Operation: Avoid the Crown Prince

9 | The Flower Called Wisteria

The days slowly passed. After that incident, the duke got really angry (although you won't see it clearly on his stoic face) and decided to ground all of us siblings. The loathing glare Zedrif directed to me after the duke imposed the punishment made me sigh inwardly. He must be blaming me for his ruined break from school. Thanks to that whole fugitive fiasco, my mission of fixing our familial bonds just became near to impossible.

The duke tried not to make it obvious but I can see clearly that he started disliking Mayverik and his troublemaking ways after that whole incident. If Mayverik wasn't a child and General Sheridan's at that, I'm pretty sure the duke would've thrown him out of the manor or worse, ban him from the duchy. I just hope the duke's newfound dislike of the young redhead wouldn't affect House Kyanos' good relationship with House Sheridan. In the event that I couldn't manage to change my fate and that my family (now) really gets exiled, I'd be relieved to know that they could at least count on a powerful family not within the authority of the Argentums.

Speaking about the Sheridans, General Sheridan and his entourage left the day after arresting the fugitive, thankfully, taking with him that mischief maker who keeps calling me his partner in crime. I got tired of rejecting his claims after the twentieth time and merely went along with it. I don't really care if he calls me his partner in crime; I just hope he won't manipulate me into committing an actual crime someday. Knowing Mayverik's personality, it wouldn't be impossible for him to do something like that in the future.

After spending three days being grounded, I can officially say I'm bored. I have nothing to do! The books in the library are all for educational purposes and I'm not really in the mood to learn right now. I just got away from all the stress of college life so why the hell should I go back to education so soon? I will enjoy my college-free life as much as I can since I'm pretty sure I'll have to go back to school in a few years' time. Less than six years, to be precise.

I didn't want to embroider with the duchess as well because I'm pretty sure my hands would only end up with more holes than I can count. The duke was also busy with the preparation of the Spring Festival, organizing the security around the whole city and managing the influx of traders coming in to do business. Oh, I guess there are my brothers as well...

I tried to increase my interaction with my brothers but the best I managed was greeting them cordially every time we come across one another or striking up small conversations (which are mostly one-sided to be honest) during meals. It's not that I'm not trying hard enough, it's purely because Zedrif starts scowling the moment he sees me that I can't even find an opportunity! He even goes as far as dragging Kail to leave or rudely telling me to go away. That boy's as prickly as a porcupine, as salty as the Dead Sea, and as haughty as a pompous ass! If I haven't firmly decided that I'll fix this family for the sake of the original Anastasia, I'd be more than glad to ignore this salty boy.

It was early morning and I just finished eating breakfast. Since I had nothing better to do (and I gave Lilia a day-off), I decided to walk around the estate to familiarize myself with the place and to see if there's a spot where I could possible sneak out. I heard that the guards have a secret entryway somewhere near the walls...

I stopped when I noticed a fenced off area nearby. It seems that my feet unconsciously brought me to the manor's garden. I remember hearing that this garden was the late Duchess Kyanos' pride and joy and that she actually tended to the flowers here with her own hands. After she passed away, the duke hired a lot of skilled gardeners to maintain the late duchess' sacred place the way it was when she's still alive. The management of this garden was strictly within the duke's control, not even my mother can meddle with it without the duke's permission which just shows how much the duke's first wife meant to him. Looking at how much my father loved the late duchess, I wonder if my mother ever felt jealous...