The rumor that everyone had already suspected, that even the Emperor had anticipated, and that Lev had thought would spread, indeed spread far and wide.
“So, the story is that His Majesty was giving off a romantic pink mood with Michel d’Albret, and I got jealous, so I kissed him out on the terrace, and on top of that, I even wore the exact same clothes, then blatantly made a move to lure the Emperor away and spent the night with him?”
Pfft. Lev sprayed out the tea he had been holding in his mouth and burst into loud laughter.
Marco, who had been sitting at the table across from him with an extremely serious face, flinched in fright and scooted to the side, then pouted when he saw how utterly unserious Lev looked.
“Lord Lev. This is not something to laugh about. How could such a rumor spread! Who is it that His Majesty truly favors?”
“Who knows?”
Lev spoke dryly as he wiped the now-dirty table with a dry cloth.
“What do you mean, who knows!”
Marco flared up and protested.
“Of course it is you, Lord Lev!”
Lev had no idea why Marco was having such a ridiculous misunderstanding. From his point of view, the rumor actually fit the current situation better. Lev, getting in the way between the Emperor and Michel d’Albret. Was that not exactly the same as in the original story?
“If you are finished drinking, shall we get up?”
Marco started to say something more, then ended up nodding his head. The two of them had been taking a short break, drinking tea after tidying up the garden.
However, this was only one part of the day’s work, and Lev had another important task ahead of him.
“Please do not make any mistakes today! It is only one week of cleaning, yet you are like this every single day….”
As he cleared away the cup Lev had used along with his own, Marco earnestly pleaded.
“It is not like I am doing it on purpose.”
All that came back, however, was grumbling. Seeing Lev’s aggrieved expression, Marco’s heart wavered for a moment. But this was not something he could back down from here.
“On the first day, you broke the flowerpot that was on the window frame, and on the second day, you broke the leg of the chair His Majesty uses when he takes his rest. Do you know how much that cost?”
“I mean, that was…!”
Lev opened his mouth to stop Marco, who was reciting his errors one after another.
“And yesterday, you even spilled an inkwell on His Majesty’s clothes. Well, of course, the mood between the two of you was good, so it ended up being fine, but still.”
Marco covered his cheeks with both hands as if embarrassed. Who knew what on earth he was thinking again.
“Ah, that too, that was…”
Lev thumped his chest with his fist in frustration.
Yes, that had definitely been a mistake. But it had truly all been unavoidable. In other words, all of this had started from two days after the Emperor’s birthday celebration banquet ended.
From the very next day, the Emperor spent his days so busy he did not have a moment to spare, meeting envoys from various countries, royalty, and members of the imperial family who had come to see him.
For Lev, it was a fortunate development. If he had had to see the Emperor again the very next day, he would have been so embarrassed that he would not have been able to properly meet his eyes.
As time passed, what had happened that night began to feel almost like a dream, and by the second day he even found himself thinking that it had all been nothing more than a farce.
Just then.
“Lord Lev. A message from His Majesty.”
As soon as the morning sun rose, Lev had come diligently to the training garden and was eating his packed lunch when he saw a young attendant who had come looking for him. He was someone who would sometimes bring the Emperor’s orders.
“A message?”
“Yes. His Majesty commands that you come to the office after you have finished tidying the training garden.”
“Understood.”
When Lev nodded readily, the attendant, having finished his task, departed outside. Lev also bit back into his potato salad sandwich.
“It seems His Majesty specifically told them to bring you, Lord Lev!”
Marco said happily.
“Hm?”
“Because of all the guests who have come to the imperial palace these last few days, His Majesty has not been able to see you. He has not been able to come at night either.”
“Well, that is true.”
But what about that?
When Lev put on a face that said he had no idea what he meant, Marco gave him a look as if to say, have you ever seen anyone this dense.
“Since he has been too busy to see you often, he called you so that he can at least see your face for a moment, has he not?”
“Uh, well, who knows.”
Lev gave a lukewarm answer. No matter how he thought about it, that did not seem likely. But Marco’s face was full of certainty.
Seeing that, Lev found he had nothing in particular to say back, and simply quietly finished off the rest of his sandwich.
“Let us hurry, Lord Lev.”
As soon as they finished eating, Marco quickly cleared everything away without even setting out tea, as if they were going to head straight for the office right this instant.
“Um, Marco. I do not think we need to rush that much.”
To begin with, the Emperor had clearly said to come after he had finished putting the training garden in order. There was no need to fly over there in such a rush. In fact, if he went now, the Emperor might ask why he had come so soon.
“We do need to hurry. His Majesty told you to come to the office!”
Marco spoke loudly, as if this were the most natural thing in the world. That did not mean he had said to come right this instant, though. Instead of saying that out loud, Lev tried to coax him by suggesting they at least drink some tea first.
“Have tea with His Majesty.”
Usually, he was such a mild child, but for some reason this time he stubbornly pestered him.
In the end, Lev could not win against Marco and got up from his seat, dragging his feet. Even so, his steps toward the palace were slower than usual.
“Lord Lev.”
Marco, who was walking a couple of steps ahead, turned back with a frustrated look. But Lev truly, truly, really did not want to go.
To be honest, he had not yet mentally prepared himself for how he should face the Emperor.
“Ah, honestly!”
When the distant imperial palace came into view, Lev came to a sudden halt and shook his head hard.
Of all things, the office balcony was smack in the middle of his field of vision, which made some truly unwelcome memories threaten to rise to the surface.
Things like what had happened on the terrace. Or what had taken place in the bedroom.
