My Secret Flower - Episode 25

I knew it. I had a feeling they weren’t commoners. From their unconscious actions to their impeccable table manners. Those were things you couldn’t do without being taught. Especially Ash’s demeanor, it was so perfect that it convinced me even more that he was a nobleman.

He didn’t seem to be trying to hide it, so I guess it wasn’t supposed to be a secret.

“I vaguely suspected it. Did you hear which family they’re from?”

“He said it wasn’t from our kingdom. He didn’t tell me much, but he said that ranch wasn’t an ordinary ranch either.”

It must be a family with a territory like ours. Then, the ranch he mentioned must be a territory.

Yesterday, when Pavilion brought up the story about the ranch, Ash kicked him in the shin. Why did Ash want to hide that ranch from me?

‘Could it be… no way. It can’t be.’

A ridiculous thought flashed through my mind for a moment. Not long after Ash finished recovering and left me, a major upheaval occurred in the Imperial Family of the Empire. The terrible news was delivered two months later, but if the Imperial Family had been hush-hush about it, the rumors might have spread late.

[Ash, won’t your family come looking for you?]

[Unfortunately, I lost them all.]

The late Emperor passed away four years ago. It was said that the mother of the Third Prince, who usurped the throne, was a fallen noble from our Vient Kingdom. Could he have been in our kingdom, the homeland of his mother, to escape the Prince’s Rebellion?

[Can I ask what you used to do?]

[I was receiving heir training according to my father’s wishes.]

Heir training. That was something only the heir of a noble would say. Why didn’t I think it was strange back then?

[That sword, how long have you been wearing it?]

[It’s my father’s keepsake.]

The sword he always carried was engraved with very ornate and expensive patterns and jewels. The value of that one sword would be enough to buy a decent territory.

‘Really… could he be royalty? If he was the heir, is he really the Third Prince?’

I immediately shook my head. The Third Prince, wearing the Emperor’s crown, was said to be a perverted and cruel psycho. A bisexual who dragged both men and women into his bedroom and a monster who loved blood. That wasn’t Ash’s personality at all.

I almost falsely accused Ash of something disrespectful. Even if he was related to the Imperial Family of the Empire, he would only be the heir of a high-ranking noble family. Maybe he passed the position of head of the family to Pavilion because he didn’t want to continue his relationship with that messed-up Empire.

Above all, the Third Prince is twenty-seven years old this year. Ash is twenty-four, so he’s a completely different person. Besides, no Emperor in his right mind would abandon that supreme power for a woman.

If Ash was royalty, Pavilion would be royalty too, but Pavilion doesn’t have the unique atmosphere of royalty at all.

“Bring, did you hear anything else?”

“Hmm? Uh… mostly just Vien rambling on and on in a drunken stupor.”

“How much wine did she drink to get drunk?”

“She’s really weak. I think she can’t drink alcohol in the first place, but she poured it in yesterday in a fit of anger, so she quickly got glassy-eyed.”

Seeing Evelyn’s cheeks flushed red, it seemed like something happened between the two of them yesterday. But she said it wasn’t a big deal, so I shouldn’t ask any more.

“Thanks for letting me know. I’m glad Ash is a nobleman. If he were a commoner, there would have been a flood of words aimed at Ash. He wouldn’t have to get hurt for no reason.”

The meal was over, and I was about to get up from my seat without thinking, but my butt touched the chair again. It wasn’t muscle pain, it was like all the muscles had disappeared, and I couldn’t put strength into it at my will.

‘Ugh, this is so embarrassing.’

I bit my lip and sent Evelyn a look asking for help, and she smiled meaningfully as if she understood and supported me. Fortunately, I could still walk, even if I was trembling. A moment ago, I couldn’t even put my feet on the floor.

“A newborn fawn can walk better than you.”

“It stands on its own two feet.”

“I’m curious how much excessive love you have to receive to be so battered like this.”

Listening to Evelyn’s muttering, which I didn’t know if it was a reproach or envy, we went to the drawing room and had tea time. We spent time laughing, getting serious, and blushing while chatting, and when we were almost done drinking our tea.

“Lishua. I’m back.”

As soon as Ash, who had gone out and returned, entered the drawing room, he immediately came to me and kissed me on the forehead and lips. Evelyn’s eyes fluttered as she was forced to face it head-on. She couldn’t hide that she was envious, even if she pretended not to be.

“How was that situation resolved?”

