I never thought it would be so difficult to just give it to her.

Ludia was troubled.
As a token of her gratitude, she made a pressed flower out of four leaves of white clover. She made them into bookmarks and gave them to her parents and her maid, Katrin, without hesitation. They were happy, and I was very happy about that.
But only one person is still unable to give it to me.
He doesn't have a book, so I tried to find another way to give him a bookmark, but I couldn't come up with a good idea.
He places a small glass case on his study desk and stares at it. In the case is a small four-leaf pressed flower.
I wondered how the apprentice gardener could receive it.
Something unobtrusive and not gaudy. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't think of anything. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't come up with anything, and she plopped down on her desk. The more she thought about it, the less she thought about it.

I don't know what to make of this. ......

A hint of desperation crept into her voice.
Recently, I've come to understand that he has no desire for himself. He has listened to me and practiced with me, but he has never asked for anything in return. It is strange that he is so frank about his thoughts.
I had a similar problem before. At that time, I was frustrated by the fact that I didn't understand, so I asked him directly. The answer I got was: ......

--I'm glad she's smiling.

What?

You'll be able to find a lot more information on this subject in the following article. I've remembered something unnecessary. She fainted alone in her room.
Why does he say such surprising things? My father says similar things to me, but in a different way. But when he tells me that he doesn't love me, I feel a little embarrassed, but I can honestly enjoy it. However, he says what he thinks without any intention to praise or please. Moreover, it's obvious from his expression that he's not lying, so he's really bad.

If they were a little bit embarrassed, we would be able to keep our cool. ......!

It's so frustrating because every time I do it, I feel like I've lost something. After a moment of frustration, I suddenly realized. He's right, he likes it when people are happy.
He likes it when people listen to him, and he likes it when people enjoy his gardening. As I recall, when I told him about the prince's admiration for the garden, he smiled very proudly, as if thinking of his father. He always seems to be very happy about the people around him.
It's nice to realize what you like, but it's tricky. He doesn't want things. I thought about getting him some practical things, but he's already working and can buy what he needs on his own.

"Zaku's idiot ......

I muttered in frustration at being at a loss. I want to do something, but I can't do anything. With such frustration in his heart, Ludia went to sleep that day.
Before anything could be decided, her birthday came. He gave her a rainbow as a gift, and she was very touched, but she also felt that she was always getting gifts.
Her mother, Octavia, threw a tea party for her birthday to give her an opportunity to make female friends.
Octavia felt bad that the first prince's birthday party had to be the first one because of her late debut at the tea party, and she wanted to apologize for that. In addition, she thought that it would be a good time to find out the true intentions of the prince's potential fiancé.

"Dear, now that you're one step closer to the lady, I'll tell you.

Yes.

By the time you're a debutante, you'll have to deal with a much stronger woman. That's why you have to find out now. Being a potential fiancée of the prince is a good indicator.

Octavia said cheerfully, her pink eyes softly narrowing. Her mother's words reminded Lydia of how Roy, the prince, had told her to use him. She told her to use her position as a potential fiancé as a way to see if she could be trusted as a friend. I felt that I had glimpsed a side of my gentle mother as a duchess.

I understand.

She understood her mother's intentions and went to the tea party, and Lydia agreed. In the end, she was able to get the most out of her time at the school.

"Happy birthday, Master Ludia.

"Tordeliese, you're here?

Yes, I wanted to talk to you again.

So did I.

In the midst of all this, Tordeliese, the daughter of the vice-chief of the knights, did not belch out a word about the prince, but showed an honest smile. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time and money.

I'd like to invite you to ...... my birthday is next month, if that's alright with you?

"I'd be happy to. I'd love to see you again, even if it's not your birthday.

I'd like to see you again, even if it's not for your birthday," Tordelysse said hesitantly, but I smiled and said yes.

So, can I ask you out again in the future ......?

"Yes. I'll invite you too.

The Marquises are a lower class than the Dukes, so it's hard to ask them out. That's why you need the approval of the higher house, Lydia, but Tordelise has the courage to ask for it. Her soothing smile reminds me of a brown rabbit, as my father once described her, but she seems to be a girl with a strong will, coming from a knightly family.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I'm wondering what kind of gifts you give to men ......?

What do you mean?　I'm not sure what you mean by that.



"What?　Yes, .......

Lydia asked, grasping at straws, and then grew impatient. She realized that it was unusual for someone her age to have acquaintances of the opposite s*x other than relatives or fiancées. Thankfully, Tordeliese had interpreted her father as the other person.

I gave my father a gift the other day. ...... I don't think it would be helpful if the other person was Mr. Gerald.

