Prologue: Escape from the battlefield
Finally, the flames of war spread to the urban area of Latgip. By the time Diana woke up, the surroundings had already turned into a sea of fire.
Even the mansion of Heinz Trading Company, the wealthiest merchant in Wendels, couldn’t escape the spreading fire. Diana, the daughter of the trading company, quickly tied up her fiery red hair and stuffed precious metals into her pocket before rushing downstairs. She could see looting taking place all over the town. Within the vast mansion, she searched for the reassuring presence of her parents.
“Otoo-sama. . .Okaa-sama. . .!”
All the servants had already fled, and every room was empty. Diana was shocked but resigned to the situation.
It was unlikely that her parents had left Diana behind and escaped. There seemed to be only three people left in the mansion.
Diana had an older sister named Ilsa, who got married two years ago and moved to the neighboring and enemy country of Eisenstadt. She was concerned about their situation, but her priority was finding her parents.
However, the momentum for the search crumbled in an instant.
Underneath the grand curved staircase. . .
There, she saw the figures of men looting.
At their feet, Diana’s parents, Aurel and Camilla, lay bloodied and trampled like discarded rugs.
Diana witnessed this scene and felt like she was about to faint. But she managed to hold herself together.
And then. . .
“There she is!”
A group of young men stormed into the mansion. Diana turned her pale face towards them.
“It’s a girl!”
Diana realized it.
To them, she was also one of the looted items.
Diana kicked off her heels and ran.
She reached the second-floor window and looked down at the ground floor. The once beautiful backyard was now engulfed in flames, obscuring everything.
Everything that the gardener had diligently cared for every week had instantly decayed in the midst of the war.
In front of Diana, there was only fire.
From behind, a group of men with dirty eyes approached.
Diana made up her mind.
To throw herself into the inferno.
She opened the window wide. Diana stepped on the ledge and jumped into the swirling flames.
She crashed onto the ground.
“. . .I’m dead.”
Diana muttered as if praying.
“I’m dead. . .I’ll die like this. . .”
“Diana-sama.”
At that moment. . .
Water splashed down from above Diana’s head.
Startled, Diana looked up.
There was the familiar face of a young man.
A muscular body, sculpted by agricultural work, short chestnut hair.
Leon, the gardener.
He was also soaking wet, holding a bucket, and looking down at Diana with concern.
“. . .Leon.”
“Let’s escape, Ojou-sama.”
“Um, why are you here?”
“Is it alright, Ojou-sama? Let’s escape right away, from here.”
Leon lifted Diana up and ran through the backyard swirling with flames.
“Leon, where are we running to. . .?!”
“There are still horses in the stable. Let’s leave this town on horseback.”
Diana saw the horse stable in the backyard beyond and vividly remembered what it contained.
It was a promise with her father, Aurel.
“If you ever find yourself in trouble, plant these seeds.”
It happened a year ago.
In the midst of the war with the neighboring country, the money lent to the royal family had become a burden, and signs of the collapse of Heinz Trading Company, her father’s business, were beginning to emerge that autumn.
Unaware of everything, Diana innocently picked flowers in the backyard when a man with a black beard, her father Aurel, said those words.
“These seeds are precious. If you plant them, the balance of power in the world market will change.”
At that time, she had almost brushed it off.
She thought he was talking about wanting to plant new flowers.
“Well then, let’s plant them. I wonder what kind of flowers will bloom.”
“These are edible flowers.”
“Oh, they can be eaten? Like rapeseed flowers.”
“Hahaha, yes. But they are even more beautiful than rapeseed flowers.”
A peaceful afternoon conversation. The prelude to the turmoil. The decline of the once prosperous Heinz Trading Company.
Remembering that day, Diana gasped.
Arriving at the stable, as he gently lowered her to the floor, Leon asked with a slightly puzzled expression,
“Is something wrong, Diana-sama?”
“. . .I’m certain it’s here.”
Diana removed the creaking floorboard.
With Leon watching, a small tattered bag appeared.
“Ojou-sama, that is. . .”
Diana opened the bag.
Inside, it was filled with various types of seeds.
“Seeds?”
“Yes. Leon, you’re a gardener, right? Do you know what kind of seeds these are?”
“Well. . .just by looking at them, it’s hard to say.”
“. . .I see.”
“Let’s leave here quickly. I will guide you to the village where I live.”
Diana also put the bag of seeds in her pocket.
The horse that Leon brought was Regina, the white mare that Diana always rode for horseback riding. When she recognized Regina’s anxious eyes, Diana patted her nose.
“Regina. . .I hope you’re safe too. . .”
Leon also splashed water from the horse trough onto Regina.
“Let’s go, Diana-sama.”
Diana nodded. Being careful not to slip in the water, Diana mounted behind Leon, who had already taken the lead. With a somewhat determined gesture, Leon took out a hemp rope and tightly bound the gardener and the young lady.
Leon kicked Regina’s belly with all his might. Regina, being an intelligent horse, remained calm and ran according to her master’s reins, even amidst the flames and chaos. The city was already overflowing with people trying to escape, and there was no clear path. However, with Regina’s speed, everyone managed to avoid them.
Escaping from the war, thinking they had finally escaped from the flames, at that moment. . .
Perhaps Regina’s conspicuous white appearance was a mistake. The crowd attempting looting blocked their path once again.
“. . .Leon!”
