Do Flowers Bloom in the Fallen Land?

“First of all…” Seira said after heaving a small sigh, “I can’t go to the Jeff’s estate. I’m not that free.”

“She’s at Viseltium right now,” Baron countered.

Seira’s excuse was lessened, but that wasn’t the end.

“I don’t have a horse to ride,” she made another excuse.

“What? You don’t say?” Baron looked around in disbelief.

Seira lived in a castle like a towering fortress and greenhouses looming around it. Apparently, there was no stable in sight.

“Really…”

“Why are you lying?” Baron asked bluntly.

Since Askan couldn’t produce hay on its own, they had to buy it from outside, so they only kept as much as needed. There truly was no horse to ride since Aven took the carriage as per Seira’s instructions.

“Then…” Baron coughed a little and said, “I think it would be best if you can ride with me.”

The tip of his ear turned bright red for no reason at the mere suggestion. It grew worse and spread out to the back of his neck as Seira glanced.

“Well…”

Seira had little choice but to agree. Whenever Baron showed such a weak appearance, her heart softened as well. Perhaps it was also because…

‘If only he didn’t look like Lili,’ Seira grumbled silently.

Lili was the puppy that Seira raised when she was young. Lili followed her around and grew up to be the size almost that of a tiger.

“It’ll take a while to get ready,” she said.

At her positive response, Baron quickly returned to his usual brazen face.

“I can wait here as long as you need me to,” Baron assured her.

“Okay.”

Seira left him behind and returned to the castle. She changed into the most formal dress she could find and packed a simple luggage. She went downstairs and Nathan, who was standing in the first-floor hall, looked at her bag.

Are you leaving?

“Yes, Dad. I’ll be right back.”

Yeah. Say hello to the Crown Prince. Request for an audience, if possible.

“I don’t think we’ll ever meet,” Seira said.

It was a situation that Seira had to avoid as much as possible. When she was sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, Seira shrugged her shoulders and went out as she carried her dangling bag.

As soon as she approached Baron who was already on horseback, he reached out his hand towards her as if to help her up. But Seira didn’t want Baron’s help – rather, she didn’t need it. Seira easily climbed on the horse’s back and settled on the saddle.

“!”

When their bodies touched, Baron’s whole body turned tense.

“What? Why are you so stiff?” she asked him jokingly.

He quickly grabbed Seira’s wrist, which had started to playfully prank him and his thighs.

“I think it would be better for you not to do that,” Baron cleared his throat.

“You are just making a big deal out of it.”

Whether or not she knew he was holding back his breath, she rested her back comfortably on Baron’s chest and commented, “The ride is not bad.”

Baron lowered his gaze and looked at Seira’s tiny head. He knew she was grinning by the looks of it.

Her small body which snuggled into his arms gave him satisfaction and terrible emotional pain at the same time. When he asked her to ride the horse with him, he didn’t expect it to be this much. He didn’t anticipate that she would be this soft and intoxicatedly fragrant.

Baron swallowed a groan and kicked the side of the horse. Then their speed started to gain momentum. After a while, Baron decided it would be better to run at full speed.

However, it turned out to be a big mistake. As their speed increased and their positions changed, even the slightest gap that they tried to maintain disappeared. Seira, who was also skilled in horseback riding, showed no signs of nervousness at all. Baron on the other hand was simply dying from physical contact.

Everywhere they touched, every spot that brushed together, the heat rose and burned.

If she had worn a dress, it would have been fine thanks to the voluminous skirt. However, the dress she wore now was too thin. Her backs, hips, and thighs were easily felt through the fabric.

Even though he tried not to pay heed, Baron’s desire was steadily rising. He wanted to hug her tightly and touch her without minding the gap. He pulled the reins tighter and leaned forward, his hands wrapping around her slender waist.

“Baron, what are you doing?!”

Seira slapped the back of his hand which held the reins. The Alpha’s pheromones which could seduce an Omega were leaking from Baron.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Only then did Baron come to his senses, and he tried his best to answer back confidently.

“This doesn’t have much of an effect on you, does it?” he asked.

Dumbfounded by his words, Seira turned her head and looked up at him in a challenge, “Oh really? You want to try it now?”

Baron flinched as he was faced by her provocative eyes. It would be a huge problem if she counterattacked and released her pheromones while her patience ran low.

“…No.”

When Baron immediately tucked his tail, Seira smiled in vain and straightened her head.

“You must be very bored. There’s not much to see in Askan,” Seira sarcastically asked.

Unlike Seira, who joked lightly, Baron’s face bore no smile. It was also impossible to respond to a conversation while pretending to be calm. It was fortunate that she had her head turned to the front and couldn’t see his face.

He didn’t want to be caught by the skin of his teeth.

Of course, this was just Baron’s idea and Seira knew his condition from the very beginning.

‘He shouldn’t have suggested riding with me if he was going to be like this,’ Seira silently smirked.

How can she not know when something, the size of which cannot be ignored, can be felt between the fabric of their clothes? Only a fool couldn’t.