10 — A Compromise?

One day, some time after he had come back from his two-week business trip, Mr. Fisalis happily informed me, “You know how I worked for two weeks straight? Well, I’m taking three days off now! It’s not very much, but I can finally relax.”

“Oh, really?”

“It’s only three days, but let’s do something nice.”

“Three whole days, huh? I see.”

“...Have a good night, then.”

“You as well.”

Mr. Fisalis withdrew to his room, completely unaware that we were on different wavelengths.

The next day:

I don’t know if his business trip was more grueling than I thought or what, but Mr. Fisalis didn’t get out of bed until almost the afternoon.

Concerned, as you might expect, I peeped through Mr. Fisalis’ bedroom door as Rohtas quietly went in to check on him.

“Is he alright?” I asked.

“He seems quite worn out. He’s still sound asleep,” the butler responded. “Indeed, let us not wake him.”

“Good idea.”

You know what they say: never wake a sleeping baby.

...I mean, he totally deserves this break, so we should let him take it easy, just like he said!

So we tiptoed out of Mr. Fisalis’ room and headed to the main dining room downstairs. I didn’t know how long he would be asleep, so I had my lunch all alone that day.

“I’m going to go see Bellis after lunch. Most of the flowers should be at their best now.”

“As you wish, Madam.”

My maid uniform stayed in the closet that day, since Mr. Fisalis was home. I picked a relatively easy-to-wear and simple dress from my collection instead.

It’s just one of the outfits I have in heavy rotation, though, so it’ll be no big deal if it gets a little dirty.

Since I couldn’t be doing housework with the servants like I usually did before Mr. Fisalis got home, I decided to prune the flowers instead.

This way, it will be easy to pick them when I need some to decorate with!

Lunchtime came and went, but Mr. Fisalis still had not gotten up.

How tired can you be?

It made me start to worry a little about exactly what kind of work he had been doing. It was important that he regained his strength, though, so I let him be and went with Mimosa to the garden to look for Bellis.

It felt good to be outside; the weather was calm and sunny.

I bet the flowers are blooming beautifully!

“It’s a shame I can’t play in the dirt, but it’s nice to just look at the lovely flowers, too.”

“It certainly is. Oh, don’t move out from under the parasol!”

Mimosa was walking just behind me, shading my body from the sun. I didn’t really care, but...

“We can’t have that beautiful pale skin we worked so hard to achieve get burned in the sun!” — Spa Squad Captain Mimosa.

So she always carried a parasol for me when I went out to the garden.

I can’t complain, though, since at least the sun isn’t beating directly down on me this way.

“I’ll be fiiine!”

“But your beautiful skin will develop freckles!”

“You’re such a helicopter mom sometimes, Mimosa. Where do you think Bellis is, anyway?”

We were looking all around the expansive garden, but there was no trace of him.

Heck, even the other gardeners don’t know where he is.

“Isn’t he usually in the greenhouse around now?”

“Oh, good point, Mimosa! You’re very in tune with Bellis’ work schedule, aren’t you?”

Not to mention you’re his wife. You two are even more of an odd couple than Cartham and Dahlia, in my opinion, but that’s neither here nor there.

Mimosa grinned and blushed a tad at the compliment as I thought about what a cute couple she and Bellis made.

Eeeee, she’s so adorable! I couldn’t help but flail in ecstasy at just how precious Mimosa was when she was embarrassed.

We finally arrived at the greenhouse with me still mid-flail, and sure enough, we found the Demon King—I mean, Bellis. There were so many lovely flowers to choose from that we had to carefully look over them all as we decided which ones we wanted.

“Ooh, these would be perfect in the entryway!”

“What do you think of these for the dining room, Madam?”

“I think these would look very nice in the salon.”

Even though we rarely had guests, we tended to choose the most splendid flowers for the public areas of the manor. True to form, I preferred large-blossomed flowers, but since it made me sad to leave the cute little ones behind, I had Bellis make them into a tiny bouquet for my room.

A life with flowers is a life enriched, as they say.

The bouquet Bellis made for me featured lovely orange flowers, little red berries, and deep green leaves. Bellis was such a top-notch gardener that he even knew how to make bouquets! You’d never guess it, based on his calloused and work-hardened hands, but he was able to carefully arrange a delicate bouquet in just minutes.