“The person the territory residents caught was not a thief. Fortunately, we caught the real petty thief who appeared on the spot, so we are securing evidence.”

“Are you saying that an innocent person was framed as a thief?”

“That is…”

There must have been a situation that was difficult to talk about. He seemed to be choosing his words, lost in thought, and sat on the armrest of the sofa I was sitting on and stroked my hair.

‘…It’s ticklish.’

The tingling sensation from the scalp spread to my neck and shoulders, and I flinched. It was also a subtly pleasant stimulus, so I felt drowsy. So, this is how it feels to have your hair stroked. It was like the feeling I had when my mother stroked my hair when I was young.

“But why didn’t Pavilion come in with you?”

I belatedly checked that only Ash had entered the drawing room and asked. Then Ash, who was scratching the bridge of his nose with his finger, hesitated unlike him.

“That I brought the child who was mistaken for a petty thief. I’m with that child now.”

“You brought her all the way here?”

“I’m sorry, but that child, well… that’s…”

He couldn’t continue speaking as if there was something difficult to say. I became suspicious of him. Could it be that they know each other?

I narrowed my eyes and questioned him.

“Is that child your hidden child?”

“No.”

Seeing him deny it so firmly, I was relieved that the situation I was worried about wasn’t happening. Ash seemed to be savoring the question he had just asked, and then snorted as if he was belatedly dumbfounded.

“I thought I might be misunderstood like that sometimes, but hearing it from you makes me hate my father even more.”

“…Father? Then, could it be that she’s your sibling?”

“To be exact, she’s my half-sister.”

A younger sister. I couldn’t imagine Ash having a younger sister. I thought he said he only had one younger brother? Was he just implying that he only had one younger brother?

If she’s a half-sister, it means that his father had an affair with another woman and had a child. Maybe they didn’t treat her like family.

The more I get to know him, the more I feel like I’m peeling an onion.

“Explain what happened.”

“She said that she secretly followed me the day Pavilion said he would go to see me. She lost Pavilion while I was distracted, so she headed towards this Mariel territory and arrived two days earlier than Pavilion.”

“How could she arrive two days earlier than Pavilion?”

“That guy, funnily enough, is bad with directions. The last time he entered the family’s private property, he went around and around in the wrong direction.”

Bad with directions. My mother was also bad with directions. My eldest sister still gets lost in the palace sometimes, so she can’t go alone, but. I didn’t know there was another person bad with directions here.

“Anyway, that child had her gold coin purse stolen here on the day she happened to arrive, and she pretended to be a petty thief to catch the thief. Anyway, thanks to that child, we were able to catch the real thief.”

“She jumped into the tiger’s den to catch the tiger. That’s not an easy thought.”

“She’s a bit cunning. She used to follow me well. I didn’t think she would try such a reckless thing.”

Ash’s voice when talking about his younger sister didn’t have the cold atmosphere he had when talking about Pavilion. Is it because she’s his younger sister? Still, if I were him, I would feel more affectionate towards my brother who shared the same blood than my half-sister.

So, it was true that male siblings could never get close.

“Where is that child? I want to see her.”

“She’s talking with Pavilion for a while. Please understand even if that child acts a little rude. She’s an arrogant brat who mistakenly believes that there’s no woman more beautiful and lovely than her under the sky.”

“How old is she?”

“She’s fifteen years old.”

There’s quite an age difference. His mother passed away fourteen years ago, so that means she’s the daughter he had when his mother was still alive. If my father had a sibling through another woman, I don’t even want to imagine it. It’s terrible.

At that time, there was a knock and the drawing room door opened quietly. A small girl clinging to Pavilion’s back, who came in through the open door, only poked her head out and made eye contact with me.

‘…Oh my?’

She really does look a bit like Ash. Their appearance isn’t exactly the same, but their features are. Like father, like son.

The young girl’s beautifully flowing platinum blonde hair cascaded down in waves like a waterfall. The blue eyes, the same as Pavilion’s, looked as clear and clear as a lake full of waterfalls. She was more pretty than cute.

I smiled softly at the girl who was staring at me with wide eyes.

“Nice to meet you. Welcome to our Count’s residence. May I ask what your name is?”

However, the girl didn’t open her mouth to answer my question. Instead, she ran towards me and hugged Ash tightly, then glared at me again with an intense gaze.

It was a look of vigilance full of displeasure.

…Why?

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