Wildflowers Bloom on the Grand Duchy’s Wall - Chapter 56

Just as Philian had said, that was the part that weighed most on Eloise’s mind.

Eloise wanted her son to end up with a woman who could stay by Cairn’s side for a long, long time. But the real worry was that Cairn’s feelings for Lilien were too single-minded—sometimes, a man’s relentless devotion could backfire, and that made her uneasy.

“The choice is Cairn’s. All we can do is support him—he’s an adult now.”

Philian gently wrapped his arm around Eloise’s shoulders and gave her a reassuring pat.

“Do you really think there’s anyone who can handle Cairn as well as Lilien does?”

Eloise laughed, sounding almost like a young girl again.

“When it came to orders, Cairn would refuse to listen to just about anyone—but if Lilien so much as asked, he’d go along with anything she said.”

Cairn had always hated being told what to do and was fiercely independent, but when Lilien made a request, he would practically play dead if she asked him to.

Eloise recalled how he’d always turned up his nose at root vegetables, but the moment Lilien asked him to eat her share, he’d force himself to chew it down—making a sour face the whole time, but pretending to be perfectly fine.

She’d always had to stifle her laughter when she saw him like that.

“Remember that time when they were little, and I nearly fainted after finding Cairn climbing that tall tree in the garden?”

Eloise but couldn’t even scold him properly after hearing his reason.

‘Lilien said she was curious what a titmouse egg looked like.’

‘So you climbed all the way up there?’

‘Well, Father always said a real man should grant every wish of the woman he likes, didn’t he?’

No one understood this side of Philian Headington better than Eloise—because he’d always treated her words as law.

“I do worry, though, that Lilien can be just as much of a handful as Cairn.”

“That’s when Cairn can keep her in check. Sometimes I think they really were made for each other, like a match made in heaven.”

“They’re almost too perfect together. It’s just that…”

She paused at the small side gate by the castle wall.

“Do you really think Lilien sees our son as a man?”

For once, even Philian, who usually took Cairn’s side, looked at things with a bit more realism.

“That’s the real question, isn’t it? In any case, I’m actually more worried about….”

The loving couple’s thoughts turned to their old friend, Count de Bermore.

* * *

“I think we should start by selling the villa. If we get a fair price, we might not have to let go of all the land. The problem is, if it goes to auction, we’ll probably get even less for it…”

Lilien, her mouth full of the peach pie Cairn had baked, reached for her glass of milk to wash it down.

“You’re right, Lilien. Now that everyone knows the Count’s finances are in trouble, they’ll try to buy things up for less than market value. Whether it’s a rushed sale or goes to auction, we’re unlikely to get a fair price.”

“Still, I want to do everything I can before giving up. I’m going to try selling some of the fixed assets myself. I’ll get in touch with the notary in the city where the villa is, and maybe I should go there in person.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

Cairn said, pouring more milk into her empty glass. He was already running through his work obligations, wondering if he’d have to bring his summer break forward to go with her.

“Cairn, do you think Father will let me? I don’t think he’ll be happy with me taking charge like this…”

“Just tell him it was my suggestion. Use my name to persuade the Count.”

“…Can I really do that?”

To the Count, Lilien was still an ignorant little girl—if she started meddling, he might blow up.

“Of course. Honestly, I was thinking the same thing. I was going to help anyway.”

“Why can’t Father ever trust me?”

“When people get to a certain age, they don’t change their ways. To him, you’ll always be a child, not someone to rely on. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, so don’t take it too hard.”

So, Lilien, instead of trying to change someone, find people who already trust you… That was the advice Cairn wanted to give her, though he kept it to himself.

“Yeah, I know. At least if I tell him I ran things by you, he’ll pretend to listen.”

Lilien pushed away her plate, having lost her appetite, leaving her pie unfinished. Cairn quietly moved the peach from his own slice onto her plate.

“I’ll take care of the repayment for now. But I’ll need to secure a mortgage on the land as collateral—that way people won’t gossip. You can sell your assets gradually…”

“No, Cairn.”