Chapter – 40
“Realistically, if you actually worked as a doctor, you could at least earn some money.”
“Then you should just do it. I know you have to take care of the nanny, but if it’s another job, you could still work at the hospital, couldn’t you?”
“Well… never mind. Just keep enjoying the flowers.”
Calres clicked his tongue, as if he had something more to say but held it back. Since it seemed like there were reasons he couldn’t speak yet, Evangelin quietly resumed picking flowers. Honestly, if one had to find someone with a more complicated hidden past than her, it would be difficult.
“This is really nice. The wind, the sunlight.”
“I see it every day, so it all feels the same. If you’re going to pick flowers anyway, at least choose ones with better fragrance. What are those?”
“I like these just fine.”
Evangelin didn’t mind his complaint as she touched the violet petals. As she walked lightly toward the city street, more and more people began glancing at her. It was ironic that the person holding the flowers was more beautiful than the flowers themselves, but at least her expression looked very satisfied.
“I never expected to see Karnak’s flowers here.”
“Carnak is everywhere around here. What are you planning to do with them?”
Calres, arms folded, clicked his tongue openly. There were already piles of flowers picked yesterday and the day before. They weren’t particularly bright or lively despite being flowers, and the dry, lifeless petals made them unpopular even for decoration.
People even called them the flowers of the underworld without fragrance. Not only that, there was nothing useful about them—no fruit, no roots, nothing with medicinal value.
“They can’t even be sold anywhere.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering? Don’t tell me you’re planning to sell them here?”
Calres, who had been muttering indifferently, widened his eyes in surprise when she didn’t respond. Her usual elegant, precise answers were already frustrating enough, but staying silent like that was even more infuriating.
“Hey, young lady. Say something!”
“No. Selling them? Why would I?”
“Phew, of course not.”
“I’m going to buy them.”
“……”
Calres’ throat moved as he swallowed.
It was good that she didn’t intend to sell these innocent-looking things for money, but the opposite was even more problematic.
“Did I hear wrong? You’re saying you’re going to buy this? It’s not even owned by anyone—Carnak is just scattered all over the seaside, right?”
“Even so, I can’t pick all of them. It would take quite some time to gather the ones hidden in various places.”
“No, I’m asking why you need to pick them all!”
Calres clenched his fist and tapped his chest.
He didn’t care what she did with her own money, but she was also his guest in his home. As their voices grew louder, more people around them began to gather and watch.
“…Sorry to interrupt, but are you saying if we bring these flowers, this young lady will pay money?”
“Look at this!”
They’re going to spread rumors across the town that she’s a fool.
Calres growled silently, unable to say it directly. Even if the people here were simple and honest, they were all struggling to make a living, so they were very sensitive about money.
Before things got any bigger, Calres tried to intervene, but Evangelin had already walked gracefully into the center of the crowd.
“Yes. If you bring me Karnak flowers, I will pay one gold per kilogram.”
“One, one gold? Is that true?”
“If you bring them with the roots perfectly intact, I will pay twice that amount. But it must be before tonight.”
“Ha…”
The bold offer quickly threw the small street into chaos.
As people ran off everywhere, shouting that she must keep her promise, Calres held his forehead.
He knew this was already out of his hands, but he couldn’t stop the bitter laugh rising deep inside him.
“I really don’t want to say this, but, young lady, I know you’re mentally and physically exhausted, but is there a reason to scatter money like this?”
“Calres.”
“After spending several days leisurely resting, the first real thing you do is pay people to pick Karnak flowers. What, do you want to bury yourself in them and hold a funeral at the end?”
“That’s not entirely wrong.”
Evangelin lowered her head over the flowers as if to prove his point. Even though the flowers had no fragrance, her expression looked as if she were inhaling a beautiful scent.
It was such a frustrating sight that it made the viewer want to close their eyes and hold a funeral.
In the end, before the sun set that day, all the Karnak flowers along Mare’s coastline were delivered to their house.
Evangelin paid the promised gold coins generously, even adding a bonus, and watered the flowers thoroughly to keep them from withering.
Every container in the house was used to hold the flowers, making it hard even to take a single step. Yet she moved gracefully, avoiding them.
Calres, who wanted to kick them over in frustration, barely suppressed the impulse.
At least for now.
“…I really don’t want to say this, but I cannot even arrange your funeral, young lady. One is enough—my grandmother is already my responsibility.”
“Don’t worry. Neither I nor the nanny will be harmed.”
“……”
“You worked hard to turn your grandson into a doctor. She should live long and see many good things.”
She sounded like she came straight out of a fairy tale—speaking only fairy-tale-like words.
Calres felt like letting everything go to hell, but when he saw Evangelin carefully cutting the roots of the withered flowers, his stomach turned again.
“You paid extra and asked for roots, but now you’re cutting them off?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not throwing them away.”
“Worry? If that was the case, you should have given that money to me instead. I could have opened a hospital.”
“Oh my, Calres. Were you that kind of man?”
“……”
Better not speak.
He slowly rubbed his pale face.
By then, Evangelin, who had finished her careful work, straightened her back.
“This should be about right.”
“You still won’t tell me? Why you’re buying these?”
Calres tilted his head.
No matter how much he failed to understand Evangelin’s behavior, he did not think she was truly insane.
What kind of insane person could be so dignified and elegant?
The physician’s opinion was added.
“You’re really planning to run a business? What kind of crazy person would come all the way here to buy Karnak flowers—”
“In Irneoa.”
“…Irneoa? You mean that island nation?”
“Yes. That island nation.”
Evangelin remained calm regardless of how loudly his voice rose. Since she had already bought all the flowers in Mare, there was no need to keep it secret from him.
“I heard that new trading ships are coming in as the sea winds change. Irneoa was said to be included.”
“Even so, why would anyone there buy these flowers? All the merchants are now trying desperately to piece together goods that might attract interest in Irneoa.”
“Then did you hear what kind of goods they want?”
“…Well.”
“Wasn’t it just that they came, scanned the coastline once, and left?”
Recalling what he had said earlier, Evangelin smiled as if she understood. The more she smiled, the more frustrated Calres looked.
It was hard to argue, since Irneoa was the first place they had begun trading with, and it was an extremely closed island nation with little information available.
“So you’re saying they saw Karnak flowers in advance?”
“There was nothing else worth looking at along the coast. It’s not like they were going to haul away sand.”
“…Hey.”
“Even though Irneoa is an island nation, it is already wealthy and well-developed. The reason they didn’t trade with other countries before was simply because they didn’t need to. They were self-sufficient in everything.”
Her quiet voice echoed inside the flower-filled living room.
Calres’ back slowly straightened from its usually slouched posture.
“So even if that’s true, I still don’t understand why it has to be Karnak flowers. Flowers aren’t essential goods. If there’s none, people can live without them. If necessary, they could just use artificial flowers.”
“There are two things that cannot use artificial flowers in this world: weddings and funerals.”
“So what you said about funerals earlier…”
“This weekend, the annual largest event of the Ridas Temple will begin. And Irneoa is a country where all its citizens are very devout followers of the Ridas religion.”
“……”
“One more thing—the symbol of the Ridas Temple is this purple color.”
As she lifted a single purple flower, Calres swallowed hard again.
It didn’t feel merely impressive—it felt almost as if he were bewitched by something.
Just moments ago the flower had looked quite plain, but now it looked sacred.
“I… I guess this is good news?”
“The final step will go smoothly.”
At his not-quite-admiring remark, Evangelin gathered her long robe.
She took a deep breath, thinking of the last remaining procedure.
