Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 328: Childhood Friends - Flower Arranging
327. Childhood Friends - Flower Arranging
Rev dropped everything and left. When Lena asked, "Why? What's going on?" he simply replied, "I don't know either."
But he had a hunch.
If he was being asked to be his younger sister's "playmate" in her soldier games, it meant that Lerialia’s talents had fully blossomed. Rev sighed.
"Did I raise her wrong again?"
It was highly likely.
The "beggar siblings" scenario was particularly troublesome. Lerialia, in particular, was no easy child to raise.
It wasn't that she disobeyed. In fact, she followed Lean’s words to the letter.
But to Rev, she was like a child holding a sword. If she grew up wrong, the consequences would be unmanageable, which, Rev concluded, was why he was being asked to step in.
Capturing Oriax had been a nightmare. He just wanted to return to his hometown with Lena and live peacefully...
But he didn’t really have a choice.
The sword he had once plunged into Lerialia’s heart still lodged there like a sharp wound. He would grant any request she made of him.
When Rev and Lena arrived at Baron Monarch's territory, it was summer. Despite bordering the war-engulfed Kingdom of Bellita and Aisel Kingdom, the front lines were far to the north, so peace held here.
Only a faint tension lingered.
As he would later learn, Count Peter had refused to join the war, sparing this tri-kingdom borderland from the flames of conflict.
It was there that they met an elderly woman named Grainen Monarch.
The sister of Baric Monarch, lover of Cardinal Verke, and mother of Count Gustav Peter… a woman with a complicated past. She was now a spry old lady, spending her remaining years in humble peace, all past trials behind her.
Rev confessed to kidnapping Cardinal Verke and apologized. Grainen Monarch laughed, "So, it was you?" as if it were nothing.
She didn’t seem too worried.
Rev and Lena waited there for Lean, learning flower arranging from Grainen.
"I liked it in my youth, but the older I get, the more I love it. Flowers thrive on attention, you know."
To him, it seemed like an elderly pastime.
"Just cut some flowers, put them in a vase, and there you have it—a flower arrangement."
But, as with most things, flower arranging required careful attention.
It began with "cutting."
Not all parts of a flower were used in arrangements; cutting was meant to keep the flowers beautiful and lasting longer.
Thus, he pruned away the thorns, extra branches, and leaves attached to the stems. Those would only shorten the flower’s lifespan and cause unnecessary pain.
Rev picked up a stalk of Swerbria. Since it was a fall-blooming flower, it only had buds for now, no full blooms.
But there were rules to follow even in cutting.
When removing leaves, thorns, and branches, one had to cut vertically; the end of the stem had to be cut at an angle.
Cutting inflicted a wound on the flower stem, so the exposed area needed to be minimized to extend the flower’s life.
Meanwhile, the bottom of the stem was best cut at a slant to create a larger surface area for water absorption.
"So, the key is preserving the water?" Lena asked.
That’s why most of the leaves had to be removed, so that the flower wouldn’t lose precious moisture to the foliage.
"Exactly. Also, if leaves are left on the stem and submerged, the water quickly stagnates. You don’t want the flowers to drink foul water; that would ruin them."
"So, should I cut them all off?"
"Not quite. Leave a few leaves just below the bloom for aesthetics. Unless a leaf is damaged, then it should go."
"And this?"
Rev showed her the Swerbria he was holding. Tiny, fern-like fronds clung around the bud, as if begging not to be removed.
"Cut it."
Grainen spoke firmly.
"It just takes the water and blocks the flower’s bloom. Even if it looks cute, you have to let go of what’s unnecessary."
Though bare and pitiful for now, it couldn’t cling on forever.
Rev snipped the tiny fern-like fronds.
"Good. Now put the trimmed flowers in the vase. You can bundle them, but there are pros and cons. Bundling keeps the shape together but risks damaging the stems; leaving them loose gives a more natural look but makes arranging harder. What do you prefer?"
"I’ll leave mine unbundled," Lena replied.
Rev, thinking bundling might still be better, asked, "Couldn't I tie them loosely enough not to harm the stems?"
"In that case, it’s better to not bundle at all. If you're concerned, use fabric rather than coarse string."
Rev followed her instructions, arranging the flowers in the vase with Grainen’s guidance, adjusting their heights.
Some flowers rested low around the vase’s rim, while others stood tall in the center.
The main flower in his arrangement was Swerbria, still a bud, so he placed it at the highest point.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting.
Rev changed the vase water daily, trimmed the stem bottoms to prevent air bubbles from forming, which would inhibit water absorption, and cared for the flowers attentively.
When autumn arrived and the Swerbria bud finally began to bloom, Lean arrived.
And with him was a not-yet-fully-bloomed Lerialia. Surveying the Monarch Barony, she remarked,
"Hmm... This land should do nicely. Thanks, Brother. This will be enough."
Lerialia didn’t so much as glance at Rev.
---
“What on earth happened?”
While Lerialia flitted around, excited, Rev sat Lean down and asked.
“It’s been a while.”
“Forget the greeting. Just tell me what’s going on. Did it fall apart?”
“Hmm… where to begin? First, no, it didn’t fall apart. And you’ve been through a lot. I heard you captured Oriax.”
“A message popped up?”
“Yeah. Oh right, you don’t get messages, do you? So you didn’t see that.”
“See what?”
“The message about Lena. Come to think of it, where is she?”
“In her room.”
“Why didn’t she come with you? Did you two fight?”
“No way. She suddenly didn’t feel well, so I told her to rest.”
“Really? Odd. Can a priest with divine power even get sick?”
“Maybe. Quit dodging and explaining things. What exactly is going on?”
Standing up, Lean said,
“It’s a long story. I’d rather tell Lena too, so let’s go.”
