Chapter 10: Date

“The gentle sun today feels so pleasant, doesn’t it?”

The sky had been cloudy until yesterday, so this was the first clear day in a while.

“Yes, it does.”

I was a bit nervous and couldn’t come up with a witty reply.

“Your dress today suits you wonderfully as well. I heard Rubina-chan likes green, and it looks refreshing—very nice. So this is the kind of style you prefer?”

“I like light materials. I’m not good with heavy ones. They make it hard to move.”

A noble lady is expected to wear heavy dresses without showing any strain, but that makes dancing absolutely impossible. I really admire high-ranking noble ladies who can pull off those heavy dresses so effortlessly.

“I asked you to wear comfortable shoes because there’s a place I wanted to take you today.”

When Jay-sama invited me and I replied, he asked me to wear comfortable shoes, so I ended up styling a dress with boots.

“Yes. Where are you taking me?”

“A botanical garden. A new one is opening on the outskirts of the capital. There are rare flowers blooming and birds you wouldn’t usually see in the capital, so I think you’ll enjoy it.”

“That sounds exciting.”

When we arrived at the botanical garden, there wasn’t a single person in sight. Why?

“Shall we go?”

Jay-sama raised his hand to a few people—staff members, perhaps?—and they all bowed smoothly in response.

“Um, excuse me…”

“What’s wrong? Did you not like it?”

“No, that’s not it… I was just wondering why there’s no one here.”

Even though it’s on the outskirts of the capital, it’s not a remote area, and the location is fine as long as you have a carriage.

“This place hasn’t officially opened yet. Once it does, I think a lot of people will visit, so I wanted to bring you here while it’s still quiet.”

…Not open yet? Does that mean… it belongs to the marquis family?

“…I didn’t mention, did I? I’m also the owner here. I wanted to create a place of relaxation for the citizens, so I got some support from my family’s marquis house. I met a very knowledgeable gardener while studying abroad, and we talked about creating a place where everyone could come together to see the plants. That’s how I decided to build this botanical garden. Some parts are still under construction, but it’s mostly complete. There may be some shortcomings, but there are plenty of highlights.”

“Is it really okay for me to visit? I won’t be in the way of the work, will I?”

The staff members were busily moving around, changing soil, watering plants, and carrying seedlings.

“I’m also here for an inspection, so if you have any opinions, please don’t hesitate to share them.”

So he invited me as part of his inspection as the owner. He probably phrased it that way so I wouldn’t feel like a burden, right?

“To explain, this botanical garden will be open to the public for free after it opens. However, that means we need to cover the salaries of the staff working here, so we’ve set up a restaurant and a casual dining space. The restaurant is a bit pricey, aimed at nobles to give it an exclusive feel, while the casual dining area is for the general public. We also divide and sell the flowers grown here, and we’ve already started shipping them as cut flowers. Orders from noble estates are large, so we make a good profit there. There’s a river flowing nearby, so we don’t have to worry about water, and we’ve installed pumps to make watering easy.”

I saw someone using a pump to draw water. It’s a sight I’ve never seen before.

“They’re drawing water from the river, aren’t they? That’s amazing.”

As I listened to the explanation, we toured the botanical garden. I got to see a lot of the staff working, and it felt a bit like seeing the backstage of a performance—it was exciting.

“You’ll love what’s up ahead. It’s wonderful.”

This fragrance!

“Wow… a tunnel of roses! How lovely!”

“You said roses feel special, right?”

“Yes. They smell so nice.”

Walking through the rose tunnel made my steps feel lighter.

“These roses have a great fragrance, so we extract it for perfumes or soaps, and drying the petals allows for various uses. These are a special breed of roses I wanted Rubina-chan to see.”

The white and pink petals looked like frills—so cute!

“They’ll probably be popular. Oh, there’s even a fountain!”

After passing through the rose tunnel, we came to a fountain plaza. It had a cool, unfamiliar design. There was a clock in the plaza too, making it a perfect place to relax.

