Chapter 24
“All the flowers are fresh and beautiful. But it just made me wonder—isn’t it strange they only grow this kind of flower? After all, these are all for sale.”
“…Could it be…”
Aref, sensing something, asked quietly.
“Because of the flower meanings?”
“Yeah.”
Soles nodded, confirming that was exactly it.
“All these flowers here, they all…”
“Kids!”
Just then, Caleo called out to them.
The children paused their conversation and made their way back toward the adults.
“…Hm?”
Nivellia suddenly felt a gaze behind her and turned around.
In one corner of the farm stood an old, weathered shed.
Near the top of the shed was a small, dusty window.
“……”
As Nivellia stared at the worn structure, someone appeared in front of her, as if to block her view.
It was Mrs. Plaude.
“Lady Nivellia of House Deiamor.”
Startled, Nivellia flinched.
“Y-Yes? What is it?”
With the light behind her, Mrs. Plaude’s face was cast in shadow, giving her a strangely dark expression.
“Oh dear, you saw that? That’s just the storage shed. We keep our gardening tools in there. There are lots of sharp or dangerous things, so it’s best not to get too close.”
She was talking, but Nivellia barely heard her.
Her heart was pounding.
Thump, thump—the pounding echoed in her small ears, drowning out all other sound.
“Your parents were just asking for you. Shall we go together?”
Mrs. Plaude slowly extended a hand.
Just as Nivellia instinctively stepped back—
“Miss!”
Aref rushed in, placing his small body between them and shielding Nivellia from her outstretched hand.
Mrs. Plaude blinked in surprise and then offered a calm smile as she lowered her arm.
“Oh my, it’s nothing at all. I was just about to escort the young lady back to the Marquis. That’s right, isn’t it?”
“Miss.”
Ignoring Mrs. Plaude, Aref gripped Nivellia’s hand tightly.
“The Marquis and the Marchioness are waiting. We should go.”
“……”
“Miss. Let’s go.”
“…Okay.”
Nivellia nodded and walked back to her family with Aref.
But as they went, she turned her head for one last look.
Mrs. Plaude was still standing there, wearing the same soft smile, now following them at a slow pace.
“……”
Yet Nivellia’s gaze wasn’t on her—but on the shed behind her.
“Then we’ll send the contract over on the scheduled date.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Or, we can visit the capital ourselves. We’ll need to pick up some medicine for our daughter around that time anyway.”
The investment deal had been successfully finalized.
The formal investment would be made under the names of House Deiamor and the Rubeo Corporation.
Since Nivellia’s personal funds were still tiny—barely more than pocket change—she would participate through her parents’ larger investment.
“You’re incredible, you know that? How did you even come across information like this?”
“Surprised? I am the head of the house for a reason, you know. I have my own little web of information. It’s not quite on Lady Della’s level, but still.”
“No, honestly, I think you’ve officially surpassed her today.”
The adults were pleased, celebrating a successful outcome that had exceeded expectations.
But the children…
“……”
“……”
“……”
Nivellia, Aref, and Soles wore equally uncomfortable expressions, lips pressed shut.
Caleo and Celletina, realizing they might’ve gotten carried away in front of the kids, took a slight step back.
“Ahem… it’s not like we forgot you were here or anything…”
Caleo cleared his throat, trying to smooth over the awkwardness.
“Dad.”
Nivellia spoke up.
“Nini… doesn’t want to invest anymore.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, why not all of a sudden?”
Caleo and Celletina were taken aback by the unexpected announcement.
But Nivellia wasn’t the only one.
“I feel the same way as Nini. Something about this place just feels… off.”
“M-Me too…”
Soles and Aref both added their agreement.
The surprised adults asked them what was wrong.
It was Soles who answered first.
“I hope I’m just imagining things, but… all the flowers here felt sad. I really hope it’s just me.”
“Sad?”
“The meanings of the flowers—every single one had a gloomy or sorrowful message.”
Soles explained in more detail.
“This is a flower farm. And people usually buy flowers when they’re celebrating something good.”
People give flowers during happy moments, or to show affection.
So, flowers with cheerful or loving meanings are the ones most commonly sold.
Florists know this and usually focus on growing those kinds.
“…That is strange.”
Celletina recalled what the Plaudes had said about planting flowers for their sick daughter.
“To be planting nothing but flowers with sad meanings for her… that doesn’t make sense.”
“Could they just not know what the flowers meant?”
