Subliminal Wayfarer

“Oh, really? I’m so glad to hear that you like plants, Miss Grace! In that case, I would be delighted to show off our estate’s prized glass greenhouse.”

Countess Gestash could not hide her excitement after exchanging a few words with Grace.

With a flushed face, she rang a bell to summon a servant.

“Cassie! Please escort Miss Grace to the greenhouse.”

“I was already curious about the glass greenhouse I saw on the way here, so thank you, Countess.”

“Oh, not at all. I’m just happy to have someone who appreciates my pride and joy.”

Grace excused herself from Selena and stood up.

“Oh! By the way, don’t go near the flowers surrounded by the green fence. They are very dangerous poisonous plants.”

The countess hastily added as if she had just remembered.

Grace nodded, taking note, and turned to leave.

“Excuse me! May I accompany you, Miss Grace? I’d like to get to know you better.”

Alendia followed behind Grace as she left the garden.

Grace saw no reason to refuse and walked alongside Alendia.

“I’ve actually heard some rumors about you, Miss Grace.”

“Rumors about me?”

Grace’s eyes widened at Alendia’s sudden comment.

Rumors? She had hardly participated in high society and lived without much presence, so she was surprised to hear there were rumors about her.

Alendia smiled, her large eyes curving.

“It’s rare for a woman to receive a title, isn’t it?”

“Oh… that. I think, um, it was just good luck. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Oh, not at all. How can something like that happen by chance? Absolutely not. I think it’s remarkable.”

“Though it’s a bit embarrassing to hear such praise, I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Grace responded elegantly, smiling slightly.

Alendia stared at Grace, then spoke with a hint of wonder.

“Miss Grace, you have a certain aura about you.”

“Pardon?”

“At first glance, you seem delicate and pure, but when we talk, there’s a subtle strength that comes through. It’s a calm feeling that’s, how should I say, quite captivating.”

“Me…?”

“Yes, you.”

Grace blushed a peachy color at Alendia’s sparkling-eyed response and smiled.

Alendia nodded in admiration, looking at her.

“I never understood why my mother always said she liked Madam Selena because she was beautiful, but now I think I get it a little. Miss Grace, let’s become friends.”

Alendia grabbed Grace’s hand enthusiastically.

“Have you ever hunted? Would you like to join me? I know an amazing hunting ground. How about it? Want to come with me?”

“Oh, I’ve never hunted before.”

“Great! Then you can learn from me. Asha is good at it too, so you can join us. We’ll teach you well. What do you think?”

Grace laughed awkwardly and took a step back, a bit overwhelmed by Alendia’s straightforward friendliness.

She was beginning to understand Alendia’s personality.

“Haha, thank you, Miss Alendia. But I don’t think I can learn to hunt.”

“Oh, why not? It’s really fun!”

Grace smiled awkwardly and spoke honestly.

“The truth is, I’m quite timid and can’t handle seeing arrows or knives very well.”

“Oh…! I see! Well, that can’t be helped. There are actually quite a few people who can’t stand the sight of sharp objects.”

Alendia couldn’t hide her disappointment, but she didn’t press her own feelings onto Grace too strongly.

“Then instead of what I like, why don’t you tell me what you like, Grace? Shall we start with this greenhouse?”

Alendia showed unwavering interest in Grace.

Grace didn’t mind this at all, so she responded attentively to Alendia’s words as they walked slowly.

Before they knew it, they were in front of the greenhouse.

 

* * *

 

“The inside of the greenhouse can be quite hot. If you stay too long, you might get dehydrated, so please call me if you feel thirsty. My name is Cassie.”

“Thank you, Cassie.”

Following the servant’s polite guidance, Grace and Alendia entered the greenhouse.

As the servant had mentioned, the glass greenhouse was far hotter than the outside.

Sweat quickly formed under their thin dresses.

“Why is it so hot in here? It’s already hot outside, but this is beyond my imagination.”

Alendia wiped the sweat from her face and grimaced.

“They must have set the temperature to grow plants that only thrive in hot climates. That’s why the leaves of the plants here are large and their shapes are so colorful. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“They are. I’ve never seen many of these before.”

Grace’s eyes sparkled as she wandered around the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was larger than she had expected, and there was a lot to see.

“Wow, what’s this? The colors are so vibrant! How fascinating….”

As Alendia had been looking around, she suddenly discovered a dazzling flower within the green fence.

It was an orange flower with black spots.

The petals were large and fluttered like butterfly wings, making it very enchanting.