The fountain had lots of flowers floating in it. They explained that flowers with broken stems or those that had lost their vigor are cut and floated in the fountain to revive them, allowing them to be enjoyed again. The colorful flowers floating gently looked beautiful and almost magical.

“You said roses feel special, didn’t you? Since today is our first date, I wanted you to feel that specialness and enjoy it, so I made some arrangements.”

“…Yes.”

Hearing Jay-sama say date made me suddenly feel shy.

“Your outfit today is perfect for this botanical garden date. Rubina-chan, you look so beautiful walking through the rose arch.”

Jay-sama picked a single rose, removed the thorns, and tucked it into my hair.

“You’re the first person I’ve given this rose to, Rubina-chan. It’s a special rose that only blooms here, so I wanted to create that special feeling.”

…Special turned out to be far more special than I’d thought. There’s no way I wouldn’t be happy, but is it really okay for me to be treated like this?

“Are you tired?”

I shook my head. My heart felt tight, somehow.

“Then shall we head to the next spot? The ground ahead is a bit uneven, so let me take your hand.”

I hesitantly took the hand he gently offered.

“Are you perhaps on guard? I won’t eat you, so don’t worry. The place we’re going now isn’t shown to regular visitors of the garden.”

Even though he said the ground was uneven, it wasn’t completely unmaintained—I just had to climb some stairs, so I was honestly grateful for his hand. I need to build more stamina, don’t I?

“Here we are.”

“Is this a greenhouse?”

It was a glass building, and it felt like a place you could easily tour.

“This garden has flowers that bloom at night, and some that only bloom once every few decades. However, since we have set visiting hours, only staff can see the flowers that bloom at night.”

“Oh, that’s such a shame.”

I wanted to see them… Hearing about flowers that bloom at night makes me want to see them. I’ve heard of them but never seen one.

“Well, Rubina-chan is special. If you go out with me, I can show them to you as a perk.”

“…A perk?”

“Yes. Actually, it’s not just this garden—there are some at my residence too, so you can stay over anytime. But that’s a conversation for another day. For now, let’s enjoy our time here. Shall we head to the restaurant?”

Stay over? I was shocked at what he said, but Jay-sama acted as if it was nothing… He took me to the restaurant in the garden meant for nobles. The menu was a course meal featuring seasonal vegetables. There were vegetables I’d never seen before, and I enjoyed the meal while listening to the chef’s explanations. They said the vegetables were grown right here in the garden. Since flowers bloom from vegetables too, I thought it’d be fun to learn about that process. The dessert was strawberry sorbet. Since strawberry leaves and flowers are often used as motifs, I asked if they grow them here, and they said yes.

“Could it be that the perfume I received the other day was made from ingredients here? You thought of all this and even built a botanical garden?”

“At first, I only planned for the garden, but I got a bit ambitious… I ended up using quite a bit of the budget, but now’s the time to put in the effort. Since I’m using my family’s name, the citizens have a good impression, and many of the staff here are locals. It’s created jobs, and they’re happy about it. The staff are all dedicated and take pride in working here, which motivates me to work hard and show my gratitude.”

Jay-sama is surrounded by wonderful people, isn’t he? It must be because of his character. A workplace this nice is rare, isn’t it? The staff all look like they’re enjoying themselves.

“Jay-sama, you’re amazing! You think about so many things and take action. I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time when you’re so busy.”

Even though he’s busy, he invited me and showed me the botanical garden.

“Just between us, I want to work while I can and then live a relaxed life afterward. Besides, I have reliable subordinates I can delegate to. I think that’s what keeps me motivated at work. Work hard when it’s time to work, rest when it’s time to rest—that kind of balance is necessary to keep both body and mind healthy. If I say I made this botanical garden so everyone can stay healthy, it sounds nice, but that’d just be an afterthought.”