What did you get him?

"A silver necklace, no frills. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the best value for your money.

He also wears military gloves, so he wouldn't wear a ring. A necklace would certainly not interfere with his work. A jewelry store with a wide range of customers must have goods for the common people as well.

"Mr. Tordelise, may I know the store?

Yes, of course.

Thank you very much.

In a moment of joy at finally having something to give, Lydia grabbed Tordelise's hand with both of hers and thanked her. Tordeliese rolled her eyes, but smiled at Lydia's happiness.

I'm glad I could help you.

A few days later, she went to the store that Tordeliese had told her about and bought a cheap locket pendant. I asked my maid, Katrin, to help me buy it, as it was not suitable for a young lady. She hadn't said who it was for, but she had also prepared a gift wrapping for it, so it might have been noticed.
Ludia had just placed the four leaves in the glass case and neatly tucked them into the locket when she realized. Would he accept it without a reason? Even if she gave it to him as a token of gratitude, he would probably give something back. Then it's meaningless. How can I give it to him without saying anything?
Anyway, in order to give it to her as casually as possible, I decided to give it to her without using the wrapping, although I felt sorry for Catrin who had prepared it.
Several times since then, I have had tea with the apprentice gardener in the greenhouse and talked with him. However, each time I missed the chance to give him the locket I had tucked into my sleeve. Why is it that once you miss an opportunity, it becomes harder and harder to give it to someone?
Before bedtime, Ludia sits alone in bed and sits in despair.

Why can't I give it to you ......?

She buries her head in the pillow with the locket in her hand. A few moments later, you lift your head and turn your head to the side to see a glass door leading to a terrace and a snow rabbit on a plate on the table behind it. It is covered with a domed glass lid to protect it from the wind and rain. I asked my father to give me the blessing of the snow spirit, which he gave me to last until spring.
It has lovely round red eyes and is Lydia's favorite. I'm going to show it to Tordeliese next time. The reason why she wanted it was because it reminded her of Tordeliese the moment she saw it, and she wanted to show it to her. She told me that she likes stuffed animals, so she would understand the loveliness of the Snow Rabbit.

"What do you think I should do, Usagi-san?

The red eyes seemed to be alive, as if they were still fresh from a blessing. Without knowing it, Lydia asked the rabbit. The snow rabbit didn't speak, but right after Lydia asked, something white flashed past it.
Attracted by the white thing, Lydia approached the glass door leading to the terrace. A flurry of snow began to fall. When she puts her hand on the door, she feels a chill in the air, and decides to close the curtains.

I think I'd better close the curtains tonight.

Snow tends to fall around the time of Pentecost and into the new year. Mumbling to herself about the fact, Lydia picks up her words and realizes. It is a day of blessing, a day of thanksgiving to God, a day for parents to give gifts to their children, wishing them blessings. But sometimes children give gifts to their parents, siblings, and even friends. At least that is the case in the Ernst family.
That is, he would accept a gift on the pretext of the feast. And it would be easy for Ludia to give it to him.
Lydia smiles gratefully at the snow rabbit that gave her the idea for the gift.

"Good night, bunny.

She closed the curtains.
The next day, just as she had time in the afternoon, she went to the gardener's apprentice with great enthusiasm.

"Hey, girl. How are you today?

He greets her with a smile and says the same thing he always says. The smile reassured her, and she began to talk about Roy as usual.
Since Ludia thinks that Roy is a wonderful prince and human being, she can't help but get excited about his story.
The other day, he visited him at the military headquarters and asked him how he was cooperating with the city's vigilantes and neighborhood groups in patrolling the city. He already had his own ideas about security, and he gave a brief overview so that Rydia could understand. His father also told him about his work in a way that even young Rydia could understand, but Rydia knew it was a great thing that he could talk like that.
At Roy's birthday party, more than half of the parents who greeted him seemed proud of their positions, but they explained things in a way that was easy for them to understand, rather than for the child Lydia to understand. Her parents, servants, and tutors were not like this, and it was an opportunity for her to realize that she was blessed by her surroundings. Although they may be close in age, I still think it's great that Roy can speak in a way that others can understand.
I want him to understand me, so I talk to him, but he seems to be boring to the apprentice gardener, and sometimes he responds with a raw answer. Lydia always reflects later that she is still a child and not very pretty when she scolds him reflexively.
She wondered why he would stay with her until the end of the conversation, even though she probably wasn't speaking as clearly as her father or Roy. Every time she thinks about it, she wonders.

"I'm glad I met you, young lady.

