wildflower chapter 23

He offered a kind smile. “It seems you have some questions about my explanation.” The Duke, who knew Lilian almost as well as Cairn himself, quickly grasped her thoughts. “So, Your Grace, is there something you desperately wanted but couldn’t have?”

“No.”

His firm denial sent an inexplicable chill through Lilian. “Then why must Cairn, your son, learn to give up?”

The Duke’s lips twitched—a familiar reaction to her unexpected questions. “Well… everyone in the House of Headington can have anything they want… just like you, Your Grace.”

“I was lucky. Cairn might be different.”

The Duke’s cryptic words made the conversation feel strangely superficial. Lilian felt frustrated, but the Duke, his eyes soft, seemed to be enjoying their exchange. He gestured for her to ask more questions, the movement somehow reminiscent of Cairn.

“Um… then what was the most difficult thing for you to obtain, Your Grace?”

“My wife’s heart.”

Lilian had heard the story of the Duke and Duchess’s courtship. They had met well past their prime marrying age, and their path to marriage had been fraught with difficulties. 

“She refused you? The most eligible bachelor in the Empire? Why?”

“It wasn’t a refusal, more like… she didn’t see me as a potential partner. She wasn’t interested in me.”

The details of how they eventually married remained a mystery. Whenever anyone tried to broach the subject, Count de Vermore would cover Lilian’s ears, declaring it unsuitable for a young lady.

“But you managed to win her over in the end.” Lilian didn’t want to see her dear friend, Cairn, saddened by not getting what he desired. She didn’t know what Cairn yearned for specifically, but she wanted to support him to the very end. “Cairn will too. So please don’t worry too much.”

“I doubt it will be easy… but if that’s what you believe. By all means, give him your enthusiastic support.”

Lost in her empathy for Cairn, Lilian missed something crucial. How his desire connected to her marriage.

“Since I doubt Cairn will succeed, I intend to introduce Marquis Partman to your father as planned.” The Duke, despite his gentle demeanor, retained a certain coldness. In the end, it was Lilian, unlike the Duke, who failed to achieve her desire, and she lowered her head.

***

The three men left for a ride, leaving Lilian and the Duchess alone in the glass conservatory. Exotic floral scents hung in the air, and the orange light of the setting sun streamed through the pointed panes of the glass roof. The warm evening air made Lilian’s eyelids droop.

“Lilian, you’re still such a child.” The Duchess smiled indulgently as she watched Lilian nodding off.

“I went to bed late last night. I apologize.”

The Duchess playfully squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, dismissing the apology. Watching Lilian doze off was a welcome change from her stoic son, Cairn.

“What kept you up so late?”

“Reading and… transcribing.” Feeling guilty, Lilian added a fabricated hobby and quickly changed the subject. “I also did some embroidery. By the way, the flowers in the Valtar Palace are beautiful today as always.”

The centerpiece on the table was adorned with luscious pink roses. Reaching out to touch one, Lilian pricked her finger on a hidden thorn.

“Ow!”

“Oh dear.” The Duchess wrapped Lilian’s finger in a clean handkerchief. “Shall I have someone fetch some ointment?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s just a scratch. But… perhaps…”

The Duchess’s face contorted, even more so than Lilian’s when she’d pricked her finger. “Is something troubling you?”

Lilian had been concerned about the Duchess, who had been sighing deeply. Her suspicion was confirmed when the Duchess offered a strained smile.

“Lilian, is Cairn seeing anyone?”