Young Leaves Of Love (2)

Time rewound a little, to when Lucien had been walking around his room with Marron—.

“I finished it…!”

At a table in the library, Marguerite lifted the cloth with both hands and gazed at it closely.

“Yes, even if I say so myself, it turned out well.”

The abundant blue thread she had used was mixed with silver in the dye, making it sparkle beautifully. It was something Sharon had obtained for her through connections with a merchant house patronized by the count’s family.

Marguerite had designed the pattern herself. She had wanted to refine the expression of color using illustrated guides and art books, so she had been holed up in the library the entire time.

‘When Lucien-sama came by, I was startled, but somehow I managed to keep it a secret.’

She folded the cloth, placed it in its wrapping, and tied a ribbon around it before putting away her tools.

‘I wonder if Lucien-sama will be pleased…?’

To be honest, Marguerite had thought that giving a handmade present might be rude, but—

“Handmade, handmade! It’s what you love the most, Marguerite. Something that will let Lucien-sama understand that.”

Sharon had declared so without hesitation.

In any case, this was the first time she had ever given someone a gift. Things had been taken from her before, but she had never given something of her own will.

‘What if something of mine has no value…?’

That was what she thought, but according to Sharon, that way of thinking was wrong as well.

“Marguerite, you belittle yourself too much. I’m not saying you have to be confident in yourself. First of all—”

Keeping Sharon’s advice close to her heart, Marguerite shifted her thoughts.

The past few weeks she had spent thinking about Lucien had been truly enjoyable. She felt she had stitched their memories since her marriage into each and every stitch.

‘I hope he accepts it.’

Her cheeks flushed and her spirits lifted, Marguerite headed toward Lucien’s room.

“So—what do you want?”

The scene returned to the present, where Marguerite now faced Lucien, who looked even more irritable than usual.

In Lucien’s arms was Marron.

Marguerite understood then. He must not have wanted to open the door. He had said that Marron had come into the room on her own. Marron must finally have grown attached to Lucien. Marguerite had stolen away that precious time.

“I am terribly sorry for interrupting your time with Marron.”

The moment she said it, Marron kicked off from Lucien’s arms and leapt out, clinging to Marguerite’s dress.

“Myaaaan!”

“Marron!?”

She hurriedly caught the cat, so her claws did not dig in, but Lucien stood there in a daze, still holding his now-empty arms in the shape of a cat.

Marron and Lucien’s time together had ended.

“I-I am truly sorry!”

She tried to return Marron to Lucien, but Marron clung stubbornly to her arms and refused to let go. A willful “purrrrrr…” of rumbling purrs echoed through the room.

Lucien watched Marguerite fumbling with Marron for a while with ghostly eyes, then shook his head.

“No, perhaps this is a sign telling me not to resort to petty tricks.”

“?”

“So then, what is your business?”

Lucien repeated the same question to the head-tilting Marguerite.

“Yes. I apologize for taking up your time unnecessarily.”

‘I keep making her apologize.’

‘He must be angry because of me, after all.’

As always, the feelings of the two of them failed to align.

Looking up at Lucien, who had knit his brows together, Marguerite tightened her hold on Marron.

Thinking that it might be presumptuous to hope to please Lucien made her chest feel heavy and constricted.

‘No, I must not think such unnecessary things.’

Determined not to waste any more of Lucien’s time, Marguerite held out the ribboned package.

“This is for you, Lucien-sama.”

“…!?”

Lucien’s eyes widened. That was how unbelievable it was to him.

He accepted it cautiously, narrowing his eyes at the deep crimson ribbon.

‘She’s giving me a gift…!? No, wait—don’t get carried away yet. It might not be a gift, and even if it is, it doesn’t necessarily mean affection. It could simply be a formal return for what I’ve given her…’

After reining in the joy that flooded his entire body, Lucien suddenly realized something.

‘…So this is how she felt.’

Each time he had given her something, perhaps what had been born in her heart was confusion.

“…May I open it?”

“Yes.”

Holding Marron, Marguerite watched Lucien’s hands as he untied the ribbon, her expression tense.

When he unfolded the cloth inside, Lucien’s eyes widened once more.

“It’s a tapestry,”

Marguerite said shyly.

On the bordered fabric, ripples rendered in shimmering blue thread were stitched into a pattern. Playing among them were various sea creatures—and swimming joyfully alongside them was—Marron.

From within Marguerite’s arms, Marron also peered at it with great interest.

But Lucien said nothing.

‘Lucien-sama has no reaction…!?’

As Marguerite worried, Lucien lifted his face—

“…Thank you.”

There was no harshness in his expression.

Seeing Lucien, who had suddenly turned bright red, wearing an extremely embarrassed—almost bashful—smile for some reason, Marguerite’s face flushed as well.

“W-well, I received so many gifts, but I was unable to give you anything in return, so…”

She trailed off mid-sentence, realizing something.

That was wrong.

What she wanted to say was not that.

“I wanted to make you happy, Lucien-sama, so I tried to express what I love most through what I’m best at.”

“…Yes, I’m happy. I think it’s a very fine gift.”

“…!”

Marguerite was taken aback by Lucien’s straightforward words.

Even when Sharon had told her, she had been only half-convinced that something like this would truly please Lucien.

But from Lucien’s perspective, information about Marguerite herself was what he had wanted to know more than anything.

Now he understood the reason for her behavior in the library.

She had not been afraid of him—she had simply wanted to keep this a secret.