It was abrupt. How could he say that with a smile?
The words that fell in the middle of our conversation without any context stopped Rydia's thoughts for a moment.
It was the answer to what she was wondering. Why do you stay with me? The question he hadn't asked was answered in the affirmative as if it had just come to him.


I don't know what to do. When I understood, I felt a mixture of happiness and embarrassment, and my face became hot.

I'm sure you're not listening to me. ......

In the end, all I could do was scold her in a cute way.
After that, in order to calm down, I talked about my sister, who has been my biggest comfort lately. As I recalled the conversation with my sister, I gradually became calmer.
Anyway, I have to hand over the locket today. If she didn't do it today, she wouldn't be able to see him until after the Holy Night.
Before parting, she took out the locket and gave it to the apprentice gardener.

Zak, here.

She had intended to explain that it was because the Holy Night was coming soon, but she couldn't get the words out, so she ended up being very brief. Even so, the apprentice gardener received it, as if he understood my intention. I looked away, but the sound of him opening the lid of the locket to see what was inside reached my ears and made me nervous.

It's small and pretty, like a little girl's.

As I waited patiently for his response, a gentle voice sounded down. The voice made her turn her eyes toward him, and she regretted that she had not seen him.
There was a heartbreaking smile on his face that he turned to himself from time to time. It was embarrassing and uncomfortable to be pointing it at the four leaves of the rocket.
When I was speechless with shame, a pair of copper eyes turned towards me.

I'm not sure what to say.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to protest. Why can't you just take it as normal?
You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few things to think about.

"Well, I'll just think about it.

"Zak is the same as you, it shows on his face!

"What?

The most annoying thing is that he speaks more eloquently with his face than with words, as he just did.

...... Would you rather I didn't stay with you?

Then I heard an idea I hadn't thought of, and my heart skipped a beat.

"No, I don't want to ......, I don't want to .......

I don't want to do that. I don't know how he's going to handle it, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be with him. Before I could even think about it, my feelings came out of my mouth.

I see.

He looked relieved. I could see that the suggestion he just made was out of concern for Ludia and not his intention.

So, that's it!　...... is enough.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them in the market.

"So, this is your daughter's?

The apprentice gardener didn't seem to notice, though he knew it was for him because he received it. Ludia froze. He had been told it looked like him, and now he had to tell her it was a gift? After what he'd said, it was incredibly difficult to say. I'm afraid it might give me another intention.
The original purpose of the gift was to express my gratitude, and I have no other intention. And I can't just leave him out of it when I've already given it to everyone else. This is the first time I've ever seen such a thing.

"It's ............ Zak's.

What?

I gave your father a bookmark with pressed flowers, but I know Zak doesn't have a book. So here's a replacement.

He was puzzled, so I explained to him that he wasn't the only one, lest he misunderstand.
But there was no response. I wonder if he didn't like it. I wondered if it was strange for a commoner to wear an accessory that was not unusual for a nobleman. I thought I had chosen a design that would suit him. Or is it difficult for him to accept the gift because of the price?

It's not expensive!　It's a cheap one!

Just to be sure, I'll add that it is inexpensive. In the case of an aristocrat, one would expect to receive something more valuable. It didn't occur to Lydia until she met him that she would be caring for the exact opposite.

"Thank you. I'll take good care of it.

Rydia was relieved to see his face break out in happiness. The warmth of his gaze made her feel as if she had been noticed in some unwanted way, but she was satisfied that she had achieved her goal.
After that, she said she was sorry that she hadn't prepared a gift for me, so I got back at her for what she did to me before. I really like that snow rabbit, so I'll tell him how I really feel.
Lydia is pleased to see the expression of surprise on the face of the apprentice gardener. Since he was always surprised, it would be nice to surprise him once in a while.
After a while, for some reason, he started to laugh. Unsure of what was so funny, Lydia rolled her eyes and stared at him.
After laughing for a while, he held up his index finger with a funny smile.

He smiles and holds up his index finger.

What's the extra?　Lydia tilted her head at the unfamiliar word.

"If anyone makes you cry, tell me. I'll hit you.

Why did you suddenly say such a terrible thing ......?



It's hard to imagine him being violent. Especially since his facial expressions don't match what he says.

"Just remember.

I'm sure you'll understand.

I understand. ......

It's not unusual for him to get angry, but I don't know why he would say something like that. I don't know why he would say such a thing, even though he rarely gets angry, but I had a vague feeling that I had to make sure he didn't.
To keep him smiling.

Ludia didn't notice. For a while after that, every time she looked at the four-leaf locket, she was embarrassed to remember what he had said. ......