My Secret Flower - Episode 12

Anyway, it felt like there was nothing I hadn’t done while playing with Evelyn. Unlike me, who was terrified of fish and reptiles, she handled anything well and was incredibly curious. She was skilled at climbing trees as well as walls.

Once, I got curious and followed Evelyn up a tree, only to misstep and fall.

“Oh, my! Young lady!”

Fortunately, the grass on the ground cushioned the impact. I was lucky to only have minor bruises and not break any bones or injure my head. I don’t know how much Countess Brayton scolded Evelyn then.

Still, she didn’t care and quickly forgot, playing excitedly again. I was so captivated by her bright personality that I continued to play with her even after being severely punished. Then and now, she was still headstrong and quite positive, which I was sometimes envious of. She also had a big influence on me.

“Lishua!”

Every time she saw me, she was very happy and hugged me very naturally. I think my passive and timid personality changed a little after meeting Evelyn.

“Can’t you sleep at my house tonight? Or should I sleep at your house?”

“…You don’t really like my sisters.”

“Hey, it’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that they’re a little awkward to deal with. Ever since you fell out of the tree because of me, they glare at me whenever they see me, so it’s scary.”

We slept at each other’s houses a few times and lived as if your house was my house. Countess Brayton also adored me. My mother even thought of Evelyn as her fourth daughter, and Evelyn would act cute, saying she liked my mother more than her own.

Having grown up so freely, she had a very different vibe from ordinary noble young ladies. That was also a flaw, if you could call it that, and she was often looked down upon by other noble young ladies.

But Evelyn didn’t care much. Rather, she would secretly trip those who looked down on her or play mischievous pranks to get back at them, and then laugh it off later.

“Did you see her face, Lishua? Hmph. Serves her right. That expensive dress is ruined with tea. Good for her.”

“Evelyn. If you make too many enemies like that, it could cause problems later. That’s what Mother said. If someone is rude, the best solution is to just ignore them.”

“That bitch insulted our family first. You heard it, didn’t you? Inviting me to the tea party was all for a purpose.”

“Yeah. I know. I know… But that young lady was wrong, but we’re nobles. Shouldn’t we at least act according to etiquette?”

“Etiquette is bullshit. You don’t act according to etiquette with a dog that barks, do you? You have to have a beautiful heart to receive a beautiful heart. If it’s not someone with a beautiful heart like our Lishua, then etiquette is a waste.”

I just sighed as she smiled brightly, hugged me tightly, and rubbed her cheek against mine. Still, she said that I was the only one who worried about her, and she playfully begged me to continue to be her friend.

“Who is Evelyn?”

As I looked down at the letter and smiled contentedly, Ash, who was watching, asked with a slightly sulky tone. I chuckled, wondering if he was capable of jealousy.

“She’s a friend. My best friend in the world. She’s like family to me.”

“A woman?”

“Of course. Isn’t it obvious that it’s a woman’s name?”

“There are surprisingly many people whose gender cannot be distinguished by their name.”

Anyway, he smiled brightly again as if relieved that she was a woman, and stroked my hair. I felt a little drowsy from the pleasant sensation transmitted through my scalp.

“Don’t you need to check the letter?”

I handed the letter to the nanny and shrugged.

“You can look at it later. It’s probably not urgent.”

“Then how about taking a walk and having a meal?”

“Okay.”

These days, it was too hot to go out during the day. It was almost impossible to take a walk unless it was now, and I felt like my body would ache more if I just sat still, so I strolled along the backyard path with him.

“By the way, did your father really say that before you left?”

“He said that even beasts know gratitude, so he hoped I wouldn’t be less than a beast. He also warned me that if I didn’t come back alive, he would chase me to the end of hell and tear my throat out.”

“Is that true? Your father?!”

He had never expressed himself so violently. I had only heard rumors that he was not an easy person, but in front of our family, he was almost like a curtain hanging on a window.

Before my sisters got married, there were always four women in the house, so it was always noisy. Perhaps because my father was the only man, he couldn’t easily join in and just silently kept his place. Sometimes my second sister would act cute with my father, but he would feel awkward, as if he couldn’t get used to it.

In short, you could say he was more on the side of not being able to express himself.

