Chapter 53

The next day, as soon as I finished breakfast, I called Pavel. Since I rarely summoned him, Pavel looked serious, thinking something important must have happened. I also had a slightly serious expression and handed him the letter I had written as soon as I returned from the garden yesterday.

"A letter, huh?"

"Yes. I intend to send it to the merchant who supplied the saplings for our garden."

"Why to him... are you going to order more saplings?"

Pavel tilted his head as he took the letter. He knew well that the garden had just been renovated and there was no need to order new saplings.

"No. I won't be ordering any more saplings from that swindler. If I could, I'd have him take all the trees in the garden away right now."

We had thoroughly inspected the saplings that came into the garden with the gardener. I couldn't understand how a bad tree could have slipped in.

'That merchant must have deceived us so thoroughly.'

As I expressed my anger firmly, Pavel's eyes widened in surprise.

"What happened?"

"Pavel, you haven't seen the garden yet, have you?"

I sighed and led Pavel to the window. From above, two large trees were lying awkwardly on the ground.

"Why did they suddenly...?"

Pavel leaned out the window, looking at the fallen trees in disbelief.

"The way they fell seems a bit unnatural. Could someone have deliberately damaged them?"

"No. While I was having tea with the prince yesterday, the trees suddenly fell. The merchant must have supplied diseased trees."

'If not, it must have been a ghost.'

I poured out my frustration to Pavel, hoping for his understanding, but his reaction was completely different from what I expected.

"Wait, you had tea with the prince yesterday?"

"Uh... Was that the important part of the story?"

"In the garden? After parting ways with the lord in the corridor?"

Pavel bombarded me with questions, puzzled. I nodded, wondering why he was acting this way.

"Yes. When I went to the garden, the prince was there..."

"Ah."

Pavel let out a hollow laugh, as if he had solved a great mystery.

"So that's why the lord looked so sullen yesterday..."

"Lord? What about Altear?"

Why did Altear come up all of a sudden?

"No, it's just that... something happened..."

Pavel waved his hands, trying to smooth things over, seeing my puzzled expression.

"Anyway, I'll take care of the tree problem. It doesn't seem like there was a major issue with the saplings, so you can calm down about the merchant."

Pavel handled the letter I gave him with a noticeably awkward attitude and put it in his pocket. This made me even more puzzled.

"No issues with the saplings? You can tell just by looking from here?"

Was Pavel that knowledgeable about plants? Of course, Pavel had a lot of miscellaneous knowledge and helped a lot with decorating the garden, but I didn't know he could spot problems with saplings just by a glance.

"Well... yes... something like that..."

Pavel cleared his throat, uncomfortable with my admiring gaze.

"I'll replace the broken trees with new ones first. And the lord will have lunch..."

"Lady."

Before Pavel could finish, Mari's voice came from outside.

"A guest has arrived. They say they are here to escort you on time."

"Oh, it's already that time."

I hadn't realized how much time had passed talking with Pavel.

"I'll go now, Mari!"

I answered and ran to the mirror. I had prepared in advance, so it was just a final check. As I turned around after the quick inspection, I noticed Pavel standing awkwardly.

"Oh, right. Pavel, were you trying to say something?"

"Ah... You have a lunch appointment, don't you?"

I could almost hear Pavel's brain working. Since there were almost no people who could have lunch with the viscountess of Eilsford, he was trying to figure out who it was.

"I'm having lunch with the prince."

I quickly answered to save him the headache.

"We made the appointment as we were leaving after tea yesterday. He said he would share some precious tea leaves."

"I see..."

"Yes. As the hostess, I should treat the guest to a meal... and we decided to have lunch and tea together."

"Ah... I see..."

Pavel smiled awkwardly, looking a bit uncomfortable. Something seemed to be bothering him.

"Pavel?"

I called his name, implying that he should tell me if there was something wrong, but he shook his head.

"No, it's just that we made some plans without considering your schedule... I'll take care of it."

"What's going on? If I can help, I'll do it with you."

"Hmm... No, it's better if you entertain the prince now."

"Okay..."

After organizing his thoughts, Pavel gave a clear answer, but his awkward smile left a lingering unease.

'But if Pavel says he's fine, I shouldn't keep pressing...'

I left the room, giving up. As soon as I opened the door, Prince Orca greeted me with his usual neat smile and extended his hand.

"Shall we go?"

As I placed my hand in his and glanced back, I saw Pavel looking at me with a complicated expression. ***

'What am I supposed to do?'