The color palette and choice of flowers look great! Yet more exquisite arrangements! Bellis can do it all, from lavish gardens to delicate bouquets and arrangements in vases—he’s a true botanical professional.

We convinced the professional to pause the flower selection and have some tea with us, but not without some grumbling. The weather was so dazzlingly lovely that day that we made it a picnic under one of the trees in the garden. A tea set and some sweets were brought from the house, and we laid a quilt on the grass to sit on. The grass provided the perfect cushion for us to sit and bask in the sun as we indulged in some of Mimosa’s tea and Cartham’s sweets.

“Ahh, this makes for a perfect tea time!” I said, closing my eyes as I raised my cup and saucer to my mouth, breathing in deeply to fully enjoy the tea’s fruity aroma.

“Oh, Madam—you left this in the greenhouse,” said Bellis as he handed me the little bouquet. I had planned to use it to decorate my room, but I was such an airhead and forgot it.

“Ugh, I’m such a doofus. Thanks, Bellis,” I said, about to take the bouquet from him when...

“Bellis! What are you doing with Viola!?”

The voice belonged to Mr. Fisalis and was accompanied by the sound of footsteps rushing toward us over the grass.

“Mr. Fisalis?” the three of us said in unison, turning his way at the sound of his voice and mad dash across the lawn.

He looks extremely displeased, but I suppose anyone would if they were forced to sprint so soon after waking up.

“Bellis! What do you think you’re doing with those flowers!? Are you trying to flatter Viola?”

“...Why would...” Bellis’ usual blank look only enraged Mr. Fisalis more.

“And would you care to tell me what you two are doing all alone in a place like this?” Mr. Fisalis had no sooner reached us than he charged over to Bellis, looking like he was about to grab him.

Did he only just roll out of bed? His hair is a mess. He’s gone from being just fiendish to looking literally possessed. And what did he mean by that, ‘the two of you’? There’s three of us here: Mimosa, Bellis, and I.

“Is something the matter, Mr. Fisalis? It’s not just the two of us—Mimosa’s here, too.” I calmly informed my fuming husband in a tone that I hoped also conveyed, ‘you need to chill.’

“Mimosa? Wh—oh.” As he slowly drew his gaze away from Bellis towards the two of us and confirmed with his own eyes that Mimosa was indeed present, he stopped his advance upon the gardener, realizing his error.

“You’ve misunderstood, Mr. Fisalis. Mimosa, Bellis, and I are merely having a tea break, and Bellis is giving me back a bouquet I left in the greenhouse.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Why did you think it was just Bellis and I here in the first place?”

“When I looked out my window after I woke up, it looked like you and Bellis were chatting and cuddling in the garden... I couldn’t see Mimosa because the trees were blocking my view from the window,” he explained awkwardly, his eyes looking everywhere except at us.

We weren’t cuddling! We weren’t even sitting close to each other. There’s a person-sized space between us filled with dishes. He must have seen us from an angle up in his window.

“You came charging over because you thought we were... cuddling.”

“...Yes.”

Talk about jumping to a conclusion. And, wow, déjà vu, too. You’ve got to be kidding me! Are you seriously doing this again?

I can’t grill him like that out loud, though.

“...Er, I told you this exact thing yesterday, but I’ll tell you again today. Bellis isn’t trying to seduce me.”

“Huh?” The side of Mr. Fisalis’ mouth twitched; it was his turn to experience déjà vu. It appeared he was not sure what for, though.

Argh, not again!

“Good grief. I didn’t think I’d have to explain this a second time, but were you unaware that Bellis and Mimosa are married, too?”

“What? Bellis and Mimosa are...?” he muttered what sounded suspiciously like ‘I had no idea,’ and slumped down on the lawn like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

For heaven’s sake. Do you know about any of the couples around here? I turned my eyes upward in exasperation.

“We got married after you stopped living in the main house, Master, so...” Just like yesterday, Bellis tried to give Mr. Fisalis the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t think he did a very good job of it, though.

“Bellis’ love for Mimosa is more than simple desire; he adores her—he’d never look at anyone else! You know what, Mr. Fisalis?”

