Chapter 5: Inner Turmoil

As she was resting her eyes by gazing out the window, there came a knock at the door. Lyra rose to greet a footman in an impeccable tailcoat. It was unusual for Kaylon to summon her separately like this.

“Where are we going?”

Lyra asked the footman who was leading her to the rear garden, having expected to be taken to the reception room. He smiled and replied:

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Shortly after, Lyra spotted Kaylon in the small garden behind the east wing. She watched the departing footman thoughtfully before turning her attention to Kaylon.

Though she knew she should walk forward, her feet felt rooted to the ground.

Why was it that seeing the smile on his face naturally dissolved the tension knotted in her heart? She stood there for a moment, taking in his appearance.

His legs crossed casually, one hand propping his chin on the table, his body tilted slightly to the side.

The warmth in his eyes as he gazed down at something in his other hand was striking. Enough to make her heart flutter just watching him.

‘He might be kinder than I thought.’

That’s what Lyra had come to believe. The opacity that had initially shrouded him had begun to thin somewhat.

Though his expression still turned cold at times, seeing his relaxed face like this naturally led to such thoughts.

As Lyra quietly tried to calm her pounding heart, Kaylon suddenly turned his head. She hurried to his side as he stood up, meeting her eyes.

“I heard you called for me.”

“Yes.”

She’d been about to ask what business he had with her, but his steady gaze made her look away. Perhaps it was the strong sunlight, but heat kept rising to her face.

A moment later, Kaylon came around the table to stand before Lyra.

“I thought you might need this.”

He placed the straw hat he’d been holding onto her head. It was a pretty hat with a pink ribbon circling between the round crown and brim, decorated with delicate flowers on one side.

“It suits you well.”

Despite his rough touch and voice, Lyra’s face flushed red. Thankfully, the wide brim hid her shy expression.

But when his large hand, which had been resting at his waist, slowly rose toward her, her eyes widened in surprise so much she couldn’t even blink.

“Need to finish this properly.”

The man smiled with his eyes as he tied the hat’s ribbons.

In that moment, Lyra’s heart raced wildly. Though he was simply tying a ribbon under her chin, every slight brush of contact felt burning hot.

When she unconsciously lowered her head, his large hand gently tilted her chin back up.

Kaylon gave a small laugh at her visible fluster.

“Not bad at all. Wear this from now on.”

He turned away, pretending not to notice her crimson face. Then he quietly called to the still-flustered Lyra, saying he had something to show her.

“What are you waiting for?”

“…Yes.”

Lyra followed behind him with slow steps. The morning air felt unusually warm.

There was no conversation for a while. Even Lyra, who had found the situation strange and embarrassing, gradually regained her composure. She diligently followed his casual strides.

Then suddenly, Kaylon stopped. Standing before a garden filled with colorful flowers, he quietly asked:

“Do you like it?”

“Pardon?”

Lyra just looked up at Kaylon in confusion. After gazing down at her for a moment, he gestured toward the garden with his chin.

“I thought you might need somewhere to catch your breath sometimes.”

Lyra tilted her head as she turned to look at the garden.

The square plot was surrounded by neatly trimmed shrubs reaching knee-height, with various flowers large and small, a fountain, and gleaming white benches placed here and there, dazzling in the sunlight.

“It’s beautiful. It feels… loved.”

Imagining how much care the gardener must have put in and wondering about the purpose behind the garden’s design, Lyra expressed her honest impression simply.

“Is that so? I’m glad.”

Once again, Kaylon stepped into the garden alone. He turned around in front of the small fountain, brilliant sunlight cascading over his head.

“From now on, this is your land. You can replant it with flowers you like, or plant trees if you wish.”

Lyra, who had been following him in, stopped in her tracks. The words she’d just heard seemed to float hazily in her mind.

‘What did he just say?’

As she stood there blinking, his gentle voice continued:

“No desires of your own? Someone else I know would have accepted without hesitation.”

“Just now, this garden…”

“It’s yours.”

“…”

A gentle breeze swept around Kaylon, who wore only a navy silk vest. His black hair swayed softly, and his amber eyes shone clear as topaz.

Lyra couldn’t take her eyes off him. The straw hat’s ribbon fluttering beneath her chin kept tickling her heart.

* * *

Muffled giggles kept escaping her lips. She couldn’t stop thinking about her morning garden walk with the Duke.

The sensation of his hands placing the hat on her head, tying the ribbon, the gentle brush against her chin—it all tickled somewhere deep in her heart.

“Wear this from now on.”

His face, smiling softly as he spoke those gentle words.

And then he’d even given her a small garden as a reward for her diligent studies with the strict Mrs. Beightle.

“Ah, it’s just a free lease, don’t misunderstand. The estate grounds can’t be bought or sold at will. Are you disappointed?”

How could she be disappointed? If anything, it felt somewhat overwhelming. It wasn’t a fair trade where she’d paid a price, and she hadn’t accomplished anything yet to deserve it.

Still, Lyra was happy. Though it felt burdensome to be told she could use it freely without worrying about others’ opinions, she was simply grateful to the man who had gifted her a space that was entirely her own.

She glanced at the straw hat resting on the piano. Once again, the corners of her mouth lifted of their own accord.

“ENOUGH!”

Mrs. Beightle’s sharp reprimand snapped Lyra from her reverie. Her rose-pink lips, which had been singing, clamped shut.

“Where on earth is your mind! Have you even memorized the sheet music?”

Lyra’s eyes darted around guiltily. True, she’d been lost in thought, but she had thoroughly memorized the music. She thought she’d been singing it properly…

She watched Mrs. Beightle nervously, wondering if she’d really sung badly enough to warrant such anger.

“Ah, this simply won’t do.”

Shaking her head, Mrs. Beightle continued, saying she’d never seen or heard such tone-deafness.

“Can’t play instruments, can’t sing. What on earth can we present as your talent, tch.”

Only then did Lyra realize she was seriously tone-deaf. Before, when Lindia received endless praise from their tutors, she’d thought she was at least average. It had seemed natural, given their similar skill levels.

Mrs. Beightle’s muttering reached her ears again.

“Perhaps memorization is all we have.”

The elderly lady paced the lesson room in deep thought. Lyra could only stand there watching blankly.

“To think she’d be so weak at physical skills…”

“…”

“Should we spend more time on rhetoric instead? No, with that personality she’d believe water was fire if told so. She might end up being taken advantage of… Haah, I just can’t think of anything suitable.”

Her assessment of Lyra, delivered right in front of her, was ruthlessly frank. Mrs. Beightle seemed unaware she was speaking her thoughts aloud.

Lyra quietly observed, considering it a good opportunity to understand Mrs. Beightle’s thoughts.

Yet part of her felt slightly intimidated by this objective view of herself. She’d been trying her best, but to Mrs. Beightle’s eyes, she was still just an inadequate Lyra Norris.

That’s when Kaylon entered the lesson room. Mrs. Beightle, snapping to attention, asked what brought him there. He merely gave her a brief nod before walking straight to Lyra.

“Lyra.”

Something about his cool gaze, different from this morning, made her tense.

“The Baron and his wife have come to fetch you. What would you like to do?”

“My… parents?”

“Yes.”