Garden of May

“Hm?”

Her voice, though urging him for an answer, sounded sweet and soft to his ears. It seemed the very situation—being asked to accept a gift—was foreign to this woman. Watching Vanessa often gave him the illusion that he was looking at someone who had popped straight out of a stuffy, bygone era from a century ago.

She felt like a fairy from a storybook, or a girl utterly ignorant of the ways of the world. To think there was still a woman who followed the etiquette learned in school so literally.

“…Fine. But only this once. I won’t accept anything this excessive ever again.”

Vanessa drove the point home firmly, as if to confirm his suspicions. Excessive. He questioned whether receiving a single dress purchased at a mere countryside boutique warranted such fuss, but for a fairy from a hundred years ago, it was entirely possible.

Her naivety in believing society would run according to the schedule she had drawn up was proof enough.

“Then is it alright if it’s not excessive?”

“Something like flowers you grew yourself, or a letter, or a novel you’ve finished reading. Things like that are perfectly fine.”

That was the answer she came up with after such deep contemplation. A humble list that deliberately excluded anything costing money. Theodore laughed as he took Vanessa’s hand, untying the ribbon bound around it.

“So, anything that isn’t burdensome is acceptable. Then I suppose the giver gets to decide what meets that standard?”

Vanessa, who had been about to agree absentmindedly, froze. Her eyes widened like a startled rabbit, seemingly realizing the ulterior motive hidden beneath his words. She answered cautiously, wary of any other traps she might have missed.

“That… wouldn’t work. Obviously.”

She’d probably faint if I handed her the Demuers diamond necklace, he concluded neatly, letting go of her hand. The ribbon was fully untied; psychological resistance should be lower from here on.

Just as he calculated, the woman looked slightly more at ease as she finished undoing the loosened ribbon. As she pushed aside the wrapping paper and opened the box, a faint look of wonder touched Vanessa’s lovely eyes.

“My goodness.”

He wasn’t curious about the clothes in the box; he had checked them when ordering and picking them up. His interest was entirely tilted toward Vanessa.

The surprise slowly spreading across her pale face, the trembling of her clear, light-grey eyes, and the helpless mixture of joy and shame lingering at the corners of her troubled smile. The hesitant woman soon reached into the box, carefully lifting out a dress that shimmered with a pale blue hue and a matching lady’s hat.

She seemed to realize that, if nothing else, these were dignified, formal clothes suitable for a proper occasion.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“You like it?”

“Of course… Thank you so much. When on earth did you prepare this?”

Well. His original intent had been a bit more stark. He had planned to send an invitation to the Royal Autumn Ball under the name of ‘Batenberg.’ He intended to reveal his identity after this contract ended.

To gift her a splendid day, give her appropriate compensation, and make it clear that their relationship was cleanly concluded. So that when they reunited in their respective positions later, this woman wouldn’t be blindly caught off guard. So neither of them would misunderstand or create a difficult situation.

That was the tepid sentiment he held when he first ordered these clothes.

“You don’t need to try it on now. It will fit perfectly.”

Instead of answering Vanessa’s question, he opened a dark blue velvet box. Vanessa, who had been noticeably anxious since the box appeared on the table, now looked pale, without a drop of blood in her face.

“It will go well with the dress. If keeping it is too much, I’ll lend it to you.”

The woman’s eyes trembled piteously as she checked the contents of the box. A necklace featuring a large blue diamond, delicately cut into a teardrop shape and surrounded by small diamonds tightly wrapping the chain—it was one of Demuers’ masterpieces.

Since its debut in newspaper advertisements, imitations mimicking its appearance had become sensationally popular. Ironically, it was now a piece of jewelry with the most distinctive yet common appearance. This innocent young lady wouldn’t even dream that this was the genuine article.

“River. This is…”