“I’ve never seen a flower like this before.”

Alendia approached the flower, entranced.

The fluttering orange petals shimmered like silk.

The flower seemed to be beckoning her to touch it.

Without realizing it, Alendia’s hand slowly reached out towards the flower.

“Alendia, don’t!”

Grace, who had been distracted by other plants, realized too late and grabbed Alendia.

“This is a poisonous plant. Touching it would be dangerous.”

Gasp!

Hearing the word ‘poisonous’, Alendia recoiled in shock.

In her haste, she bumped into Grace, and they both fell to the ground in a heap.

“Ugh.”

“Ah!”

As they fell, they knocked over a nearby flowerpot, which in turn caused a chain reaction, toppling several pots and creating a loud noise.

Clang, clang, clang… Crash!

The similar sounds continued in a sequence, ending with something hitting what sounded like a metal cage.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch.”

Alendia, who had fallen on top of Grace, groaned as she got up.

Realizing she had pinned Grace beneath her, she hurriedly stood up.

“I’m sorry, Grace! Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Are you okay, Alendia?”

“I didn’t get hurt at all because I fell on you! What should we do? I’m kind of heavy…!”

“No, you weren’t heavy at all.”

Grace, a slender woman who looked as if she might blow away in the wind, supported the taller and healthier-looking Alendia and smiled.

Feeling terribly sorry, Alendia quickly helped Grace to her feet.

“Really, I’m fine. You don’t need to look so worried.”

“But your dress is a mess, Grace. I’m sorry.”

“It’s more important that you’re not hurt, Alendia.”

“Oh, Grace… What a heartwarming thing to say.”

Alendia’s voice was filled with emotion, almost to the point of tears.

Seeing Alendia so moved by what seemed like a simple statement, Grace just smiled.

Then, at that moment.

Ki-ree-ree-rit!

Rii-rii-rii…!

A loud sound echoed from above, something large soaring through the sky.

It was definitely an animal’s cry, but it was unlike any cry they had heard before.

Both Alendia and Grace looked up simultaneously.

However, there was nothing bird-like to be seen above.

“That sound just now…”

“It sounded like a bird.”

Grace turned her head, listening more intently.

Ki-ree-ree-ree!

When the cry sounded again, Grace turned her head precisely in the direction of the sound.

She raised her hand and pointed to two large birds perched on a tree, staring at them.

“It seems to be those birds.”

 

* * *

 

“Ah!”

Countess Gestash dropped the teaspoon she was holding and quickly covered her mouth.

Realizing something too late, her face turned pale, and she stood up abruptly.

“Oh, heavens! What do we do? Titi! Titi, come here!”

Everyone stopped talking, startled by the countess’s sudden panic as if someone had pressed a button.

“What’s wrong, Countess?”

Asha, sitting nearby with wide eyes, asked the flustered Countess Gestash.

“I completely forgot! We’ve been keeping birds in the greenhouse for the past few days!”

“Birds? That’s possible. But why is that…”

“Those birds are exotic. They’re very beautiful, but they’ve become very aggressive, perhaps from the long journey. They’re more sensitive than I expected!”

Selena looked at her, her voice tense and somewhat stern.

“Surely… you’re not letting them roam freely in the greenhouse, are you?”

“Oh! Of course not. But they’re so aggressive that we couldn’t keep them in small cages, so we put them in slightly larger ones temporarily…”

The most important details always come last.

“And?”

“Well, the cages are a bit loose. The repairman is supposed to come tomorrow, but I forgot about it.”

She glanced nervously in the direction of the greenhouse.

“The birds are so sensitive right now that we put them in the environment most similar to where they came from, which is the inside of the greenhouse… But they’re still very sensitive.”

Countess Gestash, looking utterly helpless, instructed a nearby maid to quickly check the greenhouse and warned her not to touch the innermost cage.

‘The cage doors couldn’t possibly open, right?’

The countess tried to push the ominous thought from her mind.

Selena was watching her intently.

Just a little more agitation and she seemed ready to act immediately.

Forcing a smile, the countess said,

“It’ll be fine. The birds are only about the size of hawks. They’re incredibly beautiful. They’re just a bit sensitive right now…”

At that moment.

“AHHH!”

All the ladies gathered froze as if caught in a stasis spell.

A brief but powerful silence settled over the room.

“…Oh, Grace!”

Selena was the first to break free from the spell.

“It can’t be.”

She urgently stood up and ran out.