Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(75) An Invitation to the Glass Garden

“No, not that.”
Rowan shook her head with a bright smile.
“Things like basil or arugula. Or tomatoes would be nice too. Oh, cucumbers work wonderfully! They grow better than you’d expect.”
“….”
The greenhouse fell into complete silence. Florence and Laila, who had been lost in rapture mere moments before, simultaneously closed their mouths. The lips that had been effusively praising everything as “beautiful” and “magnificent” now uttered not a single word.
“Basil, cucumbers….”
Laila murmured barely audibly, as if someone had suggested placing boiled potatoes inside a golden jewelry box. Florence kept her lips firmly sealed while her shoulders trembled. She knew she shouldn’t laugh, yet the absurdity of the situation was overwhelming.
“Basil and cucumbers?”
Edel asked again, this time with greater certainty.
“Yes, basil, mint, rosemary—things like that.”
Rowan replied earnestly.
“The sunlight here is excellent, the humidity is perfect, and the air is warm.”
She gestured around the greenhouse, sweeping her hands through the air.
“It’s absolutely ideal for growing herbs and tomatoes.”
“….”
Edel was bewildered.
“Rowan.”
She opened her mouth slowly.
“This place is… where I specially tend to rare plants—”
“Exactly!”
Rowan interjected brightly.
“That’s precisely why it’s such a waste!”
“….”
“You cultivate everything so beautifully, yet none of it is even edible!”
This time, the silence was absolute. Only the distant sound of a single water droplet falling with a soft plop echoed clearly through the space. Florence finally lowered her head, her shoulders quaking. Laila clamped her hand over her mouth. Rowan continued undeterred.
“Once you try growing them, you’ll truly be moved.”
“Moved?”
Edel repeated.
“Yes!”
Rowan nodded enthusiastically.
“You cultivate them carefully.”
She made a grasping motion in the air.
“Then you pluck them like this.”
Florence’s body shook.
“And eat them fresh right away.”
Laila was holding her breath.
“It’s really… delicious.”
“…pfft.”
Florence, unable to hold back any longer, burst out laughing.
“I’m so, so sorry!”
She covered her mouth and bowed her head, but it was already too late. Laila could no longer contain herself either. She turned away, her shoulders trembling. Edel stood quietly.
“Basil… and cucumber.”
She murmured very softly. Her greenhouse was a space where the rarest plants in the Kingdom gathered—a source of pride built on countless gold coins and effort. And here, in the very heart of it, vegetables were being grown. This was the first time she had shown her greenhouse and heard such a thing. Yet seeing Rowan’s sparkling eyes as she offered the produce, her feelings weren’t simply wounded. It was refreshing, somehow.
“Rowan.”
Edel slowly lifted her head.
“Plants grown and eaten like that….”
And she paused for a moment.
“Can they really… taste so good?”
Rowan’s eyes sparkled.
“They’re incredibly delicious!”
“….”
In that instant, Edel’s gaze fell upon the empty patch of soil. And very subtly, a contemplative expression crossed her face. Surely not. Laila and Florence couldn’t believe it.
“Please come visit our castle sometime. I’m cultivating a vegetable garden inside my glass greenhouse as well.”
Rowan’s voice rang out with innocent delight.
“I’ll prepare a meal for you using vegetables from my garden.”
“A vegetable garden… you tend it yourself?”
Laila asked, her eyes wide. Rowan nodded vigorously.
“Actually, while raising Leonius, I’ve been tending the garden too, so I haven’t really ventured into High Society. Also—”
She rolled her eyes for a moment before continuing.
“Since I’m not accustomed to etiquette, if I should happen to show myself in an unfavorable light—”
“What are you saying!”
“Don’t say such things!”
Laila and Florence reacted vehemently to Rowan’s words.
“From now on, if anyone says anything strange, we’ll step in! You’re such a wonderful person—we won’t let idle gossips spread rumors about you.”
“That’s right. Even meeting you for the first time today, we can tell you’re a good person.”
To Laila and Florence’s words, Edel also nodded silently, as if lending her support.
“Thank you.”
Rowan smiled warmly.
“I’m so glad I came here today.”
