episode_0020

Ah, no popcorn.

Just as I was thinking that, Kristia pulled something out of her pocket.

A savory and sweet aroma.

This smell was definitely popcorn.

And it was my favorite kind, caramel popcorn.

I wanted to give Kristia a thumbs-up for handing me the popcorn, but I couldn’t do it carelessly due to her position.

“Mmm.”

As I chewed the popcorn, watching Astia, it definitely became more enjoyable.

I had positioned myself at quite a distance to avoid being noticed by her, but Kristia’s remarkable use of her abilities allowed me to see what was happening to Astia as if watching a TV screen, and I could even hear the audio, all without being detected. It felt like I was really watching a movie, observing what was going on in front of Astia.

“Sigh…”

After much contemplation, Astia entered the flower shop.

“Welcome… Oh? Aren’t you Astia? What brings you here so early today? You usually don’t come for over a month. What’s the occasion?”

While teasing Astia, I could sense a bit of resentment from her, which made me realize that she also has feelings for Astia.

Maybe she just has a snake-like personality, but if that’s the case, this movie’s genre will surely shift from a sweet romance to a creepy horror story.

It might start with arms and legs being cut off.

“Come to think of it… Astia’s personality is not ordinary.”

She was originally Kristia’s closest aide.

Astia, a woman with a similar cunning and cruelty as Kristia, yet since Kristia was being controlled by someone else, she appeared very kind. But as for Astia, when her cruel nature would awaken, or whether it would awaken at all, nobody knew.

“T-That’s…”

Even if she were to just pick them up and hand them over, it seems like she would eat half of the flowers, but Astia hesitated and couldn’t open her mouth.

It would be better if her cheeks were flushed, then I could have sensed that she was feeling embarrassed about something, but she’s managing her complexion so perfectly unnecessarily, making it difficult to read her.

If our relationship were as close as mine with Kristia, I might have been able to discern everything with just a few small habits, even if she deliberately concealed her complexion. However, meeting those guys once a month didn’t seem to foster such closeness.

“Why have you come?”

As the man chuckled and spoke, Astia’s body seemed to shrink a little more.

To see someone so timid in front of a man who is so fragile that he could lose his life at any moment — indeed, the saying that love makes the one who loves more vulnerable was not wrong.

“If it’s to this extent, the man seems to know that Astia likes him… ”

The person in question was Astia.

He was the great knight next in line after Kristia in the Kingdom of Kristia.

For her to play around so confidently with such a knight, unless Astia was certain that he loved her, it would have been impossible.

“Just… came to visit.”

“Because you missed me?”

But looking at the completely misleading expression, it seemed like the other person might be an innocent, carefree individual who doesn’t realize how great and dangerous the other party is…

Honestly, I’m not sure.

“No, thank you… I’ll buy a blue one.”

In the end, our confused Astia bought only a blue flower and left without explaining why she had come to the flower shop.

“This won’t do.”

Something needed to provoke her.

With that in mind, when I looked at Kristia, he looked back at me with an expression that seemed to suggest he had the same idea.

We confirmed that Astia had completely left the flower shop and visited there.

To be precise, I visited alone.

This place wasn’t under Kristia’s disguise.

Since it was Kristia’s base, there were too many people who knew all of Kristia’s physical features.

So, I went in alone.

“Welcome. What kind of flowers are you looking for?”

I could tell that he loved Astia by the way he treated me.

It was because his tone towards me was so different from his tone towards Astia.

It might have been simply due to familiarity, but that’s just how it felt.

“Is there a flower worthy of giving to a beloved?”

At my words, a hint of envy flickered across his face.

This was a bluff.

After saying this, even if an absurd situation arose where he loved someone other than Astia, I had a feeling I would understand, even if I had to cut Astia’s limbs and make them into jewelry.

“Yes, of course.”

I engaged in conversation about the flowers he was showing me.

“The customer who was leaving the flower shop earlier, is he a close friend of yours?”

The man looked at me as if to say, “What are you talking about?”

It seemed more like a look questioning how one could live in Iceland and not know Astia, rather than indicating that the person was a close friend.

“No, we only meet about once a month. Even though I consider us close, perhaps that person sees me as insignificant…”

Oh,

I thought it would take longer, but I was able to hear his inner thoughts much faster than expected.

“That’s why anonymity is preferred here.”

Having arrived on this land not long ago, it seemed he wanted to release something that had been pent up inside.

“Insignificant? Is that person truly remarkable?”

“Yes, he is so outstanding that I can’t even compare myself to him. I feel sorry for even attempting to become close to him.”

“Really? But it seems like that person is interested in you as well, isn’t he?”

At my words, he shook his head, telling me not to speak nonsense.

“That’s impossible. Do you realize how great the difference in status is? I am nothing more than a flower shop owner selling bluebells, and he is…”

“For that matter, it makes sense.”

In the empty flower shop, I glanced around needlessly and then gestured for him to come closer.

“Yes?”

And then, I whispered something to him.

“There’s this young lady. She seemed to be pondering in front of the house for quite a while. It looked like she was taking deep breaths and even slapped her cheeks… The boss isn’t even a level 11 powerhouse, so there’s no reason for her to be so nervous about entering the flower shop, right?”

“Don’t lie. Lady Astia is the second-in-line in this kingdom. She wouldn’t be nervous except in front of the Northern Emperor.”

Actually, he doesn’t seem to be particularly nervous even in front of the great Northern Emperor, but it seems like he’s especially tense in front of you.

“And… isn’t that a bit strange?”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t been here long, so I don’t know Astia’s face well, but I heard that he definitely went off to war.”

“Oh, right.”

There were words written expressing regret for not seeing him off properly at that time.

Of course, it wasn’t actually written, but I felt like maybe he was thinking that way, and my intuition didn’t seem to be wrong.

“But you just arrived, didn’t you? If you came to see him right away, maybe you wanted to see the boss’s face?”

“You probably came after everyone else had already visited, just to buy a single blue one.”

This won’t work.

The immense background Astia has was preventing him from expressing his true feelings.

‘I guess I’ll retreat for now.’

“Is that so… But I think that’s how it is. Astia, who adores you dearly, probably bought a gift when he went down to the South, but couldn’t muster the courage to deliver it to you, so he just bought a single blue one and left. Isn’t that a really natural story?”

“That can’t be true.”

“Okay then.”

Leaving my final advice, I bought the flowers and left.

“This seems difficult.”

“It certainly does to me too… I thought for sure that once this war was over, he would make him his personal attendant, but with that kind of reaction, it seems far off.”

“Even if they become involved, he probably won’t make him a personal attendant, will he? He seems taken with the boldness and vitality of running a flower shop in the North, don’t you think?”

At my casual remark, Kristia gave a gentle smile and patted my head.

“It’s like a dreamy sound, my dear Astia. You must be well aware of the personalities of the talents in the Kingdom of Kristia. Among those under my command, there are very few who can live while letting go of the one they love.”

So, perhaps Astia will also someday say that she will bring that man to me and make him her personal talent.

Kristia said it with great certainty, but I had a different thought.

‘No matter how cruel Astia’s disposition may be…’

One’s nature doesn’t fundamentally change.

If Kristia, who has had the greatest influence on her growth, has changed this much, wouldn’t it affect her nature as well?