Chapter 74

“Ah, today I have to pull out the weeds. If I don’t, they’ll steal nutrients from the crops and the plants won’t ripen properly.”

“Then tomorrow…”

“I’ll be trimming the upper leaves of the crops!”

Before Demius could finish speaking, Melissa’s eyes sparkled.

“Doing that helps the crops grow not just upward but outward too. Isn’t it fascinating?”

Demius refused to give up.

“Then the day after tomorrow, or the day after that…!”

“I need to give them fertilizer and water, and plant some summer seasonal crops that thrive right now. Ah, look, a rhinoceros beetle!”

So this is what summer farming feels like.

Watching Melissa run off chasing the beetle, Demius clutched his chest in despair.

Just then, Mona, the gardener who had been glancing at them from a distance, slowly approached Melissa.

“My lady.”

“Ah, Mona.”

Melissa brightened, holding out her hand excitedly as she returned with the beetle cupped in her palm.

“Look at this. I’ve never seen such a big rhinoceros beetle in this area before.”

“Goodness, there are even bigger ones in the moun—”

Mona was about to point toward the mountain but froze when she accidentally met Demius’s eyes. She quickly coughed to cover it up.

“Ahem. Anyway, my lady!”

Mona stole another look at Demius, who was slumped like a wilted leaf under the sun, and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone.

“Would it be alright if I tended to your vegetable garden for just one day?”

“Huh?”

Melissa blinked, then lowered her brows slightly.

“But Mona, aren’t you busy with your gardening work already?”

“Oh, it’s fine!”

Mona waved her hands in exaggerated protest.

“Your little garden is so lush and beautiful that I’ve been wanting to take care of it myself.”

“Really?”

Melissa’s eyes widened. Mona nodded eagerly.

“Of course. Every single crop you’ve grown looks so vibrant and full of color that even I’ve been envious.”

I see.

Melissa was struck by sudden realization.

Mona must have wanted to tend the garden too.

Of course. Tending a garden was pure joy in itself.

Watching tiny sprouts grow into fine vegetables or herbs was such an incredible, fulfilling feeling that it was hard to describe.

And yet she hadn’t thought to share that joy with anyone else. How selfish she had been.

Melissa’s eyes shone brightly as she reflected on herself.

“Then shall we take care of it together?”

“Oh no, not at all!”

Mona quickly turned to the other gardeners who had been pretending to work nearby.

“Hey, you lot! Come here! Let’s all help with the lady’s garden!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The gardeners, who had been sneaking glances at Demius, rushed over the moment Mona called out.

Seeing this, Melissa was once again struck by revelation.

So that’s it. They all wanted to tend the garden too.

Unaware of what was going through Melissa’s mind, Mona spoke firmly.

“We’ll handle everything for you, my lady, so please don’t worry and go enjoy yourself for a change.”

Mona remembered how happy Melissa had looked the last time she talked about her outing with the Eisenhart siblings.

‘We even went to the circus!’

She had been so delighted. For someone who loved going out that much, spending her youth tending vegetables in the estate felt like such a waste.

Besides…

Mona’s gaze drifted toward the young lord, who looked even more lifeless than the drooping crops nearby.

‘I have to take care of that hopeless young master too.’

Good grief.

Fueled by sympathy, Mona fanned her determination and pressed on.

“The weather’s perfect today, my lady. Don’t you think your nose deserves a bit of fresh air? I heard there’s a huge market opening nearby.”

“Really?”

Melissa’s eyes sparkled.

Sensing her chance, Mona waved her hands enthusiastically.

“They say merchants from faraway lands have come. Those traders sell rare things you’d never find in the north.”

“Wow!”

Melissa gasped, her mouth wide open as she suddenly remembered the reason she had left her hometown.

‘Right.’

There were two reasons I left home.

One was to help Demius.

And the other was to see the world I had only read about in books with my own eyes.

‘Oh no.’

