Outside the silent eting room, in a mysterious place I couldn’t identify, the Gardener and I stood alone.
The Gardener’s gaze rested steadily on , as if waiting to see how I would respond to her earlier question. I could sense a mix of anticipation and a hint of fear in her eyes.
The question: Why wouldn’t I call their nas?
At first, I intended to deflect, as the reason I avoided their nas stemd from a distrust toward them—sothing I knew would undoubtedly offend her.
But as I prepared to speak, I looked at the Gardener and shut my mouth again. If you looked closely, you’d notice her small flinch, as if my hesitation was a punch directed at her.
Damn it.
Why did she act like this towards soone like , a human who could be crushed underfoot if she wished?
…It must an she’s never had anyone genuinely on her side.
Soone like approaching them openly—it was sothing she trusted deeply. To spin this now into sothing evasive would be disrespectful to the Gardener. Above all, these were beings who had helped without expecting anything in return.
“…There was sothing the mystic once told .”
“What was it?”
“They said, if I were to compare you and the other Entities, it’d be like comparing nobles and commoners. If you confess your feelings to a commoner by mistake, there might be so way to escape, but if you’re caught by a noble, there’s no escape.”
The Gardener’s eyes widened. Perhaps it was the mont she understood why I had been so desperate to avoid calling her na.
Her face gradually darkened, and, forcing a smile, she pointed to herself with a trembling finger.
“Am I… soone you dislike?”
It seed like she was trying to make it easy for to respond, but the way her fingers trembled openly conveyed her vulnerable feelings. To an outsider, it might sound as if she was hoping I’d say there was still a chance for to flee.
“No, of course not!”
“Then why say sothing like that…?”
“If you think about what I said in reverse, it ans I’d be a shackle to you.”
“What…?”
The Gardener, beginning to sweat, looked visibly disturbed.
But my words were no accident.
“As I ntioned to the chef earlier, I’ve only helped you once. I didn’t do it to gain anything. Yet you all expressed gratitude, and so of you even showed affection and continued to support . It’s honestly beyond what I deserve, and I’m incredibly grateful for it. But you… you’re not ant to be tethered like this. You’re beings ant to find sothing freer… and more joyful.”
Entities were not supposed to be confined by anything.
They could act freely if they wished, but it saddened that they’d lose their freedom on my account when there must be so much more they want to do.
Finishing my words, I lowered my head, suddenly gripped by fear. I worried that the Gardener might look at with scorn after hearing such cowardly words.
I was truly a contradictory being.
That truth hit hard after encountering the twin Entities.
While I could rcilessly deal with humans who ant harm, I showed rcy to Entities with tragic stories.
Now, while I wished they wouldn’t be bound to , I feared they might leave.
I mocked myself, thinking how pathetic I was.
Suddenly, the Gardener stepped forward, grabbed my shoulders, and pushed forcefully.
“Urgh…!”
Luckily, there was a tree behind , so I didn’t crash too hard.
I looked at her with a startled expression, and she was watching with trembling eyes.
“You fool…!”
The Gardener, still holding onto my collar, began to grip it tighter.
Before I had ti to be surprised, she continued.
“Don’t say such ridiculous things. Don’t reduce our relationship to one of being ‘tied to you’! You know, that’s an arrogant thought! You’re assuming we’re bound to you from the start. Why do you think you can decide for others?!”
When she finished, I was speechless.
She was right.
What I had done for her was supposed to be for her sake, yet even that had been nothing but arrogance.
I had elevated her, placing her on a pedestal in my own mind—such unforgivable pride.
“Do you even know what I was thinking by being with you in the first place?”
The Gardener hesitated, frowning before gritting her teeth and opening her mouth.
“It’s because I like you, you fool…! Don’t reduce my feelings to sothing trivial like gratitude!”
Ah.
Hearing those words, my mind went blank.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t noticed. Anyone would be a fool not to pick up on the Gardener’s fondness after seeing it so many tis.
But the reason I froze was that I finally realized how presumptuous I had been in assuming I could define her feelings so simplistically.
To think I had dismissed such complex and nuanced emotions as sothing born from a single act of kindness.
“Then…!”
Just as she seed about to say more, I sensed soone approaching from behind.
Could it be one of the Entities from the eting room?
I wanted to calm the Gardener quickly, but I was too slow.
A force shoved from behind, throwing my weight onto the Gardener.
Thud!
I fell on top of her, sending petals on the ground fluttering into the air.
I felt her warm and gentle presence.
Her breath brushed against my face, close enough to feel.
Unlike my panicked state, her gaze remained entirely focused on .
Feeling I’d overstepped, I tried to move away, but the Gardener’s hand encircled my neck like vines wrapping around a tree.
Before I could act, she pulled close, and a soft warmth enveloped .
For a mont, I couldn’t say anything.
There was a hint of a pinkish sweetness to it.
And perhaps a dash of fear, too.
When our lips finally parted, she covered her mouth with her fingers, turning her face away.
The flush in her cheeks told exactly what was going through her mind when she did that.
“…If you understand my feelings, stop running away.”
Ah.
Truly.
I was such an idiot.
Maybe I still felt a dissonance, stuck in the mindset of being in a ga.
These aren’t real, they’re nothing but hollow shells, I’d tell myself.
Was that why I had disregarded their genuine feelings?
I touched my fingers to my lips, where the sensation still lingered.
It held the Gardener’s care and sincerity.
I wondered if she, too, felt the sa fear as .
Breathing a bit unsteadily, she kept her eyes closed.
She must be afraid I’d act against her feelings.
I gently brushed my hand through her hair.
She opened her eyes carefully, eting mine.
“…I finally understand my real flaw. I was always causing trouble, yet here you are, looking out for . I’d say I’m indulging myself.”
I gave her a warm smile.
“Thank you.”
Fiore.
The mont I said her na, her eyes widened in shock.
“D-Deputy Leader!”
“For the last ti, stop reporting to ! I can see it with my own eyes!”
Marenne scolded the agitated knight, though she couldn’t bla him.
The knight’s tone was unusually intense, and she could see firsthand the reason behind his behavior.
The trees that had wilted and revived, dancing wildly, suddenly stabilized, standing firmly upright.
Then, from the branches, sothing began to swell.
White flowers began to bloom all at once.
They were dandelions.
“A tree blooming with dandelions? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Dandelions weren’t even trees; they were weeds.
Which could only an that this bizarre occurrence was tied to the Gardener.
“Seems like my subordinate has done sothing ridiculous,” Marenne muttered.
Suddenly, White Mask approached.
Noticing her confusion, he snorted, looking at her with an amused expression.
“You should avoid giving flowers as gifts.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“If you knew the aning behind white dandelions, you wouldn’t be standing here in such bewildernt.”
With that, he turned and began walking back toward the station.
“It brings to mind the charge I had almost forgotten about for my subordinate.”
Watching him chuckle, as though genuinely amused despite the ominous nature of his words, Marenne grew even more confused.
What could this strange phenonon have to do with Tanton’s charges?
“Alpha.”
“Yes, Deputy Leader.”
“…Do you know the aning behind white dandelions?”
“No, I don’t.”
“…What a sha.”
It wasn’t until the event was fully over that Marenne finally learned the aning of the flower, and she was left thoroughly shaken.
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