3

“My dream of becoming a miller in Beth’s countryside never ended up coming true.”

As Noel spread splendid water magic over the plants in the greenhouse and sprinkled them with water, he scratched his head, looking a little disappointed.

“That is fine. I like this greenhouse too, and Noel-sama is cooler being a magician-sama than grinding flour.”

Beth, who had been gazing dreamily at Noel’s water magic, said that.

“I-Is that so? If you say so, Beth… well, I suppose it is not bad.”

When Beth, who spoke little, honestly told him he was cool, Noel turned bright red, enough that one could almost hear a psh sound from behind his ears.

In the end, Noel and Beth did not return to Beth’s countryside and remained in this greenhouse.

Noel was still the person in charge of the Magic Institute, and Beth had been appointed by the queen as the person in charge of the Magic Institute greenhouse.

Eugenia had seen the scene of Oberon being completely unable to go against Beth and obediently listening to what she said, and had begged her with her head practically to the ground to please become the person in charge of this greenhouse.

Eugenia was truly, utterly bad at dealing with Oberon.

Beth granted the new queen’s wish on the condition that she establish a medical facility in the village.

Eugenia granted Beth’s wish at the speed of light and, not wanting her to run away, gave the two of them even the mansion next to the Magic Institute as a reward. In the end, nothing about their life changed, and if anything had changed, it was only that Noel now also carried the same eucalyptus scent as Beth and went to work at the greenhouse together with her on good terms.

Incidentally, Beth’s Mill was now being looked after by none other than Carter.

Carter, who had finally realized he was not suited to being an adventurer, had decided to become the village miller together with Amy.

From Carter’s perspective, having work and a place to live secured right next door to his lover’s house was almost too convenient. Since it had become more convenient for the village if Beth did not return, Beth felt somewhat let down.

Now, the greenhouse that Beth and Noel had begun tending together had become a truly comfortable place not only for humans, but also for fairies.

The plants Beth carefully cared for spread their branches and leaves freely and happily from the heart, and fairies happily came one after another from the spirit world to play in the small fairy playground that the dexterous Noel had made for them in a corner of the greenhouse.

When the fairies grew tired from playing in Noel’s playground, they napped inside the magnificent flower buds cared for by Beth’s hands, and at night, seeking sweet nectar, they drifted lightly from flower to flower.

It seemed that gnomes also came to play.

There were times when the ridges in the field that Noel had clumsily prepared were straightened beautifully when he came in the morning.

Noel smiled wryly and left candies in the corner of the field as thanks.

The people of this Magic Institute also returned to this greenhouse overflowing with light to seek healing and take naps.

When Ezra found a small fairy napping together beside Eloise, who was napping on the usual sofa, he burst into tears at this peaceful scene of coexistence between humans and fairies.

It had always been believed that humans and spirits could not, by nature, share the same world in which to live.

But if it was this greenhouse, then humans, beings that were not human, plants, animals, and all living things could.

Everyone could give one another energy under the light.

Everyone could exist freely and happily in the form in which they had been born.

Dora played by chasing the fairies in the greenhouse. The fairies teased Dora by vanishing and appearing.

“Sanctuary.”

Before anyone realized it, this greenhouse, the land jointly ruled by fairies and humans, had come to be called that.

“Noel-sama! What in the world is this?”

What Noel, with a beaming smile, held out to Beth as she tended the greenhouse was a potted Hundred-Year Grass flower.

It had bloomed splendidly and was giving off a rich fragrance.

“As expected, it was difficult for me to grow it alone, so I actually had Oberon help me.”

Noel stuck out his tongue a little and revealed the trick.

Lately, Noel had often been secretly heading toward the spirit forest with Oberon, and Beth finally understood that this was why.

Hundred-Year Grass was an extremely difficult flower to cultivate, and when Noel had misunderstood and put Beth in jail, Carter had torn it off while it was still a bud and shown it to Noel in order to clear Beth of her false accusation.

There was a legend that if one saw this flower bloom, one could have a wonderful love that came only once in a hundred years.

(But why Hundred-Year Grass…?)

Beth must have had a puzzled look on her face. Noel smiled and said.

“Beth. Even while it was still a bud, this flower certainly gave us a wonderful love, just as the legend said. I hear your childhood friend who tore this flower off was joined with his lover, and we, too, connected our hearts like this.”

“Beth, I have only ever received things from you and cannot return anything. Because I am clumsy, I have no idea how to tell you how much and in what way I love you. To begin with, you are not very good with words, so it is difficult for words to reach you.”

Then he thrust the potted plant toward Beth.

“So I thought about it. How could I make Beth understand just how much I love you? Even if a child is born between us, even if our family grows, I want to always, always remain Beth’s number one lover. And then I remembered the Hundred-Year Grass. I thought that if it was through a plant, my feelings might reach you.”

“If having Hundred-Year Grass means you will keep falling in love with me, then I love you enough to grow one hundred or two hundred pots of it for you. Well? Did my love reach you? Now, please accept this, Beth!”

Noel laughed childishly, wahahaha, like a villain.

At the loveliness of Noel’s huge smile, with large wrinkles crinkling around his eyes, Beth felt as if her breath had stopped.

“Oh, Noel-sama…”

Beth, precisely because she was Beth, knew that cultivating Hundred-Year Grass was not something that could be achieved with halfhearted effort.

When she thought of how much time and trouble Noel must have spent growing this potted plant, and that he had done it to convey his feelings for Beth, her chest filled completely.

Then Beth looked at Noel’s face, which still seemed to want to say something, and turned her eyes once more to the Hundred-Year Grass flower.

(Oh my.)

Inside the petals of the Hundred-Year Grass flower lay a beautiful ring, engraved all over with delicate Hundred-Year Grass motifs.

This clumsy, arrogant, romantic man was trying to pledge eternal love to Beth in such an elaborate way.

Noel gently and fearfully slipped the ring onto Beth’s finger as though touching something fragile. The ring fit perfectly.

As if in prayer, Noel softly dropped a kiss onto Beth’s ring.

“Beth, you always grow and give me wonderful plants, but I had never once grown a plant for you, had I? Your lover really is a hopeless man.”

Noel smiled mischievously and gently embraced Beth.

“I love you from the bottom of my heart. A hundred years from now, two hundred years from now, be my sun. Be the stars in my night. Be my dearest person. Be the greenhouse of my heart.”

“…I love you, Noel-sama. A hundred years from now, two hundred years from now.”

“Beth, I love you. My everything. My dearest love.”

The two gently embraced each other, exchanged kisses, then embraced each other again, and then smiled at each other.

Beautiful light overflowed from above the two as they kissed, and small rainbows began to dance.

Butterflies fluttered, and the fruit trees bore large fruits with truly happy delight.

The grasses and flowers happily surrendered themselves to the gentle breeze, and a small caterpillar sluggishly crossed between the medicinal herbs as if it could not be bothered.

A place where everyone became happy.

A place where everyone was allowed to become happy.

This was Beth’s greenhouse.