My Secret Flower - Episode 18

“Ash.”

I carefully grabbed Ash’s forearm and called his name. He had been glaring at his younger brother, but he squeezed his eyes shut, then slowly turned his head to look at me. The murderous glint from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

“Go be with our friend for a bit. I need to talk to this one.”

“Instead, let’s go back together. Any guest of yours is a guest of mine. And don’t be too cold to your own flesh and blood.”

I didn’t know what had happened between the two of them. If Ash was this wary of him, he might not really be a blood relative, but he was still his only family in the world, so I was more concerned.

Also, I didn’t want to, but I owed that man a debt.

Fortunately, Ash respected my wishes and escorted me to Evelyn, who was at my mother’s grave. He seemed determined to ignore his younger brother completely. But I didn’t intend to force my personal feelings on him.

“Bree, did you say hello to Mom?”

“Yeah. Thanks. I feel so relieved after saying everything I wanted to say. I hope she’s at peace there.”

Evelyn’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying, and she sniffled as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. My own heart ached when I thought of my mother, and my eyes started to water a little.

“By the way, we have a guest, Bree.”

“A guest?”

Evelyn, caught off guard, turned her head to look where I was pointing and reacted the same way I had. Who is it? She seemed to wonder, then noticed that he had the same hair color as Ash, and looked back and forth between them. Her eyes widened as if she remembered something, and she asked me again.

“Oh! Oh! That man from back then, right?”

“Yeah. Bree remembers him too. It’s him. And he and Ash seem to be brothers.”

“…What? Brothers?!”

Evelyn couldn’t hide her surprise at the unexpected news.

“Let’s go back for now. It’ll be dark soon.”

I quietly paid my respects at my mother’s grave again, then got into the carriage that was waiting for us. Evelyn sat next to me, and Ash and his younger brother sat across from us. The carriage quietly set off.

Looking at the two men sitting side by side in the carriage, they really did look alike. Although their auras were completely different. Ash’s light brown eyes looked gentle and soft, while his younger brother’s blue eyes were so clear that they shone sharply.

Perhaps it was because his gaze towards me was full of curiosity.

More than that, I never thought I would meet Ash’s younger brother, whom I had only heard about. And that it would be that man I had a brief encounter with. It really made me realize how small the world is.

When we arrived at the mansion, there was still some time before dinner was ready, so I led the three of them to the drawing room. The maid brought in some simple snacks and tea-making supplies.

“I said I would treat you to tea last time, and I’m only keeping that promise now. I hope you’ll understand that the preparations are inadequate.”

“I prefer wine to tea, but if it’s tea brewed by the young lady herself, it will be very meaningful.”

Ash glared at the man as if displeased, and snorted. I really felt how bad their relationship was.

The man seemed determined to ignore Ash’s piercing gaze, not even looking at him, and just smiled contentedly at me. It seemed like Ash disliked him unilaterally. He seemed to be suppressing his rising anger.

Evelyn watched the two men’s strange dynamic with interest, then nodded as if she understood. Then she slyly covered her mouth with her hand and snorted at Ash.

“Are you jealous of your younger brother?”

I saw Ash’s eyes flutter. He didn’t deny it, but turned his head slightly and cleared his throat. Ash pulled his chair closer to me and sat next to me.

“It’s not jealousy. He’s just an unpleasant guy.”

“Why is he unpleasant? Your brother doesn’t seem to be doing anything bad to you?”

“If you like him so much, keep him by your side and raise him. I’m willing to give him to you.”

The man just chuckled and pretended not to hear, picking up a cookie and crunching on it. He didn’t seem to be offended by his brother’s words, even though he was treating him like an object.

Was it because it happened so often?

At Ash’s words, Evelyn shyly gathered her shoulders and tucked her hair behind her ear, acting coquettishly. It seemed that pretty men were still Evelyn’s type.

I waited a suitable amount of time, then poured the brewed tea into teacups and placed them in front of the three of them.

“This is chamomile that I enjoy drinking, but I added dried fruit to it, so it tastes a little different from regular chamomile. Please try it.”

“Thank you, young lady.”

Judging by his polite attitude, he seemed to have manners ingrained in him like Ash. He had a slightly more arrogant attitude, but it wasn’t enough to be offensive.

