Chapter 116: Chapter 116 Dahlia withered without blooming (1)
She comforted herself, reciting that someday she would forget about what happened today.
But she had no intention to turn a blind eye to Francis’s wicked actions. She didn’t want to ignore or forgive her behavior.
‘How could I forgive her?’
She thought about how she could punish Francis’s crime in the most wise way.
She needed to calm her troubled feelings and deal with it cool-heartedly.
Even before she hated and got even with her, she needed to think about first whether she was misunderstanding Francis because she recalled the countess who was as hostile to her as Francis. Wendy soon gave up that stupid idea. The countess was not the type of woman who was stupid enough to play this kind of flawed trick on her.
Wendy felt that if the countess had acted, she would have had someone kidnap her to a remote area instead of threatening her, or she would have somebody almost maim her.
That was the cruel nature of Francis’ mother. She was much more cruel than Francis in every way. She remembered how cruelly the countess treated her and her mother.
“Haa…”
But there were many obstacles. Francis was not alone. Behind her was her mother, the countess, and the entire Hazlet family.
But she was not alone either. She was never alone.
Sitting on the bed, she soon fell on a warm blanket. She smelled his scent when the blanket rustled and pulled it over her head. She felt it swarmth all over her body.
“Wow, the sunshine is nice. I think it’s been a long time since I enjoyed this kind of lunch.”
Demian Setorang spoke with a bright smile.
“You must be very busy as you are graduating quite soon, right?” Mrs. Hazlet asked after drinking a sip of water in a clear glass.
“Oh, just my mind was busy, though it doesn’t make things any better. ”
“Jedda Academy is notorious for its rigorous evaluation of graduate candidates. I hear you were always the top student. As you’re so diligent even until the end of the semester, your mother must be very proud of you. Besides, you are handsome and tall. I can imagine how proud she is of you.”
“I’m flattered. Thanks so much for praising me.”
Demian bowed slightly to her to show his appreciation. Soon his eyes turned to Francis Hazlet, who was eating silently. The countess, conscious of his gaze on her, opened her mouth in a hurry, “Francis, the scent of flowers mixed with the wind is very fragrant today. I saw dahlia shooting out new buds in the garden a few days ago, so I wonder if they’re blooming now. Did you notice the flowers? ”
“… Well, I do not know. I haven’t seen them.”
She reluctantly responded, expressing her desire not to participate in their conversation.
Embarrassed, the countess looked at Demian and Francis alternately.
“You would think it was easy to notice that flowers are blooming and withering, but it’s never easy. They keep blooming and withering even before we notice it. Don’t you think that’s why we are impressed by the full blossoms of flowers by chance, ” Demian said to Francis in a sociable manner.
Only then did Francis raise her eyes to see him. The khaki haired man smiled at her. His dark brown eyes seemed milder in the sun, but Francis looked away as if she had no intention of making friends with him.
“Of course, if you look at flowers with affection and care… you’ll be more impressed,” he added.
Francis said, holding a napkin in her lap, “… Have you ever seen a flower with affection?”
Her tone was monotonous, as though she was carrying on an uninteresting conversation.
As it was her first question today, he answered gladly, “There are many beautiful gardens here and there at my academy. Even if I don’t have to visit a garden, there are a lot of unknown flowers on the roadside. Anyone has felt affectionate for the flowers they unintentionally see on their way back and forth to their workplaces or homes. ”
She stopped suddenly while wiping her hands with a napkin.
‘Have I had that experience like anybody else?’ She asked herself.
To the best of her memories, she had never felt so even after seeing them in the past.
Looking back, she felt lonely as she hadn’t experienced such small pleasures. The fact that she didn’t have such small pleasures at all made her feel another sense of loss.
Now that she lost Dylan Lennox, the only object of her affection, she was left with no lover. Her glorious things disappeared long ago. As if there was no light from the beginning, emptiness filled her mind.
“Well, I’ve never felt affection for flowers when I saw them by chance. Flowers are just flowers. Why should you feel affection for the objects used to make the garden beautiful? ”
The countess’s face was more embarrassed by the arrogant pitch of Francis voice.
“Oh my… Francis…! ”
“Can you show me the garden here after a meal? I want to take a walk together. Please check with me if the dahlia is in bloom,” Demian said, interrupting the countess who was about to rebuke Francis.
“If you could feel affection for the flower when you look at it accidentally, I think it’s going to be a great pleasure for me to walk with you.”
Francis quickly hardened her face at his attitude when he responded to her disrespect with a smile. She suddenly recalled her past encounter with Dylan Lennox who was generously kind to her. Looking at Demian’s eyes trying to meet hers, as if asking for her permission, Francis didn’t say anything.
“Get out of my way!”
“Please don’t!”
At that moment, there was a loud noise inside the terrace where they were eating.
With the noise of iron rattling, several people were seen coming toward them.
Soon, the protagonists of the uproar appeared between the white curtains extending from the terrace to the building. They were imperial knights.
“What the heck is going on?”
Countess Hazlet asked them with a furious voice. As if to ignore her out of hand, one of them came near and said, “I’m Jean Jacques Simuan, Deputy Captain of the Imperial 1st Knights. I’ve the order to arrest Francis Hazlet right away.”
“Who ordered that? Do you know where you are right now? How rude you are! ”
The countess once again got furious and stood up.
“The order has been issued by Sir Lard Schroder, Captain of the 1st Knights. We have evidence that Francis has committed a crime, so follow our order. We’re taking the due process of arresting her because of her crime,” Jean said, calmly.
But his voice was heavy and authoritative. Francis jumped out of his seat and her face turned white. When she hastily stood up, several dishes rolled to the floor because the tablecloth was pulled outside. The sound of the plates being smashed to pieces was heard.
“Evidence? What the heck…! How could you disgrace my family like this? Don’t you know how serious a crime you are committing now?” Mrs. Hazlet yelled at him, shocked by her daughter’s arrest.
Demian Setoran, who was standing silently in shock, spoke softly, stopping the knights from approaching her, “I don’t know what’s going on, but why are you dragging her away recklessly? If there is any misunderstanding, you have to clear it, but you have to follow the due process…”
“I won’t tolerate any further obstruction. I can’t afford to waste my time here. Just move back as I don’t want to use force. ”
When Jean glanced at the knights standing behind him and signalled to them with his eyes, the two knights approached Francis and grabbed her by her arms. The countess shivered and tried to stop them, but another knight stepped in front of her.
“Oh my god! What the heck is this…”
Demian, who was watching the scene, lamented with a sigh. While being led away by the knights, Francis inadvertently turned to him with a terrified look. She couldn’t accept his request to walk through the garden and watch dahlia flowers together. Even though she wanted to, she could not.
The opportunity for her gaze at a flower to turn into affection for him disappeared completely, regardless of the type of affection.
It was horrible to be alone in a closed space where no one entered. One’s sense of horror was especially big when one doesn’t know what one’s fate will be.
Francis was trying to keep her hands still despite her anxiety and kept massaging them. The imperial knights who brought her there didn’t appear for hours. Maybe more than several hours passed. Of course, it might be a lot shorter than she felt, but it was a long and slow time for her.
Some time later, the silence in the room was broken, and the tightly closed door was opened. Francis sprang to her feet and looked at the man entering the room.
“Sit down, Miss Hazlet.”
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