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"But you must understand, this is of great importance, dear witches!"
The dowager duchess pleaded. Coco gave her a tight smile as Agott let out a small huff behind her.
"I-It's not that—" Coco sees her clutching her own two hands in desperation as she breathes in.
"We'll see what we can do, Your Grace."
She immediately clasped her hands to Coco's as she leaned her forehead to it. "Thank you, I know this is a burden for you," she said as she raised her head. "You shall be fairly compensated for it, dear witches."
Her eyes went to Agott, who only wore an indifferent face. Coco shakes her head, "It's no trouble at all! We'll get back to you once we thought up of a solution."
After excessive exchanges from the high noble, Coco finally sighed. She looked at Agott, who was passively watching her.
Coco then got cold feet as her face morphed into something akin to anxious. "I-I'm sorry."
This was probably the third time Coco accepted a commission without her partner's input. And by the way Agott was silent the whole time, Coco wasn't really that eager to find out.
She saw Agott turned. "It's not gonna solve how much you will bend the rules just for an undying bed of flowers, you know."
Coco winced at her comment, fully knowing how it'd be difficult, before following her back to home.
"An undying bed of flowers…"
Coco stared at the ceiling as she tried to emulate scenarios that passes off as a safe spell. Her eyes then flitted towards Agott who was also in the same boat.
"A way to rewind the flowers freshness without changing the terrain," Agott mumbled as she tapped her pen on the table.
Coco stretches her body before rising up from the bed. "We already got the rough output of the spell," she said. But how we can we apply it without them seeing the spell itself?
Coco covered herself with a blanket before dragging herself to Agott. "Even if we put with a slab underneath, it'll just wear off with time."
She joined Agott in her seat as she looked at the parchment Agott was working on. "Yeah, it'll be difficult to redraw it while the flowers are on it."
Coco sighed as she drops her head on the table. "If it was an ordinary pot of flower, that'd be more easier," she said as she closed her eyes. Pot of flowers…
She then opened her eyes as she looked at Agott who already have the same idea. Coco smiled at this, "You're so smart, Agott."
Agott only rolled her eyes at her compliment before going back to work as Coco excitedly joined her.
Combining Master Olruggio's slab framework and the wide pots, they manage to hide the spell with an invincible ink from the scales of a blushing bride butterfly.
"And you can alternate the flower beddings in which season since it's already in a pot from below!" Coco's jovial voice echoed the garden.
The duchess sniffed at the sight as she covered her face with a handkerchief before giving her attention to the green-haired woman. "Thank you, Coco. I'll keep this garden of his maintained—Oh, Julius if you were alive right now."
The duchess tries to recover from her overwhelming feelings as she cleared her throat. "As for your reward, I had prepared a feast."
Coco immediately shakes her head, "No, no, it's quite alright. We'll be gone sho—"
"Oh…? Then the dishes, just one island away from Zozah, will be wasted…" The duchess's face contorted into sadness.
Coco tried not to get swayed as she already imagined the food they could've tasted. "It's fine, we'll join the feast, Your Grace." She glanced at Agott, who already finished in surveying the area for any mishaps.
The duchess smiled at them before bidding a farewell to start the feast.
Coco only stared at Agott, questions crossing through her mind. Agott must've seen her face as she looked away. "As she said, it'll be a waste not to indulge yourself for a moment."
Coco beams at this, now leaning her shoulder towards hers. "Then you'll be indulging into it as well?"
"Naturally," Agott bluntly said before looking straight ahead as she had the same thought of clasping their hands together.
Coco tightened her hold, seeing the blush on her ears as she tried not to tease her for today. Sensing they would be late if they continued further, she lets go as she goes on ahead before looking back, "Come then, let's help them while we're here."
Unbeknownst to Coco, something inside was already seeping out from Agott.
Coco hummed along as her hands moved with precision, soft yarn on her lap and two wooden needles in her hands. She already have a goal to finish before winter comes and it's to knit a winter coat for Agott.
The lamp beside her warming her front blissfully, a contrast to the cold breeze on her back.
Before she could get to the other section of the coat, she suddenly felt a warm sensation on her back as she saw two arms on the edge of the table, causing her to go rigid.
She finally melted when a soft peck touched on her scarred cheek. There's only one person who could do that.
"Agott," she whispered, her hands stopped unknowingly as she looked at Agott.
"You should rest already," Agott said. This made Coco smile, "Once I'm done with remaining section."
A small pout made way to Agott's face as Coco wondered for the reason. Then a hand touched the back of her own as Agott pried it away from the needle.
Why is she…? Then it hit her like a brick wall.
Ever since they established their relationship, Coco already found Agott's different sides. And this particular side (and Coco's favorite side) only comes out when she's lonely. Now that she thinks about it, they've been busy these last few days that they hadn't found the time to spend it with each other.
Coco then tried to tamp down her excitement as she softly touched the back of Agott's neck, pulling her as she sent a kiss to her cheek.
She decided to tease her tonight. "Put that away, it's not gonna work, you know."
Agott was slightly surprised by this before her face morphed into something serious as she grabbed her by the back of her knees, carrying her bridal style.
Coco fought down a scream before laughing out loud at her stubbornness. She naturally circled her arms around Agott, her eyes found the gleaming lavender ones.
"You'll help me tomorrow, okay?" Coco asked. Agott only tightened her hold onto her as she leaned in. "Sure, it's a day off anyway."
Coco smiled before closing the gap between them, tasting a slight tinge of cherries, remembering their time in the feast. She then noticed her ears getting redder, loving how different yet still the same Agott is proven by their time together.
Feeling overwhelmed by nostalgia, Coco only closed her eyes, deepening their kiss as the taste got stronger. A slight contrast to their first kiss which involved with a sweet iron of blood.