“That’s ridiculous. A flower farmer who doesn’t know basic flower symbolism?”
Celletina firmly dismissed the idea.
And if the Plaudes really were that unaware, then that alone would make them unfit for investment.
Once that thought took hold, all the little suspicious details started to add up.
“That was a good point to raise.”
“We’ll think it over seriously,” Caleo said.
Soles let out a huge sigh of relief.
He was truly grateful that his parents were listening to him seriously.
Celletina turned to Aref next.
“Aref, do you feel the same way?”
“…Yes.”
“What about it feels off to you? It’s okay—just be honest.”
Aref hesitated, then carefully opened his mouth.
“It’s… the same.”
“The same? What do you mean?”
“The feeling. It’s like… like one of the teachers at the orphanage…”
“……”
Celletina’s face went stiff as she glanced at Caleo.
His expression darkened momentarily too—but he quickly composed himself and smiled gently.
“I see. So something about it reminded you of a bad experience.”
“Yes.”
“Then we should take that seriously. Instincts formed through experience shouldn’t be ignored. Thank you for speaking up.”
Now, it was Nivellia’s turn.
Caleo softened his tone as he asked,
“And what about you, Nini? Why don’t you want to invest anymore?”
“The shed.”
“The shed?”
Nivellia thought back to the shabby old structure tucked into the corner of the flower farm.
“There was someone inside it.”
She had seen it clearly.
Through the dusty, fogged-over little window—something inside had moved.
“Pink. A sick-looking, poisonous pink.”
Once back at the estate, Caleo and Celletina headed straight to the study.
Nivellia, however, trudged behind with her head low, a pout tugging at the corners of her lips.
“What’s wrong?”
Soles asked gently.
“Big brother…”
“Yeah?”
“Nini… Can’t earn money again?”
Nivellia had really looked forward to this investment.
She had the resilience to bounce back from failure over and over like a weed, but that didn’t mean she was unaffected.
Each disappointment left a little mark inside her.
That’s why she’d been so determined to succeed this time. Her parents had supported her—she had believed it would work.
But now… it seemed like it wouldn’t again.
“…Waaahhh!!”
Overcome with emotion, Nivellia burst into tears.
Startled, Soles quickly pulled her into a hug.
“It’s okay. It’s not a failure yet.”
“Waaah! Waaah!”
“This is just a check. Your money’s still safe, and you don’t owe anyone anything. So this doesn’t count as a failure.”
Right?
He looked to Aref for backup.
“Y-Yes. He’s right.”
Sniffling, Nivellia turned to Aref with teary eyes. Fat drops rolled down her round cheeks.
Aref thought hard. He didn’t know everything—but he wanted to prove that Nivellia hadn’t failed.
“T-The contract!”
“The contract…?”
Nivellia repeated after him.
“The Marchioness said something at the department store before—remember?”
“…Oh! That’s right!”
Soles’s face lit up in recognition.
“Nini! We have that!”
“What is it? Tell me!”
“Compensation clause!”
Aref nodded like that was exactly it.
“Aref, you’re amazing! How’d you even remember that?”
Soles ruffled Aref’s hair so enthusiastically that his silky blond locks turned into a mess.
Aref smiled shyly, then quickly straightened his face—this wasn’t the time to laugh.
Celletina had said it clearly to the Plaude couple:
“Then we’ll send the contract for signing on that date.”
But they hadn’t actually signed anything yet.
“When we went to Rubeo, the Marchioness said it—no matter what, you have to draft a contract. That way, if something goes wrong, you’re protected.”
“Hurt…”
Nivellia repeated the word softly, her eyes going wide with realization.
Then she suddenly stomped her feet.
“That’s it! A promise! A written promise!”
“Right! A promise to make up for any harm done!”
Soles grinned, catching on.
“Since the contract hasn’t been signed yet, we can write in that clause—if anything bad happens, they’ll owe a big payout.”
That way, even if something did happen at the flower farm, Nivellia would still earn money.
“Nini hasn’t failed yet!”
She could still make money!
Hope bloomed again on Nivellia’s face, and she beamed.
The children quickly made their way toward their parents in the study.
“Hm?”
Just then—
“Nini?”
A familiar voice called out, halting Nivellia mid-run.
The kids stopped in their tracks and turned.
Through the wide-open drawing room door, they saw a mature woman who stood frozen, her hands covering her mouth in emotional shock.
She called out once more:
“Nini!”
And Nivellia shouted back with a delighted smile, “Della!”
