The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Eldest Daughter Walks the Path of Flowers Episode 103

Around the time when the nobles who had visited Lord Russel’s estate to meet Olivier, the 3rd Prince, had almost all returned to their hometowns, Robert, who had left on a short journey, returned.

The estate, after a storm had swept through, was filled with a peaceful atmosphere tinged with slight relief.

The garden and banquet hall, now empty of guests, were filled only with quiet golden sunlight.

In the charity event hall, maids were polishing the silver tableware under Allen’s supervision, while servants cleaned the guest rooms thoroughly before drawing thick curtains and closing the doors.

Robert, who had returned to his room and simply washed off the dust, went to find Radis first.

When he found her, Radis was in the study.

The thick door of the study moved soundlessly, and when it closed, the minor commotion from outside was perfectly blocked out.

Radis was deeply buried in her chair.

She seemed so absorbed in her book that she didn’t notice Robert opening the study door.

Her hair, carefully styled by Berry, rippled over her shoulders.

Her profile, focused on reading, looked utterly innocent.

She was habitually fidgeting with the pages of the book, and with her slender legs stretched out long, she occasionally moved her toes back and forth like a pendulum.

At this peaceful scene that seemed frozen in time, Robert stood there for a moment.

Not wanting to disturb her tranquility, Robert slowly walked to Radis’s side.

Her black eyes were gently scanning down the tiny letters in the book.

Her expression while comprehending complex theories was usually expressionless, but occasionally when she understood something, a light smile would spread across her lips.

At that peaceful sight, Robert felt relief spreading throughout his chest.

He placed his hand on Radis’s shoulder with a faint smile.

“Robert.”

Radis looked up at him with surprised eyes.

“When did you arrive?”

“What book are you reading that has you so absorbed?”

Radis shrugged and lifted the book to show him the cover.

“【Spell Theory】…? Are you planning to become both a mage and a mage knight?”

Radis laughed softly.

“Robert, just trust me. I have a plan for everything.”

Robert, who was about to sit on the sofa, paused and said,

“Why does that sound so ominous?”

Radis wiggled her finger with a confident face.

“Hehe, just trust me completely.”

Robert chuckled.

“I don’t know what you want me to trust, but since it’s come to this, I’ll follow you to hell.”

Robert placed a crumpled paper on the table and said,

“These are the guys I put in handcuffs.”

At the word handcuffs, Radis looked puzzled and unfolded the paper.

It turned out to be a list of comrades who had shared life and death with them in their previous life.

The reason Robert had left the estate was to recruit them into the mercenary group.

“Handcuffs!”

Radis gave Robert an unfriendly look.

Robert took a bite of an apple from the plate on the table and said,

“The guys were scattered all over the place and time was tight, so I couldn’t visit many of them.”

“But you met quite a lot of them, didn’t you? The lodging construction has been delayed too, so we can take our time.”

“First, Laszlo said he’d definitely come. He guaranteed he’d do anything as long as we fed him.”

“I knew he’d say that.”

Radis burst into laughter.

“It’s fortunate we can bring him in before he goes down a bad path from hunger.”

“And… Tess, that guy wasn’t in the village.”

“Really? Has he already joined the smuggling gang?”

“Well, we’ll have to find out from now on.”

Robert let out a light sigh before continuing.

“More than that, after we return from the capital, we should visit House of Rosild first. Thierry should be there now.”

“Thierry…”

Radis recalled Thierry, who was one of the few noble-born members of the extermination troops.

Thierry, who belonged to the Rosild Family’s Monster Hunting Squad, ended up killing a high-ranking opponent in a duel.

‘That bastard deserved to die.’

Thierry always said that, but sometimes he’d have nightmares and cry out like this.

‘I’m sorry…!’

Remembering Thierry having nightmares, Radis said,

“We need to stop him before he causes trouble.”

“That would be nice if we could.”

“We can definitely stop him! But more than that…”

Radis quickly organized the desk and stood up.

“Congratulations in advance!”

Radis approached him with a cheerful smile.

“The fifteenth master!”

At her words, Robert pretended to throw the apple core at her.

“What’s with you? The fifteenth master…!”