He lifted the teacup, smelled the aroma, took a sip, and nodded quite satisfied.

“It tastes good. Unlike regular tea, it has a strong sweetness, so it’s palatable.”

“I’m glad you like it. How about you, Ash? Chamomile has properties that prevent blood clotting, so I couldn’t recommend it to you. I was worried that it might cause problems with your wound.”

“Oh, is that so? I was almost hurt. I didn’t know you had a tea that you enjoyed drinking.”

“I hardly drank it until the day you came here and left. I’m drinking it after a long time too. We didn’t have enough time to have these little conversations.”

On the day he returned, we were busy doing lewd things and longing for each other. Besides, Evelyn came the next day, so we didn’t have much time to get to know each other. But I wasn’t in a hurry because we would have plenty of time in the future.

Only then did Ash’s stiff expression melt away. I realized then that he had been very anxious. To quell that anxiety, the most effective thing to do was to not pay attention to his younger brother.

Still, I wanted to ask what I was curious about, so I held Ash’s hand tightly under the table and carefully opened my mouth.

“What’s your name?”

“You can call me ‘Vien’.”

“‘Pavilion’. That’s his name.”

Judging by Ash’s added words, Vien was a nickname. It must mean that he would be very upset if his younger brother’s nickname was called by my mouth.

I smiled slightly at Ash and nodded.

“It’s refreshing to meet you again, Pavilion. May I ask you some questions?”

“As much as you want.”

“Did you come to see Ash?”

“Well… that too, and other things too.”

“May I ask what your exact purpose is for coming here?”

Only then did Pavilion’s eyes turn to Ash. Then Ash’s eyebrows fluttered, his eyes still wide open.

Pavilion smiled crookedly as if he found that very amusing, took another sip of tea, and leaned completely against the back of the chair.

“I recently found out why my brother left that position and ran away, leaving everything to me. To be honest, I came to interfere with your marriage.”

“…Why?”

“To win love?”

I didn’t know if he was joking or serious. He had shown me some interest when we first met two years ago, but there had been no contact at all since that brief encounter.

But now, to say that he would interfere with our marriage to win love, does that mean he has special feelings for me?

“I don’t understand what you mean. Could you be a little more specific?”

“Two years ago, I was the one who fell in love with you at first sight when I first saw you. And my brother was the one who stole you, whom I had in my heart.”

I wondered if he was trying to play a mischievous prank, but I was confused because Ash didn’t refute those words. Ash was just glaring at Pavilion as if he wanted to kill him. Evelyn was quietly listening and sipping her tea, as if she didn’t want to get involved in this love triangle.

‘Is it just me who’s in trouble?’

It was also absurd to say that Ash stole his brother’s woman. I had never built any affection with Pavilion, and Ash was the one I fell in love with. It was said that the one who liked first was not always the winner.

“That’s a strange thing to say. If you had feelings for me, why didn’t you come to see me after that?”

“Why do you think? Do you think I didn’t want to go?”

“It sounds like someone was physically holding you back. Is that Ash?”

Following Pavilion, who was smiling leisurely, I turned my head and looked at Ash. His jaw, full of strength, was trembling, and he slowly turned his head and met my gaze. He looked like he had a lot to say. But he only moved his lips as if the words wouldn’t come out easily.

So, Pavilion’s words weren’t all lies. But I didn’t feel betrayed or deceived. It’s because he didn’t lie to me.

“Ash. Can we talk for a moment, separately?”

When I got up from my seat, he followed me. Evelyn silently raised her hand and wiggled her fingers as if to say goodbye. I lightly bowed to Pavilion and left the drawing room with Ash.

“Where do you want to go? Where are you comfortable? The garden? Or my room or your room?”

“I would like to go to the garden.”

Even though he was cowering like someone who had committed a crime, the look in his eyes as he looked at me was quite intense. It was clear that he wanted me to trust him.

It’s amazing how easy people’s hearts are. I felt a sense of relief in my heavy heart with just that one look. I was surprised that I was such a simple person.

‘I must be deeply in love, me.’

I’m sorry to Pavilion, but even if his words were true, this feeling for Ash wouldn’t disappear easily. I think it was fate that I met the injured Ash.

Support My Secret Flower