“Regina. . .can you jump?!”
―Neigh!
Regina looked straight ahead with her wise eyes and let out a low growl.
“I can do it, Leon. Give me the reins, I’ll make the jump.”
Diana received the reins from Leon. Skillfully manipulating the reins, she timed the acceleration and braking just as she had practiced.
The enemy’s horses lined up, blocking Regina’s path, and at that moment. . .
“Jump!!”
In response to her master’s voice, Regina swiftly caught up and recognized the enemies as obstacles, leaping high into the air.
Thud, the white horse landed on the treacherous ground.
And they started running again. Leon and Diana both let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.
Just as Diana handed over the reins to Leon once again, it happened.
In desperation, the looting crowd threw something.
Unfortunately, it hit the back of Diana’s head. She lost consciousness and her body slumped weakly.
On the ground, a large vase rolled.
“Damn it. . .those bastards.”
While maneuvering the reins, Leon pulled up the hemp rope that bound their waists to his chest. Fresh blood flowed from the unconscious Diana’s head.
“Ojou-sama. . .hold on!”
Leon raced through the wilderness on the outskirts of Latgip at full speed.
To save the young lady.
Chapter 1: Fleeting memories and a gardener holding hands
Diana had a dream of a certain day from the past.
It was at the mansion of Heinz Trading Company before the war began.
Diana liked looking down at the backyard from her room’s window.
There, several gardeners were working on the garden.
They took off their upper garments and meticulously shaped the trees and plants.
Their muscles moved gracefully, and their posture in the pursuit of natural beauty made Diana’s heart flutter.
Surrounding her were nothing but smooth-talking merchants. They were all plump due to their rich diet. Yet, their legs were thin, and their eyes and mouths were constantly moving. Diana secretly despised them. Her father was one of them, but even so, seeing young men behaving in the same manner irritated her with their strangely excessive eloquence.
She heard that she had received several marriage proposals.
She wondered if she would become a bride to one of those men who had grown fat from indulging in such exquisite food.
Just like her sister Ilsa.
Diana shook her head. Without thinking, she clumsily descended to the backyard.
There, a young man about her age was present.
As Diana approached, a branch he had pruned fell at her feet.
“Ah.”
The young man quickly turned towards her.
“That branch, it has thorns.”
Diana looked up at him, her heart racing.
“I’m cutting it right now. . .Please don’t come closer.”
After that, he faced the branches in silence.
The sound of scissors. The sunlight filtering through the trees. The sound of flowing water. The chirping of birds. The melody of the wind.
“. . .Gardener-san.”
The young man turned around.
“What is your name?”
The young man, slightly sweaty, answered in a blunt manner.
“Leon.”
He said it curtly, but his hands continued to move without hesitation.
“Leon. . .”
Diana murmured. Leon still faced forward.
“Hey, a new flower is coming next time, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What kind of flower is it?”
Finally, Leon turned his dull-colored eyes towards her.
“If that’s the case, it’s already here. We imported it from the East.”
“Really?”
“Do you want to see it?”
“Definitely!”
Diana knew.
This young man didn’t show interest in people, but he would look at those who admired plants.
It took her three months to learn something like this.
It took her five months to learn his name.
Even when she tried to talk to him, he would blatantly keep his distance or immerse himself in his work, making it difficult to approach him.
But finally, today, it happened.
Leon brought a large potted peony in front of Diana.
“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a peony grow this big. I have to support its head.”
“Oh, you’re right. It’s standing with a support stick.”
“Aurel-sama is planning to sell this. If it suits the climate of this country, it will definitely sell.”
“Oh, Otoo-sama is currently preoccupied with what to put in the royal garden.”
“It can’t be helped. Aurel-sama is desperate to earn the wedding expenses for Diana-sama.”
Diana looked down.
It was difficult for her to hear such things from Leon’s mouth.
“Ilsa-sama got married to the neighboring and larger Ishtar Trading Company because of her beauty.”
Stop it.
“They want to marry Diana-sama off and secure the stability of Heinz Trading Company.”
Stop it.
At that moment,
the peony flower in front of her fell with a thud.
Diana was shocked.
“Leon, I’m sorry!”
The young lady shouted.
“You took such good care of it, and I. . .!”
The space distorted. Leon disappeared from beside her.
Diana screamed in despair.
“Leon! Leon!”
“I’m here, I’m here, Ojou-sama.”
At the sound of that voice, Diana finally opened her eyes.
Her whole body was drenched in sweat.
Chestnut-colored hair and dull-colored eyes.
Leon was looking down at Diana.
Diana gently moved her limbs. She was on a bed.
She looked around by moving her eyes. It was a small shack, like a stable.
“Uh, me. . .”
Her head creaked.
“Ouch. . .”
“Please don’t move, Ojou-sama. It will disturb your wounds.”
Leon’s fingertips reached out and gently brushed aside Diana’s bangs.
“. . .Where is this?”
“It’s my house.”
Diana’s eyes widened instantly.
“Your house?!”
“Yes.”
Then, she suddenly looked at her own hand.
Leon’s hand was tightly holding Diana’s hand.
Seemingly aware of her gaze, Leon gently let go of her hand.
Diana hurriedly spoke.
“Um, my hand. . .”
“. . .I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I just don’t want you to let go of my hand because I’m scared.”
With a perplexed expression, Leon firmly held her hand again.
