Do Flowers Bloom in the Fallen Land?

There was a moment of silence that hung heavy in the air before Seira finally asked with an awkward smile, “ Weren’t you on a date?”

At Seira’s words, Aven realized what she must have witnessed. He didn’t mean to hide it, but he was embarrassed nonetheless. Before he could even think about it, his mouth ran freely and spoke.

“No, I just talked to the Lady of Tellon for a moment.”

Perhaps even that brief conversation was forgotten by Olivia Tellon. Olivia’s coveted alcohol was originally brought by Damon Glad to use on Seira during his proposal, and was filled with the power of erasing memories. With just one tiny sip, the alcohol could erase everything that happened before and after she entered the terrace.

“That’s a relief.”

Seira raised her head and looked at him. She seemed to be choosing the right words to say, and then her mouth finally opened and said, “If you’re going to date, choose someone else.”

“…”

“I don’t think she’s good.”

Olivia Tellon was more than off the charts, as Aven judged. Didn’t she even plan to use and kill Seira in order to become Jeff’s mistress?

For Olivia, even Baron Jeff was just the “best thing” to boost her position.

‘But that’s none of my business anymore,’ he thought at the back of his mind.

Now that they know Tellon’s and the elders of Jeff’s plans, the Marquis of Tellon, Olivia Tellon, and even Domina Jeff, will have to pay.

“Don’t tell me, you already like her?” Seira asked cautiously when he failed to answer her right away.

“That’s not true.”

The misunderstanding was simply ridiculous. How can he give his heart to someone else after the three years he and Seira had together? Even Olivia’s enchanting pheromone, despite being a high-ranking noblewoman, smelled like cheap perfume to him. Now he couldn’t even go into rut without Seira, whether he wanted to or not.

“Oh… that’s great,” she added with a relieved face. “I think it would be better to choose from a close place. Like perhaps Lucy and Meilin.”

It wouldn’t be a surprise to Aven that the twin sisters would come out as the first suggestion from Seira.

“Yes, Duchess,” Aven answered as he lowered his eyes calmly.

It was useless to refute everything. Whether she met a few Alphas and had a relationship, or chose one of them as her companion, the day Seira would confess that Aven was the only one for her would never come anyway.

* * *

Seira heaved a long sigh as she looked at the ruined bed. She had sex with Aven on the very same bed she and Calrad spent their first night with seven years ago. How angry Calrad would be if he found out about this.

‘It seems like he really cared that much about our relationship.’

If not, Calrad wouldn’t have preserved her place completely. She didn’t even know he’d planned to show her this place again when she would give up Askan and come back to him. With an arrogant smile, he really thought it would end up like this.

‘It’s just all in your head, Calrad, it doesn’t mean anything.’

Seira confirmed that everything inside her room was still intact. The large bed in the middle, the cabinet, the table, even the location of the vase next to the window were all the way it was when she left. She got off the bed after her initial inspection, and then headed to the dress room.

As expected, the clothes she used to wear in the past were also hung neatly. Thanks to the conservation magic hung in the room, there was not even a speck of dust that settled in.

Seira rummaged through her clothes and picked out something to wear. Although her body has changed a lot since she manifested as an Omega, a wide indoor dress would still be suitable to wear.

When she returned to the bedroom with her choice of clothes, Seira saw Aven with a bowl of water and a towel. Unlike her in a rough gown, he was neatly dressed.

“Give me the towel. I’ll wipe myself,” she told him.

“No, I’ll do it for you, so take a little more rest,” came his indignant reply.

Seira nodded when she saw an impertinent stubbornness on his lips.

“Yes, of course.”

She never asked him to do this, but sometimes she had no choice but to leave it to Aven. He was the only one who took care of her when she wasn’t feeling well.

Using power to escape the imperial palace was their best shot, so it was better to save physical strength as he said.

Aven drew a white cloth and laid it on the ruined bed. As Seira laid herself on it, he carefully wiped her body with a wet towel.

“There is blood on the back of your neck. Did His Majesty do this?”

“Yes. If you were a little late, I would have imprinted on Calrad.”

Seira told him what happened on the terrace. How Calrad’s power immobilized her completely and how powerless she felt.

“It is then possible to force an imprint.”

Seira nodded, “I think so. I didn’t expect it at all either.”

As he listened to the story, he wiped her legs meticulously, and suddenly stopped. Seira seemed to know where his gaze was staying.

“Duchess, may I put my finger in it for a moment and clean you?”

Seira lost her words for a moment and looked at him with amusement. Why does he sound so vulgar when he asks for permission to put his finger inside her, looking so respectfully and extremely neat?