Pavel scratched his head as he watched Nadia leave with Prince Orca. Last night, a very secret second meeting was held in Eilsford. Pavel, who had noticed the cold wind between Altear and Nadia, organized the meeting. The attendees were Pavel and the kitchen staff.

'Let's try to create an opportunity for the lady and the lord to reconcile. How about preparing a formal banquet with dishes the lady would enjoy?'

The kitchen staff enthusiastically agreed with Pavel's suggestion. They stayed up all night researching and preparing the kind of food that capital nobles often ate.

'This should satisfy the lady!'

Everything was ready. They had also informed Altear to come to the banquet hall at the right time, but they hadn't considered Nadia's schedule.

'Who would have known the lady had other plans?'

Especially a lunch with the problematic Prince Orca. Altear would surely be upset if he found out.

'This time, it won't end with just breaking some trees.'

Pavel glanced out the window at the fallen trees and sighed. That day, Altear, urged by Pavel, followed Nadia. He must have seen Orca and Nadia having tea affectionately in the garden and vented his anger on the trees.

'No wonder he came back to the study earlier than expected with a sullen face.'

From his expression, it was clear they hadn't reconciled properly, but I hadn't dared to ask for details. Today's conversation with Nadia revealed the reason.

'First, I need to inform the lord that the schedule has changed before he gets to the banquet hall.'

There was no time to waste. Pavel hurried to Altear's study but found it empty. When he asked the servant tidying up, he learned that Altear had already gone to the banquet hall.

'Oh dear.'

Pavel sighed at the tangled situation and rushed to the banquet hall. As he opened the door, he saw Altear sitting alone in front of a lavish spread. Altear's eyes flicked to Pavel, and he frowned slightly.

"You prepared all this food for me to have dinner with you?"

"Well... that wasn't the plan..."

Pavel shrugged and plopped down in the seat where Nadia should have been.

"Let's have a meal together. You don't mind having lunch with me, do you?"

There probably wasn't a lord anywhere who would have a meal with a butler in a banquet hall, but Altear wasn't picky about such things. Especially with Pavel, who was more than just a regular servant.

"You seriously invited me to lunch, only to end up having a meal with me?"

Altear let out a hollow laugh, looking disappointed as he scanned the food on the table. He seemed completely baffled.

"Do you... like this kind of food?"

"What kind of food?"

"Food that only high-class nobles eat."

Altear poked at the salad prepared as an appetizer with his fork, looking sullen.

"Does eating this give you strength?"

"Well, it seems to..."

Pavel nodded, thinking of Nadia. She usually enjoyed a light diet, which was completely different from Altear, who always looked for meat at meals.

'Come to think of it, they are really different in many ways.'

Their eating habits and personalities were completely opposite.

'For two such different people to be married... it's no wonder things aren't smooth.'

Pavel sighed inwardly and tried the salad that Altear had called 'this kind of food.'

'Hmm.'

Reluctantly, he had to admit that the lord was right; eating this kind of food didn't seem to give one strength. Nadia's eating habits were a bit hard to understand. The two men from the eastern region started their awkward meal in front of the sophisticated capital food. It was truly a meal that satisfied no one. ***

"Viscountess?"

"Ah."

I snapped back to reality at Orca's call. Even while having lunch in the sunny garden, my mind kept wandering. It was because I kept thinking about Pavel's face before I left.

'He definitely looked like he had something to say...'

If Pavel was so deep in thought, it must have been about Altear...

"Are you not feeling well?"

While I was worrying, Prince Orca asked with concern. I was about to say no but closed my mouth. Was it a big faux pas to be distracted and not fully attend to a guest?

'If I keep being distracted and not focused on the conversation...'

I organized my thoughts and stood up abruptly.

"Your Highness, I'm sorry, but can I treat you to lunch another day?"

Leaving a guest in the middle of a meal was a huge faux pas, but Orca, noticing my poor expression, nodded with even more concern.

"Of course. You should rest. I'll escort you to your room."

"That's not necessary. I prepared the food with care, so please enjoy your meal."

"......If you insist."

Orca, who was about to stand, sat back down. I gave him a final polite bow and hurried out. A servant bringing out more food looked surprised to see me leaving. I gently stopped him and whispered to find out where Pavel was.

"Where is the butler now?"

"He's probably in the banquet hall."

"Banquet hall? Why there?"

"I heard he's having lunch with the lord..."

My mouth dropped open at the servant's words.

'Oh my.'

Pavel had set up a lunch for Altear and me! My head spun.