No. No. Do not think about it. No.
“Lord Lev.”
Lev, who had been desperately shaking his head, looked up at the sound of someone calling him and widened his eyes.
The one standing with the palace behind his back was none other than Michel d’Albret.
“Lord Michel?”
Why is he here? As Lev was thinking that, the light in his eyes cooled a little.
He came to see the Emperor.
That was the thought that suddenly came to him. Marco had said it earlier as well. That among the nobles, there were rumors that a pink current was flowing between the Emperor and the young heir of House d’Albret.
He had probably come now too in order to meet the Emperor.
“Please call me Michel.”
Michel smiled brightly and spoke in a friendly tone. But Lev gently shook his head.
“I cannot do that.”
“And why not? You and I are friends, Lord Lev.”
Well, he did not think their relationship was something that could be called friendship. Strictly speaking, it would be more accurate to say they were rivals with the Emperor between them.
From Lev’s point of view, Michel was one of the keys that held his life. But he could not say that out loud, so he only let out an awkward laugh.
“Here.”
Michel suddenly stretched his arm out toward Lev. In his white hand was a flowerpot filled with colorful, dainty flowers.
“Kalanchoe, is it?”
“That is right. Last time, you seemed interested when I saw you looking at it, so I brought it. Consider it a return gift for the bouquet you gave me.”
He had shown interest because its appearance had been unfamiliar. But he had never imagined Michel would go to the trouble of bringing it like this. And even prettily arranged in a pot on top of that.
Above all, a return gift…
In the original story, the one who had received the protagonist’s gift had been the Emperor.
Lev found it funny that, somehow, he had ended up being the one to receive it this time, and a faint smile formed on his lips.
“Lord Lev, do you know the flower meaning of Kalanchoe?”
Watching the smile blooming at the corner of Lev’s mouth, Michel went on.
“It is excitement.”
“Excitement?”
“Yes.”
Transplanting the Kalanchoe from the garden into a pot, Michel had been full of excitement at the thought of meeting Lev.
The only things he had ever shown affection to were flowers and trees. For such a Michel, someone other than plants had appeared for him to care about.
When they met, he wanted to talk with Lev and let him know what kind of feelings he held. Even though for now Lev was at the Emperor’s side, from now on Michel intended to be the one by his side.
Since the Emperor did not suit him, how about going with him to the marquisate instead? Michel wanted to carefully suggest that as well.
The more he thought that way, the more that fluttery excitement grew, and the closer he drew to the imperial palace, the more his heart swelled.
“Please accept it.”
Michel pushed the flowerpot a little farther toward him. However, Lev did not readily take it. What kind of scolding would he hear from the Emperor if he accepted this?
Of course, if he never said anything, there was no way the Emperor would find out. Even so, it felt like too much.
“Lord Michel, I am sorry, but I do not think this is a present I can accept.”
After hesitating for a moment, Lev refused in the end.
“Please do not feel burdened and just take it, Lord Lev.”
At his earnest gaze, Lev hesitated slightly. If he simply did not say who had given it to him, no one would ever know anyway, so would it not be fine?
Just then, his eyes met Marco’s. He saw Marco give a slight shake of his head.
So it was not that no one would know, Marco was right there.
So this really must not be something he should do. Lev was about to turn his gaze back to Michel to refuse once more when,
“Ah!”
All of a sudden, the flowerpot was shoved into his arms.
“Please take good care of it!”
When Lev, startled, reflexively grabbed the pot, Michel stepped back and showed him a wide smile.
“Then I will be going now.”
And before Lev could even grab hold of him, he said his farewell and quickly walked away. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
As Lev stared blankly at his retreating back, he lowered his head and looked at the flowerpot now held in his arms.
“Lord Lev. You are not actually going to take that with you, are you?”
Marco asked, wearing an expression that said, surely not.
Exactly.
Rationally, he knew he should not. But the red and yellow blossoms looked as if they were smiling brightly up at him.
“Well… I cannot just throw it away, can I?”
Marco looked at Lev with an expression full of things he wanted to say, then let out a deep sigh. If he had known Lev would carry it all the way to the office, he would have taken it from him no matter what.
By the time Marco was belatedly regretting it, Lev had already disappeared into the office.
“What is that?”
“A flowerpot.”
Lev wisely swallowed back the words that Michel had given it to him. Fortunately, the Emperor did not pry any further.
“Put it over there.”
Instead, Guien’s finger pointed toward the sunny windowsill. It was a moment that gave him a sense of déjà vu.
“….”
The Emperor who had held out his hand, assuming that the bouquet Lev had made for practice was naturally his. There were limits even to brazenness.
“Yees…”
He wanted to tell the truth, that this had been a present Michel had given to him. If he said that, would the Emperor get angry and ask what on earth he had been thinking to accept it?
As Lev briefly imagined that scene, he quietly set the pot on the windowsill. As the sunlight soaked in, the red petals sparkled.
He was reminded of the flowerpots he had once kept on the café windowsill. The only scenery that had ever given Lev comfort and a sense of security.
To receive a flowerpot as a gift from Michel, and to have that present end up in the Emperor’s hands. Somehow it felt as if the situation had twisted in an odd way.
Whatever.
No matter who had given it.
What mattered was that Michel’s flowerpot was sitting in the office.
Later he could casually mention that it had actually been Michel d’Albret who had given it. Thinking that what was good was good, Lev nodded to himself.
“It is pretty.”
Lev’s head whipped around from looking at the flowerpot. Surprisingly, the Emperor was wearing a pleased expression.
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