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Chapter 13: Nightglow Orchid

Ryan’s expression darkened. “You’ve never ridden a horse before?”

“I…I’ve always traveled by carriage…”

“……”

Once again, Ryan felt helpless with this magic teacher.

How on earth did such an idiotic woman become a teacher at Alcot Academy?

Have human mages really become a lost lineage?

♤ ♡ ♢ ♧

Considering Nanali’s emotions, Ryan rode very slowly and steadily the entire way.

Occasionally, Ryan would ask Nanali to look up at the scenery along the road, but she kept her head down and stayed silent.

Compared to Nanali, Rowan, who had never ridden a horse before, was startled at every step and clung tightly to Ryan’s waist the whole time.

At each step the horse took, Rowan would let out a soft cry of surprise, which left Ryan utterly speechless.

Who between you and Nanali is the real child here?

Suddenly, Ryan noticed a flower shop by the roadside.

After thinking for a moment, Ryan stopped the horse by the side, turned to Rowan, and said, “Do you have any money? Lend me one gold coin.”

“Oh, I…I do.”

Rowan weakly replied, pulled a gold coin from her pocket, and mumbled under her breath:

“A mere attendant to the Count’s daughter doesn’t even have any money…”

Ryan said, “…You only have that gold coin?”

“Yes, I only brought that gold coin.”

Well, she was the type who was foolish but loaded with money.

Ryan took the coin, jumped down from the horse, and said, “Thanks. Watch the horse for me. Consider this coin a loan; I’ll pay you back later.”

Then Ryan jogged into the flower shop.

After Ryan left, only then did Nanali belatedly lift her head to watch his retreating figure. Her lips moved as if she wanted to speak, but in the end she didn’t utter a single word.

Soon, Ryan ran out of the flower shop.

Rowan had assumed Ryan was going to buy a large bouquet, but when he emerged, she realized he had only purchased a single, somewhat shabby little white flower.

A small money pouch still hung from Ryan’s waist, looking quite bulging.

The little white flower wasn’t pretty and looked much like an ordinary roadside bloom; it even seemed more fragile, as if a gentle breeze could snap its stem.

When Ryan approached with a smile, Rowan couldn’t help asking, “You…you only bought this one flower?”

“Yes.”

Ryan smiled, nodded, and said, “It cost three silver coins.”

“Three silver coins for that?!”

Rowan’s voice even cracked in disbelief; three silver coins could buy you a large bouquet, after all.

“Yes.”

Ryan didn’t think much of it and said, “This flower can only survive in the borderlands. Because it’s so delicate, transporting it is extremely difficult, so I suppose those three silver coins all went toward shipping costs. By the way, there are ninety-seven silver coins in this pouch too. Do you want them?”

In this world, the exchange rate among copper, silver, and gold was 1 to 100. To be honest, Ryan still felt that paper banknotes from the Transmigrator’s memories were easier to carry, along with those passbook-based savings methods.

When Ryan produced a gold coin, the shopkeeper stood there dumbfounded and took quite a while to gather the silver coins.

Rowan’s cheek twitched as she said, “…No need. You should keep them yourself.”

“Well, then thank you.”

Having said that, Ryan ignored Rowan and handed the flower to Nanali.

Nanali took the fragile white flower and looked at Ryan in puzzlement, unsure why he had suddenly given her such a blossom.

But… she thought, such a fragile, breeze-borne little flower was very much like herself.

“This is the Nightglow Orchid. These flowers glow at night; they’re quite beautiful.”

While Nanali studied the flower, Ryan swung back onto his horse and slowly rode toward the estate:

“Actually, I once went through a time like this myself. No one understood me, and despite my best efforts to prove myself, I was still not accepted and was even…treated like a monster.”

At his words, Nanali’s gaze lifted from the orchid, and she looked up at Ryan, who was holding her.

Ryan stared ahead as if recalling something, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth:

“My heart once went numb too, and I wavered greatly about my duties, my mission, and the goals I held dear, making me want to give up countless times. However, just as I was on the verge of breaking down, someone gave me a Nightglow Orchid.”

At that point, Ryan lowered his head and looked at the orchid in Nanali’s hand.

“When everyone looked at me with fearful eyes, she stepped forward, gazed at my scarred self with clear eyes, and gave me an orchid she had picked from the roadside, showing me kindness. That Nightglow Orchid was glowing softly at the time. It was beautiful… truly beautiful… and through it, I discovered the meaning of what I wanted to protect.”

Although Nanali didn’t know exactly what had happened to Ryan, she understood the meaning behind his words and listened intently.

“Milady, today I give you this Nightglow Orchid not to have you protect me, but simply in the hope that you will find the strength to stand up again.”

“Actually… I already feel much better. Thank you, Ryan.”

Nanali’s voice was still somewhat hoarse, but her spirit had clearly recovered a great deal, especially after hearing Ryan’s story.

In that moment, Nanali suddenly sensed a kinship in Ryan… no, perhaps Ryan had endured even more than she had.

And at such a time, receiving a Nightglow Orchid had lifted Ryan out of his low point.

Now, Ryan was giving her a Nightglow Orchid in her time of need.

Ryan had had someone give him an orchid, and she… had Ryan.

Only then did Nanali realize that to feel acknowledged, you only need one person; that’s all it takes.

For the rest of the journey, Nanali held the orchid in her hands, gazing at it repeatedly.

As for Rowan, she used Ryan’s story to deduce his identity.

Since the Nightglow Orchid can only survive in the borderlands, perhaps Ryan had come from the borderlands?

Moreover, based on Ryan’s words and the magical theory that allowed Nanali to transform overnight, Rowan had no trouble guessing that Ryan had once been under the banner of the Empire.

And he had been treated like… a monster.

A borderlands… monster?

Rowan furrowed her brows and suddenly remembered something.

Looking again at Ryan’s elegant, affable smile and the faint hint of malevolence that occasionally slipped out, Rowan immediately confirmed her suspicions.

After returning to the estate, Nanali locked herself in her room.

Ryan knew Nanali needed quiet space, so he didn’t disturb her and casually found a seat next to Rowan.

For some reason, Ryan noticed that after arriving at the estate, Rowan had become even more reserved.

When facing him, she was like a terrified white rabbit, utterly timid.

“Mr. Ryan brought a woman home on his very first day!”

“Mr. Ryan really is amazing~”

The two maids, Darly and Daisy, leaned against the doorframe, watched Ryan and Rowan, and whispered to each other.

Their whispers were a bit too loud, and when Rowan heard them, her face couldn’t help turning red.

If Nanali had still been there, the atmosphere would never have turned like this.

But Nanali came back and locked herself in her room, so how did it end up being just her and Ryan alone!

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