MCPTD 13

Chapter – 13

It had only been one full day since I ambitiously started working at the Imperial Palace.

And I realized something.

I needed to revise my evaluation of Aldehyde — he’s a lunatic.

That afternoon, Paul told me that Sir Rend wanted to meet me.

“Sir Rend wants to thank you, so let’s go to the garden together. He’s tending it right now.”

“Sir Rend is a knight… and he tends a garden?”

“It’s a place ordinary gardeners can’t manage, so the knights take turns maintaining it.”

That was very strange.

A place ordinary gardeners can’t manage? Before my regression, this garden that the Emperor had granted Aldehyde had been an ordinary garden.

It was called the Garden of Confession, a place often used by imperial family members to confess their love.

But when I arrived at Aldehyde’s garden, I realized something.

Aldehyde wasn’t just crazy.

He was seriously crazy.

Looking at a fragrant flower with its petals tightly closed, I asked:

“What’s the name of this flower?”

“It’s a murder flower. Don’t touch it.”

“S-so this flower is…?”

At that moment, the tightly closed petals suddenly spread open, revealing sharp teeth growing around the pistil.

A shark would have been embarrassed.

What the hell is this? What kind of crazy person grows murder flowers in the Imperial Palace?

Aldehyde…

From afar, he looked crazy.

Up close, he looked even crazier.

In the sunny garden filled with warm sunlight—

Flowers with teeth in their centers wildly swung their vines around. Paul, who noticed the scene of carnage, waved his hands in alarm.

“Good grief, these flowers are insane. Why is there blood on their stamens?”

In a slightly calmer voice than Paul, I whispered:

“Did the murder flowers… eat something?”

“Maybe…”

“How do you even plant flowers like these… in the Imperial Palace?”

I asked with complete disbelief. Paul looked just as confused.

“I have no idea.”

Showing me murder flowers on my first day… is this workplace harassment?

At that moment, I saw one of the murder flowers bite down on a slime monster and chew it to pieces.

This is insane. This is terrifying!

As I averted my gaze, Paul muttered:

“Uh… maybe they’re needed for missions.”

Yeah.

I decided to stop trying to understand. An ordinary person like me could never hope to comprehend his way of thinking.

“So where is Sir Rend?”

At that moment, Sir Rend popped his head out from the bushes and smiled brightly.

“Oh! Miss Lirie Simon, my lifesaver!”

In a somewhat theatrical tone, he extended his hand.

“Hello, Sir Rend.”

“I heard you refused all kinds of gold and treasures and asked only for employment!”

“That rumor has spread… already?”

“Hahaha!”

The conversation between Paul, Rend, and me continued.

It had been a while since I had casual small talk with someone, but surprisingly, it was fun and a smile spread across my face.

Though I couldn’t help flinching every time I noticed those damn murder flowers scattered everywhere.

Meanwhile, Aldehyde stared blankly out the window.

The large window in the Knight Commander’s office overlooked the garden.

I wonder if she likes it. They say women like flowers.

So he had Paul show her the beautiful imperial garden.

Since he had decided to treat her well because she might be his older sister, he showed her his treasured garden first.

She saw the flowers, so she must be happy, right?

He had especially planted the murder flowers because he heard they smelled nice.

Aldehyde watched Lirie in the garden through the window.

Based on her résumé, the chances that she was his sister were low. So it would have been reasonable to consider this repayment enough and look away.

But why did his heart keep beating?

His heart was never supposed to react to anyone who wasn’t his sister. He wasn’t even supposed to care about anyone else.

So why did this woman keep catching his eye?

Why did she bother him?

Aldehyde touched his chest.

His heart was beating even faster than when he first saw her.

Am I… a man with two hearts who would dare cheat on my sister?

The thought made him furious.

“Damn it, what kind of trash am I?”

A knight who had entered the office to give a schedule briefing made a choking sound, but Aldehyde simply gritted his teeth.

“Maybe I should just die.”

“H-hic!”

The knight’s hiccups grew worse. Aldehyde muttered without even turning:

“Oh right, you were here. Start the briefing.”

“Sir Aldehyde? What are you looking at…?”

“The window.”

The knight cautiously spoke his mind:

“When someone asks what you’re looking at… usually you don’t just say the window. I think they mean what you’re looking at through the window…”

“Flowers.”

After giving that short answer, he continued staring at Lirie.

Amid his confused thoughts, at least one thing was fortunate:

She seemed to like the garden.

Why is that fortunate?

After endlessly reflecting on himself, Aldehyde took out his precious teddy bear, Gomdori.

Gomdori was a cute stuffed bear with fluffy black fur that he had made himself.

He had endured harsh scolding from a traveling old woman on the battlefield while learning to make it, all because he wanted to someday give a handmade doll to his sister.

Now it had become his comfort object and trusted companion for discussing his worries.

“What should I do, Gomdori?”

The teddy bear did not answer.

Aldehyde glanced again at Lirie outside the window.

“I suppose I need another opportunity to confirm.”

The knight standing behind him thought:

A mad dog talking to a teddy bear.

Why is he like this all of a sudden? This is terrifying!

Aldehyde had only recently returned to the Imperial Palace, but somehow it already felt like turbulent days lay ahead.

After leaving the garden filled with murder flowers, Paul escorted me to the Ability Stabilization Room and kindly added:

“Oh, make sure you eat a good lunch. To celebrate your first day, we’re doing compatibility tests with the knights today.”

“Yes, understood.”

The compatibility test was the first basic procedure that every stabilization mage entering the Imperial Palace had to undergo.

I carefully read the pamphlet Paul gave me.

[Imperial Palace Stabilization Mage Compatibility Test Pamphlet]

A procedure to determine compatibility with knights using magical tools.

If necessary, compatibility may be confirmed through physical contact with specific knights.

By contact, it probably just meant touching fingertips with a mid-rank knight.

I had done it many times before my regression.

I folded the pamphlet casually and asked:

“So it’s this afternoon?”

“Yeah. His Majesty is very excited, but don’t worry about it.”

Seeing Paul’s unconcerned expression, I thought uneasily:

Just what is the Emperor’s authority like within the Knight Order? I really don’t understand.

Anyway, I had thoroughly prepared myself as a mid-rank stabilization mage.

I had also properly hidden my true identity.

No matter which knight came, none of them would recognize who I really was or how strong I actually was.

If I reveal everything, I could be exploited.

Just like those damn power holders tried to use me before my regression.

Up to mid-rank, a stabilization mage could be seen as a capable talent.

But being the only stabilization mage capable of calming all power holders was different.

That would make me someone everyone would try to use.

I still don’t know if Aldehyde is a villain or not. Revealing everything now would be dangerous.

In this life, I refused to be used by trash again.

I smiled brightly at Paul.

“Alright, let’s begin the compatibility test!”