The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 180

Unlike Sir Laocon, I never had a chance to greet him.

When they happened to meet in the hallways of the Hall of Glory, Laocon would be amiable and greet her first, whereas Iel had no memory of ever looking her way. Not even once.

Because of that, Evelyn would also just bow her head and wait for him to pass by when she saw him, but today was different.

“Hmm, if you have some time, could I see you for a moment? It won’t take long.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll go to my mansion, follow me.”

At the suggestion, which felt like her heart sank, she could only readily agree. If someone in the castle asked who had nothing to do, everyone would surely point to her, so there was no way she could make an excuse. Suddenly, one fact she had gleaned from the rumors the residents excitedly chattered about also came to mind. Polyxene’s cousin, the subject of the rumors… they said it was Sir Iel. They said he cherished his blood relatives greatly.

This was the first time she had been invited by someone since coming to Jupiter Castle. Having arrived at the mansion not far from the Hall of Glory, she dared not meet Iel’s gaze, keeping her eyes fixed only on the linen tablecloth covering the table.

Before long, a steaming teacup and a plate holding plain-looking small pastries arrived. Iel picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then set it down, beginning to speak.

“This is the first time we’ve met like this, alone.”

“Yes….”

The voice, which anyone could tell was flustered, made the other person’s shoulders slump like a criminal. It looked like she was about to start an unstoppable fit of hiccups if another word was spoken. Iel gazed at the nymph’s frightened appearance for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“I called you because it’s been quite a while since you came to the castle, and you haven’t been assigned any duties. You might not know this well, but Jupiter Castle also serves as a bustling capital, so we limit the number of residents who wish to live here each year.”

“…….”

“Consequently, those without a clear role are destined to be pushed out after coming of age. Originally, this wouldn’t apply to a nymph, but currently, you and Nike are the only two nymphs alive. Therefore, if things continue like this, the situation will become disadvantageous for you. Do you understand what I mean?”

Surprisingly, Iel’s words stemmed from genuine concern, not an interrogation or nagging.

Since Evelyn was a nymph brought directly by the King and was physically weak, she was currently exempt from all duties. However, as time went on, voices of discontent might arise.

There was no real way to expand the bustling Jupiter Castle’s area other than through extensions, so she was at risk of being attacked someday. Therefore, if she were given a suitable task, that concern would cleanly disappear.

“I see. I always thought Lady Nike was amazing, always doing something or traveling for work…”

In contrast, the nymph, who hadn’t even easily taken a sip of her tea, nodded diligently. Perhaps it was the sincerity born from her desire to save her tree, but her fresh-colored, plain, unadorned monochromatic dress was somewhat to Iel’s liking. He acted quite favorably.

“Drink. Especially in hot weather, you need to take care of your hydration. Hmm… I don’t mean for you to work as hard as Nike at all. You wouldn’t have the ability to, and if you did, you’d just fall ill.”

“Yes…”

What kind of work would he assign? Evelyn thought she could manage sewing, moving moderately weighted loads, or weeding. Just as she was wondering what to do if it was something that required too much strength, Iel extended his arm towards the window, grabbed something, and placed it on the table. The elongated wooden basket contained countless angular turquoise raw gemstones.

“What is this?”

“You’ve walked around the Hall of Glory and the World Tree, so you must’ve seen it a few times. Aren’t there flowerbeds with distinctly white borders?”

“Hmm… oh! Yes. Are you referring to the flowerbeds with long, white bricks that have light blue patterns horizontally?”

Iel watched with a faint smile as her small lips completed the sentence. He actually had no intention of getting angry even if this timid nymph had confessed to never having seen them. He knew well how much she had been looking around cautiously when walking through the castle. Of course, if she knew about the flowerbeds, the conversation would progress faster.

“You observed it well. That’s right. There are a total of twenty-two flowerbeds, arranged along the fastest path from the Hall of Glory to the World Tree.”

“Yes.”

“The plants growing there emit beneficial energy to the World Tree, so they must be well taken care of. This stone, so to speak, is their fertilizer. It naturally absorbs into the soil and disappears within about half a month, but before then, you should check occasionally to make sure none have been lost after placing them… You only need to check them once a week. Can you do it?”

Iel had put surprisingly considerable thought into choosing this task.

He, of course, knew that the nymph before him wasn’t treated particularly well by the castle residents, excluding the King. Furthermore, as a witness to the attack incident, Iel had no intention of deliberately making Evelyn’s life difficult.