Jay-sama laughed heartily, but it’s still impressive.

“That’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Actually… it’s for my own sake.”

“For yourself?”

“Yes. The gardener was amazing, and we got along well. I wanted to turn it into something tangible—a healing spot I could share with others. See? I’m a selfish, spoiled third son. But since I’m running this, I have to make it profitable, or I’d feel bad, so I’ll do my best. That’s why you can be more at ease, Rubina-chan. It’s okay to be a little selfish. You have a wonderful family and friends, don’t you? That heir was just exceptionally unreasonable—there was nothing wrong with you, Rubina-chan. It’d be such a shame if you rejected all men because of him. I’ve told you my feelings, but I don’t want to force you. However, I’d be happy if the person you relied on was me. And I’d be glad if you got to know me better… Would it be okay if I invited you again?”

“…Yes.”

Jay-sama’s selfishness is the kind that can make everyone happy—it’s on a different level from mine. He’s comforting me in a roundabout way, isn’t he? Later, Jay-sama’s botanical garden opened, and a ceremony was held, attended by many nobles. Some staff and their families were there too, but they were seated separately from the noble section to avoid any trouble. Jay-sama told me to bring a friend, so I came with Sophia-san. Of course, my family came along too. It was my first time seeing Jay-sama’s family, and as expected of a marquis house—they all had the aura of high-ranking nobles, which was overwhelming. Jay-sama’s father announced in his speech that he’ll be passing the title to his eldest son, making this botanical garden his last project as a marquis.

It seems some of Jay-sama’s friends from his study abroad days heard about this and came as well…

“Rubina-chan, I’m glad you came. Welcome, Sophia-chan. Enjoy yourselves.”

Jay-sama was dressed formally today, looking dazzling and wonderful.

“Jay! The rose garden was magnificent—you’re really good at finding skilled craftsmen.”

Jay-sama was patted on the back so hard that he coughed.

“Mind your strength!”

“Sorry, sorry. You need to train more—with that scrawny body, you won’t be popular!”

“Don’t lump me in with you guys!”

…Oh my goodness. Some large men were chatting amiably with Jay-sama. Are they his friends? Oh! They looked this way. What should I do… They’re not scary, right?

“Hm? This cute girl… could she be Jay’s…?”

“She’s…”

“Jay, you’ve got some nerve! What’s this? You’re being sneaky. You were hiding her, huh! If you’ve got someone, introduce her properly. Hey, I’m—well, I’m Leonardo, Jay’s friend from our study abroad days. Feel free to call me Leo. And you are?”

Since he’s from another country, I don’t know him, so I hope I’m not being rude, but he had an imposing aura. Jay-sama is tall, but this man is so big—he’s like a mountain. I felt completely overshadowed by his size. Yet, strangely, I didn’t feel scared.

“May I call you Leo-sama? Nice to meet you. I’m Rubina Rosen. Jay-sama has always been so kind to me.”

“I see! That’s a relief. This guy had no luck with girls back in school, so I was worried. So his type is a cute, pure girl like Rubina-chan, huh?”

He burst out laughing heartily. He seems like an unpretentious person, which put me at ease.

“I thought Jay might be into men—”

“Hey, if you don’t stop, I’ll get mad!”

“Hahaha, my bad, forgive me.”

Leo-sama patted Jay-sama’s back again, making him cough. The people with Leo-sama were all big too.

“Rubina-chan, in his country, everyone trains like this. Muscular men are popular with women—like gorillas.”

“Hey, you’re the only one who’d call a prince of a kingdom a gorilla!”

“Rubina-chan looked troubled, so I had to say it. What kind of prince are you?”

“Eh? A prince? I’ve been terribly rude!”

Cold sweat… I called him by his name so casually! Jay-sama! You should’ve told me beforehand. What do I do? I’ll bring shame to our country.

“You weren’t.”

“You weren’t.”

Jay-sama and Leo-sama’s voices overlapped.

