighting. That place wasn’t appropriate for a young princess. And the fact she was better at wielding weapons than many knights didn't matter since she was a woman.
Willing it or not, she had to lie. What boring places did the ladies of the court go to?
“Ah… well…” she hesitated. An idea came to her mind. “To the royal gardens, of course! To… admire the beautiful flowers and... contemplate poetry!”
The man didn’t look convinced but bowed his head with a serious expression.
“I understand. In that case, I will not delay you any longer, your highness. I will see you at dinner.”
Lumine answered with an uncertain smile and nod, cursing in her mind her bad luck. She knew that if she didn't go to the gardens right away, she would be under strict observation next time.
Sighing, the princess walked outside through a terrace, wondering how long she had to stay there. She expected the garden to be terribly dull, as there was nothing interesting in it. Just flowers, trimmed bushes, a few strange statues, and a single fountain.
As she was strolling among the plants, she regretted not having any book with her, even boring poetry. The flowers, despite their variety, failed to spark any interest in her.
That was until she saw a bush with white roses. One of them stood out from the others - it was flawless, near perfection, with its shaped fresh petals resembling a shade of snow.
Thinking little, Lumine reached out, wanting to touch the bud.
“Hey!”
A sudden call started her, making her withdraw her hand. She looked around, searching for the source of the voice.
A young man, seemingly not much older than her, headed in her direction. He had a slim silhouette and black straight hair cut evenly at chin level. From his rather modest attire, it was clear he most likely was one of the palace's servants.
But what caught her attention most were long ears twitching as he was walking and the dark green fluffy tail waving from side to side.
“Stay away from my rose!” he called again, finally reaching her. His eyebrows were drawn together in annoyance and his lips curved in a frown.
Lumine’s eyes widened, both surprised by his animal attributes and the tone in which he had spoken to her.
“You must be unaware of who you are just addressing…” she started, looking at him with uncertainty. “I am…”
“I know very well who you are, your majesty! Your portraits are plastered all over the palace!” The man crossed his arms over his chest with a stubborn face. “But that doesn't make me passively watch you ruin months of my work!”
Lumine had no idea what to answer for a moment, staring at him with big eyes.
That man knew she was a princess, yet he talked to her like she was a kitchen helper? That was...
…interesting.
“I had no intention of plucking this rose,” she said, shaking her head. “Only to touch it. I have never seen such a perfect bud. Although the truth is, I rarely pay attention to flowers.” She put on a hesitant smile.
Surprise and uncertainty appeared on the man's face. He stared at Lumine suspiciously, as if unsure whether he should trust her. Finally, his gaze shifted to the rose.
“For a person who doesn't pay attention to flowers, you have a good eye,” he said, oddly softly for being so angry a moment ago. “This rose is my little project. I gave it all the best I could, and the result is what graces us.”
It was curious how the beautiful rose was what graced the servant, not the conversation with the princess. Lumine watched him, noting that his brown-green eyes were filled with sparkles, and a gentle smile was on his lips when he talked about the rose.
And to think she had considered plants to be boring…
“What is your name?” she asked.
The man immediately became serious and looked at her with slightly squinted eyes.
“Why? Do you want to tell your papa to dismiss me for being mean to you? I dare you! No one else has taken care of this garden as well as I have! It was a total mess when I was hired!” He raised her chin proudly.
Lumine shook her head, still impressed by his boldness in addressing her and the royal family.
“I'd just like to know your name,” she said. “As you already know, I am Princess Lumine.”
Out of habit, she grabbed the hem of her dress and bent her knees. After a moment, her face reddened as she realized her head had just bowed for a servant. Although with this man, it was easy to forget they weren’t equal in status.
His chuckle caused her to look at him.
“My name is Tighnari. As you might have guessed, I'm a royal gardener,” said the man with laughter in his voice. He then bowed low respectfully, at which his ears flapped. “It's an honor to finally see you in person, your highness .” A slight tease in his voice suggested that it wasn't entirely true. He straightened up, staring at her curiously. “I've been working here for months and only now have I had the opportunity to meet you. Even your brother comes to the garden more often than you do.”
It was true. Whenever Aether suggested taking a walk in the garden, she always found something more interesting to do. Now she felt a slight disappointment in herself. If it wasn’t for her stubbornness, maybe she would meet Tighnari earlier. Although... Why was she so fascinated by him?