The two then moved to another room.
The Baron Monarch’s castle. They headed to the room where Lena was staying, and although Lena resisted, saying she had a stomach ache, she finally opened the door at Rev’s urging.
As soon as the door opened, Lena darted to the bed, snuggling under the covers.
"Lena, what’s wrong? Are you really not feeling well?"
"Don’t pull…"
"At least greet him. This is Lean. You saw him in the mirror last time, remember?"
Ugh… uh…
"Hello. I’m not feeling well right now…"
"It’s fine. Please make yourself comfortable. So… where should I start?"
"Where else? From the beginning."
Lean shrugged and settled into a chair. Rev perched on the edge of the bed, while Lena, red-faced with embarrassment, listened from under the covers.
"After I contacted you through the mirror…"
The story of Lean Peter filled the small room.
+ + +
—Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The sound of horses’ hooves scraping against the ground blended with the quiet scratch of a quill pen moving across paper.
It was quite a fine carriage.
While it couldn’t compare to Count Peter’s carriage, the interior was comfortable with deep red cushions and even a table inside.
Yet, despite the comfort, the long journey could easily be exhausting. But the three people inside the carriage were intently reading and writing.
"This is a lowercase L(l)…"
"Tian, no, it’s more like a scribbled lowercase B(b). Am I right, brother?"
"…It’s a lowercase F(f), you fools."
"Ugh! They all look the same!"
Lerialia screeched in frustration.
Lean was teaching letters to his younger sister and Santian Rauno.
Santian, the family boss’s grandson, knew the basics, and Lerialia had learned some letters through lessons, but Lean was teaching them the script used by nobility.
There simply weren’t any books written in the common script.
So, on their way to the Sauer Viscounty, Lean decided to teach them.
Since his sister’s talent was already blossoming, whereas before he would pray,
"Please, sister, just stay still for once,"
Now he intended to nurture it himself.
They were heading north.
Supported, of course, by Count Peter, they had rented a good carriage, and the driver was a knight from Count Peter’s household.
They were headed to the Sauer Viscounty, to fulfill a promise made to Marquis Tatian: to help establish a trade route among the Holy Kingdom of Jerome, Bellita, and Aslan. Lean had used Ray’s name to make a grand pledge.
He hoped Ray would handle things, but his name was too well-known, so he wanted to stay out of sight from Orville for a while.
He also wasn’t sure how Eric might react, and it was better to lay low until Rev could handle things.
It was a shame he couldn’t bring Jenia, given that they were pretending their engagement had been broken, but this allowed him to focus on his younger sister.
The carriage carried on all day before stopping for the evening. Lean glanced around the small village.
"This place…"
"A small village, huh."
"Looks like there’s not much to see here."
Lerialia and Santian, stretching and loosening up after stepping out of the carriage, appraised the village.
It was indeed a small, modest village—maybe a hundred households, like Demos village in the "childhood friends" scenario.
However, Lean seemed absorbed in some thought. Though he’d planned to rest quietly for the night, he changed his mind and called for the village chief.
"Wh-what can I do for you, sir?"
Seeing nobility often frightened commoners. Minseo would have called this a "low-level area," but Lean spoke politely.
"I plan to stay the night and would like to spend some enjoyable time here."
"En-enjoyable time, sir…?"
Is he…?
The chief’s face darkened. The noble was looking at a village girl with a warm gaze, raising suspicions.
His doubts soon turned to certainty when the noble pulled out a pouch of coins.
"N-no, my lord. Please, show some mercy…"
"Hm? What are you talking about? Did you not understand? I’m giving you money to slaughter a cow, bring out the drinks, and light a bonfire. I’d be grateful if you could arrange that."
"Pardon?"
"I’m saying, hold a feast. So the kids can play and have some fun."
"I’m not a kid!"
"Huh?"
The chief received the money in a daze. Now that he looked, a young girl and a child were indeed part of the noble’s party.
Relieved that the noble wasn’t after any strange favors, the chief smiled in delight.
As expected, nobles were grand in their gestures.
The villagers bustled with activity.
Although it was unexpected, they gladly prepared for the feast, and though it wasn’t lavish, the noble didn’t seem to mind, smiling calmly as he watched the villagers work.
No one knew, but this was a village to which Lean owed a debt.
A long time ago, when fleeing Marquis Benar Tatian’s pursuit, he had taken refuge here. With only his handsome face to rely on, he had charmed a girl from this village and hidden there.
He remembered saying he loved her.
But still, the noose had tightened.
Not long after he fled, the pursuers had returned. He could only imagine the fate that had befallen the girl who had hidden him and this village.
Though it was as if it never happened now… Lean felt deeply grateful and remorseful. As he traveled north, he stopped by the villages he owed and used Count Peter’s money to repay them.
This would also be erased, but he left behind wine and meat, sparking impromptu autumn festivals in these villages.
At that moment, Rev interrupted.
"Alright, I get it. But can you skip the little details and get to the point?"
+ + +
"He really did start from the very beginning," Rev muttered.
"Oh, but I find it interesting. Ah…"
It was Lena.
Lena, who loved hearing stories, peeked out to listen, her cheeks turning pink. Her eyes met Lean’s, and she felt too embarrassed to bear it.
She’d remember it all.
Everything that happened to Rev, Ray, and Lean individually.
Lena quickly ducked back under the covers with a small squeal, and Lean’s story continued.
"Don’t interrupt the flow. Where was I? Right, we finally arrived at the Sauer Viscounty with Lerialia and Santian. But then, the viscounty was…"
"…Fine, do as you please," Rev muttered as he laid down on the bed.
Chapter 328: Childhood Friends - Flower Arranging
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