Chapter 10: Let’s sow the seeds of happiness
Diana learned that village life was not straightforward.
Leon carried an indescribable conflict within him.
(I got carried away with that makeshift wedding. . .I’m such a hopeless fool.)
There was no time for playing house.
But what gave him a little solace was the fact that he came to the Heinz mansion as a gardener.
Leon stared at the hands they had touched with a serious expression.
At that moment, a determination formed in Diana’s heart.
“Leon, this place is not a wasteland.”
Leon looked up.
“Let’s turn this place into a paradise. A paradise where we can forget all the hardships we’ve endured.”
Leon smiled awkwardly.
“Diana, you say the most unexpected things.”
“Oh, come on. It’s not like that. Because. . .”
Diana let go of his hand and moved to a corner of the room, rummaging through a wooden box and taking something out to show him.
“Ta-da!”
“What is that?”
“These are seeds that Otoo-sama left behind!”
Diana pressed the seed packet against her cheek.
“Before he passed away, Otoo-sama said that if we plant these seeds, the world will change.”
“. . .Really? What kind of seeds are they?”
“Well. . .he said they would bloom into edible flowers!”
“You can’t fill your stomach with flowers, and it won’t change the world, surely.”
“But Otoo-sama was not the kind of person to lie.”
“. . .That’s true.”
Leon straightened up, as if regaining his composure.
“Where should we plant those flower seeds?”
“What about that hill behind the mansion?”
“That place is not well-maintained. . .”
“Oh, is that so? But the wisteria used to bloom beautifully there.”
“All the plants growing there are wild. It’s a messy mountain that is not suitable for cultivation.”
“Then let’s bring the soil from there and plant it in this plain.”
“This area has too good drainage.”
“So, we can dig holes in a well-drained area and fill them with soil.”
“Ah. . .I see.”
A glimmer returned to Leon’s eyes. Diana felt relieved.
It felt like she was seeing the gardener Leon after a long time.
“I’ll dig the holes and bring the soil, so you wait here, Diana.”
“I’m coming too.”
“But your wounds. . .”
“I’ve always liked watching you work, Leon.”
Leon widened his eyes.
“. . .Huh?”
“Well, remember the backyard of the Heinz mansion? My room’s window faced the backyard. Whenever I had free time, I would watch you work.”
Leon blushed instantly.
“That’s a lie.”
“It’s not a lie.”
“I was practically naked while working.”
“Yes, that’s true. But it added to the beauty of the garden.”
“. . .Oh no. I let my guard down. I almost showed something embarrassing to Ojou-sama. . .”
“Something embarrassing?”
“. . .Please forget about that, okay?”
“Why would you say such a thing? It’s a very fond memory for me.”
Leon pressed his temple with his finger.
“Well, I guess there’s no helping it. . .Anyway, let’s decide to plant the seeds.”
The two of them walked out of the shed together.
Leon brought a wooden bench from the barn and placed it in front of the house with a thud.
“Diana, sit here.”
Diana did as she was told. Her heart leaped at the thought of that familiar routine returning.
The sun was high in the sky. Leon brought a bucket full of soil from the hill behind.
He dug into the ground full of pebbles with a shovel. He diligently turned over the hard ground.
He filled the oval hole with soil.
To prevent the cows from eating them, he put up fences.
Meanwhile, Diana sorted the seeds from the seed packet by type.
There seemed to be about ten different types. She wrote alphabets on coins and lined them up in front of each seed.
She poured well water into them.
With that, the work was done.
“. . .Is this enough?”
“Let’s first understand which seed is which.”
“I wonder if all of them will sprout properly.”
“If you’re worried, we can sow a little more.”
Diana decided to plant three seeds for each type.
Even so, there were still plenty of seeds left.
“Depending on the climate and the characteristics of the seeds, some may not sprout. We need to write down and manage those properly. Can you do it, Diana?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, I’ll give it a try.”
“We’ll sow them in spring, and then we’ll see when the flowers bloom. . .Some flowers might bloom much earlier.”
“. . .Yeah.”
“Some might grow suddenly and become big.”
“. . .”
Diana gazed at the profile of Leon.
The sight of the big-bodied man crouching down and staring at a small seed struck her heart.
(I. . .I like this. When a big man earnestly faces something fragile.)
“. . .Diana?”
“! Yes.”
“Is there something on my face?”
“! No, nothing. . .”
Diana blushed and suppressed the beating of her heart. Leon stood up and said to her.
“. . .I’m getting hungry.”
Diana looked up at Leon.
He had a smile on his face, and his gaze seemed to hold a hint of expectation.
(Oh, a meal. . .)
At that moment, Diana felt a tingling sensation of happiness spreading through her back.
(It’s like we’re a real couple. . .)
Since they stopped using honorific language, Leon had become less reserved around her. It made Diana tremble with joy.
“You can choose whatever you like. What do you want?”
“Um, I think I want to have potato cream stew again. . .maybe.”
“Is that really what you want?”
“. . .It was delicious.”
“Well then, let’s have that. Oh, I wonder when the eggs will be ready. It would expand the range of dishes we can make.”
After a while of returning home, warm steam rose from the cottage.
A fleeting moment of happiness visited the wilderness.