***
How powerful are the words that fall from women’s lips? If Marchioness Matia deemed someone worthy of deep connection, then Laila and Florence were hardly insignificant figures in High Society.
Thereafter, whenever Rowan’s name was spoken unfavorably in other circles, they would set their expressions stern and recount her accomplishments. They silenced those who dared speak ill of her, reminding them that a great Holy Knight had been born and was now aiding the Kingdom.
Amid all this, Maribel’s influence was formidable as well. No matter how coldly Baron Valerion treated her, she now enjoyed the patronage of Count Glister’s Estate. Moreover, with Lionel—the Holy Knight’s own blood—at her side, she conducted her High Society activities with vigor, and no small number of noblewomen had aligned themselves with her. It was in these circumstances that Edel, Laila, and Florence came to visit Valerian Castle. Rowan had extended the invitation.
“Please don’t expect too much—it’s rather modest compared to Edel’s Greenhouse.”
Rowan smiled as she personally guided them. They entered the Glass Garden at her leisurely pace. True to her word, the Glass Garden was intimate in scale, yet it was decorated with meticulous charm.
It was an entirely different character from Edel’s Greenhouse. Where that space had been filled with breathless stillness and elegance, this one felt natural and serene. Warmth enveloped the body like a gentle embrace, and the air carried the subtle scent of grass mingled with the familiar earthiness of soil.
“Oh my….”
Florence exhaled softly. Her gaze was fixed in one direction—where small leafy vegetables clustered together in charming abundance.
“This is….”
Laila approached and crouched down. She reached out her hand, then hesitated.
“You may touch them.”
Rowan said with a smile. At her words, Laila carefully brushed her fingers against a leaf. Born into nobility, she had rarely had the opportunity to see and touch such edible vegetables and plants directly.
“This is the first time I’ve seen them up close like this.”
Nearby, mint swayed gently in the breeze. The moment the leaves brushed against her, a subtle fragrance dispersed, and Florence inhaled it unconsciously.
“What a lovely scent.”
“This is basil.”
Rowan continued naturally.
“If you pick it fresh and add it to cooking, it’s absolutely delicious.”
“Cooking?”
Laila asked in return.
“Yes.”
Rowan nodded without hesitation.
“This is arugula. Pick it fresh and make a salad—it’s wonderfully crisp and flavorful. And when you eat it with meat, it cuts through the richness perfectly.”
One stood in the sunlit corner with her eyes closed, while another fingered the leaves and breathed in their fragrance.
“It’s strange.”
Florence said quietly.
“What is?”
“Nothing seems particularly special about it….”
She looked around the space.
“Yet it feels so… cozy and comfortable.”
At those words, Laila nodded in agreement.
“It’s as if one’s tension simply melts away.”
Edel said nothing, but her shoulders had noticeably relaxed compared to moments before. Her gaze drifted slowly across the space. It was certainly different from her own Greenhouse in its grandeur and splendor. The plants were not arranged with meticulous precision, nor were they rare specimens—merely ordinary plants. Yet still, it was difficult to look away.
And her gaze came to rest on one place. Rowan’s Vegetable Garden. Neat rows of leaves growing from small soil, bearing the unmistakable traces of a careful hand.
“This place….”
Edel lifted her head again. And she smiled, very softly.
“I find it quite pleasing.”
At those words, Rowan’s eyes widened.
“Then shall I bring out dishes made from what I’ve just cultivated?”
Lea swiftly brought out the meal that had been prepared in advance.
“The basil in this soup I cultivated myself as well. The tomatoes and arugula in the salad were grown here too.”
I spoke excitedly, gesturing toward the dishes.
“And the mint tea is from my garden as well.”
The food was refreshingly simple. Florence and Laila, who typically ate sparingly due to the constraints of their dresses, started cautiously at first. But as they took one bite, then another, their pace quickened noticeably.
“It’s not even an elaborate dish, yet why is it so delicious!”
Laila exclaimed.
“I genuinely love dining here.”
I smiled warmly in response. And so we finished our meal in pleasant conversation, then began sipping tea brewed from mint I had cultivated myself.
“I feel as though I might burst.”
Florence sighed.
“I’ll have to skip dinner this evening.”
“….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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