Chapter 117
“The carriage is ready, Madam. If you have no further preparations, you may head down now.”
“Ah, about that… How about we just walk to the square?”
“To the square?”
Danel’s gaze drifted briefly over my dress, then down to the shoes visible beneath its hem.
“The square is a bit of a distance from here…”
“It’s only about a five-minute ride by carriage. It’s fine.”
We stepped out of the bedroom and made our way toward the stairs.
As we entered the central hall, the servants waiting by the entrance opened the grand doors for us.
The morning sun poured into the hall.
Light spilled across Danel’s neatly brushed blond hair.
The brightness must have stung his eyes, and yet, he looked straight at me without flinching.
“Are you sure this is all right? You’ll have to walk quite a bit. It might be better to ride at least until the square.”
He looked at me with concern, but instead of answering, I slipped my hand from his and linked my arm through his.
Danel’s shoulders twitched sharply at the sudden contact.
Pretending not to notice, I led him out of the townhouse.
Only then did his long strides begin to match mine, slow and measured.
The garden was bathed in the soft glow of the morning sun as we walked together across the grass.
Though it was still early, lively voices could already be heard from beyond the hill. A warm spring breeze carried the scent of flowers through the air, tousling my hair as it passed.
They said enough flowers would be prepared to fill the square — and indeed, the fragrance was already thick in the air.
Once we left the townhouse garden, a gravel-paved road appeared before us — the kind one only found in large cities, rarely walked upon in daily life.
With every step, the tips of my shoes sent small stones scattering, the sound crisp and pleasant beneath the quiet morning.
As we strolled on, the familiar downhill path came into view.
Danel’s hand steadied mine firmly, his pace still perfectly matched to mine.
“They said the flowerbeds stretch all the way from the square to the cathedral, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Danel reached up and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“The closer you get to the cathedral, the more the white flowers increase. The colors may become simpler, but the scale grows grander. I think you’ll like it.”
A faint smile lingered on his lips as he spoke.
‘That’s a completely different tone from when he talks about the cathedral itself.’
I cast a sidelong glance toward the massive building visible beyond the hill — the Grand Cathedral, the mother monastery where Danel had spent so many years of his life.
From the townhouse bedroom, the entire view of the Grand Cathedral could be seen at a glance.
It was a breathtaking piece of architecture — beautiful enough to capture my attention even though I knew nothing about construction or design.
Over the past few days I’d spent here, I had asked Danel several questions about the cathedral.
But I never received any proper answers.
“He only said he would tell me when the day of our visit came.”
Even after that, Danel always looked slightly uncomfortable whenever I admired the cathedral’s view from the bedroom. When I once mentioned that I wanted to visit the place where he had lived, his eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
That was why it was so strange — how confident he seemed now, eager to show me the festival street stretching from the square to the cathedral.
I had never even been near a festival in my life, but somehow, I knew that the spring festival of the western square would please me.
After all, if the man who knows me better than I know myself was this certain…
And my guess was exactly right.
My goodness…
By the time the vast open plain facing the cathedral came into view, I could only gasp in awe.
The square, bathed in the gentle morning sunlight, was filled to the brim with flowers.
The flowerbeds lining both sides of the street were so dense that not a single flowerpot beneath them could be seen.
Even so, their presence could be guessed — because each flowerbed bloomed with a different kind of flower.
Every section overflowed with a vivid mosaic of colors: pansies, petunias, lavender, geraniums, begonias, and even hyacinths.
Each bloom was lush and fragrant, blending together to fill the air with a heady sweetness.
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