“He was originally a bit dissatisfied with me. Because you cherished me, he couldn’t express his dissatisfaction, so he subtly tormented me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that your father was bothering you?”

“That’s not even bothering me. He’s a very human person compared to my father.”

“…Can I ask what your father was like?”

I didn’t know anything except that his parents had passed away. I didn’t want to pry into the past, but since the topic came up, I asked cautiously, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

“He was someone who didn’t evoke particularly good or bad feelings. The relationship between father and son wasn’t very good.”

“Was he negligent of his family?”

“He loved my mother very much.”

Did he have a good relationship with his wife but was cold to his children? Why? Could it be that his mother remarried? Because he wasn’t his own son?

I wanted to ask, but it was too difficult to ask, so I couldn’t open my mouth. It felt like I was just inflicting pain on him again.

“Did you have any siblings?”

“I have a younger brother. But we haven’t been in contact for a long time.”

I had a feeling my guess was right. There was a high possibility that they were half-siblings with different fathers. I’m glad I didn’t ask.

“I’m sorry, Ash.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Just. It feels like I touched a painful wound. If I forcibly recall something I don’t want to remember, I feel bad all day. I feel like you’re the same…”

I was at a loss for words. His eyes, which were standing still and looking down at me, were slowly being filled with a red aura like last night. For some reason, I felt a hot sensation in my lower abdomen, and the tips of my fingers tingled, making me feel strange.

“Ash?”

“…Yesterday, when I thought about it, I wondered if I shouldn’t have stopped. I think I made a mistake, and now that thought has become even more firm.”

He naturally took a step closer and wrapped one arm around my waist, carefully pulling me into an embrace. His erect member, bulging under his neat pants, was revealing its presence.

“I’ve never been like this before. It’s the first time I can’t control my sexual desire this much, and I’m afraid I’ll become a beast.”

There’s no day or night in love affairs. Of course, once you get used to it, there’s no greater pleasure in the world.

“You’re very hot.”

“My body gets hot just thinking about you. Like now.”

“Me too. Do you want to do it with me?”

“If you’re okay with it.”

I was already mesmerized by his eyes, and I became dazed. It was a natural course of events that we were both intoxicated with each other and continued with a passionate kiss.

I felt dizzy from the sensual kiss. We were so closely attached that it wouldn’t be strange if the two bodies were connected as one right away, throwing away all etiquette.

“Lishua! Lishua, I’m here…!”

I was startled by the sound of Evelyn’s voice along with the light footsteps. I reflexively took my lips off and looked in the direction of the voice with wide eyes.

Oh my god. Oh my god!

“E-Evelyn?”

Why the hell is she here?!

A woman with voluminous, orange, curly hair styled in a simple half-updo. She found me and shook her lilac eyes, freezing in place and blinking her eyelids.

As if she had seen something unbelievable, with an expression that she couldn’t believe even after seeing it.

I steadied my sinking heart, stepped away from Ash, and coughed dryly. I felt embarrassed for no reason, so I grabbed the back of my neck with my hand and just rolled my eyes.

“I didn’t hear you were coming… Uh, when did you come?”

“…Is what I just saw real?”

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed as she looked back and forth between me and Ash. It felt like she was interrogating me, and my throat became parched. I had never talked about Ash in the letters I had exchanged with Evelyn, so it was understandable that she was surprised.

How am I going to get through this embarrassing situation?

Then, the butler, who had hurriedly appeared, stopped behind Evelyn and conveyed what I was curious about instead.

“Young lady. The young lady said that she will be staying for a while to spend the anniversary of the Countess’s death together. The letter that arrived earlier said that she would be arriving today, but haven’t you checked it yet?”

“Ah… I was taking a walk. I left it with the nanny.”

“What? Was taking a walk with that man more important than my letter?! That’s too much!”

Evelyn, grumbling that she was upset, came to me and glanced at Ash, who was standing next to me.

“More than that, who is this person who’s kissing so passionately in such a bright place in broad daylight?”

“…Let’s go inside first. Let’s go inside and talk. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s eat together.”

I just wanted to get out of this embarrassing situation right away. It was a mistake to be relieved that it was a walking path that the servants didn’t use. I really didn’t expect Evelyn to show up now, not even as much as a speck of dust in the air.

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