“I’m not a master yet. Stop teasing me.”

“I’m not teasing! I’m just happy about it.”

Radis giggled.

The reason Robert had hurriedly returned after finishing his short journey was because of the seal ceremony that would soon take place in the capital.

Radis gave a thumbs up and said loudly,

“Our captain who won’t be outdone anywhere…!”

Robert finally threw the apple core.

Radis giggled and quickly turned her head to dodge it.

‘Actually, I wanted to go see the last seal ceremony too.’

Radis swallowed those words with laughter.

She didn’t want to see Robert’s eyes, which had just started to brighten, grow dark again.

Instead, she said this.

“Aren’t you hungry? Should we have dinner a bit early?”

“You’re the one who’s hungry.”

“How did you know?”

“Your thoughts are obvious.”

Robert smiled faintly.

Looking proudly at him, who smiled much more often than before, Radis thought,

‘That thing you said you’d do when you came back… I shouldn’t ask what it was, should I?’

Robert hadn’t held her accountable for the lies she had told in their previous life and her final mistake.

He seemed like he didn’t want to talk about irreversible things anymore.

‘Yeah, that seems right.’

She smiled while looking ahead.

The soft evening sunlight filtering through the window was warmly caressing her clear face.

Watching her like that, Robert thought,

‘This is enough. My greatest wish has come true.’

They walked down the corridor side by side, maintaining a distance that seemed to almost touch but didn’t quite reach.

That distance was the happiest distance for them.

After finishing dinner, Radis returned to her room and sat at her desk again.

However, perhaps because of the wine that accompanied dinner, or because of the silver moon hanging in the darkened sky, she couldn’t concentrate on her book like before.

Radis, who had been staring intently at the book whose pages wouldn’t turn, finally closed it and walked to the window to open it.

The moon in the black sky was so bright that a circular halo had formed around it like a ring.

So vividly, as if she could reach out and touch it.

“Beautiful….”

Radis sat perched on the windowsill.

The moon looked so beautiful and lonely that she couldn’t help herself.

Looking up at the night sky, Radis thought.

‘When I go to the Imperial Capital this time… I’ll meet Olivier again, won’t I?’

As she thought of him, the sensation of his lips touching her forehead seemed to come alive again in an instant.

Even the words those lips had whispered.

‘I love you.’

Radis’s face turned red.

“Ugh…!”

Radis frantically fanned herself with her hands to cool her heated cheeks.

“Really… if you say such things so suddenly….”

She covered her cheeks with both hands and tried to calm her emotional turmoil.

“Haa….”

As her emotions settled, a deep sigh escaped.

In truth, she had imagined that such a day might come someday.

How could she not imagine it when that man, cold as ice and still as a statue, showed only her such a particularly warm smile?

But her imagination always ended there.

‘Why… can’t I imagine what comes after?’

He had expressed his feelings.

Now it was her turn to answer.

‘I do like Olivier….’

She fell into thought, gripping her cheek with one hand as if pinching it.

Olivier was already a precious person to her.

She raised her head to look up at the silver moon shining so brightly it obscured the starlight.

‘I want to protect him.’

She couldn’t bear to abandon him—him who called the Imperial Capital, which should be his home, ‘hateful,’ him who lived precariously under constant threat of assassination.

‘Because… that appearance… resembles my past self.’

Her wish for his happiness was genuine.

But was that love?

About that, Radis couldn’t reach a conclusion.

“Ugh….”

Radis frowned and rubbed her face vigorously with both hands.

In truth, she found the word ‘love’ unsettling.

When she brought the word love to mind, it felt like carelessly reaching out in darkness and suddenly grasping something unfamiliar.

It made her feel anxious, as if she were frightened but couldn’t bear the uncertainty without confirming what it was, trembling as she felt around with her hands to identify its shape.

There was a time when she desperately wanted to possess that very thing.

In her previous life, she had struggled desperately to receive that thing called love from her family.

She had been so desperate that she could endure pain that would corrode her bones and melt her flesh.

But in the end, she had to face death without ever knowing what love was.

She didn’t want to do that this time.

“Absolutely not.”

Losing everything because of such shapeless, uncertain emotions—once was enough.

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