The Reincarnated Villainess Whose Romantic Trauma From Her Past Life Is Too Strong Is Sweetly and Painfully Doted On by the Prince of the Neighboring Country - Chapter 16

“Cherie, are you going to fix the Flower Offering? Mind if I come along?”

After school.

Once Cherie confirmed that Lily had left for the day, she prepared to head to the Offering Pedestal. It was then that Salute spoke up, asking to accompany her.

Cherie had no reason to hide anything from him; after all, Salute already knew she had been secretly correcting the offerings.

If anything, having him there was a relief, a presence she was grateful for.

“Hmm… well, how should I put this…”

The moment Salute saw the flower arrangement Lily had made, he let out a strained sound.

It was only natural. The offering displayed before them lacked any sense of season, direction, or balance. There wasn’t a hint of passion from the creator to be found.

What was worse was the lack of sincerity. Even if one is unskilled or dislikes a task, it can be forgiven if there is heart put into it. But here, even that was absent.

—Just stick them in. Let’s get this chore over with as quickly as possible.

The result was so poor that one could almost hear the creator’s inner voice. Salute couldn’t help but groan.

—There is absolutely no respect for the flowers.

Cherie gazed silently at the arrangement. Taking a step forward, she began to carefully remove the flowers one by one from the vase Lily had used.

She lined them up neatly on a spread-out white cloth, re-trimming the stems of those that had been handled poorly. The way she handled the flowers with such deep affection was far more suited to a “Maiden of the Flower Succession” than Lily’s hollow title.

“…Are you using anemones?”

“Yes.”

Cherie nodded at Salute’s question.

To harness the power of flowers, using those in season is the first priority. Since this world revolved around floral themes, greenhouse cultivation was advanced, allowing people to encounter various flowers year-round. But flowers still perform best during their natural peak.

Anemones were just beginning to bloom, making them the perfect seasonal choice. Furthermore, she chose white and pink anemones as the base because their language in this context meant “Hope.”

In the original game, there was a recurring event where the player had to research what the citizens were seeking at the time and choose flowers accordingly.

While Cherie couldn’t exactly head down to the city and survey every person’s wishes right now, she could still gauge the general atmosphere of the world if she tried.

By observing the current state of affairs herself, Cherie had been independently adjusting the offerings to match the times.

As Salute watched her work from nearby, he suddenly noticed a faint phosphorescence emanating from her hands. Looking closer, he saw a rippling glow spreading out in a circle across the floor with her at the center.

(This is…)

Salute felt a sudden pang of apprehension.

It wasn’t that the atmosphere of the room was unpleasant. On the contrary, it felt warm, gentle, and so healing that just being there seemed to soothe the soul.

However—

Driven by an inner restlessness, Salute grabbed Cherie’s wrist, forcing her to stop.

“…Lord Salute?”

Cherie looked up at him, her face a picture of confusion.

“…No.”

(It’s my imagination. It must be.)

Without a doubt, the current “Maiden of the Flower Succession” was Lily. Salute had confirmed that fact with his own eyes.

However—

Salute couldn’t convince himself that the light she had just emitted was a mere coincidence. Hiding his anxiety, he let go of her hand with a brief apology. “Forgive me! I didn’t mean to interfere.”

Cherie asked him several times if he was alright or if he felt unwell, showing genuine concern. But when Salute stubbornly insisted he was fine, she eventually returned to her task, sensing he wouldn’t say more.

“…Exquisite.”

Salute murmured in admiration as he looked at the offering Cherie had revived.

The pedestal, which had been a pitiful sight just moments ago, had been transformed into something unrecognizable.

“You seem to prefer lovely, charming decorations, don’t you, Cherie?”

The arrangement, colored with pale flowers like white, pink, and yellow, looked modest yet beautiful, as if the flowers themselves were celebrating being alive.

Cherie had never really thought about her own style before, but hearing Salute say it made her realize for the first time that she did indeed favor “cute” arrangements.

Then, she felt a sudden wave of embarrassment. As a “Villainess” and the high-ranking daughter of the Dortmund house, she feared her “girly” tastes might seem out of place or immature.

“…I-I’m sorry. It’s a bit childish, isn’t it?”

“Eh? Not at all. Why would you say that?”

As Cherie spoke out of a sense of awkwardness, Salute tilted his head in genuine surprise.

“The gentle colors, the warmth, the lovely feel of it all… It’s just like you, isn’t it, Cherie?”

He reached out and gently touched one of the flowers she had placed, smiling with deep affection.

Hearing those words, Cherie felt as though she had been granted a kind of permission to be herself. A soft, warm sensation began to spread through her chest.