Eh? I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. I want to go home.

“I’m just friends with Jay. If I were royalty, I couldn’t come to a place like this so casually.”

“Sorry for the inconvenience!”

“See? With rude guys like this around, there’s no need to worry. Jay, can you protect Rubina-chan with those skinny arms? You’ve been slacking on training, haven’t you? Rubina-chan, this guy really isn’t popular, you know? Are you okay with him?”

He smacked Jay-sama’s back again, making him cough.

“? Jay-sama is wonderful. He’s always helping me, and I’m grateful.”

Leo-sama tilted his head, looking puzzled. And not popular? That’s not true. Jay-sama has been getting more opportunities to talk with young ladies at parties he’s invited to. I can’t help but hear about popular heirs and ladies, and among them, Jay-sama is quite popular. Many young ladies who want to get closer to him visit his shop. There’s no way someone as elegant as Jay-sama wouldn’t be popular.

“Hey, she’s a good one… Don’t let her get away.”

“I don’t plan to, but I’m still in the process of wooing her.”

“Huh? How shy can you be?! Are you never planning to get married?”

“There’s a lot going on. Enough about me. What about your wedding, Leo?”

“About that, let me have those roses.”

“…Which roses?”

“The new breed, right? Using them at my wedding would be great publicity. It’d save on advertising costs.”

“No way!”

“You’re so stingy!”

“I have my own plans. That’s why those are off-limits.”

“Stingy!”

While Jay-sama was talking, Leo-sama was called away by some important people from his country.

“Sorry about my loud friend. You must’ve been surprised. He’s big, loud-mouthed… and he’s a former prince, believe it or not.”

“He was friendly, wasn’t he? Despite his size, he had an air of refinement.”

His language wasn’t the best, but I didn’t feel bad at all. What a peculiar person. Jay-sama’s tone changes when he talks with his friends, doesn’t it?

“He’s staying at my residence, so it’ll be lively for a while…”

“What was your student life like, Jay-sama?”

“Oh, are you interested in me? That’s a long story, so how about we save it for next time? Now I have an excuse to see Rubina-chan again.”

“…Yes.”

I got caught up in Jay-sama’s pace again today. If I keep getting swept along like this, will I get more chances to see him? If that’s the case, maybe it’s okay to let Jay-sama set the pace.

“Was I too pushy? I thought it’d be easier to invite you if there was a reason. I was just so happy that Rubina-chan showed interest in me.”

“I’m happy to be invited. I hope one day I can naturally invite Jay-sama too.”

If I pick up on the little hints in our conversations, maybe I can naturally meet him again. Having a next appointment would be nice.

“I’ll look forward to that! Even without a reason, I’ll come running anytime.”

“Come running, huh?” Such an exaggerated way of putting it.

“I don’t know when that’ll be… but please keep that promise.”

Jay-sama was delighted by the words I mustered the courage to say. Seeing his smiling face warmed my heart, making it feel all cozy.

“Next time, I’ll invite you to my residence. It’s a promise.”

“Yes.”

Sophia and Luke’s fiancée, Cynthia, were watching with grins on their faces.

“It looks like it’s going well! Rubina-san is so cute.”

“Rubina-san doesn’t seem to mind either. I’ll report this to everyone in our class who’s rooting for Rubina-san’s romance!”

“…Oh, Sophia, look—Luke doesn’t look happy.”

“It can’t be helped. Rubina-san’s Onii-sama is such a worrier.”

“Look, look, Sophia! Viscount Rosen and Marquis Hudson are talking!”

“Kyaa!”

“They’re shaking hands!”

“Kyaa! What’ll happen next?”

“This is exciting, isn’t it?”

I got invited to Jay-sama’s residence. Since I made a promise, I’ll try asking Mother for permission this time.

“Rubina-chan, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m looking forward to visiting Jay-sama’s residence.”

When I smiled and answered, Jay-sama smiled back. This feels nice.