Chapter 6: The Beginning of a Full-Blown Disaster (2)
Despite my answer, my fiancé still looked concerned, his brow furrowed as he replied gently.
“I’m truly relieved that you’re not experiencing any discomfort. But memories are a crucial part of who we are, so please make sure you take your medication regularly. The one I gave you is more of a tonic, so it’s safe to take together.”
“Yes sir.”
That’s the third time I’ve heard this exact line from three different people now. I gave an enthusiastic nod, determined to at least respond properly. Only then did he finally relax his expression and look up at the sky. My gaze naturally followed his.
Before I realized it, the sunset had nearly dipped below the horizon, leaving only crimson traces across the sky. The garden, too, was gradually being washed in a dusky indigo as the bold colors faded away.
With that backdrop of everything gently losing its light, the dazzlingly beautiful man beside me made a suggestion.
“Shall we take a short walk under the stars?”
Oh ho! Would you look at that? If anything, I should be paying him for the privilege of this invitation. I struck a pose like I was about to leap out the window.
— — —
Workplace Guidelines
11. Entry into the garden after sunset is restricted. No personal reasons shall be considered exceptions, unless for work-related purposes.
— — —
It would take at least ten minutes to go downstairs and circle around to the garden from that spot. But I want to see that face up close. Right now.
“Hold on a second.”
“Rose, what are you–?!”
I grabbed onto the window frame like I was in some kind of high-rise fire drill. Thankfully, this mansion’s first floor wasn’t especially tall, so jumping from the second floor wouldn’t be too risky.
As I hung there, I heard my fiancé’s voice from behind me.
“Rose, allow me to catch–”
“Here we go!”
I landed lightly in the garden. Luckily, it was all grass below, soft and stable. Not even a speck of dirt on my knees, and my shoes are perfectly fine. That was a solid landing. I gave my nose a satisfied rub.
“…So much for delicate health…”
“Sorry?”
“As you said, I’m glad to see you’re not in frail health, Rose.”
When I turned around, I saw my fiancé with a lifted brow and a faint smile on his lips.
Whoa. He’s even better looking up close.
There’s a certain quiet charm to strolling through the garden after sunset. If I were alone, I might have thought so for real, but right now, I’m too busy admiring his face to notice.
In the soft backlight, his profile had flawless angles and gentle curves that connected lips and lashes like a work of art. Usually, backlighting exaggerates contours and blurs the features in shadow, often making people look a little ridiculous. But with his face, the sheer beauty was absurd enough to be funny.
I felt like I should run out and buy a full-frame camera with a 200mm telephoto lens and shoot a 4K vertical fancam, storing both the close-up and full-body versions in separate folders.
Of course, reality is less kind. When I skimmed through some magazines and catalogs recently, it looked like the current tech level barely managed basic cameras.
Why can’t I get one even though I have money now… Still, I’ve seen something similar to early film cameras around here, so I swear I’ll get one and take those photos someday. And if it’s black-and-white, I’ll just color them myself.
Where there’s a lack of gear, fandom devotion shall fill the gap!
“It’s so peaceful tonight.”
“Yeah, it is.”
But your face isn’t peaceful at all, sir. It’s practically ringing like a gong, shouting, ‘Behold! This is my face!’
“I’ve said it before, but this is truly a beautiful garden. Even without light, it has a unique charm.”
“Yup. That’s true.”
Oh, right. I totally forgot I was supposed to talk to the gardener. And just as I feared, my fiancé brought it up.
“Yesterday, I mentioned how curious I was about what makes this garden so beautiful.”
“…You did?”
If he seriously thinks I figured that out in a day, no amount of beauty could save this. Thankfully, that wasn’t it. He just smiled.
“I’d like to share a thought of mine.”
“About what makes this garden especially beautiful?”
“Yes.”
He reached out toward a rose bush to the left. His gloved fingers gently stroked the petals of a large bloom.
“Perhaps it’s the location.”