“Wh—what?” he asked, looking up at me from where he was kneeling.

“You’re completely ignorant about what goes on in your own manor! Just like yesterday!”

“Huh!?”

“You’re the head of the household, so maybe—no you need to take your role more seriously!” I said to him sternly, even a little angrily.

“Uh...” his handsome face twitched.

Worried that perhaps I had said too much too forcefully, I changed my tone to something gentler.

“I know you’re busy, but please try to pay attention to what goes on in this house. I might not be able to do much, but I put a lot of effort into this place,” I told him with a smile.

“If you say so, I will. I’ll do a better job from now on,” he responded, his stiff expression softening into a grin.

Oh, I see signs of growth! It must be the pressure of the servants’ expectation that I’ll return Mr. Fisalis to how he used to be. This was an opportunity!

“Thank you. We’ll do a better job together, a little at a time. Oh, I know. Would you care to join us for tea, Mr. Fisalis? You’ve been asleep for so long, you must be famished.” I smiled warmly and offered him my hand.

“I think I will.”

Mr. Fisalis took my hand with hesitation; I pulled him to his feet and over to where we sat among the dishes on the quilt. The honest, not-for-show smile he flashed at me was a sight for sore eyes. Taking a seat on the aforementioned quilt, he patted the spot next to himself as he looked up at me.

He wants me to sit there.

So I didn’t hesitate to sit right down.

Once everyone had made themselves comfortable, Mimosa offered to make more tea and, following her lead, Bellis headed to the kitchen to let them know they should bring Mr. Fisalis’ breakfast outside.

I totally saw the two of them exchange a knowing smile! It warms my heart to see my friends so in tune with each other.

“It’s so nice to just relax outside with some tea like this. Too bad I overslept, though,” Mr. Fisalis commented as he leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky, like he was in a photoshoot or something.

“The weather is beautiful today, isn’t it?” I replied. I felt so at ease, myself, perhaps because of the weather, too.

This feels like the first time I’ve sat and just talked to him. I don’t know if it’s the weather, but I really don’t mind being here with him.

“Ugh, my body feels like it weighs a ton. I slept for much too long,” he said with a snicker.

“Your eyes would probably fuse shut if you slept any longer. I know what you mean though, about oversleeping. The beds here are just far too comfortable.”

“You’re right about that. They’re nothing like the places I slept on my trip. Thankfully, now that I’ve had a chance to sleep, I’m not exhausted at all anymore,” he said, stretching out on the quilt.

“That feeling of sinking into the comforting cradle of the springs, and the faint, fresh scent of soap on the linens! Laying in bed on fresh sheets makes all the elbow grease involved in doing the laundry worth the while!” The springs were indeed amazing, but I didn’t mention how I sometimes cannonballed into bed. It didn’t seem very ladylike.

“Elbow grease? Doing the laundry?” Mr. Fisalis murmured absentmindedly, head tilted to one side, when I brought up the bed linen. I knew at once that I’d said something I shouldn’t have.

Oh nooo, I just revealed that I’ve been doing the laundry!

“Er, uhm, I mean, it must take a lot of elbow grease when the servants do the laundry for us! Ah ha ha ha!”

Gosh, I hope he believes that explanation!

“Er, I’m sure they do,” Mr. Fisalis replied, but still with a slight look of doubt at my reaction.

“Your tea is ready,” Mimosa said at just the right time, sparing me from further questioning. Nice save, Mimosa!

Just then, Bellis came striding back toward us from the main house, plates in hand.

“I’ve brought your breakfast.”

Once Mimosa and I had arranged the dishes and silverware on the quilt, the mood flipped from relaxation to meal time.

“Looks delicious.” Mr. Fisalis beamed at me, although he still seemed to be watching how I reacted.

Crisis averted, phew! I got too caught up in the conversation. I’ll have to be more careful to not let anything slip!

I sat next to Mr. Fisalis and had some more of Mimosa’s tea as he made short work of his sandwich, one of Cartham’s specials.

A gentle breeze blew across my face. It was a very pleasant afternoon.

...I had absolutely no idea that the servants were scattered all over the manor and grounds, watching over us.