I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 51:The Breath Taking Garden

"Is the garden to your liking, My lady?" Kendrick asks while wiping away the sweat pouring down from the side of his forehead.

I smiled at him, "Thank you for your hard work as always, Kendrick."

"The honor is mine," said Kendrick with a smile.

After the palace ballroom incident, Zwei fell into a coma for three days. No matter how much guidance I poured in, he showed no sign of waking up. Many things happened during those three days. The journalists present at the ball were permitted by King Reinhart to write what happened but had to exclude a few things, such as Zwei, an S-Class Esper, entering the Berserk State. The LILY Opera was also mentioned in the newsletter.

Tristan, Rebecca's ex-fiancé, was suspended by the LILY Opera for violating the Royal Decree. Tristan had hoped that Reinhart and Alice wouldn't catch on to what he had done to Hugh, assuming that the lack of evidence or witnesses would protect him. However, Alice, being a devoted fan of Hugh, wasn't so easily fooled. She quickly saw through his actions and refused to let him get away with it. As a die hard fan, she asked me and Rebecca through letters if we could be witness to what Tristan had done to Hugh.

I agreed to help because Hugh was my friend, and Rebecca wanted to get back at Tristan. Of course, the letter didn't mention that it was the Queen who had suspended Tristan. If it had, the news that the Queen disliked a star pianist would have been a career-ending blow. Being the soft-hearted person he is, Hugh asked Alice to spare Tristan's reputation for the sake of the LILY Opera. So, instead of directly punishing him, Alice arranged for Tristan to be suspended under the pretense that he had failed to show up. Then, I received another letter from Alice, inviting me for tea. 

At first, I thought she wanted to discuss Hugh's situation further, but at the end of the letter, she simply wrote, 'As a Thank You.'

I assumed she was thanking me for helping prevent Zwei from falling deeper into the Berserk State, but honestly, I didn't want to meet her. She could've done it through a letter rather than inviting me for tea. It was already bad enough that I had attracted attention by helping Hugh. I don't know if it was sheer luck or something else, but Daniel left before he could witness me using guidance on Zwei. I shudder to think what might have happened if he had seen what occurred.

So, to clear my oh so troubled mind, I've been wasting my time here in the garden trying to relax and escape the constant burden of planning against the Spheral House. I sent Hunter away so I could enjoy my stroll in the garden by myself.

Kendrick left me in peace to continue tending to the plants, and I made my way slowly to the gazebo to sit down. As I settled in, taking in a deep breath of the floral scent, the warm sunlight that had been enveloping me was suddenly replaced by a shadow. I slowly opened my eyes, and my heart nearly skipped a beat. Standing before me was a tall, handsome man with mesmerizing yellow gem-like eyes.

In sheer surprise I almost blurt out his name, but I quickly gathered myself. Standing up, I gave a light bow and greeted him with, "Greetings, Your Grace."

He offered a soft nod, a silent permission for me to sit back down. He sat across from me, with only a small table separating us. I couldn't help but smile, my heart swelling with relief and happiness to see Zwei awake.

"How are you feeling, Your Grace?" I asked, my voice reflecting my genuine concern.

"I've heard you cared for me over the past three days," Zwei said, his voice steady. "Thank you."

His tone was formal, almost business-like, but I didn't mind. It reassured me. It was a good sign that our relationship was starting to shift in a positive direction. I gave him a soft nod in return, "I was just doing my duty, as I promised."