“Well, I usually prefer to spend time on the training grounds, practicing sword fighting,” she admitted, shifting her gaze from him and feeling her face slightly burning.
“Is that so?” Tighnari hummed with interest. “Then why did you come here today?”
Lumine pressed her lips together, feeling frustration upon remembering the reason.
“The new Hofmeister…” she started slowly. “...expects me to only behave appropriately for a lady. Sword fighting is not one of the activities that dames do. Although visiting the garden certainly is. This is how I ended up here.”
“Hmm…” The man got in thought for a moment. “It's intriguing that members of the royal family can't do whatever they want. Maybe he is the one you should complain to your papa about.”
A short, bitter laugh broke from Lumine's lips.
“The problem is, I suspect that the Hofmeister with such a conservative attitude was not hired by accident. Perhaps he was intentionally chosen to tame me. I am approaching the age when I should be given away for marriage, and my indelicate temperament might not appeal to husband candidates.” She shook her head, helplessly.
From Tighnari's lips came a quiet: "oh". Lumine looked at him and noticed his forehead was wrinkled and his eyes were filled with concern. Was he worried about her while barely knowing her? Or maybe it was a pity for her?
“Forgive me. I should not bother you with my troubles.” She smiled sadly at him.
“No, it’s quite alright.” Tighnari’s ears flopped a little, as he seemed to be somewhat downhearted. Then he took a breath and said: “Whenever you need a place to take a break from your worries, you can always come here, princess. I would even be happy to walk you through the flowers and other plants here. I know quite a lot about them.”
Lumine was about to reply that plants didn't interest her when she realized it was her chance to spend more time with Tighnari. The vision of listening to his voice, even lecturing about a boring matter, wasn't too terrible for her.
She still wasn't sure why the gardener fascinated her so much. Was it just because he didn't treat her like a princess? Or was there more to it than that?
“Thank you,” she finally said. “I will consider it.”
A warm smile appeared on the man's face, and his ears perked up, drawing her attention. She wondered whether he would let her touch them if she asked him. They seemed so fluffy and soft…
“Princess Lumine!” A hated voice reached her from the direction of the mansion. She turned her head and saw the Hofmeister approaching her. “It's almost dinnertime. I would like to kindly ask you to come inside.”
Lumine nodded, trying to hide her displeasure at seeing him. She shifted her gaze to Tighnari.
“Thank you for spending time with me and listening to my worries. We shall see each other again soon.”
“Please wait a moment, princess,” said the gardener suddenly.
Before Lumine had time to react, Tighnari walked up to the rose she had admired earlier and cut it off with a single stroke of a knife. Her eyes widened, seeing how the flower he took so much care of was now separated from the rest of the bush.
“Why did you do it? It was your most beautiful rose!” she called, staring at him in disbelief.
She gasped slightly when Tighnari approached her and offered her a flower.
“The bud has already reached its most beautiful state and would soon begin to wither and shed its petals. I'd rather cut it now, when it's loveliest, and give it to make you happier.” He smiled with a soft, warm smile. “I hope it brightens your day.”
Lumine was speechless. That wasn't the first time something had been given to her. She had already received jewels or rich gowns, but that simple flower was what caused her heart to beat faster. Or maybe was the person who gave it the cause of the blushes on her face?
“I… thank you,” she managed to respond, taking the flower into her hand.
Tighnari's smile widened, but he didn't have time to reply when there was a single loud cough near them.
“Your majesty… dinner,” said the Hofmeister urgently, eyeing the gardener as if he was a threat.
Lumine barely restrained herself from groaning in frustration.
“I'm on my way,” she answered and looked at Tighnari. “Until the next meeting.” She smiled.
“Stay strong, princess,” whispered the gardener in response so the other man couldn’t hear it.
Lumine sent him the last prolonged gaze and headed toward the mansion. The Hofmeister caught up with her.
“In the princess's position, I wouldn't bother talking to servants. Especially hybrids like this gardener,” he said, with a hint of disgust in his voice.
Lumine felt a vein of annoyance on her forehead.
“In that case, I shouldn't talk to you either, my dear Hofmeister.” She put on a fake smile. “That would be quite useful since I don't have to listen to your idiotic opinion.”
The man gasped with indignation and began a lecture about what was appropriate for a young lady, but the princess ignored him.
She focused her attention on the rose in her hand, gently caressing its soft petals with her fingertips. A gentle smile and a blush were on her face all that time.
She had always associated the garden with boredom... but now she couldn't wait to go back there again.