“The location?”
“Yes. My theory is that there’s something beneath the ground here, something that nourishes the vines and makes the roses bloom fuller.”
Huh. Turns out he’s more romantic than I expected. I nodded encouragingly, signaling him to continue, but instead, he shifted the topic.
Still focused on the rose, he spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
“Are you enjoying your life in this mansion?”
Don’t even get me started. It’s heaven.
“Yes… I love how comfortable and well-provided everything is.”
Sure, the past couple of days have been a little embarrassing, but nothing I couldn’t handle! I mean, I once had to give a group project presentation solo with only a rough draft after the actual speaker ghosted me on the day of. Compared to that? This is easy.
By the way, that class had 300 people in it, and I bombed harder than I thought humanly possible.
“By ‘well-provided,’ are you referring to financial comfort?”
“…I guess?”
What kind of question is that…?
Then he turned away from the rose and looked me directly in the eyes. Oof. It’s gotten darker. What a waste.
“Ever since I was a child, I’ve always felt uneasy about money. This enormous force that can be exchanged for anything in the world… yet it’s never truly secure, never eternal.”
Well yeah, money comes and goes. Look at me, I used to be broke, and now I’m a trust fund freeloader. Incredible.
“Rose. Have you ever wondered? What if this abundance we enjoy here in the mansion… were to end, say, five years from now?”
He was deadly serious. So I gave him a truly honest answer.
“Hmm… well…”
“Well?”
His voice rose slightly in anticipation. I replied gravely.
“Then I guess I’ll deal with it in five years.”
Otherwise known as the ‘Future Me Will Handle It! (wink)’ method. Applies to every exam season and late Saturday night.
“…”
“…?”
“I… I see.”
He stumbled over his words a bit. Maybe that approach was a bit too radical for someone from this era.
The rest of our walk continued quietly, and my fiancé didn’t say much. He was probably still mulling over my answer.
As the sky darkened further and walking became difficult, we returned to the front hall. Strangely, there was no staff around. Most likely, they were either preparing or eating dinner. My fiancé escorted me up to the second floor.
“Tomorrow, before I leave… I’d very much like to say goodbye in the morning.”
“All right, all right.”
“Then before I leave, I’ll inform the staff.”
Fine by me. With a satisfied smile, I bid farewell to my fiancé, whose face looked even better in the light… no, I meant to say he looked better in the light.
Oh, right. Dinner’s coming up soon. Should I invite him to eat with me? But unexpectedly, he turned me down.
“Something urgent has come up, so I’ll have to spend the evening at my desk with paperwork.”
If it’s that urgent, you’d think he’d head back right away, but no, he insists on staying here. That’s some dedication. What a personality. And even while refusing, he added a charming little remark.
“I’d love it if you invited me again next time. I’ll make sure to join you for dinner then.”
“I will.”
I told him to make sure he eats properly, even if he has to work through dinner, and he promised he would. Then we each went our separate ways back to our rooms.
It had been a lovely walk, felt like I’d just cleared an event scene in a dating sim. Time to pick out a camera from the catalog.
It hadn’t even been a few minutes of flipping through the catalog in earnest when I heard a knock at the door. Dinner? Are they calling me to eat?
“It’s time for dinner, miss.”
Knew it!
* * *
It’s about time for Mother’s trademark dinner line, “Did you have a pleasant day?” to make its appearance.
Instead, something else came out.
“Rose. You must take your pre-meal medication.”
Well, that’s… understandable given the situation. But still, taking the pills is a bit much. I broke out in a cold sweat as I saw the staff member approach with a glass of water and a black pill on a small tray.
I snuck a glance at Mother. Her eyes were wide and fixed on me, as if determined to watch me take the pill. The older sister of this body (I presume) was also staring intently, her expression surprisingly serious. In the end, I couldn’t withstand their gazes. I picked up the pill and the glass.
“Well done, Rose. Now let’s begin dinner.”