Melissa scolded herself and tapped her forehead with her fist.

She had promised herself to explore the world for one full year, yet somehow she had completely forgotten.

“Oh my, my lady!”

Mona reached out in surprise, but Melissa just laughed sheepishly and nodded with resolve.

“You’re right, Mona. I should go visit the market today.”

“That’s a wonderful idea!”

Mona gave her a thumbs-up, then winked slyly at Demius.

‘Now’s your chance!’

Meeting that signal, Demius straightened up at once and seized the opportunity.

“May I go with you as well?”

“Of course!”

Melissa smiled brightly.

“Should we invite Shilen and Lady Natalianne too?”

Ah.

At that, Mona and the gardeners all flinched.

‘Right. Forgot about that.’

Their lady had never been the most observant.

But Demius answered smoothly, as though he had been waiting for that question.

“Unfortunately, Natalianne is in the middle of a serious discussion with Mother. It must be quite an important matter, so she can’t leave right now.”

“Then what about Shilen…”

“He’s completely absorbed in the new puzzle game he received as a gift.”

Puzzle game.

That was something Demius himself had given him.

A game that could be solved through pictures even if one didn’t know letters.

When he had handed it to Shilen, the boy had sighed with a strange, wistful expression. Still, he accepted it and began playing right away, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.

With those two distractions taken care of, Demius had rushed over, only to find Melissa’s garden proving to be an unexpected obstacle.

But thanks to Mona and the gardeners’ help, he had finally made it this far.

“Oh my.”

With everyone’s expectant gazes fixed on her, Melissa blinked before nodding.

“I see. Then let’s go out just the two of us today.”

“Gladly.”

Demius clenched his fist behind his back in triumph.

He did it. Finally, he did it.

At long last, success.

Of course, the glory of this moment wasn’t his alone. It belonged to the loyal gardeners who had helped him as well.

Turning toward them, Demius silently mouthed his gratitude.

‘Thank you.’

‘Have a great time, sir!’

Their faces beamed with pride and shared victory.

Demius nodded deeply, moved by their devotion.

Today, no matter what, he would make this the perfect date.

“Shall we go?”

As he awkwardly held out his hand, Melissa brushed the dirt from her palms and answered cheerfully.

“Yes!”

Demius clasped her small hand carefully, afraid to let it slip.

In his mind, the plan he had prepared long ago replayed in vivid detail.

The date route he had revised dozens of times. Eighty-nine, to be exact.

And today, he also needed to have a new ring made that would suit Melissa perfectly.

Demius tightened his fist behind his back.

* * *

“Wow, look at this. I can’t believe we can find such fresh fish this far north.”

“They came through the Gate. The transport cost is added to the price, though.”

“Oh, really?”

Melissa blinked and looked down at the fish displayed on a bed of ice. The price tag beside it was far higher than that of the meat on the next stall.

Come to think of it…

“The Gate you mentioned, is that the same massive structure we used when we traveled to the Grand Duchy?”

“That’s right.”

Demius smiled lightly as he answered.

The Gate.

It was the very reason the Nerencia Magic Tower had gained such fame and wealth.

Placed in every major region of the empire, the Gate was a magical device that could transport people across enormous distances instantly. It saved both time and labor, functioning as an invaluable transportation system.

But the cost was steep, so it was mostly used by nobles and merchants.

Official mages affiliated with the Tower received a fifty percent discount, while Tower professors got ninety percent off.

Even so, the profit margins were massive, allowing Nerencia to fund all of its magical research without relying on imperial subsidies. That financial independence was what made even the Emperor hesitate to interfere with the Tower.

Recalling the massive structure, Melissa murmured,

“I never knew there were other places that used the Gate besides the Village at the Edge. Of course, the one in the city was much bigger.”

“I see.”

Demius answered calmly.

But in truth, he could still remember his shock the first time he saw that Gate in the Village at the Edge.

How could there possibly be a Gate installed in a village with only six residents?